Following the Voice

[Vaermina]

Times were changing for the witch of Dathomir, and it was about time. She had been left to fend for herself over the years with a distinct lack of success, but a will to survive that had carried her through to this day. Vae wanted to say that she hadn't been broken, but that didn't feel true. However, she did not need to be unbent, unbowed or unbroken for her life to have a meaning. Her story was not one of invincibility. But what she suffered she overcame and grew stronger for it. No matter how you looked at it, she was still here. And that meant something.

[member="Maiev"], 'Evie', had rescued her from the terrors that haunted her on Dathomir. She had returned all those things she believed to be lost to her, from small things such as a warm bed and fresh clothes to important things such as the support of a true friend. It was no longer in her nature to trust blindly, and there was never a moment where she felt entirely sure about anything. Forces within her forced her to cast a shade of doubt over anything and everything. But for what it was worth, she felt as though she could trust Evie. That didn't meant that there wasn't that voice in her head trying to tell her otherwise, but she had chosen to consistently ignore it.

Vae's trust of Evie had led her to yet another character whose motives would be laid out before her, for her to doubt and question. But until proven wrong, she followed the advice of her friend. If nothing else, she was certainly that.

This had taken her to the space station, Ashira’s Light. She was still getting used to the scenery of a technologically advanced, spacefaring society. She was a stranger here, for sure. But at least she was on no one’s radar. On Dathomir, even if she was a stranger, everyone would have an opinion and seek to define her with certainty. Vae for once was the observer, and not the observed. She blended in better now that they had cleaned that wild look off her. No more tangled and bruised hair, no more leather and hide. Her long, brown hair was combed, clean, and combine that with the black dress she had borrowed from Evie she looked positively elegant. She could get used to this.

Evie would have gone in advance to set up the meeting. She had some business to attend to, but she was sure she’d see her later. For now, Vae was to meet with one [member="Elpsis Elaris"]. She spoke well of her, and Vae supposed it was a good idea to make some connections. The galaxy could be a vast and lonely place after all. And so Vae went to wait where Evie had instructed her to.

| [member="Elpsis Elaris"] | ​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


The Ashira's Light station was truly a marvel. It was one Firemane was very proud of. Many of the megacorporation's operations had shifted towards the Great Scarlet Flame and the worldships, but the station could nonetheless not complain about lack of activity. People from all walks of life found their way here.


Presumably Vae had been given directions regarding where she could find Elpsis. These coordinates would guide her to a Firemane orphanage-cum-school. There her credentials would be checked and she would be let in.


Presently, the blind seer was attending to a few kids. Most of the orphans were freed slaves who were now in the care of the Order. Sitting on the carpeted floor, with her butt planted on a cushion, she regaled the little ones with a story.


"And so the evil warlock was vanquished. His evil plan had been stopped. Freed of the blight, life returned to the jungle of Felucia. The trees, once cursed, became green again. The brave knight was filled with joy when she returned to the Sarlacc."


Various little hands clapped as she came to an end. "Miss Elaris, was the witch alright?" a Qadiri girl asked with some concern.


"Amira, we've talked about this. Elpsis is fine, sweetie. Miss makes me feel old," the empath said jovially. "And, yeah, the Sarlacc had kept her safe from harm. She just needed to recover a bit to get her strength back."


She might have continued, but there was a knock on the door, and a Firemane minion stepped into the room. "Excuse me, Mistress Elaris, but there's a visitor for you. A...Ms Vaermina," the minion reported.


"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Elpsis looked a bit flustered. "Sorry, kids. I'll catch you later," She looked a bit apologetic. "Y'know how things go. With their quest complete, the two companions departed from the wilderness to rest on their ship and things faded to black. They lived happily ever after."


"What happens during a fade to black?" another child queried. This one was a young boy from Arkas.


"Oh, boring, adult stuff. You'll figure it out when you're older, sweetie." After saying her goodbyes to the small crowd of kids, Elpsis exited the chamber and headed for the ante-room where Vae must be waiting.

 

[Vaermina]

Would she ever get used to this? Probably not. She felt so far away from the woods and wildlife of Dathomir. But she did not miss it. It was different, but not necessarily in a bad way. It just took some getting used to.

This was more or less the first time she had to deal with credentials and security clearances. She had nearly stared the woman down who asked her. What business was it of hers? But then she had remembered. Right. Move with the current, don’t fight it.

Vae followed the instructions and went to the ante-room, waiting for this [member="Elpsis Elaris"]. She didn’t even know what to expect. She was like them, Evie had told her. She couldn’t be exactly like them, they had too much in common. Yet still, she was like them. And Vae knew nothing of what it meant to be a witch in the wider galaxy. But until the other woman showed up, there really wasn't much else for Vae to do but wait.

Were these people rich? Given the room, its size and decor, Vae would assume yes. It wasn’t that it was extravagant with lots of artwork on display. It was rather that it did not need to, yet came off as equally if not more impressive. The people who built this had nothing to prove. They knew who they were, and they were proud of it. Or so Vaermina thought, anyway.

When finally a door opened and she was joined by another, she turned in an instant. You know what they say about first impressions, you only get one of them. But there was some comfort in the knowledge that it went both ways.

“Hey, I’m Vaermina. Maiev told you about me?” Introductions like these somehow had a way of feeling both formal and awkward, so she kept it short. After all, she didn’t want to set the agenda when she didn’t know much of what this was about. Perhaps Maiev had thought she could help her. Perhaps it was about reaching out to a greater community of witches.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


First impressions - those were always awkward. Especially because they were hard to shake off. They tended to leave an imprint. Fortunately, Elpsis tended to be a rather informal person. It still felt wrong to her when people addressed her as Master or Mistress.


So she gave Vae a bright smile when the other witch introduced herself. They were probably similar in age. "Uh, yeah, Maiev told me about you, sweetie. Said you two had history and asked me to help you out a bit." With dealing with her mental demons? With getting acclimated to the larger galaxy? Or simply finding witches to practice her craft with? She did not want to overwhelm the other woman in one go.


"I'm Elpsis. Nice to meet ya. Maiev's a good friend of mine. Hope there was no trouble getting here," she said warmly, stretching out her hand. As far as attire went, Vae was the more formally clothed one given her neat dress. If Siobhan were here, she would have liked it. [member="Maiev"] should totally wear a dress like that when and if she met the Czarina of Fashion.


By contrast, Elpsis wore a tank top and a pair of faded jeans that were losing their colour. The tank top was thin and her arms sported tattoos that must be of a tribal nature. Rather than being done up, her long red hair flowed about her shoulders. Her feet were tucked into a pair of boots.


When she looked into the redhead's eyes, Vae would probably notice that they were vacant. Indeed, they were the colour of milk, for the other woman was blind. This might make the intent way she gazed at Vae a bit awkward, but her aura radiated warmth.

 

[Vaermina]

At a glance the two appeared to stand in contrast to one another. But judging books on their cover was a thing oft warned about. Elpsis’ opening smile was disarming, and immediately saw one returned in Vae. Sweetie. Well, this was going to be nice and casual. Nothing to worry about.

“Nice to meet you too, Elpsis” Vae’s hand reached out to shake hers. “No trouble at all.” It wasn’t the trip that had been the hazard. Now she is finally free. We must never go back. But she wants to. Deep down you know you want to. “So, you own this place?” It was a mysterious thing to her, and she was eager to learn more about it, but perhaps more importantly about her.

Vaermina tried to maintain her smile and gaze, even though the irony of forcing herself to maintain eye contact with a blind person was somewhat lost on her. Her eyes were clear as the colour of milk, indeed, but somehow she got the feeling she saw much more than anyone else. Could she deep into her soul?

Could she see the thing that rose up behind her, over her left shoulder? Vaermina could. A tall man, 6’5 feet tall, broad-shoulders and a face of shadows, with an impressive set of antlers mounted from its skull. It started at her. She couldn’t hear it breathing. But she felt it. They weren’t alone.

​

| [member="Elpsis Elaris"] |​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


"Uh, nah. I own an old freighter held together by spit, duct tape and everything glue, a Cylix, a collection of hot leather and an apartment. Well...not sure if I actually own the apartment, but whatever. My aunts own this place. I just help out and don't have to worry about my bills," she realised that she was rambling.


More importantly, she realised that Vae's attention was elsewhere. Empathy was in many ways a curse, but also a gift. "It's ok. It's just us here. Just you and me. Focus on my voice. I'm gonna take your hand, ok? You may feel a slight tingle," and with that she reached out to gently take Vaermina's hand into hers.

 

[Vaermina]

Vaermina laughed. "That's more than me at any rate." she did not yet have a ship or any means of transportation. Perhaps she ought to steal one. Although she did not exactly know how to fly. Time to bug Evie for lessons. "Sounds pretty nice." Her aunts must be rolling in credits, which by extension probably had her do the same. Although if she were, then why the old freighter?

The conversation moved on, and Vae's distraction got called out. Her eyes slid straight back to Elpsis, again failing to see the irony of maintaining eye contact. It was more of a reflex than a conscious choice. How does she know? They are together in this. It's a trap No, it didn't feel like a trap. Maybe she sensed its presence? Maybe... Maybe it was more real than she wanted it to be.

With an increased heart rate and nervous hands, Vaermina did step towards Elpsis and extend her hand. "Alright... What are you going to do? What's happening?" she asked, as if begging for any sort of answer, any sort of clarity, even as she knew she would never trust the answer no matter where it came from.

| [member="Elpsis Elaris"] |​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


"Just helping you focus and what's real and what's not," Elpsis said gently. Her heart went out to the confused witch. There was a slight tingle when she touched Vae's hand. A feeling of warmth might spread through the witch. Being a pyromancer, Elpsis' body temperature was a bit higher than that of the average human. But the warmth was not purely a physical one. It extended beyond that."Is there a place where you feel safe? Imagine it now. Envisage it in your mind. I will be there."

 

[Vaermina]

"Alright" Vae returned cautiously. She felt the tingle, and instinctively she pulled her hand back but not completely. In the end it manifested more as a twitch, as her own presence of mind for whatever reason kept her hand in place. It felt... Good. Somehow. Warm, calming. She could feel a warmth spreading in herself as well, in addition to an increased heart-rate. However whether that was related to something Elpsis did, or a natural response to the contact she couldn't quite tell.

“Okay…” her voice sounded inherently skeptic. Though she knew magic, this was unfamiliar territory. But being born with the abilities that she had been, she did not find it too hard to suspend her belief and go along with whatever Elpsis had in mind.

A place you feel safe. Yes. There was such a place. She started closing her eyes… Don’t! He’ll come for you. But opened them wide again. He was watching. If she couldn’t see him she couldn’t defend herself. Her eyes slid over against Elpsis again, focusing on the calming sensations that seemed to vibrate from her hand. She was strong. You are weak. She could handle herself. He will kill you.

With a shiver and deeply uneased breath, she closed her eyes and tried to think of the time when she had got taken off Dathomir, when Evie had been there for her, rescued her, comforted her, given her food, clothes, but most importantly, kindness and support. Her struggle and suffering had finally felt over. She could relax. It reminded her of all the pain she had been through, the exhaustion, yet at the same time it all ended on a positive note that she had made it through it all and was not alone.

She focused on the image, the memory, though the looming presence of the horned man was forever in the back of her mind, ensuring she never truly relaxed. And he was coming! She felt him slowly inching closer and closer, and now she nearly didn’t dare to open her eyes.

| [member="Elpsis Elaris"] |​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


A soft, melodic voice try to get Vae's attention. "Vae, it's me. Open your eyes." If the witch did so, she would find that she was aboard [member="Maiev"]'s ship. To be precise, she was inside the other witch's bedroom and standing in front of the closet where she'd gotten the nice dress from.


As Elpsis took a step forward, she almost slipped, for her foot connected with something soft, racy and vaguely sticky. "Oh, so that's where I left those panties," she muttered to herself, then realised why they were here. "What is it you're afraid of, Vae? Tell me. We can fight it."

 

[Vaermina]

Barely, the young witch dared to open her eyes. Her mind was practically overflowing with terror, as she knew once she opened her eyes she would be staring straight into the cold, murderous eyes of the beast. She could hear him watching her. Smell his breath on her. Only when she did, there were no such eyes and the breath had long since faded away.

"What in the~" she muttered, turning around in a slow pirouette as she looked over her surroundings. Indeed, this was Evie's private quarters within her ship. Or perhaps another ship... Seeing as she was only familiar with the one. But as soon as doubt started creeping up within her, it was brushed aside by the sight of a slightly opened wardrobe and familiar garments within. "How did we... How did you?" she turned to Elpsis now, face full of confusion.

What is it you are afraid of. Of course. She felt it now. She could hear the deep, heavy inhale and exhale of air coming from beyond the room, behind the closed door. He was there, on the ship! But not in this room. Waiting, waiting outside, waiting to devour them. Light flickered from the slits of the door, like burning hot fires trying to breach through but failing to do so.

"He's here. The beast" she muttered her vague and inconclusive description. "He sees me, always. Follows me always. I know he's there, but others are blind to him. He's always following waiting for me to lower my guard" or sleep. She had pushed herself to the point of exhaustion, refusing to sleep. He could get her even in her dreams. Her words were frantic and panicked, signs of the calm she had felt before slowly being swept away, in a tug of war between Elpsis and an invisible foe, a foe that did not exist. Be that as it may, he had a hold over the young witch and did not release it without a fight.

| [member="Elpsis Elaris"] |​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


"I asked you to think of a place you feel safe in. Guess it's Maiev's ship for you. It's a nice one, I must admit," Elpsis removed her foot from the racy, moist panties she'd apparently left behind. Maiev had liked her in them. "I tagged along to help," she explained gently.


"Easy, I'm here." Vaermina was panicking, so she placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. The other touched the frantic witch's cheek. There was nothing sensual about the empath's touch, it was meant to be calming. Her words were backed up by empathic influence. Nothing invasive, but meant to anchor Vae. Elpsis could not see a specific shape, but as she touched the witch's shoulder, she sensed a wicked, predatory presence behind the door. Waiting for Vae to cross the threshold.


The witch faced a foe no one could see in the real world. Something her mind had conjured up during her torment on Dathomir. At least that was what Elpsis concluded. But the mind was a powerful thing, especially that of a Force-user. But the illusion's could be broken. However, she could not do it without Vae. What she needed to do was to reclaim her mind - and realise that she could do this in the first place. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We can beat him - together."

 

[Vaermina]

The words I'm here fell empty on her. She heard them. She felt its warmth, but it was out of reach, on the outside and her windows were shut. Vaermina was too scared to see them open. But the touch, now that was different. Her walls were thin and poorly isolated, and so the gentle warmth seeped through and soothed her troubled mind. For a moment she dared believe that she wasn't the only one to witness the beast.

Elpsis knew what she was doing, and combining the physical with an affinity for empathic influence, she was getting through to the troubled witch. Vaermina didn't embrace it, per say, but she did nothing to oppose or resist. She had needed this a lot more than she had cared to admit, and now it was almost terrifying to let it go. She had withered the cold for so long. Step inside the warmth for a moment and she imagined stepping back out into the cold once more would feel twice as arduous.

Vaermina slowly made a discovery. She didn't want to let the comforting presence go. But perhaps she didn't need to? Part of her knew that the beast behind the door existed on a different plain than other people. Yet she felt Elpsis, and it felt as if she was on the same wavelength as the darkness.

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We can beat him - together

Vaermina didn't say anything back. She had no spare energy for words. She didn't think. There was no time. If she stopped to think she knew she'd be frozen in an endless loop. No. This was it. She reached out with her arm, moving it slowly through the air from left to right, touching nothing, yet the door concealing the demonic breathing opened.

| [member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] |​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Vaermina"]


Slowly, the door slid open. It revealed a hulking beast of a man. More demon than human, he towered over both girls. Facial expression or features could not be discerned, for all that Elpsis could see were shadows. An impressive set of antlers protruted from the entity's skulls.


Elpsis felt the aura of malevolence that enveloped it. Invisible tendrils of the Force reached out for them, seeking to bury themselves in their mind and leave them trapped in a loop of madness and terror. Elpsis shook as sharp mental spikes were driven into her mind, making her feel like it was being ripped and torn. A chorus of deafening voices arose, almost loud enough to drown out any thought. It caused her head to hurt like hell, and blood seeped out of her eardrums.


Her breathing intensified, as she tried to focus. If she was struggling against the mental intrusion, she could imagine what it must be like for Vae. "Resist him, Vae. You can do it. I know you can." The witch's mind and sanity had to be protected. Gathering the Force inside her, she wrapped the two of them in a mental bubble, where no tendril of darkness could touch them. Of course, this left her open to other avenues of assault, especially as she focused more on Vae than herself. Abruptly she was lifted from her feet and hurled against the nearest wall. Ouch.