Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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The Lost Half

Xasuria, a world that she thought she'd never even visit in her life time. It had been ages, or at the very least it seemed that way. There was only a short amount of time when she got to be the big sister, the one whom her little sister would follow around and look up at. That changed though when the little one was taken away and all that was left was herself and their father.
Shaking the thoughts out of her mind, Almira looked up from where she stood on the bridge of the Hera. It was the last remnant of a woman whom had raised her in her own right, though there was plenty in the galaxy that she knew of and now after all these years something finally got to her. It was a little locket, the soft chain hanging from her hand as she looked at the old picture. Two young girls and a grizzled old combat veteran, all smiling.
The locket was from a happier time in her life, before she lost a sister whom she had barely heard from. It was only recently that she found out the young woman was living alone, having lost her mother years before. The news was even a shock to their father whom hadn't heard of the passing, and who was still taking the passing of the Duchess just as hard.
With a soft sigh she nodded to herself before looking out the view screen. Red hues piercing as they lay upon the world before her. Xasuria, the homeworld of the woman that stole away her little sister. She didn't care if they only shared a father, or that many of her siblings shared a different father and one mother. Almira was the eldest of them all and she made sure that no one, not a single soul in the waking verse would harm her siblings.
Pivoting on her foot, the long split tails of her gown seemed to shift and dance upon the slight wind that flowed from her movement. Long white hair cascaded down her back like a river as she approached the hanger back of the vessel. She wasn't going to announce herself in the off chance that the woman's death was a fake. She didn't want that witch having fair warning to call on some guards or soldiers to keep her away from what she was there for. As her heavy boots pressed upon the boarding ramp, she spoke softly to herself.
"I'm coming Lys..."
[member="Lysandra"]
 
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A trail of indigo careened through the empty blackness, chasing after the gentle hum of the distant cruiser that glided through the sky before it dispersed into shimmering blots of green. Emerald turned to jade as the birds of Eden answered the mechanical moans from the heavens above, the wind of their wings sending little gusts into the botanical haven. Sweet, somber melodies chirped through the canopy of dragon lilies and fireflowers, the crescendo of sound sending sprawling oceans of colour through the mind of the young woman wandering blindly through the rosy moss and the weeping willows. She was a specter draped in tulip's silk and silver, her pale figure tip toeing past the ancient trees and the blossoming flowers that grew from the vines that drooped from murmuring canopy.

"Roses whisper good night 'neath silv'ry light.."

A girlish song danced into the air, calling out to the birds that quickly answered in tune. It was an almost symbiotic performance, a song and dance for no audience but the creatures that fluttered through the trees and the flowers that swayed in the breeze. No one dared tread through the sanctuary, not anymore anyway, not after the accident. Whether it was due to superstition, paranoia or a sliver of respect for the young woman that mindlessly skipped through the vibrant shrubbery, no one bothered to check up on Cressinia's daughter. She was an adult, or so they said, a girl grown with the freedom of a child and the wrath of a fierce storm. Some thought her a mere victim, caught between the relentless push and pull of fate till she'd abandoned any thought to return to reality. Others believed her crazed, a madwoman and kinslayer. '

Lysandra, taker of daughters and slayer of mothers' they would whisper beneath hushed breaths, weary glances flickering at Eden, Lysandra's little haven. Alas, such rumours never caught the attention of young half breed, for she was too caught up in the kaleidoscope of her mind to care.

One would simply have to hear the peculiar lullabies that sprung from her lips and through the large garden to know that she was alive and well, if they were curious enough to do so.

"Asleep in the dew they hide from our view.."

She sung, with eyes now fluttering open to view the cascade of greens, purples and pinks that speckled the fragrant scenery before her. Swaying, like a dandelion waltzing with the whistling breeze, Lysandra felt a content little simper spread across her lips as a nearby sparrow answered her tune in it's sweet little falsetto. A soft giggle danced off the young woman's tongue, bare toes wriggling into the furry carpet of moss underfoot before she took a dainty step forward. The light pitter-patter of her slender feet against the skin of Eden summoned momentary wisps of colour in her vision, deep green puffs of smoke that vanished whenever her feet hit the ground. It was a curious little gift her mother and father gave her, something not even her older sister possessed.

Almira.

Glimpses, fleeting flashes of a time long passed, jolted through the young woman's mind like tails of lightning across the face of a storm. A pretty face, strong and fierce, painted with a smile. no, a laugh. The scent of smoke and roses, of sweat and perfume. A kiss on the forehead, on the cheek, on the nose, on the back of a bruised hand and then on the cheek again. Nights alone, giggling at stories, old holos of a man fighting. Pillows, soft toys and cuddles. Cold feet against hot feet, loving whispers during a violent storm. Another kiss.

Then nothing, the memories receding back into the labyrinth of the Lysandra's mind.

"Slumber sweetly my dear for the angels are near..." She whispered, intently gazing at a silver scar on the back of her hand. How curious.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Standing quietly upon the shuttle, red hues remained piercing as they fell upon the world that she was approaching. There would be no communication from the shuttle, nor those that accompanied her. The woman was arriving in force and it would take the entirety of the Galaxy to even fathom stopping her in her goal. With arms crossed beneath her breast, she kept her eyes forward. Long white hair resting like the flowering rivers that she had come to know across countless worlds. Down there was her sister, and for all she knew she had been locked away in some hole by that witch whom resented her just because she came into her father's life first.
Almira scoffed at the memories of the woman. There was nothing that could have even gotten her close to calling that thing mother. The only mother that Almira remembered and even knew was now laying in a sarcophagus. Her father had broken into tears upon the news, though she didn't expect her little sister to do so. After all not many in her family had known the Duchess, and secrets had to be kept.
As the shuttle shook, she remained at her standing position, guards watching her as she kept a wide stance to brace herself against the bulwarks of the door that lead into the cockpit. Screaming from the heavens the three shuttles pulled up at the last moment, quickly darting across the landscape to the home that Almira had known so little about.
Her red hues though quickly fell upon the colors and majesty of what she could easily call a prison. Pivoting on her foot, she turned towards the back before nodding. The shuttles landing around the property as the boarding ramp quickly slammed into the ground, kicking up a small bit of dust.
Stepping forward, the woman came out into the light, her eyes quickly adjusting as her hand came up to shield them. Moving slowly, a slight wind from the turning down engines kicked up the long coat tails of the split gown that she wore. Dancing up the wind, along with her silver hair, the combination of silver and blue marking her out easily as she stepped forward towards the front door. Her eyes moving over the building as she pulled herself to the front.
Then nothing. Her body froze for a moment. Stopping for a moment she could hear the movement of her guards. The Dread Wolves surrounding the structure, though not in a means to breach it. Rather they were there to keep Almira and her sister safe if any unwanted company arose. Steeling herself for the moment she kept her red hues upon the door, her slender hand rising. Then a rapping upon the door.
[member="Lysandra"]
 
Eden was abandoned, the death of Cressinia sending the sprawling byzantine styled garden into a state of overgrowth and unhampered freedom. Vines laced the ancient walls, the serpentine plants blooming with flowers and fruit from the eve of summer to the crescendo of spring, home to a colourful array of birds and bugs that migrated once the place was neglected. Statues and fountains could not elude the encroaching tendrils of nature either, the sleek forms riddled with the jade kiss of stubborn weeds and greenish stains. What was once a deftly contoured botanical art piece was now the thriving home to ancient orchids and fragrant ferns, a place just as wild as the half breed that made it her home.

Moss covered maintenance droids still hovered throughout the shimmering emerald expanse, although their programming now so obsolete that they did little more than float about, scanning whatever flora came into view. Even the arrival of shuttles did little to alarm the tranquil creations, the impeding advance of the fiery eyed woman and her vicious guard doing little to disrupt the work of Eden's droids. What the machines ignored, the birds did not and as the deep hum of the shuttles vibrated through the air flocks of sparrows and parrots careened into the sky, escaping the impeding threat.

​Lysandra heard it as well, the distant murmur of engines sending a soft hue of brown through her vision, reigniting the fickle attentiveness to the world around her. Spirals of green and gold whirled about in her peripherals, the quirk of an eyebrow answering the distant knocks on the large glass entrance. A visitor? Perhaps it was one of her mother's friends, or a guardsman or even the Xasurian princess herself, come to play games away from her throne.

​Alas, the snow kissed female remained still, swaying with the movements of a willow tree as she stared blankly at the entrance to her home. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone. After a moment, with the echoing sound of the hard knocks careening through the garden the large transparisteel gate glinted with activation. Even after all these years, Eden still pretended to be something it was no longer. Creaking open, the large gate allowed the unseen visitor into the garden.

Welcome to Eden. Cressinia Eskerwhey's permanent art piece and one of Xasuri's most popular celebration venues. Please leave any weapons or baggage at the front gate for safekeeping. Thank You and enjoy your visit.

An automated voice crackled through disguised speaker, sending what was left of the native bird life into a scrambling escape up the open air. The sound of the announcer alone was enough to send a sudden jolt through Lysandra's core, the mention of her mother's name eliciting a low whimper to stray from her lips. Mutilated flashes of a bloodied corpse assaulted the young woman's mind. Crimson streaked curtains and garbled cries for help gleefully danced in the fog of her memory, wiping away the colour that swayed in her view.

Current visitors is...two.

Stepping backwards through the foliage, away from the noise of the announcer and the distant sound of her visitor's footsteps Lysandra found herself huddling behind a mossy sculpture, it's metallic limbs shielding her from the main walkway shrouded in flowers.

"Hide and seek, yes. Hide, disguise, cower, mask. Mask my presence." She quietly rambled to herself, blue eyes darting across her home as if she were expecting something to come leaping from the overgrown shrubbery.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Her hand quickly shot up from where it had been resting at her side. The soldiers that had already begun to move forward stopped before nodding as they stepped back. The woman was going to enter the gardens alone, a risky prospect, yet she didn't want someone mistaking her sister for an attacker. Nodding softly the two soldiers moved a few steps back, allowing their commander a bit of space. Red hues locked upon the foliage within, seeing just how overgrown and untamed the garden was. It was clear that no one had been taking care since the death of its owner.
Stepping forward, her heavy boots pressed into the soil, kicking up small bits of dust. The cacophony of birds that rushed from their tree top homes was understandable. They were to them nothing more then a predator that was invading their home. Stepping forward again, Almira brought her hand down to the small pouch at her side, unclasping its brass as she pulled out the small holo disc.
Holding it out in front of her, her thumb pressed gently against the side. The blue image slowly appearing as the device flickered to life. The image of the old grizzled veteran and his two daughters appearing. With a silent nod to herself she pushed her way into the garden, slowly moving through the over growth.
"Come out, come out little one. The dawn is rising."
Almira was surprised that she even remembered that little phrase, having heard her father say it in passing. She had even forgotten ever hearing it until the words passed her lips. It was how he would wake them, and how could she have allowed such a memory to have faded from her mind for so long.
Carefully moving forward, she chose her steps, making sure as to not step upon a blooming flower. Her red hues darting around the garden that was now an over grown forest. Hearing the small maintenance droids merely hovering about and scanning the plants that had taken over.
[member="Lysandra"]
 
Gleaming trails of golden light streamed through the whispering canopy, illuminating Eden in dazzling stripes of warmth before flickering back behind leaves that tickled the underbelly of the great violet sky. Butterflies, beetles and pollen swelled within the tepid air, only briefly visible before the tendrils of daylight disappeared behind the rustling rooftop. Normally, Lysandra would have found herself mesmerized by the ephemeral rays of pure intangible gold, alas her mind wavered from the bountiful distractions that swarmed the great garden in a bid to focus on the nearby sound of footsteps that tread through hallowed ground. With icy blue hues hidden beneath lashes, the young woman focused on the foreign sound that pervaded her mother's garden. She could not recognize the sound or the tempo of these footsteps and yet familiar colours danced within the space of her blindness. It was as if part of her mind was latching on to a distant recollection, scrambling for breath like a someone drowning in the ocean.

Yet there she hid, the infamous daughter of Cressinia Eskerwhey, fumbling with the thoughts and theories that wandered through the kaleidoscope of her mind. Should she stay hidden? Perhaps the person was lost, wanderers did have a habit of such a thing or they were merely taking a gander at the once dignified cultural sight. Lysandra did not know, part of her did not even care, and it was only until the sound of a woman's voice breached the tense atmosphere did the pale skinned half breed's head cock upwards.

"Dawn is rising." She quietly parroted, furrowing a slender brow before blankly gazing at a nearby vine. "But dawn has risen. Curious little specter, father sounds like no woman." Lysandra mumbled, pursing her lips before straining her focus once more. How unusual, the notion that a statement from her past would catch up to her in Eden was enough to elicit a shallow smile to creep on to her face.

Scrunching her toes into the grass, the young woman pursed her lips before peering around the corner of the statue, bright blue eyes flashing open to reveal an odd scene indeed. A woman, older and unarmed, was dressed in a billowing gown that tickled the mossy carpet, her eyes like the backs of blood-beetle. She was tall, elegant and beautiful, so much so that Lysandra was temporarily enraptured with the strangely familiar visage. But who on Xasuri dressed like this? Biting her tongue, the young woman continued to watch on in silence, piecing together fragments that swirled within the maelstrom of her mind.

Alas, her tongue worked much faster than her brain did and from behind the gnarled durasteel sculpture came her melodic voice.

"Nay, noon it is. Has the pretty woman come to take flowers?" Lysandra sung from her hiding place, a strange little smirk playing on her pink lips as she awaited the response of the alluring female. The answers that her memory chased were on the tip of her tongue, unspoken words and names that seemed to mesh with the strangely comforting colour that this woman brought teased the ever-delirious Lysandra. No doubt her revelation would come soon.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Hearing the voice brought a small smirk to her lips, and she knew that her sister was there. Somewhere in the gardens, though still watching as she remembered she was prone to do. Taking a silent breath she looked to the image that she carried before turning. Her back towards the doors as she stepped forward a few steps before kneeling down into the mossy over growth and wild grass.
Setting the small device on a rock that kept it above the overgrowth of the floor. The little image slowly flickered and rotated as the woman stood back up. Her eyes gazing forward before she took a few steps back. Silently she fell to her knees. Bringing her hands forward and resting them into her lap as she closed her eyes. Silver hair lightly dancing upon the soft breezes that blew through the tendrils now and again, disturbing them from their usual placement.
"There is only one flower I've come to take. The most beautiful and the most rare of them all. It can hide in plain sight, though the blue and silver of its petals makes it rare."
Almira smiled to herself, keeping her eyes closed as she began to take shallow breaths. She remembered those times when she would be training, attempting to meditate when she would hear those little thuds of bare feet running into the room. Each time she was always used as a place to hide from their father as they played their games of hide and seek. The memories flooding back into her mind as she sat silently still, as if she had just turned into a statue.
[member="Lysandra"]
 
Obscured by the golden glare of light that streamed down from the leafy ceiling, the woman's face remained shrouded in a glowing mystery, blurred by the luminescent pollen that aimlessly wandered about the warm open air of Eden. Lysandra watched on from her makeshift hiding place, bright blue eyes unblinking as they observed the peculiar little ritual that took place atop the emerald moss. A static jolt burst through the air, the single second of high pitched noise sending a streak of red through the young woman's gaze. Alas, it wasn't the sound that startled her but the glowing, transparent hologram, one which thrust the torrent of her memories into a time long before her mother gave her Eden.

Father. Eshan. Sister. Almira.

A low gasp escaped Lysandra's supple pink lips, hands quickly shooting upwards to grip the sides of her skull as she watched the older female seat herself in a meditative position. The kaleidoscope of her mind quickly froze, splintered colours rapidly reassembling themselves as neglected memories gushed forth like water from a dam. Mutilated nostalgia found a moment of clarity and in this still silence the snowy haired young woman remembered the smell of smoke and perfume. Quiet murmurings of nights long forgotten played out in the forefront of her mind like renewed holos, showing Lysandra the life of the child she once was. The maelstrom of colours, sounds and scents overwhelmed her brain, reviving the shambling corpse of her time gazing up at the only sibling she ever knew.

Scrambling to her bare feet, the girl stayed frozen behind the gnarled sculpture, staring wide eyed at a woman she so eagerly professed her love for in a time long past. Gone was the sound of the wind through the leaves and the songs of the native birds. Lysandra knew nothing at that moment but the sight that sat in the center of Eden. Her sister. Her Almira.

"What is this mirage, teasing my dreams..." She whispered to herself, melodic voice softly fluttering into the breeze as her feet slowly took her from behind the statue and near the patch of grass where the meditating woman sat still. Blue eyes flickered from the hologram, then to the woman and then back at the glowing portrait. There she was, missing a tooth and clutching at the waist of her older sister. Another gasp escaped the young woman, one that flew from lips that curled into a smile unlike any other.

Without a thought guiding her, Lysandra dropped to her knees and hastily crawled over to the older woman, skinny arms draping around the curvaceous figure as she practically fell into Almira's lap. Her grip was like iron, the blushing face resting in the nook of the woman's neck as she deeply inhaled the scent of perfume and smoke. It was all so much, the warmth and scent and forgotten feeling of another's affection. Lysandra knew not what to do, cry, laugh or smile...maybe all three if her body allowed it.

"Is it really you?" The girl whispered tentatively, almost too frightened to open her eyes and be met with the sight of another empty illusion her mind granted her.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Bringing her hand up slowly, a single slender finger reached out, gently pressing upon the center of the young woman's forehead. Almira remained quiet, her eyes still closed as she felt this familiar woman draping herself over her as she stayed in her position. Resting on her knees with her other hand resting upon her thigh before her silence was broken as she pressed her finger against Lysandra's forehead a bit more firmly.
"You know that I do not like to be disturbed while I meditate."
Memories of her own had fallen within her mind, old sayings and thoughts flooded into her before her eyes slowly opened. Red hues befalling upon the young woman that was wrapped so tightly around her figure as she brought her other hand up. Slipping it around her and resting it upon the back of her head.
She could tell that the girl was confused, that she had no way to react properly to what was unfolding. Looking at her, she took a breath before lightly running her hand through Lysandra's locks. Pulling a few leaves and bits of pollen from the tressels of hair as she sighed softly.
"Such a dirty girl, always rushing off and messing your hair. Your clothes are ragged as well, as if you decided to sleep in a thorny bush."
Almira spoke, talking in that moment like a concerned elder sister, not a stranger.
[member="Lysandra"]
 
A plume of warmth blossomed in the centre of Lysandra's forehead, the little blot of tingling sensation drawing out the neglected moments of a time long past. It was as if the older woman was unlocking memories with a mere touch, unscrambling the labyrinth of the young woman's mind one drawn out second at a time. Lysandra felt herself shudder for a moment, a low gasp escaping the pink confines of her mouth as she quietly listened to the strangely familiar tone of her elder sibling. It was like hearing the sound of silk, the elegant crimson ribbons that danced in her peripherals squirming with every drawn out syllable that escaped the beautiful woman's lips.

Long lashes blinked as slender fingers combed through the tangled locks of snow kissed hair and violet pollen. She could feel herself being picked apart by this woman, someone who had all right to do so, and yet Lysandra still remained lost in her dreamy oblivion. She'd played with her sister before, numerous times and yet every moment before in Eden was with the girl she remembered Almira to be. What cradled her and what waltzed in the young woman's imagination were now two different things, the cold splash of reality awakening the half Echani from her tongue tied daze.

"I like to watch the stars when I sleep." She murmured quietly, lips brushing against the woman's collarbone as she shuddered from the slight breeze that danced through the emerald canopy. It all felt so strange and yet so familiar, losing herself in the presence of the one woman that vied for the love that only her mother could attain. Almira was her idol as a child, the perfect long legged creature with hair weaved of moonshine. Even now, piecing together the fragments of her childhood, Lysandra felt her mind recoil into moments shared with the only sister she had.

Sneaking into Almira's bed at dusk and warming her toes between the then teenager's calves.

Begging her mother to let her follow her sister into the bathing springs only to be reprimanded for such 'foolishness'.

Actually breaking her mother's rules and sneaking into the bathing spring.

Such memories played in the forefront of the young woman's mind, so much so that she felt a silly little nostalgic grin creep upon her lips. Gently, as if she were handling a porcelain doll, Lysandra clutched the woman's face before placing the softest, sweetest kiss her mouth could offer.

"Mother says that if I sleep in her rose garden I am to be locked in my room till they bloom once more. But sister, sweet sister, you should see how wonderful this place is...mother gave it to me." Lysandra cooed, bright blue eyes flickering from Almira's face to the flowers that surrounded her and then back to her tattered dress. "I was playing a game with my friends." The young woman grinned airily, lifting a hand as if she were introducing the aforementioned companions.

Alas, no one was there but the glimmering rays of sunlight and the looming trees.



[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Feeling the soft kiss, a small smirk drew across her lips as she realized this was still the same little girl that had been taken so long ago. Her red hues moved about as she was introduced to her friends, offering a silent and respectful bow of her head as she looked forward. Slowly standing, she looked down to the young girl, her eyes upon her as she brought her hand down slowly. Reaching out to her and offering her own hand for the young woman to take. Looking about the gardens for a moment she was beginning to hesitate, yet she knew that she could not just leave her here.
"I've come to take you away, back home where you truly belong."
Her words were sincere, her eyes telling the truth as she stood over her sister. She looked around the gardens once more, watching the shadows and light dance around before her red hues once more fell upon the young woman that was still curled up upon the ground. Her hair a mess, her gown in tatters, yet all she could see was the little sister that she remembered.
Leaning down slightly she smiled as her hand ran along her jaw line before lightly pressing against her cheek. It had been years since she last saw her, yet she was already remembering and once more connecting with her little sister. Even if her mother had been alive still, at this point there was no one that could stop her from taking her from this place and returning her to the family she belonged with. She didn't need to be hidden away or have whispers talked about her, she needed to be with her family and the big sister that would keep her safe.
[member="Lysandra"]
 
Although her memory still waded through the dense fog of incoherent images and moments, Lysandra knew well enough that this woman was none other than her elder sister. There were a few things that gave Almira away; the ruby red gaze, the ashen hair and her ample bosom. Why, if it weren't for their hair colour and pale complexion then many would have thought the girls no more than cousins. Lysandra was the thin, blue eyed nymph always scurrying after the coattails of her much more physically endowed sibling during the precious time they spent together and the differences only seemed more pronounced now that they was older. Almira was now an adult, a fact that still frazzled the young woman's mind as she curiously gazed up at the woman. This person, with her flaming eyes and snow kissed hair spoke of 'home' like it should've made sense.

But Lysandra was too far gone to even comprehend such a statement.

"Home? But Mother said this is my home..." She whispered, staring blankly into space as if she were chasing the promises of words unspoken long ago. Furrowing her brow, the skinny half breed pursed her lips before glancing up at the woman standing over her. She was being offered a new adventure, a chance to see her father, the man she loved dearly. But Eden was her little kingdom away from the ugly noises that plagued the rest of Xasuri.

Fiddling with the tattered hem of her dress, the young woman felt herself shiver at Almira's gentle touch, swiftly clasping the older woman's hand in her own before pressing it against her cheek. Lysandra knew she wanted this, her mind was simply processing the fact of leaving her mother's final gift to her. What would happen to plants and trees in Eden? What of the girls she kissed and the birds she took care of? Eshan was worlds away from the lush greenery and pretty sight she'd come to adore here and leaving it all behind seemed so sudden...

"Is Papa still...alive?" Lysandra whispered, experiencing a particularly uncomfortable moment of doubt as she slowly stood to her feet, warily glancing around the garden that had kept her safe all these years.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
Carefully reaching back with her free hand, Almira pushed open a small pouch, reaching in to reveal another small round disk. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she squeezed her fingers against it, causing a small flickering of blue light to begin dancing out of it. Holding it up, she nodded softly before looking to the young woman, holding it out so she could see. The image of an elderly male, though still strong flickered to life in the image. His eyes the steely blue that Lysandra had, his hair just as white as the two girls. It was clear that this man was their father, without a doubt, and his eyes were filled with tears at the possibility of seeing his daughter once more.
"He asked me to find you. After everything that happened, he wanted his youngest back."
Almira smiled, her eyes upon the young girl, and she still was that little girl, that little imp that followed her around, even when she was told not to do so. Almira smirked at the memories of the two, and how she would often get in trouble because little Lysandra was attempting to follow in her footsteps. That was one of many little points that caused her to dislike Lysandra's mother, the fact that she felt like that woman always looked down on her because she was from a different woman, or that she held her father's attention more.
A soft smirk graced her lips at the thought of how she would act towards the woman had she still been alive. She knew that she would be leaving this world with Lysandra, even if that woman had forbidden it, or even attempted to stop such a journey for her daughter. Almira looked to Lysandra, bringing her hand up and brushing a strand of hair from her face as she smiled.
"He's waiting for you."
[member="Lysandra"]
 
Cradled between the shimmering air of Eden and the thick mossy carpet that covered the garden's skin, Lysandra sat with fingers aimlessly grazing the sides of her slender calves as she gazed up at her sister. Even though she was now a woman grown she still felt small compared to Almira, her elder sibling possessing all the features many men so hungrily chased after. Fortunately for the snowy haired nymph, her affections were solely targeted at the gentler sex and little could be said for whatever affections she could grant the male populace. However, the mere sight of the bearded old man from her sister's holocaster was enough to summon a soft gasp to escape the pink curl of her lips. It was her father, just a wrinkled shell of the impressive man he once was.

Bright blue eyes ogled the image, teeth clamping onto the soft flesh of her lower lip as she felt her mind reel once more into dreams and memories long forgotten. Strong, like a reek, and just as fierce. Calloused hands and reserved smiles, a hearty laugh and tired eyes. The colour blue, the scent of wood and fire. Hair as white as winter's dawn. Piece by piece the young woman's mind retrieved whatever morsel of thought wandered through the misty maze of her consciousness. Her father was alive and he wanted her, even if Mother forbid her from ever thinking of such a thing.

But mother was gone. Bloodied, burned and dead.

"I...I want to." Lysandra blinked, dainty porcelain toes scrunching into the mossy carpet before she tentatively clutched her sister's waiting hand. It was warm, unlike the cool smoothness of her own snow kissed skin. Returning to her feet, the wide eyed nymph offered her sibling a pleasant, if slightly confused, grin before her attention swept up to the shimmering bungalow behind the army of gnarled trees and blossoming flowers. The bungalow had been abandoned several weeks after her mother's passing, Lysandra becoming the sole heir to all of the woman's art and belongings. She seldom ventured inside, the trauma it thrust upon her sensitive mind too much for the half Echani to handle.

It was only used for three things. Clothes, baths and blankets...although such priorities slowly withered away as Lysandra's mind ventured too far into her wonderfully ignorant dreamscape. Sucking on her lower lip, the young woman stifled a sigh before gently tugging on Almira's hand, a hazy determination draping those clear blue orbs. She could not tear herself away from this place so easily, even if her long lost sister beckoned her with sweet words and petting.

"I must get something." Lysandra whispered, talking to herself as she pranced down the emerald pathway lined with strange flowers and berries. The soft rhythm of her bare feet echoing into Eden's leafy bosom.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
The little imp that she had remembered so well was still there. Now though without others around her, it was clear just how far she had pulled into her own mind. Watching as she tugged at her hand before rushing off, her red hues following the movements as she took a moment for herself. Looking around the massive garden, the plants that had completely over grown the structure. Almira was now more than ever resolved to ensure that her younger sister was taken care of, she could not just leave her to her own devices in this place another day.
Or could she? Could she leave her sister in such a haven to keep her safe from the galaxy? No. She shook the thought from her mind, it would be too cruel to slip away now and leave her here. Allowing a heavy sigh to cross her lips, she gathered the two small holoimage projectors, slipping her thumbs along the rim to shut them off before slipping them away.
Turning towards the over grown structure, her eyes fell upon it as she stepped forward with cautious movements. Her heavy boots making a louder noise than the soft patter of her sister's bare feet. The boots pressing into the undergrowth and plants that she came across. Her movements though were precise, ensuring that she not destroy everything that she came upon. Moving slower and more carefully, her sister was quickly further down the little path before Almira even had a chance to catch up with her.
For her it was fine though, a parting gift in allowing her sister to remain just that much longer among the green and her thoughts. Almira looked towards the young woman, a small smile crossing her lips as she approached, her hand gently falling upon her shoulder.

"What must you retrieve?"
[member="Lysandra"]
 
There it stood, Cressinia's famed bungalow, glimmering shards of plateglass lining the exterior walls like the scales of some great solitary beast. Time did little to ruin the structure's beauty, let alone dim the soft golden glow that seemingly emanated from within its ovular rooms. It was a testament to the artist's creativity, a castle fit for one of Xasuri's most accomplished minds and her wayward child. What was once a building bustling with life and laughter was now reduced to nothing more than a husk. It was a hollow shell of its former glory, the glowering hermit amidst the grand garden that enveloped it. The bungalow's only company was the rodents and birds that now made it their home and the pale skinned waif whose belongings were strewn across every inch of its finely polished floors.

Lysandra felt dwarfed by its grandiosity, feeling a shiver trickle down her spine as she tentatively gazed up at the window into that room. It wasn't often that she returned to the bungalow and even when she did she never ventured anywhere above the ground floor. Lysandra knew better than to tread there, even for someone so dismissive the snowy haired nymph feared whatever memory lurked on the upper floor.

A screech in the night. Wet red hands clamoring for life, tearing at the curtains and staining the floor. The smell of smoke and metal. Lifeless eyes, a mouth agape. Death.

The young woman let out a shallow squeak as she felt her sibling caress her shoulder, her dainty figure trembling for a moment before stilling itself and taking in several heavy breaths of air.

"A present." Lysandra cooed, pursing her lips tightly before gingerly clutching the older woman's hand before slowly leading her into the back entrance to Cressinia's bungalow. A dull beep welcomed the duo as they stepped into the large dining hall, dust motes waltzing midair between the streams of golden light that shot through the paneled ceiling. As if she were leading a blind person through a maze, the young woman walked at a steady pace, blue eyes flickering from one corner of the room to the other. Was she expecting an apparition? Another mirage? Not even Lysandra knew and as she led the much older version of her sister through the house she could not help but inch closer to the woman's side.

"A ghost lives here." She whispered, not even looking at Almira as she uttered the would-be warning. Perhaps it was a mixture of her superstition or her own insanity that made such an observation seem completely viable. Surely there was some part of her childhood which involved her elder sister protecting her from the monsters that haunted her dreams.

Lysandra could not remember, but she knew she would...eventually.

Taking a step around a monolithic spiral that held up the second floor, the skinny half Echani motioned towards a closed door, fragments of glitter and old petals strewn across its entrance. Her old bedroom. Giving little thought into making a proper greeting for the older woman, Lysandra tapped the pristine white door before it slid open to reveal a particularly chaotic room filled with old drawings, pretty dresses and nonsensical sayings written across its walls. Perhaps it was a glimpse into the tormented creature's mind, something which would help her sister understand.

"Gold box. Small and heavy." She blurted, practically giving the order to find the enigmatic object in her feathery voice before dropping to her knees and flinging old dresses too and fro to find this special gift.

[member="Almira Magrath"]
 
The Force was strange, and for Almira she regarded it as nothing more than a petty being, one that was content to watch the suffering of others and their joy, though finding no desire to interfere to aid or to hinder. It was a child that could just as easily decide to play with a toy, as throw it against a wall for its own amusement. For what ever reason she felt her hand slowly tightening around the grip of the weapon that she carried, even if a ghost had appeared before them and it was nothing more than for show, she was still acting her role as big sister.
Mindlessly her other arm had carefully wrapped itself around the pixie like being at her side, pulling her closer as they continued to push through the abandoned home. Red hues carefully moved around the room, and even her ears seemed to perk up every once in a while. Almira felt as though they were being watched, and it was unsettling. Though she showed no outward signs of fear, or worry, for she wanted her sister to remain calm and placid rather than for her lose her mind and break down at the thought of what haunted her.

She barely had a moment to react when the younger of the two dropped down and began to crawl around, looking for that which she sought in the cluttered room. Even Almira had no clue where to begin as she stepped forward to enter the room. Leaning the blade up against a large coat rack, or stand, or really at that time it was difficult to tell what it was. All she knew was that it wouldn't allow the blade to fall over upon its own accord.

As her sister continued to dig and crawl, she couldn't help herself as she crouched down, her hand scooping up the old pictures and drawings. A soft smile came across her lips as she saw drawing upon drawing of a white haired girl in the pictures. A small tear slipping from her eye as she set them aside, for even she knew that there were many years in which she was left without the little imp that she cherished.
Carefully she turned her attention to the task at hand. Slowly moving along the ground as she looked over the pictures. Carefully picking up a few at a time and placing them to the side. In that moment she could clearly see what her sister had lived though while they were separated. What she saw was more than enough to ensure that she was not going to allow them to be split again.
[member="Lysandra"]
 

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