Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Familar Faces, Worn Out Spaces {Ventasia}

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
Disaster hung in the air, staying just one step behind and three steps ahead. It knew what would happen before you did. Yet it stayed out of sight until the time was right. I guess that's why it's so deadly. After one you're just left on the edge of your seat, trying to do anything from preventing it from happening again. But the worst incidents are never in your control, even if they seem to be... I wonder if Ven thought she had things under control before she died. Maybe she did. Or maybe she realized how screwed she was. Of course, the rumors regarding her demise vary. Doubt a single one I've heard is true. Craziest of them said she took down a whole platoon of Fringe soldiers before facing off against Varanin herself.

As much as I care about the woman who's DNA I share, I doubt anything close to that happened. According to her journals, her number one desire was to keep her friends safe. That list included Circe Savan, Ventasia Terana, Darren Savan, and Ire'Rain Sekairo. The first two were the most important, apparently. Perhaps something threatened Circe, and Ven was doing her best to prevent any injuries, only to face a foe to mighty? More likely than her striking down ally forces. Even if she was in a state of madness. But that didn't really matter at the moment.

Something was off. Fondor felt... different. At least at the moment. My instincts were telling me to scram, get to The Starlight Victor, and take off. Not that it was an option, of course. I had enlisted in the Protectorate, claiming to be Ven'Rain's twin. They were a tad skeptical at first, but a DNA test was enough to let me join. Skipping out on them wasn't really a good thing to do, especially when my training just finished. Best to figure out why I was feeling like this and get to-
Osik.

Up ahead was someone it would be impossible for me to ignore. Terana herself. One of the only two people to ever really get Ven to love them. It didn't seem like she had seen me, which was good. 'Cause right now I looked exactly like 28-year-old Ven. Mohawk, yellow eyes, scars, 'gothic' clothes. For her it would be like seeing a ghost. A very, very alive ghost at that. Letting out a little sigh I started to head towards the nearest building, only to curse my luck. This was the Cafe the two had met at. It wasn't terribly popular, but it was in heavily populated area. People came through here all the time. Must be hard for Tasia, at least a little... Walking past memories so often.

But I can't pretend to know her any better than the people around me.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
It had been a....rough couple of days. The sudden death of someone so close had utterly rattled the normally rock solid Corellian woman. But who could blame her? Ventasia and the female merc had been close. Extremely close. More so than others knew about. To be honest, it was one of the few things that had kept her from going completely insane in a galaxy where everyday worlds were changing hands. It was one the person she was actually open with, and the one shoulder she had that she could lay her head on. The one person she would shed a tear in front of. Now, that person was no more. And the hole it left in Ventasia was one that a dreadnought could easily fly through. That much, anyone could read by the look on her face. In short, she was hurt. And there was no one she could the blame for this on. At least, no one she knew of.

Now, she stood staring at the very same cafe the two first met at, and the same place where they seemingly always ran into one another. It had been their own spot, a place they could nearly always find one another. There she stood, arms hanging at her side, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, hair in frizzy unkempt mess. Every emotion she could fathom rushed through her being at once. A single tear rolled down the side of her face, stopping mid cheek. At this point, nothing else seemed to matter or even exist to her. There was but one thing on her mind, and it could be read on her lips as they moved...

"Ven...."

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
Death was a tragic thing. No matter who the victim was, there would always be someone who would get hurt in the process. Emotions would run wild for weeks, months even. Sometimes the turmoil never really ended... Even Ven was affected by loss, despite her attempts to separate herself from others. It was the loss of her first commander (and father figure) that sent her down the path of insanity. If things had been different, she'd still be a farmer on Ord Mantell. And I wouldn't exist. Perhaps it would have been better that way. Of course, she never would have met Circe, Ventasia, or had Darren... It's hard to determine how much pain is worth experiencing to get something good. Were Ven's pros enough to shadow her cons? Guess it's far to late to ask her now... She loved her abnormal little family, that much is clear from her journals. But I don't think she would consider it enough- even with the memory loss. Worse, her last few days seem overly chaotic. Personalities split, horrific news were delivered, and she was separated from one of those she loved. The one who I was now faced with. My back was turned to her, but I could see her reflection in the glass. Than I heard her mumble, and my heart shattered into pieces... "Ven..." That was all she said.

Did... did she see me? No, it didn't seem like it. Ignoring all logic, I made a decision that could change everything. Turning around I stepped into view. My bright eyes looked directly into her pained ones. And I gestured for her to come with me. "Ventasia... We need to have a talk," I said, accent popping out as I did. With a little sigh I entered the cafe, hoping the redheaded lass would follow. As always, we'd sit in a little booth. Ven and... well, Ven had their first kiss her, apparently. Perhaps it wasn't the best location to discuss the merc's passing, due to how often they had met here. But it was close, and one of the few buildings around here I knew about.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
How one can be lost so deep in their own thoughts.. How one's own mind can become a prison which can't be escaped, surrounded by precious memories that can't be forgotten... How one event, which seemed so small in such vast universe, can drag one into the deepest pools of despair... Is staggering.

Lost in her own own bank of memories, she could still hear a voice. A very familiar voice. She believed it to simply be her imagination, but she hadn't yet imagined her lost love. The chances of that starting now were...slim, at best. Her hazel eyes glanced to the side, falling upon the girl just as she slipped into the cafe. Ventasia's eyes widened to extraordinary proportions. Had she just seen a ghost? Was she imagining things now? Nothing made sense. And she surely couldn't believe her eyes. How could she have possibly seen what she thought she just saw.

As quick as she'd ever moved, minus the force, she rushed through the doorway of the cafe. She didn't need to scan the building. Her eyes immediately fell to the booth where they'd met... Where they'd always met. Where they had had their first kiss with one another. And there she sat, as if everything was normal. The same way she'd find her sitting every time they came here to meet up. Like anyone in this situation, Ventasia couldn't believe her eyes. She was there when the merc was buried. She saw her gave. Hell, she even saw Circe's crazy ass there. There was no way she was watching the same woman in the same booth. Nothing made sense! There was only on way to settle this...

Ventasia rushed through the cafe to the back, spinning to avoid a moving waitress. As she reached the back, panting heavily, she planted her hands on the table, leaning over into the woman's face as she examined her. Everything was the same...it couldn't be, but somehow it was. "Ven? Is....is that really you? How? I-I don't understand....."

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
The reaction was expected. Her face was one of absolute shock, unsurprisingly. By the time she was in front of me I had leaned back into the booth. "Ven? Is... Is that really you? How? I-I don't understand..." Ventasia stuttered, staying a little to close for comfort. Yes, she was beautiful, but I was the clone of her ex. Little awkward. "Unfortunately... no. Ven's death has been confirmed multiple times. Please, sit down. Some explanations are in order, as is apparent." Quieting for a moment I waved at the waiter, ordering a round of drinks, trying to remember what Ven had said Tasia's favorite was. A muffin was also added to the order. After all I hadn't had anything to eat yet today. Getting to know my surroundings was more important than breakfast- at least that's what I had thought earlier.

"As I said... I am not Ven. Well, not exactly. Both her and me have the same DNA. Because, you see... I'm her-" I stopped mid-sentence, unsure how exactly to continue. Should I lie and say I was her twin? Ventasia might have discussed things with Ven's mum. If she had, she'd know for sure that Ven's only sibling was several years older than her. But if she hadn't... I could easily pass off as Val, not just a clone... Was that the right thing however? Wasn't it morally correct to be honest? "... I'm her clone. Chronologically I'm only four years old. Biologically, I'm 28. Just like Ven was when the two of you met. A Republic fanatic and his scientist buds made me after your friend left the military. I was supposed to be her replacement." There was more to be said. But it was a lot to take in at once, so I paused, letting Ventasia react.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
Her ears shut and heart sank into the pit of her stomach as she heard one word. No. It didn't make sense. She was standing here, staring at her. How in the hell was it exactly possible that she wasn't Ven'Rain?! Ventasia stood there for a few moments, her figure beginning to shake violently. It was as if a massive wave of anger had washed over her at that moment. Her eyes willed with a combination of sorrow and rage. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Part of her wanted to grab the girl who resembled the fallen merc, and simply squeeze her throat for all it's worth, until she stopped moving. Stopped breathing. Stopped living...

The waitress returned to the table, a tray with the muffin and bottle of wine. "Sorry for the wait. Here you.." Her words were interrupted as Ventasia's head snapped around to look back at her. The murderous intent was obvious in her hazel eyes as she glared the woman. The waitress stumbled back, the tray dropping from her hand as she caught sight of the violent Corellian woman. "Get. Away. Now!" The woman needed no extra words as she scrambled to retrieve her tray from the ground before scurrying away. She was only a waitress, but she was smart enough to know when to take a hint.

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
My muffin... Sighing I apologized to the waitress, who had already dashed away, and probably didn't hear me. For a moment I mourned the loss of the poor pastry, staring at its fallen form. Than I turned to the enraged redhead. It didn't seem like she had listened to what I said, or even heard it. A blurring sensation can be caused by an overwhelming amount of emotions. Her reaction was unwanted, but not unwarranted. Perfectly understandable. Standing up I stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on the lass' shoulder. Calming her down was the priority at the moment. Reexplaining things would come after. "Oi! Relax Ventasia! Rikai, rikai!" I said, momentarily forgetting that not everyone knew the Old Tongue I had been taught. Rikai meant calm down or relax. It was an instinct to use that instead of Basic. "I am her, in a way. Ventasia, I'm Ven's clone. We're the same person, her and me. I'm just a copy. Nothing more. I understand if you hate me for that. But I'm the closest thing to the real her that exists right now. Okay?" With that I released her should, gestured for her to sit down, and let out another sigh.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
Slowly, her head rotated back towards the woman who claimed to be a clone. This time, every word had slipped right into Ventasia's ears. Every word sticking to her mind as if they had been there since birth. As the hand rested on your shoulder, the shaking within her being seemed to immediately stop. She couldn't help it. The girl looked every bit the same the merc who had just passed. To say it was crazy would be making it simplistic, at best. Her eyes locked onto the so called clone's as the violent look within her eyes subsided. For a moment, it seemed as if she was frozen in time. Not a budge, and not so much as a blink.

Finally, after causing such a massive scene, Ventasia slid into the booth. As soon as her backside made contact with the seat, she leaded back, arms wrapping around her as if hugging herself. Her head shook lightly, eyes gazing down toward the table. "I...I don't understand. None of this makes sense. Unless....." Her head rose to look back to the clone, eyes once more filled with rage and anger, One person had slipped into her head at slightest thought. "Circe... That queen. This her doing..."

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
As the lass relaxed, so did I. My shoulders fell back, my breathing returned to normal, and my heart slowed down again. Letting out a sigh of relief I sat back down. I still want a muffin, but for some reason I feel like the waitress won't be coming back to our table for quite some time... even after we've left. A shame, really. Hell, I might not even be allowed back in here, at least while the lass is working. Then again... Ventasia might not let me leave the place alive anyway... "I... I don't understand. None of this makes sense. Unless..." Oh no, here we go again... A storm of rage swirled inside her eyes, tearing apart all forms of logic and reasoning. Whoever she thought was behind my creation... they were no friends of hers. I was proven correct a moment later. "Circe... That queen. This is her doing..." Sounded reasonable. Miss Savan was someone who would want Ven to be back.

However, it was still the wrong answer. Despite her mourning (or the mourning I'd expect from her), the green-skinned woman was not the one who had started the project. "Nope. Had nothing to do with it. In fact, the people that made me started their work before Ven even met Circe. A Republic-loving nut didn't like the fact that Ven quit. So he wanted to make a replacement. They faked a contract for her to do, she did it, bled a bit, and they took the DNA from her blood. The rest is regular cloning stuff. Don't know the details." Hopefully she'd calm down now that she knew the truth- and that Circe wasn't involved in it. "I've only been alive for four years. They artificially aged me, making me be biologically 28. Ven was 31, almost 32 when she died." Perhaps bringing up the death again wasn't a smart idea. But I needed to add that bit of information. I'm not Ven. I'm not even close to what she was.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
Talk about a whirlwind of emotions... This was just ridiculous..

Once more, the blind hatred subsided from her eyes, only to be replaced by tears. Silent tears, but tears none the less. Her gaze remained on the woman as she attempted to take in everything. Saying this was hard was the biggest understatement of the year. A clone was just that, a clone. It wasn't that real thing. It wasn't her Ven'Rain. A heavy sigh slipped from her lips as, for the first since she laid eyes on the woman, she actually calmed down. "So, if your not her, then who are you? Your out here on your own, so your not just a clone. I'm sure you at least had a name."

Talking with Ventasia like this was like lighting a stick of dynamite while blindfolded. There was no telling what was gonna set her off next, or if simple words would bring her back to sanity again.
@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
Osik. Was I supposed to comfort her? Pretend that I actually knew what the hell I was doing? Because I don't, quite obviously. I'm just a clone, not the real thing. Ven'Rain was so much more than I'll ever be... And I'll never be able to replace her. Talking to Ventasia was a mistake, that much is clear. All I've managed to do is make her cry... Some Sekairo I turned out to be. "So, if you're not her, then who are you? You're out here on your own, so you're not just a clone. I'm sure you at least have a name." It was her words that drew me out of my silence. Momentarily I forgot my own name, a result of my muddled history. Somehow I managed not to say Ven. "Val'Rain. I didn't pick the name, but it works. Most people think I'm Ven's twin. That works as well," I replied. Part of me was still questioning why I decided to talk to her... Was it because I thought she deserved to know I exist? Or because I wanted to take over where my counterpart left off?...
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
Her hand rose to wipe the tears from her eyes. It was odd, considering she hadn't shed a single tear since she was a little girl. Ventasia began examining the clone, looking her over she spoke. Things didn't make sense. Everything was coming at her like a whirlwind. How she supposed to feel about this? She was staring at what seemed like the ghost of the one person she actually gave a damn about. Did Val expect a hug? A warm welcome? ...Was she trying to replace Ven? There so many more questions then answers, but that was about to be rectified. "So, why are you? Someone send you to mock me? Trying to see what made me so special to her? Or did you just want to piss me off to see what kind of temper I had?"

All legitimate question. Even if she did ask them all with an attitude.

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
I felt a twinge of sympathy for the lass. But I was in no position to comfort her. If anything, my presence was only a grim reminder of Ven's passing. Insert yet another mental sigh. "So, why are you here? Someone send you to mock me? Trying to see what made me so special to her? Or did you just want to piss me off to see what kind of temper I had?" All reasonable questions. Though honestly I didn't know the answers to several... Why had I decided to try and grab her attention? Wouldn't it have been better if I hadn't?... Perhaps I should have thought this through a little more thoroughly... "I have Ven's journals. You were mentioned quite frequently in them. So I know that attempting to piss you off would be equivalent to marching onto a battlefield and asking the enemy soldiers to kill me in the most painful way possible. It would not end well." One question down, three to go... Oh joy. "No one asked me to mock you. And I know most of what made you special in her mind. You didn't mind her flaws, and showed your own. You weren't over confident, yet you didn't wallow in self-pity. You kicked more ass than she did. Even when she karked up you let her stay close. The two of you were friends, partners, drinking buddies, and so much more..."

And I was jealous. Not because I wanted Ventaisa for myself. I just wanted to feel like a real person... Being a clone made me a defunct copy. Same appearance, similar personality, but without the connections. No chance to grow up, make friends, or fall in love on a normal schedule. Just a lot of people thinking you're a ghost. "I saw you outside. Recognized you... And I saw one of the few people I quote in quote know. You meant so much to Ven... Maybe... Maybe you'd like to see her ship? Look through her journals? There's so much she never got to tell you..."
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 
Rebellious Vanguard
Her journals? Finally, things were making headway. She had no idea that Ven even kept journals. Then again, how she really respond to seeing them? To seeing her ship again? To read the words that she never had a chance to say with her own lips? The thought of it sent her mind into tailspin. Could she even handle that right now? Anyone who looked at her would instantly say no. Hell, she could even tell herself no, but what would be the point in that? She'd have to face the reality that she was gone eventually. Add to it that there were answers she needed. Ven died, but there was no indication who or what was the cause of it. Above all, that was the answer she wanted to know, that she needed to know. "I guess she did always think highly of me. Just seeing her smile was enough to erase any issues that I had, even though I kept them from her. But...you mentioned her journals. You'd really give me access to such things?.."

@[member="Val'Rain Sekairo"]
 

Valerie Re'Daull

Val'Rain Sekairo in Disguise
Now she really seemed interested. The conversation had gotten to a point where she could benefit from it, instead of worsening her own condition. But I could tell part of her though the idea was a bad one. There was a good chance she wouldn't be able to handle the sudden unslaught of emotion such situations could bring. Tasia was tough... there was no doubt of that. It was a question of how tough she was when it came to things like this. "I guess she did always think highly of me. Just seeing her smile was enough to erase any issues I had, even though I kept them from her. But... you mentioned her journals. You'd really give me access to such things?" I thought for a moment. Other than concern for the possible mental repercussions, I saw no reason for not giving her a chance to look at them. "It would be better you had them than me. I've already learned all I can from them. But I do have to warn you, there are some things that you might not want to read. For some time she was deeply in love with Circe, and described her feelings in detail. Other times her madness had overcome her... her pain was obvious. It might be difficult to read. If you want to see them anyway, I'll let you." It was as simple as that.
@[member="Ventasia Terana"]
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom