Private Realm of The Brain Demon

[Arianna Belasko]

Wearing: Raiment of Khemost (looks like this)

Armed With: Chimera (Yellow Bladed Lightsaber)

Days after Draco's adoption.

It was Arianna's turn with the body again.

With the fall of House Io, Arianna was considered the main representative of all Io defector forces. Her authority over them was just under Nathan's own.

As such it was necessary for Arianna to appear from time to time since the collapse. Her magnetic charm, and the fact she had almost single handedly master minded the fall of the House with her betrayal, has kept things in order so far. Slowly but surely, she had begun the lengthy process of indoctrination into the new House Bloodscrawl's ideals.

In-between spending time with her new husband of course.

Arianna was a much different individual to deal with in comparison to Vera. Even after the personality that actually controlled her had rewritten her to be light sided in her thought process, Arianna could still be vain and self absorbed at times, and as far as she was concerned, if there was a servant droid to take care of an issue, why not just let the servant droid do it?

That being said, Arianna more than made up for it in other areas. She was exceedingly cunning at hiding and moving finances and resources around without notice. And she was, of course, a devastatingly powerful sorceress who found her power increased massively since merging with Vera. She never backed down from a fight and always led from the front.

Arianna genuinely loved being in the family. And she genuinely loved Nathan.

And she loved her newly adopted daughter, Draco Miles .

Draco's presence had more of an influence on Arianna than she would ever realize. Without her, Arianna might never have gotten the strength to change her way of thinking.

Arianna would have been an ultimately lesser person without Draco in her life.

Arianna lounged around in her quarters aboard the Smile of Percival, her husband was asleep in bed. He rarely looked peaceful, even in his sleep. She could feel his terrible nightmares.

She went over and whispered a spell to try and ease his suffering. It only worked partly. Never fully.

Her pale fingers glided through his hair. He fidgeted in his sleep...

Hours later...

Nathan and Arianna ate breakfast together. Arianna had decided to surprise him by actually cooking.

Her dish? An old Naboo nerf roast recipe.

Unlike Vera, who she shared a body with, Arianna had less talent at cooking. It turned out rather plain. But if Nathan disliked how little salt it had and how dry the roast was, he never said anything. Nathan was past caring about such trivialities.

"Arianna, I have a question..." Nathan asked as he took a bite of the roast.

"I'm all ears, Nathan..." Arianna said reading the morning news from Atrisia.

"Realistically, what's your assessment of the Io Defectors fully integrating into the House?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, Husband, it's going to be touch and go. But I know these people...and they know me. Plus you underestimate how evil House Io was at the end of it all. How crazy The Parliament was..." Arianna said, sipping tea. "They'll take anything different at this point."

She set her tea cup down.

"As a matter of fact, I wanted to finally introduce you to some of the troops today. They'll be leading the the expedition to the Black Fire Lake."

Arianna leaned forward. "Are you sure you don't want me to accompany them to the Lake itself?"

"While you carry my son, no combat missions. Besides, they need something dangerous to keep their skills up..." Nathan reminded her, taking another bite. "Besides, what's the point of being at the top of the food chain if you don't occasionally delegate unpleasant tasks to the lower ranks? Today is a day for us to bond with Draco. If these Veterans are as good as you say, I'm sure they can handle a relatively simple scout job. They aren't going to be going directly into the chamber, right?"

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

"Of course not. I gave them strict orders..." Arianna replied. "They are to go in, kill Cultist defenders, survey for possible dangers, and then report back. Simple."

(Cutaway of Ron Burgundy sitting in an elegant chair by a Fireplace)

(Ron Burgundy: sips beer Boy, this is going to escalate quickly! I mean, this is really going to get out of hand fast!)

"Ah, okay..." Nathan trailed, taking another bite.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence however, they both looked up from their meal at each other.

"More tracking beacons?"

"Of course darling..." Arianna purred. "More ammo clips?"

"Of course, darling..." Nathan echoed back, smiling mildly.

Fifteen minutes later.

While the grunts would soon heading down to the surface with them, the two adoptive parents went to retrieve Draco from her lavish guest quarters, where she had been left records on the ancient origins of House Bloodscrawl to study up on.

Arianna wore her favorite black dress, Nathan wore his favorite Black Biker gear as they headed down the spacious crimson halls to her room.

"Draco, dear, are you ready?" Arianna called out...none present knowing just how dangerous things were about to get on Atrisia...

 

[Draco Miles]

Wearing Power Armor

Armed with The Dragon's Fangs (Custom Saber), Double bladed saber

A mission was exactly what she needed, it felt strange in this new faction. The love and light side of the force something that at first felt friendly yet quickly grew foreign. A strange new experience that left her... stunned to say the least. She currently was absorbed in the book her master had given her, studying it front to back as if it was her key to naturalization, not even knowing that the references she'd make to it may just go over Arianna's head due to the simple fact that it wasn't her own family history... or maybe even the memories of his wife incorporated themselves into her psyche? The entire prospect of it certainly raised questions in her own mind, and her confusion in how to perform perfectly for her mother had left her doing... nothing, not even knowing how to start to go around this outside of referring to Arianna Belasko as mother and Nathan Bloodscrawl as father.

The mission at hand though seemed rather simple, exterminate the cultists inside and put a stop to their rituals, so easy in fact, that she hadn't even bothered to do research on the area at all, and focused entirely on studying House Bloodscrawl's history. Scouring the book front to back slowly due to her troubles reading properly, it wasn't far too necessary for her duties to her previous master, so it was never properly taught. With the sound of footsteps approaching her door, Draco would fold a page to keep her place in the book before grabbing her helmet and slipping it on, a seal properly forming around her head to make it air tight and protect against chemical attacks before she'd open the door, towering above the both of them with an extra two inches added to her height from the padded soles of her boots.

"Yes, mother. May you run me through the plan once more? Circle the area, eliminate cultists, stop rituals in progress, secure the area, right?"

She said this as a cold blue visor focused solely on Arianna, completely covering her face and ensuring the armored beast was fully protected from most threats she'd encounter in this galaxy.

 

[Arianna Belasko]

When Arianna came across Draco Miles , fully decked out in her armor, her eyebrow raised.

"Daughter...I...fear there may have been a miscommunication at some point..." Arianna said gently. "You're not going on the mission with the others. That's for our Veterans. Today, we are just going to spend time together--"

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)

"We're just going to relax today. The team we selected isn't even going to go deep into enemy territory. Just skirmishes if at that. There's still time to swap your outfit, but if you're still uncomfortable, we can always bring your equipment with us." Nathan reassured. "If anything goes wrong...THEN we cross that bridge."

Arianna gave Draco a hug.

"But we do admire your vigilance all the same, Draco." She said. "I hope you're feeling well, by the way. We've been wanting to enjoy a day with you, free of stress or duty. So we decided to let our elite units handle this sort of problem for once. After all, that is what they were trained for."

Arianna reached into one of her dresses discreetly hidden pockets and pulled out her gift.

"This is for you...been looking for the right time to give it to you..." She explained.

Nathan also fished out an ancient looking lightsaber hilt from his own jacket pocket.

"My own little gift..." He added. "It's crystal should help you become more familiar and used to wielding the Light Side regularly..."



OOC: I just remembered the brooch sub but I am fairly certain I never gave it to you before this post

 

[Draco Miles]

"Ah... uhm... I believe I'll have to remain in this, unless you are content with waiting some time for me to remove it? The systems in the suit are delicate and require time to be removed properly..."

If a blush could show on her face, she'd be tomato red. Her embarrassment was not something easily concealed though with her wide eyes and pursed lips while an awkward laugh escaped her afterwards, as if it could be played off as a joke for this blunder. Quickly though the subject could at least be changed when Arianna Belasko presented Draco with a gift, a brooch which upon contact immediately felt like she could see much more clearly, like she had put on prescription glasses without even realizing she needed them. Blinking in confusion, she didn't even register the other gift fully, only its lighter presence in the force before she began asking questions

"Mother, what... is this you have gifted me? You have one for yourself as well, yes? This truly is fascinating, I've never... It's simply shocking!"

She couldn't help but smile and flash a toothy grin before looking to Nathan and his gift. The weapon radiating with an energy she had known well yet felt all so foreign to her. It radiated around her and yet she still found it so hard to call it her own, while she may be more proficient than your average padawan, she still had a very ling way to go in the light side of the force before properly utilizing this weapon.

"Father... Thank you for this weapon. I would like to compare it to my current one, once we are in an acceptable place. Would you mind assisting me with lessons on how to properly utilize it? Just through the force alone it feels so different than what I have used in the past"

 

[Arianna Belasko]

"Oh, you can just get changed down there if you want..." Arianna offered, smiling. She wasn't angry at all. Draco was very new to all of this. Both her parents were trying to ease her into it at her own pace. Change would not occur overnight.

"I don't have one of my own, but I am more than capable of creating them..." Arianna said. "But after everything we have been through, together, it felt ...right...to give it to you..."

Upon being asked about the gift, Nathan nodded.

"I'd be happy to assist you, Draco..." Nathan assured. "We'll have plenty of chances to compare it you your standard armament once we are down on Atrisia....

12 minutes later.

It was a secluded grove they had selected for lazing the day away. Arianna could sense how uncomfortable Nathan was at not being in the action.

It was full of ancient flowers. Blue ones that glowed. The tables had been set, and food was being brought out. As had happened with Thel, Draco would soon be introduced to Nathan's sisters, now Draco's adoptive aunts.

Arianna sat at the table. On the menu today was Draco's favorite dishes. Draco could join them still wearing her armor, if she liked. Arianna thought it was adorable Draco had come so prepared.

The Force, however, would be telling Draco in subtle whispers to keep her armor on, for she would need it...

During the meal, Nathan was prepared to explain the ethics of House Bloodscrawl, which were vastly different from House Io...

As the waited, Nathan found himself holding Arianna's hand...it was rare to see him display such open affection. But he was trying...and he was getting better.

Arianna, for her part...felt only delight at experiencing something money could not buy her...

 

[Draco Miles]

"Thank you, mother, for your generosity. This relic is truly magnificent, never have I seen something that grants me such clarity... it is like I can feel the force through the entire ship, perfect for any operations I conduct."

She'd finish this by hugging her tightly with a warm smile, truly appreciative of the gift yet feeling like her words did not do it justice for how grateful she was to receive anything from Arianna. Turning to Nathan afterwards and holding out a hand to shake to cement their deal

"I hope your training is rigorous and intensive, father"

Twelve minutes was NOT enough time to remove her suit anyways. Draco would see this on the ships GPS and shake her head before giving the news to Arianna Belasko with a mountain of apologies and deep bows stacked on top of it because she'd show up to such an elegant dinner in full combat gear. Certainly a good way to make bad first impressions. For Draco's favorite dishes, she had come to enjoy all the cuts of meat across the galaxy, fully embracing a carnivorous diet and loving the more savory side of things. Draco sat on the other side of Arianna, tinkering with her new brooch and testing its capabilities during the meal, remaining vigilant while speaking with her aunts and trying to learn more about them

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Melissa Bloodscrawl , Meleena Bloodscrawl , and Melinda Bloodscrawl had all made good time to reach Atrisia, in order to promptly familiarize themselves with the new family member.

Each wore red cocktail dresses, and each were reprogrammed models of Nuetralizer . They were programmed to function as Nathan's sisters, a gift from his wife to help replace, at least partially, the family he had lost in his youth.

Melissa, leader of the sisters, smiled as she disembarked off her J-Type 327 Nubian Royal Starship, flanked by Meleena on her left (Coded to be the 'older' sister) and Melinda on her right (Coded to be the 'younger' sister)

"Sisters. A delight, of course..." Nathan said warmly as they nodded in greeting before going up to meet Draco Miles . There was no alcohol at the table, as Nathan wanted to keep everyone clear headed, having a wary feeling during the meal.

Not from Draco. He got a kick out of her. She had the proper mindset of a Bloodscrawl, being constantly ready to throw down and make people catch hands. Arianna was enjoying a meal with family, not realizing until now how empty House Io's concept of family had been deep down until she found herself in one genuinely trying for internal cohesion. For genuine bonds not tainted by madness and fanaticism.

A lump in her throat formed as she thought of Percival Io . The pain of losing him would never leave her, no matter how old she got.

"Hello, Draco. I'm Melissa, this is Meleena, and this is Melinda..." Melissa said as they all took a seat at the table. None commented on her heavy armor. They had seen stranger things at House Bloodscrawl tables.

"We're delighted to have a niece..." Melinda added.

"Especially one so enthusiastic about personal protection. Makes our job of looking out for you slightly easier..." Meleena chirped trying to break the ice with a joke.

Nathan broke out into a snicker. It was rare anything got him to laugh. Arianna fought back a small chuckle but failed.

"Better she has it and not need it than need it and not have it..." Arianna said. "She's a darling, truly..."

"You ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask..." Melissa assured Draco.

"Tell us about yourself!" Melinda said in low key excitement to Draco Miles

 

[Draco Miles]

"I am delighted to meet you as well. I do apologize for my current appearance, it appears I mixed up the event schedules, though you certainly need not worry about me. I am able to handle my own well on a battlefield."

All but her snickered, it was her embarrassment she was hiding after all. It was interesting though to hear about how they were supposed to look out for her, but thought that a better question asked to Arianna Belasko at a later date, and not make this family gathering look awkward with her inexperience on how a family should operate. The casual offers of aid as well seemed so foreign to her, why make these offers? Was there something she did not know about coming soon? In an attempt to soothe her mind she delved a little deeper into the force, strengthening her senses and trying to see if anyone was sneaking up on them

"Ah, well... I come frooom... a more military background, Countess Belasko found my crashed ship on Jakku and offered to take me under her wing as an apprentice, and I have found it to be where I fit ever since. Every day seems to truly be a blessing that I was... essentially rescued by her, I could not imagine how my life would be now were it not for her kindness"

 

[Arianna Belasko]

"And I could not imagine where I would be right now, had I not met you..." Arianna said, almost shuddering to think about it.

Arianna had been a vain, selfish creature when she had met Draco Miles . It had taken mentoring Draco to crack through the armor of riches and power Arianna surrounded herself with in House Io. It had taken Draco to finally make the light side user wearing Arianna's flesh and mind finally try to change Arianna change for the better.

"Our brother has a similar background..." Melissa said in regards to Nathan. "He was rescued once, himself."

"It took me a long time to build my family back up..." Nathan said. "The road was...bumpy...but I'm glad your road led to us..."

Nathan was wondering just how he was going to introduce Draco to Thel Bloodscrawl . Draco needed an adjustment period. Thel was still getting used to his. Draco reminded him a lot of his own youth: a warrior, always ready for battle, always loyal to their instructor.

Draco might never understand just how much he could relate. It was why he had taken a shine to her.

"So Draco..." Arianna trailed as she took a bite of food. "We are mainly a peacekeeper organization. We work in charity. What do you see yourself doing as you get used to all this? There is plenty of room to be a warrior. But Bloodscrawls try to actively help the Galaxy also...we want you to discover for yourself how you might best help others with your gifts. We are more than happy to provide guidance in that regard..."

 

[Draco Miles]

What... did she want? The question itself made her stop chewing entirely, she hadn't really thought of doing anything that wasn't directly benefitting her master, so the question came as a shock to her. Feeling placed in the limelight, Draco glanced between the five people gathered around her before finishing her bite, coming up with an idea and nodding at her genius to think on the fly

"I... think it best I... work to unravel the cult of the brain demon, and remove their grip on this plane of reality."

It was what seemingly plagued Arianna Belasko the most, for allowing that demon to latch itself onto this realm and spread its tendrils of evil into the far corners of the galaxy. Ridding the universe of its clutches was probably a good start to her work, and should take long enough to figure out a different plan... though it was difficult to imagine what she'd do without her master

 

[Arianna Belasko]

Arianna found herself smiling at the answer Draco Miles gave. Even Nathan found himself smiling a bit.

Draco's true calling in life was throwing hands, it seemed.

"I was the exact same way when I was young..." Nathan said reassuringly.

"If that is where you feel your talents are best utilized, then I will of course be happy to guide you down that path. You have all the time to figure the rest out. But for some, being a warrior feels the most natural. Just...try to remember down the road, when your mind has had more time for quiet, that you can be many other things along with being a warrior..." Arianna advised softly.

"Well, when it comes to the Cult, I can definitely find ways to keep you busy..." Nathan said taking a bite of his food, greatly enthusiastic about her desire to combat the cult. Someday, he would explain to her just why he, specifically, utterly hated the Cult.

Just then, Meleena Bloodscrawl picked up a transmission from the ship above.

"Nate..." she said softly. "I need to speak to you in private..."

Nathan excused himself and went with Meleena to have a conversation in private.

Arianna in the meantime, could feel just how deeply attached Draco was to her. She knew Draco had been starved of affection but this was one of those moments where it truly hit home just how much Draco needed Arianna in her life.

Arianna vowed to build up Draco's sense of self, so when she was older, she would not need Arianna to define herself quite so much. But Arianna also understood that Draco simply needed love. Arianna was finally ready and able to give Draco as much of that as she was personally capable of...

Nathan came back grim faced.

"We got a problem..." He said to everyone present...

"Those House Io vets haven't reported back..."

 

[Draco Miles]

They at least supported her indecisive, yet quick footed, blurt of an answer. Smiling with them and seemingly pleased with her answer despite the worry of being nothing but a warrior in her mother's eyes slowly eating away at her. She needed to be more than that, she had to be perfect for the sake of Arianna Belasko so that nothing could ever go wrong, and she could always make her master proud. The words of her father helped her feel confident in her choice, as she would be fighting side by side with a man she trusted, but it was the words of her mother which lead her down this line of thinking, this need to be more than meets the eye. She'd have to speak in private with her master later, to learn what paths were even available for a woman who'd known nothing but combat since the day she had stepped out of that birthing pod. The scars along her back evident that she'd known nothing but war her entire life, and scarily felt at home during it.

With Meleena Bloodscrawl and Nathan Bloodscrawl stepping away, Draco watched with attentive eyes as the two left, curious as to what they were going to discuss but figured nothing good... she silently ate and thought of what she could do to make her master proud for the duration of their private conversation, and when they returned with grim news, she strangely found herself comforted by this, and quickly rose up to the challenge

"They could be under a communications jammer at the moment, do we have trackers or orbital imagery of their current position?"