Soul Searching

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled a bit as he leaned back in his seat and saw a fairly familiar planet expanding before him. Dathomir. He'd been there before. But he was only sixteen at the time, and on his quest to gain information on the force and its different uses. He'd managed t gleam a bit from a clan of local witches, but considering his age and what was between his legs, it made sense that he didn't get a lot out of them beyond basic philosophy.

Now, he arrived to learn a single skill. The art of making animal talismans. It took weeks of research to find the information he was looking for. He prided himself as a beast tamer but how awesome would it be to be a beast shifter? Now, he kept with him one little advantage he didn't have a girl. A young woman capable of learning. He wasn't sure it would work, but the Valde of the Vitae Alliance was not above trading his daughter to some witches for a week so he could learn to grow a few extra hairs. At least, not when it could be seen as a great learning experience. Why raise a princess when you could raise a rancor riding badass?

Over time, he had managed to gain a single name of someone who might be able to help him. A witch by the name of [member="Lavania"]. He just hoped this trip wasn't a total bust. Dathomir wasn't exactly the most sunny and resort like other planets, and it certainly was no Zeltros.

[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Lavania was in her shack, the simple thing with the massive tyrant rancor behind it as she was sleep in the single bed. Her few sisters who had returned were working on the cave and the start of something beautiful to her at least. They were making the spider caves below them here home for anyone else returning. She kept her beskar staff near the side of her bed and awoke feeling something in the sky coming.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen turned his ship for the exit ramp to face the shack [member="Lavania"] had been welling in. How he had found her was fairly unimportant, in his mind at least. It had taken quite a few credits ad several favors from old connections for him to get the intel he needed but now that he was here, he was prepared to learn.

Opening the back of the Vixen, Vulpesen walked out towards the shack while announcing his presence. "I'd like to speak to the nightsister known as Lavania." He made sure to keep himself calm and his presence in the force as non-hostile as possible. Still, his hand hovered over his saber. No need to get careless and have yourself turned into a dathomiri man slave.

 

[Lavania]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Lavania heard a ship overhead and there was someone moving as she looked up from her bed, moving out of it more by just rolling over onto the floor while she grabbed her staff to prop herself up. She stood there covered in several nightsisters tattoos and had her sash as the only cloth on her. A spider skittering across the floor as it was speaking to her. "Alright alright go down and tell the others." There was a moment of passing as it moved off and she went to the semi opened doors while her rancor had awoken standing taller then the shack and moving around from his pen area along the side and back. "Who is asking for the nightsisters?"

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled a bit as Lavania rode out to meet him, giving a nod of greeting. "My name is Vulpesen Torrevaso." His eyes moved to the Rancor, causing an inward smirk. Well, i it went south there was always the possibility of gaining a very large ally. Then again, he'd much rather not risk it. "I've come to ask about one of your spells."

[member="Lavania"]

 

[Nokomis Arkay]

Nokomis stood slightly behind her father. The seven year old was a bit confused by everything going on around her. She stuck close to her daddy, clinging to his pants with both hands. She hadn't been to too many places, and she got nervous every time she visited somewhere new, her Ashlan was with her, and that made her feel a little better. The tiny wolf was sitting on her shoulder, and she reached up gently with one trembling hand to pet its soft fur. She had named hers Arienne, after her biological mother. [member="Vulpesen"] [member="Lavania"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Nokomis Arkay"] [member="Vulpesen"]

There was a look at the man as he was speaking and a small child behind him as Lavania stood in the doorway and motioned them inside towards the stone table that was carved like an alter. A sunroof covered in sections of wood that opened up to present dried blood seeped deep into the stone. "Very well then come in and sit down." She moved grabbing a skirt as it went on concealing little and then a top. She kept the sash on while holding her staff speaking to him. "What spell do you wish to know from the nightsisters?" She didn't say much as some of the spiders were skittering around the shack and going itno the floorboards.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen walked after her, following over to the altar. The sensitive nose of a zorren easily picking up the remains of blood. Still, he did his best to put that off his mind, instead focusing on the spiders. It gave him something to distract from the blood, causing them to crawl in sync beside him. As for Nokomis who likely followed behind him, he would do whatever he could to position himself between the girl and the blood. Even if she saw it, he didn't want it to be a focal point. "Talismans. Specifically the talismans of transfiguration. I want to learn how to make one." He waked over and took a chair, offering his daughter a smile to show that everything was going fine.

[member="Lavania"]
[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Nokomis Arkay]

Nokomis climbed onto her father's lap and cuddled against him. Adrienne snuggled in her lap as she sat on Vulpesen. The little girl noticed the blood on the altar, but it didn't bother her. Such a sight had been commonplace in her life so far, and she wasn't really phased by it anymore. She looked up at Lavania curiously as she did so. The young zorren had never seen a witch before. @Vulpesen @Lavania

 

[Lavania]

[member="Nokomis Arkay"] [member="Vulpesen"]

She paused stnaind there when he mentioned what he wanted, a look on her face while she brushed the short blonde hair with her hand. She moved and sat down looking at the man across from her and the little girl as her hand came out and the spiders moved in their own unison. The door closing as a larger one seemed to appear with its leg coming up from the floor to push it and then disappearing underneath the boards while her voice came out slightly low and in a hissed whisper. "Such magics are not given to outsiders.... What tribute of worth have you brought to the nightsisters."

 

[Vulpesen]

A grin touched onto his face as he listened to the start of denial. Just as he expected, this would not be free. And he'd be lucky if it was easy. "It is my understanding that the witches have recently faced great persecution, destroying many of your numbers, and if I'm right much of your knowledge as well. For the knowledge in this one art, I offer my resources to make sure that the witches have a fail safe in case any more knowledge is lost to you. A sort of repository in which my people will keep and protect your secrets until such a time you might need to retrieve them. Of course, I'll make sure any men guarding these secrets will not need them and thus have no reason to look without permission from you."

He then lifted his knee a bit, giving Nokomis a small bounce. "I also offer the gem of my life. Not indefinitely of course, but while she may not be dathomiri, Nokomis is a female as per your customs. While I offer my resources to guard the bulk of your teachings, I also offer a young mind for you to teach your ways, given she is not hurt nor so uncomfortable in the situation that she might grow overly angry with me. While I learn from you, she will as well should that please you. In short, I offer a mind to increase the number from those you lost, as well as something that makes sure that nothing is truly lost ever again."

[member="Lavania"]
[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Nokomis Arkay]

Nokomis began signing rapidly at her father. "Please don't leave me hear daddy. I'm scared. There's spiders everywhere and it's dark. Don't leave me here," she begged in her nonverbal way of speaking as she was bounced in her fathers lap. The little Zorren didn't like leaving her father's side. She didn't want to live with these women for a week, and some of them looked really scary. [member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Nokomis Arkay"]

Lavania paused to that comment, his offer as she stood there. A look on her face though changing while she brought her hand up. "Your child..... How interesting but I have no use for something temporary." Now she was moving and slowly crouching onto the table. "Your tribute will be acceptable but she will be our, a sister of the spider clan and we shall always be able to find her. Our power will be within her and her children will be ours down the lines." There was green mist rising up from the floorboards that came from the core of the world, the magics and power that they could channel into power while she motioned for her to be forward. "Set her on the alter and we shall begin the rites."

 

[Vulpesen]

His arm's tightened around the girl and a low growl left his throat. "Not so fast. I value the talisman, but not as much as my family. I will not leave my daughter. She goes where I go. So if you want to teach her for any long amount of time, you must be thorough when you teach me. Or, you come to us should you need to give her lessons. Is this clear?" It was one thing for him to offer Nokomis as a mind to teach to. It was another thing to offer her as a permanent resident. "Don't worry kid. Daddy isn't going anywhere without you. As for permanence, I offer that in the form of safe keeping of your knowledge."

[member="Lavania"]
[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Nokomis Arkay]

Nokomis clung to her daddy. The woman's voice scared her, and the green mist was also terrifying to her. She didn't want to learn this. She didn't want to be stuck with these people. She was scared. The little fox made a small squeaking sound, one of the few noises her damaged vocal chords could handle, and her Ashlan fox Adrienne, nuzzled her cheek to try and calm her. [member="Vulpesen"] [member="Lavania"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Nokomis Arkay"] [member="Vulpesen"]

"You seek our magics, want to keep them with you and do not wish to pay the price." Her voice changed a little though while she brought some mist onto the alter. "What you seek is not a simple technique such as a blood tracker, you will be transformed, your bones broken and healed a thousand times as your organs shift and skin tears." She spoke remaining there crouched. "The price is a child to be trained by the spider clan in our ways. That will be the closest you will be allowed to our knowledge, either this female child or the next."

 

[Vulpesen]

He twitched lightly at her words. "The child stays with me. Whether she learns your ways or not. You teach her whenever you wish. But she is not to be separated from me without her consent." He could feel Nokomis' fear and allowed the force to roll off of himself in waves of calming energy. There was nothing to be afraid of.

[member="Lavania"]
[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Nokomis Arkay"]

She was looking at him now as he spoke and crawling forward as her hands rested on the edge of the alter letting her peer at him while one hand came up. The spider coming down from the roof as it came to her hand and she spoke to it. "Go tell the others to prepare." There was a look at the spider and it dropped down to the floor before going off and there was more skittering. "This is not a bargain, you have sought us out. You have come here asking for magics." Her head came back while there were some sounds outside and her rancor was moving as out of a window there was the signs of more nightsisters gathering around the shack. "Your offer is not of the value that the magics you seek."

 

[Vulpesen]

The hum of a blaster would sound just under the witch's chin as Vulpesen's golden eyes bored into her, cold as ice. He would not let his child be stolen, no matter the value of the trade. "Take it, leave it, ask for something else, or your sisters have fun picking the knowledge from a splattered brain." To say she was too close for comfort was an understatement. And given that Dathomiri spells often required words, he was sure he could pull the trigger within a syllable. "I want to be civil. But don't try to steal my kid."

[member="Lavania"]
[member="Nokomis Arkay"]

 

[Lavania]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Nokomis Arkay"]

"Such a waste." Her hand moved toward the door as it opened. "There is nothing else you have of value nor anything else I need. We do not care for your credits, we do not care for your weapons. We only require numbers to rebuild." Slowly she leaned back and was perked there while more spiders were slowly coming around with the sounds of larger things under the floor. Her staff came to her hand and sat on the alter while she was looking at him.