Private From the Darkness

[Revna Marr]

Revna had rested long and deeply after her heart to heart with Darth Strosius . Though they had gotten angry at each other, Revna held no hard feelings towards Him for the outbursts, the painful words, the utter frustration He brought her. The logical side of her mind and her heart told her it was to be expected: after everything they had gone through, emotions were bound to be all over the place - and they had been.

She wasn’t any less loyal or devoted to Him for it. If anything, she felt closer to the one she now called Father. It was a bond that went beyond them being Master and Apprentice, Prophet and Disciple. She was His daughter, accepted and embraced. And He was her Father, chosen and beloved. Every single nightmare, every ounce of suffering and pain, the trials and tribulations and testings by her overlords had been worth it in the end - especially when she had discovered He was alive. She was free, finally and completely. She wasn’t bound to Prazutis any more, she didn’t feel the tug of his will upon her, didn’t have to bend the knee and hope she stayed alive from one moment to the next when in his presence.

But the price she had to pay to take back her freedom had been steep; it almost cost her her life. She had very nearly died in the arms of Alisteri - and her recovery immediately after her rescue had been touch and go. But she had made it; she was alive, she was free, and she was home.

The half-Vahla woman had spent some time in the hidden medical ward after she had awoken from her medical induced coma, slowly regaining her mental and spiritual strength and undergoing physical therapy to strengthen her body enough so she could shuffle-walk to various locations. The device that had been forcibly removed from her spine had left long-lasting damage in its wake; part of her spine was synthetic now, and it had taken a miracle to reconnect her nerves and repair her spinal cord. But the healing wasn’t complete; despite the efforts and the hard work of the medical staff and alchemists and others involved in her surgeries and recovery, she had numbness and nerve pain on her left side, and a pronounced limp.

One day, some time into her recovery period, she was finally transferred from her medical chamber and into a more standard room aboard the Harbinger, a place where she could recover more fully without being attached to monitors and IVs. She continued her therapy and stayed aboard the Harbinger per her Father’s wishes and instruction; after their disagreement, she figured it was the least she could do.

It was in this room where Lina would find the young Sith woman - seated in a chair that had a view out one of the glass windows. Revna was wearing one of the black robes that associated her with the Wonosans - a robe she hadn’t worn in a long time. Her silvery hair was pulled back into a braid, her face even more pale than usual. Black web-like veins spread from the corners of her eyes and towards her temples - a mark of just how deeply she had been forced to tap into the Dark Side in order to make it through her captivity, her service to the Dark Lords. Where skin was bare, sigils and tattoos could be seen, though most of them were hidden by the black robe she wore. Lina would recognize them if she saw them - as they marked her as ascended in the eyes of the Dark Lords. They were the sigils that their Sith bore when found to be worthy to carry such marks upon their flesh. Revna wasn’t ashamed of the sigils, placed upon her body through ritual and pain. They were a reminder of what she had come through, and the power that radiated from her was greater than it had ever been.

Revna sensed Lina’s presence long before she saw her, and a sense of excitement filled the young Sith woman at the prospect of seeing an ally, a mentor, a confidant, of hers.

“...I won’t lie, I am rather surprised to see that my Master allowed you aboard one of His ships. Though I am happy He did so; it has been too long since we last saw one another, Lina.” Revna stated softly when she felt Lina’s presence draw closer. There was a smile upon her pale face, small - but genuine. She had missed seeing and speaking with the woman who had become a lifeline to her while she had been bound in chains.

Lina Ovmar ​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

To hear of Revna's freedom and recovery had brought Lina a mixture of joy and shame. Shame that she had not been there to do her part, that she had failed in her promise to see that she was freed. Her absence was not exactly something she could have had control of. She'd been travelling the Void when the Planeshift happened, trapping her for months; she had barely escaped with her life. Her own recovery was long and ongoing, but for the most part, she had it controlled.

She was still working with Darth Strosius to understand the full effects, an alliance that felt comfortable. An unusual feeling, truth be told, alliances tended to be temporary; they had her watching her back at all times, or making sure that she was one step ahead of any betrayal. With him, there was no need. And she was growing quite fond of him. His apprentice, however, Lina adored. She saw something of herself in her, and the injustice wrought upon her by the Kainites only enraged her.

She paused outside her chambers, a hand resting on the door frame to steady herself. Heightened emotions made things difficult to hold together. The door slid open at her command; she didn't need to knock; she could feel Revna's excitement; she knew she was here. The door opened with a hiss, and Lina stepped over the threshold. The Sith Lord was paler than when they had last met, her cheeks a little more drawn, but she had lost none of her grace, still sporting a simple black robe with a high collar to conceal the scars beneath.

Crossing the room to where she sat, the shadows she passed seemed to stretch out towards her like dark fingers, pulling away from their natural shape. "Oh, that stubborn bastard couldn't keep me from you if he wanted to." A gloved hand reached to gently stroke Revna's hair before she moved to stand before the younger woman, drinking in every detail, a smile spreading across her face. "Freedom looks good on you, Revna."

Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

"Oh, that stubborn bastard couldn't keep me from you if he wanted to."

Revna chuckled heartily and grinned upon hearing Lina say such a thing; the mirth was genuine in her eyes and upon her pale face as she felt Lina stroke the silvery black braid before stepping more fully in view so both Sith women could get a better look at one another. Much like Revna, Lina looked more pale and drawn than she had the last time they had been together. Flashes of memory returned to the young Vahla: Lina had sat with her at the King’s table, discussed various topics, and it was perhaps the first time Lina might have seen that something else had begun to stir between Revna and Darth Caedes.

Revna had wanted to tell Lina about her dance with the King, and other things that had transpired, but the woman had seemingly vanished into thin air. Revna knew that if the woman didn’t want to be found, then she wouldn’t be - and she left it at that. Though she had hoped Lina would be around to help with her rescue, but events transpired the way they did and they were both here now - alive and well.

For the most part, anyway.

"Freedom looks good on you, Revna." Lina said with a smile, one that Revna returned with a knowing half smirk. She rose to her feet, more slowly and stiffly than she might have before, a faint twitch of discomfort flashing across her face - one she hid a moment later as she drew herself up, lifting her chin ever so slightly.

“It feels…so good…to finally have my mind and my will returned to me. Almost died for it but that stubborn bastard worked His ass off to keep me alive.” Revna replied with her half grin still in place. She hesitated for only a moment, before she stepped into Lina’s space and wrapped her arms around her in an embrace that didn’t last longer than it was meant to. “It is good to see you again...” she said before stepping away and giving Lina her space once more. Revna gestured with a hand and an empty chair nearby slid towards them, offered to the Sith Lord if she desired it, before she returned to her own seat with a contented sigh.

“How have you been, Lina? I…haven’t seen you since the Race dinner on Korriban. I imagine a lot has happened since then?”

Lina Ovmar
​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Concern flashed briefly across her face as Revna pushed herself to her feet with a flicker of discomfort. Lina instinctively shifted her arms, almost moving to support, but the way Revna held her chin up made her stop. Lina would never tire of her fire, the defiance in her golden eyes even now she was free. She would never be held back by anyone and certainly not by anything as insignificant as pain.

Pride flashed in Lina's.

"It feels…so good…to finally have my mind and my will returned to me. Almost died for it but that stubborn bastard worked His ass off to keep me alive."

Lina opened her mouth to respond, only to find herself pulled into an embrace. The gesture caught her off guard, not only because she was afraid she might hurt Revna, but also because she did not think she was deserving of such affection from her when she had failed so miserably to keep her word. She returned it nonetheless, finding a lump forming in her throat.

"It is good to see you too," she said, gently squeezing Revna's arms before settling into the chair the younger woman had drawn up. "The Race dinner..." she mused. Where to start? "Well, for me, only a few weeks have passed since that dinner, but you are not wrong; a lot has happened in that time." She waited for Revna to be seated again.

"Do you know what the Void is?" she asked.

Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Thankfully, Lina returned Revna’s embrace, though the younger Sith woman could tell that Lina had been taken by surprise by the motion. She gave Revna’s arms a squeeze, returning the sentiment, before taking a seat in the chair that the younger woman had provided for her.

Revna crossed one leg over another, and folded her hands in her lap as she observed the older woman with sharp eyes. She blinked with a slight frown when Lina said that, for her, only a few weeks had passed since the dinner. That couldn’t be right; a few months had passed for Revna, at least.

“The ‘Void’?” Revna inquired, a thoughtful frown on her face as she rummaged through her memories and knowledge banks. She clicked her tongue before responding, an action and sound that was rather similar to what Darth Strosius did. “Hmm…I can’t say that I do. Well, the only thing that I know that is ‘void-like’ is whatever has taken root in my spirit, after my Father died. But I doubt what I carry within, and what you mentioned here, are the same thing.”

Truthfully, Revna had no idea. She was too afraid to poke and prod the Void within her to find out the truth about it.

Revna suddenly leaned forward a bit, her gaze and expression curious, though somewhat bewildered. “You said weeks had passed between the dinner and now, for you? That is…very strange, as it has been months since I last saw you. And indeed, a lot has happened. Is this ‘Void’ responsible for the difference in time, you think?”

Lina Ovmar
​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

That click of the tongue brought a flicker of a smile to her face. The more time she spent with them, the more similarities she was beginning to see. Revna took on more than just her Master's lessons; she took on aspects of his personality much like a child would take from their parent. Lucia instantly came to mind, the child she would never see grow, the daughter stolen. Sadness flashed in her emerald gaze momentarily before it vanished with a blink. She had to stop dwelling. There was no going back; there was only here and now, and what lay ahead of her.

"The Void is a region within the Netherworld. It is the true final resting place of all Sith Lords. I have been using it for some time to travel between worlds; it's also where I summon my little spies from. Time is different there, sometimes slower, sometimes faster. When the Planeshift struck, it affected all planes of existence, including the Netherworld. I was...trapped." Her eyes glazed as she seemed to find herself back there, lost in the dark, fighting for her life. Her hand reached for the vial of ash that was no longer there before she snapped back to the room and cleared her throat.

"I followed what I thought was the force guiding me, waited till the pull was strong enough to be sure it was safe and opened a portal out of the Nether, landing at your dear Master's feet. He has been helping me come to terms with my new...shall we call it state of being?" As the last words left her mouth, she let go of the anchor, and although she remained seated before Revna, an ethereal shadow form of herself rose to stand, moving to where the shadows were reaching for her, the two connected by shimming black tendrils.

Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Revna listened with rapt attention as Lina explained to her what this ‘Void’ was, and the fact that she had apparently been using it to travel from one place to another. A dangerous thing to do, clearly, as when everything shifted and changed, it had seemingly trapped her. Her sudden disappearance made sense now to Revna.

Something else that Lina said, however, disturbed the young Sith woman. She had mentioned how this ‘Void’ was the final resting place for Sith Lords. All of them. And yet, the story and experience that her Father had told her contradicted this. Or did it? If Alisteri had truly died…would He have then gone to this Void? Or would He have become one with the Force? This challenged her faith, her views a bit, but she didn’t peek inside that box too much.

It was definitely something she would discuss with Darth Strosius though, at some point. She wanted answers on this.

Revna’s attention and thoughts returned to her when Lina cleared her throat, and continued to listen as Lina divulged further. "I followed what I thought was the force guiding me, waited till the pull was strong enough to be sure it was safe and opened a portal out of the Nether, landing at your dear Master's feet. He has been helping me come to terms with my new...shall we call it state of being?"

The little woman tilted her head in curiosity, her eyes narrowing then growing a bit wider, as she witnessed another version of Lina - a sort of shadowy presence - rise from the seat and move towards the shadows around the chamber that seemed to be reaching for the older Sith Lord. Revna traced the scene with sharp fiery eyes that absorbed and tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Oh now this is fascinating.” Revna breathed as she pulled her focus back to Lina - who was still seated in the chair nearby. “I imagine He was quite...surprised...to see you arrive the way you did. And since you are alive, it appears that He did not immediately try to rip your head off your shoulders.” She smirked slightly at that; they both knew how the cantankerous Sith Lord could be at times. But...ever since being reunited with Him, Alisteri had been a bit different. Revna drew her brows together slightly as her expression returned to one of curiosity:

"You know, this new state of being of yours reminds me of the sort of winged…things…He carries with Him. Is this…a result of touching the Void, the Nether? Or…leaving parts of one's self behind?"

Lina Ovmar
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