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[Rayia Si]

Aris Noble
Location: Coruscant, Training Rooms

---

It was three in the morning, and though the world of Coruscant never slept, the halls leading to the training rooms were quiet. Passerby would notice that one of the training rooms’ doors had been shut. If she was being honest, Rayia knew that the room’s durasteel walls would do nothing in the grand scheme of things. Neither keep out a Jedi who wished to enter or contain what was inside. But, Rayia hoped the visual presence of an obstacle would deter people’s curiosity. Since Rayia was about to make a very bad decision.

———
Location: Coruscant Guest Quarters, one hour before

The steady hum of passing speeder bikes and flickering electrical signs filled Rayia’s ears as she woke in the middle of the night. She had slept fitfully plagued by dreams of her adoptive mother, Jonyna Si, being wounded during the battle of Echnos. Most of all, she had been haunted by the fact that her mother had gone into battle yet again whilst Rayia was confined to the sidelines.

‘Again. I’m worried about little problems that don’t mean much while Jonyna nearly dies again,’ Rayia chided herself as she threw off her blankets. There was little chance she would be able to go back to sleep with how worked up she was. Already she could feel the beast within stirring at its restraints, testing the bindings as it perked up. ‘Breathe,’ Rayia reminded herself hearing the blood roaring in her ears, coursing like fire in her veins. She sucked in air through her teeth, listening until her pounding heart had eased.

No, that wasn’t the only reason she had benched herself, Rayia had to admit. And if she wanted to do anything about it, she’d have to face it sooner or later.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris wasn't often up late, but he was this night. After the battle, the retreat, he couldn't help but wander. Was he actually upset? Lost because of what happened? He really wasn't sure. He didn't feel one way or another about the battle, the loss. He frowned in his inner mulling, though he didn't linger in them long at all as he passed by a door and heard something within. Someone. This late at night?

Curiosity won over as he stepped in.

".. Rayia?"

Rayia Si

 

[Rayia Si]

Aris Noble

---

The warm sand trickled through Rayia’s toes as she walked into the center of one of the training room’s grappling pits. The heat, so reassuring in drawing forth nostalgia of the Weikian savannah, contrasted sharply with the stinging bite of the cool, metallic rod in Rayia’s palms. She spun it within her fingers, staring down at the training prod she clutched as she tried to convince herself that this wasn’t a massive mistake.

Of the few people that Rayia had told about her inherent abilities and curse, one remained stuck with her. A fellow Jedi who had asked, if her bestial self was a part of her why couldn’t she communicate with it? Ever since that seed had been planted, she wondered if that was the solution. Control achieved not through a disparity of selves, but a harmony.

Of course, that meant the other half had to be awake enough to listen. And Rayia knew of only one surefire way to wake it up. ‘Here goes…nothing,’ Rayia thought. The sharp electrical crack as the end of the training prod arced with electricity caused her ears to twitch downwards as she twinged away from it. Lifting it up above her leg, she sucked air in through her teeth and set her face into a mask. Marshalling sweaty palms, she drove the prod into her thigh.

“Wake…up!” She grunted.

Fire exploded through her veins and she blinked back tears, dropping the prod to the sand.

———

So consumed had Rayia been by the thoughts of whether or not this was a good idea, of whether or not it would work, that she neglected the sensation of movement approaching the room. By the time the vibrations registered through her tail’s highly sensitive sensory organ, Aris had already entered the room. And jolted awake, quite literally, as her bestial self was, the shift was quick if no less disturbing.

“Arr…is?” She growled out, turning her head towards him as her eyes went wide with panic. Those golden eyes which shined with a primal light were larger than they should have been. What was standing across from Aris was a figure both evidently Rayia and evidently not. Bone, sinew, and muscle moved beneath her skin as limbs and spine snapped and reformed. Rayia was taller than she ought to have been. Bony, metallic armor plates pushed through her skin, followed by a thick coat of golden, tawny fur. Rayia’s iconic stripe of white hair transitioning to a long stripe down her back. Muscles quivered and expanded as she sank to her haunches. “You…need…go. Get …way,” Rayia growled out.

Speaking was getting harder now. Not only for the physical challenges, but because Rayia could feel her bestial instincts pouring into her like lightning trying to fill a bucket. Rayia’s mouth filled with more fangs than it should hold. Long fangs sprouting from the muzzle that grew from her face. In the span of a few moments, what stood in front of Aris was a monsterous feline form nearly triple Rayia’s height with burning, golden eyes.

And as Rayia sank further into her consciousness, with bubbles of gold and bubbles of darkness rising above her, all she could do was cry wordlessly and pound at the reflections of her staring back at her.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked.

There was some understanding that Rayia shifted for him. Living on the ship with Jonyna Si had him realize as much, at least. But he left her to it, left her alone. It wasn't his business, and he certainly didn't want to complicate it. He was face to face with it now though, as she shifted completely. It wasn't anything he'd seen before. Could people actually survive something like this?

She seemed completely in pain at that.

And bigger. Much bigger.

"Ooookay I don't fully understand, but you're going to go wild, aren't you? Is that why you lock yourself away on the ship?" That would be a problem. A very big problem.

"Okay, alright. We'll uh, sit?"

Rayia Si

 

[Rayia Si]

Aris Noble

---

Golden eyes alight with inhuman primality scanned the room as the monsterous feline that was Rayia swept her head from side to side. Her ears and head cocked to one side, as her tail bristled with the vibrations of Aris’ movement. The overall effect was that of being confused, as if she had expected something only to find it not there. Given the nature of the shifting, it wouldn’t be hard to extrapolate what.

As Aris began to speak, her head would snap back towards him unnaturally fast. Several meters of fluffy, bristling, metallic hued tail retracted into the sheath at the base of her spine hiding it from view. Her movements afterwards seemed purposefully slow, belying how fast she had moved earlier, assessing the sole figure in the room in front of her. Studying him under a baleful glare, the monsterous feline would stalk towards him. The boy smelt familiar, and felt familiar too. But where had the pain come from?

Low to the ground and tense, she reached the sandpit’s edge where a light durasteel barrier and ramp seperated it from the rest of the training room. Claws, wicked and sharp, split the durasteel easily as they dug into the plating of the room. Sand skittered across the floor with a soft shhft sound, pouring from the rents Rayia had carved.

If Aris hadn’t figured it out yet, Rayia’s bestial side was waiting for a threat to present itself.

———

Rayia flailed in her own conscience, feeling as if she was dragging herself through molasses. It was not too dissimilar to space that way. Weightless in the amber that surrounded her, the only direction Rayia could sense was a plunging downwards sensation. At least until the motion stopped, leaving her suspended in a globe of amber, interrupted by those same steady streams of bubbles of gold and darkness.

She could vaguely make out her surroundings, distorted as they were by the amber liquid. Aris trying to calm her down. Aris drawing closer as her bestial side stalked towards him. A quick, repetitive thumping sound echoing dimly in the background that steadily grew quicker.

‘W-what do I do? I was supposed to be alone!’ Rayia’s thoughts shrieked, nearly deafening her.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris nodded his head slowly. He kept his eyes on her, realizing pretty quick that he was in fact no longer talking with Rayia. At least, not in a way he understood. What he did understand? She was a threat. Maybe not to him now, but if she went wild, broke out of here, there would be others who would be hurt. And, well. He was grinning regardless. The Epicanthix idly lifted his hands, lowered his stance. Just in case, but he wasn't going to move from the door.

"I guess we'll be in here for a bit. Right. Do you sit? I- man I wish I could do what my sis does." Vera Noble was certainly the one of them both who could handle with this well. To at least keep Rayia calm.

Rayia Si

 

[Rayia Si]

Aris Noble

---

Rayia stared out at Aris from within her own consciousness; this sea of amber that she found herself in, wondering what to do now. She was stuck. And judging from the way that Aris was refusing to move from the doorway, Rayia guessed he realized that he was stuck too. ‘After all, it’s not like he could let me go. What if I maul someone?’ Rayia thought.

Little did Aris know, but Rayia was wishing for the same thing as him. A clue as to what she was doing. She had heard, from the same Jedi who had suggested that she try to communicate with her bestial self, that it was possible to push thoughts of safety towards animals to pacify them. Rayia just needed a place to start. …And maybe a little help.

The monsterous feline that was and was not Rayia blinked owlishly at Aris as the grinning boy slowly lowered his stance and raised his hands. She continued to study Aris, though the slight dip in position caused her to rise from a pouncing position to a much more neutral one. Some of the tension blew away from Rayia’s frame and she pawed at the ground in confusion. The rents she left behind in the durasteel remained the same however.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Okay, that's a good start. No need to fight, yeah."

Aris relaxed his hands only a little as he reached down, slowly, to pull out a holocommunicator. Right now he wanted to make sure someone knew what was going on. And more importantly, that Jonyna Si knew what was going on. "Hey, Master? Rayia has gone all beast mode in one of the training rooms. I'm keeping her in here, but, hopefully it'll pass? Uh, not sure what to do here exactly."

Rayia Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Aris Noble Rayia Si

Jonyna would never admit that the meetings she had to sit in on were boring. They were, but she'd never admit it. Stuff like this was her dream job, but even being on the Jedi Council had it's downsides.

That was, until her holo-comm buzzed.

"Sorry guys, I gotta take this. Padawans are calling." She waved off, towards the two knights who had been avidly explaining to her that they didn't have the manpower to rebuild the senate building by themselves. Er...something like that. She really did need to pay attention during these, but it was becoming increasingly hard.

She'd figure it out later.

Taking a step away, she saw Aris's message.

Rayia was trying to master her beastial form again.

"Just keep her there for now. I'll be down in a bit."

 

[Rayia Si]

Aris Noble Jonyna Si

---

The beast that was and was not Rayia continued to stare at Aris as he began to speak. His words caused one of her ears to twitch, but eventually she grew disinterested and began to pad towards one of the nearby walls. Her tail quivered with the vibrations of movement in the next room, slowly unfurling from its sheath so as to better sense movement in Rayia’s proximity. Since Aris wasn’t presenting as the threat, she would go find who or what was.

That was at least, before Aris started to lower his hands. A shiver seemed to run through Rayia’s body, starting in her tail and rippling up the entirety of her spine. And then the beast that was and was not Rayia moved. Fast. Unnaturally fast.

Within a heartbeat, she would be within a foot of Aris if unimpeded. Plumes of sand and carved durasteel deck plates crumpling in her wake. Warm breath spilled forth from her mouth towards Aris as her lips drew back, displaying fangs the size of Aris’ leg. Rayia’s bestial half huffed, in what seemed like annoyance, as she realized that it wasn’t a weapon that Aris was holding.

~~~

Inside the sea of golden amber that was her awareness, Rayia winced as she heard Aris’ words filtering through. She nearly covered her ears at the thought of the harrowing lecture she would probably receive when her mother, Jonyna, did get here.

Still, a small part of her breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that her bestial half at least recognized Aris enough not to consider him dangerous. Even if she hadn’t figured out how to convey that idea to herself yet. ‘By that conclusion, Jonyna should be safe too. As long as they don’t alter that perception,’ Rayia thought to herself.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris's eyes didn't leave her as she surged forward. He watched, calm and collected as ever. If Raiya like this wanted to bring him harm, she'd find he wasn't the one in danger of it here. His eyes had hardened in a way that showed just how cold and calculated he was when it came to a fight, no matter who it was against. But, she stopped, and he unclenched the fist waiting to be thrown.

"She'll be here in a moment, Rayia. Just stay calm, and in this room, yes?"

Rayia Si | Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Rayia Si Aris Noble

Jonyna, admittedly, moved as quick as she could without climbing the walls of the Temple. Pushing past a few familiar faces, she didn't have time to greet them. Jonyna wished, prayed that Rayia could one day get her feral form under control. How useful it would be to them, she had no doubt.

But for now, she needed to be there.

The doors to the training room were pushed open by the unseen power of the Force, as Jonyna looked to see Rayia standing over Aris.

"Hey! Focus on me!" The woman called, hands held out at her side. She needed to get the beast away from Aris, at least enough for her to reason with her daughter.

 

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Aris Noble

---

Aris’ cold and calculated glare earned him one in return. And yet, Rayia did not pounce, or swipe, or try to bite him. In fact, the beast seemed to shrink ever so gradually as tension bled away from her frame. Instead, the beast merely cocked her head to one side. Her ear twitched as she glanced away from him, towards the door. It batted up and outwards, sending the fluffy, metallic fur bouncing with motion.

She had sensed Jonyna approaching, a ripple coursing its way through her tail at the vibration of her steps drawing closer. So Rayia was already peering towards the door behind Aris when Jonyna entered. Her shout however, had the effect of drawing the beast forwards towards her as it recognized another familiar individual’s face and scent.

Meanwhile, Rayia was cringing within the sea of golden amber she found herself in. ‘She sounds mad,’ Rayia thought to herself, as she struggled to gauge Jonyna’s body language. A twitch of a tail. A slight tugging of the muscles. Any sign of Jonyna’s emotions that might tell her which sorry she needed to use depending on how aggravated she was.

 

[Aris Noble]

"She's not wild or rampaging, at least. I'm not sure what she's normally like, but it seems she's at least in some control." The appearance of Jonyna was welcoming, to say the least. Aris exhaled softly before he gave Rayia a calm, if warm, smile. If she was there, if she could understand, this was already showing that she was in a better place, right?

Hopefully.

Jonyna Si | Rayia Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Rayia Si Aris Noble

Jonyna got low, slowly approaching Rayia's beastial form as she approaches the massive feline. "hey..." She said in a calm tone. "it's okay. It's just mom."

The woman's tone was as motherly as she could muster. Jonyna wasn't Rayia's birth mother, but that didn't matter to her. She'd keep her focus on Rayia. She would fix the problem first before she focused on Aris. Any attempt to take her focus on Rayia could be taken as a sign of weakness...

 

[Rayia Si]

Jonyna Si Aris Noble

---

It was working. Jonyna’s motherly tone and low approach, coupled with Aris’ warm smile and the lack of a visible threat, stilled the fidgeting muscles in Rayia’s frame. Like a flame smothered of oxygen, the pacifying environment was isolating Rayia’s bestial form of its energy source. That source being stress in the majority of cases. The pair would actually be able to see how they were affecting her, given that the beast continued to slowly and demonstrably shrink in their presence. Though the process was no less gruesome for the reversion.

Golden, slitted eyes continued to burn brightly however as they slowly blinked in response to Jonyna’s words. They scanned from the Cathar who was Rayia’s mother, to her fellow padawan and back. And while Rayia’s bestial form couldn’t speak, a sharp intuition might be able to recognize the glint of confusion there.

‘I’m stuck,’ Rayia realized as she came to terms that she had never had a peaceful transition. It had always been a violent affair that had run its bloody course, before she was done. Before she inevitably collapsed in a fit of exertion that pulled her to unconsciousness.

 

[Aris Noble]

Things calmed down. Aris let out a sigh of relief before letting his stance relax, and turned his gaze instead to Jonyna. He was absolutely defaulting to her on what to do next, given this was the first time he'd ever seen this happen.

Rayia Si | Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Rayia Si

"Shhh....shhhhhh...." Jonyna whispered, slowly coming over to pet Rayia. Something she remembered from her own childhood when her powers first started to manifest. For a young cathar force user, emotions ran wild. Jonyna's mother used to sing her to sleep when she struggled with it...