Private Evening Birds

[Rae]

//: Dantooine //:
//: Nightly Lunch //:
//: Asha Mataya //:​

The night had been quiet for the most part; it was her last week with her current unit patrolling the streets of Dantooine, ensuring that the people were loyal to the Empire's cause. Looking up, the single Trooper who had become the favorite plaything of the Inquisitor watched the moon. Remembering stories of the Echani, Rae wondered if some of the folklore about them was real. In her musing, the Trooper was shouted at by her commanding officer. The man seemed upset with her, especially since he had been trying to get the favor of Adriana Fortemps since they were all stationed on the backwater planet. ​

It was an exciting notion, the way the entire Empire worked. Everyone was trying to one-up someone or unseat them. Even her own employer had been trying to gain favor so that she could be the Lord Inquisitor. A headache burned through the center of her head, pulsating as she staggered a little. Images flashing and then suddenly disappearing. Rae shook her head, fingers rubbing her temple, but the pain went as quickly as it appeared. ​

Rae felt a new charge of energy, remembering it was her last week with the company she was with. She couldn't help but smile. Her latest mission was to work with the Inquisitor of this planet, and she wouldn't have to always wear the painful armor. Shaking her head again, Rae tried to figure out why she was looking at the moon. It was a beautiful sight, and the paleness reminded her of the Inquisitor. The thought made her smile as she realized she was able to go on break. Wandering over to one of the nearby benches, she opened up the small canister of food. ​

The arrangement was simple, a sandwich, some fruit, and a drink. On base, there wasn't much to pick from, but it was enough to get her through the night. The park they had been patrolling was dimly lit, she had been lucky to find the only bench that had the street lamp shining down on her. Fingers reached under the helmet, and she removed the security straps, then slipped the plated mask off. The soft sound of the vacuum was something she'd miss. That sound meant freedom. Her helmet found its way between her feet on the ground, no reason for it to be beside her as she ate. ​

There was a frustration that built up in her chest, the Corellian couldn't quite place it. Several things could have been the cause, one being that she was on patrol away from the Inquisitor - they wouldn't be able to talk like they had been. A part of her wondered if her commander had done this on purpose - to show his frustration and flex his power. Frowning, Rae figured that was the case and bit angrily into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. ​

Hopefully, the night would continue peacefully, it was quite terrible having no one to talk to. A bit of loneliness washed over her as she looked down at her lunch and sighed. She wondered if the Inquisitor missed her too.​

 

[Asha Mataya]

Asha had hoped the quaint surroundings of Dantooine would help clear her mind.

It hadn't. Not even this peaceful park she strolled through.

Whenever anything in the woman's life would begin to look up, it never lasted. Finally she had found someone she had a genuine connection with, someone who wanted to help her find her place in the galaxy, and then she was gone. Vaulen had disappeared without a trace, like she had never existed in the first place, and now Asha was alone once more.

Now, however, she was part of an empire in which she knew no one, fighting for a cause she barely even understood. Despite 'belonging' somewhere now, she felt lonelier than ever. Asha didn't even fully grasp what it meant to be Sith, even though she was supposed to be one now. Her new master had an unorthodox style of teaching, always leaving the woman guessing as to when he would appear next. Inbetween those moments, such as now, she did little but wander the systems that were under the empire's influence.

Unwilling to admit it was the fact she felt alone that caused her distress, she had decided to take a trip to Dantooine. It was a quiet world not too unlike her homeworld of Selvaris, though it hadn't done much for her mental wellbeing. The involuntary act of remembering what caused her inner struggles got Asha to instinctively reach for the flask that hung from her hip, unhooking it and flipping it open like she had done it a thousand times. A red liquid with an iron aftertaste slipped over her tongue and down her throat as she put the flask to her lips, gulping it down for a few seconds before closing it up again and hooking it back. Her tongue brushed past her teeth to ensure the liquid wouldn't stain them.

Asha sighed, then looked to her side. A woman in trooper armor, though her helmet was placed on the ground and between her feet, had watched it unfold. A rush of panic shot through her system- had she seen her fangs? Did she think Asha had just downed a quarter of a flask full of alcohol?

With an awkward smile, she gave the other woman a greeting nod. Part of her wanted to quickly move on and leave the park, though at the same time talking to a stranger didn't seem so bad at that moment.

Rae Cooke ​

 

[Rae]

//: Desirable Lie //:
//: Dantooine //:
//: Nightly Lunch //:
//: Asha Mataya //:​

​

For the most part, Rae assumed the evening would go without event. It had been that way for most nights, despite the front being pushed back from Muunilist. She continued to eat the sandwich prepared as she used her eyes to move the page of her comm device. The news from the front was dreadful, but the Sith Empire had done well with spinning the story to positivity. As she watched, she once more saw the broadcast that Jorryn had made of her. It was a good thing that she had worn the scar, or people would have easily recognized her.​

​

Terrible thing for a spy and a wanted woman.​

​

As she ate, she glanced out the corner of her eye towards the woman beside her. Rae felt guilty, seeing that she hadn’t initially noticed the woman on the bench. Maybe it was hunger that had prevented her from realizing it. Rae swallowed her bite and then looked down at the lunch box in her lap. Pulling out a bag of grapes, she replaced the sandwich and turned her attention to the woman beside her. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you when I sat down.” A soft smile spread across the Corellian’s lips while bringing the grapes forward to try and use them as a peace offering.​

​

“I hope I wasn’t taking anyone’s seat. Perhaps you were waiting for someone?” The sigh and then the way the other woman moved was picked up by the trooper. Something obviously bothered her, but Rae wouldn’t pry too hard. Looking back up towards the sky, the Corellian smiled again softly. “Its a really nice night? My name is Rae, what’s yours?”​

 

[Asha Mataya]

The trooper started talking to her, and with that the option of walking away was no longer there. There was no way out of the interaction. Asha had no qualms chatting up strangers in the past, but ever since she discovered her Force sensitivity and the path she had been led down nothing felt the same anymore, like something dark was tugging at the back of her mind. She mostly kept to herself now, so this chance encounter was a break from what she had become used to.

"Uh," Asha replied somewhat awkwardly, "no, no. You're fine. I wasn't expecting any company, so feel free." It wasn't like she knew anyone on Dantooine in the first place. Perhaps a little bit of social interaction wouldn't be so bad- most people here weren't too keen on strangers, she had found. A few grapes were taken with a grateful tug of the lips, and one was carefully placed on her tongue before biting down on it. Food didn't provide her any sustenance, but that didn't prevent her from enjoying the taste.

"Dantooine nights are a lot more, what's the word... peaceful. More peaceful than a lot of other Sith-imperial worlds. It's nice and calming." It was the one good thing she had to say about her trip so far, at least she wasn't constantly surrounded by the busy nightlife of the more densly populated planets. Being constantly surrounded by bright lights and large crowds of people had been a huge strain on her, unlike before when it used to energize her.

"I'm Asha. Nice to meet you, Rae." The white-haired woman's way of talking was usually a lot more restrained to hide her fangs, but she figured the park was dark enough for them to go unnoticed. "I was going to ask you if you came from Dantooine, but I'm assuming you're simply stationed here."

Rae Cooke ​

 

[Rae]

//: Desirable Lie //:
//: Dantooine //:
//: Nightly Lunch //:
//: Asha Mataya //:

---

​

Rae was pleased when Asha had taken a grape. Small gestures such as this were welcoming and providing a positive social exchange. It felt that ever since she had arrived on Dantooine, there had been very little interaction with anyone. The other troopers refused to interact with her, she was a transfer. Her last night before she had requested to originally be taken off-planet was when she met the Inquisitor, and now she was going to be moving into the woman's direct command. The memories were nice, even none of the memories were real. ​

​

"Ah! Nice to meet you, Asha." Rae stuck another grape into her mouth as she looked away from the white-haired woman. "It's really peaceful, sometimes I forget there's a war being fought. Dantooine has that odd serenity to it, I guess." Being taught at a young age, the Corellian knew that staring was not polite. So Rae made a habit of looking away when her gaze could be taken as staring. Emerald eyes glanced upward, staring at the sky above Dantooine. As she looked up at the dim stars, she remembered something from another life. She was supposed to come here with someone else, to see them, but she couldn't remember the entire conversation. Shaking the partial memory from her mind, she shrugged. "I was stationed here after Muunilist. I had been injured." She paused and then looked back towards Asha. ​

​

"I fought on the front lines, so I guess by the Emperor's grace, I was given a chance to relax." She shifted nervously, her comrades were still on the front lines with the New Imperial Order fighting. Even though that front was lost, others were in preparation. Thinking about it, the woman felt the weight of her guilt. It was more substantial than she thought it would be, others were fighting while she sat here on guard eating grapes. More so, she will start tomorrow working for the Inquisitor to avoid the grunt work she was recruited for. "But yeah, I was stationed here. It's my last patrol, though, so I'm really excited." The smile spread across her face again as she did her best to push past the guilt. ​

​

"Are you from Dantooine? A Civilian?" Rae was curious why a civilian was allowed out after curfew. She blinked a bit with concern as she tilted her head slightly, staring at the white-haired woman, Rae wondered if she was Echani like the Inquisitor.​

 

[Asha Mataya]

Of course Asha knew about the war and the goings-on, at least whatever she was able to learn about it. She hadn't found herself on the front lines quite yet, though she wondered if that was changing soon. What bothered her the most was this eagerness in the back of her mind that looked forward to it. She blamed it on her vampiric and instinctual thirst for blood- a literal thirst- though lately she wasn't so sure that was the true cause anymore. It was confusing, but concerning even more so.

"Considering you're still on duty, I'm optimisitic that the injury wasn't too bad," Asha responded as she brought another of the few grapes still in her hand to her mouth, looking out in front of her. Even though she barely knew Rae, the ashen-haired woman felt a tenative connection already. An easily likeable soul, the trooper was, and Asha too felt that pull. That, or her growing loneliness was getting to her, though she figured it didn't make much of a difference where it came from.

"Your efforts have been in service of the empire, and so you have my thanks." Asha hadn't called the Sith Empire her home for very long yet, but she had already developed a profound sense of loyalty towards it. When she had nowhere left to go, it was the empire who gave her a place in the galaxy, gave her direction. A friend of the empire was a friend of hers, no matter who they were or where they came from.

"Oh, no. This is my first time visiting the planet, actually." The last of her grapes was placed onto her tongue, adding a pause inbetween sentences as she started to unclip her flask again. Maybe another sip would still her thoughts a little. "I'm originally from a complete backwater planet named Selvaris. I was recently inducted into the Sith Order by the Valkyries after they discovered my Force sensitivity." She looked over towards Rae as she slowly unscrewed the cap off of the flask. "I found myself a master rather quickly, but I'm still very much in learning."

After the cap came off Asha shook her head, and quickly twisted it back on. She was afraid Rae would smell it and wasn't looking to raise any unnecessary suspicion about her nature. "Drinking while talking to someone who isn't is a little rude, sorry." Instead, it was clipped back to her belt. "So, where are you going next then?"

Rae Cooke ​

 

[Rae]

//: Desirable Lie //:
//: Dantooine //:
//: Nightly Lunch //:
//: Asha Mataya //:

---

​

Rae smiled nervously when Asha had mentioned that her injuries had not been bad since she was still in active duty. She hoped that the woman wouldn't ask more about the injury or any scars because low and behold Rae, who at the time was called Allyson, had made it off Muunilist pretty unscathed for the most part. Possibly a few bruised ribs and skidded knees, but nothing to write home about. The encounter with the Dark Lord had left her in a decent state, unlike her friend Loske that she had nearly cleared an entire city to get to. ​

​

The trooper chuckled nervously as she nodded and popped another grape into her mouth. It bought her some time as she listened to the silver-haired woman. Again she pondered and wondered why she hadn't joined the Empire yet, there were so many Echani, and they were some of her favorite people. She mused happily as she ate her grapes and listened to the lovely lyrical voice of her evening's company. Rae nodded along as she had heard information about the Valkyries before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had heard about them. Awkward. ​

​

"The Valkyries? They're like an elite group, right? Powerful force users?" Rae could smell the Force on the woman, only because Rae herself was secretly a Jedi Master - who had her Force drawn tightly against her, hoping not to attract much attention. Looking around, the young trooper tried to sniff out the Master that usually lingered around the apprentice. Where you found one sithling, the Master was often not too far behind. Not seeing anyone, Rae felt a bit more at ease. "What is it like being a Sith Apprentice? I'm just a boring ol' Legionnaire haha, I wouldn't know anything exciting like that." A slight tilt of her head and a bright smile showed her entire interest in the woman she sat beside. With the comment about the beverage, she waved it off. "Don't worry, you can drink it - and you don't have to share if you don't want to." Another soft chuckle as she winked. ​

​

A smitten look crossed her face as she sighed happily, "Tonight's my last night as a boring ol' Legionnaire though! Tomorrow I have a day off, and then I start as the personal assistant to Lady Jorryn Fordyce. Going to be way different, but I hope I get to see more planets besides Dantooine. Though it's been great so far - because I got to meet the Inquisitor and you, of course. You on Dantooine long?" ​

 

[Asha Mataya]

Asha masked her feelings of awkwardness over the contents of the flask with a slight chuckle of her own. It was kept at her hip, despite Rae telling her it was okay- the woman was unwilling to take the risk of her companion figuring out what was inside. It wasn't a conversation she was looking to have tonight. "It's a habitual thing when I have my flask with me, don't worry too much about it," Asha responded, even though she continued to fight off the instinct in the back of her mind, urging her to take another sip. "It's best enjoyed when you savor it, anyway." Slowly sating her thirst always felt more satisfying to the woman, somehow.

"Anyway, yeah. They are a fairly small group, I have only met a single one of them. They look to convert Force sensitives to the Dark side, as long as they are 'worthy'." The intonation in Asha's voice would give the impression that she didn't know what made one worthy. She had decided to not join the ranks of the Valkyries when she was given the choice, unconvinced she would have been able to properly assess others. "I suppose I fit their criteria. Not sure how, though. I wasn't even aware of my Force sensitivity."

When Rae asked her what being a Sith apprentice was like, Asha fell silent for a moment. It wasn't something she had even truly thought about. When the opportunity was presented to her she didn't feel like she had any real choice in the matter. Now, she wasn't even sure of what she was doing most of the time. Her master had assured her this was all part of a greater lesson, but she hadn't figured out what that lesson exactly was yet. The promise that she would be properly tested very soon was one that continued to haunt her, however.

"It's been a, it's been a strange journey so far. I lived life like any other until only recently, so I'm still getting used to everything," she answered after the moment of silence. It wasn't entirely honest, though that had nothing to do with her Force sensitivity and everything with her acquired vampirism. "It's like discovering a sense you never noticed was there."

The conversation went on and Asha felt that old feeling of comfort Asha got from talking to other people slowly return to her. Perhaps she had been too much of a shut-in for her own good lately, so she was grateful for Rae's company. The brunette happily talked about the change of scenery that was coming for her and as the ashen-haired woman looked to her side and at Rae, she could've sworn she saw her blush just a little.

"That's quite the step up," Asha replied, "congratulations." She wasn't particularly involved with many of the people in power, nor did she even really know who they were, nearly every public broadcast on Dantooine had Lord Inquisitor Fordyce appear on it. With what little she had heard about the front lines about her master she had already been able to figure out that not everything that the people of Dantooine were being told was accurate, though she was sure the empire had its reasons.

"I'll probably stay here until my master summons me, whenever that may be. I hope it won't be too long." Suddenly something in Asha's expression changed, as though she had made a connection in her mind. "Wait. Weren't you in one of the broadcasts?"

Rae ​