Private Shelter From the Storm

[Ishani Dinn]

"So, I'm either too weak, failing miserably, or working too much. Tell me something I don't know."

"Like I said, I don't know much," she replied. "I'm just someone with the disease, not an expert."

Comparing Force Sensitivity to a disease? Maybe Persis had rubbed off on her more than she thought. "I mean—well, you know. I haven't studied the science or the psychology behind it all. Taken altogether, I was never even properly trained. The Sith, the Jedi, and the Mystics all put philosophy first and foremost. They consider it more important that their disciples know how they should or shouldn't use the Force before they learn any practical applications for it."

But she was complaining again, and he seemed more interested in the vial now. She snorted incredulously at his assessment, but it was rather amazing. "No, not sweet at all. It's a very earthy chypre. Smells a little like an orange grove." If he sniffed it for a comparison, he'd find it quite different. "Now I'm curious if they're all like that to you."

But rather than lay all the remaining vials out on the table, she looked at his tired eyes and drawn mouth, then selected one labeled Infinity and set it down before him. "This one can give you a little more energy. Does it taste the same as the other one?"

She had imbued them all herself. If it turned out they were the same, it might be that he was just sensing her fingerprint on them, so to speak. If they were different, well... that would be really cool. She could think of quite a few situations where a discernible tongue that could taste all the flavors of alchemy would come in handy.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio seemed amused at Ishani's flabbergastery, as he spritzed the perfume on his wrist, and hovered it under his nose. "Okay, that is much better." He felt a strange buzzing in the back of his mind, but nothing more as he returned the bottle to it's rightful owner, and was given another in return.

The nobleman closed his eyes once more, seeming still and serene. At least, until about half a second later, when his nose wrinkled, and he blinked open his eyes again, acting as if he'd bitten into a particularly tart pastry.

"Very similar," he choked out. "Disgustingly sweet, still floral, but this one has a bitter edge in it too." He didn't know how to describe it beyond that, besides "Yuck."

Alicio continued being grossed out for a beat, before becoming feverishly apologetic. "I mean, I'm sure Infinity has a lovely scent to it, but... You know what I mean."

The Organa stared at the bottle, deep in thought. "So, you make perfumes with your Gift. What else do you do with it?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"I wonder why it tastes like that," she murmured thoughtfully. "Is it because of what it is, or is it because I made it, and you're tasting... well, me?"

He asked her what else she did with her "Gift". "Not much. Not anymore." She hopped up onto the table. Her feet didn't quite touch the floor, so her legs were left hanging. She swung them a little, like a child. "I try to help people where I can, in whatever way I can, and that includes with the Force. Oh, who am I kidding, these perfumes sell for fifty to a hundred credits a bottle. I'm in it for the money. Got to pay the rent somehow."

She gestured to him. "Do you plan on doing anything with yours, or are you content to just... taste things?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio cocked his head at Ishani as she got comfortable on the tabletop, leaning his shoulders against the backrest of his chair. He appreciated how casual she was; it certainly took his mind off of his near-outburst against Persis.

"I don't believe you just care about credits," he said, eyebrow raised inquisitively. "You wouldn't have helped organize a refugee city for a planet you were leaving 'for the money'."

As the question was flipped back to him, Alicio stared into the middle distance, thinking quietly to himself. Then, once he had formulated a response he liked, he leaned forward, tenting his fingers on the table in front of him. "I want to help as many people as I can live long, happy lives. I wouldn't do what I do otherwise."

"How I use my Gift to do that, I haven't the foggiest. I don't wish to leave my responsibilities on Alderaan; Faith, and Sanctuary City, are counting on me." Alicio balanced his chin on his hands. "I need to figure out a use for it."

"Or I just become a Force connoisseur, I guess."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

He was right. She had gone out of her way to help the refugees. The argument could be made that, had it been anyone else on any other planet besides her homeworld, she wouldn’t have done it—but she had. She’d saved the people of Folende from pirates, and there were still more worlds she would wind up aiding one way or another. Arcturus' pet name for her, calling her his queen, would come to have an air of prophecy.

“A Force connoisseur.” She chuckled. “Well, I can think of a few Force powers that would be useful to a politician. Telepathy, mind tricks, cloaking… maybe you could learn how to create a doppelganger of yourself to give a speech while you get some shuteye.”

That was a joke. She didn’t know how Force doppelgangers worked, and she didn’t think they were that autonomous. Still, it was a fun idea.

“Do you know anyone who could help you? Teach you or train you without it being too disruptive to your duties?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Mmm," Alicio hummed contentedly, thinking about the possibilities. "I must say, I wouldn't mind creating someone to embarrass themselves in front of a crowd for me."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to use the Force to take advantage of others. So no mind control." Although, he conceded it would certainly be easier. "But the others might be useful."

The nobleman's thoughts turned to his recent revelations about the Alliance. "Considering the state of things in the senate, I..." He held his tongue. "Apologies, off-topic."

"I have a mentor." Alicio sat a little straighter at the thought. "Knight Commander Ike Gale. A former Jedi, and a great hero. But we're both very busy, so we haven't had much time to talk."

"I wouldn't mind learning from many sources, though. At least, until I figure out a way that works, you know?"

He voice turned conspiratorial. "Between you and me, I don't think I'll try the Potentium."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

She gave him a sideways glance, squinting her eyes and smirking at the mention of the state of the Senate, but otherwise didn't say anything until he finished. "Well, the Potentium is a religious group, not a traditional Force Order, so you'd have to convert, and there's not much reason for a guy like you to learn how to suppress someone's Force connection anyway.

"Besides that... it's good that you have a mentor." She'd never heard of Ike, but with a name like that, he had to be cool. "I'd offer up myself as another teacher, but I suck. Don't know how to create Force Doppelgangers, I'm terrible at stealth, and could only ever really do telepathy with Arc."

Who's Arc?

"I mean, with one person I was really close to. We were comfortable enough with each other to share our thoughts. Literally." She shrugged, scratching behind her ear with something resembling embarrassment. It wasn't necessarily her fault that she'd never been properly trained; things just didn't work out. The galaxy had a surplus of would-be apprentices, and a shortage of good masters to teach them. "I excel at making magical perfumes, and getting plants to grow faster than normal. That's about it."

An absolutely crazy thought popped into her head.

"Would you be interested in learning from a Sith who isn't evil or homicidal?"

That's it, get Arcturus Dinn another apprentice, Ish. Make things harder for yourself.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio listened as attentively as he could to Ishani's voice, picking it out over the sound of falling rain outside. The distant peal of thunder was more calming than startling, as the sky grated against itself. An eyebrow ticked up when she mentioned she was close with an 'Arc'.

Alicio wondered briefly what it would be like to share a mind with someone you loved. He imagined it would be intoxicatingly romantic, but entirely insufferable after a week.

"Would you be interested in learning from a Sith who isn't evil or homicidal?"

Alicio blinked hard. Then again.

"Frankly, I didn't know that was possible." Alicio leaned forward again, his expression somewhere between disbelief and extreme interest. "My family has had... poor experiences with Sith, both in ancient and recent history."

At the same time, Queen Faith's husband was once Sith. They certainly couldn't all be bad.

"But if you vouch for them, I would be a fool to not at least schedule a meeting."

"Who is this 'non-homicidal Sith?'"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Frankly, I didn't know that was possible. My family has had... poor experiences with Sith, both in ancient and recent history."

"Same here," she admitted. "But my experiences weren't so... personal, I suppose. I ran away and enrolled in a Sith academy when I turned eighteen because I wanted to become an alchemist. The Jedi don't teach alchemy, go figure. The place almost ate me alive, but on the plus side it's where I met Arcturus Dinn, aka Arc."

Everything about Ishani softened just saying his name. Clearly she thought the world of him, and had to take a moment to put aside her personal affection for the man and merely pitch him as a good teacher.

"He was another student at the Academy. He's not as specialized as me. Bit of a jack of all trades—dabbles in a little of everything. He doesn't hurt people, nor does he want to conquer any worlds or rule an empire. It's not in his nature to be cruel or unjust." She got a little faraway look in her eye, then said, "He's already taken an apprentice of his own before, so he has some experience with teaching others. He even taught me a little. Anyway, if you wanted, I could arrange a meeting."

Shouldn't be too hard. She and the kids lived with him half the time anyway.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio was new to the Force. It was a strange thing, gentle at times, painful and bone-chilling at others. It's effect on the world, and on himself, was exotic to him yet, a skill unhoned and unexplored.

But even he could feel the happiness coming off of Ishani as she spoke about Arcturus. Or taste it, rather. He couldn't quite describe the flavor. It was... joy. It tasted like joy. The nobleman felt his smile increase, leaning against the table yet again, his elbows resting on the hard surface.

"I see," he said conspiratorially, as if he had just been let in on a huge joke. "In that case, I would love to meet this Arcturus Dinn."

Alicio still wasn't entirely convinced that such thing as a 'good Sith' could exist, given the nature of the Brotherhood, and the Empires of old. But Alicio knew Ishani was good. And this Sith had won her affections. Ergo, he must have some good within him.

An interesting concept.

"A lovely story. Two students, surviving through a harsh mentorship together. Having nothing but each other..." Alicio couldn't help himself. He was a bit of a romantic, after all.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani's expression went through a wide range of emotions.

"Heh. Yeah." She hesitated. "We've been through a lot together." And a lot more apart, though in time perhaps that would change.

She began to feel self-conscious. Absently smoothing her hair with one hand, she tried to hide her blush. "Right. Uh, when would be a good time for you? What location, too—I doubt he'd want to meet here on Chaldea… Er, maybe I should try to contact him first, see what he says…"

If there were no objections, she'd step out for a minute to call Arcturus Dinn up.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

As Ishani tried to hide her embarrassment, Alicio tried to hide a yawn, suppressing it as best he could. "I'd prefer not to stray too far from Alderaan. I have responsibilities that need attending."

Many responsibilities. The thought of them all twisted his gut into a pretzel. "And I'm busy often, but once he says yes or no, I can make room in my schedule."

"Go ahead." Alicio nodded at Ishani's move to call Arc. "While you do that, I'm going to think about how to apologize to Persis for taking up her time today."

What wisdom do the Sith have to offer?

Alicio would have to find out for himself.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Oh, good," Ishani replied on her way out of the room. It was storming outside, thunder chasing the lightning that lit up the windows.

She pulled out her comlink and called Arc, leaning her back against the wall. "Hey, Arc. Would you be interested in taking on another apprentice? Uh, it would be part-time, because this guy has, y'know, a life, and you'd have to come to Alderaan or somewhere close by, but otherwise that's it. What say you?"

Arcturus Dinn Alicio Organa​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

It wasn't uncommon for Arcturus to receive a call from Ishani these days, ever since they'd put their compromise into action. He half expected to see one of the twins on the other end when he set down the project he was working on to answer it, but as far as he could tell they were nowhere around.​

​

"Hey Rhi" he said in response to her greeting. He sounded just the tiniest bit tired, and had she been able to see his disheveled look she might have had something to balk about. Every now and then he'd get a little too hyper-focused on the task at hand... ​

​

The question she posed and the parameters placed upon it left him pondering for a short second. A part-time student? Centered around Alderaan? Not a Sith then, that was for sure, not that he really thought Ishani would try and coax him back that way anyway. No after all the trouble he'd already caused their family due to his corrupted ways.​

​

Another second longer, before he shrugged to himself.​

​

"Sure, I'm down to at least meet them and see how things go. No promises, might not be much of a fit, but yeah. Send me the details. I'm over by Loronar at the moment, I can be there in a day or so if that works? Just let me know."​

​

No doubt she'd insist it would, and the call would soon come to an end.​

​

Another student... Well, that was certainly something.​

​

Ishani Dinn Alicio Organa ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Loronar? Where is that?” she murmured, taking a moment to look it up. “Near Denon. Figures.”

He sounded cautious, maybe even a little reluctant. “If things don’t work out, I don’t think Alicio here will consider it a waste of his time,” she assured him. “He seems very curious and open-minded. Just wants to learn as much as he can from as many people as he can. And you know I can’t help but tell everybody I meet about you. You’re like a unicorn, Arc. Uh, a very manly, majestic unicorn. A rare find.”

She paused, clearing her throat.

“If nothing else, we get to see Alderaan. I hear it’s pretty nice for a planet that got blown up.”

Hurrying back to Alicio, she relayed the info. “He’s near Loronar, but can be on Alderaan in a day or so. Will that work for you?”

Arcturus Dinn Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I apologize for the wait, I was simply discussing the Fo... No... Ah, I'm sorry if I upset you. Y'know, with my Force-ness..."

Alicio was at the window of the room once more, leaning with his back to the rain. He was muttering to himself, trying to think of the perfect apology. Expressing his desire to mend things, while also not placing all undeserved blame on himself.

It was a fine line to walk, to take enough accountability that his words meant something, but not to take it all. She had hurt his feelings, after all.

Alicio looked up as Ishani returned to the room, nodding appreciatively. "Yes, that should work for me." He realized he would have to take another all-nighter tonight to compensate for the work time lost, but it was a small price to pay. "My evening is free tomorrow."

He stared hesitantly at the door, then back at Ishani. "Now, I suppose we can get this meeting underway. I don't know what I'm going to say to the Head Mystic."

He would just have to wing it.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"You did not upset me, Mr. Organa."

Ishani turned to find Persis already standing in the hallway, having emerged from her room. The Head Mystic stood still, her long robes and veil fluttering faintly in a draft. A flash of lightning lit up her black-clad figure. She looked a little bit spooky.

"On the contrary, perhaps my choice of words was too harsh. I merely sought to reveal the truth." Taking a few fluid steps toward them, she paused, her long, spindly fingers interwoven in front of her. "I feel a need to inform others of danger before it occurs, to deter them from the path of destruction."

Ishani could feel her eyes upon her and sighed. "What, did you see his future?"

Persis angled her head toward Alicio. "I don't need to see his future to know his pursuit of the Force will only complicate matters. He knows this too, but his curiosity is too great." She curtsied. "Pleased to meet you. I hope you find what you are seeking, at least."

With that, Persis took her leave.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio jumped when Persis first spoke, holding a hand to his heart as he startled. It didn't help that the storm behind him answered her summons with the rumble of thunder. Ominous.

But her entrance wasn't the only thing that frightened him. Her words scared him far deeper than that.

Alicio felt his royal coldness beginning to return to his face before she mentioned his path of destruction. At those words, his eyes widened in shock, his face went white, and his hands fell slack at his side. Alicio was left dumbfounded as Persis bowed as if nothing happened, and left the room.

The nobleman quickly turned towards the window again, feeling a bit of rain splash against his face. There was a moment of awkward silence before Alicio could choke out a few words, hand covering his mouth. "Um... Well, Calabiyau is coming along nicely."

The fear, guilt, and anguish he tried so very hard to suppress swirled inside him. Even a Jedi youngling would be able to pick up on it's echoes in the Force. He tasted ash on his tongue.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Once Persis was out of earshot, Ishani turned to the stunned Alicio and said, "She does this all the time, don't worry. If I learned anything from the Force, it's that the future is always in motion, constantly changing, so whatever she sees in yours won't necessarily come to pass."

But Persis hadn't claimed to know Alicio's future. She had merely offered a general warning about diving into the Force... which Ishani couldn't really dispute in good conscience. It had its dangers, but that was what training and teaching was for.

He mentioned Calabiyau, trying to change the subject. "Yeah, things turned out better than I hoped," she replied.

But he was clearly feeling overwhelmed, enough that she could actually sense it. Motivated by some vaguely maternal instinct to comfort, she laid a hand on his shoulder (a move which required her to lift her arm almost to the level of the top of her head), found the position mildly uncomfortable and a bit awkward, and thus sufficed with merely giving it a gentle pat. Even that brief touch revealed how tense he was, however.

"Merely learning more about the Force won't hurt you. Putting stuff into practice, well, that's different. But I know Arc, and he won't push you to do anything you don't want to do. Nor will he teach you things that might, uh, 'corrupt' you."

Her fingers made air-quotes around the word corrupt. Ishani had some issues with Arc's beliefs regarding the Force, namely the idea that the Dark Side was what corrupted people. In her eyes, it had more to do with the people themselves. Their flaws and desires and fears were merely amplified by the powers they possessed, not caused by them. But Alicio wasn't privy to all that stuff (at least, not yet) so she didn't try to engage him on the topic. Unless he picked up on the air-quotes and asked about it, anyway.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I don't care about my safety," he said quietly, after a pregnant pause.

The dour count looked on as rain fell down upon Calabiyau's stone structures, coagulating into small rivulets pouring down street corners and majestic buildings. His hand traveled back to his side, as if returning his arms to a neutral state would mask the storm raging within.

"When the crystal formed, I had a vision. Of my own refugee city, dripping away like a runny watercolor painting. No matter how hard I..." His hands made claws at his sides, and he felt the pressure of the Force in his palms. Realizing this quickly, he tried to relax, massaging one hand with the other. "I couldn't stop everything from disappearing."

"I don't know if it was 'seeing the future', or just what I fear will happen, or something else." His lips sharpened into a scowl. "Regardless, Persis is right. If I pursue this, there will be consequences."

"But I need to," he continued. He wasn't sure why. It was an insistence, an itch he had to comply with. "And if there is a chance that you, or Arcturus can help me keep those consequences away from my people, I'll take it."

- Ishani Dinn -