Private I Have Questions

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Show Me Something (New) //:
//: Maena //:
//: Vesta Zambrano //:

---

---

​

Maena was a planet she had never been to. She had to quickly research its location and what its landscape was. The thought of a world covered in a volcanic wasteland worried the apprentice for the moment. The scene would have its own beauty, but she was partial to how Eshan looked pre-Mandalorian involvement. Thinking about the soft memories of her homeworld, Quinn wondered how the Jedi were treating it. Shaking her head, she focused back on her excitement for what her day had in store for her. She would hopefully be able to convince Vesta to help her with her project.​

Today was a wonderful day. Quinn had finally decided on what she was going to make using the Force. She had always pondered what powers the magic of Sith alchemy had to offer, and while she had not had a chance to practice it, she was sure her Master had an idea. Seeing her Master was an occasion in the young Echani's mind; to her, it was a moment she could enjoy Vesta's company along with learning everything they had to offer within the Force. Quinn decided to wear her best red dress, with a lining of lace around her neck, short white curls bounced with each of her steps as she sauntered up the steps to the building she was appointed to meet Vesta.​

The sound of her heels tapped against the steps as she ran up quickly, the Force helping her keep stride with each step. Every Apprentice hoped for a good Master, in Quinn's opinion, she had been dealt the best card out of all her fellow Acolytes. A smug little grin spread across the Echani's face as she ran her hand under her hair, flicking it slightly. The gentle curls swayed as she turned the corner and continued down the hallways, searching for the Master's lurking. ​

It was one thing she didn't understand about the Sith Lords, they seemed to always be lurking and hiding somewhere. Quinn didn't have time to squander looking for Vesta in the large building. She stopped, realizing she had walked in quite the circle. Statutes stood depicting some of the great Sith Lords, one she recognized as the Dark Lord himself. She heard he was pretty tall, but she wondered how accurate the statue was. ​

Quinn looked around again, her eyebrow arched as she tried to figure out where she had made a wrong turn. Nervously, her foot tapped against the hard floor as her arms crossed her red dress. Amber eyes scanned the large room she stood in, and she chewed on the tip of her thumb, trying to not show her frustration. Her excitement waned slightly as she waited for the Master to show their face. "Where are you?" She questioned softly to no one in particular, she was seemingly alone in the room. ​

Quinn started to wonder if this was a game or some challenges she had to deal with. ​

 

[Ellie Mors]

bury a friend

This game of cat and mouse, between Master and Apprentice, was surely one which the morsel that was Quinn Varanin believed was commonplace between others in a power dynamic similar to theirs, but it was wholly for the shapeshifter's benefit that they played this game. To bend the light, to twist the shadows, was how Vesta had both hid and then subsequently emerged from behind the acolyte - the face that came into view first twisted and dark, bestial, like something hellish spawned from the nightmarish dreams of a child. It wasn't until she spoke that ve revealed verself through a low, guttural, growl.

​

"They say patience is a virtue." Came the coarse voice of the skin-changer, vis register transitioning from low to high as the monstrous figure it came from slowly shifted into something more comforting. Coarse hair receded to exposed, smooth, skin, and vis face shrunk as vis height diminished to match her's. "Not that I would ever expect you to know what those are." Added the twisting face of what had been a beast as ve slowly, perhaps exaggeratedly so, assumed a mirrored image of vis apprentice with only some minor alterations to be found in the eyes.

The corner of vis lips curved down, frowning, and the center of vis brow pinched together in frustration. "If you make a face like this for long enough it'll get stuck this way." Vesta nagged in Quinn's own voice, evidently aware of her frustration - even if the face ve made was largely hyperbole. "Are you here for me, or for something from me?" Ve asked, perhaps guessing at least some element of why vis apprentice had chosen to seek ver out without waiting for ver to come to her first. Or perhaps not.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Religion's in your...//:
//: Maena //:
//: Ellie Mors //:

​

The empty feeling she felt in the room suddenly shifted, a pull in her chest announced her Master's arrival. Quinn slightly tensed till her soul suddenly recognized the entity that had arrived. She felt the looming shadow of her Master's chosen form and the heat of the growl against her exposed neck. ​

Turning, she came face to face with the hellish spawn. Its bestial features towered over the small girl, shock initially etched into her face, eyes widened slightly. Yet she knew it was her beloved Master, and she settled, and a small smile spread across her pale face. Quinn couldn't help the smile, the words from her Master's voice accompanied by her joy with seeing them was a sight for sore eyes. She waited, letting the shift happen. Quinn always found this moment curious; it seemed seamless as the creature changed into the familiar face of her own. ​

"I should feel complimented that you chose my face." Quinn continued to smile as she nodded and chuckled at Vesta's remark about her freezing face. Such guiding words from a Master, but the wrinkle in the shifter's brow was so exaggerated, the Echani shook her head. "I'll keep that in mind, Master." The apprentice tilted her head smirked with a head shake. "Though I do prefer it when you smile, Master." Taking a step back, Quinn pondered the question posed by the shifter. ​

Her time with Vesta was her favorite, she had an adoration for them. Of course, she enjoyed her studies and enjoyed her time with friends, but the acolyte longed for time with her Master. Hands folded behind her back as she shrugged at the question, "A bit of both." the girl's voice calm as she answered. "Just so you know, I do know patience, I just wanted to see you." Quinn chose only to tease the Zambrano, as she continued to admire the shape of her self being taken on by Vesta. ​

"As for why I'm here, I've come for your help. I want a companion for myself. I don't always get to be by your side, Master, so I want something to keep me company." As she mused, she moved back towards her doppelganger and smirked, wondering how far it would get her. Quinn's amber gaze locking with her Master's, she spoke with a soft lyrical voice, "I promise to make it worthwhile, Vesta."​

 

[Ellie Mors]

Perhaps there could have been some amusement afforded by the shapeshifter at the response to vis jab at her willingness to develop such an unwelcoming look of frustration, which was anything but to the girl's master, but the mirrored face only narrowed its eyes in response - something seemed to have gotten under vis skin, though the attitude was all that hinted towards that. Still, attitude or not, Quinn Varanin was still vis apprentice, and in some ways closer to the skin-changer than vis own father was. I just wanted to see you was an easy way to break down that wall, and even if it wasn't at least partially true, Vesta wasn't sure ve could have turned her away even if he tried.

"I was under the impression you just preferred my being your mirror." Ve said with a smug grin that came very close to the smirk that Quinn followed up with. The musing was cute, as was almost anything the blonde vixen did as far as ve was concerned, but the implication that Vesta wasn't pulling vis weight was a bit disheartening, even if ve didn't show it immediately. The promise, though perhaps enticing, was thus lost on wounded ears - and yet ve nodded all the same. "A companion, I suppose that's fair - we're often separate, aren't we?" Vesta mused aloud as ve bridged their gap and allowed vis head tilt to the side, pouting. "It won't be for much longer, I promise you that. Still, a familiar of sorts would be befitting of my favorite princess."

"Anything you had in mind?"

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: I want you more than words could say //:
//: Maena //:
//: Ellie Mors //:

​

Quinn watched her Master, she was a bit self-absorbed but aware of her surroundings. There weren't many people close to the Echani; she tended to keep them at arm's length, protecting herself from them. Quinn only allowed two people close enough to her and one even closer. The latter stood before her, sharing her face. Quinn watched Vesta's movements, and she continued to softly smile towards her Master. ​

It was hard to not admit her face looked adorable with a pout on it, but it was the fact that behind the front was someone she felt an intense gravitational pull towards. Quinn moved closer to her twin and brushed her hand down the shifter's arm until she reached Vesta's hand and held it gently.​

"You promise it won't be much longer?" Quinn's voice hopeful, she disliked the time away from Vesta, it was frustrating to want and be unable to have the instant gratification of having. "I hate being away from you." Quinn returned the pout to emphasize her words. The need for another, Quinn wondered if it was a trait she inherited from her mother. She remembered the quiet days when Papa was gone for weeks at a time, her mother sad and overly affectionate. ​

Her face lit up at the mention of her being their favorite, she did wonder though if there were other princesses that Vesta found company with. She wrinkled her nose at the thought and once more smiled. The familiar would be something she'd keep with her when they were forced apart, but nothing would ever satisfy her need to be at her Master's side. Tilting her head, she continued. "I want something adorable and vicious. I want it to make me feel safe when I can't be with you." Pausing, the Echani felt a hint of sadness knowing that after her visit, they would be apart again. "I wish I could bring a piece of you with me or something..." ​

She quietly contemplated the creature, but her desires were too much, and she leaned into a hug, her arms hooking around Vesta as her face burrowed into their shoulder. "I'd rather just be with you, can I just stay with you instead, I know you said it won't be much longer, but I don't want to wait anymore," Quinn spoke quietly as she held onto Vesta when the Princess was with her Master, the walls she kept up crumbled.​

 

[Ellie Mors]

The sense of distance, the frustration that rumbled underneath, and all of this tension was a direct result of trying to copy how other Masters acted towards their apprentices, and quite frankly it wasn't working. There had been plenty of warnings against having any meaningful connection with an apprentice, but it was usually in the context of getting close to an apprentice in the way of quid-pro-quo - Vesta and Quinn were a pair that needed that dichotomy to keep them closer, or at least Vesta needed that as an excuse to keep her close. That steady, longing, touch and the grasp of her fingers around vis hand were enough to make up vis mind. Much less the question that followed their embrace - how it tugged on heartstrings that only she knew how to find with some level of mastery that almost made the master in this relationship feel beholden to her desires, which Vesta rightly was.

The mirrored image of Quinn's face faded to the one Vesta had made to attach vis name to a face, something to give Quinn a way to immediately identify ver with. It felt right to be this way, and he leaned forwards to kiss her on her forehead in answer to her pleading. "I'll stay with you for now, we can sort out what works best later." He answered as his lips left her head. "For now, though, we can focus on making you a familiar." In reality the discussion on being together was something Vesta was rather interested in pursuing, but the matter of helping Quinn with making her smaller companion were, at least temporarily, more pressing than figuring out the specifics of living arrangements and the like - it was certainly not a problem for Vesta to simply agree to moving in together for the short term.

"Something adorable and something fierce? You sound like you're asking me to tackle the impossible task of making another you." He joked, trying to use humor to drag the focus away from the difficult topic and towards something a little easier to accomplish. "In all seriousness, there is no way I would make you something to fill in for me that couldn't, at the very least, give you protection." He said, moving his free hand to her back for comfort. "You are my entire galaxy, there's nothing more important to me than making sure you are safe and happy." Vesta added for emphasis.

"If you really want a little bit of me with you then I'll make that happen, too."

The prospect of doing such sounded painful, but it was worth it if that was what she needed.

Quinn Varanin

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Everything //:
//: Maena //:
//: Ellie Mors //:

​

Quinn held onto her Master and lover tightly, she tried to play that she hadn’t missed them as much as she really had. It was a protective wall she had been so used to putting up with those around her, but Vesta knew how to break through them and find his place within her heart. She felt the warmth of his kiss on her forehead, and she smiled. Hearing that Vesta would move in and finally end their time apart made the girl squeak with happiness. At the time she was still currently studying at the academy, there were still classes she wanted to take and enjoy her time with her friends. It was her home, but she looked forward to when she could leave it behind and fully immerse herself in her new life. ​

With her Vesta. ​

Moving away slightly from the embrace, she smiled, seeing the face that she had grown to associate with her love. A hand moved and caressed lightly along the outline of his face. It didn’t matter what look Vesta had chosen, he was still the same person, and she loved him more than anything. With everything in the open again, Quinn relaxed and mused over their little project. ​

He was so cute, and his comment made her laugh, shaking her head, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You’re funny, but I do believe you can do anything - even make another me, though please don’t.” She purred softly and booped his nose. “I don’t think you could handle two of me, and I really don’t want to share you. You’re all mine.” The thought of someone else having handsome Master’s attention made a spot of jealousy linger in the Echani’s heart. She only wanted his eyes on her, he was her everything, and there was nothing that she wanted to ever get between them. She held onto his hand as his other slipped to the small of her back. ​

It took everything in her not to grab his face and kiss him. She watched as his lips made out every syllable of every word he spoke to her. Magical words that spoke of his affection and love for her. How was she so lucky? Vesta was more than amazing and perfect, everyone would kill to have someone this wonderful, and Quinn had it. She briefly remembered her parents and smiled broader, knowing that what they had was real love, and what she had with Vesta was that as well. ​

“You’re all I’ll ever need and want.” She leaned up and kissed him softly on his lips; she lingered for just a moment knowing that they had pressing matters to attend. He tasted so sweet, and she had waited so long to kiss him, but pulling back, she smiled. “Is there anything I can give you in return for you helping me with this little project? Is it going to be painful or hurt you?” She worried, from what she knew of Sith magic, it took a lot of out of its user and could be quite painful. The young princess would do anything to avoid her lover from feeling the pains of the magic, and she would give him anything and everything. ​

“I appreciate you helping me with this, I really do. As much as I hate to admit it, I know there are going to be moments where I can’t have you.” She smiled with excitement, remembering what he had mentioned before. “I’m so excited to have you be there when I wake up and fall asleep.”​

 

[Ellie Mors]

He smirked at the idea of handling two Quinns, almost willing to entertain the idea as a joke scenario in his head before he noticed the tinge of possessiveness coming from her. There were others that considered her tendencies to be stubborn or try to whine her way into getting her way as unacceptable and immature, more than likely people that were a part of some of her classes even, but they were, among others, traits which Vesta found endearing. Who was he to argue if she wanted to express her desire to be around him in pouting and teasing?

She wanted to be around him, that's what mattered. Let the old folks and their angry apprentices, and the unhappy married couples that made up the Empire, be bitter and resentful. "Don't worry, I only want you. Just you." He said in reassurance, though he knew she was hopefully just teasing - there was no way he was even remotely interested in the idea of making a second Quinn. His smirk turned into a winning smile as she moved in for a kiss, happy to hear the same sort of reassurance from her that he'd given to her. "Anything in return? Huh... hm." He repeated back to her with an exaggerated look of pondering.

Leaning forwards slightly, bending a little at the middle of his back, Vesta kissed the top of her forehead. "There, consider us even." Vesta said with a wink. "As for hurting, well, maybe, but it's nothing to be worried about. The love of my life asks me to help her with making something rather complex, of course I am going to be willing to shed a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears. And of course I am going to say yes. What kind of master would I be if I said no?"

"Now come along, we can use the alchemist workshop my.. uh, my mother had set up."

Quinn Varanin