Populate Humbarine Epilogue | TSC Populate of Giju

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

"You still misunderstand the point," she clicked back. "Besides, when it comes to droids, there already is a debate on that point - artificial versus synthetic intelligence. Words matter. Context matters. Meaning matters."

Anet was not a nice woman by any means, and to Nilira's credit she was right on her last point. The half-pantoran was quite irritated by the conversation. However, she wouldn't show it much in her expression. No, she remained passively smug.

"Things to consider if you want to actually engage in Sth science. Otherwise..." Her eyes drifted back to the bag for a second. "... You're just a little freak playing with dead bodies. No different than a kid dissecting a rodent they found in the backyard."

She crossed her arms. "You know... I am about to ascend. I think that might honestly leave you and Kirie as the last of the first-generation acolytes." Anet grinned. "And trust me, she'll be leaving you behind soon, too. So maybe find some way to climb out of your pitiful hollowness."

She paused for a moment, considering. A finger pressed into her cheek as she watched Nilira.

"I could help you, you know... Take you under my wing. Teach you."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"Hm? Who said anything about artificial intelligence?"

As "curious" as she may have sounded, Nilira still had yet to look up from her datapad, continuing to work away at her tools. Before holding her finger up towards one of Anet's sentences, almost as if to stop her from speaking. Of course, it didn't work but that hadn't stopped her from trying at the very least.

"You are wrong. Nothing matters. Context. Words. Meaning. In the end they are all insignificant. As much as you and I are. Unlike you and that filthy thief, I don't have a grand delusion of how I shall ascend to be worthy of...something. Sith or Jedi. Human or droid. Ultimately everything is forgotten about."

Whilst Anet acted passively smug, Nilira just acted...passively. Neither anger nor joy. Sadness or contentness. Just a void. Though for the slightest moment, she lifted her head up from her datapad, to look over towards Anet out of the corner of her eye.

"The only person who was worthy to be my teacher is dead and to learn from you would be a shame on her memory."

And with that, Nilira focused on one of the techniques she had learned from the codex that had been left from her, letting a sense of unease radiate from her after the words, turning her gaze back towards the datapad once more, as if she hadn't even moved a single inch.

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

First, Anet merely rolled her eyes, ready to dismiss the poor girl.

But then she mentioned learning from her would shame some dead teacher's memory. Anet, of course, didn't know to whom Nilira referred - least of all their late Triumvir and headmistress at the Academy. No, she imagined the younger woman must have been referring to some middling instructor. They did tend to die quite a bit.

She scowled - ready to bark back.

But then Nilira decided to lash out at Anet with an aura of uneasiness. A technique she herself knew quite well. Just as the sickness rose in her stomach, Anet backed away, almost hissing in disgust. She reached into her robes and retrieved her mask, quickly fastening it to her face. In an instant, the acolyte's strength and presence in the Force returned. Emanating a twisted darkness that was violently proud.

"You... brat." She accused.

For a moment, Anet's hand went for the lightsaber on her belt, but stopped there. She stared at Nilira through the mask, the bottom half of her face still revealed, and scowling. Then, she shook her hand free from the temptation and scoffed.

"If not to learn, then why are you even here?"

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"How quaint. You require a literal mask to mark your presence."

Her gaze flicked up, a slight smirk playing across her face, even as the sickness began to rise within her from the aura. She was well experienced in disguising herself with apathy. Of course, there was a small sense of pride in seeing the way Anet had reacted. Frustration. It was the best way to fight she had found. It had worked in a way, she had already learned more about Anet, discovered the mask and somewhat the power of it. All without even lifting a finger.

"I am here to learn. But only from those who are worthy to learn from. Those who are worthwhile."

In reality, she was here because she couldn't just die. No matter how much she wanted to. No matter how much she wanted to be able to be at peace, her body wouldn't let her. Her mind wouldn't let her. It had let "Neriah" die, but someone had to fill that void and it had been her.

"And you, are not worthwhile. Why would I want to study under someone I had to help heal? You could not even stand against the Thief. If anything, I would have thought you let her leave you like that. And you enjoyed it."

A small wrinkle of disgust came across her face at that, as the smirk faded from her face and instead she tilted her head to the side almost as if in thought.

"Perhaps I am a little freak playing with dead bodies, but at least I am not a freak who enjoys having pain inflicted on me. You forget Anet Raine. I have seen you bleed. And you bleed just like the rest of us."

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

"Of course, I bleed," Anet leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I am a rudimentary creature... Just like you... Mercy... Even that cybernetic freak. We're all creatures. We're all beholden to the natural order. Jedi would see themselves separated from that order, claiming a oneness with Life and the nature of the Force."

She fell to one knee, now looking up at Nilira from where the young woman sat. Her hand rested beside the acolyte's thigh.

"And yes... I enjoyed it. I love that Kirie demonstrated her gift on me. It was a... a blessing, wasn't it?" She chuckled quietly. "Yes, yes it was. She is beautiful and powerful - and one day... she will be without equal. And you did not heal me. She did. You were just... her obedient tool."

Anet rose and stepped back, hands on her hips as she looked down again.

"Is that what you are, an instrument?"

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"Ah. But what is the natural order? To kill? To eat? To survive? You believe you know what the Jedi see, but you only see your own delusions."

Nilira gave a small dismissive wave at that, even as Anet put her hand on the Acolyte's thigh, she didn't even bat a single eyelash. Shaking her head for a moment, as the Ex-Padawan slowly felt as if she was discovering a weak point in Anet. A chink in the proverbial armour as she gave yet another dismissive wave.

"All rudimentary creatures have an equal, even that lowly Thief. I'm sure you could find her equal in a Coruscant womp rat. Equal in appearance at least."

This was fun. She would never admit it out loud, but Nilira was enjoying this as she continued to work away, tapping away different descriptions into her notes, a small frown coming over her visage as she tried to figure out how she wanted to word her notes.

"At the end of the day Anet, we are all instruments. We believe we have our own choices. Our own self will. But it is all a lie that we tell ourselves."

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

To Eat? To Kill? To Survive?

"Yes!" She expressed as if Nilira cracked a code. "Desire to eat. Anger to kill. Fear to survive. And I know more of the Jedi than you, abandoned Padawan."

For a moment, Anet was pleased with herself and wondered if Nilira was finally understanding. But then she called Kirie ugly. It hadn't crossed Anet's mind that the acolyte was trying to bait her. Why would she? Nilira was an acolyte with no desire for social mobility, while Anet suffered, trained, and worked her way higher. From her own perspective, the gap between them had only widened exponentially since Desevro... since even Coruscant.

An arrogance erupted from her, seething with all the petty emotions and sick mockery of Love she felt for Kirie.

"Oh. I am an instrument, and that is my choice."

The lightsaber flung from waist to hand with the snap of the Force, and ignited, spitting a hateful, unstable beam of crimson energy, with little flares of plasma breaching the containment field.

In a single strike, Anet brought her blade down across where Nilira sat.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

Bingo.

A grin spread across Nilira's face, as soon as she felt all of the sweet, sweet emotions radiating from Anet. How much Nilira would have loved to try and feed off those emotions, but alas even she wasn't that insane to even attempt to drain them from Anet. Instead as soon as she felt the arrogance and pettiness coming from the woman, she flipped herself up and over the chair, kicking it out towards her attacker, letting the chair get sliced in half.

"You're right. You're my instrument, aren't you? Playing into my little taunts."

This. This was why Nilira didn't see Anet as someone worthy to teach her. Vestra would never have fallen for this. Even Arris would have been a better teacher than this. A haughty laugh escaped her lips, as the Acolyte felt more alive than she ever had in a long time, letting her voice echo as she threw her arms out wide.

"This makes up for me missing all of the killing and death that happened."

She knew the joy she felt would vanish soon enough. Emotions like that didn't last nearly as long as she wished but this was it. This was why she was here. Nilira might not have been the greatest fighter, but she didn't need to fight in this moment. She just had to survive.

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

The chair split and set ablaze - fiery splinters tore through the fabric of Anet's robes. Her attention snapped towards the direction where Nilira fled.

She turned to face her, and in an instant reappeared right before her, arm stretched out to snatch the acolyte by her collar. If successful, she'd lift Nilira off the ground and hold her eye-level.

Her blade stayed pointed low.