Nowhere At All

[Boethiah]

Times have changed since Anja's departure from her birth world, standing foot on Dantooine the woman looked up towards the sky. Two Brith flew overhead underneath the blue riddled with specs of white clouds, birds and other native fauna filled an ambiance of life. Yet it was only six years old that much of the world was devastated by the flames of war, the native Dantari were all but eliminated as a species leaving The Primeval and immigrated parties solely in-charge of the world.

She was not here to relive the past, however. No -- she didn't arrive here for much particular reason at all and as far as she was concerned she had nowhere to be, either. Something in her mind just drove her back to Dantooine, something about the plains and pastures and the hills and the groves drew her back to the paradisaical planet lying far in the Outer Rim near Wild Space and the Unknown Regions.

Another unusual detail to add was that she had foregone any sort of armour; instead wearing a simple robe that held loosely to her body, leaving her bare foot as well.

The contingent of guards who came here with her were ordered to remain back on the ship, no weapon was trapped to her waste or anywhere else. She was unarmed, unarmoured, and unguarded. An unusual combination of traits that would probably make anyone who'd dare ask if she was feeling alright. Perhaps there was an answer hidden somewhere as to why--why she felt so comfortable on Dantooine.

One detail was left out... She wasn't entirely alone, actually. No; her companion was the most unlikely apprentice under the witch, a man by the name of Kiber Dorn.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Awkward was an understatement.

Here he was, with Anja Aj'Rou not too long after the incredibly awkward encounter with one Cedric Dorn. The man had come in, with his prune face and his sour-as-grapes attitude and had disfigured Kiber for no reason other than spite, or perhaps jealousy. If he couldn't have a gorgeous visage then neither could his cousin! Or maybe, just maybe it had something to do with his words of mocking jest.

Nah, that would make it Kiber's fault. That could never be the case!

He wore a face of misery, and a sober one to boot. Upon looking at his reflection for the first time he had screamed, then he had swore, then Dorn rather uncharacteristically flailed at the mirror, breaking the glass and cutting his rather upset hands.

The entirety of his head was steeped in pure blackness, almost unnaturally so, completely devoid of light. With reflection unnerving, skin scraggy and rough to the touch he tried in vain to think of a cure.

There weren't many ideas coming to mind.

Which explained the sullen expression upon the unfortunate Kiber's face. The swagger was deflated and he even avoided eye contact with his Master, just to try and avoid any further tirades of abuse. The scenery of Dantooine was left neglected, as he followed Anja in silence, eyes levelled solely at the ground beneath their feet.

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The soft, tan grass crunched under Anja's bare feet as she walked through the meadow and through the grove. Tall Blba trees surrounded them, scattered the warm sunlight that touched the world's surface, distant kath hounds were seen basking in the shade of further off trees nearing a cave entrance carved into the cliffside along one of Dantooine's many hills. Anja's pale-blue eyes scanned the scenery, her nostrils inhaled the fresh air and her ears picked up the sound of buzzing insects, chirping avians, and the growls of playing Kath Hound pups.

turning to Kiber, "Are you going to be upset forever? You're not angry, you're pitying yourself; wondering how any of this could be your fault even though you know it is." She broke the silence with an unusually long yet still relatively short lecture. She may not have cared for his well being in the same way as most people did but she needed to make sure her apprentice was not falling towards a place he couldn't come back from.

If she felt he was lost, the witch would not hesitate to end his life right there and then.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

“...it's my face,” he replied, voice caught in a sulk.

He didn't expect her to understand, vanity was a concept that seemingly eluded the woman, well at least if her choice of garments at Bastion was anything to go by.

With new corrupted features how was he ever going to be able to blend into normality again? How could he run away now? It was hardly a face that you would forget now, was it? Not only that but sex was definitely going to be off the cards, who would have wanted to sleep with his new monstrous visage?

“I mean, look at me, man,” he said, voice still caught in that realm of self-pity. Finally he looked up to Anja, expression lacking that usual confident grin.

“I look like a fethin' freak! What am I supposed to do looking like this?"

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Her brow furrowed slightly, "You live, you serve me, and you continue moving forward." It might've seemed easy for her to say but he had no idea what things she herself has suffered. their upbringings did not differ terribly so. Anja accepted her fate, he did not, that was where they separated along the paths of fate.

Their path in this world--on Dantooine--saw them exit the grove and move into an open prairie. An unusual sensation flowed through the force, an energy, an eeriness; something she could not explain. If he felt it too, then she'd know it wasn't just her but the Host Lord visibly became alert from this sudden, new feeling. Whatever it was it seemed to come from beyond the hill yonder. The only thing she could compare it to was seeing something in the corner of your eye and being unable to focus on it.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

That wasn't exactly the response he was looking for.

What was he expecting? Sympathy? From Anja Aj'Rou? On what world, or what galaxy and on what drugs would that happen? On the bright side she didn't hit him, or kill him, so that was good but her words of wisdom didn't do much to lift him out his glum demeanour.

“…you wouldn't understand,” he muttered quietly, as if he was her teenage son going into a sulk. That was a strange image.

Then the scene suddenly changed, an off-putting but oddly familiar sensation creeping into his bones, causing the small hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. They had stepped into somewhere they shouldn't have, and that much was obvious but in such an unsuspecting place? He was two-parts curiosity, one-part apprehensiveness.

But what was so familiar? He couldn't put the tip of his finger on it.

“...you...uh feel that?”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja did indeed feel what he had, that strange feeling in the force that she couldn't put her finger on... However she was able to sense where it was, generally speaking. "I do," she said cautiously. Looking back to Kiber first, she wandered ahead and over the hill. Not too far off in the distance was some sort of cottage by the looks of things, whatever it was it surely wasn't natural.

"I've never seen anything like this," A visibly puzzled expression formed across her face.

She didn't look to even see if Kiber was keeping up with her and continued rather briskly down the hill and towards the scenery.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

A cottage?

Not so peculiar given their surroundings, Dantooine after all was a great planet to retire to. Yeah, settle down, get a nice cottage, maybe have a small plot to grow fruit and vegetables, sell 'em at the local market. Oh, could get a Kath Hound too, yeah, a companion to stave off the some of the loneliness. Curl up with him by the fire with a drink and a good holonovel.

Kiber had to stop for a moment to shake such horrifying and saccharine thoughts out of his mind. Thankfully, the ever-present discomfort that surrounded them helped in that endeavour, reminding the man that this place had a serious bad vibe.

“It feels familiar, man,” he said, creasing the eyebrows that could no longer be seen upon his features, “...and it's creepin' me hard.”

As they got ever closer, more details came into view showing that the cottage had not been lived in for quite sometime. What was once a garden had become overgrown, nature taking back what had once been hers.

“Wonder what's inside...”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja kept moving as she always did, never looking back for fear of what she might've left behind. That was how she lived and she could only assume that's how she'd die, the witch had no friends or lovers, no one to rely on; and even her disfigured apprentice would likely sooner leave her than stand beside her should the rug be pulled out from under her. Rather than face those facts she kept moving forward as the path she walked crumbled behind her with each step, a wake of agony for those who could not follow.

"I wonder what's inside," she spoke the same words at the same time as Kiber Dorn, their voices overlapping with each syllable. Anja walked up towards the entryway of the derelict cottage, overgrown weeds littered the remnants of what was once a front entrance. "Do we knock?" She turned back to her apprentice, a look of amusement had taken over her usually stark expression. It was almost childish of how a strange, out-of-place cottage in the middle of nowhere roused her curiosity.

It was that same curiosity that had driven her off course many times before. She was the Host Lord; a leader of armies and fleets that raze worlds yet for a moment she was being a person. Someone who had a personality, interests of her own, and maybe someone who could genuinely smile or walk in the presence of another being without killing them or watching them bow. Such was a fleeting moment, however.

The woman's hand reached out and grabbed hold of the rusted knob, pushing the stubborn door open and letting out perhaps decades old musky air.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

He was certainly amused by Anja Aj'Rou asking if they should knock rather than just waltzing straight in. I mean, come on, leader of a great big cult like the Primeval having a dilemma about being polite?

Was it an aura of manners as well as one of discomfort?

His opportunistic brain started ticking. This was obviously something left here to keep people away and from some mild deductions one would only place a ward if they themselves were not around to guard it themselves and what could be that needed guarding? Credits? Jewellery? Artefacts? It had to be something…

...right?
Stepping into the small shack it was as rustic as the outer appearance lead to believe, dusty though and not to mention infuriatingly neat. Everything was well-organised, beds made, trinkets and books upon the shelves even lined up to perfection. It almost made his scruffy insides feel ill.

Still couldn't think of what was so familiar.

“Time for some lootin'-and-a-rootin', bossman.”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja's pale eyes glanced around the room, the two orbs darting from every object to the next as if it was all she needed to understand what she saw. After the brief look around she took further steps instead, allowing Kiber to follow in from behind. Anja's bare feet left footprints along the dusty floorboards, a distinctive stepping sound was made as she walked around. The one thing that caught her attention the most were the books, she fixed her gaze upon them like a predator stalking its prey.

Carefully stepping over the bowl on the floor she walked over to the shelf, scanning the archaic devices for labels and names. Some were written in languages she understood, and others were completely foreign to her. One she did not understand but recognized was Sith; of all the books it was the one which drew her in the most.

If the witch had anything to say it was clear that her aroused state of knowledge lusting had caused her to forget how to speak aloud.
[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Kiber, of course, with credits on his mind didn't so much go for dusty tomes but rather sought out the nearest dresser, creeping across the dusty floor into one of the bedrooms. He was hoping for jewellery, anything that could have been pawned for good credits and with good credits come good spice.

His inner-creep wanted to leaf through the underwear drawer but thankfully his greed was greater than his sleaze.

It was then, atop the dresser he caught glimpse of a picture. Some girl, definitely jail bait material picture of innocence. His brow twitched in curiosity as he studied the image further. He wouldn't have turned her down. Blonde hair, green eyes, thin features.

Wait.

He froze. Blonde hair, green eyes, thin features. If she hadn't been smiling in the picture Kiber might have realised a touch sooner. Give that face a frown and the girl would have strongly resembled a couple of Sith that he knew fairly well.

Ooooh noooo.

That was Evelynn Dorn, daughter of Karin, brother of Cedric. The familiar feeling became all too real as he began to back slowly out of the bedroom, as if he was worried about ghosts coming screaming out the floorboards.

“I...I...don't think there's much to see here, Master,” he said, evidently spooked as he returned to the main room, where Anja was glued to the bookshelf. “...just an ooooold boring cottage.”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

"Nonsense, there's plenty here worth looking into." She didn't seem phased by his stutter and anxious tone of voice.

Anja's eyes were still locked on the books, particularly the one written in the Sith language. Her pale hand reached out and took the old tome, she flipped the cover open and began to dissect information from the pages... Only one problem; she didn't understand the language so everything she saw ended up being a mental footnote, just symbols scribbled onto the paper. Quickly a thought came to mind, she turned to her apprentice who returned from one of dressers, doing whatever it was he did.

Her eyes lit up--figuratively as Umbarans have emotionless eyes--as if an idea struck her. "Can you read Sith, Kiber?" She asked in a rather interested tone.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Finally realising that his Master was actively touching those ominous tomes summoned a peculiar thought within his mind.

She's gonna be mad if she finds you touchin' her shet, man.

Then it dawned upon him that Karin Dorn was dead and that unless her wrathful Force ghost was about to spring out from beneath the dusty floorboards then they would probably be fine. You never really knew with Sith Sorcerers though. Still, his deceased aunt's uptight mannerisms were so ingrained in his memory that even the thought of them rifling through her stuff continued to make him nervous.

Snapped back into reality by Anja's question he made a face, like a child presented with a bowl of lukewarm lumpy custard. He did, of course, know the Sith language...well, he vaguely remembered the Sith language. After all, descending from a family who had their roots based in Sith allegiance it was customary for all Dorn children to be taught that archaic runic language.

Well, that was unless they ran away from home.

“Yeeaah,” he said slowly, still nervous being in the old house of bones, “I'm a bit rusty...but y'know...it's there uh somewhere.”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja went through the book before coming back to the first page and closing it.

Turning to Kiber, "come here," she requested of him--not a lick of deceptive or cruel intentions was hinted in her voice.

The Host Lord's hand went out, to gesture him to hurry, clearly she was impatient for whatever she needed him for. That was how she reacted around her apprentices in general, and Kiber Dorn especially was at the short end of the stick in these matters. Anja expected unquestioning obedience from a man who spent too much time stuttering and not enough time listening but she had hoped that his series of beatings and lessons were enough to persuade him otherwise. If not? She'd just have to teach him again.

Unlike most master-apprentice relationships, this one was not built on the typical stepping stones of trust but rather necessity.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

He frowned.

Kiber didn't want to come here, rather he wanted to get out, seemingly having another adverse reaction to anything that was family based. The Dorn lifestyle was hardly idyllic, you had a big goth Sith Lord out to slaughter you and your surname, a cousin who had gone down the deep end and who was also prone to disfigurement and decimation. That's not even mentioning the horror of responsibilities.

Still, making Anja Aj'Rou ask twice was not really something he particuarly wanted to do either, but at the very least he would voice his concerns. After all, he wasn't anything if not vocal.

“I kinda want to bail,” he admitted, stepping over to his Master's side, that same edge of nervousness refusing to leave his voice, “this place is wigging me the frak out, y'know? Serious bad vibes.” It would have been fairly easy for him to tell her the truth about this place, but piquing Anja's interests would have likely made her want to stay even longer.

Once by her side he looked to her, those emerald eyes strangely brilliant in contrast with the deadened black flesh of his face.

“Can we just grab the books and go?”

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

'Soon enough," she said as she moved closer to her apprentice. By now her chest was nearly touching his and one of her hands wrapped itself around the back of his head, her pale eyes glancing into his emerald ones. For a moment she maintained complete silence. "This might hurt," tendrils of force energy would shoot forth from her hand and etch into the back of his head, her eyes would force his open.

Through her magicks Anja began to search his mind, everything was like a blurred light until she found exactly what she sought. At first it was just as impossible for her to understand, she saw the runes and knew nothing but as she copied the knowledge into her own mind it was as if she was recalling forgotten memories from her past. For Kiber he would retain his knowledge, but the memories themselves would remain scrambled at best, damaged at worst.

It only took a matter of moments and when she had done the task she released from him and stepped back.

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Wait, was she coming onto him? There was a small double take to be had as her chest barely grazed his own, the woman's hand snaking round to the back of his head. What? Did she want a kiss?! Did old dusty books get the Host Lord hot and heavy?

Oh Force, oh Force, not here! Not in this place! Back on the sh-

It did hurt.

From open mouth spilled forth silent screams, as he stared back with widened eyes into her own. Kiber's face seemed petrified while the rest of his body was consumed by a great trembling, gangly limbs shaking as Anja Aj'Rou rifled through his mind to find the knowledge that she desired.

The sensation itself was peculiar, yes, it was pain but not the pain of a fist smashing through his nose, or the searing brand of the Dark Side upon his chest. It was like frenzied electric currents sparking and forking off inside of his mind at manic pace. There were hot white flashes caught in his mind's eye as Kiber remained paralysed and completely helpless at his Master's crippling touch.

She released him and immediately he fell backwards, for a moment still dazed by the sudden shock of what had just happened. Somewhere between shock and panic Dorn began to scrabble backwards on hand and arse, a high pitched ringing erupting from inside of his own head.

“W-WHAT THE FRAK?!” the man screamed, his voice (rather embarrassingly) breaking somewhat in his state of manic confusion.

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja didn't even dignify his screams with a response, instead she went back to her book and began to read the pages. A slight frown formed off of her bottom lip as she realized his knowledge of the language was intermediate at best but what he likely didn't know is she managed to recall even the bits and pieces that he'd likely forgotten from lack of practice.

Most of it she could at least gather but in many ways that was a far cry from being able to truely comprehend what she read.

Closing the book, "Grab what we can, search the place again, find things of academic value."

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

One day Kiber Dorn was going to snap. After all, one person could only stand being abused and pushed about for so long. Everything built up, and one day that bottle was going to break.

Today was not that day.

He remained on the floor for a few moments longer, waiting for his shaken mind to settle after...whatever it was that his Master had just inflicted upon him. It was evident that she would not be answering any of his queries at that moment in time, no matter if he screamed or simply spoke. Her mind was on other matters and nothing would shift it.

So silently Kiber stood, clearly in a huff not too dissimilar to his disposition at the beginning of this venture. Thankfully his discomfort of being in the house had been somewhat reduced, now competing with his brand new discomfort regarding Anja's surprise abuse.

He rifled through both of the bedrooms, trying to search for anything of academically value as asked but the rooms he picked were mostly reserved for personal belongings. He did however take a few items of jewellry, presumably belonging to his deceased aunt and cousin, and also made sure to remove the picture of Evelynn from it's frame, with the naive and saccharine intention of delivering it to Cedric.

The only other item of note that he found was a diary, and upon cautiously leafing through the book it was revealed to be his aunt's personal journal. It was then he encountered a worrying problem. Kiber was actually a fairly intelligent man (just extremely lazy) and had never had much problem with his reading skills. However upon flicking through the small leather bound book he encountered some difficulty.

Words, that were clearly galactic basic seemed muddled, almost wrong, seeming as if there were numbers and symbols in the place of standard letters. It took alarming concentration to actually read the words properly. What had his Master done?

Items pocketed and diary in hand, he returned to the main room, expression a blend of confusion and misery and he simply stood, waiting for Anja to be finished with her own looting.

---

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]