Private Such We Are Made, Such We Be

[Madrona A’Mia]

Korriban
Kor'ethyr Academy
A'Mia's Private Laboratory

Curiosity rather than compassion is what drove A'Mia to act with such immediacy, bringing Revna Marr to her private workshop the moment she agreed to a medical examination. Though the favor of her Lord Master was also foremost in her mind. If he was indeed growing close with this woman, A'Mia would be wise to take care of Revna in much the same way she sought to care for Darth Caedes

The botanical woman would engage in small talk on the way to her laboratory but it was clear her mind was elsewhere, already turning over thoughts of how best to gather the most information about such an esteemed guest of Korriban without adding to her already long list of injuries. A'Mia would need to be delicate and clever, putting to use all her skills as both a healer and Force practitioner.

The neti's lab was kept meticulously clean and organized, so when the women arrived they were able to get right to business. A'Mia politely requested that the woman change into a simple medical gown, then turned to prepare a table of sorcery components. She explained that nothing about this procedure would be invasive necessarily, though gathering as much information as possible might require that later.

Once Revna indicated that A'Mia could begin, she bid her to lay down on a clinical though not uncomfortable table. It was made of a blend of soft and firm materials that somewhat cradled her prone form and took biometric readings from her wherever pale skin met the cool surface. The neti used a range of techniques to hone in on that unfortunate wound caused by some terrible master however long ago. She could not help but give in to a wandering gaze where the Revna's spinal cage was concerned, but dutifully remained focused even as she gathered the stray bit of data about the device.

Pausing mid-examination, A'Mia drew to eye level with her patient and quietly inquired.

"You appeared surprised by news of this particular wound. Do you have any sense for when this might have occurred? Any additional details you have might be helpful in healing you."

 

[Revna Marr]

Madrona A’Mia​

Revna followed the tall botanical Sith Shadow, her dark robes flowing about her with a soft whisper as they traversed the halls of the Palace before leaving it entirely. Along the way towards A’Mia’s personal workshop, the two engaged in small talk, but for the most part the journey was quiet and filled with a sort of anxiousness, at least on Revna’s part.

Once within the Neti’s work area, Revna marveled at how clean and organized the place was. Ember eyes were taking in the sights when A’Mia handed her a sterile medical gown and requested that she change into it, before turning away to prepare whatever items she would need for the examination that was to come. Revna disrobed and wrapped the new gown around herself, setting the black robes aside in a neat pile nearby, before she indicated to the Neti that she was ready to begin.

She was directed towards a clinical table, where she got herself situated, shifting until she was comfortable, feeling the coolness underneath her pale skin as the table itself took her biometrics and recorded the information for A’Mia to look over.

The examination itself began without too much fanfare, with A’Mia taking great care as she went about her work. Revna was quiet throughout the whole ordeal, answering questions when she needed to - though she could almost sense A’Mia curiosity in regards to the spinal cage that clung to her lower back. To her surprise though, the Neti stayed on topic and seemed to ignore that particular problem - at least for the moment.

Half way through the exam, however, A’Mia brought herself to eye level with Revna and made an inquiry for more details about the specific wound that Revna had been dealt. The petite woman bit her lip in thought, ember eyes growing somewhat distant as she traced her memories for anything that could be helpful for the Shadow.

“Not long after I was purchased by my last slave-master, Voss. He had me undergo an examination by a rather shady doctor on Nar Shaddaa - I had a surgery there for an implant chip. I wasn’t told what the chip was for…I’ve just assumed it was a control device - or a death chip.”

Revna’s gaze turned distant and somewhat haunted for a moment, and her voice became low and almost devoid of emotion. “They weren’t kind to me. I was a slave…and therefore not worthy of proper medical protocol. So long as I stayed alive and useful for my master, that was all that mattered.”

Burning through came a sudden surge of hatred, the emotion causing her eyes to burn ever so slightly and her jaw the clench. The little Sith woman rarely expressed such violent emotions in front of others unless there was a purpose or a reason for it, but she let herself feel it in the moment.

It drove her dream and longing to see Nar Shaddaa glassed into oblivion.

As quickly as the volatile emotion had shown itself, however, it slipped back with the darkness of the woman’s soul and she returned to her almost calm nature as she turned her gaze to A’Mia.

“All I know is that it is in my lower abdomen. That’s where I sensed it, when I looked within myself through the Force some time ago to learn how to use the healing implant my Master had given me.” An implant that was no longer there and able to help her heal the way Darth Strosius had desired her to.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

A'Mia nodded with understanding, her generally emotionless features remained placid at her patient's retelling. Unlike the spinal cage, this transgression wrought against Revna Marr was one the neti felt very certain that the two of them alone could mend. She took a moment to share eye contact the woman, knowing that the coming hours and perhaps even days would be taxing on her.

"Removal of the chip will be fairly simple, I could likely complete that procedure today in the matter of a few hours. The rest however... Your healing and restoration back to a fertile state? That will take more time, and likely both of us working sorcery together."

Her strange eyes passed over the woman, taking in far more than just the base physical nature of her- A'Mia seemed to peer deep within, to witness the flow of energy through her form and the way that her constituent parts held together.

"Do you feel well prepared for what is certain to be an arduous few days at least? I will be certain to provide for the needs of your body, of course. Mentally though, you will need to steel yourself- and I can send word of our plans... to Darth Caedes if you wish?"

That last question was both a litmus test, and a personal area of curiosity for the inquisitive neti. Was their bond stronger than the need for privacy or secrecy? Would Revna perhaps consider this an area of shame, or meet the challenge of the task ahead as something she must face as independently as possible? It had been many years since A'Mia was married, but she remembered clearly the strange and unspoken expectations of such an arrangement. She was intrigued to know a bit more about how her Lord Master and this promising woman would function together regarding such matters.

 

[Revna Marr]

Madrona A’Mia​

A’Mia listened intently to everything Revna had to say, nodding along with understanding. Once Revna had finished speaking, the neti locked eyes with her and explained that the removal of the chip was the easy part - however, the healing and Revna’s restoration would take time, and with both of them working together to undo the damage that had been there for so long. She was blunt that it would require both of them working sorcery in order to achieve the desired results, and to this news Revna swallowed a bit hard. It wasn’t that she was unfamiliar with Sith sorcery, but she’d never done anything like this, let alone on herself.

When A’Mia pulled her gaze away to look Revna over in a more thorough and introspective motion, the young Sith woman found herself momentarily lost in thought, her concerns and worries surfacing briefly. This would no doubt be risky, but she did trust the Neti. She knew that the Lord Seer of Korriban wouldn’t harm her or do anything to negatively impact her - because if she did, she would have to answer to the King. And that alone was enough of a safety net for Revna to trust A’Mia with whatever it was she felt was best or necessary in this situation.

"Do you feel well prepared for what is certain to be an arduous few days at least? I will be certain to provide for the needs of your body, of course. Mentally though, you will need to steel yourself- and I can send word of our plans... to Darth Caedes if you wish?"

Revna’s eyes snapped back to the neti upon hearing the idea that word about all this would be sent to Caedes. For a brief moment there was a surge of uncertainty and even anxiety. She hadn’t told him yet about what was “wrong” with her - beyond the spinal cage, that was. And he already knew about that. There was the thought that he perhaps already sensed that she wasn’t entirely whole, and this would come as no surprise to him.

But what if…?

If she were in his place, would she like to know that her partner was trying to repair themselves, to become whole once again? For the chance at a future family? She didn’t even know if wanted a family or if he had even considered it in his musings from time to time. But she felt it at least right to ensure he had that option available to him.

Besides, she had told him, to his face, that she trusted him - and he had told her that she could share anything with him and have no fear of rejection or reprisal. This would be the greatest exercise of that trust in their connection and their growing bond.

After a long moment of thought, Revna nodded. “Y-yes. I haven’t told him what…is wrong with me. But I think he would like to know I am trying to heal myself.” she responded in a quiet and vulnerable manner - quite unlike how she usually was. “If I were in his place, I would want to know.” She paused again briefly as a small smile curled on her lips. “Even if I didn’t say anything, he would find out through our tether. Better I just be upfront and honest with him anyway.”

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before nodding to herself, as if coming to an agreement within her own mind. “So…this could take a few days? What all do you think will need to be done, A’Mia? And…I am familiar with sorcery and it's not that I lack strength in it but - I will probably need your guidance.”

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Watching a waiting, the neti held eerily still as she observed the subtle and not so subtle changes to Revna's features as the woman considered their next steps together. The botanical kept an eye on vital metrics and relied upon her own strange, heightened sight as well in considering all that Revna Marr must be considering in that moment.

A piece of that puzzle fell into place as her patient confirmed to A'Mia that she wanted Darth Caedes notified. Further still, her suspicion was solidified at mention of a "tether" between the Marr woman and A'Mia's Lord Master. She had seen the bond forming of course, watched as the Weave shifted around them and something new grew.

Where once there had been only cold calculation, distance sought from others for any number of perfectly logical reasons, A'Mia now saw a kind of unfathomable abandon from her King. The neti was incapable of understanding what she saw forming between her King and Revna, but she was determined to try.

A'Mia broke her stillness in order to nod.

"He will be notified," she moved closer to begin tracing the air in front of and around Revna as if carving sigils into her aura.

"As to this journey we seek to embark on? My best estimations are that the first stage will take a few hours today. A basic surgery that you needn't be awake for, unless you wish to be. Then you should rest and I could gather materials before we work toward reconstruction. We could meditate together, before that second stage. That is where we might Weave the ritual together, choose the 'pattern' we seek to rebuild.Tonight I will think of what components will be needed, and I can present those to you before we begin the most energetically taxing portion."

The woman paused, allowing Revna to register all she shared before finishing the thought.

"Between the surgery today, and the secondary ritual that is likely to span days, I can offer you my private meditation chamber- or, I feel certain that the King would provide you his. Wherever you feel that you can gather the most power and bolster your resolve."

 

[Revna Marr]

Madrona A’Mia​

A’Mia nodded before confirming Revna’s wishes in notifying Caedes of what was to transpire, before the Neti began to trace what looked like symbols in the air and space around Revna. The young woman watched the Neti with intrigue before listening as A’Mia responded further to her questions about what to expect.

Revna nodded along in understanding, agreeing to the surgery that could be done in a few hours time. There was a twinge of anxiousness knowing that she would have to go through yet another surgery, and laced within those emotions was a sudden surge of sharp, emotional pain as Revna recalled the last time she had gone under the knife.

Darth Strosius had been there with her for her last surgery - a brief one to add a healing implant within her body. They had shared a deep heart to heart before the procedure, a moment in time where Revna felt in her heart that they had somehow bonded in a way that neither of them truly understood at the time - and when she had awoken she could tell he had been stressed…over her. She had never indicated to him that she could sense his distress at the time, and the relief he had felt when she recovered under his watchful and protective presence - and how much it meant to her that he had been the one she opened her eyes to, instead of a cruel slave master.

Revna sucked in a sharp breath as those memories, so bittersweet, washed over her. For a moment, the clinical space around her flickered and she was back there, seeing and hearing him. Then her vision snapped back to reality, and she felt a hot sting prickle at her eyes as she fought to blink back the tears that threatened to flow down her suddenly red cheeks.

“I-Sorry.” she muttered, clenching her fists as she fought through the memory and the pain it brought her. “My…Master was the last person who was there with me, when I went through my last operation. I…I’d ask for him to be here when I wake up this time too but…he’s not here anymore.” She finished saying in a voice that was barely above that of a whisper. She was tempted to ask if Caedes could come and be that grounding presence for her this time, but she held her tongue on the matter as she didn't want to bother him with such a thing.

Several long moments later, Revna heaved a deep breath and exhaled sharply, as if releasing whatever built up tensions had suddenly coiled within her. Her mind recalled the rest of what A’Mia had said, about the second phase taking several days and would be the most taxing for both of them. Revna would be given time to rest and recover a bit after her surgery, and it would give the Neti time to find whatever resources and materials she needed for them to successfully complete the next part in Revna’s bodily restoration.

"Between the surgery today, and the secondary ritual that is likely to span days, I can offer you my private meditation chamber- or, I feel certain that the King would provide you his. Wherever you feel that you can gather the most power and bolster your resolve."

Revna was thoughtful for a moment, before she responded back: “Anything that would allow me direct access to the Force, the Dark side, would be good I think. That would allow me to fully empower myself and have the strength needed for the rest of what needs to be done. If either meditation chamber can do that for me, then I would be glad to use such a place.”