In the Dark of the Night

[Kyrinov]

Iridonia
2318 Planetary Time
9 Years Before Present Day

​

Sokre was insistent on dragging him with her to her homeworld. Perhaps there was some kind of hidden beauty that was visible to her where he only saw miles of sand, canyons, more sand, and the occasional building or farm scattered as specks of white against the starry sky, seeking to camouflage themselves to avoid recognition to the natural eye. Her personal ship touched down on the surface of the desert planet, stirring up the grains of minerals that weren't trapped and compacted underneath metal landing gear. Within the flying contraption, he heard her voice call out to him, “Inon! Where are you?! Prepare to leave the ship and walk for some time.” Inwardly, the rather new adult groaned. On the outside, however, nothing betrayed him. Not his voice which threatened to tremble and disrupt his indifferent tone, not his steps which tapped loudly against the floors of the ship as he moved with a purpose towards the origin of her voice, not even his eyes that almost widened in a rushed panic that suggested he wasn't entirely ready to like the ship quite yet.

He finally found his Master on the lower deck of the ship, in one of the larger rooms that they converted into a sort of makeshift cargo hod, containing everything that wasn't a personal possession. His steps slowed and grew silent as stride lengthened and heel struck metal followed hesitantly by toe, completing a single step and continuing until he stood ten feet from the Iridonian woman. He knew how she liked her space, so he outstretched his right arm to give her the supplies he'd been instructed to pack for their journey. She grabbed it from his hand and pushed past him, walking with him in tow and exiting the vessel.

The air was dry, not even a sign of humidity on the light breeze. ‘Great, less heat for me to endure,’ came his first conscious thought that night. He pushed a midnight curl from over his left eye and trailed after Sokre, dragging his feet through the dancing sands so as not to leave a path for some other night time wanderer to follow too easily. Sokre began talking to him and he listened, but he never really grasped what she was telling him. In one ear and out the other, as the saying goes. “We're here to look at a black market for some time, while we do have time for ourselves. There will be vendors selling all manner of items. Everything from food and clothes to poisons and exotic weapons. Pay them no mind. We're here to recover artifacts for Darth Voracitos before others find them and misuse them, or worse, destroy them,” her melodic voice droned on and on for what seemed like miles. After a few minutes, he tuned back in. “...and stay nearby. We don't need anyone snatching you up and running off with you. I'm sure they wouldn't return you for any amount of credits.”

He smirked and let his mind wander. Before he took another step, they arrived and he bumped right into Sokre. She looked back at him with an appraising eye before continuing, weaving her lithe frame through the compact walkways of this hidden marlet. He struggled to keep up as she twisted her body to turn and duck past gruff patrons and move past shouting vendors. This place was a damned labyrinth. How do you navigate such an unfamiliar place? But, he assumed that his Master was no stranger to this market. Why would she be? He ran to keep sight of her, but he still kept his distance.

Inon finally smiled as he caught up to her, she was speaking to a cloaked man with multiple treasures on his stand. He stopped and cross his arms over his chest, becoming truly lost in his thoughts this time around. How long would this little exchange take? Would they be there until day break? Longer than that even? For the sake of the Shadows, he hoped not. It would be unbearable. So, instead of stand there like the lapdog that he was, waiting hand and foot on her to stop running her mouth, he slipped off to the west, running as fast as he could with the sand tugging against his advancement.

He ran and ran and ran some more, further from her and ever closer to the white homes in the distance. He ran under the blissful embrace of the night, with only the brilliance of the millions of stars and the light cast by the half moon flashing over his ageless face. The homes became distinct shapes instead of dots as he slowed and knelt down in the sand to take a brief rest.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

It was late at night.

Mum, Dad, Tevro, Vuxae… everyone was in bed. Everyone else, that is. I let out a sigh and rolled over. Nope. Sleep wasn’t coming tonight. I sat up, my hair no doubt surrounding my face like some terrifying black web. I considered sneaking into Tevro’s room to scare him, but if he squealed and woke up our parents I’d be in trouble.

I just needed a walk, something to make myself tired so I could sleep.

Creeping through the house, I held my breath as my fingers closed around the latch to the back door. I turned it softly, waiting for the click that was definitely louder now that it had been during the day. I paused, heart my throat, waiting for mum or dad to wake up and tell me to go back to bed… but nothing happened.

With a sigh of relief, I slipped through the door and into the night.

I didn’t know exactly where I was going. I had done this a bunch of times before, and usually just let the force be my guide. I hadn’t done any sort of proper training. In fact, I was pretty sure mum and dad didn’t even know about it. I didn’t want to be sent away to some stuffy Jedi temple to learn boring things, so I kept it to myself.

No idea how much time had passed. I was lost in my thoughts for most of it. But at some point, I saw a man. He was tall, handsome. He was kneeling in the sand. I glanced around, realising I’d walked quite a way from home. A pang of fear shot through my core, but I ignored it. He was… intriguing. Why was he out here? Why was he kneeling in the sand? He felt… I could feel something black inside him; dark, sticky, it made me feel unwell. Was this the ‘dark side’ I’d heard about?

“Are you alright, Mister?” I asked, taking a cautious step towards him.


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

He let the night embrace him and wrap him in a crisp blanket of stars, light, and warm breezes that kissed his cheek. The cozy, hesitant heat that enclosed his kneeling form relaxed him, his shoulders slacked, hunching forward slightly. It was indeed comforting and beautiful, this world, unique and fascinating in its own way. The way the sand seemed to move with his hand as it cut through the dry air with gentle, looping flourishes. The stars that winked down, granting their approval at his childlike fascination with such a mundane element of the planet's surface. He sank down to both knees, laughing and smiling to the millions of tiny, white, shining faces above. He felt a shift in movement, something akin to Force Sense, one could say. He could feel a person approaching him, walking at quite a leisurely pace.

Inon heard a female voice call out to him. “Are you alright, Mister?” Her soft was soft and as cautious as her step. He assumed she was speaking to him. She had to be. There was no one else around them for miles and miles. The only features that filled the rather desolate desert landscape were canyons, sand, the scattered houses in the distance, and the stars. He looked up at the girl, his eyes soft yet piercing, face smooth and oddly angelic in the lighting, despite his apparent Force alignment. He wondered who this girl was as he looked up at her approaching figure. Where was she from? One of the nearby homes or farms perhaps? Was she traveling on her own as a nomad? That was certainly a possibility. He knew that Zabraks here were nomadic, at least, some of them were. However, this girl was not a Zabrak. She appeared to be Human. Again the questions formed within his mind. Who is she and where was she from? More importantly, why was she out out here at midnight?

But, he had to give it to her. She was quite a lovely girl, gorgeous was the word that came to mind. She was short but there was beauty even in that, if not simple cuteness. He looked over her, his emerald eyes scanning from her full, long black hair, to her dark eyes that were widened in what appeared to be shock, the way her breath hitched and caught for the briefest of seconds as his eyes looked down her neck. Another thing he noticed, besides her obvious beauty was the level of Force energy within the girl. It was untapped, untrained. Perhaps, soon, he could take her. Train her as an unknowing Subject within the Coven. But, he'd have to keep her existence unknown for now. Neither Sokre or Darth Voracitos could know of her. He'd have to keep her in line somehow.

All of these thoughts occurred in a matter of a minute or two. A full minute of silence between him and the girl in front of him. Finally, he broke the eerie silence. “Yes, I'm fine. I just stopped to rest,” Pause. “I've been running through the desert for a while. Not running from anything, just need some space I suppose. Anyway, I'm Inon. What's your name? Why are you out here, if you don't mind me asking?”

Slight tension as he spoke, tension from her. She felt the darkness within him, he knew. Anyone sensitive to the Force would have felt that. But, he smiled at her as he stood to his foot. Endless green orbs twinkling down at her. He couldn't be that bad, not with an expression as the one worn on his youthful face.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

The man was sitting on his knees. He looked... nice, beautiful even.

My brothers would have made fun of me for saying so, but the man reminded me of an angel. Maybe... maybe the dark side was from something else? Or maybe... I'd gotten it wrong. Dark side people looked evil and bad, right? This man looked... good. His eyes especially seemed to draw my attention. They were gentle, soft, but seemed to stare into my very core. It's like he could see all of me, I wasn't even sure what that meant.

He spoke, telling me why he was here. I had seen people run before, but it seemed to be a strange time to do it. In the middle of the night? Although, as the thought crossed my mind, it occurred to me that I, too, was out here at the same time. Maybe it was the same with him. The sticky, dark feeling was still in my belly, but I ignored it as I sat down cross-legged next to him. Sweeping my hair over my shoulder, I began to work my fingers through the knots as I answered his question,

"My name is Khaori." I replied with a smile, "I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk. Is that why you're out here too, Mister? Couldn't sleep either?"

I winced as my fingers worked through the knots, grimacing as I accidentally pulled my hair. With a sigh I gave up on the endeavour, tossing my hair back behind me. After the sweltering hot sun had cooked the sand all day, it was lovely to have the cool night air gently caressing my skin. Closing my eyes, I tilted my face up to the sky for a moment, letting the refreshing breeze wash over my skin. The nightgown I was wearing, pale grey and just long enough to go past my knees, was speckled with sand. I knew when I eventually went home I'd have to be very careful to brush all the grains of sand off otherwise mum and dad might figure out that I snuck out... plus it would be uncomfortable in my bed anyway.

"What's your name?" I asked the stranger, "do you live around here?"

The feeling of the darkness inside me was growing, a tingling began to annoy me at the back of my neck. It was as if... something bad was going to happen. But I ignored it. I was close enough to just see my house. Nothing bad could happen here... right?

[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

He smiled at the girl who introduced herself as Khaori. Couldn’t sleep, she said. Went out for a walk, she said. He wondered briefly if she’d tried lulling herself to sleep by the childhood methods of drinking a warm liquid or counting imaginary sheep that seemed to bound and leap, in a single jump, over the width of her bed. What would her family think if they knew she was out here in the dead of this Iridonian night? What would her mother, father, and her siblings say if they knew that she was talking to a complete stranger that posed a greater threat than she could have ever imagined that she would bump into on this planet? She broke his train of thought as she asked, “Is that why you're out here too, Mister? Couldn't sleep either?"

He offered another smile, a mere twitch of his mouth. “No, I just needed some fresh air, that’s all. I’ve been cooped up in a stuffy ship for a while.” I watched her hands and fingers push down and to the side as she untangled the wealth of long and dark hair on her head. The same hair that seemed to be the first observation one noticed of the girl, the strands that framed her rounded face quite well. The hair, it seems, was only the first. A forerunner, if you will. Her hair led you to look into her deep brown eyes that drew a person in with their depth. Her eyes reflected his own. Another question that resonated in the empty space around them. She asked for his name first. "I'm Inon," he repeated. Then, she asked if he lived on Iridonia. "No, I don't live here. But, it might be a nice experience one day." Inon looked up sharply as he heard Sokre's voice, carried by the wind and the Force, call out for him. "Inon! Inon, where are you?"

The boy glanced to Khaori and grabbed hold of her firmly. "I need you to follow me back to the ship I'm a passenger on. It's for your safety. If she sees I'm out here with you, she'll kill you without a second thought. I also need you to address me as Master, instead of Inon. Address her as My Lady or M'lady, whichever sounds better to you. Please tell me you understand, Khaori." His vibrant green eyes were wide with worry and the slightest sign of what could be considered pure terror. His eyebrows furrowed and his alabaster forehead creased as he started at her, silently begging that she agree to comply. For whatever reason, she wasn't like the other beings he ran into on these scattered outings with his sponsoring Vassal. No, she had a spark about her, within her. The Force was very prominent within her, however wild and untamed it may be at the current moment. She was also a very interesting girl, he wanted to know more of her. But, for now he need to get her out of here with him.

Sokre's voice boomed out once more as he glanced back and then shook her slightly. His eyes softened a bit and his grip tightened out of panic. "Please, Khaori."

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

The man smiled again, only slightly, but it was there.

There was no way the dark side could be coming from him, right? Sith and people of the dark side didn’t smile, they were evil, like the bad guys in those holovids. But he was… nice. He said that he just needed some fresh air after being cooped up on a ship for a while. I nodded, grinning as I recalled the last long trip I’d taken on a spacecraft and how stuffy it had been,

“Yeah ships smell funny.”

He looked at me, as if he were looking directly into my eyes. Even my brothers didn’t look at me like that. I fell quiet for a moment, hopelessly staring back into his. There were entrancing almost, like looking at jewels. I was distracted from them only when he told me his name.

“Inon…” I repeated, committing it to memory, “it’s lovely to meet you!”

Mum and dad raised me to have manners, so I stuck out my hand to shake his, now that we had been introduced. He said that he did not live around here, but that it might be nice one day. I chuckled, shaking my head. It was hot and sandy and my brothers were annoying sometimes. I was definitely grateful that mum and dad had adopted me, but this place was not the best place to live, as far as I was concerned.

Suddenly, I heard a voice carried on the wind. It was a female one, calling out for my new friend. I glanced up curiously, however Inon suddenly grabbed my hand firmly. I flinched, yelping in surprise as he spoke in a desperate tone. He said I needed to follow him back to his ship, that it was for my safety and I would die if I didn’t. Fear shot through my whole body, simultaneously paralysing me and making me buzz with the urge to run.

My heart hammered in my chest, my stomach doing flips in my gut. I gazed desperately to Inon, his grip tightening around my wrist as he urged me to tell him I understood. My mind was whirling, blood pounding in my ears. I was startled, confused, I hadn’t even processed what had just happened. I knew only one thing, I liked Inon, and I didn’t want to do anything that might get him in trouble.

“Y-yes… M-master” I stammered, nodding.


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

His wide gems softened and he nodded to Khaori, loosening his grip on her wrist as he turned back to the east. The man looked back at her, another nod and a soft yet sad smile for some measure of reassurance. He looked into the distance for a while, hours it seemed. Fool's hours spent stared tiny holes into the grey and black dot on the horizon, framed only by a canyon that rose behind it as if to give the vessel itself form. Once more he looked at Khaori, tightened his hold on her wrist, and began jogging at a steady pace. It was slow enough so that she could keep up and steady enough that he could make it appear as though he was slightly rushing her while keeping her within his grasp, in case Sokre was around the ship when they arrived. He had his story all planned out.

The story, or the basic idea, was this:

He'd wondered off after hearing an auctioneer call out prices for all sorts of things. He ran for a decent twenty minutes attempting to find the man's voice that beckoned him ever closer to his stand in the twisting marketplace. After a bit of searching, he found the short, burly figure of a man. He was calling up starting prices as Inon arrived, another taller man pushing the girl with him to the top of the 'stage' platform. The numbers rose quickly and he continued to bid and spend more money, calmly calling out for a bid of one thousand and six hundred credits that no one was willing to match or top. He took her past Sokre, who would have supposedly been deep in conversation with the artifact dealer, and brought her back to their ship.

By the time he'd finished thinking of a decent story along with an excuse as to why he'd avoided his Vassal, they'd arrived at the towering ship. Its hatch and rail were still down, durasteel disrupting the smooth unseen patterns of the sand that was its resting place. He entered the ship, nodding again if only to reassure himself instead of Khaori. Inon pulled her inside the metal beast and showed her to the lower level, giving her the bare room across from the cargo hold. All that was inside the room itself was a low bed, a purple rug that led from the door to the bed situated on the far wall, and a single storage cabinet against the left wall. Minimalistic and perhaps a bit too much for a slave, but that too could be easily explained. After all, there was not another unoccupied room aboard his Master's craft. He looked at her and held her arm's distance from him, relaxing his hold on her wrists.

"Remember what I told you and you'll be fine. I promise that I won't let Sokre or anyone else in this galaxy ever harm you as long as I can prevent it. I promise I'll make sure you're taken care of."

He flashed that charismatic smile of his at her and let go of her wrists, turning to leave the room. He walked out and went upstairs, cleaning up and coordinating their return to Lorrd into the navigator. He spent at least another hour or two just doing whatever and checking in on Khaori. On his second trip to see her in her new room, after giving Khaori some of his food and a drink in a cup, he heard Sokre return. He could hear her shoes tap against the metal. He bounded up the stairs and intercepted her near the main holoprojector in the middle of first floor. The man gave a bow at the waist and greeted her. "Welcome back, Master. I trust you retrieved the item you sought with ease?"

"I did. Thank you for asking. Did you set our course for Lorrd already?" A quick nod was her only response as she brushed past him and disappeared into the cockpit, initiating their flight. Inon gave a sigh of relief as he sat down on the couch a few feet from the holoprojector. At least she hadn't asked where he'd run off to or why he hadn't returned to her side when he decided to come back from his wandering. Most importantly, she hadn't done downstairs and discovered Khaori. He needed to make sure it stayed that way.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

As soon as I agreed, the man, Inon… no, Master, seemed to relax a little bit. My heart was racing, blood was pounding in my ears as my mind whirled. I could feel myself descending into a panic. His smile, although brief, calmed me down just a little bit. He looked briefly to the horizon before glancing back to me, grabbing my wrists and running.

We ran for ages. If I hadn’t trained with my brothers as much as I did I wouldn’t have been able to go this far. I was panting, my heart in my throat. The wind whipped my hair as my nightgown billowed behind me and the night passed overhead.

By the time we finally slowed, a huge ship loomed overhead. I barely had the time to take it all in as Inon pulled me on board. My mind was still spinning wildly. What had just happened? Who was that other voice? Why were we here?

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Even as we walked up the ramp the alarm bells were going off in my head. I was so far away from home now. Where were mum and dad? And Tevro and Vuxrae? Did they know I wasn’t home anymore? Were they looking for me? Or would they not know anything was wrong until they woke to find my bed empty?

I let out a shudder, tugging on the grip he had on my wrists,

“P-please, In—Master…” I whimpered, “I want to go home.”

He suddenly pulled me into a small room furnished with the necessities but little more. I glanced around in horror as he spoke, saying words I didn’t register and making promises I didn’t hear. All at once, the moment he flashed that smile, it all fell into place.

I was being kidnapped.

The shocking realisation crashed over me like a tidal wave. All at once I felt overwhelmed by the fear of what would happen, the shame that I’d let it happen, as well as the sickening sense of dread at what awaited me. As I stood, mouth gaping in horror, trying to process it all, he was able to turn and leave, closing the door behind him.

I sank to my knees, dropping my head into my hands.

I don’t know when the wailing started. But I know it didn’t stop. Inon might have come in to check on me, I don’t even know. I barely heard anything above the sound of my own sobs. I cried out for mother and father, for my brothers, to be let out and allowed to go home. At one point I lifted my head to see that food and drink had been brought down. But I didn’t touch them. I wanted to throw up. I got up only to bang on the door, to kick and scream and beg to be let out.

But Inon didn’t come back.

Then the engines started. My stomach dropped, my screams redoubled their efforts. My fists, bruised and sore from hitting the door attacked it once again with renewed vigour. My entire being was driven by one singular force:

The need to get out… and get home.


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

He heard her say that she wanted to go back home as he pulled her into Sokre's ship. She expressed that she wanted to run off, by extension. Run off across the vast, hot desert sands and never once look back. Never again to see the likes of him in the rest of her lifetime. Khaori wanted to go back. Back to her Zabrak friends, their way of life, their competitive culture that she had likely become accustomed to.

Back to her mother, her father, her siblings if she had any. Her family.

Back to that stout white building on the edge of the horizon which she called her home.

Back to her old life. Back to the comfort that it brought.

Even after he left her in the room the first time, she wailed and screamed and kicked at the metallic walls that enclosed her like a cage. She was trapped in that room. But, she persisted in her outbursts as soon as he'd gotten comfortable on the plush, red soft adjacent to the holoprojector. He got up slowly, quite fed up with the noise itself, not to mention his worry that his Master would hear the girl and punish them both. Inon brought food and water down to her, entering the room and closing the door behind him. He set the tray down on the floor, near the door. That time, he left without a word again. But, as before, she continued to cry out and make a racket. They'd both be dead if she didn't shut her mouth. Didn't she understand that?

He went quietly back downstairs, oozing barely contained frustration and anger. He paused in the doorway as he felt a clenched hand strike his thigh. The man looked down at Khaori, grabbing her wrist firmly and placing it on her lap. He examined her for a few moments. Her face was marred with fresh and dried tears, her beautiful brown eyes pink from the strain, her breath ragged and shallow from her sobbing. The girl's hair was in her face and when he uncurled her hand, he could see the dark red bruises and the bright crimson as a bit of blood slide listlessly.

Inon frowned slightly, kneeling down and releasing her wrist from his hand. His opposite hand swung and slapped her cheek with an open palm. Immediately following the impact, a smooth left hand reached down to hook her chin with a single finger, lifting her head so that she met his eyes. His eyebrows slacked and his expression hardened, jaw clenched. When he spoke to her, his voice was but a soft yet harsh whisper. He needed her to be attentive, he needed her to listen and understand his words. This would be her first lesson with him. "You need to be quiet. You're very lucky that she hasn't heard you yet in that cockpit. If she hears you, she will kill you. If she doesn't, I will be sure you learn to be silent unless you absolutely must speak." He stared into her eyes as he forced her to either meet his gaze or look away. His eyes burned with a blazing intensity that he'd never allowed her to see before this present moment. Perhaps it frightened her, he didn't know. Quite frankly, in the moment, he didn't care. She needed to learn her place before she wound up dead where she knelt.

"Look at me" demanded his voice, a whisper and a yell all at once. Once he had her eyes he spoke again, "You will be silent from now on unless you are spoken to. You will obey and do as you are told to do, when you are told to, and how you are told to do it. Do you understand?" He held her gaze, willing at she maintain eye contact with him until he released her from it. He watched her carefully as he towered above her kneeling form with his own. She had to acknowledge what he told her, whenever he told her anything. She was expected to know that she should acknowledge him and how to do so. If she did not, she would have to learn quickly. Luckily, Inon was more than willing to educate her, if need be.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

Inon returned soon.

I’d heard the door open but I didn’t look up. I was too weak to fight. Too weak to run. I’d cried and cried and cried until there was no energy left to spend. Still the tears came… until he grabbed my wrist. I let out a sharp gasp, the sudden touch enough of a shock to bring me back from the storm of tears into which I’d flung myself.

I gazed up into a frown.

Then came the slap. It was sharp, my already warm cheek immediately stinging from the impact. The force of it turned my head to one side. As the sting throbbed in time with my pounding heart, I could feel the hot shame crawling up onto my face. It gathered into a lump in my throat, renewing the tears behind my eyes.

But I did not cry. His finger found my chin, tilting my head upwards, forcing me to gaze up at him. His words came out in a harsh whisper, his tone soft but nowhere near gentle as it had been out on the sand. I kept my gaze lowered, the shame forcing my eyes to stare instead downwards at his chest. I was afraid, ashamed, and in pain.

He demanded that I look at him. Almost before I had the chance to say so, my eyes obeyed, gazing up into his. They burned with an almost violent intensity. His words cut through the air like a knife, as if sharp with a power I had no idea he could wield.

But those words made me angry.

Why did he get to say what I did? Why did he take me from my home? Why did I have to do what he said, keep quiet when he dictated, jump when he said to? Trembling with rage, terror, and fatigue, I formed a frown of my own.

“Take… me… home…” I murmured.


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

“Take… me… home…” that was her plea, her request. That she be sent or taken back to her old home on Iridonia. He took hold of her jaw, jerking her head back so that she stared directly into his eyes and ensured that she held his gaze. He examined her disoriented yet determined state, green eyes sweeping up and down the valley of her smooth, sun-kissed neck. He disliked the frown on her lovely rounded face. Sadness didn't suit the girl.

His hand was around her neck without a proper warning, squeezing the pillar of flesh as the muscles in his arms tensed from the exertion. The pressure was steadily increased until she could hardly breath. The glint in his eyes changed in an instant to a look of malice. Already, he'd had enough of her pathetic begging. "I am taking you to your new home, girl. Now, you can either obey or I can force you to. And this little squeeze," He tightened his grip and pressed his palm against her windpipe. "...will be the beginning of your worries. Keep it up and I will show you true pain."

He tapped her head twice with two fingers to give her a signal to look at him. When he had her eyes, he spoke again.

"I can also help you develop your Force abilities IF, and only if, you obey me and show me the respect I deserve as your master. Understood?"

He relaxed his grip slightly to allow her to breath a bit easier, he would see her strain and gasp for breath. While he did enjoy seeing someone in pain, he did need her to be attentive and responsive as before.

She would have to learn one way or another, whether it be by her own willing submission or through his own reminders to beat her into submission.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

Silence fell for a moment.

It was only the briefest of seconds, but it was plenty long enough for my stomach to flip as the dread clawed up into my throat. Instantly, I regretted what I’d said. My body was paralysed by fear as I realised all of a sudden just how much more powerful Inon was than me. He was much faster than me, his hand lashing out and closing around my throat.

I let out a gasp, the sound choked off as he squeezed, his arm going taut. He didn’t crush my neck instantly, but I could feel his hand steadily closing and tightening, slowly but surely robbing me of precious oxygen. All the while my body flew into panic mode. My heart raced wildly, my hands clawing uselessly at his arm. My eyes flew wide open, mouth gaping as I tried to speak around his iron like grip.

I stared desperately into his eyes as he spoke. A shudder rocked my shoulders. He tapped my head, making sure I was looking at him. I obeyed, terrified that he’d crush my throat completely. Would he do that? Would he… I didn’t want to let the word into my head. I wasn’t ready to face that.

His next words surprised me. He could… teach me, if I obeyed him, if I respected him, if I… accepted him as ‘Master’.

As his hand loosened slightly, causing me to gasp as my oxygen-starved lungs dragged in the first precious breath in almost a minute.

“… I… I understand…” I gasped, my chest shuddering.

My entire body shivered, turned from regarding him with loathing to utter fear. Fresh tears spilled from my eyes but in this moment, I dare not wail loudly, I didn’t want him to have any reason to tighten his grip once again.

“Please… Inon,” I mumbled, my eyes suddenly widening, “… I mean… um… Master… please don’t do that again.”


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

He nodded briefly, giving his approval. "Good girl."

Inon gave her a small little smirk, tilting her head further up to the point of tension, muscles in her neck straining as they threaten to snap if held in this position for too long. "It won't happen again if you do as you are told and if you are respectful."

He glanced at her, his hand shifting - running - down her neck and shoulders to her arms. He gripped her wrists in an iron vice as he'd done when they were planetside. He stared into her wide brown eyes, his own orbs softening to show the slightest bit of compassion on his stone-like alabaster features. He smiled at her. "What's my name, Khaori?" He held her gaze still, eyes searching her face slowly. He posed another question. "What will you do as mine?"

When he received his answer, he let her go.

"You will remain quiet until we reach a space station above Lorrd. Do you understand, dear?" He bent one of knee, instead of his former two, so that he was eye to eye with her form. His free arms rest across his knee, hand limp and relaxed as his slender fingers gently brushed over both his knee and down from her chin to the base of her neck. His fingers slowly moved off and away from her neck, lacing his fingers together as he stood.

He smiled that same charismatic smile of his. "I'll be back to check on you in a few hours. If you need any more food and something to drink, knock twice softly on the door." He looked at her before standing to his feet and helping her up. Then, he turned his back to her and walked towards the door, ready to return to the comfort of his red little sofa upstairs.

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

Good girl.

Those two words cut through my haze of fear and pain, like a bright light through a fog. Those words meant I’d appeased him, that he didn’t need to hurt me anymore. Those words meant I’d done well enough. His next words confirmed as much, even as my neck strained to look at him while he spoke. I nodded as much as I could with my muscles stressed so much, indicating that I had no intention to bring more of that on myself.

The first test of this came very soon after. His hands trailed down my skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps as he held my wrists in that iron-grip he had back on the ground. He asked me two questions; to questions to which he already knew the answer.

I drew in a shuddering breath, taking a moment to force my head to stop spinning before I whimpered my answer,

“Your name is… Master.” I replied quietly, “I… I will obey you.”

I sighed quietly to myself in relief as he let me go. I kept my eyes on him as he spoke, telling me what to do next. I understood, now, a little at least. He told me what to do, I did that, and he wouldn’t hurt me. Maybe one day the chance to escape would come, but for now, it was easier to do what he said. I nodded,

“I understand.”

What he did next surprised me. His fingers moved over my skin, down my chin to the base of my neck. I flinched, but this touch was comforting, pleasant even. He stood, and I realised with a shock that he was about to leave… but I didn’t want him to. However, rather than risk another strike, I kept myself quiet this time. At my final instruction, I nodded, repeating it quietly under my breath.

“Y-yes, Master.” I replied quietly.

I watched as he left, before turning to look around the room for somewhere to settle down quietly. I was tired, after all, and I couldn’t very well escape without getting some rest.


[member="Inon"]

 

[Kyrinov]

He smiled that her, this particular upward motion of his rosy lips was pleasant and warm. He walked out of her room and closed the door softly, making sure it was closed with an extra tug before his hand slid off of the handle and walked silently down the short hallway and up the flight of stairs that led to the bright upper level of the ship. The light was blinding but he welcomed the assault has he had learned to do so long ago.

He knew that this wasn't easy for Khaori. He knew what she was feeling. He'd felt the same once he was aboard this very ship for the first time in his life. None of him hit the younger version of Inon until Sokre gave him a room and told him to get comfortable.

He felt panic and grief and anger and relief all at once, in one swift motion. All of his torment came to an end. All of his freedom slashed away and shackled to another being whom he did not even recognize or know the slightest thing about. And yet, there was something that Khaori had that he did not have at the time of his capture. She had a family to miss and mourn. No doubt they would mourn the loss of such a young daughter.

Inon did not have such a luxury as to have a family. He had relatives that were alive and well on Telos, yes. But, they weren't his family. They didn't stand by him while he was pushed out and persecuted. They hadn't moved or so much as lifted a finger to reach out and help the boy. They never contacted him. They never tried to search and find him after his "exile". Instead, they chose to taunt him and berate him like all of the others did. They never cared, they couldn't have with the way they treated him. With that, he went from one Master into the hands of another, tangible Master.

Anger and resentment bubbled inside of him and he found it more and more difficult to calm himself as he plopped down on the couch. He took in a few deep breaths and he felt a bit of turbulence and he bumped up in the air slightly. Well then, that happened. He was tired too, he'd been up for quite some time. His sparkling emerald eye closed gently and his hands folded.

Sokre shook him awake some time later. "Get up. We've arrived at the Den. Pack your things and report to my chambers immediately." He nodded his understanding and bowed his head slightly to show some other semblance of acknowledgement. He went into his room and packed what few possessions he'd brought with him on this little adventure outside of the metal fortress that served as the Coven's headquarters.

After he was all ready to go, he went downstairs and entered Khaori's room. She was asleep on the small bed on the opposite side of the room. He smiled softly as he approached her. He knelt down on one knee and shook her slighty, his hand outstretched and hovering over her soft check before slowly shrinking away from her flesh. He called out to her in that oddly seductive voice of his that came as his natural tone as he held her shoulder and shook it back and forth to rouse her from sleep.

"Khaori... Khaori... Wake up, Khaori. We've reached your new home, dear."

[member="Khaori"]

 

[Valgærd]

It turns out that wailing and crying and thrashing about is exhausting.

No sooner had I found a corner of the room in which to curl up than I found my head beginning to throb and my eyelids grow heavy. Laying on my side with my back to the door, I drew my knees up to my chest and lay my head on my arm. Within moments, the hum of the ship, the anguish of being away from my family, even my thoughts of escaping, all faded away as the seductive tendrils of slumber finally slithered into my mind.

If I’d dreamed, it vanished upon waking as I heard my name being called, drawing me back from sleep. His finger brushed over my cheek, tempting me back to the waking world. I stirred, my brow furrowing as I struggled to free myself from the blackness.

“Mmph,” I replied sleepily, before the memories of earlier came rushing back to me. “I-Inon?”

I opened my eyes, looking up to see him kneeling over me.

“I mean… Master…” I cringed, flinching in case my slip up earned another reprimand.

Slowly, I pulled myself up into a sleeping position. My body was stiff, limbs and core aching from the harsh punishment I’d put them through for sleeping on the ground. I winced as the arm I’d been resting on was shot with pins and needles. I pulled it in close to myself, hugging it against my chest and grimacing against the pain.

“Wh-where are we? I want to go home.”

There was no fiery desperation in my words anymore, only a soft whine. I knew he probably wouldn’t like it, but I was still too tired to care.


[member="Inon"]