Private Hometown Zero

[Arris Windrun]

CORUSCANT
SITH TEMPLE
Nilira Vornix

"Hey."

The voice cut through the ambiance of the Temple hall.

"I've been looking for you," she said and waved Nilira along. "Come with me." Her tone suggested it wasn't a request.

There was a seriousness to Arris Windrun that wasn't there the last few times she interacted with Nilira. No ill-conceived food stand, blurry photos, or empire-busting hijinks. Her energy, the way she walked - it was like watching a starved and restless predator gnaw on its own leg.

She took the acolyte to an empty dojo. Not another acolyte in sight. Just a rack with training weapons and scuffed floors with fading bloodstains. Arris took off her jacket and threw it to the side, standing before Nilira in a cropped black shirt and dark brown slacks. She walked over to a table and grabbed what looked like a pair of old, metal gauntlets with powerpacks attached to the outside.

"You know what these are?" She held them up.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"I'm normally in my dorm. You clearly weren't looking hard enough."

Once again, whilst one could assume that Nilira was being snarky, the tone of voice she had just seemed to imply that she was being as simple and as logical as she could be, as she followed Arris without a second word. Just holding her hands behind her back, as she walked through the temple, being lead over towards the dojo, where Nilira raised an eyebrow at the sight of the place. If she hadn't known better, Nilira would have assumed that Arris was going to make her clean things...But then Arris lifted up the gauntlets.

"Shock-boxing gloves. The average pair costs around 600 credits, and they're more often than not less than half a kilogram. Of course you will find those who illegally modify their gloves to give themselves an unfair advantage."

She recited, almost as if she was reading off some kind of article, tilting her head to the side in thought. Not necessarily confusion. When it came to Arris, Nilira was rarely confused anymore. Just mildly irritated.

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

"Yeah, something like that."

She tossed the gauntlets on the ground in front of Nilira. "Put 'em on."

Arris stretched her cybernetics, showcasing uncanny flexibility for one more machine than flesh-thing. Admittedly, she belonged in the category of 'those' as the acolyte mentioned. Hell -- not that it was terribly common knowledge -- the Dark Horse even cheated during the Galactic Kaggath. Cheated in every round, in fact. Beginning to end.

"I'm gonna teach you how to use them. I figured eventually you can achieve the same effect with your lightning powers."

The cyborg wasn't exactly sure how shit like that worked in the Force. They weren't gifts the Dark Side made available to her, for one reason or another, but she figured this might actually work out in the young Sith's favor.

"Until then, you've got the gauntlets as standin."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

Ah. Yes. Her Lightning powers. The ones that had been strangely absent since Coruscant. Not that most people would probably know that. But it would only be a matter of time before people found out that the only "strength" Nilira had was gone now, and she'd once again be at the bottom of the totem pole. Neriah perhaps would have been terrified of that thought, of the concept of being picked on again like the runt of the litter...Yet Nilira knew that was how reality worked, plain and simple.

"It gives more possible avenues on dealing with those who wear armour constructed of mostly metallic materials."

Another strange...cavet of "Nilira" was the way that her speech had somewhat changed as well. Whereas Neriah, whilst being somewhat of an intellectual, also spoke like a regular person, Nilira was far more...robotic in her speech. Monotone. Speaking far more complex than one actually needed to. None of that mattered however, as she simply used the Force to lift the gauntlets off the ground, before placing them onto her hands.

She didn't make any comment about how "foolish" she thought it was, giving what was more of a "strength" based tool to someone like her, one who was nearly completely lacking in physical strength. Instead she just folded her arms along her front, staring across at Arris.

"What now?"

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

Arris has been hesitant to read Nilira since their incident on Narsh, so what she did pick up on stayed in her pocket for now.

"Yeah - it can work against some armored opponents." Arris corrected.

She doubted that Nilira needed reminding, but instruction was one of those appropriate times for redundancy. After Nilira fastened the gauntlets to her arms, Arris nodded approvingly.

"What now?"

"Mirror me."

The cyborg took a stance. It was simple and looked like dozens of other hand-to-hand combat stances. The aim was to achieve balance with your core while maintaining upper flexibility.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"Anything can work against some armoured opponents. Water, if they're heavily armoured and are too stupid to take it off to swim. Electricity. Heat. Air. All of it is a potential weapon that can be used against a threat."

With that all said and done, Nilira raised an eyebrow as Arris told the Acolyte to mirror the Cyborg. It seemed simple enough as Nilira copied the stance. Balance had been something she had always been somewhat decent at...Though to add a slight "surprise" to her mirroring, Nilira also attempted to copy a lot more than just Arris' stance. She tried to copy her facial expression as well as the Acolyte could...whilst at the same time, she just seemed to let the "void" of emotion within her grow larger, almost as if she was trying to imitate the void she saw within Arris.

After all, she was told to mirror Arris. And a reflection showed you everything, even the parts you didn't want to acknowledge.

"...Like this?"

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

Arris watched the acolyte take her stance. At first, her attention was drawn specifically to the footwork and body language. An analytical appreciation of how quickly Nilira mirrored her. But when the cyborg's eyes trailed up, she noticed those startling subtleties.

"Is that how I look?" Arris wondered.

"Yeah," she gave the young woman a small nod. "Like that."

Next, she moved her right foot forward and pivoted her body slightly.

"The key is to get familiar with your body. Your footwork. The tension in your muscles. The flexibility of your spine. You need to know it well enough that you never have to focus on it -- builds instinct to know your limits, and subconsciously adjust to them."

She loosened a bit and reversed her stance, then brought it back. In that motion, she bent and extended her arm, with fists closed.

"With that attention freed up, you can focus everything on your opponent. Learn how their body works. But you can't just sit there and stare. You need to be able to tell what someone's feet are doing without looking down. And you need to be able to follow their eye without losing sight of their fists."

These were all basic principles that applied to many forms of combat, but Arris was a champion-level fighter before she was a Sith. From the regional circuits of Corellia all the way to the big show on Ruusan.

Her eyes followed Nilira, making sure she continued to mirror her motions.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

Huh. Who would have guessed that Arris could actually teach? Nilira raised an eyebrow at that realisation, breaking the mirror for a moment as she was honestly surprised at the concept. At the very least Arris was proving herself as someone that Nilira could actually learn from, instead of a constant irritation.

Though she managed to somewhat try and imitate Arris' stance. Physical combat had never been much of Nilira's forte. She was weak. She knew that. There was barely anything form of muscle to herself, her flexibility was basically at an all time low, considering how much time she spent slouched over datapads and books in the library.

Either way, she did her best to listen. She understood part of what Arris was saying, but from a different perspective. When she looked at someone, and imagined how their body worked, she imagined every single muscle and ligament moving. The blood circulating through their veins. She had started to do enough..."experiments" on animals she found near the Temple to understand how their body worked, and whilst she had yet to do so on a humanoid, she was sure it wasn't that different.

"What if they're using their eyes to distract you? From what you're saying, it sounds as if two trained fighters don't actually have to look to know what their opponent is doing? Ergo, following that logic, they could trick a less-trained fighter into getting distracted?"

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

She followed Nilira's movements and nodded.

"Pretty good. You'll get used to it..."

The acolyte's lack of physical conditioning hadn't escaped her. However, Arris believed it was more important to get someone interested in an activity before anything else. Stretches and exercises would come later.

The cyborg's movements hesitated a little when Nilira dug into what she said.

"Many fighters rely solely on instincts and strength, and let fundamentals fall by the wayside. But yeah, it happens. It's not all physical battle. There are mind games. Feints. Ruses. Some species read in different ways and must be read differently in turn." Arris explained.

"That's why I use my guns - keeps 'em at a distance. Lets me see what the fuck they're all about before I risk myself. I'm also a cyborg... Err, obvious, I know," she snickered and shrugged before falling back into her stance. "But my co-processor can gather telemetry that organic senses cannot."

Then, of course, there was also the Force. "Premonition helps too, if that instinct comes to you, but I wouldn't rely on it too much."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"Of course it can."

NIlira said, rather simply when Arris mentioned her co-processor could gather telemetry. She didn't elaborate on what she meant however, nor did she even smirk at Arris' obvious statement about her being a cyborg. The rest of what Arris was saying made sense to the Acolyte at the end of the day. There were plenty of species which had some form of telepathy, or some kind of olfactory sense. There were even the Echani who could read someone from the way they moved. The way they stood. Part of her wondered what they would see, if they looked at her...

"All instincts can lie, so I find it best not to rely on any of them."

Everything lied. Everyone lied. Nilira. Arris. Kirie. They lied to others. They lied to themselves. There was no point in trust. To anyone anymore. They would always find the way to hurt you the most. That's what Neriah had learned. That's why she laid dead, covered in dirt and rubble deep below Coruscant's surface, and why Nilira was here. Because she realised that nothing mattered. Everything was a lie.

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

"Bantha shit," Arris scoffed.

"Instincts don't lie. You either fail to pick 'em up, you put too much trust in 'em, or you misunderstand what's being said. Either way, it's always on you."

Arris shifted her stance and posture, closing her fists inward to form a shield.

"Follow this," she said flatly, then proceeded to shift between a defensive and attacking stance. "Either way, you wanna stay fluid. You need to be able to switch quickly and correct if you make a mistake. Get too rigid? You might pull or maybe break something. Too loose? You'll fall flat on your ass."

She looked over her fists, watching Nilira's movements.

"They feel a lot different when they're on, by the way. The charge naturally draws them together. So be careful."

She didn't really understand the science of it. Something about field manipulation? Didn't matter to her.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"Instincts and nerves can easily be rewired. Via surgical means or through the Force. Blaming it always on yourself is a foolish concept."

Nilira raised an eyebrow, as she continued to copy Arris' movements. It wasn't as "natural" as it was for the Shockboxer. Nilira had never thrown a proper punch in her life at the end of the day, and her lightsaber skills left much to be desired. Physical combat wasn't her forte. It had always been the Force. Though if she thought about it...the concept of mixing physical combat alongside some form of Force entity...

The Acolyte shook her head to snap out of that, instead looking back over towards Arris as the woman spoke about how the gauntlets would feel different when they were on. How they would be brought together by the charge. Once again, it was something that made perfect sense to her. She didn't say that though. To surprise most people, Nilira didn't actually want to be shown as a know it all.

"...Okay. What now?"

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

Arris sighed - largely for dramatic effect.

'Always the analyzer, eh, Nilira?' She thought to herself, then shook it from her head.

Cyber eyes fell back on the young woman, narrowed with renewed focus. "Okay," she followed up. "Now you turn 'em on. Just be careful not to let 'em touch, or you'll get some feedback."

Nothing lethal or particularly alarming. The insulation largely took care of that, but these were an old pair, worn from use during the Talusian's time as a shockboxer. She remembered the first time she tried a pair; the way the gauntlets pulled together at the ends as if magnetic.

The cyborg waited.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

Well, Arris had already said how the gloves had a natural attraction to each other when the charge was on, so that almost immediately dismissed the idea of her flipping them on by hand. For now, she tugged the gloves on a bit tighter to make sure they wouldn't fall off her hands, shaking her hands ever so slightly to see if they would fall off, before getting back into her stance.

With that all done, she just focused on the Force, flicking the gloves on to be met with an almost immediate force, the physics kind not mystical, trying to pull her hands together, as she kept the stance. There were perhaps some, mostly Jedi, who would look poorly upon her using something as noble and as mystical as the Force to just turn on a pair of gloves, but in Nilira's eyes, the Force was a tool. In the same way as every living thing in the Galaxy was a tool, the same could be applied to the Force.

"Good enough for you?"

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

Arris cursed under her breath. "Eh, I was hoping you'd figure it out--" But the Force was the Force, and in a way, she was impressed.

The cyborg wondered if perhaps there was some mechu-deru potential in her. Though her ability to scrutinize the acolyte in the Force was lacking, she couldn't pinpoint exactly how Nilira did it, and even though she could read the gauntlets in a way akin to machine thoughts, they had no answers either.

She looked back at Nilira, her gaze still steeled, and scoffed teasingly.

"So, the real trick is getting you to hit me. I won't bother trying to gaslight you into it... I've learned that shit doesn't work with you. At most, I can mildly annoy you, but then you'd probably be like... 'Oh, why bother?" She mocked.

"Really," Arris groaned. "I'm struggling to understand what it is that goes on inside that head of yours. I feel like I probably know you better than you know yourself, but you don't want to hear it, do you? You want to refute every possible point I can make." Her eyes narrowed. "It's not that you want to be right, you want me to be wrong, yeah?"

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"In a way, I suppose you could be right."

Nilira gave a small shrug of her shoulders at the mocking. It wasn't going to make her react in anyway that Arris wanted her to really. The Acolyte just held the gauntlets out for a moment, trying to get a better feel for the weight now that they were turned on. She could feel the thrum of the current running through them, a small frown on her face at the thought before she looked back over towards Arris.

"You know Neriah better than she knew herself. Yes. But not me."

A simple point. Of course, one that would perhaps be lost on Arris. Not that Nilira cared herself as she just arched her leg for a moment before erupting forward to try and attack Arris. See, the interesting part of having no hostile emotions or intentions, meant it was difficult more often than not to figure out when they were going to attack you. Nilira could go from chatting one minute, to lashing out like she was now. And to make it worse...She still wasn't done talking.

"It is not that I want you to be wrong either. Everyone is always wrong. Everyone is always right. It depends on their point of view. Which ultimately makes right or wrong meaningless. No meaning to being right. No meaning to being wrong. No meaning to anything."

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix

She was certainly puzzled by it. Arris didn't really like to get into people's business. Well, she did, but she was very picky about when and how. In Nilira's case, it was better not to ask questions when an acolyte suddenly changed her name; she went with it. Though to hear her refer to Neriah as if another person?

It caught Arris off guard, and clearly, the cyborg was busy trying to decipher what the hell she meant when Nilira rushed in for the strike.

The cyborg reached out to grab her wrists and hold them still. Pistons and steel produced more strength than organic muscle could dream of. Still, she made a point of trying not to crush the girl. Of course, Nilira might have had a countermove she wasn't prepared for. Still, the Triumvir opened her mouth anyway.

"There's nothing behind your attack," Arris stated. "That's the only thing that's meaningless here. Your incapacity to hurt me, because you put nothing into it."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

"And why would I put anything into it? It is a waste of energy. Of time. I know what this is. You want to teach me how to protect myself. But you're too late. I'm just a walking corpse."

The Acolyte was just going through the motions when it came to the fight. There was nothing to fill her or satisfy her in this fight. Even if she did manage to hurt Arris, it would only help to prove the Cyborg right. Of course, that being said, she could have just stood still after Arris had grabbed her wrists but that wasn't the case whatsoever.

Instead, Nilira jumped up in an attempt to wrap her legs around Arris' arms and bring the Cyborg back down to the ground. Yes, shock-boxing was normally punching, but this wasn't a shock-boxing match. It might technically be cheating but hey. Who was meant to play fair in this kind of scenario?

"You should have taught Neriah how to protect herself before Coruscant. Now she's dead. Buried beneath the rubble. In an unmarked grave that no-one will ever find."

And still, she continued to talk as if she wasn't Neriah. It had been the way she had decided to protect herself. The real Neriah would never have been as dead inside as Nilira was. She would have cared for the Galaxy still, would have been angry at the state of the Galaxy and the state of her own situation. But for Nilira? That anger was all pointless.

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Nilira Vornix​

Something in Nilira's words struck Arris, even if the cyborg struggled to show it.

Then the acolyte surprised her by jumping up and wrapping around her cybernetic arms. In an instant, Arris was on the ground, pinned by the Academy's (un)official weakling.

In a kneejerk but measured response, the technopath reached into the gauntlets to roll a jolt of feedback up Nilira's arms. More uncomfortable than painful. But nonetheless, a very unsithlike response.

"Is that what this is all about?" She asked, her voice low. "I'm sorry I fucked up, okay? I'm sorry that sorry isn't good enough!"

If she could, Arris would try to throw the young woman off her and rise.

"Nilira, Neriah, whatever. Whoever. You, here with me. I care about you."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Arris Windrun

It didn't take much for Nilira to release Arris. After all, her heart wasn't truly in this as the Acolyte sprawled herself out, once the cyborg had thrown Nilira off after the sudden sensation of feedback from the gauntlets had caused her to release anyway.

And even as Arris rose, Nilira kept her gaze focused on the ceiling. She didn't believe a single word that came out from Arris' mouth. Sith lied. To their enemies. To their allies. To themselves. That was a truth that she knew, even as she lied to herself day in and day out. Not that it mattered, as her gaze latched onto Arris.

"Will an apology bring someone back from the dead? Will all the lives you've taken, and all the lives you've made her take spring back to life? Stand amongst the ghosts and bones of those you've killed, and ask them. Their silence will be your answer."

Nilira pushed herself up from the ground funnily, letting out a small sigh. There hadn't been a single flicker in her voice of any emotion. Any sense that she truly cared.

"You lied to her. Kirie lied to her. The only one who made any real effort to help Neriah flourish was Vestra. And then even they abandoned the girl."

​