Armor Up! [DEV THREAD]

[Onrai]

"Next comes one of the most important pieces of this entire suit - the medical system. This has been specially modified by our engineers to accept whatever healing liquid you wish to put in it." She lifted it up, holding it in place and motioning with her foot to a servodriver that Kara could use to tighten it in place.

"Do hurry, please... It's pretty heavy."

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

Immediately she leapt into action, obviously finding enjoyment in the task at hand. It would be relatively odd to see given how she had responded to most things Circe had sent her way since they first met. Taking up the servodriver the young girl hurried across to where Circe was waiting, a little confused at first. "What do I -- Ah!" She suddenly realised and set to work, going as quickly as she could in order to lessen the burden placed upon the woman.

 

[Onrai]

"Much appreciated, Kara..." Circe smiled, the rear medical system finally in place as she began to connect a couple of tubes and whatnot. "There we go. The medical system's set and done. Now, all we need to do is get the full suit on you, see how it works."

She motioned for her daughter to put the armor on, intending to test it and see if it worked as well as it was supposed to. Once she had done so, Circe gave a smile. "Are you ready?"

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

She continued to set it into place while Circe held it until she was told it was done, and everyone else who had been attaching wires and tubes finished up too. Then she tilted her head to one side, and took up the heavy armour; slipping it over her head with a heavy exhale of air she felt its cumbersome weight over her relatively frail body, but she did not mind.

"I'm ready, Circe" she said, tilting her head to one side as she glanced down to stare at how it looked, and then up at Circe to try and figure out what she had in mind...

 

[Onrai]

"Alright... Power levels appear to be holding steady. I want you to move around. The armor's actuators should augment your own strength to where you don't feel its weight anymore. Now, power up the shield."

Initializing a lightsaber in her hand, she gave a soft smile to her daughter, seen through the helmet's eyepieces.

"I hope this works..."

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

As Circe began to instruct her in what to do the young girl listened to her and did as she wished. With each step and movement she found that the weight lifted, which was a relief to the frail girl. Then she lifted the hand and began to activate the shield, allowing it to power up over the armour itself as had happened before during the initial process.

When she saw the lightsaber instinct made her step back, with a small frown, that is until she smiled. Okay, so maybe Circe wasn't about to kill her. While she didn't say it aloud, she too was hoping that it worked...

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

With a smile, Circe came down on the armor with the lightsaber, a standard blade of the type she would most likely find herself working with. There was a distinct sheen of energy that appeared over the armor, the energy shield contacting with the gleaming plasma blade. "It's holding... yes!"

She removed the blade from the shield, relaxing and deactivating the blade, placing that on the nearby table. "You're good. I'm glad to see your armor works perfectly. I can only hope it'll serve you well during your time outside the Fringe."

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

Surprisingly enough she didn't flinch. Instead she stood there watching every muscle in Circe's body twitch and tighten as she brought the lightsaber across to try and slash at Kara's body. Nope, no flinching, which was actually a step in the right direction for Kara. With a small smile she nodded her head, and began to remove the armour again so Circe could resume work should she need to.

The armour, however, was heavy and Kara was somewhat tired - having been on her feet all day, and being a frail child at best - so she struggled to move it far before halting and settling it down on the closest surface to hand. "How many others need to be upgraded, Circe?" she inquired, resisting the urge to breathe heavily.

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

Circe raised an eyebrow, noticing that Kara wasn't exactly feeling very good. Stepping forward, she gently took her daughter in her arms and picked her up in a soft embrace, carrying her across the factory to a private office she could relax at. "There there... Just relax. There are plenty of armors to work on, darling, and it'll be a lot easier now that we have your armor as a reference point. You've helped me very much... now it's time to relax, take a sip of ice cold lemonade, and enjoy the fruits of your labor."

And now, the motherly chat. "Kara, I have a question for you, and it's very personal."

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

It seemed Kara was definitely feeling different today, for when Circe lifted her up the little girl wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and hid her face against her shoulder, with a small yawn. Giving in and allowing herself to be carried the young child watched as the world shifted and soon she was out of the busy workshop and into a much quieter room, settled into a nice and comfy chair. Taking the offered drink she took a very long sip of it before settling it back down, feeling ever so slightly more refreshed. Then she tucked her legs up so her knees rested under her chin, arms wrapped around them, and stared at Circe.

"What is it?" she asked, with a very small frown, before adding; "And can I help build the other ones?"

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

"Of course you can, darling. You can do whatever you want here. You're my daughter. Now, as for my question..." Circe sighed as she bent over her daughter, looking the pale Umbaran over and gently stroking her hair.

"Why are you afraid of letting your scars be healed?"

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

The smile which had appeared upon her lips at the mention of being able to help some more disappeared in a heartbeat, while she hid her face aside in the woman's hand as best she could. This was not something she wanted to talk about, and so part of her decided that she wouldn't. Instead she simply shook her head and remained in place, body somewhat tense and suddenly immobile.

She stayed like that for a while, and barely even breathed. Why was she asking this? Was the fact that she couldn't have the scars removed evidence enough of why?

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

"Kara... Kara. Calm. Relax. I want you to remember that I am family. You can tell me about these things, okay?" Circe moved forward and carefully embraced her child. "You just need to let go of your fear... Focus on the Force. Fill yourself with calm and peace."

Circe would've sent such feelings into her daughter's mind with the Force or pheromones, but she knew that this was something Kara herself needed to work on.

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

@[member="Circe Savan"]

She still didn't find herself capable of breathing very well, but it was getting easier and she just leant against the woman, her tiny form quivering with the memories. "I...I can't remove them" she whispered all of a sudden, after an extremely long time of silence having spread between them. "Or... Or I will forget, and then I'll be forever weak." She needed the scars, to remind herself who she was, to avoid similar events that had transpired from happening in her future. To remove them would be to erase part of her very being. No, as nasty an embellishment they might be she had to keep the scars.

 

[Onrai]

"I'm sorry, sweetie... but I don't understand. Are these scars that aren't from your childhood or your torture at Shinju and Lucien's hands?"

If they were, then she supposed there was more than met the eye with Kara. Much more indeed.

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

At the word childhood the little girl hid her face, shaking her head over and over again. For once the mention of the torturer and the condemner didn't even stir anything within her, no... The real crux of the issue was not them. "I don't want to" she whispered, "Please, I dont."

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

Circe nodded, gently embracing the young girl once again as she gave a soft sigh. "Kara... I understand now. I want what's best for you, and you need to confront your fear, dominate it, show it that you aren't afraid of it anymore. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself. I know you're an intrepid learner, and you want to become exceptionally skilled in what you do, but whenever someone mentions this, if you let your fear consume you, you will grow vulnerable."

Getting on her knees and looking the young girl over, the plant-woman gave a somber look. "And if you let your fear consume you, especially in conflict with the sort of scum around here, not even the strongest suit of armor in the galaxy will save you. They will pry or cut you out of it somehow, and they will kill you after feeding upon your fears."

"I want you to remember that, as your mother, it is my sworn duty as a sentient being to show you, my adopted child, all the love and affection that you deserve from me. I will never intentionally intimidate you with something to gain pleasure from your fear. That's sick and demented. But I know when my daughter has a problem that will significantly affect her as she grows into a powerful manipulatrix, illusionist, and with luck, sorceress. I only want to ensure your continued well-being because I love you, Kara."

And with that, her embrace of her daughter grew ever more loving and protective.

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

She leant into Circe and realised that what she said was true. But did that mean she had to remove the scars? Those things which reminded her who she was, what she could not become - the drunken Father and pathetic Mother? -- No, not her Father. Dranok was her Father, it was just another layer to the lies her weak-willed Mother told her all those years ago. How had she even survived amongst them? When Zarathustra had still been home she had been and felt protected. The older girl, despite knowing that Kara wasn't actually her sister by blood, had defended her. Yet the moment Zara snapped and left she had been alone, at their mercy. That had been why she left, that was why she was who she was right now - that was why she couldn't remove the scars which lined her body.

"I... I can't remove them" she finally began to explain, "But... I can learn not to let it overwhelm me. How to accept it." She said each word while trying to see if Circe approved with them, she didn't want the woman to have more reason to want her scars removed. "Each line, each marking, tells its own tale. If I remove it, I forget. If I remove it, I lose my drive and I would be nothing. Please, don't make me remove them."

@[member="Circe Savan"]

 

[Onrai]

"Show me."

Circe paused, eying her daughter over as she kept the careful embrace. "Show me the scars, and by doing so, show me that you have what it takes to face your greatest fear, to break it and turn it into a power that fuels you beyond any measure. Please, do it for your family. For me."

The love and sappy emotion-clad feelings viewers would be feeling if this were a holodrama would likely have them near tears.

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

 

[Lief]

eugh. holodramas.
----------------------------
She wasn't sure she wanted to, they were a part of her that no one, well no one save for Circe Savan, knew about. But if this would stop the woman from pressing the issue? Then maybe she should. Slowly she shrugged out of the thin robe she had been wearing, and already scars became evident down her arms. She lifted her shirt over her head -- don't worry guys, still PG-13, she's 7! -- and revealed the worst of it. A scar at least an inch thick ran down the length of her chest at a slight diagonal slant from left to right, the scar-tissue raised as if it hadn't healed properly even for a scar. "He didn't want me to forget that one" she whispered, gingerly settling a hand against the damaged skin. "He made sure I wouldn't." The cold made her shudder, and her eyes left Circe's, instead staring past her as she waited to be told she could put the tunic back on.
@[member="Circe Savan"]