Private Stuck on You

[Noelle Varanin]

Nothing had gone to plan, but then again Noelle wasn't entirely surprised. If Ashin Cardé Varanin had known what her daughter had attempted to do... well, that was just the problem. Noelle wasn't sure what to expect from the woman now a days. If this would have worked, wouldn't Ashin have done it herself? She was a highly capable sith lord, surely she could have completed a spirit summon. Noelle didn't need to put herself through so much risk for such little results.

But that was the thing. She was tired of chasing around a measly chair. She was tired of only half a story. She wanted results. Big ones. She might have been foolish, but she had pulled it off. As for the rest, she would recover.

She was done letting her mothers take on burdens so she wouldn't have to. Anymore and she just might lose them both.

She limped through the halls of the family home. It was late. She could feel the relief the bacta slowly pumped through her. A bath cleaned the blood away. The soulstone sat wrapped up, shoved to the side of the rooms she carried it through. The distance did little. She could still feel the presence contained within. What had she done wrong?

Later, she begged of it. Weary and not wanting to face its demands for release. Or perhaps just conversation. Or maybe just answers? The problem was, she wasn't listening. Even though she heard Kal loud and clear.

The nightgown clad echani finally pushing towards her room. The door crept open, a candle in one hand, the soulstone wrapped ineffectively in another. She gasped, a presence washing over her immediately.

"Quinn?" Came the vulnerable utterance. Her attention landed on the mass on her bed, the body of her twin bundled up in the darkness. She felt her pain at once. The objects fell from her hands as she surged forward.

"What happened?" She demanded, her voice hardening into protective fury.


Quinn Varanin

 

[Quinn Varanin]

Noelle Varanin

Quinn couldn’t remember how she arrived back on Eshan. Everything was a blur, just like her days. Depression had settled in, grasping at every fiber of her being. There was no warmth, no one to comfort her, and she needed it, craved it. There was no one on Dromond Kaas that could comfort her; Leliana had moved on the moment Quinn had thrown her away; she couldn’t reach out for the girl for comfort like she always had. Vesta had left her without a word beyond a note saying goodbye. There was no rhyme or reason for the young Zambrano’s departure. ​

It was possibly payback for how she treated others in the past. The pain that surged in her heart burned intensely as she clutched the necklace that the Zambrano shiido had given her. She poured all of her emotions into it, hoping that it would bring her lover back. Once again, she was met with disappointment, and the pain of loss surged through her. Wasn’t time supposed to make things easier? ​

Another outpour of tears, painful tears, burned her face as she wanted to cry out. The presence she was searching for drew closer as she knew her sister was on her way into the room. There was no hiding anything from her now; the distance was the only way for some time. Hearing her name, the girl sat up slightly, her body weak and sad. She didn’t have to say anything; Noelle reacted quickly and knew precisely something wasn’t right. ​

The protective older sister, the one person that Quinn knew she could always depend on, was there. Like a child, the younger twin reached out for her sister, tears flowing from her eyes like second nature. “N-Nelly” Heartbreak coated the childhood nickname for the new monarch. “V-Vesta left me - alone.” It was all she could say before another heavy sob shattered her soul.​

 

[Kal]

There was something uniquely rude about the behaviour of the Echani sorceress - Noelle, he had gleaned - as it pertained to him.

Imagine, for a moment, that a human was pulled into a repulsorvan in motion from a busy street, then stunned and shoved into a big glass box. Then imagine the kidnapper ignoring any politely (or not so politely) phrased requests for information to take a bath, before dropping the box on its head.

Twice.

<You can't keep ignoring me, you know. You have to sleep at some point and I can make that most unpleasant. Or very pleasant. Just answer me damn it.> The Shadow's most recent attempt seemed almost petulant, its follow-up prepared in order to keep up the momentum, and then... nothing.

With the introduction of the second twin, Kal seemed to hesitate then drift into silence. It was not that the second bludgeoning of his vessel had lessened his ability to interact with his ad hoc jailor, if anything it might eventually weaken the binding, but the new one, Quinn, seemed so... vulnerable.

Hmmph. Perhaps he could hold off on the telepathic barrage for a while. Just to observe the differences in their type of sadness, of course. Definitely.

Noelle Varanin | Quinn Varanin​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

<You can't keep ignoring me, you know. >

Watch me.

A wall slammed up over her mind, the childhood skill proving fruitless against the strange bond they had forged. She could still feel him. A twinge of concern hit her chest, only for it to be pushed aside for more relevant issues.

Quinn's pain echoed off the wall, the second thing, apparently, that could creep through her defenses and brush against her thoughts. There was no hiding their pain from one another, but in this moment Noelle didn't need to. The strife of her day fell to the wayside as she swept Quinn up inside her arms, hugging Quinn tight to shoulder as she processed the reveal.

She had never liked Vesta. Call it jealousy, mistrust, or just prejudice, there had been no approval in the person Quinn had left her for. She would have thought she'd feel pleasure for the news that Zambrano brat was gone. Instead there was only fury. How dare they treat Quinn this way. She kept this all to herself-- thoughts for another time-- as she focused on the grief crashing against her.

"You're not alone."

Though she was. She had been, the solo presence in the shattered family home. That had been changing lately, but the pain of the hole still stung raw as she accepted Quinn back without reservation.

"You have me."

Her hands stiffly ran over her sister's back, the gesture growing more fluid as her chilled body warmed inside her sister's grip. She had missed her. So much. She buried her face into Quinn's shoulder, squeezing her tighter.

"Shh, it's ok. You have me."

The soulstone had fallen silent. Blissfully, unobtrusive. It received a spark of gratitude, Noelle accepting that she would indeed have to deal with its predicament sooner rather than later.

Especially if she were to keep it from her twin.

Do not speak to Quinn.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

Noelle Varanin

"Stay with me please Noelle, don't let me go..."​

There was a warmth that was specific to Noelle. It was a warmth that Quinn had known before her consciousness had awoken; they were together from conception and only recently had been torn apart. Almost instantly, Quinn fell back into her role as the younger sister; she needed Noelle more than she liked to admit. Hands desperately clung to the fabric of her sister’s clothing, the material adding a sense of stability for the girl. ​

No one could see her like this; no one ever saw Quinn cry beside her sister. It was a weakness in the Echani’s eyes, and no one saw her fault. Her head buried deep into Noelle’s shoulder as she sobbed, the warmth welcomed. Noelle's gentle touch helped calm the tears as she settled in her place against her sister. There wasn’t a being that could ever get between them; if Vesta never could - there would be no one that would come close. Quinn always chose her sister above anyone - even the Empire. ​

The younger Varanin lifted her head and buried it into the groove of her sister’s neck. Noelle was her other half, and she clung tightly to her. The words brushed against her ears as Quinn reached out through the Force to feel her sister closer, something they hadn’t done since they were children. The darker attuned of the pair brushed against her more light side attuned sister. ​

Quinn mumbled softly into her sister’s neck as she took the comfort she was receiving. “I wasn’t enough to keep her here. I don’t know what I did wrong Noelle, I don’t understand.” Warm tears soaked the other Echani’s skin as Quinn continued to cling tightly to her sister.​

 

[Kal]

Was the twin's pain sharper, somehow, than Noelle's had been when she first called him, or was it merely more recent? It was arguably fascinating, that line of thought, but more than anything else it was a distraction - he recognised the newcomer's presence, not as an individual but as another Sithling. Should he see their pain as a problem, or as another source of power for them to harness? That riddle he had not yet solved.

Finally receiving something through the strange bond the elder Varanin had unintentionally formed with him, Kal only barely managed to keep a spike of surprise from serving as a subconscious reply. So she was done ignoring him, then, but only to protect her sister? Better than nothing, he supposed.

<Why not? I'm sure someone has to appreciate my wisdom.>

Not that he was actually all that wise to the ways of the world, doubly so the intricate bonds of family and romance and friendship and rivalry that bound this world's denizens together in an impressively complex web he struggled to unravel. More observations were necessary, surely.

Half-forgotten, the Soulstone in which he remained glowed a soft white, barely noticeable above the ambient lighting.

Noelle Varanin | Quinn Varanin​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

<Why not? I'm sure someone has to appreciate my wisdom.>

<Shut it->

Noelle gasped as the connection was reestablished-- No permission asked, forceful and needy. How very Quinn. Her fingers tightened on her sister's back, the touch grounding her against the wave of heartbreak that washed poignantly over her. Tears prickled along her lashline, the pain of her sister felt as if it was her own.

Ouch.

Everything else ceased to matter. Her own troubles were nothing to the ache that consumed them. Would Quinn even notice how different she had become? It was almost too easy to be swallowed by her sister's misery, if not for the fact that the memories attached were so clearly not hers.

Touches. Promises. Company through the nights.

It all seemed so pleasant. So warm. So distant to the state of affairs Quinn had left Noelle to suffer through alone. A spark of anger grew inside Noelle's chest, a vengeful lash dropping the final walls from Noelle's conscious. It would all be there to see now. It was impossible to hide from Quinn, but for a spiteful moment she wanted to see her sister flinch over what she had come home to. A broken heart felt so petty in comparison.

It was unlike her to lash out at Quinn. Noelle was only hours from the sacrificial spell that had demanded her full surrender to the darkness. Her fingers dug into Quinn's back, the elder finding equal solace from the meld she surrendered to. She needed help too, she was just too proud to ask for it. It was her job to protect Quinn. She was the Matriarch now.

She took a deep breath in, some of the edge leaving her.

"It doesn't matter. You're where you belong." Her grip loosened, going up to stroke Quinn's hair. The pain was childish to Noelle, but it was no less valid while it tore up her sister's heart. She let out a heavy breath, laying them down onto the pillow they had outgrown sharing.

"Remember what Mom would say? Everything looks better in the morning light," she murmured, Spencer's voice echoing through her mind. Noelle ached for their lost parent. She would have known exactly what to do right now. Noelle pulled the blanket over their heads and let their breath warm the enclosed space. "...But even at night, there are stars."

"Find your star, Quinn. She didn't deserve you."

 

[Quinn Varanin]

Noelle Varanin & Kal

Quinn had always been the needy one of the pair. She was loud and demanded the attention of their parents, while Noelle was silent and stoic. The two sisters were complete opposites but needed each other to exist. Quinn was able to venture into the world, knowing that the leash that connected her to Noelle was strong and always there to catch her when she fell. Even now, she had fallen hard and crawled back into her sister’s arms. ​

Noelle was safe, she was love, and she was everything Quinn knew she needed in this life. As they melded, Quinn’s emotions came first. She searched her sister for the comfort that she desired. She had lost her mother and her lover so quickly, without warning, but Noelle had lost her mother as well. ​

That fact was obvious when Quinn found the rawness of her sister’s own grief. The younger girl was selfish, but the only person Quinn put in front of herself was Noelle. Feeling her sister’s sadness and desperation, she tried to give the same warmth and comfort that her sister had always given her. Quinn continued to burrow her face deep into her sister’s neck and shoulder as she tried to comfort and be comforted at the same time. ​

No one ever saw this side of the Echani Princess. Her weakness was only ever seen by the one person who would never use it against her. Hands moved slowly up and down the Matriarch’s back, Quinn’s touch gentle and light. She loved her sister and did her best not to sob when the girl brought up their mother’s words. ​

Quinn adjusted as her sister laid them back, legs intertwining, clinging desperately as her body cradled forming against her. Short platinum hair draped just under Noelle’s chin as Quinn rested her head against her sister’s chest, listening to the girl’s heartbeat - continuing to let herself be one in the Force with her sister. “You’re my star Noelle, no one else can ever be; no one can replace you. I love you too much.” Quinn hugged her sister tightly as she believed what she said. ​

Remembering the frustration and anger she had sensed within her sister, Quinn bit her lower lip and thought quietly. “Noelle? What did you do? There’s something...something different.”​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Guilt crawled over her skin, thick and destructive as Quinn's words brought out bitter doubt.

No one can replace you.

Yet someone had. It clash with the purity of Quinn's affection, clear as day through the bond Quinn inflicted on her. Part of Noelle resisted, unable to fully receive the love her twin held. But she would, in time. Even a stubborn Varanin could forgive and forget for family.

“Noelle? What did you do? There’s something...something different.”​

Noelle's grip tightened, her eyes squeezing closed as she tried to ignore the direction of Quinn's thoughts. The faint pulse of life at her throat was enough to remind her of what she had done, but to see the cost from Quinn's perspective...

She stroked her sister's hair, trying to distract her from her thoughts.

"Never mind that, I did what I must to preserve this family. That is my job now. Yours is to push that silly girl out of your mind and find your path again. I could use you here, you know."

Words hung on the tip of her tongue, boiling over with confliction and contention.

"They're asking me to take the throne," she admitted, her voice barley audible as it cracked through the night air.

​

 

[Kal]

For once, Kal actually shut up upon request, but only because he was the recipient of various garbled emotions through the strange bond the older twin had established with him. Good thing it was not nearly as deep as the connection between the sisters, even the distorted outpourings of that link was enough to startle him. To someone used to observing the emotions of organics' as an external watcher, it was a harsh transition.

It was not, however, so harsh as to distract him from what was being said and done - clearly, the younger - Quinn - must be sensing some of what her sister had done. Perhaps even the outer edges of his presence, contained as it was within that damn gem?

<She is beginning to see what you are not, that the things you meddle with are outside your control. You do not have the expertise of a true sorceress. Your wild flailing will inevitably backfire on you - and where will that leave your oh-so-vulnerable sister?>

An image followed of a jaded Quinn on a cold throne, with no one to trust or confide in. <Actions have consequences, Noelle. Not just for you.>

Noelle Varanin | Quinn Varanin​