Private Of Power & Promise

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Valaine Valentine //:
//: Attire //:
//: Jutrand //:

It had been a few weeks since she was appointed to the Dark Council. She now officially had an office on Jutrand, outside the academy, and her duties there were even fewer. While she would miss teaching, she wouldn't miss the little brats who thought it was cute to find her on Zinder and send super likes. She was already annoyed to see Colette's irritating face among her likes.

She knew joining that app had been a horrible idea — though it did make visiting other sectors entertaining whenever she got bored. Leaning back in her chair, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Each Councilor had their own office to conduct business; the two elder members had entire sectors on Jutrand, while Quinn was housed near the palace. She frowned — she had hoped to be closer to the ministry departments. At least there she'd feel separated from home.

Quinn found the silence daunting. In moments like this, her mind replayed the doubts and whispers of nepotism that followed her appointment. To everyone else, she was a symbolic choice — not one meant to make real change. It was the natural step toward her becoming Empress; they accepted her as the heir apparent but assumed she'd be a puppet.

She groaned, trying to push the thought aside. Sitting back up, she began scrolling through her datapad. There had to be something today to brighten her mood. Her finger flicked through the list: a few messages from a particular Zeltron, others from colleagues, an odd question from an acolyte on Dromund Kaas, and finally, the invitation she'd sent out after the joint celebration.

The invitation had been accepted. So Quinn added it to her calendar and decided to wait. It was then that she looked around her office. The floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the nicer part of Jutrand, wrapping around most of the walls. There wasn't much privacy — though Quinn wondered if that was intentional.

"It's not going to stop me…" she murmured to herself, thinking about the things she could do in her office.

Boxes still littered the carpeted floor, but at least all her tomes and datapads were sorted neatly on the shelves. The rest were knick-knacks and furniture pieces meant for the "living" area of the office.

Another odd arrangement, but she sighed and decided Valaine wouldn't mind a bit of mess. She had, after all, only just moved in.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Quinn Varanin

The invitation had come as something of a surprise for the young Sangnir, not just that the Princess had wanted to meet her but that it was taking her back to Jutrand. Surely their brief discussion of sharing recipes was just small-talk...? Either way Valaine had accepted the invitation and made her way back home. Jutrand... It held a lot of memories for her, few of them good. She was born here, and in a way she died here too.

She didn't know what kind of person Quinn was outside of the fake smile and mannerisms that she witnessed at the feast, and perhaps she'd be greeted with a similar sort of contempt with this meeting. She pondered briefly if she should've at least dressed proper, but no, Valaine was just in rather casual attire. As she made her way towards the door of the office she took a moment to at least brush her hair down just a little bit more before entering.

Almost immediately her attention was to the tall windows, displaying a Jutrand she'd rarely seen growing up in the lower and poorer districts. Despite having grown up on the planet the scale of it was never something one could truly understand without seeing it from a higher perspective. Tired eyes glanced around the room, towards the clutter, and Quinn would have been right in that Valaine didn't mind at all as she offered a light bow of her head in greeting as she turned to gaze upon the Princess.

"Uh, hey." she spoke as she made her way into the room. While the young Sangnir wasn't particularly versed in proper procedure and mannerisms, she did at least know to only sit when offered to in situations like this, so she remained stood. "Sorry I'm late, I uh, got lost." she added. In truth she wasn't late at all, she just assumed she was.

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[Quinn Varanin]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It wasn't hard; she could sense the movement of the Force even if it was weak from the Sangnir. Upon her arrival, Quinn only glanced towards the door as she stepped in and casually greeted her. The woman was either brave, foolish, or just lacking manners — though it was a breath of fresh air. Maybe she would have enjoyed the party a lot more if she had been able to have that kind of quiet evening.

"You're not late, don't worry, this place can be a bit confusing, especially if it's your first time."

Quinn glanced towards the girl and then back at the window, noticing that's where her gaze wandered to first. "It's pretty from this height, isn't it?" she acknowledged the view for a moment before her attention returned to the casually dressed acolyte.

"Valaine, correct?" she asked, her eyes dropping for a moment at the datapad in front of her. Quinn had her team quickly search the name and find any information they could about her. Of course, there was very little, but enough for Quinn to remain curious. Her eyes flickered back up towards the girl as she realized she was still by the door.

"You can sit, I'm not going to bite or anything." Quinn chuckled as she shook her head.

With the casualness of her greeting and attire, she had expected that tone to continue with her taking a seat right away. There were some manners, a positive. She turned over the datapad and ignored it; the information there wouldn't give her much. Whatever information the Princess had gathered was enough for her to question.

"I want to get to know you a bit more, obviously, we didn't have many chances to talk at the celebration… It also didn't help that I was in a mood." Quinn shrugged; her moods were known, but that doesn't mean she didn't feel the need to, at times, apologize for them.

"I noticed you went to the Korriban Academy?" As much as Quinn acknowledged the skills Korriban's Academy granted its students, she was partial to Jutrand's prestige. But this wasn't a conversation about schools. Quinn had other thoughts lingering, mostly the potential that weighed around the girl. While she wasn't strong in the Force, there were ways around that.

"I was curious, of course, with your connection to the Korriban Academy..." Quinn mused as she rested her hands in her lap and leaned back into the large office chair.

"Who's your Master?"

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Quinn Varanin

Quinn's words drew her attention as she looked towards the Princess. "Pretty...?" she asked as she glanced back to the view of Jutrand's skyline. "... I'm not sure pretty is the word really, maybe just... different." she answered. It was hard for her to call this world pretty when all she had known of it was its ugly depths. Sure, the view from up here might be considered nice, but she knew what crawled underneath it; the hideous core.

She turned back to Quinn and offered a nod. "Valaine Valentine." she nodded in affirmation. After being offered a seat the young Sangnir made her way into the room and towards the chair, sitting down as she made herself comfy, or as comfy as one could in a situation like this without being entirely disrespectful.

The datapad drew the Sangnir's attention though she tried to hide her sneaking glances towards it. She wasn't sure what anyone would have on a girl like her; someone who was so unnoticeable in the grand scheme of things, but the curiosity still got to her. Her attention was drawn back towards Quinn at her words, tilting her head slightly in some light confusion. She couldn't fathom why someone like the Princess would want to get to know her better.

"Oh... Yeah I kinda guessed you were in some sorta mood. That forced smile was pretty obvious but it didn't seem like anyone cared about it." she answered as she recalled the group that had gathered around Quinn, the practiced smile she gave everyone. She couldn't tell if the others were just being polite in return or plain couldn't see it.

She gave a light nod at the mention of the academy she attended. "Yup. I wasn't there for long, it's where they sent me. I always assumed it was to just make me disappear after what I'd done here. Get me out of sight and out of mind, you know?" she explained.

Then the question of her Master came up and she pondered her answer. She hadn't been back to Malachor V in a long time now, and after what happened there... She had no intention of returning. To that extent she closed her eyes and gave a light shrug of her shoulders. "I don't have one anymore. It was Darth Virelia, but I didn't agree with something she did, so I left. Not like she has any shortage of apprentices anyways." she answered plainly; she had no reason to hide such details, even if they probably made her seem like a rather awful apprentice...

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[Quinn Varanin]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

Quinn's curiosity was further piqued as the girl explained herself. It was true, just like the brief and small file stated. Valaine hadn't spent a lot of time at the academy, nor did she seem to have lingered long before this in Sith space. In reality, the documentation on the girl was vague, though where most would toss it aside, Quinn wanted to know more.

Her eyes flickered back towards the windows. Jutrand wasn't as pretty as other places. The Echani easily preferred Eshan, but Bastion would always have her heart. Jutrand was like Coruscant: the higher up you went, the less of its problems you could see. Quinn smirked at the thought, along with the comment about her mood.

"No one cares about certain things as long as they behave and follow through." A vague response, but she felt Valaine would understand.

"I, on the other hand, prefer change and for things to be challenged. So, I tend to find myself in those moods." She shrugged and quietly pondered the mention of Virelia. The woman, despite her exile, was cropping up more often now with the people the Princess met.

At one point, Quinn had considered them friends — allies even. Yet, the more she learned about the woman, the less value she found in keeping pleasantries. Quinn leaned back in her seat as she nodded at Valaine's comment.

"She's a collector." Her head tilted as she spoke, thoughts of previous stories playing back in her head.

"She also likes to play divine creator…" Her voice soured with annoyance. Remembering Reina's story and how Virelia decided to do what she wanted irreversibly. She looked back towards Valaine — the girl seemed unharmed, but what did the woman do to her? Quinn wouldn't ask outright, but hearing the reasons they had parted ways was enough.

"A lot of apprentices were enamoured with her, unfortunately — I do hope to bring them all back to a place they can learn again." Quinn sighed.

"But that's a venture for another day, another time. My interest is with you." A genuine smile spread across the Princess's face, one far from the smile that Valaine had seen initially.

"I am curious, what did Virelia teach you?" Quinn raised a brow, knowing that Virelia herself lacked instruction and any sort of guidance. If only the woman had humbled her ego, things might have been different.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Quinn Varanin

Valaine couldn't help but smirk softly and offer a light shake of her head, "I wouldn't say I was enamored at all, I'm sure if you asked her she would've told you that I was one of the more... problematic apprentices." she answered, recalling the many times she had snapped back at Virelia, how often she refused to just bow and scrape like the others did.

"But... Yeah. I heard what she did to others, and frankly she put more than one of my dear friends through pain and torment. There's no loyalty left there for me." she spoke, once more recalling that both Kito and Reina had suffered at the hand of her prior Master. Her stormy gaze drifted aside for a moment in her recollection before they focused again upon the Princess.

She studied her for a moment, tried to predict her reasoning for wanting to meet the Sangnir. She presumed the question of who her Master was was more of a formality than anything when it came to Sith. The smile upon her lips was noted, not the fake one that she had displayed at the gathering. In turn Valaine's expression was somewhat difficult to get a read on, she seemed a little cautious for certain, but no doubt mostly confused.

Then came the focus upon herself once more, the interest taken, an interest she couldn't really understand. "Mm..? Uhh... She taught me a little on how to manipulate things through the Force, like just... pushing, moving, that kinda thing. I think she wanted to teach me to control flame but... Ah, that didn't work out too well for me... Oh but Vakhari's been teaching me some stuff, like uh, what's it called... precognition?" she answered as thoughts briefly returned to the torment of fire she was made to endure, recalling the pain of it searing her arm and her incapability of pulling away from it.

Her gaze dipped for a moment with a silent sigh before shifting back up to meet Quinn's gaze. "Why? I'm guessing you're gonna be throwing me back into one of the academies?" she asked, trying to pin the purpose of the meeting. She closed her eyes and gave a shrug as she leaned back in her seat, "I mean, I'll miss the freedom I've had but, could be worse I guess. The one on Jutrand, I imagine?" she continued, almost certain in her guess at this point.

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[Quinn Varanin]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It would be a lie to say that Quinn was surprised that the woman in front of her only knew the basics. It made sense why her aunt started the girl with precognition; it was a core ability and necessary for combat, and particularly for survival. Quinn ran her fingers over the data pad, making quick notes of the conversation. They were visible enough for Valaine to see if she poked her nose over — nothing scathing, unless you were Virelia. She stopped tapping and nodded.

The Princess wouldn't push the matters of why the apprentice renounced her Master, remembering that she also knew Reina — she figured that was the friend she spoke of. Quinn kept her smile; she was at least pleased to hear there was some training outside of what she might have picked up at the Korriban academy. Still, she was a bit behind according to Quinn's ideals for where she should be, but there was promise. Though she could only blame the Master.

"Fire?" Quinn raised a brow as she had already picked up physical traits and feelings through the Force of the woman's particular species. Even with the short fangs, she had already deduced the woman was a Sangnir.

"Either Virelia was an idiot or more stubborn than she should be… but do correct me if I'm wrong — you are a Sangnir, no?"

Quinn leaned back in her chair slightly, remembering what she had learned from Alina: fire was detrimental to the species, as it destroyed anima — the lifeforce from which they obtained nourishment. Though another thing bothered her with the thought of Virelia, an exile to the Empire, having access to Pyrokinesis…

She pushed the thought aside and sighed softly. The girl was ready to return to the academies, which surprised the Princess. She shook her head lightly and waved her hand to dismiss even the thought of them.

"While you're most welcome to attend Jutrand, you should retain your freedoms and do as you please," Quinn explained. This small tidbit also came with the cost of being her apprentice.

"But the reason I asked to meet you wasn't that I was going to throw you back to the academies." She paused and let her smile widen slightly. "I think you've proven they can't contain you, nor do they have any benefit for you."

She looked away and out the window for a moment, and there was a thought that she should put the girl through the system. Let the other masters have their choice to choose her. But the idea of her finding another lackluster Master — like Alisteri, who would jump at the fact she was like him, irritated Quinn.

"I'm looking for an apprentice." She glanced back at Valaine, looking for her reaction.

"I require someone who can carry themselves with confidence," she smirked almost knowingly, "Even if it means faking it… I attend several political and diplomatic meetings — I want someone who can sit, listen, and observe, formulate thoughts that are their own." She pushed the data pad aside and continued.

"I need someone not only to teach, but someone wanting to learn, to become something more than just another Sith in the churning of the Empire. I am the Heir, the next Empress — my apprentice needs to stand on her own, and I will give her the tools to do so."

She paused to let her words sink in.

"All she needs to do is say yes and be willing to take the step forward."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Quinn Varanin

The Sangnir's tired gaze glanced down towards the datapad curiously as Quinn continued to tap away at it. It was relatively difficult for her to read upside down though, so she could only make out bits and pieces of what was being listed and noted. Her stormy grey eyes shifted back up towards the Princess as she asked of her nature. It seemed lately that everyone knew what she was; was her kind more common than she suspected?

She offered a light nod in return, "Uh, yeah. Though... I don't know much about it if I'm honest." she answered, "Wasn't exactly a uh... Willing thing.". It seemed to her that Quinn knew at least about her kind's weakness to flame, though granted she didn't know the extent of Valaine's own fear of it which was far more extreme than what was typical to Sangnir.

A gentle sigh of relief was given when Quinn declared that she wouldn't just be getting thrown back into the academies, and honestly she was surprised. But the reason behind this apparent generosity became clear soon later, and it only surprised her just as much as she blinked in confusion and loss.

"Huh...?" was all she could manage at first. Quinn seemed to the young Sangnir to be someone of particular note, someone quite high in the power structure of the Order, especially given her position on this council she had heard of. "... I mean, I don't mean to disappoint you lady but I'm like, barely apprentice material..." she confessed. She knew her own faults and they were many, but always she had been told by others that she had potential. In truth that potential seemed difficult to get out of her, and so the last thing she wanted to do was waste the time of someone so seemingly important.

And then the heiress title dropped.

"Oh fu- I mean, uh-..." she stammered, completely caught off-guard by the fact of who Quinn was, sitting right in front of her, and how casually the Sangnir herself had been presented. "... Uh-... Sorry I uhm, do I-... I'm not good with titles and stuff." she admitted. She wasn't sure how she should now act, wasn't sure if she should be apologizing or bowing or begging forgiveness.

Finally she was able to settle on a response that fed into her own personal self-doubt, "... You could do way better than me for an apprentice... I'm really not that good... Should I be calling you your highness?- Sorry I'm... Literally not good at this kinda stuff... Sorry."

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[Quinn Varanin]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

This part was Quinn's favorite. To slowly watch as someone realizes who she is and what she represents. Valaine hadn't had a chance to meet her entirely, and she had seemingly just returned behind the Blackwall. It seemed the status of a Dark Councilor didn't matter much beyond its borders. Curious how little some government status didn't matter beyond one's world.

She didn't think much of it as she continued to smirk — trying not to laugh at the poor girl who was now trying to talk her way out of a situation that wasn't serious. Maybe to other Sith Lords, they would have taken Valaine's relaxed and nonchalant attitude as a negative. But Quinn welcomed it. There was a small desire to be treated like a normal person.

A hand rose as the Princess waved it off.

"Don't worry about any of that." Quinn shifted in her seat, relaxing, hoping to take the edge off the offer she had just presented to the girl.

"Titles and the like are public matters, between us, in private — I'd rather you just call me Quinn, I'm still a person underneath all of the mess that comes before my name."

It was an interesting matter: the girl carried herself without a care, but the moment an offer like the one Quinn had given her came up, it disappeared. It was quickly replaced by self-doubt and an attempt to detour the Princess. While others would agree, seeing and feeling the flicker that was the Sangnir in the Force, Quinn only saw potential. There were ways to increase one's power, drawing and feeding on the Force to sustain it.

There was always potential.

"Strength isn't what I'm looking for, or some prodigy in the Force." She paused, almost humored by her statement. Taeli wasn't looking for that either in a student, but she still chose Quinn.

"I appreciate people who are smart, cunning, and from what little information there is on you, and from what I've gathered from our conversation. You are those things," the Princess shrugged as her smile turned into a delighted smirk.

"It is a testament to yourself that, among the plethora of apprentices Virelia had, you avoided becoming a mindless drone like the others."

Quinn leaned back in her seat as her eyes never left Valaine.

"So give yourself some credit, I can teach you to become stronger, or whatever you want. You just need to say yes."

There was a moment of silence, Quinn thought quietly as she mulled over the type of Sith Virelia was, along with others. She could hear Strosius' voice cutting through her mind, claiming how lacking she was. From listening and just watching Valaine in this moment, Quinn figured they had some similarities when it came to their view of the Sith.

"I'll never push you to do something you don't want to do... I'm sure you've heard the whispers, especially that night -- I'm not what people want or accept as a Sith Lord. I stick to my morals, and I'd expect you to do the same."

Another pause as she let her mind wander for just a moment before speaking again.

"I don't care to change people, to make Jedi fall to the Dark Side or to inflict unnecessary pain." Her eyes finally looked away and towards the vast view of Jutrand's skyline.

"I choose the Sith because here, I've found freedom. Your reasons, of course, would be different and the like, but I won't be shoving docturines down your throat."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Quinn Varanin

It took a short moment for Valaine to calm from her flustered state after being so suddenly introduced to perhaps one of the most important and powerful people behind the Blackwall. Her thoughts immediately went to how she might've already messed up this meeting, but relief came over her look of concern when Quinn brushed them aside.

The young Sangnir offered a light nod in return, "Oh- uhm... Sure, Quinn." she spoke, testing the name with the context of this new information, "Uhh... Yeah same for me too, just call me Valaine. Not Val though, not ever Val, makes me sound like some sort of old lady..." she huffed softly at the thought of such a nickname. Though she felt somewhat silly giving someone like Quinn 'permission' to use her first name.

She did however calm considerably as the Princess went further into what it was that she cared about, what she didn't care about, and most importantly giving some glimpse into the type of person she was. Typically whenever Valaine thought of what a Sith Lord might be the first thing that came to mind was some controlling power-mad tyrant, but Quinn didn't strike her as the sort, in fact she seemed rather the opposite. She had no doubt that the woman was lethal in a political sense, no shortage of cloak and dagger perhaps, but in terms of outward appearance and sensibility she seemed... tame?

The mention of Valaine being smart and cunning had her brows raise slightly in surprise, such compliments were not very common for her and the last thing she expected was to be called smart considering how and where she grew up. She had, after all, been nothing but a street rat, but perhaps that made her more wise than clever.

She glanced aside with a light smirk that she tried to hide at the further compliments, it was after all hard to keep a straight face when someone was praising you like the Princess was. "Ah, I mean... I didn't really buy into a whole lot of the 'corruption' stuff... If I'm being honest everything I'd done up to that point was all in the pursuit of power; constantly telling myself I wouldn't fall into the whole mindset of what was being taught to me... I think I pretty much pulled that off." she smirked sharply at the thought.

With a hum she glanced to the desk in front of her, tired eyes searching through nothing as she pondered on her own reasonings. "... There was a time where that's all I really cared about though, but I dunno, seems less... important now. When you're isolated and alone you only think about how you can get one over others and your own survival, but now there's people I care about and I'm not sure what I really want anymore. Maybe just purpose? Really lacking in the ambition department these days..." she hummed curiously as her stormy gaze shifted back up towards the Princess.

"Ah... I shouldn't be going on these weird little personal rambles though. You're looking for an Apprentice, and frankly, I'm looking for a Master. I don't know you too well but what apprentice does, right? I'll... Accept, but... Just like, temper your expectations okay...?" she answered with a soft nod in response. "What you're saying already lines up pretty well with my own ideals anyways..."

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