Private Birds of Prey

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]
​

It was a small cantina in the Grid section of Golbah City. Scherezade had chosen it specifically because of that; the location meant that mostly local working class people visited it, and the hour chosen was long after the midday shift ended but before the nightshift took their break. Privacy was always important, and most of the people of the Confederacy, among them especially the uppity higher ups, avoided being seen in places like this.

And that made it perfect.

She'd sent the invitation to the other bird well ahead in advance so she would have time to prepare. They had been on a mission or few by now, but there had been things spoken of during their first meeting on Manda all those months ago. Things of the Force, and people in charge, and to not blindly trust anyone, especially those who proclaimed to be leaders within the Confederacy.

"Tall cream on the rocks," she ordered for herself.

All that remained now was to hope the other bird would arrive.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

---

Ingrid received Scherezade’s message. The meeting, she knows she need to must be over this. Few months ago they met on Manda, that was their first “meeting”, they worked together. The other woman tells interesting things about the Force, and from Darth Tacitus too. One of the rare occasions when someone could confuse her. That was that time. Ingrid didn’t know what should she believe.

This time she hoped she will get some answers finally, about her force sensitive, about the force and of course her emperor as well. So, she came here to Geonosis, Ingrid didn’t remember when she was here last time. Long-long time ago, maybe the reason is she didn’t like desert planets. She was born on Neelvan, an ice planet, and lived there when she was just a child. Her husband… her beloved wampa, lives on an ice planet too…

But now this doesn’t matter. She arrived and went to the local place, what Scherezade marked to the meeting. This time she used her true identity, her true face; she didn’t use shadow matrix. This time she didn’t hiding nothing. When she arrived to the meeting place she looked around, when Ingrid noticed Scherezade, she walked to here.

”Nice to meet you! Thanks for the invitation! I know we worked together twice, but we never introduce ourselves yet. I’m Ingrid L’lerim" she said and sit one of the chairs.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]​

​

Scherezade smiled as the redhead introduced herself. She couldn't quite remember how she'd introduced herself back when the two met on Manda, but she supposed it didn't matter anymore. Even if Ingrid didn't know who she was, she'd learn it soon enough. Scherezade was someone who stood out and had issues with the whole not getting noticed at all sort of a thing.

"Scherezade deWinter," she smiled as the other woman sat, and gave her a nod.

Now that Ingrid wasn't using anything to conceal her looks… It still mattered little to Scherezade. She would have known the woman anywhere. As a Blood Hound, she could tell people apart by the smell of their blood, and they didn't need to bleed for that ability to work. Even blindfolded, she would know Ingrid was Ingrid, even if she had another name.

Waiting a moment for the woman to order her own drink, Scherezade opened the conversation, running over all the notes her sister had given her on how to manage smalltalk to break the ice in her head. "So how are you finding the Ministry so far?" she asked with a smile.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

---

Finally they are beyond the introduction, she returned Scherezade’s smile. After Ingrid sit down the chair the waiter shows up again. She call it to herself, when the waiter turned to her, she placed the order. She wants a strong alcohol now…

”Star destroyer cocktail please” she tell the waiter.

As soon as she received the drink, Ingrid turned her full attention to the Scherezade. The other woman’s question is bringing forth a sincere smile from her. That was a good question, but wrong. The truth was very different.

”The truth is, they found me. I was sixteen, when I went to the Scarif’s Military Academy after two years, I finished school there and I get a job on the Intelligence Agency as an agent. Few years later the formerly CIS collapsed, my employer was ceased to exist. So I became independent agent or assassin as Valeria Ragal, or The Red Witch. You know this alias; I used it on Manda too. When the CIS was reformed once again I became an agent again on the Intelligence Agency. After that I started to work to Valencia Hadley. When the MoS were founded they contacted me, and took me into the Ministry of Secrets. This my not so interesting story” she smiled and laughed a little.

She sipped her drink and looked at Scherezade.

”And you? I know you are a force-user, and I know the CIS has many organizations to the force users. Why are you chosen the MoS?” she asked.

In matter of fact Ingrid was really curious about this answer.

---

OOC: Star destroyer cocktail made from: Vodka, moonshine, wine, champagne, energy drink and raspberry syrup (if I know well it’s a hungarian star wars cocktail )

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]​

Scherezade leaned back in her seat as the redhead told her the tale of how she made her way into the Ministry. She smiled, taking mental notes about the various stations she mentioned, and mostly, the various stations she didn't mention. They were birds, whether they liked it or not; knowing how to use words was one of the skills they were supposed to have.

Or so she was told. Truth was, Scherezade was really bad at it. Social cues were something she was still learning, but to handle court-level intrigue-speak… She was horrid at it. It was one of the reasons so few would ever believe what she was – a Princess of a distant planet that they had never heard about. She was too… Not royal-like, even though she had so much of the royalness running from all sides in the family that it was somewhat headache-inducing to think of how her behavior did not match it.

"I didn't choose it," she answered the girl's question with complete honestly, "I was a Pathfinder with the Knights Obsidian. But I did something bad and when I confessed, they gave me the choice between the Ministry and execution. My probation period ends in a couple of weeks and I haven't decided wht to do after that yet."

Her eyes moved to study Ingrid's face then, wondering how she would take the information. Very few knew it. Not even Scherezade's own sister was told the full truth. Come to think of it, beyond the Vicelord, the Exarchs, and the former Dominus Prime of the Knights, Scherezade wasn't sure who the hell even knew. She sure hadn't told anyone prior to Ingrid, but she'd assumed that certain birds would have access to that information regardless of her will.

"So where in all of that story of yours did you end up meeting Kainan and selling your soul to his Eternal Empire thing?" Scherezade asked now with a grin, taking a sip from her drink.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

---

There was no emotion on Ingrid’s face when Scherezade started her story. She just nods. Since she started her training, and her work, she learned, the best way is not show her emotions. In most cases this could save her life. And of course she thought if she ask the real reasons, the other woman will not tell her this. They just barely knew each other.

”I see” she replied.”As a matter of fact, I’m glad you chose the MoS. It's good to work with you.

That was not a praise; that was the fact. At least Ingrid felt that way. Maybe someday Scherezade will tell the truth, but in the meantime, Ingrid will not bring up this subject again. She respected the privacy of other people. If it was not her job actually. But this was not, so that’s all.

And in the end Scherezade asked Ingrid, what they were actually here for. She needed to gather her thoughts, that was not an easy topic to her. She didn’t know when will she step over the limit of treason.

”What I tell there is the truth. I was born a normal human, without force sensitive. Few months ago I went to Neelvan to visit my parents, and Darth Tacitus, my Emperor, he intended me to his castle to speak with me. He gave me promotion, and noble rank for my work, for my loyalty. And I’m noble woman on Christophsis by marriage. But this is the not interesting part, when we spoke they sorcerers perform some kind of ritual. It was an accident and I was in the force storm’s middle. After that one force lightning hit me. I was lost my consciousness. When I was wake on the infirmary I was already force-sensitive. I don’t know how… but I was. What I know Darth Tacitus and his sorcerers experiment how they give the power of Force to someone who born without it…”

She looked up to Scherezade, and this time the other woman could see the despair and fright in Ingrid’s eyes.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]​

A good bird knew how to hide her emotions well. A good Sith knew how to manipulate people through their emotions. Scherezade was neither; while she'd made many, many attempts, her ability to her her current feelings had always been lacking, and the sheer surprised as Ingrid said it was good to work her showed, and it showed hard.

Diverting the attention for a moment, she took a gulp from her drink, taking those precious few heartbeats to master her expression after all, though she was quite certain that the Red Witch had caught it all.

When her glass had been set, Ingrid had begun to tell her own tale. She had more words to spare than Scherezade had given her earlier, and the Sithling felt a pang of guilt at that. Was it because Ingrid was more trusting, or because her information wasn't the kind that put the Confederacy at risk? She wasn't sure. It was interesting nonetheless though.

When Ingrid was done, her expression was, for a chance, open. More open than Scherezade had thought she would see from her or any other bird – and she could taste the fright and despair within it.

"They are either ignorant, or liars," she said with a firm nod, "I'm not sure which is worse."

But how did you comfort someone in Ingrid's state? Short of the intimacy among lovers, Scherezade didn't know how to do that at all. She bit her lip, and offered a hand, hoping it would help, and settle a kernel of comfort in the bird next to her.

"Those who have control of the Force, can do a lot with it," she explained, doing her best to make her voice as soothing as possible, "but not even the Force can create something out of nothing. I can move souls from one place to another, from one body to another, but even something like that comes with a great price. The last time I tried, I almost died myself, and for real this time. I don't know what manner of storm it was, or what sort of goons Tacitus employs, but I'm willing to wager that at the most, they woke up something that was already inside of you, or made you more aware of it. Likely, you had gone through life up until that point unaware that you had it, and without the opportunity to see that you had."

Of course, Scherezade's own thoughts went to much deeper and darker places. She did not believe Tacitus was a man who was above manipulating such an event to his cause, to bring Ingrid in and use her as his own little puppet. After all, she had the classic profile for it; married into the right caste, intelligent, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ripe for the picking.

But those thoughts, for the moment at least, she kept to herself.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

---

She nods after the other woman’s words. It means a lot to her, even if she didn’t show it. Ingrid looked shocked when Scherezade said what she can do with the Force. Moving souls from one body to another? This sounded unnatural to her. For a moment she shuddered. She did not dare to ask how this was possible, she probably wouldn't understand, because the Force is so far from her, even now she is Force sensitive.

”As far as I know, the Force is in everything and everyone… so maybe you are right and that lighting what is hit me, just wake up this whole thing or just strengthen up this.” she replied.

And after that she thought about it. Maybe this is the truth. Even he knew it there was a lot of innate Force sensitive race in the galaxy, but this not meant they could use the Force too. Maybe she was the same until then. But that was the past, she need focus on the future.

”Not just you was the only person who tell me, if I don’t get a training I can become dangerous. How did you mean that?” she asked.

She really interested about it, and she just hoped Scherezade don’t send her to the outer rim. After the possible answer, one more question came to his mind. Unfortunately this may have been a sensitive topic after that Scherezade tell on their last mission.

”You said before on our mission Darth Tacitus is a bad and evil person. I know what he has done to you, because you tell me. But I still don’t know him as a person, just like the Emperor and this is not so much. He tell me he’ll start my training but we don’t start yet…”

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]​

Scherezade nodded. Maybe it was the storm indeed that had awakened what was inside of the Red Witch all along. But there was no way that she was going to believe that prior to it, the woman was essentially Force Dead. Not without some hardcore evidence which she already knew didn't really exist.

And now, Ingrid wanted her to explain what she'd meant by becoming dangerous. "Those of us who can wield the Force, who are powerful with it, need to use it," she said carefully, "Something changes when we know we have it. Sometimes even if we don't. You'll sometimes see Force sensitive children performing things they should not know how to do. Things move around the room, thoughts are read, snow falls. For a certain percentage though, if they do not learn how to control it, it controls them.

That is when you do not survive the storm, but the storm becomes you, and there is nothing you can do to keep you yourself. This doesn't happen to everyone, but it's a potential threat to us all, and it why we must train to control our powers and abilities."

Sighing, she took a sip from her drink. Memories flashed inside her mind; flashes of her grandmother, a former Dark Lady of the Sith, turning everything around her into ice when she lost her control. Her mother, one of the most powerful Sith Sorceresses to have ever waked the galaxy, being overtaken by it and draining the life out of those around her when her own control was lost, even if it were people she loved and would never harm under other circumstances. It was never a pretty sight when it happened. And yet, it still happened. Training was the only way Scherezade knew of to minimize the danger.

"If that silly man refuses to begin your training," Scherezade said as she renewed her attention on the Red Witch, "then I can teach you."

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: [member="Scherezade deWinter"]

---

As before, Ingrid turned her full attention to Scherezade. She honored her anyway, but this time she heard very important information too. That was very new to her, never heard before from such things if you wield something you need to use it. But finally she understand why the Force users need to trained, how they may become dangerous. If they can’t control it, that could be dangerous. She nodded when Scherezade finished the explanation.

”I understand now, thank you!” she said.

She didn’t saw how she become this, or how she reach this power. Maybe she didn’t want it. She was a good agent without this, but the Force changes her life. Happy ignorance! She didn’t even know how to tell this to her family, or to her husband. They spoke about having children, Ingrid was almost accept this, but after this, she didn’t know. Her husband was non Force sensitive, just like her before, they hoped their child will be non Force sensitive too. But after this? They need to wait until she can handle this and learn everything she can. Ingrid was drawn back to reality by Scherezade words.

”Really?!” she surprised.

And this surprising sits out her face. One of the rare occasions, and she realized that soon, so she controlled her emotions, and retook her sabacc’s face.

”Actually he started, but… he handle me as if I knew everything… But I’m not… I don’t even know how to use my feelings. I learned in my whole life to control them, to smother them. As an agent, or assassin I can’t use them, just what I learned, my skills. But [member="Darth Tacitus"] want me to use my hatred, anger, my frustrations to summon lightning, or dark spear… How should I learn this if I don’t know the basic?“ she sight.

She sipping her drink, then pulled down the whole drink, after this, she signed to the waitress, to need a new drink.

”But if you can teach me to the basics of the Force using, I would be extremely grateful for it.” she said.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Ingrid L'lerim"]​

"That is just like Kainan," Scherezade muttered, "To be so unaware that not everyone knows what he does at present and to work from that assumption."

She understood the Red Witch's plight though. While Scherezade's own struggles had not been anywhere near similar, she had enough memories inside her head of her grandmother, and the acolytes she had trained. Many, especially those who had come into their abilities at later ages, had proclaimed feeling similar to how Ingrid said she was now.

Which was why she was more than surprised (but not super surprised) that Tacitus would not be able to handle it. It wasn't that out of the question.

Grinning, Scherezade motioned for the waitress to get her a glass of water, and emptied it on the table as soon as she received it, soaking a whole bunch of napkins into the water until she had wet napkins that were easy to manage.

Forming them into a ball, she tossed it, letting it land in front of Ingrid with a soft wet squish sound.

"Take it with your hands," Scherezade instructed her, grinning, "Play with it. See how it responds to your touch. Try to ignore the icky wetness, we don't have any clay around here right now."

Taking another sip from her drink, the Sithling noted how much slower she drank compared to other people. Still, she ate a lot faster than most of them. Did it mean something? Did it mean nothing? Only time would tell.

Turning back to Ingrid, she smiled, "Now I want you to mold it into a shape that you think suits an angry feeling," she explained, "Maybe it's a ball, or a triangle, or a weird squiggly thing. Your hands, your fingers. Try to remember what they feel like when you are angry, and work a new shape with that memory being in effect."

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard​

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: Scherezade deWinter

”Yeah, that is how the manipulators are working” she nodded after Scherezade words.

What she knows about the Siths, they were all manipulators, so that her emperor said that to her, is totally fit to this world view. But! He didn't leave Ingrid behind, and made her his apprentice. She still didn’t know, and one thing that she knows right now, she needs one more drink, strong drink preferably. Ingrid signed to the waitress, and drank the drink for a pull.

Water? She didn't know what Scherezade thought, but it soon became clear. She was surprised, when the water took the form and landed in front of her. She reached out her hand and touched the water ball. It started to surge a bit. She nodded to the instructions, and started to concentrate on anger, or hatred. But again, she failed. She tried again, and again. She easily excluded the outside world, and tried to concentrate on the negative feelings, but failed again.

”That’s the biggest problem, I don’t know how I should feel anger, or hatred.” she sighed. ”I was a very young, two, or two and half, when my teachers started my training. The first lessons were, how to control, and suppress my emotions. This is the reason why I keep my cold blood in any situation. I suppress any bothering emotions instinctively. I can feel emotions, I’m not a sociopath, just I don’t know how to not suppress the distracting feelings.”

Maybe it sounded funny, but it was not. When she was on the battlefield, or under the enemy line, this is a very good “feature”. When she needs to kill, it was useful again, and then when she needs to act, it’s useful again. But she needs to use the force, there is not.

”You can see now, when I mentioned the basics, what I meant” she replied.

​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Ingrid L'lerim​

Scherezade looked as Ingrid did her best to follow her instructions, and remained silent even as she realized her redheaded friend was struggling. Not everyone got it at a first try, and the oldest and more experienced in life a person was, the longer it tended to take before things clicked into place. But perhaps… Perhaps something else was in the way.

And as Ingrid explained, it clicked for Scherezade. The thing that was in the way of Ingrid's training… Was Ingrid's training.

"There are drugs that can help," the Sithling pointed out, "drugs that remove the stops and walls that you've yourself have created with your former training. If used correctly, their effects can be temporary, just to show you how it feels and what to do. I believe you have the brain power to remember the physical and background memories of it to re-create enough of it without the drugs."

But… It was a big thing. It wasn't something like getting a death stick. Death sticks were easy. The ones that Scherezade had mentioned… If overdosed, could give Ingrid something like BPD or worse.

"This is not a decision to make now, tough," she said, taking a sip from her drink, "and if the decision ends up being a yes, it's going to take weeks, maybe even months, to set up a controlled environment for it make sure you remain safe. It's not a teen vaping party or something like that."

No… Definitely not for now. But if Ingrid decided to go for it… Well, both birds knew more than enough people and had more than enough strings to pull on in order to make it happen in the safest way that they could.

"I can also drop you into a pit of snakes without any weapons or armor and let you handle it yourself," she grinned.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard​

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: Scherezade deWinter

She didn't really know something was going wrong, but this may be a simple task… Her mental training was too good, when she was a child. Sometimes that was a reason why she felt herself different, and thanks to her genetic anomaly too. That's why she needs a master, trainer to the force now. She thought the other woman words. Could this work? She doubted that her training was extensive, including they trained her, if anyone captured her, she never told anything to the enemy, even if she got drugs.

”Maybe, maybe it does more harm than benefit. If it is possible, I can’t risk that” she replied.

She wants to use this way, if there is no other option. So she hoped they would find something else. She was grateful to Scherezade for not wanting an answer right now. If she needed right now, Ingrid was absolutely sure, she tells nope than. This is not that question what she can answer right now. She needs to think about it, think carefully, and before telling the answer. Weeks and months, just as she thought, or more. And then they didn't even say what it was her body adapted to the drugs, or she became addicted.

”You know, I’m not good with the Force yet, but… there is a method, I use not mine feelings and emotions, but others feelings or emotions? I felt, or maybe the sense is a better word… I felt other people’s emotions and feelings before. If I concentrate I can sense right now too. Could I use these feelings somehow?” she asked.

If there was something like that, it might have worked, she hopes that. Maybe this was the key in her case. She laughed involuntarily to mention the snake pit.

”It would be a normal day to me” she tittered, and after that she grinned.

After that, she thought about it, if her idea is not working, maybe she needs to find an extreme situation, where she needs to act instinctively, maybe her feelings will not let her down there, and she can use them… Too many maybe…

​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Ingrid L'lerim​

"Empathy," Scherezade answered with a smile. "That is what you're describing. Most sentients have a certain degree of it, this ability to feel what others are feeling. But those who use the Force… They can sometimes become so in tune with it that they confuse other people's emotions for their own."

Leaning back in her chair, Scherezade stared forward a moment, running some thoughts and calculations through her head. Was it possible to use those feelings? "To the Sith," she chewed out loud on her thoughts, "using the emotions of others such as hate, despair, pain… That's simple enough. But to use others…"

It would be something to behold though.

"Probably," she grinned, "But let's start with the basics. I want you to try to sense what my feelings are… And then I want you to find abstract imagining for it and imagine yourself taking it away."

There were… Numerous ways to do the taking it away part. Some of them even involved extreme violence.

Closing her eyes, Scherezade concentrated now. Memories flashed behind her eyes as she searched for the right ones. On the outside, the SIthling remained serene, calm even. But inside… Inside of her, her feelings surged and roared, the anger rising above everything else, in sufficient volume to drown almost everything out.

A normal person would've wondered how the heck she'd let it take so many parts of her over so quickly.

It was a good thing that there were no 'normal people' here.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard​

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: Scherezade deWinter

Empathy, logical name. Definitely. She nods Scherezade’s words, now she understands this too. She gained new information about the Force too. When it happened, every time she felt she knew nothing. Or maybe she knows less and less about the Force. It was too mystic, and not science.

”I learned to read someone’s body language, or read their look, their mimicry, but this is different, and new. I used to think that most sentient people are open books to me. This is an advantage of being an agent, but to feel their feelings is different… But I think you know what I’m talking about…” she said.

Probably, maybe she will ask Kainan Wolfe , maybe Ingrid’s other master knows the answer. Not because she didn't trust her, but Scherezade was a sith warrior, while Tacitus was a sorcerer. Two aspects of the Force, or maybe she can call that the two sides of the dark force? She didn't know which one was more accurate in this case. Never mind, the present is important.

”Understood!” she replied.

On the outside, she seemed completely calm to Ingrid, but she suspects this is not really true. She can try before to exclude others feelings, but never to feel. It was instinctive. So she tried what she did, when she wanted to exclude them. Ingrid closed her eyes too, and tried to concentrate. This time it was easier, than as if he were supposed to release her own feelings. When she closed her eyes, she still “saw” the other woman, but it was not really her, just her aura.

It was dark, and if she had to write it around, it was like burning, burning with dark flames, which are not burns. She tried to reach Scherezade’s aura, or herself, but not with her arms, just with her mind, with the Force. She did it, when she touched the aura; she felt the anger, the hatred, the dark emotions. It was overwhelming.

”Whoa! Anger, lot of anger!” she whispered.

And now the second part, try to take it. She didn’t know how to start it, so the first time she just dipped in it; she let the anger flow through her. It was intoxicating; Ingrid never felt such a thing before. She tries to use these emotions. When she concentrates, she sees the things through the Force, glasses, plates, chairs. She tried to reach with this force to lift the objects, and everything in her vicinity rises a bit. She felt them, felt everything as if they were alive. But this only took a few seconds, then everything fell, and Ingrid opened her eyes. She gasped a little, as if doing something difficult.

”It was me or you?” she asked.

​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Ingrid L'lerim​

Scherezade barely heard Ingrid as she said she'd understood. The anger had risen now, and Scherezade could feel the blood bubbling in her ear drums because of how intense it was. Calling up the emotions that were regarded as negative had always been easy to her. There were a very few things that could silence the emotions when they decided to bubble, but when she called them herself… That was when she felt the least human. THe least attached to her body and her existence. She loathed doing it. And still she would repeat it, time and time again, for… For a friend.

Ingrid's whisper, though it had come in surprise, only showed Scherezade that not all of it was out. There were entire depths and abyss inside of the Sithling, and it often felt to her that the day she unleashed them all at maximum settings, it would consume her own body and destroy her. Or maybe those were just daymares, something for her mind to keep occupied instead of focusing on the elaborate quiltwork of traumas that she was made of.

And then Ingrid did what Scherezade had asked of her… But not in the way that Scherezade had expected. The pull on the Force was tangible, vibrating through her body, leaving echoes behind it. Scherezade blinked in her surprise. Only one time before had someone tried to take her emotions. It had ended in them almost being murdered by her, even though it had meant to be a gesture of kindness.

For the length of a heart beat, the Sithling held her breath. The anger bubbled beyond the cauldron's edge, and now it was no longer her anger. She felt Ingrid's talons closing in around it, not just to use it, but to draw it in to make it her own first.

Everything inside the Blood Hound's mind screamed. There were rules. There were limitations. The anger was meant to be hers. She had meant for her redheaded friend to borrow it, but now it was not quite borrowing, but something more akin to claiming. There was no consent or permission anymore, but only anger that seemed to flow into holes that were never designed for it to go through.

And then Ingrid let a little sound, Scherezade blinked, and they were there again, with everything normal, and the anger having completely vanished. She… Was not used to it happening quite like this.

"What…" she mumbled before catching herself. The entire thing had lasted perhaps a few seconds at most, but to Scherezade, it had felt like hours and more. "What was that? What did you do?"

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard​

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: Scherezade deWinter

The first thing Ingrid felt, Scherezade’s anger was gone, she felt the anger within herself for a few seconds, but she suppressed what she learned in the past. She didn’t need a lot of time, and the anger was gone forever. She didn’t believe what she did, it was amazing to her. She never thought she could do something like that. Telekinetic. She reads before, the powerful Force users even kill someone else with this power, as to suffocate them, or just break out the others neck. That was a small step, but she did it.

It did not happen many times, but she was surprised. And this became visible on her face. She didn't even know where to put the first word. Did she do something wrong? She used Scherezade’s anger and used the Force. She did perfectly what the other woman said, that’s why she didn’t understand the other woman’s reaction. What did she do?! It all went over her head, she already didn’t know what this whole thing was.

”What did I do?” she asked back.”I just did what you said! I gain strengths from your anger, and I… I lifted the objects, nothing more… And then I think you finished to generate, or channel your anger. Or not?”

Her voice this time was not too confident. This reaction she received from the other woman was not what she expected. She can’t imagine what went aside, or what was the problem. She hopes Scherezade will answer that. She was not bashful, but this time she averted her glance and she watched the floor. She felt like when she was a student and she messed up something.

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[Scherezade deWinter]

Ingrid L'lerim​

Scherezade could do nothing but shake her head as Ingrid described what she thought she did.

She closed her eyes, searching inside herself. She knew where her anger lay, she knew how to access it artificially, in a controlled manner. It was an unstable ember, crackling almost quietly most of the time, but a small spark could ignite it and give her the motivation to burn entire worlds. It was a volatile thing, it was a beautiful thing, it was…

It was missing a piece of it. Not big enough to make a dent. Scherezade was still pretty certain that Ingrid hadn't actually damaged her. But something else…

"Use the Force to look inside yourself," she whispered, looking at her redheaded friend again, "Find something… Something that you didn't have before. Not in the same way."

She had her suspicions. Ingrid had done something… That frankly, wasn't meant to be done without a lot of focus and experience. You couldn't just take something like that, not that Scherezade had ever heard of. But her friend was… Unique, even if her friend refused to believe it herself.

And they were going to find how just how deep Ingrid's well went.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's right hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard​

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis
Tag: Scherezade deWinter

Ingrid still received no response, just headshaking. She still didn’t know what she was done, or not done. It was not characteristic of her, but she was a little nervous, and this time she can’t smother it. Maybe it was not real nervousness, just anxiety. She didn’t want to harm Scherezade, but she maybe did this, against her will. It didn't help that either that the other woman didn’t answer her. She takes a deep breath, and she tries to reassure herself. She waits, and watches, she didn’t know what Scherezade did this time, just she saw on her, maybe she tried to meditate, or concentrate? Maybe.

She finally got an answer; though that surprised her, found something inside herself? This possibility sounded pretty scary, but she nods to it. She does not really know how she should do this, but she will try. She reached out to the Force and tried to concentrate, this time she did not try to use it on the terrain, or someone else, now she “turned” it into herself. Ingrid never did this before, so she didn’t know what she needed to find or feel under this. She felt her two sides what she inherited from her parents. The half of the cold, frosty, stiff, spacer, and the other half of playful, flirting, passionate. She felt herself.

She didn’t know what she needed to find, until she felt it. Deep in herself, something which was not appropriate. Anger and rage. Now she felt that feeling was not hers, but she smother just like her own feelings. This feeling feels like Scherezade. Ingrid did not understand how it was even possible. She not just uses the other woman’s emotions, but she steals it! She finished the Force skill with confusion and looked at the other woman. But how? This time her thoughts were visible on her face.

”I feel your anger and rage inside me… I feel it’s not mine, it feels like you in the Force. How is this possible at all? I don’t want to steal it, just use it.” she said in confusion.

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