Private Thanks Again

[Anet Raine]

CORUSCANT
LEVEL 1313
Reina Daival

Anet was out of her element. An instructor at the academy has tasked her with a mission to Coruscant's most dangerous underbelly - 1313. Undertrained and out of her element, she was explicitly told that help from another acolyte was forbidden... So she decided to take that quite literally.

The scholar recalled a woman she met not too long ago. Strong. Warrior type. Unafraid to share space with rowdy Sith. Of course, those were not the reasons Anet remember her...

A pink hue flooded pale blue cheeks at the thought of what she decided to do next. Anet pulled out her datapad and sent a message.

>> "hey, it's Anet from the red ronin remember? listen, i need your help, can you meet me on coruscant? Location attached

oh, i'll pay you back"<<

The location was an airspeeder rental service, near the an underworld portal.

On the day of, Anet arrived early. It was important for her to be prompt and over prepared, despite the otherwise privileged way in which she carried herself. Dressed in her acolyte robes and a matching cloak, the half-pantoran waited beside a sleek, high-end airspeeder. Even on a mission, Anet wasn't shy about accessing her wealth.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

>> "Who?"

I'm joking. I'll be there if I can."

Life had most definitely gotten busy for the Ersansyr recently. She had a lot more jobs to do, though they were starting to be exclusively for a specific faction in the Galaxy. Though from what she had took in about Anet, amongst many things, was that she seemed somewhat Sith aligned herself. Whether she was one or not didn't quite matter to the redhead.

On the day, Reina took her time arriving, chewing away on a piece of gum as she walked through Coruscant with nary a care in the world. It had been her home for a fair few years when she had been a Jedi. Of course, Level 1313 wasn't the safest place to wander alone...but Reina wasn't too afraid. She had plenty of ways to make someone regret their actions, using the Force, and she wasn't necessarily hesitant in using them anymore.

"Yo."

She raised her hand in greeting over towards who she presumed was Anet. They were dressed somewhat fancy, had a fancy airspeeder. Seemed to match up with the vibes she remembered, as the redhead threw herself into the passenger side, throwing her arms behind her head as her gaze practically glowed. There was perhaps far more of a serious expression on Reina's face compared to the last time the pair had seen each other...but that didn't stop her from giving Anet a toothy little grin.

"What's up?"
​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

"Hey."

Anet slid into the driver's seat and closed the door. In an instant, the constant bustle and noise of Coruscant died to a whisper. She tapped the ID chit against the console, and in a second the vehicle hummed to life, and cool air ran through the vents... a little too cold, perhaps, to meet the near-human's standards of climate comfort.

She looked at Reina. "I..." She paused. "It's good to see you." As much as she wanted to skip straight to business, she didn't want to dismiss the woman, either.

Her attention turned to the skylane ahead as she moved the speeder into traffic and made the steady descent into the underworld.

"I'm in over my head. You probably guessed last time, but I'm not exactly the warrior type. I need someone to watch my back, and I thought that might be you... And I'll pay you whatever you want."

Anet had always struggled to ask for help. It was even harder to ask someone she barely knew; under unique circumstances, too.

She hid her nervous expression under a mess of white-silver hair. In the Force, she projected fear. Whatever the acolyte was tasked with terrified her.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

"Of course it's good to see me. It's not so bad to see you as well. You shoulda saw me the other day. Had half of my face smashed open."

Reina gave a small dismissive wave at that, a little grin spreading across her face. She had far more confidence than she had when they had first met...but there was also something darker to her. Her eyes scanning around for a moment, as if keeping an eye on their surroundings before she turned her head back over towards Anet.

"You'll pay me whatever I want, huh?"

She tilted her head for a moment, leaning her arm against the back of the speeder before leaning against it, seemingly in deep thought...before a certain thought came to her mind. She had slowly started to put two and two together with Anet. She had been in that club that Acier had been in. And Reina had seen Acier with that fire breather who Reina had fought. There was a degree of connection to the Sith.

"You introduce me to whoever gave you this job. That's how I want to be paid. No credits."

With that all said and done, Reina reached her hand out slightly to rest it atop of Anet's. It was obvious, even to Reina who struggled with others emotions to see what Anet was struggling...and whilst in the past, Reina would have struggled to take advantage of something like this...Well, she had changed quite a bit in such little time. So she spoke as gently as she could, making sure to use her voice to its fullest potential. The ex-Jedi was embracing her siren nature at the end of the day.

"'Net. Breathe. I've got your back. I used to be a Jedi, remember? I have experience in protecting people."

If she had wanted to be more teasing, Reina could have said that she was used to protecting weak people...but that wouldn't work for the role she was trying to play right now.
​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

Anet's brow couldn't climb any higher when Reina mentioned having half her face smashed in. She didn't remember the woman being quite so... bold as she was now. Perhaps the acolyte misjudged her? Or she had grown considerably since last they met. Anet merely smirked. She had grown, too, but Reina's confidence had assured her that this was the right woman for the job.

When it came down to payment, she was just as surprised to hear what the redhead asked for in return.

"Connections?" It was a sensible request for someone ambitious. "Done."

Anet had no reason to doubt Reina's intentions, especially since she figured her for a mercenary.

The airspeeder made its final descent, passing through the opposite end of the underworld portal. An entire city within a city opened up to them, Level 1313 - Coruscant's most infamous hive of scum and villainy.

She jolted a little when Reina's hand arrived atop her own, and that pink hue on her cheeks spread further.

"'Net. Breathe. I've got your back. I used to be a Jedi, remember? I have experience in protecting people."

The nickname was... unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Anet nodded. Help from an ex-Jedi? Twice in one month? She laughed quietly and pulled their speeder down for a landing.

Once parked, Anet took a deep breath and looked at Reina.

"In the Palace, there were Jedi prisoners. Some were being tortured... to be transformed into those Dark Side Elite, or some other. One managed to escape during the siege and was last spotted on this level." She explained.

"My test..." She stepped out of the speeder and onto the busy street.

It smelled awful - the rolling blackouts and infrastructural damage caused sewer systems to back up in the undercity, and air filtration to fail.

She coughed through it. "My test... is to find and kill him." Only, "I am not the best fighter."

Two combat training sessions were hardly enough for Anet, who, before joining the Covenant, hadn't fought a day in her life. Hell - she hadn't even hit someone until less than a year ago.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

It wasn't the first time Reina had used that nickname for Anet, and it was doubtfully going to be the last time she called the Half-Pantoran by that. For most of the journey, she just sat back and relaxed, resting her arms behind her head as she had tried to help Anet relax. And then they landed, and Anet was getting all serious again, causing Reina to sigh a little bit as she ran her hand down her face.

"So what if you aren't the best fighter? I killed a Mandalorian with a fish knife before I even became a Jedi."

There it was. Slowly coming back from before she was a Jedi. Her lack of empathy. Though she at least managed to catch herself, as she shook her head, trying not to cough through the scents surrounding her, instead resting a hand against her lightsaber's hilt, as she contemplated things. There was every chance that she knew the Jedi they were meant to be going after. Would she be able to attack him? Loyalty was still a key part of Reina's being...so she supposed ultimately it would come down to who she was more loyal to. Anet or this Jedi.

"The most important thing at the end of the 'Net is stab 'em with the pointy end. Also, hope you deal well with pain. A Jedi won't be like some back alley thug. At least not at our level."

Our level. There was a part of Reina that doubted her and Anet were perhaps on the same level when it came to fighting. But she wouldn't bring it up. It made sense as to why Anet was nervous at the end of the day.

"But I'm sure it won't be long until you're killing dozens of Jedi. Just with a blink of your eyes or a snap of your fingers."

She waved her hand dismissively at that. Part of this was just to distract herself. AS much as she had started to give into the Darkness, and the strength it could give...The redhead still didn't quite see herself as a Sith.
​

 

[Anet Raine]

"So what if you aren't the best fighter? I killed a Mandalorian with a fish knife before I even became a Jedi."

Anet tossed her a look that said something like: "Now that's a story I need to hear - but not now."

It reminded the acolyte of her first kill, on Desevro. Academy instructors tossed her and a cohort of acolytes into The Pit. A live-battle exercise meant to push them past their limits. Meant to not only test their combat ability, but their resolve, their coordination. She recalled how easy it was to push her lightsaber into his body.

"The most important thing at the end of the 'Net is stab 'em with the pointy end. Also, hope you deal well with pain. A Jedi won't be like some back alley thug. At least not at our level."

"I've killed before," she replied.

It was cold, but not meant to come off as arrogant. More of a confession into the wind. An acceptance of the memories that awoke in her mind. As for Reina implying them as equals, Anet knew the redhead to be a better warrior. She didn't need to see it in action. She just knew. Though she did expect it would be proven sooner rather than later.

They walked down the narrow street now, through a crowd of underworld denizens. Most paid them no mind. Some tried them for rubes, attempting to sell all sorts of bootleg goods, bogus information, or even just music. It was a whole way of life in 1313, and they hadn't even arrived at the worst of it.

"But I'm sure it won't be long until you're killing dozens of Jedi. Just with a blink of your eyes or a snap of your fingers."

She panned her skeptical gaze over to Reina, with an awkward smirk. Awkward on Reina's behalf.

"You don't need to convince me that well," she teased. "I hate the Jedi, but killing them isn't my mission."

It was their ideas, their philosophy, and the way it infested galactic civilization that she despised. The individual Jedi? They could live or die for all she cared. They, like her, were just rudimentary creatures. It was the things that transcended life and death that concerned her.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance of a tower. Apartments. An entire microcosm of society within the underworld, as was the case with many of these megatowers that housed tens of thousands. Somewhere inside was the last whereabouts of their target.

"I am..." Her words trailed off.

She sensed something in the Force. Something dark. And she recognized it. Another acolyte from the academy?! Miss Raine now wondered if this was part of the test - the instructors were never above a little competition.

"Oh, fuck them." She muttered under her breath with a scowl.

She recognized who it was, too, and just sensed that they ended someone's life with the Force. Hopefully, not their Jedi.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

"You might have killed before, but it doesn't always get easier. No matter what people might say. They haunt you. For a while at least. Or maybe I've just got too much of a heart."

Her tone trailed off for a moment, as Reina stared off into the distance. Death wasn't something she necessarily agreed with, as much as people assumed otherwise. If she had an alternative method, she wouldn't always resort to killing. Sometimes, with the alternatives she found, being killed would have been the much better option for the people she had dealt with. Those were the ones who dwelled on her mind the most. Those who would have been better off dead but were now experiencing a living hell because of her.

Yet she raised an eyebrow as Anet brought up that she hated the Jedi but didn't necessarily want to kill them. Hating the ideal. Not the people. That was something Reina had to learn herself when she had been with the Jedi. When she hated all of the Mandalorians. When she believed she was meant to hate all of the Sith. But then individuals from those specific groups had managed to make her open her eyes. Perhaps not to care for the groups, but for her to resent them.

"I won't tell you hate is wrong. I'm pretty sure I know the type of people you're with, especially if they're having you kill a Jedi. Just know that if you do have a mission that involves them...More often than not, they'll make you have to kill them."

And with that, she just walked, watching as Anet looked up at the tower, and then tilted her head when Anet seemed to react as if someone was there. Sensing through the Force had never been one of Reina's strong suits, but Anet didn't seem to be reacting too well.

"...Are we just going to stand out here or? Do you want me to find another tarp?"

Back to her teasing. Mostly to try and snap Anet out of whatever thoughts she might have been in, and to focus on the moment.
​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

For a second, Anet responded with a predatory gaze. As if she had almost mistook Reina for whatever she had sensed. There was hatred in her eyes, too, but it was cold - driven by something which ran deeper than rage.

She considered the woman's advice, however, and she had seen firsthand exactly what Reina described... or, at least, her understanding of it.

The Jedi stood behind them, in the entrance to this final chamber. He unclipped the lightsaber from his belt and ignited it - it shone a brilliant blue and wavered gently. Not a fault of its construction, but an intention of its design... perhaps a reflection of the wielder, or the buried subconscious of the universe poured into the crystal.

But yes, she snapped back to reality. "Quiet," a gentle command, not a snap. Anet was in no mood for flirtatious jokes.

She was listening, then decided on her answer. "Someone else is hunting our Jedi... but I don't think that's who he killed..."

The acolyte marched through the main entrance, past a small crowd of underworld dwellers. They cast upon them suspicious, fearful, and annoyed gazes of all kinds. Reina and Anet were strangers - interlopers. Invaders. They didn't want either to be there.

Anet drew her lightsaber; it hissed and sparked crimson, a reflection of the hatred under which it was bled.

The panicked crowd moved out of their way. The half-pantoran marched and swooped around the corners in her prowl towards the turbolift. She waited only patiently enough for Reina to step aboard before the door slammed shut, and she eagerly pressed the button.

As the lift sped upward, Anet muttered curses under her breath and shook visibly. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, following the contours of her face until they met and clung to her chin. The cascade only dribbled when she stomped her foot, muttering something about the lift taking too long.

Her hand gripped the weapon tightly. Were it not for the cramped space and Reina's presence, she would have paced. All that anger, all that impatience fed her power in the Dark Side, but she lacked the training, experience, and wisdom to deserve it. Such posturing was liable to get her killed, not earn her victory.

Finally, the lift stopped, and the door opened onto a floor littered with corpses. A trail of blood, severed limbs, and Force-strangled victims across a hallway of flickering lights and scorched metal.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

Reina's own gaze hardened at the look that Anet gave her. But for now, she kept it to herself as she patiently walked over towards the lift, even as the others in the building gave them various looks. Looks that Reina was familiar with, from when she had spent time amongst the Jedi. Yet it wasn't anything she cared about, as she stepped into the life, and Reina could hear the curses Anet was muttering. The sweat falling down her forehead. Muttering. Being impatience.

Yet Anet would also feel the sharp point of something near her side, as Reina held her dagger out. The Ersansyr's gaze still hardened and staring ahead of the pair, and as she spoke, her voice was harsh. Cold. The warmth from earlier, even when it came to the teasing or the advice on killing was gone. This was the Reina that had killed the imperials during the invasion. The one that had squeezed someone to death in her arms and felt the life fade away from them.

"You look at me like that again, it'll be the last look you ever give anyone. Understand? I don't care how pissed you are. /I/ am not your target. I am here, as a favour, for you. Point your anger elsewhere."

There was plenty of anger inside of Anet. Reina could sense that at least. What Reina didn't know was to tell her how to control it. Did she even have a place to tell the half-Pantoran what to do? Reina wasn't an expert in the Dark Side herself, and whilst she might have been a Knight in the terms of her skills, her actual understanding was around subpar in her eyes. She shook her head, trying not to focus on that, and instead walked out of the lift as the door opened, sliding her dagger back into its sheath.

"I like what they've done with the place."

And then almost in the blink of an eye, the warmth was back in her voice. Whoever was going after this target didn't care about collateral damage. That was the kind of Sith Reina despised the most. Just because you had the strength didn't mean you had to exert it over everyone and anyone. She shook her head for a moment in deep thought, inspecting some of the corpses.

"Such aggression...But do they have the stamina to back it up?"

A more defensive style might be the way to go for this fight. Of course, most of it would be up to Anet in Reina's eyes. This was her mission at the end of the day, not Reina's.


​

 

[Anet Raine]

She paused. Felt the dagger against her.

Yes, she felt a spike of fear and gasped when she realized, then a greater spike when Reina scolded her under threat, but there was something else... A certain admiration. When Anet looked at her again, it wasn't anger, it was almost... almost like the look she gave her back at the Red Ronin, on the rooftop, only hungrier.

With a smirk, she stepped out of the elevator. Point taken, literally, but there was a Jedi to hunt.

She tossed a second glance at Reina's casual remark. Calm under pressure? Or a method to keep it that way? Anet wondered, but only a little. Eyes on the prize and all that.

"Such aggression...But do they have the stamina to back it up?"

She marched around the bodies. Wasn't too careful, kicked her way past a few, mostly concerned with not tripping.

"Yes," she answered bitterly. "He is a reckless fool and an idiot, but dangerous... Very dangerous. He apparently survived The Pit when his cohort did not. Spent three days and nights surviving the kill order that was meant to wipe out him and the other survivors. Fucker was so stubborn he lived, and they admired him for it." Her tone seethed with envy and hatred for him.

Whoever this man was, he had earned her ire, and she believed his place in the Sith was undeserved. So it made every bit of sense that it was him they sent ahead first, to test her.

"He will die here." She was certain of it and looked at Reina. "When we find him, can you distract him?"

If Anet took him head-on, he would surely kill her, but she had a plan. All she needed was for him to be an idiot and go after the bold mercenary.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

Reina didn't even spare Anet another look once they exited, instead her focus had been exclusively on the bodies, as Anet spoke about whoever else was here. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the way Anet kicked past the bodies. As if she thought she was better than them. Perhaps in time, Anet would become one of the Sith that Reina despised the most as well. The kind that saw people as nothing more than a stepping stone. At least the kind that saw people as a tool showed them some kind of respect.

"Near enough everyone's anger has a reason. Their anger can be manipulated. He's stubborn. He wants to live. Why? Find out the reason, we can use it against him."

Was it for some family he wanted to get revenge on? Because he was mad at the Galaxy? Or some other daft reason? If Reina could figure that out, she could apply Dun Moch. Be a perfect distraction. Of course, she'd probably be able to kill him, if she tried hard enough. If she gave into more of her darker nature. It wasn't something she wanted to do however. She didn't seek power, or strength. Reina wanted to be known. To be admired. Loved.

"I can distract him, sure. I could kill him, but seems like you want that particular pleasure to yourself. Just don't let your hatred cloud your judgement. Control it. If it clouds your mind, force it elsewhere. Your hands. Your feet. Your chest. Anywhere but your head."

Maybe she knew more about controlling your anger than she thought she did. Of course, her advice was perhaps unwanted, but she still was going to give it anyway. It wasn't as if she truly cared for Anet, not yet at least, but if Anet died here, then Reina's way towards the Covenant would be gone and she'd have to work from scratch all over again



​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

"I don't know him like that," she stated bluntly.

The other acolytes of the academy were those she'd describe as rivals or competitors. Even now - with the wealth of the Core Worlds as their disposal, the Covenant was intentionally frugal in the ways they supported their 'Lords-in-training,' because without that contest, without carefully measured conditions and well-proportioned stakes, they wouldn't learn the way that Sith were meant to. Anet not only understood this, she actively embraced it.

And, she didn't quite like what Reina was getting at. Controlling her anger? It reminded her that this woman was a former Jedi, just as she said. Still, self-control did not escape the virtues of being a Sith, and there was a certain wisdom in making sure it was a tool and not an impulse, but even that was subjective and situational, and in this situation, the acolyte believed she would need everything at their disposal.

She and Reina approached the end of another hallway, and at it was a room, and beyond the room was the sound of a recent kill, and within it Anet felt his rage and bloodlust. She quickly, and quietly, threw herself against the wall just beside the doorway and gestured for Reina to come close so they might whisper.

"Alright - I only need a little time," for her plan she needed to prepare herself.

Anet wasn't a fighter in the traditional sense, so it was technique she'd rely on to make the kill, but she wasn't at a level to do it without leaving herself vulnerable.

"Head inside. You should be fine as long as you focus on defense... Now go."

As Reina headed into the room, Anet stood in place with her lightsaber ignited, and closed her eyes. She summoned the Force to her, drawing it from the recent death. There was enough pain and fear she could almost see the events as they transpired. But those things alone weren't enough... The half-arkanian tapped into her hatred. She thought of her father, and his arrogance - how it destroyed her as child, how his control systemically robbed her of agency and trust. Little, specific moments that unraveled decades of repressed trauma.

She thought of her mother, who once looked her in the eyes, and decided that before her wasn't a daughter, but a freak who stood in a daughter's place. Her abandonment haunted her, and made her spiteful. Then, she summoned the most powerful source, fresh like any woundml. Of Kirie who betrayed her. Pale blue hands tightened around the hilt, feeling the storm thousands of levels above. Tasting the vergence of death. And honing her anger, and her devotion.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

"You won't always get a chance to research your opponent before a fight. It's what you can learn during a fight."

Reina gave a small shrug of her shoulders at that. This was stuff that Anet should be learning from her own experiences. Pain was a good teacher. Far better than Reina could be in her opinion. Even as she cracked her neck and started to limber herself up. From the looks of the massacre that was happening here, whoever this was seemed very angry. They wanted to stand out. Be acknowledged. So she'd just do the complete opposite. Purposefully be annoying. Purposefully look down amongst whoever was in it.

"Take all the time you need 'Net. Just know if you take too long, I'll deal with him myself and take away your precious kill."

She smirked. If Anet was going to play on her own anger, Reina might as well try to give a bit more as the redhead leaned forward to pat the half-Pantoran on the face, before she headed off into the room, kicking it open without a care in the world. Throwing her arms behind her head with a wide grin on her face, as she took in the sight of the massacre. Blood and scorch marks spread across the walls, furniture flung all over the room alongside bodies. A Devaronian stomping through the room, using the Force to rip furniture off the walls, slashing at the walls in pure rage.

"Where is the Jedi?!"

A deep growl escaped the Acolyte's lips, whilst a grin continued to spread across Reina's. Her eyes darted over towards the door she had came in from for a moment as she paced herself away from it, so that his attention would be on her as opposed to the door. Letting out a small whistle to get his attention, as the Devaronian's gaze settled in on her.

"You lookin' for a Jedi? 'Cause I mean...You've found one. Might not be the one you're looking for but..."

Without wasting a moment, the Devaronian lunged towards Reina, his lightsaber arcing through the sky as she dodged around it, keeping her hands held behind her back. Aggression was a fighting style she was well familiar with in her eyes. And she knew what karked her off when she fought like that. Agile little nerfherders. So that's what she was being, using Force Enhancement to boost her speed and strength, as she ducked and dodged his saber strikes.

"Wow. You aren't a talker. What's your name? Why ya lookin' for another Jedi?"

Sure, she could have said she wasn't a Jedi anymore, but that wouldn't have the same effect. Just keep the guy's attention on her as she bobbed around the room, slipping past the strikes, every so often responding with a petty little jab of her fist, purely to cause frustration, not pain.

"Come on. Surely you can do better than that."

His anger was building. It wouldn't be too long until Reina would actually have to start taking him seriously. The lightsaber was getting dangerously close to actually catching her, as Reina could feel him pulling the Dark Side towards him. It was a crutch. One that she didn't want to rely on herself.

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

The fight had begun, but Anet didn't hear Reina striking back. She was... just talking to him? The acolyte shook her head. Now wasn't the time to speculate on the redhead when she needed to stay focused.

First, she had to perceive. Anet steadied her breathing. She didn't quell the anger, but she took a note from Reina's earlier advice. There were times for self-control, and this was one of them. She quieted everything else except that room. First, she honed in on the sounds. Their footwork. The hum and hiss as he struck recklessly with his lightsaber. But she had to feel past that. To separate her breathing and his. To notice the subtleties, from how her footwear and movement sounded and felt different than his, to their emotional states. In him, she felt his rage easily. There was no hiding it, while Reina projected discipline, and...

Fear? Anxiety, maybe. No - Wariness? Yes. That was how Anet would describe the feeling.

And then, it happened.

Somewhere between precognition and Force sight, she saw, felt, and experienced the other room. All of it perceived clearly as if an out-of-body experience.

She saw Reina on the edge. That whatever strategy she employed wouldn't last forever, as the other acolyte's rage and reckless abandon threatened to draw her into a serious conflict.

"Just a little longer," Anet thought. "I am almost ready."

She continued to draw in power and focused keenly on him now. Carefully, she envisoned his movements to try and predict them.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

Kark. She was backed into the corner. There wasn't much of a way for her to continue side stepping like this. Even as she ducked down under the next strike, it was too close for comfort, as she heard the sizzling sound of a few strands of hair being cut through. Yet even that wasn't enough for her to break her focus. There had been worst situations she had been in here, more fearsome opponents than this. Just reckless Acolyte didn't put fear into her heart. She just had to keep her focus no matter what.

The flow of the Force through her was a tool for her to control. Right now it was flowing through her evenly, letting her dodge and move swift enough to dodge the strikes but now that she was in the corner, she needed more of an offensive tactic. So that's what she went for, closing the distance towards the Devaronian, and slamming the palms of both her hands against his chest, sending the Force shooting straight to her hands to blast the Acolyte back, slamming him against the wall.

"Don't you know a woman needs her personal space?! Actually looking at you, I bet you don't know a thing about a woman."

Beads of sweat were starting to drip down her temple, as she tried to keep focused on the fight. She had kept her lightsaber and dagger concealed away for now, because the moment she brought either of those out for the fight, Reina would be fighting to kill. Right now, she was fighting to buy time. To play with her food, for lack of a better term.

Come on Anet...Make your karking move...
​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

With all her senses pressed on him, Anet began to split her focus. She had to draw from something deeper now, to achieve what she set out to do.

She sank into her own recent memory, pulling up threads of trauma and fear, thinking of Kirie and that moment when it all fell apart.

Anet shrank further, bending at the knees, with hands searching along her head for something to rip out. Hair, of course, was the only candidate, but before any of them saw the woman's meltdown - she disappeared.

How desperately she wanted to disappear.

Since that moment, Anet saw a future laid out. Of power and abilities beyond her imagining. But disappearing wasn't what she wanted to do. No, she wanted to be in the room. She wanted to step between Reina and the acolyte whom she despised. She poured all that hate, that need to kill him, that need to be there. She needed to be there. She needed to kill him. Just step in front. Just step in front and kill him. Die. He needed to die. She needed to kill him. She needed to be there. Just step in front. Just step in front and--

All that power swelled inside her, and in one explosive move, the Force transported her from where she was to where she desperately needed to be.

As if she were always there, Anet appeared in front of him while he was mid-swing. Her lightsaber had already been ignited, and now it had appeared lodged in his gut.

She shook with exhileration and he seized in paralyzing shock. Anet's heart was pounding, her fingertips tingling, and her breathing shallow. She made a noise somewhere between a giggle and a scream. An impulsive outburst of raw emotion and the rush of extraordinary power. She leaned in close to his ear, with a twisted grin so wide it showed her gums.

Her voice, a low and raspy thing, she seethed. "Failure."

Anet pulled her weapon sideways, carving effortlessly across his abdomen until it left through his side. The Devaronian's corpse collapsed to the floor.

The acolyte turned to face Reina with jittery movement as her whole frame still shook. Her heart continued to pound faster and faster until the light in the room grew unbearably bright to her eyes and began to spin. Her lightsaber recoiled, and Anet fell towards the floor.

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

Disgusting. The death. The satisfaction that she was sure Anet must be feeling. In a way, it was hypocritical. There was one person in the Galaxy Reina had wished she'd be able to do that to. To carve from head to toe and be rid of. Yet she was still trying to not to fall to that anger. That hatred. She might not be a Jedi anymore, but she wouldn't let the self-destructive nature of the Dark Side destroy her and twist her up inside. It wasn't who she was.

There was a part of Reina that was incredibly curious as to what had happened. How Anet had even managed to get here in the first place. Reina was aware of her outside of the room but before she had time to react, Anet had appeared in front of her. Even now, Reina's mind was swiftly trying to piece things together. Teleportation. Was that possible with the Force? Maybe it was a skill that only few had. Was it as rare as hydrokinesis? Pyrokinesis? THere were a fair few fire shapers that Reina knew of...Not many teleporters.

What snapped her out of her thoughts however, and was somewhat proof of how Reina hadn't been fully twisted by the Dark Side was when Anet began to fall towards the floor, Reina, still using her agility boosted by the Force, shot forward in a blur to catch the half-Pantoran in an attempt to make sure she didn't hit the ground. Reina could say to herself that she didn't care about Anet as many times she wanted, but Anet was someone who looked at Reina, the way Reina wanted to be seen. To be admired. Was it exactly what she wanted? No. But it would have to do.

"Hey. Hey. Don't fall asleep on me now. You've still got someone else to kill. If you think I'm gonna do that for you, you'll need to pay double."

She broke out into a tired grin at that, even as sweat continued to trickle down her face. That had gotten too close for comfort with Reina. Whilst she didn't feel as if she was in too much danger, she nearly had to matters into her own hands. She wasn't entirely at the level of some of the people she had recently came across...but Reina felt like she was at least on her way.
​

 

[Anet Raine]

Reina Daival

She hadn't quite processed her fall, or that Reina caught her. From Anet's perspective, there she was, held in Reina's arms, looking up at the redhead through strained eyes. Sight scattered. The Acolyte hadn't realized the incredible cost of such a power, or the toll it would take on her body. Questions would have to be asked later. Was she too untrained? Physically maladapted? Had she failed to consider principles of the governing laws in nature and the Force? One or the other? Shit. She was already thinking about it, even in her current state.

Anet chuckled, but it sounded sickly. She was exhausted to say the least. Spent, in a very literal sense. Her hands and feet had gone completely numb, and now even her lips tingled, and various pinpricks and pain sensations erupted all across her skin. Her respiratory and cardiovascular systems had been pushed to their limits. A side effect of drawing in so much of the Force and using it all at once to manipulate her literal positioning within a moving universe.

But she had caught wind of Reina's little remark. "I'm filthy rich," Anet teased.

Technically, her family was filthy rich.

"I..." She felt faint. "I don't know... if I can move right now."

It was odd. The vulnerability. Under better circumstances, she would've freaked on Reina and shoved her way out of the woman's arms.

Instead, she felt small and safe. But feeling safe was a paradoxical thing for Anet, because it made her feel weak and taken advantage of. A small panic revealed itself in the depths of her pale, tired eyes.

"Put me down," she asked gently. "And don't get smart on me."

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Anet Raine
Location: Coruscant Level 1313

Even at Anet's teasing, Reina's gaze seems to harden as she looked at Anet. She looked so...weak. So sick in this moment. There was a small part of her that didn't want to put Anet down. She wanted to do her best to heal Anet. But healing had never been something Reina could pick up. It's why she believed herself to be a terrible Jedi. She couldn't heal. She couldn't fix. All Reina could do was destroy. Kill. Destruction. That was all she could really do. Yet she still put Anet down onto the ground carefully, crouching down next to the Acolyte.

"Focus on your breathing. Alright? I don't need to tell you that you've exhausted the Force, but I'll tell you that anyway."

Her eyes darted around, trying to keep her senses alert. There was still a chance they could be snuck up on. Then Reina would have to make a choice. Run. Take Anet with her? Deal with the threat? She wasn't sure what choice she'd make if it came down to it. Though she tried not to focus on that thought, instead running a hand through her hair and sighing to herself.

"Try to meditate. And before you complain, no. It's not just a Jedi thing. Even the Sith meditate. Let yourself open to the Force. Let it flow into you. You'll be alright 'Net. You've got me."

And Reina had Anet right where she wanted. She could have ended the life of a future SIth, here and now. But that was one of Reina's biggest flaws. She was loyal. It was also why she'd make a terrible Sith.

"As you feel the Force flowing back into you, focus it to where you feel the most exhausted. Let it fill the space."​