Ulterior

[Luyioth Dakwin]

???

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Phelar Spaceport, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

Two days. This was the second day that the figure, clad in dark robes, stood an ominous vigil over the workshop. The first day, they stood there for almost an hour: watching, scarcely moving, simply observing until one of the foremen approached to ask them what they were doing. They turned and left without a word. This time, it only took ten minutes before the same foreman started on an approach - but this time, as a forklift passed by, the figure simply vanished. By all accounts, the figure shouldn't even be there. The foreman mentioned letting security know.

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.

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In the darkness of the small apartment, bar the occasional flicker from the malfunction light in the kitchen, Luyioth lightly brushed her fingers over a framed photo held in her hand. By most, it would be considered cute, if not fairly typical: a family of what looked like fairly nondescript humans, with a young male and female in the foreground. For whatever reason, this brought a quiet 'hah' to her - one that came from something beyond the photo itself, something sinister.

Whatever that was, she gently set the photo back down on the table to step over towards the kitchen bench. As she leaned her weight back against it to rest, she folded her arms over one another and tilted her head to look out the window closest to the front door. The street, for now, was quiet: if it wasn't for the occasional creaks and conversations creeping through the ajar door, one might almost think that this planet was lifeless. Yet, with whatever purpose she had, she waited; and behind her, the flickering kitchen light intermittently splashed a burst of a robed silhouette against the front window, the only sign of activity in a room that was otherwise almost entirely dark.

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth

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Phelar Spaceport, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, Outer Rim Territories

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"A woman?"

Eliza continued munching away at her sandwich between words, beneath the wing of a parked Skyhopper. Across from her sat an older looking Twi'lek, lekku wrapped around her neck as she dug into a lukewarm cup of noodles.

"Jaret said he saw her standing out front."

"Just... standing there?"

"Yeah, like she was waiting for something. Or someone."

"You think she's like, a stalker or something?"

"That's what people were saying. Nobody really knows who she was, though, or what she was doing hanging around the workshop. Wasn't a customer, that's for sure. But the whole thing's got the boss stirred up enough to start heightening security around the shop."

Eliza gave a thoughtful hum, her gaze trailing off to the hangar entrance as the Twi'lek girl swirled her fork around her noodle cup. Phelar wasn't by any means a quiet city, and stranger things had definitely occurred in the past. Yet she couldn't help shake the feeling that something was off about all this. Maybe it was just paranoia, she thought. It wasn't unlikely that some addled drifter might've wandered into the spaceport, after all. That sinister feeling at her back didn't seem to fade, however. No matter what she told herself.

Eliza Teth

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Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dawkin"]​

It was late by the time she finally arrived home, arms full of groceries as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Light poured into the darkness of the home, illuminating the entryway and dimly lighting the path into her kitchen. Eliza didn't bother closing the door behind her, using it as a temporary lightsource as she quickly set the bags down on the counter, an exhausted huff escaping her as she dropped them.

When she turned back, the shadowy figure across the room immediately caught her gaze.

Eliza froze. The stare of the stranger bore into her, yet she could barely make them out herself. Silence crept through the house; for a moment Eliza had stopped breathing entirely. And the figure sat against the window was so quiet, she was almost certain they had stopped too. She dug her fingertips into the countertop behind her, finally opening her mouth to speak.

"... Um..."

And without another word, Eliza broke off from the counter, making a dash for the door.

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

In almost a moment, the door slammed shut. Across the room, Luyioth - still leaning against the kitchen bench - stood with one arm partially outstretched with an open palm towards the door.
"Why don't you take a seat, Eliza?" she asked, as the lock on the door let out a foreboding click. "I'm certain that you don't want a stranger in your home for too long, so I won't waste your time. You do know that you are force sensitive, right?" Lowering her hand, she mystically grasped at one of the grocery bags to will it into the air, before gliding it over towards her to sit it on the bench.

Bringing her hand back over again, she grasped at another bag of groceries to float them over just like the first. The whole time, her eyes didn't leave the apartment's tenant: locked on her eyes, anticipating her next sudden movement.

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth​

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dakwin"]​

Darkness engulfed the apartment once more as the door slammed shut. A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of her name, barely having enough time to react to the sudden "click" of her door's locking mechanism. That sinister feeling she'd felt before had returned, stronger than before, glaring into her.

This woman- had they met before? Eliza wasn't necessarily the most popular person in town, and surely she would've remembered someone as ominous as her. On top of it all, there was no way she could be force sensitive; she'd never displayed any sort of connection to the force in her life. At least, from what she remembered. Was she... maybe lying? Or did she have her confused for someone else?

Did she... maybe have her confused with Aryn? She'd heard stories of her brother discovering his own force sensitivity. Though in all fairness she did like to pretend this was a different Aryn Teth who looked remarkably similar to her brother. The truth stung a bit more.

Eliza kept her back to her as she spoke. "I-I'm sorry, but I think you're mistaken. I'm just a mechanic," she stammered. As her eyes adjusted to the pitch blackness, her gaze darted about the entryway, hoping to find some other means of escaping. If escaping were even possible at this point.

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

"Oh, my dear..." Luyioth chuckled, slowly raising one hand to her hood to nudge it off her head as she continued: "You can make starships that have no right to fly, fly again, yet you do not realize your connection with the galaxy?" Underneath the hood was a Zabraki woman, with tan skin since paled towards gray, extensive dark tattoos detailing adventures of tyranny and mysticism, and dark hair tied into a braid and wrapped into a bun. Lifting one hand now, she reached out towards the nearest chair, which abruptly screeched as it spun on the spot - towards Eliza. "Why don't you take a seat? In fact, it's probably best that you sit for this."

Stepping away from the kitchen bench, Luyioth idly beckoned a framed photo towards her: the very same one she 'admired' before, still with some vague trace of her touch. Quietly, underneath her stiff facade, her inner self smirked. It was confidence. She had her mark right where she wanted her and as the photo floated closer, she began to taste her goal on the tip of her tongue. How empowering...
"This is a lovely photo..." Luyioth observed, plucking it out of the air to admire it before gently setting it on the table and turning it to face her. "You and your brother seemed very happy... You do know why he left, yes? And what that implies for you?"

As Luyioth posed the question, her eyes lifted to meet Elizas. Her expression was unbetraying, but her eyes were almost predatory: honing in on the woman, watching any and every move. As she leaned forward to lean onto the table, a gentle glint of light came from her tip as the tip of her lightsaber came into view.

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth​

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dakwin"]​

With her hands tightly folded in her lap, Eliza turned from the Zabraki woman to look upon the old photo. It was one of the few photos she still kept of her older brother, a family photo the Teths had taken together on what appeared to be a camping trip years ago. She barely remembered the reason for taking the photo, nor could she remember how old they were, or what they'd been doing that day. Yet she couldn't deny that she and her brother truly did look happy here. Happier than Eliza had been in almost a decade.

Eliza could feel the presence of the woman looming over her, body tensing as she felt herself shrink under her glare. Meekly, she tilted her head upwards, meeting their gaze. There was such an air of self-assuredness about this woman, she thought. Like she'd planned this entire thing out and knew exactly where it'd all lead. She clasped her hands tighter together, dead silent as she watched her, as if waiting for her to strike.

And when she didn't, Eliza took her chance. In a swift movement she flung the table upward, smacking the Zabrak hard with it, hopefully catching her off guard. The chair she'd sat on came next, flying towards the intruder as the girl made another mad dash for the front door.

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

All was going to plan - everything was in order. The next words in her loose script sat on the tip of Luyioths tongue, waiting for-
Her precognition flashed an image of what was to follow, but it happened too quick. As the table slammed into her face, the words on her tongue slipped and fled, leaving her growing as she grasped the table and threw it aside.

What came next was the chair. This time, Luyioth was prepared. Lifting her right hand, she grasped the chair mid-flight, only to cast her arm back and violently forward, to send the chair in the other direction - intending to send it past the would-be escapee, with the idea of smashing it against the wall by the door. Yet regardless of the course the chair took, both of her hands would lift following: intending to mystically grasp at the runaways shoulders, intending to take them and throw her backwards and to the floor.

"Run!" she exclaimed, continuing her aggressive stride forward as she went: "You may run from what you know, but how long can you do it for, Eliza!?"

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth​

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dakwin"]​

Moments after she watched the chair fly past her head and splinter against the wall, Eliza came crashing down onto her back with a sharp gasp, the back of her head meeting the floor with a hard clunk. She could hear the woman shouting after her, advancing as Eliza attempted to scramble to her feet. The darkness of the apartment and her throbbing head kept her from getting very far, softly groaning as she rolled onto her side, dazedly searching for the woman in the dark.

"Who are you?" she started, dodging the woman's questioning. "How do you know... who I am?"

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

"How could I not?" the Zabraki answered from the dark, entertaining the diversion - if but for a moment - before railing it back to her point. "Your brother is Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance, the poster boy of the alliance, but more relevantly..." On queue, she came to a halt barely a meter away from her, looking down to her: "...a Jedi General. Why else would he simply vanish? The Jedi Orders teach control and repression of emotions, like love and compassion." With that, she reached out to offer Eliza an open hand, palm towards her for her to take. "I know this, because I was once a Jedi too."

"I have come here to offer you a choice." she continued, hand still extended. "You can forget that you met me tonight and carry on with your mundane life, in denial and a galaxy away from what you are capable of - and more importantly, what you yearn to know; or, you can take my hand, and I can show you - teach you. I, too, was once isolated and confused - but through the force, I learned to break my chains, and who better would there be to teach that too?"

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth​

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dakwin"]​

Her words stung. Though she knew there was some truth to what she'd said. It'd been years since she and her parents had heard from Aryn, and he'd hardly made so much as an attempt at getting in contact with them. She knew Aryn wasn't coming back. That he'd probably buried the past behind him years ago, when he joined the Order. The Zabrak's beckoning hand lingered, and though it was tempting to take it, she wondered if she could truly trust the woman. Their meeting hadn't exactly been the best first impression after all. And when she looked at her, she didn't just see an opportunity, but something menacing. Dangerous. The predatory eyes of someone who wanted something. Something more than an apprentice.

"I... y-you've got that look in your eyes," she finally spoke, looking up at her now. She spoke carefully, a hint of nervousness in her voice "You didn't just come here to teach someone like me, I-I know that."

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

"Oh, but I did." Luyioth insisted, keeping her hand still as she continued. "The path I walk would leave the galaxy much different to how I found it. It is a feat I cannot perform alone. See, I can take an apprentice for both an ally and for heritage of my knowledge, but you... your brother walks the same path that I do. His path and ours, if you were to come with me, will cross - and if they do not, or you do not find the answers you seek, there will come a time that you are powerful enough to fulfill your goals without a teacher."

Extending her hand a little further, Luyioth widened her fingers a little more.
"I came for an apprentice exactly like you. If our goals are not the same, then how are we better than Sith?"

 

[Eliza Teth]

Eliza Teth​

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories

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Interacting with: [member="Luyioth Dakwin"]​

There was confidence in her voice, that was certain. She seemed to mean what she'd said. Though the thought of leaving home filled her with worry- the nagging feeling of what her family might think- she wondered if it might be worth it. The chance to learn more about herself, what she was capable of... it all seemed too good to pass up.

With one last, quiet crackle, the flickering kitchen lamp finally fizzled out, as Eliza gently took the woman's hand. "Alright," she spoke. "I'll go with you."

 

[Luyioth Dakwin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMS9bzFZPiA​

Luyioth Dakwin

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Apartment 2419, Minir Commons, Phelar, Eriadu, Seswanna Sector, the Outer Rim Territories.
Interacting with: [member="Eliza Teth"].​

Alas, as their hands met, the covenant was sealed. A gear of a conspiracy ticked a step further, and above that, a much larger gear started to groan to life. Yet beyond that gear, where it was much too uncertain, an even larger gear - the ulterior gear - rustled in its sleep. What had truly won this day? How could one tell?

As Eliza's hand came into her own, Luyioth closed her hand to help her up. As Eliza presumably came to her feet, she would reach around with the other hand to briefly dust off her back.
"You are afraid? Concerned? I can feel it. Hold onto that - how can a man who is afraid of nothing, feel compassion for anything?"

With that, Luyioth took a step back, leaving Eliza on her own two feet; instead, she moved to step around her, heading back towards the door.
"Pack only what you need, quickly." Luyioth began, concern in her voice: "There is little time; the Empire is on their way here to assault the planet. We can accommodate your family on the way off-world." Lifting her hand, she swatted at the lock with her thumb to click it back into its original place, before she grasped at the handle to twist it askew and pull the door open. The light from outside fought its way into the room, giving Eliza some light to work by, but it was dimmer - more distant than before.