Private cardigan

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Princess //:
//: Academy Dormitories //: Bastion //:
//: Leliana //:

The Academy on Bastion felt like one of the larger ones in the system. Several of the elites were sent here to learn the basics of the Sith Empire. There were classes based around combat, government, and Force powers if the student was lucky to be touched by the Force. Graduates were easily handed off to Knights and Lords, ready to teach and hone the student's killing skills. The Empire's finest crossed through the walls of the Academy, and here, one of their privileged sat upon her bed bored out of her mind. ​

Quinn's eyes glanced about her room that had been carefully decorated. There were stuffed animals that she had brought along from the palace on Eshan and other things from home. In her closet hung traditional Echani robes meant for combat training. Each limb had a setting to be weighted, and her mother ensured that Quinn knew how to move gracefully, even at the highest setting. The room screamed elite and nobility shined through for the girl, but that didn't prevent her from being bored. A hand moved aside her bouncy and carefully crafted platinum curls, Quinn pondered who she would bother for the afternoon. She wasn't in any mood for just anyone; in particular, there was one she enjoyed to tease more than the others. ​

A sudden flash and glimmer hinted in her eyes as she laid back and opened up her datapad. The name she searched for quickly was quickly already on the top of her list, it made the young noble pause for a moment. Had she already spent too much time with the Assassin girl? Wonder if it gave the girl the wrong idea, Quinn scoffed at the thought and quickly messaged her. ​

<Leliana~> The charming lyrical voice of the Echani girl spoke as she laid back on her bed. She did her best to look as enticing as she could, knowing that her requests couldn't be ignored. < I'm bored. Come and entertain me.> The message shut off, and Quinn sat up in her bed, she knew that Leliana would be knocking on her door. A smirk spread across her face, her afternoon was about to unbore itself, and she decided to get ready. Moving to her closet, Quinn examined her attire, the lace around the neck of her collar was perfect, and the red color of her short dress only accented the natural beauty of the Echani. She licked her red-stained lips as she blew herself a kiss and then returned to her bed, where she sat with her legs crossed, waiting for her entertainment. ​

She could have summoned any of her little group, but Leliana was something different. The girl had something more to her, and Quinn always loved a good mystery. Anticipation started to get the better of her as her smirk started to fade. Leliana was usually knocking already at the door, yet Quinn was able to fix her clothing and was now waiting. This was unacceptable. Her smile faded as her arms crossed in front of her chest, annoyance written all over her figure. ​

Where was that damn assassin? Why is she making me wait? Quinn mulled over the questions in her mind as she continued to wait for Leliana if she had to leave her room to find the girl - things weren't going to be as fun. ​

 

[Leliana]

Leliana had previously cursed the fact she had to go to the Academy on Bastion, knowing full well her Master had done it to punish her. Sure, it was under the veiled excuse to learn more about the general working parts of the Sith Empire, but the assassin knew it was a consequence of her failure on Dubrillion. She still bore the scars from the Rebel Alliance's attack on the planet, even to this day.

But she had quickly found an avenue in which to make the whole process a lot less boring, and a great deal more entertaining. Meeting Quinn Varanin. Time had already flown by since their first meeting, to a point Leliana had to think on how long she had been at the Academy already. It had been fairly early on when she recognized the Echani's penchant to gather a group around her. She was charismatic, and despite her prissy attitude, had managed to gather a small following behind her.

Leliana had made sure she was part of that, knowing the benefit and strength behind a group like that. Although she never would expected just what it meant to catch Quinn's interest. It had been a certainly...interesting experience.

The Echani's message had arrived just as Leliana was finishing up one of her favourite hobbies, painting. Her attention solely focused on the canvas, while soft music filled her room. She caught sight of the datapad in the corner of her eye, the screen flashing to life as the notification arrived. There was a very short list of people that would be messaging at this time, and Leliana didn't need to suspect for long before the answer became apparent.

WIth a flick of her free hand, she used the Force to summon the device to her hand. Sure enough, it was Quinn who had messaged her, twice in quick succession as she relayed her bored state. Fortunately, Leliana was just about wrapping up her latest creation, so she didn't hesitate to send an answer.

<Will be there in a bit.> With a final few strokes of her brush, Leliana finished off her painting and immediately stood up and began moving about her room to get ready. Mainly a change of clothes, grabbing a fresh shirt to replace the one that now had specks of paint splattered on it. If there was one thing Leliana knew about Quinn, it was that she demanded perfection. Just as she was, and thus so should anyone and everyone who associated with her.

It didn't take long for Leliana to be finished, and she was already slipping from her room and heading through the dormitory halls to reach Quinn's room. However, as she neared it, the assassin decided to mess with Quinn a little bit. Keeping her presence in the Force concealed, Leliana reached the Echani's room, but didn't immediately knock. Instead, she just leaned against the wall beside it and waited. She knew Quinn wouldn't depart her room, not initially anyway. It was a small act of defiance on Leliana's part, an admitted source of entertainment for the assassin. But there was always a fine line, a bored and annoyed Quinn Varanin was rarely ever a good combination.

She waited just until the right moment, when she'd know Quinn would start contemplating the awful idea of having to do something herself. And then Leliana finally pushed away from the wall, turned around and knocked on the door. She waited another moment before she slid the door open and slipped inside the Echani's room.

"Yes, Princess?"

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Princess //:
//: Academy Dormitories //: Bastion //:
//: Leliana //:

Making Quinn Varanin wait was playing a dangerous game. The girl was used to people jumping at her requests. For some reason, Leliana thought it would be good to play a dangerous game with Quinn. The Assassin had the uncanny ability to gauge the right amount of time to wait, then appear before Quinn lost her mind. Seeing the Assassin slip into her room and answer her, a small smile spread across her face as she felt a sense of happiness to know the girl. Before Leliana could see the smile, Quinn quickly let it fall into a forced scowl.​

​

"What took you so long? Our rooms are only a few minutes away from each other. I had the school move you closer." Arms crossed over her chest while her head turned away, lips pouting. How dare Leliana take her sweet time to come when Quinn called, the Echani shifted where she sat for a moment as she gave her friend the silent treatment. Quinn couldn't hold it for too long, she was too bored to keep things quiet.​

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Arms fell from her chest as she placed them at her side, swung her feet carefully, and kept them low enough so that she didn't show anything she didn't want to. Leliana wasn't allowed that privilege, especially today. Maybe another, when the girl arrived ON TIME. Quinn knew she was going to hold this over the brunette's head as long as she could. Thinking about the annoyances, she would unleash upon Leliana brought a small smirk across Echani's face.​

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"You're lucky I like you, Leliana." She emphasized her statement as she tilted her head, a finger twirling one of the soft curls in her platinum blonde hair. "Why would you keep me waiting?" Quinn continued to pout as she jumped from her tall bed onto the ground. She sauntered closer to her guest as she watched the girl with her amber gaze.​

​

Leliana was a curious woman, older than the rest of the group, and she slipped in rather quickly. Quinn had expected the girl to try and defy her. Though Leliana did little things to challenge the Echani, it was never anything that lasted long. Eventually, she would cave, and Quinn would be on top once more. Such an exciting game that they played, and it kept Quinn intrigued with the brunette.​

​

Stopping in front of her, she bit her lower lip and fixed the shirt of the Assassin as she spoke quietly between them. "I think it's best if you don't make me wait, especially the next time I summon you." Her eyes focused for the moment on the shirt then slowly looked up to the taller girl to emphasize the importance of showing up on time. "What were you doing that was so important that you ignored me, leaving me in my boredom?" Her hand continued to move along the other's shirt while she spoke.​

​

Her eyes never leaving Leliana's.​

 

[Leliana]

The whole deal with the change in rooms had been Leliana's first example of the influence behind the Varanin name. Due to her late entry into the Academy, Leliana had effectively been placed at the far end of the dormitories. But shortly after she had found her way within Quinn's group, catching the Echani's interest, she suddenly found herself being moved to a much closer location. The Academy had a strict stance on their placements, and yet Quinn had dismissed it with a flick of her hand.

It was also the first glimpse into how possessive the Princess of Eshan could be. Not that Leliana was going to complain, she liked the danger when it came to defying the younger woman.

Oh, she'd never outright do so, especially not in blatant public. It was always in the smaller acts, like waiting a bit to arrive at her room. Leliana would feel the punishment of it for weeks no doubt, but it was worth it.

The indignation Quinn always displayed was pretty cute in Leliana's opinion, but you'd never get her to admit that out loud.

She stood just inside of the Echani's room, back facing the door. Her eyes never left Quinn as she huffed about first on her bed, then as she walked towards the Assassin. Leliana caught the slight smirk on Quinn's face, promising she'd pay for the slight against the Echani, and she couldn't help but feel a pleasant shiver down her back. There were some joys in defying the Echani from time to time, provided you didn't overdo it. A deliberate game she played to keep Quinn's interest.

"I apologise Princess," she started, looking down at the Echani as she began to fiddle with her buttoned up shirt, fixing it idly before staring up at her. Leliana returned the look, dark brown meeting amber. "I was just finishing up a painting, and had to make myself presentable for you." She flashed Quinn a smile, "I came as quickly as I could."

Sweet words to conceal half-truths.

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Princess //:
//: Academy Dormitories //: Bastion //:
//: Leliana //:

Quinn should have guessed what the assassin was doing. The girl enjoyed the simplest pleasures in life. Unlike Quinn, Leliana enjoyed her solitude, it seemed, filling her time with painting and different arts. Such a delicate hobby for someone who was designed and trained to kill. The Echani mused over these thoughts, the woman must be artistic in her killing as well, if she found herself a painter. As her mind worked over what Leliana had said, the smile that brought a weakness over appeared. Quinn responded quickly and placed her hand over the woman's smile. ​

​

"You're not allowed to do that." She spoke quickly and then pulled away from the smiling assassin. Fingers brushed back her platinum hair as she smirked and shook her head. "You play too much, Leliana," Soft laughter escaped the Echani's lips as she leaned against her bed once more, arms resting at her side leaning against the frame. "You think that smile can get you out of whatever bits of revenge I have planned for you." Another chuckle as she threatened the girl. ​

​

Despite how quiet Leliana was at times, the girl knew how to use her assets. Quinn wondered if that's why she was so skilled as an assassin. Looking at her comm, she realized they should have gone to class by now, but she had other things planned for the two of them. The Echani had wanted to create something that was beyond her skill level. She would eventually bring the project to her Master, but she needed to get information and the general sith magic down. ​

​

Her Master was a stubborn one, but Quinn figured she knew how to talk to the Zambrano to get her way. It was what she was good at, case and point Leliana was going to be her help for this heist. Though since they weren't going to class, she could spend some time with the girl. Tilting her head slightly, Quinn pouted.​

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"You always talk about all these art projects you're working on. Ones that make you late to come to see me, ones that make you late to class, and yet I've never seen any of them." Quinn sighed, feigning hurt, but she continued. "You could totally be lying to me about them, I think you should show me your work."​

 

[Leliana]

The smile quickly threatened to split into a grin when Quinn intervened to stop it from showing, placing a hand over her mouth. It was those things, the little stuff that she had picked up on when interacting with the Eshan Princess. A disabling smile that was able to get through her defences, especially in public where she knew it would infuriate her the most.

A soft expression crossed the Assassin's face as she watched Quinn return to her bed, the small laugh was like music to her ears. She had learned very early on that she really liked hearing her laugh.

"Who's to say I'm doing that to get out of that revenge?" She fixed Quinn with a look, a particular twinkle in her eyes. A familiar look between the two, of the Assassin quietly challenging the Echani.

Leliana watched as Quinn quietly mulled over her thoughts, making it clear to her that the Princess hadn't requested her for one simple thing. It wasn't an uncommon happenstance for them to ditch a class, in fact it was surprising they didn't get in trouble for it with how often it happened. But then if you thought on just who they were, and it was plainly obvious why. Leliana already knew the vast majority of what the Academy taught, having been instructed by Ophidia and other teachers. If there were any bits of information that were new, the Assassin had a little birds hanging about to absorb the intel. So if teacher tried calling her out, Leliana just threw it back at them.

And well, Quinn was a fething Varanin. No one was exactly going to complain about her absences.

The smile began to peek out again, as the Echani Princess began to feign hurt in her words. She loved her dramatics, and to Leliana she found them both amusing and adorable.

"Well Princess..." She leaned against the door she had been standing in front of. "All you had to do was ask, I'd love to show you some of my work." Though the mention of Quinn and painting brought a particular memory to the surface. One evening when the Echani had arrived at her room, very quickly declaring her intent for the Assassin to paint her in...well a very bold manner. It was a memory Leliana would never forget, and one that got a healthly blush across the woman's cheeks.

Quinn Varanin​

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Princess //:
//: Academy Dormitories //: Bastion //:
//: Leliana //:

Quinn wondered if she shouldn't have covered Leliana's smile, it would probably be the last time she was able to see it. Their time together as dysfunctional as it had been, was sweet. Quinn cared about Leliana, but not in the same sense as she cared for Vesta. Something was always missing with their connection, a part of her wondered if Leliana ever understood her. It was easier to keep people at arm's length, and letting the Assassin get as close as she did was rare. It scared her, having too many people close, but in her mind, all she needed was the shifter. They understood each other on a different level, there was no avoiding the pull she had towards them. ​

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Wrinkling her nose, she stuck her tongue out at Leliana. She had asked several times to see the girl's work, but she was so private. Quinn had forced her to paint a picture of her, mostly to see how far she could push the Assassin before she gave in. It was a game they always played, maybe that was the basis of their friendship. It was a fun game, but even as she thought about it. There was no desire to play, her mind continued to fall back on where she wanted to be - but it wasn't time yet. ​

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Sliding away from her bedding, she brushed back a stray strand of her platinum blonde hair and moved towards the Assassin. "Well I suggest we get a move on then, I'd like to see some of your paintings before we continue on our journey." ​

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A hand opened, and her bag shot into her hand employing the Force, the leather strap found its way over her shoulder, and they were out into the dormitory's hallway. Quinn mused at the bustle of all the students heading to class, they won't be going, but she expected Leliana to have notes for the day's lessons. Quinn wasn't too worried about missing, her marks were the highest in the academy. She not only had her mother's beauty, but she had her papa's brain. The young girl had been molded, getting the best traits from her parents, perfection in their eyes. Quinn surpassed every student in the academy, and she was a shoo-in to become a powerful Lord's apprentice. ​

​

But, fate had other plans for her, of course, and by a chance meeting, she had found her Master. It was a joy to turn down some of the stronger Sith in the Empire, to tell them no that she didn't care to be their student was exhilarating. The daughter of a former Empress was like gold to them, and she denied them. ​

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The tap of her heel echoed as she walked down towards Leliana's room. She knew exactly where the room was based on her visits. She stood by the door and waited for Leliana to open it and allow herself in. Musing, she wanted to talk Masters, giving her a chance to share the news with Leliana of her finally finding one. Despite her ego and charm, Quinn was fearful of how Leliana would take that her new Master was also her lover. ​

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"So how long have you been an artist Leliana?"​

 

[Leliana]

There was a moment when Leliana was watching Quinn, that a feeling of paranoia settled in the back of her mind. It was nothing new to the Assassin, part of her profession after all. An important factor to keep a healthy balance of, to ensure survival. But too much of it and you'd find yourself slipping into madness, and then getting a knife in the back all the same. But what concerned Leliana was the fact she hadn't felt this around Quinn, ever.

Something had happened, Leliana wasn't sure on the what but as of a few nights ago she felt as though the Echani was avoiding her. Not publically, but in the more private times. Sure, Quinn never visited her every single night, but there had never been a straight several day absence. Before today, Leliana had just figured it was because she was mourning her mother still, her funeral being on that very night. The Assassin had given her condolences, pulling the Echani into a tight hug before she had gone to prepare.

But now a particular feeling was beginning to form in her mind.

Doubt.

Leliana hid it deep down, buried it and concealed it beneath a mask. Not just to keep Quinn from suspecting something, but so Leliana could still hope she was wrong.

"As the Princess commands," she smirked, not missing a beat as Quinn suggested they get a move on. Leliana moved to the door and opened it, letting the Echani slip out first before the Assassin followed. By now the students were going about heading to their classes, all going in one direction that was opposite to the duo. Everyone moved out of their way as they carried on, mostly to not annoy Quinn but Leliana herself had bit of a reputation too.

They quite quickly reached the Assassin's room, and she began to go about unlocking it. "I'd say I've been painting for about roughly five to six years?" Finally the door clicked open, and Leliana held it open for Quinn to enter. "Took it up as a hobby when I was recuperating. Always had an eye for capturing and recalling detail." What she had been recuperating from was not something she ever told Quinn, only gave vague details. Her errors on Dubrillion were a black mark to her, and Leliana rarely ever spoke about it in detail. There was only one person in their little group who knew, and it wasn't the Princess. "Now, you just sit there and be all pretty, I'll go and fetch some of the paintings."

Leliana was clearly nervous, letting herself be more consumed by the feeling in order to quell the rising doubt in her mind. She strode towards the darkest corner of her room, then seemingly disappeared into the shadows. Several minutes passed as Leliana remained in her personal little domain, fussing over which paintings to pick, which were the best ones, would Quinn like this one or this one?

Eventually though, the shadows began to part as a total of four canvas appeared floating out. A moment later the artist herself appeared as she gently placed the small bundle onto her desk, deliberately keeping them covered from Quinn's eyes. She turned around to face the Echani, a nervous smile on her face. "Okay, pick a number from one to four."

Quinn Varanin​