Private Cognizance

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

It was not often a rumour spurred Darth Ophidia herself to investigate a scene. But this? Well, this she simply had to see.

On the trade-rich planet of Ventruun, a planet she had taken under her protection, a massacre was happening. None of her agents could pin down who or why it had occurred. In fact, when she first heard, it was still happening. Was it some ploy from her rivals? Or was this perhaps a new potential warlord staking a claim on her turf?

Whichever it was, her attention was warranted.

She ordered her agents, her assassins, spies and warriors to pull back. They were to watch and report only if anyone fled the scene. So far, no one had set a foot outside. The street fell still when the Dark Lady stepped off her transport. Only the sound of sand crushed beneath her boots cut the silence, and at the same time accentuated it. The loud haggling and bargaining of Ventruun's markets was drowed out by oppressive quiet, and the beating sun hid, bleak and shy. The warm summer breeze turned to biting chill. And she watched with unblinking eyes, like rings of molten iron.

Curious.

Seemingly unarmed, clad only in a black, silken robe, the Rattataki lord of the Sith stepped up to the scene of the massacre.

 

[Naivia Ri]

Remind me of a dream of inconsolable blood, Remind me of a world without wars and widows, Remind me, a sinner who knows no victory, Remind me of the price of death and their kind... Whose existence is not eternal... Whose life is over, never to be born again!
In the colours of the slain bathed the maiden, bathed the fallen archangel of love, in the colours sweet desire was born and moved the heart out of darkness. Risa, not yet recovered from another leap of happiness, stood in the middle of the whole show, which she herself had set up, raising her blade over the heads of living and sentient beings. Her unearthly painful face was still covered with dozens of fiery melting veins, her eyes greedily but sparsely examining her new creation, the new page of life. She was not hurt, not cold, she did not even feel the abyss in herself, white hair like the light of a distant sleeping ice star covered her head, and the rest of the body was hidden under the cloak as well as two special and very light blades, which brought death and destruction. The number of those killed could not be counted, there was nothing left of them, no faces, no limbs, not even skin, a total dance of hell in the garden of life and commerce, the world of movement and dynamics, perhaps it was hundreds, perhaps thousands . But Risa was not interested in this, she turned her head quite naturally in the direction of the living object, which seemed to have come for the inspection and evaluation of Risa's acting skills that she had not personally asked for. The force emanating from Risa was characterized by a stunning level of instability, a total indifference to death and life, it was constantly increasing and decreasing, and in general it was impossible to foresee how dangerous Risa could be. The girl straightened up and without making any sudden movements or even raising her arms, she looked silently towards Darth Ophidia and with a sigh put on her cloak, and without any interest she looked directly at Darth Ophidia, holding in her hand a sheet of paper which she had approached with and using a force she handed over. On the piece of paper was written "Better watch out for your household... " Risa without smiling silently waited for a reaction, completely relaxed and looking somewhere in the sky and already dreaming of something else...
She was like a true shadow who did not have a place in real world at all..
Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

Darth Ophidia paused when she saw the white-haired girl.

Even though she paused, she did not appear phased. Rather than an expression of shock, she let her eyes slide coldly over the bloody scene. The blades, the victims, the viscera on the walls, it spoke volumes. They all told her much about what had happened there and who it was she was looking at. She did not need to feel her power in the Force to know what exactly she was looking at. She knew exactly how dangerous the person in front of her was in the blink of an eye.

The viscera spoke of rage, and the blades often meant it was personal. Perhaps the choice of victim was personal, but the manner of executing her rage was. Slashers working at this volume delighted at the sensation of steel rending flesh, at least in the moment.

No, the instability yielded other bits of information about the white-haired girl.

She accepted the presented paper and read it with a single glance, but her awareness did not leave the girl. She examined the make of the flimsiplast, the form of the writing -print or hand-written?- What ink? Is it precise, desperate, childish? If one knew, one knew.

"Did someone give you this?"

The Sith Lord's eyes, unblinking embers against an ashen face, lifted to look at Risa.

"Or did you call me here for yourself?"

 

[Naivia Ri]

Risa stood like a living lonely statue for a couple of minutes, simultaneously in her personal dreams and beside Darth Ophidia, consciously analysing every slightest movement of her eyes, the speed of the wind, the temperature, the dryness, the heartbeat of every living thing whose existence she could spot, changes in force and other factors and about the same time Risa quietly leaned towards the woman and sniffed her carefully, after which her body returned to its upright position and her expression: eyes, lips, mouth, cheeks, had not changed at all. Only a voice very painful, lost and yet surreal came out of the girl's body.
"Your arrival was your choice, my arrival was my wish. I am neither worse nor better off by your presence... You better watch out for those you 'protect' . "
Risa exhaled the air she disliked so much as it implied a constant exchange of one element of nature for another, it immediately reminded her of what was missing in herself "a balance in the existence of Risa's very different spiritual origins in her body". Risa slowly raised her hand and gently touched that hand of Darth Ophidia that held the letter, which was written in very precise handwriting. She raised her strange fiery eyes and said
"You see me deeply... But not through... Do you want me to stay with you? "..
In that moment the girl was already in a bit of dreamy state , imagining beautiful green fields from her childhood and the sensation of her vessels and blood turning from pure fire and force back into a normal liquid, fiery tears ran began running down her eyes as she was silent...
And what was left of the meat grinder... Turned to soot in the blink of an eye. And a weak, lonely rain began to fall...
Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Neesa
​

Not better or worse yet. This child spoke in riddles. Those verbal labyrinths could confuse and enrage many, but Darth Ophidia found herself only increasingly intrigued.

"Peace is a lie, even between allies."

When Risa smelled Ophidia she would smell surprisingly little. There was a scent of dry paper, cold ash, metal, but no scent of sweat.

"I protect them because I need them, and they follow because they need me." "That is the natural order of things."

Darth Ophidia's hand was cold, like touching the hull of a dormant starship. The fingers were long and delicate, but also surprisingly strong. The knuckles had layers of old scars that told stories. They seemed relaxed, calm, the suddenly snapped into motion as she reached out to seize Risa's wrist.

A draindrop fell on her hood and parted to the side, and the Sith Lord's jaw clenched for a moment

"I see much more than you think."

 

[Naivia Ri]

All the while Risa looked up as if she were expecting something, while the fiery veins in her face, hands and all over her body gradually disappeared, returning Risa to her usual colour of a cold, mottled body, riddled with wounds, burns, infections of all kinds. At that moment her hand froze, she felt the woman touching her wrist quickly and pleasantly slowly closed her eyes, responding to her companion's thoughts very gently and almost friendly. "I only feel...I don't think...And now I feel the peace that comes from your hand, I feel good. Hold my wrist more.." Risa breathed slowly enough, as if trying to enjoy this mixed feeling of being in contact with someone alive, but also someone who was different from ordinary living mortals. Her own hands as well as her entire body were completely icy, not counting the whole branches and systems of 'fire' rivers that flowed across the surface of the feminine hand. "I didn't feel like I needed to stay, but now." Risa put her other hand on top of Darth Ophidia's arm and touching her lips to her own hand opened her eyes and looked sharply into Darth Ophidia's eyes said "I am Risa...Shadow from the lonely dreams..And i am lost...Do you want to stay with Risa or do you want what I cannot say or understand?" Risa smiled slightly and took her other hand away and hid it under her cloak blushing for a second. "What a nice rain and cold...Just like a dream..."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri

While Ophidia's eyes were focused on Risa's face, she did notice that the glowing veins became dull again and faded. The heat that she had felt from the pale skin grew faint, replaced by porcelain cold.

"It's not peace, because it is truth."

She noted the wounds, the infections. The girl's body was under siege, and yet she had done all this? There was much left to be known about this Risa. What did she know? What did she sense?

Where did she come from?

"You will come with me and I will help you, Risa." Ophidia's head tilted slightly to the side. "I may be the only one who can."

The rain pattered on the hood over the Sith Lord's head, beading and trailing off the fabric like countless different futures reeling through relative time and space.

"All dreams end."

Her hand shifted from holding Risa's wrist at bay to leading her.

"Come, I want to show you something."

 

[Naivia Ri]

"You will help me? Those are pretty interesting words and actions...But...that said, I'm not quite sure if you're going to kill me at this point or not. If you won't kill me. Then I will go with you." Risa replied before Darth Ophidia took her hand and led her somewhere, commenting as she went that any dream came to an end. For Risa dreams were different in definition from what the average living being understood it to mean, to her it was not an easy vision that cured all the trauma suffered during the day during one activity or another, to Risa dream was something deeper, ontologically fundamental to the nature of all that surrounded her and that she herself did not fully understand. The words "Dreams are ending" sounded more like a strange euphemism than a statement of fact to the girl, so she did not pay too much attention to the informative part of the sentence. Her eyes followed Darth Ophidia intently and her body, clothing and other constituent parts of this person. "Is there something you wish to show me? But I won't get in your way? After all, this place is under your temporary control and I am somewhat of an outsider..." The faint rain which had been falling all the time began to slacken and was soon gone, but even so, Risa's hands were icy cold and her heartbeat could hardly be heard. "Tell me something about yourself. It's kind of boring. Feeling so many things. But not hearing voices..." Afterwards Risa was already completely silent and started sniffing around carefully during the move, she was trying to figure out how many living creatures live here, and to build a survival route in case she had to escape or she stayed here for a long time, and this was already a realistic plot of developments if her life would be under a threat.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri

"If I wanted to kill you, then I would have done so already."

She said flatly.

"You will not be in the way as long as you are with me. If you wish, you could make a home."

Ophidia raised a hand the palm flat as if presenting a gift to the air around them. The dark robes that draped her form fell back from her lower arm, showing the tighter, grey layer beneath. There was a pattern in the fabric that became apparent only when it curved around her arm, like diamonds interlocking endlessly. It also showed that one of her hands was black as ink, but the other was grey like ash. One would be forgiven for thinking the black hand was a glove, but it had skin and fingernails, supple and alive.

She held Risa despite the cold. Between them, there was no heat, so the corpse-like hands blended together well while the rain drizzed and then faded. It was only a shower.

Ophidia stilled for a second as Risa asked another question, then turned her eyes to look at Risa gain from under the hem of her deep hood.

"No one who lives knows my name."

The emotion behind it was hard to place, but present. She felt something, but whether that was sadness, pride or anger was impossible to say at a glance. It was a truth she rarely shared.

"Will you still come with me?"

 

[Naivia Ri]

"I don't like logic and have never studied it as a subject...But I can say something back...I never lived...So yes of course I'll go with you, what a silly question! I get the feeling that if you tell someone in a semi-mystical tone that you don't know my past or my name is unknown to anyone alive, you expect them to run away. I never say that, I say it openly, that's my name, I come from such a family, and everything is understandable and easy. Though in my case I usually don't say this information...As there is no one around alive to get this personal information...But Risa is very grateful to you for deciding to keep her alive after all!" Risa smiled at Darth Ophidia looking at her hands , armour , their different tones and colours , she was very curious . "You have very beautiful hands...Risa likes them...It's just that I myself...I'll be frank, don't have such gentle hands...Risa has no time for herself...Risa is always doing something...That is why I am alone, living fears me...And that Risa does not understand..." Risa replied to the woman quietly talking about herself and letting the silence and all the smells around her pass through her body and brain, relaxing her as part of getting used to the local environment. "You're alone too, aren't you? Or are you with someone? Risa doesn't think it's possible to live together with someone, but Risa has tried...And Risa will keep trying. I hope you don't mind! I'm very kind and quiet! I like to go shopping and smell the flowers! I also like silence..."


Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri

This creature- She spoke at length, shared without a second thought of what her words may lead to. The apparent disdain for logic and the natural connection of cause and effect would normally have frazzled Ophidia, but she kept her calm. Children were allowed to not understand, and Risa appeared childlike in her exploration of the world around her. She would come to understand in time.

As Risa inspected Ophidia’s hands, she would find them elegantly curved, but with signs of strife. The supple skin was marred with scars and calluses from battle and practice, and her fingers were taut and strong like steel, ending in fingertips like knives.

«I am not in any romantic pursuits, if that is what you are inquiring.»

There was one, once- The closest she had ever come, anyhow -but she was gone now. If she lived, then Ophidia would have known. Cerbera would have made herself known.

«I don’t have time for much but my purpose.»

Leading the Sith was a full time job and then some.

«But you will not be lonely. You will have the company you require.»

 

[Naivia Ri]

"Why the immediate romantic connection? It is possible to be friends and have a much deeper spiritual connection, trust, cohesion and unity of opinion than having a partner, who in each couple plays an indispensable role in the relationship and strengthens it in his own way. " At that moment Risa fell silent, and her eyes dropped from studying Darth Ophidia's skin, fingers and nails to her body, which she hardly thought about, though it too was in some ways far from its ideal healthy state. Even though she had no time to care for her body, she could at least occasionally be treated by some self-taught doctors who were even in the most dangerous places for the development of disease, where poor people lived and where the worst epidemics of the galaxy were, though again for Risa herself the word danger had long since ceased to exist in the form of a threat, it was a form of her everyday existence. Of course, Risa had never belonged to any organization or alliance, but she didn't belong to herself either, so Ophidia's words about her purpose and mission in life, so to speak, didn't really resonate in the girl's empty heart at the moment. The only thing she could respond to such a thought and the message that followed it about a certain company in which she would be accepted was her personal (some would say childish, but for Risa sincere) knowledge in this area of life. "Even though you're a couple of decades older than me and probably know things much better about your life direction and goals, I still want to personally let you know that even though you're somewhat a Sith lord and even though you're all so unknown and mysterious and awesome, I want your heart to not be as empty as mine and your body to not be as broken down as mine. Although I'm probably wrong in my conclusions...Risa would be happy to keep you company in your spare time. And yes, if I haven't said my age yet, I'm about 35. It's been a long time since I've counted my days.."
Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

"Only 35. You have a long way to go yet" "I myself count sixty."

There was strength in the Sith Lord, certainly. Strength that did not fade easily with age, that was hard fought, hard won, and kept close.

"Broken bodies heal, empty hearts can be filled, but purpose drives the soul."

She beckoned for Risa to come with her away from the broken building and the remains of the chaos she had created. In a sense, she beckoned her into a spiritual journey as much as a physical one.

"Trust me, and you will see. All it takes is time and trust."

She lead Risa out, where the streets were empty and still by her orders. Everyone shied away from the strange occurrences of the Force and meetings between unknowable and dangerous individuals. Even so, such events were close to the norm in the space of the Sith Order.

"Come."

 

[Naivia Ri]

"Sixty is a pretty good age, in the sense that it feels like the end of life, but, as some people have told me, it's the time when the soul is reborn or even born again, so I think you look absolutely gorgeous for your sixties!... About the purpose, the only thing Risa can say and be sure of is that the purpose is not only what moves people's souls, it also guides them in a certain way, so that we can speak of the meaning of life as a separate autonomous element, of which Risa can and wants to become part for herself and for you too, Ophidia" answered Risa and still holding Ophidia's hand she followed her, trying not to look particularly sideways, but to focus on the woman in front of her, who did not give rise to a bit of doubt or fear in her, for her it was an interesting journey into that world from which she had most likely been torn as a child by some situation or other that she could no longer remember, and which she certainly would not want to remember now, as it would prevent her from doing personal tasks and experiencing that strange existence that everyone called life and death. "You know, I already trust you in a way, and I hope you will trust me too, even though I am a bit scary, but I am sure that is only fear for others, but definitely not for you, for you have probably seen wanderers like me and girls lost in their fate." Risa replied and fell silent, occasionally squeezing her hand that was holding Ophidia's hand, then relaxing it again, apparently she was wondering how organic a creature Ophidia was, as she had not met many Sith Lords in her life and had heard that some of them had lost whole body parts due to their frequent battles and replaced them with various multifunctional prosthetics.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

Ironic. In a sense, Ophidia had been reborn. She had died in war and clawed her way from the land of the dead, then anchored herself to the realm of the living for long enough to find a body without a soul for her to possess. That was the very body she now inhabited. In her death, she had abandoned old loyalties and ideas of holding others up. The reborn Darth Ophidia wanted to stand above all else, undisputed dark lady of the Sith.

That was her purpose now.

"Yes, I have seen girls like you before."

She neglected to mention that she had been one herself, a beggar, a thief, a slave, a soldier, a mercenary, then her chains were shattered. Now nothing would keep her from her purpose.

"I have seen them do great and terrible things. I have seen them grow and die, and ascend beyond recognition."

Ophidia's hands, albeit different colours, were both flesh. The black hand had a subtle swirling pattern of old burns, but it was neither metal nor synthetic skin. It was, however, cold and hard. Even though the hands were round, there was an innate danger to them, like holding the blade of a knife knowing it could draw blood.

"If they fear you, then it is because they recognise the power in you. They can see that you are greater than them."

 

[Naivia Ri]

"I don't see the point in being afraid of a 35-year-old young woman, like, yeah, I've taken the lives of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of different creatures in my life, so what? I'm not some kind of Sith Lord, or galactic menace, I'm just an ordinary girl who in her own way is trying to both survive and learn something new about this place we all exist in. If even I am wrong in my assessment of myself, I can at least partly hope that you will help me look more clearly at reality, at my place in it, even to put it another way, at my role in it, and the type of relationship I can build with the living organisms around me, intelligent and devoid of the cognitive abilities of animate beings." Calmly Risa replied and continuing to hold Ophidia herself with her fingers studied all the burns and the generally cold hand of her newfound older friend with great interest and enthusiasm, noting to herself that she was very pleased to feel such a familiar coldness, in a sense it even gave her an ambiguous sense of security and a certain hope that Ophidia could show her if not the exact road or path, but at least the direction in which she could gradually move and along the way discover new sides of both herself and the outside world in which Risa was always in close contact. "If you have met girls of the same character and mental flight as I have, I am sure you already have ready methods of working with such personalities, but it is still unclear to me how successful your attempt to teach me something will be unless you yourself change your opinion about yourself and the world around you in the process of this study, notwithstanding the amazing baggage of experience you have coherently packed in the past 6 decades of your life. Risa wants to help you too, if there are any dark alleys left where you haven't already walked with the face of a real nightmare."
Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

"They fear powers they don't understand. You are not ordinary, you are more than that. And that is why they fear you."

Ophidia lead Risa up a set of stairs that ascended in a slow spiral. The world darkened around them as the buildings cast shadows from overhead. Still, the Sith Lord showed no sign of stopping.

"I, however, cherish what you have."

The darkness gathered deeper around them before finally breaking under the shine of a setting sun that coloured the horizon in hues of spilled blood, fading over through purples to the blackness of the endless void. She pilled Risa up there, then urged her to step forward to the edge where she could see the sun the best.

"You have a curious mind, and a power that waits in the marrow of your bones." "I can teach you to harness it, and much more, as I have taught others before you."

She broke free from Risa's grip and held the girl's elbows protectively as she posed her to look at the skyline of Ventruun. She doubted she would change, though apprentices had changed her before. No, she had grown from the path of instructing others.

"The only method I need is to listen, and to let you see."

 

[Naivia Ri]

"You have very interesting thoughts, and each one is spread out in its own way, starting from one branch of a war wounded tree by the end of this sentence and the beginning of the next you are already on another, how easily, like a swallow or a grasshopper you twist your mental images and forms and try to convey to me all that you yourself once did not know and were not sure of the right words of those who were probably an authority to you and what a perfect Sith Lord you have become, Ophidia, but in their eyes, not mine. In Risa's eyes the chill of eternal night awakens the fiery heart deep within my body, and instead of terrible pain I feel the infinite love, empathy, and deepest doubt that such encounters always engender in the hearts of those whose memories have known and know too many gifted but too few hard workers." Risa replied, absolutely calmly giving Ophidia a chance to hold her with her cold (for Risa it was very pleasant and instilled a sense of security) hands by her bruised elbows, which usually served as a terrible hammer of hellfire, turning Risa into a living tornado, with a mind, with concepts , but devoid of understanding of the feelings that sometimes moved her forward. "I see...and feel. Not fear, but confidence, it comes from you, Ophidia, it gives you strength and through it you assert yourself in your rightness and also through fear, you almost most mortals are afraid, as they are afraid of me. But for me you give birth to very pleasant feelings that are associated with great changes, as if I am ready to entrust you with my whole life so that I may pass through this phase and learn to listen. To listen to that darkness ... to listen to the darkness of our hearts. The darkness that lurks in every ray of light ... in every frozen morning stream ... the darkness is everywhere. And we love her. It gives us those unforgettable feelings that make us so beautiful and confident!"

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Naivia Ri​

"Darkness persists irrespective of light. It is all-encompassing, endless, and full of mysteries."

Darth Ophidia's fingers moved, as if tapping Risa's arm, but between her fingers, something appeared. It pressed into Risa's skin, metallic in sensation, but far from sharp or painful.

"I have something for you."

She let go of one of Risa's elbows and presented the metal object that had appeared between her fingers. It was a golden disk, roughly the size of one's palm. She turned it between her fingers, showing that each side had a different face: One had a gaping skull on a bed of bones, spread out from the centre like the rays of a sun. The other had two serpents biting each other's tails in a circle, and four diamond-shapes in its centre. The edge was covered in interconnected markings, finely carved and crafted.

She placed it in Risa's hand, where it would feel both cold and alive. The metal, while still, also seemed to quiver in response to the Force within her. And, somehow, the feeling of it was not unlike the sensation of Ophidia's hands.

"At any point you need me, focus on this."

She traced a finger along the inscribed edge of the disk, causing the runes to hum quietly in the Force in response.

"You have ways to grow still."

Her hands withdrew from Risa, and the Sith Lord stepped away from the younger woman like a wave retreating from the shore. Her hands tucked into the opposite sleeves, hiding the skin and making her appear like a pillar of black silk.