Fire for the Firemane (Taryc formal intro to Firemane)

[H3xle]

It took Taryc a moment to shift from her previous thoughts, not nearly as fast as her young friend at switching from her inquisitor mindset to that of a normal human being. After a moment, a smile warmed her face and she nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea!" She said, the smile reaching her eyes easily. "Fire or blade? Or should we do some warm up stuff before either?" She asked, not intending to be lascivious, but unable to help grinning at the way it sounded out of her mouth. Taryc took a deep breath, and began walking out of the area, and back towards her quarters. She wanted to get out of her armor, for once, and do training unencumbered. She also wanted to get away from Nadvia's staring corpse and the thoughts that came hand in hand.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


If there was someone to whom the trope Stepford Smiler applied, it was definitely Elpsis. Her bubbly, upbeat attitude was often genuine, but also a coping mechanism when she was stressed or the situation was filled with gloom and grimness she didn't want to deal with.


Sometimes, it understandably rubbed people the wrong way. Fortunately, that was not the case here. She did not run, but she could not get away from the hangar fast enough. Her pace was not hurried, but quite quick without looking like she was running from the execution site. She did not want those vibes in her head. Or look upon the cooling corpses while they were being dragged out. If Leo had been here, she would have fed one of them to the Cylix.


Taryc's not at all lascivious query made her giggle like the schoolgirl she'd never been. "Yes, let's! Right now," she declared a bit too eagerly. In what seemed like a blur, she'd grabbed the older woman and pressed her lips against hers.


Whoever happened to pass by probably got quite a scene. "I'm cold...I don't want to think of dead bodies and betrayals now," the Elaris scion admitted in a strangely fragile voice, her cheeks flushing so strongly that they acquired the same colour as her flaming red hair. She practically dragged Taryc to the woman's room.

 

[H3xle]

One moment, Taryc was walking along towards her quarters with Elpsis, and in the next she was against the wall in a kiss. Taryc, honed by years in combat, reacted appropriately. Her hands came up and cradled Elpsis's head as she returned the kiss. Then they were off towards her room again, only much more swiftly.

"I'm cold...I don't want to think of dead bodies and betrayals now,"

"Elpsis..." She said, easily keeping up with her lover. Her heart went out to the woman, especially as certain things began to click in her mind. Elpsis was related to Siobhan, who was dealing with internal strife between Firemane and Tygara. While that didn't directly involve Elpsis, she was the type of person who would want to be seen as useful, and the most useful for Siobhan would always be a soldier, a fighter. The problem was, and it really wasn't a problem, with the fact that Elpsis was an empath. Attuned to the emotions of those around her, good and bad. She was also young, and possibly still learning to control her empathic senses even though she was undoubtedly more powerful than Taryc. Almost unconsciously, Taryc began to try to exude positive emotions. She wasn't a natural empath, but she tried to do it the same way she exuded her force signature. She had plenty of positive emotions right now, as she was hand in hand with Elpsis. So Taryc used the fire within to push out positive emotions to help soothe and warm Elpsis.

The turned the final corner, and came to Taryc's room. Taryc and Elpsis filed in quickly, then Taryc drew her hand back and pressed the door lock before turning back to Elpsis.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


"Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won."


Taryc read Elpsis very well. Undoubtedly her background as an Inquisitor was useful for reading people. Elpsis wanted to be the warrior who could make her family proud, be seen as useful and fight for truth and justice. But she was also an empath. When people died or suffered injuries, she felt it. The same applied to all the mess that came with a battle's aftermath.


She'd become a lot better at controlling her empathy. Walking through a crowd was no longer debilitating for her, but a battlefield was still painful. Very, very much. She would not admit this. Certainly not to those whose approval she craved.


But Taryc seemed to understand. A smile graced Elpsis' lips when she felt the surge of positive emotions emanating from the older woman. It almost felt to her as if her lover was deliberately trying to exude them for her benefit.


Actually, it definitely felt like that. However, they were not feigned. Elpsis was not a trained interrogator, but she liked to think she was good at separating fake emotions from the real deal. So it meant a lot. Warmth spread across her body. It felt like being covered by a warm blanket and being warmed at the fireplace after coming in from the biting cold of a snowstorm. Cheesy? Probably a bit, but it was an analogy Elpsis liked, so who cared? It helped calm the maelstrom of emotions.


The door closed behind them. For the moment, war, betrayal and cooling, bloody corpses were forgotten. Those images were flushed from her mind. "Come," Elpsis gently but insistently took Taryc's hand, pulling her closer as she led her to the bed. Once again, she kissed the Inquisitor with all the passion she could muster, then lowered herself onto the bed. "I'm cool with you taking control. I trust you, Taryc," she spoke feelingly. The scene probably faded to black as clothes were removed.

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

Taryc had intended to do some talking, but she wasn't at all resistant to Elpsis' idea. As armor and clothes were once again removed, the fade to black happened.

Later, Taryc lay abed, holding Elpsis and just breathing. Her eyes were closed, and her mind was content.

"I didn't think that was the training you'd had in mind." She purred softly after a few more minutes of peaceful quiet. "Not that I mind it at all, great cardio." She said with a smirk, then lapsed back into silence for a moment. "Elpsis...if you ever want or need to talk, you can talk to me. Nothing you tell me will go anywhere else." She said. The purr was gone, and in its place was a soft, worried tone. Her hands started tracing random figures on Elpsis' flesh, and she planted a soft kiss into her hair as she waited for a response.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


The curtain lifted, and Elpsis was content. Mind you, not just because the two had gotten very physical in presumably rather pleasurable time period behind the veil that this writer cannot elaborate on.


The kiddies might get hurt. This one can recommend a good invasion on a fire and brimstone planet. So far, no one has been flooded with lava, but this writer disgresses. Elpsis giggled girlishly when Taryc made her quip about their lovemaking being a great cardio.


"Intense workout, huh? You got...awesome stamina," the redhead could not resist quipping cornily. But corny jokes were soon replaced by something else. She felt the concern in Taryc's tone and smiled.


"Thanks. That means a lot. I think you're, like, real amazing. Same applies in reverse. If you wanna, come to me. I'm good at listening," she scooped closer towards Taryc and pulled her into a loose hug, resting her head on her shoulder. "You're real special. I'm very happy you're with me...us."

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

If she were a cat, she'd have purred. As it was, she wiggled a little to make sure she was as close to Elpsis as possible without physically climbing inside of her, which would either be impossible or immensely unpleasant.

"I am very happy as well. I came looking for a home, and it seems that I finally found it." She fell silent for a while, then kissed Elpsis on the cheek. "You are amazing just as you are, you know...you..." She fell silent, knowing that she was pushing into places that might best be left alone. However, she cared too much to do so. "You don't have to be anything but what you are, a compassionate and talented pyromancer and empath who loves her family and friends. You don't need to be a soldier, you don't need to be ok with death..." She took a deep breath. "I never had a choice in what I would become, not until long after I had been inured to death and torture. It has been a long road to get to where I am today, with you, but in the end, I am still ok with dealing death. There is a part of me that won't ever return, a part that doesn't let me feel the remorse that you do when you kill. Eventually, if you try hard enough, you can lose it too...but you don't need to. You are perfect as you are, perfect as a touchstone for a humanity that people like me could otherwise lose sight of..." She knew she was messing this up, the words didn't come out the way she wanted. The feelings didn't translate into words well enough, but still she tried.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


Elpsis looked stunned. The blind empathy needed a moment or two to gather her thoughts before she could formulate a coherent response. Her mouth hung open during that brief interval. She hugged Taryc tightly. "I...no one's ever spoken to me like that," she admitted. "It's always felt I must be tougher, push myself harder, not disappoint anyone." It would probably take some time for Taryc's words to fully sink, but it was an important step.


"I learned how to kill when I was young. Made a bunch of bad choices, ended up on the streets. Needed to be strong to survive. Used my powers for selfish reasons. It's stuff I gotta atone for. I'm good at fighting. Very good. But it messes me up inside," she took a breath. Her milky-white eyes stared into Taryc's grey-blue ones as if there was no one else in the world at the moment.


"You're a very special woman...and you've come a real long way. You're so kind, brave and beautiful. Don't think lesser of yourself because you're ready to do what's needed. I sure as hell don't. And if you feel like you're stumbling, I'll be there to help you up. We can be each other's touchstones."

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

"I used to think I was lesser...in those years between the fall of the Primeval and my decision to give myself a second chance." She confided, looking into Elpsis's eyes. "Then I spent some time trying to deny what I was, but that didn't last long. It is a miracle I didn't perish when the Primeval fell, even more of a miracle that I didn't end up like so many other Primeval operatives, either eternally in the last place they were ordered or completely insane. That all said, it was a long road to be able to come to terms with the fact that I am a warrior, ready to kill, and not a bad person because of it. You are a warrior as well, you have proven that over and over again, but killing doesn't sit well with you. It doesn't have to, and it doesn't make you any lesser than me or your Aunt." She paused and smiled while taking a breath. "I will always fight by your side, and I know you have my back..." She said, completely ignoring that she had met this woman only a short time before. "...but that doesn't always need to be in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable."

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]



"How is it that you can read me so well, get right to heart of my anxieties and make me feel better?" Elpsis asked in a fond tone. The question was rhetorical. One hand rubbed across her lover's back, drawing small circles.


"My father was an evil monster. I spent a lot of time on the run, haunted by him, afraid I'd become like him. Didn't know my mother till recently. Then Sio ripped his spine out. Been trying so hard to be as strong as she. Repay her, if you will. We're not blood, but she's family to me," she trailed off.


"I can fight. I want to. Light knows there's a lot of evil that has to be fought, even if it makes me uncomfortable. But with you at my side I feel like I can do this and contribute. I'm not my father's daughter or a street thug, just like you're the Primeval Inquisitor anymore. You're a force of good. A brave paladin."


I just met you...but I could fall for you. Very hard. It kinda scares me. Slowly, the young woman pulled away. She had the feeling that her clothes were once again strewn across the room. "So, are you up for some training stuff? I can show you cool fire things and you can make me suck less at stabbing dicks with the pointy end."

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

Taryc smiled as she listened. 'A force for good.' 'A brave Paladin.' She ran the thought through her head, and found that she liked it. It would definitely be the antithesis of the inquisitor she had been.

"Perhaps together we can help each other to become people that are both effective and comfortable." She sat up and looked around the room, grinning again.

"So, are you up for some training stuff? I can show you cool fire things and you can make me suck less at stabbing dicks with the pointy end."

"That sounds good. Is there someplace aboard that we can train with fire safely?" She asked. "I'd hate to have been accepted only to melt our way through the hull and ruin it all."

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


"Help each other," Elpsis repeated and smiled warmly. "I'd like that." Taryc's comment about ruining her newly started Firemane career by accidentally melting the hull made her giggle.


"Don't worry. I'll just bat my eyelashes and tell Auntie I'd be very sad if she sacked my girl." The words leapt from her lips before she could process them. Realising how she'd spoken about Taryc, the Fire Adept flushed strongly. "Uh, the training room's walls are very tough. Echani Graphite. It'll take a lot to melt them! Follow me."


So the pair headed to the training area, presumably after getting dressed in something lighter than beskar armour. It took a while to get there because the warship was bloody huge - the joke was that the folks in Engineering had set up a small tent city because they were practically on their own. However, after passing through what might have been an endless series of corridors, they reached the right room and Elpsis opened the door.


It looked like a regular training room that resembled an Atrisian dojo, though the walls and floor had been designed to withstand extreme heat, which probably was not an issue the average Jar'kai swordmaster or martial artist had to deal with. The Force was strong here, perhaps an echo of the adepts who trained here.


"There we are. The Order of Fire's members use this room to train. That's Firemane's Force-using branch, by the way. Since you're with the company and can do Forcey stuff, you're kind of a member now," Elpsis explained.


"So, what did Prime teach you about fire?" she spoke the name of Taryc's former masters without judgement. The bad things she'd done in their name were as much part of the Inquisitor's past as Elpsis time as a street thug and smuggler who made deals with slavers and pirates. They could not make it go away, just strive to do as much as they could in the present and future.

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

Taryc followed along with Elpsis quite happily. She was in training gear of some sort, likely sweats over something tighter, likely both marked with Firemane's logo as she was a company girl now.

"There we are. The Order of Fire's members use this room to train. That's Firemane's Force-using branch, by the way. Since you're with the company and can do Forcey stuff, you're kind of a member now,"

"Order of Fire, sounds tailor made to me." She replied grinning. She stretched a little, then unzipped her sweatshirt and dropped it out of the way and got out of her sweat pants. Wearing leggings and a sports bra, she kept stretching.

"So, what did Prime teach you about fire?"

"​I was trained in generation and rudimentary control. I can internalize it, as it's kind of become synonymous with my expression of the force. I also trained a bit with imbuement, as you saw with my sword. Depending on how much I focus, I can generate something on my own roughly the size of this room at normal fire density, and can concentrate the same mass of fire into a ball about the size of my body. I don't think I could do a wall like you did without practice, and I've seen some poeple be much more creative with their elementalism." She replied. She didn't even flinch at the mention of Primeval. While they were part of her past, she saw them as more targets of opportunity than anything else. "I've also practiced with sheathing my hands in fire, but that takes enough concentration that I fight like a two day old bantha."

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

She didn't even flinch at the mention of Primeval. While they were part of her past, she saw them as more targets of opportunity than anything else.

Two weeks later, the Primeval rose again after a brief sojourn in the shadows! Our two heroines would have new targets. They could be pyromantic knight errants, beating up bad guys, righting wrongs and having fade to black scenes. Who knew, maybe Elpsis could convert a Cthulhu cultist to the amazon faith!


Anyhow, it was training time. It was probably a good thing that Elpsis was blind, for otherwise the sight of Taryc stretching her muscles while only wearing a sports bra and leggings might have been very...distracting.


So without further ado Elpsis similarly liberated herself of obstructive clothing. "Ok. Figure that makes me kind of your opposite then. I could create bursts of flame from a very early age, but I didn't have any control. You would not believe how many times I scorched my own hands - or burnt paper. Accidentally set fire to a Jedi library once." Yes, it had been an accident. Really!


"I haven't tried imbuement. Maybe that's something you can show me some time. What I can do is boil someone's blood, emit blazing light to blind folks and channel concentrated heat to create a thermic lance to melt vehicle armour or cook whose armour keeps them safe from fireballs. It's only good at close range though."


She furrowed her brow in contemplation. Siobhan would have probably sicced a horde training droids on Taryc or duelled her. "Ok. Let's start simple. Stamina's important, so we can work on building yours up. I know for a fact that yours is already pretty good," at that she winked at the Inquisitor.


"I'm gonna toss a fireball at you, and I want you to catch it, absorb it and toss it back to me, kay? Between the two of us, it'll get more powerful with every throw." Pyromancers were not immune to heat per se, but able to absorb and drew strength from it. An orange ball of flame manifested in the palm of her hand, and she hurled it towards Taryc.


[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]

 

[H3xle]

"I haven't tried imbuement. Maybe that's something you can show me some time. What I can do is boil someone's blood, emit blazing light to blind folks and channel concentrated heat to create a thermic lance to melt vehicle armour or cook whose armour keeps them safe from fireballs. It's only good at close range though."

Taryc smiled and nodded. "It's both simpler and far harder than it would seem." She replied.

"Ok. Let's start simple. Stamina's important, so we can work on building yours up. I know for a fact that yours is already pretty good,"

Taryc grinned wickedly back, her cheeks reddening only slightly. "Somethings are definitely worth pushing limits for." She said with a wink back at her lover.

Taryc took a step back and brought her hands up. She tracked the ball of fire with her eyes, and felt out to it with her senses in the force. When it came close, she reached up and focused on pulling it into her. The flames splashed over her hands, and she knew she had lost some of it to wash back, but it was soon out. She then brought her right hand down in a snapping motion and generated a ball using all of the energy she had absorbed, with a little extra from her reserves. The ball in her hand was tinged a little violet, as seemed to happen with all of her overt force powers. She drew her hand up and snapped it out at Elpsis, flinging the ball back. She wasn't going for speed or power on the throw, just focusing on the feel of the fire and accuracy. Once the ball left her hand, she sank further into a modified horse stance and shook out her arms, ready to receive again.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


"Is that an invitation for me to push your limits, babe?" Elpsis asked cheekily. If her eyes had not been dead, there would have been a gleam in them. So there probably just was one in her aura. The redhead watched while her lover assimilated the ball of fire before being unleashed as a purple flame. Elpsis stretched out the open palm of her hand, as if about to catch a ball. Physically her eyes might not be able to see the flame, but she could feel it and, moreover, being a pyromancer, her senses were attuned to all forms of heat. So she tracked the flame with precision and pulled it into her.


Fire washed over her hand and her body temperature shot through the roof. For just a moment, there was a bright glow in her eyes before they became as vacant and milky as ever. Her hand glowed from within, illuminating the bones, blood vessels and the lines in her palm. Growing in intensity, the heat erupted through her skin until her hand was engulfed with fire like a torch.


However, Elpsis did not stop there. Perhaps she felt like showing off a bit. So rather than immediately bursting from her hand, the ball of flame began to morph, assuming the shape of a vaguely reptilian creature that resembled a serpent. The flaming snake opened its mouth, as if hissing at Taryc and seeking to swallow her hand, then Elpsis sent it hurtling towards the fire bender.

 

[H3xle]

Taryc grinned wickedly at her lover, and flared her aura by delving deeper into the force. An auric version of "You can try!"

Then she watched what Elpsis was doing. Both with her physical senses, and her senses in the force. What she saw, she memorized. She knew that Elpsis had a far more spiritual connection to Fire. That was a connection Taryc used to have, but not since the Primeval had fallen. Since then, her connection had become more standard, though not quite clinical. She wasn't a Jedi or Sith by any stretch of the imagination, so her relationship with the force wasn't formulaic. It was still a fluid thing, she had only removed the belief behind it.

The snake of fire struck out at Taryc. Deep inside, she felt the sting of fear pushing her to recoil from the snakes strike. However, Taryc was in command of her faculties fully. She drew her hands up from her waist as she inhaled, then thrust them both into the mouth of the fire beast. Once again, she focused on absorbing the fire. Her skin began to glow, and her eyes flashed into an indigo light. The nails on her fingers remained glowing as she absorbed the fire and contained it. Beads of sweat broke out across her skin, but she didn't seem otherwise disturbed by the heat, and this time she had been more efficient in her absorption.

With only a moment to think, she attempted to partially mimic her lovers trick. Her mind settled on one of the most prevalent fire animals across cultures, the firebird. Her arms went from their thrust forward to the sides, arms extended. She snapped her wrists out and flared her finger as she drew her arms back in front of her in imitation of the way a bird flies. She shaped the fire in her mind, and a rough avian image erupted from her and streaked towards Elpsis. The 'feathers' of the tail were tinged in violet fire.

Taryc then staggered slightly, she hadn't really trained this much in a long time. She kept her feet, though she straightened up slightly from her horse stance. She bounced for a moment as she watched, then settled back into her stance.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


"So pretty. Her gift is strong in you," Elpsis declared happily when the firebird of pure flame manifested. Her lips curled into a grin. Fly the avian flame did as it crossed through the air towards the firemane. Elpsis reached out with her hand, stretching it as if she were about to offer a treat to the 'bird', whose tail's feathers left a trail of violet fire in their wake. The magnificient fire elemental's beak opened and enclosed around the imaginary treat. Elpsis let it swallow her finger while she used her free hand to pet the bird's majestic plumage. There was a bright glow, emitting red, orange and yellow light, like a bonfire that was just past the turbulent stage.


Her breathing and heartbeat intensified as she focused on pulling the fire into her. It was not just her skin that glowed, for it would appear as if her hair had become a literal firemane. Her hair sparked with orange flames, while fire raced up her hand. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. Amidst the blazing light, her milky-white eyes stood out like pearls.


It was quite evident that this time it took her more focus to absorb the flames, though she felt no pain in the process. She envisaged an image in her mind, shaping the flame, then willed it back into a reality. Taking a cue from Taryc, the flame that streamed from her hand assumed the shape of a firebird. However, it was not just one. Instead, it split into multiple fiery avians. All of them were coming for Taryc from different sides.

 

[H3xle]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

"Her?" Taryc asked as she watched her lover caress the firebird, then absorb it. She was so beautiful as she stood there, glowing and flaming through her mane. Taryc was momentarily awed by the sight, and almost missed as she sent several flaming avians back at her. Taryc gazed from her lover to the birds, and let a smile play across her lips. She took a step back and set herself in a sturdy stance. She sent her arms out wide, beckoning with her spirit for the birds to come roost. They circled her once, then two split off and alighted on her arms, looking like majestic hawks made of flames.

Taryc became lost as she gazed into the flames of the one on her right arm. The intricacies of the flames drew her mind in, and she forgot about the other birds. Then they struck. As this was a training session, they hadn't gone for anything important, but they hit her from the front and back at the same time. Taryc stumbled, which set the two birds on her arms into flight again. Taryc reached deeply within herself in a moment of panic, trying to draw the flames in as she had done before. Instead, however, a golden flame burst forth from her. Her eyes blazed golden, and her skin became dark and radiant all at once, like the surface of a sun. The room became devoid of any vestige of the dark side of the force as the golden flames lanced out to each of the firebirds. The birds glowed golden for a moment, then were absorbed into the golden rays of flame.

Taryc fell to one knee, and the golden light waned, the flames receding into her body. Her skin glistened in sweat, and her breathing was heavy. There was a startled wariness in her eyes as she looked up from the ground and into Elpsis's milky orbs.

"What..." She started, but was unable to voice the rest of her question. She'd manifested a localized version of Force Light mixed with pyromancy, though she didn't yet know it. Her empathic lover would be able to feel various emotions within Taryc. Her body was truly purified of the dark side at the moment, all negative thoughts and emotions banished. She would feel love, peace, but also the wariness and her confusion at what just happened.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Taryc Ap'Irae"]


"Yeah, her. The white wolf. The goddess...," whatever further words Elpsis might have desired to say died upon her lips when the firebird assault produced something deeply unexpected - and equally deeply spiritual. Taryc glowed brightly, like a phoenix, dark, radiant, and glorious. The room was bathed in light, as bright as a star going supernova. Golden rays of flame spread across the chamber.


Several, though by no means all, members of the Fire Order were darksiders, and their energies had left an imprint upon the room, tainting or rather marking it to a small degree. But now these energies melted away like snow would beneath the twin suns of Tatooine.


The light was so dazzling that, on instinct, Elpsis averted her eyes, no matter how silly that might have been since she could not see anyway. She felt a tingle as the warm, golden rays kissed her skin. The light was not malevolent. It was holy, blessed light - and Taryc had created it. Then, in a flash, it was all over. In the aftermath, a feeling of serenity had descended upon the room. However, Elpsis' attention was focused upon her lover. She felt...happy, serene, at peace, but also deeply confused. Her Force aura was radiant, like the golden flame she had summoned.


Quickly, the young empath rushed to her, crossing the distance between them in determined strides. "Taryc, are you ok?" Bending down, she wrapped her arms around the sweating, heavily breathing older woman. "There, there, I'm here."