Private Under Construction

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia was silent as Valaine spoke, her hand lingering just beneath the girl's jaw, thumb stroking slow circles into her pale skin. She let the confession hang in the air, savoring the honesty of it. For the first time, her apprentice had chosen trust over defiance. It was fragile, trembling, but it was real. That was enough.

"Good girl," she murmured, the words rich with approval, indulgent as silk. Her six eyes narrowed faintly, glimmering with something warmer than the fire she had threatened her with moments before. "You have accepted my rules. You have given me your plea. Then… you have earned something in return."

Her gauntleted hand rose, fingers brushing across the crystalline node at her chest. With a low hiss, the mask began to part along unseen seams, plates withdrawing like petals folding away from the heart of a flower. Metal softened into silence, leaving bare the face beneath.

Golden hair spilled down in soft, radiant waves, as though the armor itself had been hiding a halo. Her features were young, startlingly so—no more than twenty-one. Not the ageless terror of a Sith matriarch, but the devastating beauty of a woman who had already lived far too many lives for her young years. Her skin was fair and flawless, unmarred. And her eyes—her eyes were the truth of her. Neon violet, burning like stars caught in liquid glass, luminous with power, with hunger, with promise.

She leaned closer until there was no distance left, until the Sangnir could see her, truly see her, without the barrier of steel and shadow. "You place your trust in me…" she whispered, her breath warm against Valaine's lips, "…then obey and I shall never break it."

And then, without hesitation, she claimed her.

Her lips pressed against Valaine's, velvet and fire all at once, dominating yet impossibly soft. It was no chaste gesture—it was possession, declaration, reward. The kiss lingered, slow and unrelenting, every second a brand that whispered: you are mine.

When at last she parted, her lips curled into a slow, devastating smile, violet eyes blazing.

"Now," she murmured, her voice thick with licentious warmth, "we really should be training you..."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

The silence felt awkward to Valaine as that thumb kept rubbing against her cheek, eyes still fixated on the six before her. After receiving further praise her expression shifted into one of some amount of concern as Virelia prepared to unmask herself. She was about to see what her Mistress actually looked like, and at the front of her mind was that she must be some strange species with six eyes she'd never encountered before.

Her assumptions couldn't be further from the truth as her eyes widened in surprise for stood in front of her was not some strange alien species, but rather... just a woman, not much older than herself she suspected. And... blonde? Blonde was the last thing she would have anticipated. She hadn't the words to give in exchange for the reveal, for it went against all of her expectations. How could someone so normal, so young, be capable of what she was?

In her stunned stupor she hadn't realized just how close Virelia had drawn to her, feeling her breath upon her own lips as suddenly pale cheeks were tinted pink, and it was plain that the young Sangnir was very much out of her depth in how to respond, much more so went suddenly those lips pressed against her own.

There was a brief muffled sound of shock from Valaine as Virelia kissed her, her hands somewhat raising in confusion as to what she should do in response, and no doubt her Mistress could tell that she hadn't had any experience with such intimate moments. Valaine's lips were soft and tender to the touch, though they held the faintest hint of copper upon them.

When finally the kiss parted the Sangnir seemed incredibly flustered as her cheeks grew redder, and she took a hesitant step back as she looked upon Virelia with a sense of bewilderment. Her hand reached to her own lips as fingers traced where the other woman's had been just seconds ago, and then she exhaled a breath that had been unknowingly held.

"Ah-..." she began, still stuck in something of a daze. "... Wh-..." ... Better to just give up on the questions and follow along she thought in her floundering state. "Y- Yes, Mistress..." she managed with a nod in response to the mention of further training before she turned her gaze sharply away.

Personally she couldn't quite understand why it happened, and it was something that had never happened before. No thought was ever given to any kind of romance or affection for Valaine, and so she found herself simply unprepared to deal with it. And how did she even feel about it? She wasn't certain, her emotions were a mess at that moment.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia's smile deepened as she drank in every ounce of Valaine's bewilderment—the flushed cheeks, the trembling breath, the stammer caught between questions she could not finish. Her neon gaze lingered hungrily on the Sangnir's parted lips, still tinged with that faint copper taste, and she leaned forward again without quite closing the space, letting the tension smolder like coals just shy of flame.

"Mm… precious," she murmured, her voice velvet, low, and ruinous. "You've slain beasts, crawled through ash and terror, snarled at the galaxy with those lovely fangs of yours… and yet it takes only my lips to unravel you." Her fingers brushed against Valaine's hand where it hovered at her mouth, guiding it down slowly until her palm rested against the warm curve of Virelia's waist. She let it linger there, intimate, permissive, while her own hand stroked once more along the Sangnir's cheek.

"You're blushing," she whispered with delight, tilting her head as golden hair spilled like a curtain down her shoulder. "Such an innocent reaction from such a venomous creature. It makes me want to keep you close—keep peeling away those layers until you don't even remember what it was like to glare at me."

Her thumb traced languidly across Valaine's lower lip, coaxing it open just slightly, savoring the sight of her apprentice's nerves. The gesture was lewd in its simplicity, intimate in its restraint. "I don't mind if you don't understand what you're feeling," she said, kind but commanding, "You don't have to. That is why you have me. I'll teach you what to do with every shiver, every gasp, every ache you've never put a name to."

She leaned in close enough that her lips brushed the shell of Valaine's ear, her breath hot and deliberate. "But remember, little apprentice… affection is not a gift I give freely. You've earned it tonight—through obedience, through honesty. If you want more…" her tongue flicked just barely against Valaine's earlobe, a licentious tease, "then you will keep proving to me that you are worthy of my praise, my touch, my time."

Virelia pulled back, violet fire burning in her eyes as she studied her flustered apprentice with wicked satisfaction. "Do you understand, my beautiful Valaine?" she purred, every syllable a hook meant to sink deep.

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Valaine's heart was practically beating in a small panic at this point as her eyes seemed to try to look anywhere but at Virelia who continued to tease her with words and soft touches. When her hand was taken and guided down towards the other's waist it only seemed to fluster her more as that hand remained there in place before she looked up at her Mistress once more. A look of confusion, panic, and embarrassment, she was utterly caught in the headlights.

"You're blushing,"

The response was almost too quick; "N- No I'm not-." she stammered, lying as clearly as she breathed as panicked eyes once more glanced away. As that thumb traced over her lips, pulling them open slightly, Valaine's fangs would be easy to see. They weren't as impressive as other vampiric creatures, or even other Sangnir. While her fangs were indeed larger than the canines of a human, they were relatively short, and it could be easily surmised that her bite probably hurt a lot more as a result.

Then as Virelia's breath was felt against her pointed ear she seemed to shudder nervously, and squirmed lightly in place as gentle words were whispered to her. Finally it all became a little too much for her and she suddenly and swiftly pulled away. Not out of anger, not out of disrespect or even defiance, it was entirely a kneejerk reaction stemmed from her flustered and embarrassed state boiling over.

She took a swift step back, her face still bright red and her breath quickened as her voice came forth in almost a distressed tone, "Uhm-! It- It's time to train I think, yes, training time! I'm ready to train. Let's train." she quickly fired forth her words as her head sharply turned aside, her long dark hair swishing with the movement as her arms crossed in front of her.

To live a life where no affection was ever shown to her, and then suddenly have all of that happen in an instant? It was frankly too much for the young woman to handle.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia did not pursue her when she pulled back. No reprimand, no punishment—only the faintest curl of amusement tugging her lips as she watched the Sangnir squirm, cheeks still aflame with a blush she so vehemently denied. The frantic babble about training brought a low, sultry laugh from the Sith, velvet in tone and predatory in its patience.

"Oh, my precious ember," she cooed, violet eyes gleaming as though she could drink Valaine's panic like wine. "You can run from my kiss, but you cannot run from what it stirred in you. That heat won't fade. It will only grow… and in time, you'll beg me to teach you how to sate it."

She let the words hang, lewd and undeniable, before finally shifting her posture—straightening, regal once more, her cape stirring like a shadow in the stagnant air. When she spoke again, her voice was commanding, yet still rich with that dangerous kindness that threatened to undo every wall Valaine tried to put up.

"Very well. Training, then." Her steps carried her in a slow circle around the Sangnir, a huntress tracing the edge of her prey's nerves. Her gaze never wavered from her apprentice, sharp enough to peel back every lie. "Tell me, Valaine… what is your understanding of the Force?"

She came to a stop behind the girl, lowering her voice to a whisper that ghosted along the back of her neck. "Not the hollow phrases they fed you in the Academy." Her fingers trailed once more along Valaine's arm, down to her wrist, holding it lightly—soft as a caress, firm as a chain. "What do you think it is? This thing that binds us, that answers my will and shivers through your blood even now?"

She leaned closer, lips brushing against the edge of Valaine's dark hair, deliberately intimate. "Do you see it as a weapon? A current? A hunger? Or is it something you fear?"

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Valaine swallowed down another shuddering breath as she worked to calm her flustered self down, even as Virelia's words seemed intent on reminding and taunting her about it. She brushed a hand through her dark hair and breathed a deep sigh until finally her tired eyes shifted back towards her Mistress, at least until she had stalked behind her once again.

"Tell me, Valaine… what is your understanding of the Force?"

Her head dipped lightly in consideration. Her teachings at the academy had been brief enough so her grasp, as well as skill, with the Force was rather poor. Still, she did have an answer at least to her understanding of it; "It's... A tool. And I guess like any tool it's diverse in what it can do... But..." she lifted a hand to look upon it, slowly closing it with a grasping motion that caught nothing but air. "It's a tool I don't really know how to use. The most I can do is... slowly manipulate a small object, and not much else..."

It might've been clear to Virelia for some time now that Valaine's aptitude for the Force was considerably poor, her presence was barely a blimp in it to others. "I'd heard that people are born with talents for it, or not. So I kind of resigned myself to never being very good with it, which is why I focus more on my training with the saber." she answered.

The distraction and talk of training had generally calmed her down now as the color began to fade from her pale cheeks and her heart steadied and slowed. Even with her Mistress looming directly behind her.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia's laugh came low and intimate, wrapping around Valaine like silk drawn tight against the throat. She did not mock her for the admission, nor scold her for her lack of power—no, her voice came warm, almost indulgent, like a predator savoring the flavor of her prey's honesty.

"A tool, you call it…" Her hand drifted down Valaine's shoulder, brushing along her arm with deliberate leisure until her fingers laced possessively with the girl's own, guiding that upturned palm back toward her own chest. Virelia pressed it lightly against the crystalline node at her sternum, the glow pulsing faintly beneath the plates of her armor. "Then tell me—what sort of tool keeps me alive when my heart has long since been carved away? What tool whispers in your blood at this very moment, screaming for my touch, even as your lips deny it?"

Her words slithered with dominance, with that licentious edge that made every syllable feel like a caress. Yet her tone softened, dangerous in its kindness. "You say you are poor in the Force. That you were born weak, resigned to scraps. But that is the lie of the Order, Apprentice. The Force is no gift handed down like baubles from a careless god. It is hunger. Will. The assertion of self upon the galaxy until it kneels."

Her free hand glided up, cupping the girl's throat with the same familiar pressure as before—firm, not choking, a reminder of possession and power. She leaned close, lips brushing against the shell of Valaine's ear as she whispered. "You do not lack the Force. You simply lack the will to devour it."

Virelia's thumb stroked once across the delicate pulse beneath the Sangnir's skin. "That will is what I will teach you. To grasp, to seize, to command. Not to beg it, not to fear it. To make it your slave, to be it's mistress."

A slow smile touched her lips, unseen yet felt in the heat of her breath. "So no more excuses. You will not cower in weakness. You will not say 'I cannot.' You will reach. You will take. And when you falter…" her grip tightened slightly, suggestive and merciless, "…I will remind you what it means to be mine."

"Now—" she released her throat, letting her hand linger along her collarbone, tracing the line of pale skin with languid dominion—"show me your reach, Valaine. Call the Force as if your life depends on it. Because it does."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Her tired eyes glanced to the corner of their vision as she felt Virelia's hand brush down her shoulder and arm, at first she was able to ignore it, at least until fingers were being entwined with her own. "Huh-..?" she managed before her hand was then placed against the crystalline node as she had turned to face her. It was clear that the young Sangnir was relatively embarrassed once more before her tired eyes met those of her Mistress once again. She wasn't particularly sure that she enjoyed that Virelia had learnt of her rather easily flustered nature, expecting that it was going to be used against her rather often now.

"Then tell me—what sort of tool keeps me alive when my heart has long since been carved away?"

"Uhm-... A... Very good one...?" she answered with uncertainty. Though hearing that her belief that strength in the Force was a gift given solely at birth wasn't entirely true she appeared curious. If she could strengthen one of her major flaws then certainly she would want to. Her head then tilted back just slightly as Virelia's hand came up to her throat once again, clasping around it firmly as her eyes tried to follow her when she leaned in to whisper into her ear once more.

She remained still as that thumb passed over her pulse, it was quickened but not as much as before. The focus on her throat continued to come off as incredibly ironic to her considering what she was, and so again she felt incredibly vulnerable whenever Virelia grasped it in the way that she did. But at the very least the young Sangnir knew not to bite back now...

As the grip tightened briefly she offered a quiet sound of discomfort before the hand finally left her throat and she breathed a soft sigh through her lips as her posture slacked lightly forward once again after the hold was released. Her tired eyes remained trained on Virelia. Her words had confused her at the end; simply call upon the Force harder? She found it hard to perceive how she could try harder than she had before to use it, because she definitely did want to learn to wield it better.

A light frown appeared on her lips as she tried to puzzle how to do so, gazing down at her hand. She clenched her fist and tried to focus, her body tensing as she closed her eyes with furrowing brows. If it was just about trying harder, trying to bend it to her will, then she'd try to give it everything she could.

She reached her arm back as she prepared for her attempt and then thrust forward with effort. Her fist unclasped into an open palm that stopped just short of her Mistress as she attempted to Force Push her.

But although Valaine had given it all she could her aptitude for the Force remained poor. The impact of her attempt would barely be able to make her Mistress stumble as it simply billowed her cloak instead. When Valaine opened her eyes to see that it had done barely anything the disappointment on her face was plain to see. This was a flaw that bothered her greatly.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia did not so much as blink when the push came. The faint ripple tugged at her cloak, a teasing stir of fabric, nothing more. Yet instead of mockery, instead of cold dismissal, the mask of the Sith Lord tilted down toward her apprentice, and her voice came soft, heavy with velvet weight.

"Beautiful."

She stepped closer, so close the Sangnir could feel the warmth radiating from her despite the chill of the stone halls. Her hand rose again, capturing Valaine's wrist—the one she had thrust forward—and guiding it gently down between them, until their hands rested against Virelia's waist. She did not let go.

"You think I care about the stumble of a first step? No, my treasure. I care that you reached. That you wanted." Her other hand rose, thumb brushing again over the line of Valaine's lower lip, tugging it down just slightly, savoring the sight of those pale fangs. "You gave me everything in that strike, and that—" her voice dropped to a husky purr, lips brushing against the Sangnir's ear as she spoke, "—is what makes you mine."

She lingered there, breathing against her ear, letting the words sink into her apprentice's bones. Then her tone grew solemn, darkly kind. "Power is not born perfect. It is hammered into shape. Broken, reforged, and broken again until it cannot bend. Do you think I was born with the strength to shatter armies? No. I was weak, so weak I should have died. But I refused. And in that refusal, I found eternity."

Her hand at Valaine's lip slid along her jaw, cupping her face firmly as she pressed her forehead to hers, violet neon eyes burning into the Sangnir's tired gaze. "I do not want perfection from you, little one. I want your will. Your hunger. The rest, I will carve into you with my hands until you are glorious."

Her voice softened again, indulgent, wickedly intimate. "And every stumble you take before me… will be rewarded. Because each is proof you belong to me."

She let her hand fall at last, trailing along Valaine's throat in a possessive brush. "Now… try again. Not because I demand it—but because you ache to give me more."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Valaine again was caught off guard as Virelia took her by the wrist and placed her hand at her waist. She looked up at her Mistress as that thumb brushed over her soft lips and revealed her short fangs, the light pink upon her pale cheeks returning faintly. Rarely did it seem that Valaine ever appeared concerned with her hunger, but in a place like this? She might struggle eventually to sate it.

It seemed that truly the young Sangnir had learnt to not pull away from Virelia as even now she didn't move when her mask came in closer to press against her forehead, eyes boring into her own that had to squint against the bright purple hues. To hear that her demonstration wasn't a failure came as some relief to her, she naturally had expected the worst outcome as a result of her lack of skill in the Force, but here she was, being encouraged to simply... try again, to train herself in it.

Such a revelation calmed her, her heartbeat steadying once more as she was given the suggestion to continue. She offered a soft and silent nod in response as she once more focused herself to repeat as she had done before...

And she did so again... And again... Attempting to pull forth more strength than she had over and over until eventually it had left her exhausted and kneeling.

Her breaths had become ragged with exertion, sweat dripped down her form, and she could barely stand. How long had she stood there practicing? As long as it took, until her body refused to support its own weight any longer. It was perhaps the hardest she had trained yet, for even back at the academy she was lazy and disinterested in her own progress.

But here? She felt she had a genuine chance to improve, and she had taken it. Though that improvement was extremely slight, the repetition itself had served as a good foundation for it. She looked up towards her Mistress from her position on the ground, as if to see if she would ask that she did more even in her exhausted state or not.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia watched her crumple with the same intensity she had watched her rise. She did not intervene, did not soothe or coddle—she simply stood there, violet fire bathing the Sangnir in its glow, letting exhaustion have its way with her. When at last Valaine's body gave in and she knelt, gasping, sweat-slick, trembling, Virelia finally moved.

Slow, deliberate steps carried her forward until the tips of her boots brushed the edge of Valaine's knees. She looked down at her, and though her voice was soft, it rolled with velvet command.

"Good girl."

The praise landed like a brand, spoken in a tone so rich it left no doubt it was reward. Virelia's hand slid beneath Valaine's chin, guiding her head upward, forcing those weary eyes to lock with hers. She traced her thumb across her bottom lip again, smudging away a bead of sweat.

"You bled yourself into the effort. You broke the habits of laziness that shackled you at the academy. And you did it because I asked." A husky smile tugged at her lips as she leaned closer, her blonde hair spilling forward, brushing against Valaine's damp cheek. "That obedience makes you radiant."

She crouched now, lowering herself until they were nearly level. Her hand slipped from chin to throat, possessive, tender and firm all at once, feeling the Sangnir's rapid pulse beneath her fingers. "This is how power is born—through ache, through sweat, through surrender. Each tremble in your body tells me you have given me everything."

Virelia's lips ghosted along the edge of her apprentice's ear, words poured like honey. "And for that… you will always be mine. No shame. No mockery. Only the knowledge that your suffering delights me, and your progress binds you tighter."

Her hand slid away at last, down Valaine's collarbone, trailing heat before withdrawing. Virelia stood, her silhouette looming above the kneeling Sangnir. "Rest," she commanded, but there was gentleness beneath the iron. "You have earned it. Tomorrow, we will do more. Tomorrow, you will stumble again, and I will lift you higher."

A pause, her tone dropping low, sinful. "And each stumble, each fall, will make you more beautiful to me."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Valaine continued to pant breathlessly as Virelia drew near, offering the pale girl praise as her hand reached down to lift at her chin as she was made to look up towards her Mistress. No doubt Virelia had never seen Valaine look so tired, more so than she always did as errant locks of black clung to her face with sweat. Her breath was hot and ragged against the thumb that brushed her lip once more, pausing in her breaths only to swallow as she gasped after.

"That obedience makes you radiant."

She sounded exhausted as she voiced her swift remark, "Really...? I think... It makes me... Look like a mess..." she panted heavily. She felt awful, not just the exhaustion, but the uncomfortable sensation of sweat that clung to her form.

Her grey eyes tracked her Mistress who lowered herself down nearer to her level, and again she felt that possessive claw grip her throat as her head tilted up just slightly in response, quite literally baring her throat to her. Virelia could feel the heat of her body through that grip, and of course the quickened pace of her pulse that thumped hard against her hand.

The young Sangnir listened as her Mistress once more voiced her claim to her as she felt the whispered breath against her ear, causing her to shudder lightly in response to the intimacy. When finally she was released, and given leave to rest, her posture slackened again as she leaned back in her seated position on the floor. Dark hair cascaded down to the ground behind her as her eyes were set upwards; taking time to recover from the training that had taxed her so heavily.

"Th-... Thank you... Mistress..." she voiced with a soft tone. She was certainly being a lot more respectful ever since the flames had wrapped her arm.

A thought struck her however; did she even have a place she could rest in yet?

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia lingered above her for a moment, savoring the sight of the Sangnir sprawled in sweat and weariness, before she finally let her voice curl through the air again—low, smooth, indulgent.

"You think yourself a mess," she murmured, tilting her head, "but I see a jewel cut from stone by my hand. Rough edges, yes. Heat, pressure, fracture. That is how brilliance is born." She let her hand graze once more down Valaine's cheek before withdrawing, giving her space to slump, to collapse into her own fatigue.

Then Virelia straightened, her cape whispering against the floor as she moved past her apprentice, gesturing toward a wide archway at the far end of the courtyard. Beyond it, light glowed faintly, the soft violet hue of half-lit sconces. "Come. I do not leave what is mine to sleep on stone."

If Valaine followed—or even dragged herself forward—she would find the chamber beyond newly hewn from the obsidian, shaped with precision and decadence in equal measure. Carved pillars, each inlaid with veins of crystalline violet, supported a ceiling painted with ancient Sith sigils. At the center stood a bed large enough for royalty, draped in silks of deep purple, the sheets woven with black-thread sigils that shimmered faintly when touched by light. Plush cushions, soft carpets, and even a low table with trays of fruits and wine marked it as a place of comfort rather than discipline.

"This," Virelia said, gesturing with a languid sweep of her hand, "is yours." She turned, violet eyes glittering behind her mask, hair pale gold in the glow. "You will sleep here. You will rise here. You will think of me here." Her voice curved into a huskier tone as she stepped closer again, brushing her fingers against the edge of the silken bedspread. "Every inch of this chamber is for you—and through it, for me."

She let the words hang, then softened them with a rare touch of warmth. "You asked for trust, Valaine. I do not break what I claim. Your body will suffer under my command, yes—but when you fall, it will land on silk, not stone. You will have rest. You will have beauty. And you will never again be abandoned to nothing."

Her eyes gleamed brighter, piercing. "Do you see now? Even in exhaustion, obedience makes you radiant… and I reward what is radiant."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Despite her exhaustion Valaine climbed back up to her feet when her Mistress called for her to follow. Her steps were heavy and tired as she trudged behind her as they departed the courtyard.

The chamber they had entered came as a surprise to Valaine, who had only ever been accustomed to sleeping in generally awful beds (if she even had a bed at all). The bed that she saw within the center room seemed exaggerated in size to her, so much space that she'd never roll out of it by accident she thought. Even the room itself seemed very extravagant with its carved pillars of crystal and a table set out with fruit and drink.

This must be Virelia's chambers she had thought to herself, and so when it was made clear that it was hers she seemed confused. Had her Mistress misspoke? Did she simply hear her wrong? "Huh...? It's... mine?" she asked as if she didn't believe her. What had she done to deserve this? Surely it was a reward far too great for her obedience.

She hesitantly stepped forward towards the bed as she ran her fingers along the fine sheets, a material she believed was far too nice for her to sleep in. She looked to Virelia uncertainly as she listened to her. "I..." she paused to think of the words, "This... This is too much, isn't it...?" she asked as she looked back to the bed.

Such a reward could've been something she asked for at the meeting of the court, at least that's how highly she valued a prize like this. So shocked was she that she had almost forgotten her fatigue. Almost.

Her tired legs decided they had enough and she promptly fell forward to faceplant her new bed. She practically sank into it as she let out a drawn hum of comfort, she'd never rested on something so soft before. It even smelled good as she laid face down upon it, this would surely grant her the type of rest she had long been denied.

 

[Darth Virelia]

"Building the thread."

Tags - Valaine Valentine

Virelia lingered in the doorway, watching with predatory delight as the Sangnir first doubted, then tested, then finally collapsed face-first into the silks as though her body could no longer resist. The hum of pleasure that escaped her lips drew a low, amused chuckle from Virelia's throat, smooth and decadent as poured wine.

"You ask if it is too much," she said, stepping closer with the slow, deliberate prowl of a panther. "It is not too much. It is only the beginning." Her hand traced along one of the crystalline pillars as she passed, the violet light playing over her pale fingers before she reached the bed.

She crouched down at the edge, watching Valaine's body sink into the sheets, dark hair spilled out in a mess, sweat still damp against her skin. With a languid hand, Virelia brushed the locks from her cheek, fingertips stroking across her flushed face. "Look at you…" she whispered, voice lilting with equal parts mockery and adoration. "Still doubting whether you deserve what I lay before you."

She leaned closer, mask inches from Valaine's ear, her breath warm against the shell of it. "You will learn quickly, my jewel: with me, you do not receive what you deserve. You receive what I decide. And I have decided that you will live as though you are royalty… because your radiance pleases me when it is cultivated. Because I want you decadent and spoiled, so that you remember it is I who gave it to you."

Her hand slid down, feathering across Valaine's throat again, teasing the pulse beneath the skin, never quite squeezing—merely reminding. "Silks for your rest, steel for your training, chains for your obedience. That is how I shape you."

Then, softer, indulgent: "So sink deeper, little Sangnir. Let the sheets swallow you. Let the air soothe you. Dream sweetly in purple and violet, and when you wake… remember who put you here." She pressed a light, almost mocking kiss to Valaine's damp forehead, then rose, cape whispering as she stepped back toward the shadows.

"I will return for you when your strength is restored," she said, a command threaded with tenderness. "Until then… this bed, this chamber, this comfort—all of it—is mine. And therefore, it is yours."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Darth Virelia

Valaine remained sprawled out upon the bed as Virelia spoke, tired eyes already closed as her Mistress brushed the dark hair from her face. The pale woman let out a content sigh of relaxation, finally able to rest her weary body. She didn't mind the breath against her ear now, or the hand that traced along her throat once more.

But upon hearing the word 'Sangnir' her eyes opened in surprise as her breath hitched. The name had been told to her before but she hadn't said it to anyone else... And so it seemed to her that her Mistress had known for a while, and perhaps even had knowledge on her species. Furthermore it meant she knew that her weakness was fire, and that she had used it deliberately for that reason...

She remained silent as the kiss was planted against her forehead but now there was concern within her. If Virelia knew what she was then there was no telling what weaknesses she knew about that were still unknown even to herself. It was an ominous and discomforting thought that she now knew so much about what she was.

Her silence was kept however as Virelia bid her farewell and made to depart the room, and while Valaine's gaze followed her for a moment, they soon closed again. She was too tired to worry about it right now, she just wanted to sleep.

And sleep she did.