Fire and Blood

[Ameli Trahir]

The ship broke into the atmosphere and began its descent towards the fire red planet of Iridonia. The ship. Just a ship. Who knew what kind. She'd given up remembering names and models. Give it a name and you get attached. She had crashed one too many ship to risk that. It was a transport ship with high speed and manoeuvrability but not much to speak of in terms of armament. Ameli wasn't entirely sure what it could do. Not like she had legally acquired it.

Ameli leaned back into a comfortable leather chair with her feet planted up on the table in front. This was probably intended to be some kind of conference room. Instead, she used it as her wine&chill room. In fact, she was sipping a glass filled to the brim at this very moment, despite supposedly being responsible for flying this thing. Ameli didn't care about safety regulations. There were no space cops around. #Unhinged.

Ameli suddenly sat upright and started sipping her wine with furious determination. It had seemed a great idea at the time, but as they broke into atmosphere and hit that turbulence she realised she would inevitably spill her drink. Table, carpet, all good, but getting anything on her fabulous onesie was out of the question. Wide eyes stared over in Sena's direction, with her mouth loud at work draining the cup. Or rather, wide eye. She had a large black eye-patch over her left eye. She was expecting to find a healthy measure of judging staring back at her from on the other end of the table.

[member="Lassiter"] [member="Vaylin"]

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Ameli Trahir"] // [member="Vaylin"]

Life as a contract broker was pretty sweet. It was open hours, open season even, and no matter where you turned and no matter where you went someone would always seem to want someone dead. It just went to show that envy would always have a special place in Sena’s heart even when she’d thought it not to be. Life aboard a ship had long-since become a habit of hers, spending more than a few weeks or even months without ever touching ground on any planet worth of mention. Iridonia would be a first in a very, very long time.

Judging eyes had indeed set on Ameli by the time the ship entered atmo. Intermittent chews caused her jaw to grind up and down as her head shook with a still somewhat half-amused smirk on Lassiter’s lips. As far as priorities went they had never really seen eye to eye, but that mattered little when they saw eye to eye on just about everything else. Mindlessly sacrificing a person to their shared goddess? Check. Using religion as an excuse for mass murder, also check. Not that the two examples hadn’t been used at the same time more than once.

They were, all things considered, two unhinged individuals in a co-dependent relationship.

Take that as you wish. They were not afraid to admit their faults, and thrive in them.

“You’re going to poke your free eye out if you keep going like that.” The ship shook and Sena corrected her plate to keep it from falling off the table. “And could you be a sweetheart and land the ship before it lands for us?”

“Ship crashes is not a shared venture, that’s all on you.” The half-breed chuckled and continued to eat. “Today, my dear. Vamoose.”

 

[Vaylin]

Iridonia.

It had been a long time since Vaylin had set foot on her homeworld, hell it had been almost nine/ten years since she had even thought about it. She had left a childhood of cruelty behind, only to end up smothered by the Jedi then get everything torn apart when the Netherworld had cast her into isolation on Dxun.

Never had she really thought about returning, what point was there?

The only thing of worth that might remain was her father and little sister. But it was the latter of the two that had gotten the Zabrak thinking.

For the years they were children, Vaylin had defended her younger sibling from their mother. And now after all these years, she admittedly feared what had become of her.

It was part of the reason why she had decided to return.

The other, was because the Zabrak was thirsting for blood.

Piloting her ship down to the planet's surface had been relatively easy, even for someone like Vaylin who didn't really take well to flying so much. She walked down the ramp, dressed in a more casual attire than her usual armour. Or well what she considered 'casual' anyway.

As her boots hit the ground, stepping onto Iridonia for the first time in nine years, Vaylin felt that familiar buzz from within.

Today, her mother was going to die.

[member="Ameli Trahir"] | [member="Lassiter"]​

 

[Ameli Trahir]

Glug....glug....glug...

Was it Corellian? Did it matter? Fine wine you enjoy right off the bat. If it's sub-par you simply drink until it starts tasting better. Ameli was a master of responsible life decisions. #NoMemoryNoRegret

Her side of the table was visibly painted in red, but shooting her chair back and torso forwards had saved the outfit. And at the end of the day, that was what mattered. If she was going to be the last thing her victims saw, she owed it to the people she killed not to look like a slob. That's a joke, she doesn't care.

After a prolonged staring contest with the ultimate partner in crime, the only one who understood most of her and tolerated all of her, the second best killer in the galaxy, shots fired, the glass was finally empty. With a flick of the wrist it impacted against the wall, leaving its shattered shards spread haphazardly over the floor. "Am not" Ameli shot back as she flipped up the eye-patch, planting it on her forehead while revealing a perfectly functional eye free from injury. She had just thought the eye-patch looked cool.

I'm in control. That was the sort of aura she wanted to communicate over to Sena. But then of course the matter of piloting ship came into play. "Doesn't the droid-"wait, no, not after target practice last night.

'Today, my dear. Vamoose.' Sena said, calmly. "Karkkarkkarkkark" said the blonde who ran past her at a pace, in heels, who was anything but calm. Yeah they were totally gonna be fine.

The ship was of course heading towards the planet and going way too fast. In a panic Ameli's hand swiped across a panel of buttons and control. Tchuu tchuu. Two red lasers raced out ahead of the ship, coming out of its front cannons. "...Oh feth" Luckily for Ameli she regained control of the ship shortly after and began bringing them in at a reduced pace. It was a struggle, they were still coming in way too hot, but she believed she was starting to get control over the situation. Unluckily for Vaylin, those two red lasers had been headed straight for her ship...

| [member="Lassiter"] | [member="Vaylin"] |​

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Ameli Trahir"] // [member="Vaylin"]

It wasn’t exactly like Lassiter would stop grinning at Ameli’s insolence. Most masters would have had their apprentices knocked down to size over such remarks, but there were several reasons why Sena wouldn’t. One, Ameli’s overconfidence was one of the things that she loved about her. Two, Ameli was no longer her apprentice, or at the very least to consider her as such would be an insult to the other woman’s abilities. The grin on Sena’s lips would expose her teeth ever so slightly before she took another bite of her food, cutting the piece of meat on her plate with uncanny precision. The droid was fried, the autopilot was their best hope, and if they died they died.

At this point Sena was really just open to die. Anytime, anywhere. There were worse ways to die than at the side of the person you loved. Or rather, thought you loved? It was still an emotion Sena wasn’t quite sure how to really process. On one hand she wanted Ameli all to herself, on the other she knew that it just wasn’t plausible. They were both in a business where bodies had more use than just transporting your mind to one place or the other. It was a tool, or a weapon either, and to tell either of them to stop using it over something as petty as “I want it to myself” was just out of the question.

It was a good tool, and to not use good tools was a shame.

Nobody wanted to be ashamed. Not even Lassiter.

The sound of the ship firing its bolts reverberated around the master, yet she continued to eat her food in peace. Her trust in Ameli to do the right thing, all thigns considered, was what had drawn them together after all. Even if the “right thing” had, at the time, been the most tantalizing murder-robbery that the half-Vahla had ever had the honor and privilege of witnessing.

And that body…

In the end she owned that. She could die happy knowing that.

The ship evened out, eventually, and Sena resumed eating. This meal was delicious! She should have brainwashed a five-star cook years ago! The very same cook who was, without a doubt, cowering in his kitchen as the situation had played out.

... He'd get over it.

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin's thoughts were occupied with planning, working out the best way to locate and confront her mother. Finding her was probably the simplest matter, knowing the old crone was most likely still living in the family estate.

It brought a particular thought to the front of her mind. How long had it been since she had last actually used her last name?

The Zabrak remembered casting it off, smuggled off Iridonia originally and taken to the Jedi Order of the time. She had introduced herself as simply 'Vaylin'. Even then, so shortly after leaving, there was a desire to not want to be attached to the name anymore, to severe what tied her to back to her family.

And Vaylin had never looked back, until today. She now felt comfortable where she was, no longer the beast trapped in a jungle. But a Sith, maybe something more...she didn't know.

But what she did know, was there were things still binding her to the past. Another day, hour, minute and moment further that her mother remained alive was a stain on what the Zabrak strived for.

The only concerns Vaylin really had were towards her siblings...Although that thought was pushed away when she heard the sound of something approaching. She looked up high and saw two red streaks come zipping down through the clouds. It took a moment for her to realize, and by the time it did both lasers struck her ship dead on.

Vaylin blinked.

"Are you karking-" Ka-Boom

The Zabrak was interrupted by her ship exploding, though thankfully she was far enough away that she didn't get hit by it or any debris that came flying by. Vaylin's immediately caught sight of another ship as it came soaring down, seemingly crashing from the looks of things.

"Yeah. You better karking crash you-" Several more curses escaped the Zabrak's lips as she stalked across the ground following the path of where the vessel was heading. Growing annoyed when it became apparent they would have a smooth landing after all, but also relieved someone would at least be alive to get her hands on.

[member="Ameli Trahir"] | [member="Lassiter"]​

 

[Ameli Trahir]

Sena was calm throughout the whole affair, finishing up the delicious meal prepared by a top chef on pain of death should it be sub-par. Over time she had grown used to Ameli's shenanigans and built up a tolerance no one else in the galaxy could match. She was a handful. But the duo went well together, some might even say completed each other. They were each others' strength and weakness. Perhaps Sena cut the worst deal in regards to this, as having someone as reckless as Ameli be your weakness wasn't the safest thing in the world. But then again, Sena was the stronger of the two. She could handle it. Sena could mostly handle herself.

Despite reducing the height of the treeline in a nearby woods, the landing was a smooth affair. They came down fast and without incident or crash, if one did not consider the decapitated trees and dragging marks left deep in the soil. Ameli walked back past Sena with a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head as if she hadn't just nearly gotten them both killed due to neglect.

It might be worthwhile to inspect whether the ship needed repairs. Although whenever that happened, Ameli usually just 'acquired' a new one. "We're here" time to do good on the word of Vahl, and spread it to this horny population. In that the Zabraks had horns. Don't get carried away. "How do you wanna play this? Think there'll be a fight?" Oh please let there be a fight. Ameli grabbed her lightsaber and made way towards the ramp which would begin lowering itself, most likely to reveal a most grumpy Zabrak who had just gotten her ship blown apart. Woopsie.

| [member="Lassiter"] | [member="Vaylin"] |​

 

[Lassiter]

Some would call it tolerance, someone smarter would call it a life-long exercise in patience. Sena wasn’t exactly known for her patience, but Ameli had certainly helped her grow one. Or perhaps that was just a part of growing up and Ameli had been there for other more physical experiences. Such as actually working out properly. Don’t get carried away. It took a lot to look this good, and Ameli had given the assassin the crash course in it all. Of course she was no fashionista newb, but compared to her significant other…

She kinda was.

Sena looked fabulous now. She obviously always had, but with Ameli’s help she had transcended the looks of mere mortals. Few compared to her now, few ever reached her level of both looks and vanity. Both of which were increasingly useful tools in Lassiter’s line of work the more she utilized them. No doubts the same went for little Trahir and her business, whatever her business she was up to like the cute little psycho that she was.

The ship began to shake and Sena lifted her food with the force and focused on herself and the plate of food. There was no need for it to get lost when she was so close to finishing it. The ship inevitably crashed into the ground, and that was when Lassiter would lower herself to the ground again to wrap up her meal. Ameli entered with an awkward grin on her lips. Lassiter swallowed the last piece of her food and grabbed a nearby napkin to ever so gently pat the dirt and grease from her lips before dropping it on the table again.

Legs pushed the chair she had been seated in until it fell over in the already massively disarrayed room.

“Well, at least we’re alive.” Sena shrugged and approached Ameli to place a kiss on her forehead. “I think there will be a fight, and you are going to get carried away again.”

“I think, I will save our skins — again — after which we will go back to the High Priestess and let her know that the task has been done. Just as asked of us”

The ramp lowered to reveal a woman already on the war path to them.

“Great…” Sena groaned and raised her hand. “How about not just yet though.”

A small whisper would begin to pour into Vaylin’s mind. Something warm, and sort of… Intoxicating. The world started to grow more bright, and colorful. Or rather, well, Iridionia being what it was… It was at the very least starting to feel a little bit warmer. The whisper began totry and envelop the approaching zabrak’s mind with a very simple message.

Oh my god, it’s us! Oh gooood, you totally love us! It’s been so long since last, but most of all you want to drop all of your weapons and approach us with a great big smile on your lips.

There was no such thing as sarcasm in the world of mentalism.

[member="Ameli Trahir"] // [member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin was fuming. Vaylin was pissed. Vaylin wanted to tear their ship apart piece by piece. And she very well might considering their vessel had managed to land on the ground...after having blown hers up.

Thankfully there had been nothing of value located on it, but the fact it was destroyed was more than enough to earn Vaylin's rage. Sure it hadn't cost the Zabrak a whole lot, it had been given to her on the eve of her going out to explore the galaxy. It was the time spent that hit more, all those months finally getting use to being in a ship - flying it more importantly. Now that was gone.

Her hand reached for her lightsaber as she made the last stretch, watching as the ship ramp lowered and two figures gradually made their way down it. Both women, one already with her weapon in hand.

But it was the redhead that made her pause, the soft whisper in her mind trying to coax her into doing something else. Immediately the Zabrak was reminded of Athiss, and that was not what you wanted Vaylin to be remembering right now. One of her eyes twitched, followed by her entire body as she took a step forwards, then another and another. It wasn't exactly easy, but Vaylin had since been trained to defend her mind and fight back against intrusions. There was also the Oculus if it got to that point of being required.

She continued to move forwards to the best of her ability, amber eyes almost on fire with how much rage was flowing through her. If it were possible, there would likely be steam coming out of her ears right now.

However, as the Zabrak got closer she suddenly paused. Her eyes shifted away from Sena and landed on Ameli.

Vaylin blinked, remembering that she had seen the blonde hair before. She couldn't place it initially, and the anger burned away in favour of curiosity. Then it finally struck her why the woman seemed so familiar.

"We've met before...on Maena."

[member="Ameli Trahir"] | [member="Lassiter"]​

 

[Ameli Trahir]

Ameli had stopped, turned, face looking like she was about to give some indignant response. But her frown turned upside down, and with a grin she said "You're probably right" Hardly able to contain her excitement. FUN WAS HAPPENING. And Sena would save her butt if things got out on control. Free pass to go nuts. Awesome.

"Oh... Didn't expect action this early, but I won't say no" The grin turned to a smirk and the short blonde began gathered the Dark Side to her, ready to release in a powerful-wait, this is, this is, whatsthechick, from that one thing in that one place? Yeah even to herself Ameli was hardly making much sense. "Hang on" she muttered thoughtful, head titled sideways like a confused puppy.

It wasn't just her it seemed, the furious Zabrak slowed down as well, eyes directly at her. Then she spoke... Maena? Had she ever been on Maena? What was a Maen-OH MY GOD THAT PLACE. Where she had spotted Carach. And then not talked to him at all. #Awkward. But that was on him. "YES" suddenly Ameli exclaimed, arms raised above her head in triumph like she had just finished ahead of her competition in a race. "You're the one with the butt!" equally excited, she said turning to Sena with a huge grin and then suddenly paused. "I mean... Not that I... We" she paused again, wait what was she doing "Not that it would matter even if we had... But like we didn't- and I don't- AAH" too many thoughts. So many rules and exceptions they were aware of. No, she was digging herself into a hole, she felt like, and she couldn't tell if Sena would either laugh or get angry with her.

Then she had it! An idea, something to solve all of this. Sena would understand. Sena would see. Ameli turned her attention from one hot woman to another (#LivingTheDream) and shouted down to Vaylin. "Could you turn around please? Just for a bit"

​

| [member="Lassiter"] | [member="Vaylin"] |​

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Ameli Trahir"] // [member="Vaylin"]

Crap. She just got even more mad. Well, Plan B it was then. Sena began reaching for the dagger hidden within her jacket but quickly stopped as Ameli supposedly told her to stop. A brow quirked and reached for the redhead’s hairline yet her hand remained within her jacket keeping a tight grip around the hilt of her blade. Ameli muttered the word ‘Maena’ and Lassiter rolled her eyes. Ameli seemed to celebrate remembering, uttering something while raising her hands for the sky.

Mouth ran agape, eyes darting between the approaching zabrak and then Ameli as she felt her knuckles tense up even further around the blade’s handle.

“What?” The words parted Sena’s lips with no small amount of incredulous confusion. “So you can stab her, right?”

That was what Ameli tended to want to do in these situations after all.

Eyes set on the zabrak. “I’d advise you to do it. My friend here is not known for her patience.”

And when that patience ran out…

Well, Sena only really found out what the aftermaths looked like, and they were never pretty.

“It is for your own sake, really.”

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak was admittedly rather bewildered by the blonde's or rather Ameli's; now that Vaylin recalled the woman's name, sudden shifts in emotion. She started off contemplative, likely trying to remember the evening on Maena. Then she suddenly burst into excitement, hands raised in the air 'n' all, when she finally recognized Vaylin.

But it was what exactly she remembered by, that caught the Zabrak by surprise.

My...butt? Vaylin had certainly got compliments on it in the past, but to be the thing that someone remembered her by.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she honestly wasn't sure whether she had heard Ameli right. The Zabrak looked over at Sena, with a look that basically asked: Is she...okay?

Then she was asked to turn around, and was immediately about to protest until the redhead spoke up. Vaylin couldn't help but agree, being equally suspicious they were going to stab her. Which would be fair, given she had just moments ago had thoughts of doing much worse for destroying her ship.

Still did, depending on how the present situation was going to turn out.

Vaylin raised an eyebrow at Sena's warning, but right now she was going to deter to someone who actually seemed to know the blonde. As such, the Zabrak slowly turned around until her back was facing them. Although it was hesitant, and she kept her head shifted to the side so she was looking behind her. Soon after, Vaylin turned back to face them.

"Satisfied?"

[member="Ameli Trahir"] | [member="Lassiter"]​

 

[Ameli Trahir]

There was something disarming about the whole scene. Moments before the Zabrak had been caring at them with fury burning hot in her eyes. Now she stood still, about as perplexed about the whole thing as Sena was. The whole scene was bizarre, but it had given way for conversations, followed by a slow but magnificent pirouette. If they hadn't known better, one might suspect her of being some sort of deranged mastermind. However, Sena did know better. Ameli was simply that confusing of a girl to be around.

"No,no! Look, look!" she said with a childish grin as the Zabrak did as she said, pointing at the woman's posterior. "Right? Right?"

When Vaylin asked if she was satisfied, Ameli almost too quick replied "Very." then in the next moment leaning sideways to whisper something to her companion. "She squats. Like a lot." Or maybe a secret potion was involved. Perhaps in time her secret would be revealed.

"Why do you want to kill us?" It wasn't an uncommon desire in those they met, but this situation felt far from common. And she knew her. Or kind of. She knew the circle of friends she kept, and couldn't think why they would want her dead. Probably a misunderstanding. Ameli was used to those. Usually by creating them herself.

But now she had been given a golden opportunity. A chance to prove to Sena her true quality. Smooth and slick as a serpent, Ameli slid into a saleswoman role. "If you're not too busy, do you have time to hear about or lord and saviour, the goddess Vahl?" thinking Vaylin wouldn't see, she turned sideways towards Sena, gave her to big thumbs up and a massive grin, before turning back to Vaylin maintaining the best poker face she had. She was so proud of herself. Look at her converting and staying on topic with their mission.

[member="Lassiter"] [member="Vaylin"]