Private The Shi'ido Are a Silly People

[Inanna Harth]

Sith Acolyte Training Camp, Ossus
Shortly after this thread...

Inanna couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the possibility of someone plunging a knife into her the moment she drifted off, or the too-familiar sounds of wildlife outside the cabin. Maybe it was the excitement that tomorrow promised, or the anxiety of a certain presence nearby...

Regardless of the cause of her insomnia, it became clear after an hour of tossing and turning that she wasn't going to be getting any shut eye anytime soon. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, endeavoring to make as little noise as possible as she stood and crept across the floor. The cabin she ended up with once all the fighting died down didn't have a built-in refresher, so that meant if anyone had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, they had no choice but to get up and walk through the forest (the allegedly deadly forest) to get to the external facilities shared by two other cabins. She predicted that there would be a lot of soiled bed sheets come morning from people too scared to take the risk.

Even for her, the short walk to the bathrooms felt like a marathon. Every snap of a twig, crunch of leaves, or chirping insect in the distance seemed unnaturally loud. It frayed Inanna's nerves to her breaking point. About halfway there, she started to run, crashing through the undergrowth with no heed to how much noise she was making.

She burst into the bathroom door, breathing hard, then whirled around to make sure the automatic door would close behind her. As soon as it did, she looked for a locking mechanism, cursed when she couldn't find one ( Vaylin or one of the other overseers was probably behind the cruel omission of locks on the bathroom doors), and quickly darted into one of the stalls... only for the latch on the stall door to catch. She fiddled with it, jerking the handle frantically back and forth, then uttered a string of Shi'idese curses before moving to the next stall down. Thankfully, its latch worked.

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

Natima wasn't happy about this at all. She had to leave her nice warm bed and cuddling buddy to answer the call of nature, and she was none too pleased. She had to carefully shift her way out of Lil's grasp, making sure to not wake the dark haired girl from her sleep, the Shi'ido slipped out of the cabin. The dagger she kept concealed in her side slide into her hand, as she began her trek into the wilderness. As she expected, it was a bit unnerving. The fading warmth of Leliana reminded her of what she was missing out of, and gave her a bit of a spring to her step as she moved along. She didn't startle easy, but there was a great deal of unease she felt as she began the job, something that resulted in he breaking into a sprint instead.

To anyone that was still awake at this ungodly horror, Natima might have sounded like some sort of creature stamping through the woods, or at least that was how she felt as she made her way to the refreshers. She was told the forest was dangerous, and while in the day light it seemed unlikely, with the night time it seemed to be absolutely true. Her eyes looked to the trees, the bushes, and anything else she believed might serve as a danger to her, though in truth she was scaring herself more than anything.

Needless to say, she was relieved to arrive at the small building, letting the door slam shut behind her as she rushed in, panting and leaning against the door as she let her weapon go back into it's hiding place. She was not looking forward to doing that run again. It didn't take long before she had the feeling she wasn't alone, and the Shi'ido straightened, her ears straining to pick up on anything that shouldn't have been there. "Is anyone else in here?" She called out, looking a bit hesitant before seeking out a stall. She didn't want to stay here a single minute longer than needed.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Natima’s question was answered by the sound of a toilet flushing. The latch clicked as Inanna opened the stall door and stood there, her hands braced against the opening as she peered out at the newcomer. Redhead young woman. Seen her before. Apprentice tryouts. Four arms, blades. Either a Shi’ido or a Doppelganger. Chit.

“Nope, nobody else,” Inanna replied. “Uh, if you don’t mind, I’ll just wash my hands and be on my merry way…”

Keeping an eye on Natima, she made her way over to the sink. The sonics worked to clean her hands, then she turned and crept along the row of sinks toward the door, keeping her distance from the redhead.

When she tried the door, however, it was locked.

“Oh, you gotta be chittin’ me." Pounding her fist against it, she sucked in a deep breath, braced herself, then tried to kick it. She succeeded only in hurting her foot, unleashing a string of Shi’idese curses as she clutched her sore tores.

“That door had no lock when I came in here!” she hissed. Whirling toward Natima, she took a step further away from her. “Did you do something to it? What the hell is going on?”

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

She heard a voice respond back, and took so reprieve in that whoever was here seemed just as annoyed as her about this whole situation. Another form crept out and Natima took a moment to recognize her. She had seen her somewhere, probably one of the acolytes, but Natima felt she knew here from somewhere else. "Sure, go do your thing. Just don't let the bushes get you on the way out. They are really feisty tonight." She joked, before finding her stall and going about her business. Finishing up, the loud 'thud' against the door startled her, though she was surprised to hear swears in Shi'idese, along with claims that something was wrong with the door. This woman knew the tongue of her people? And what was she going on about with the door? There was nothing wrong with it as far as the Shi'ido knew.

Feeling a weight set in her stomach, Natima left the stall, moving to wash her hands as she was confused as to what the woman was speaking of. "I don't know what you are talking about, I didn't do anything to that door. Let me try." She admitted, before moving to try the door herself. She remained calm, thinking that perhaps the other woman was just tired and not opening the door properly; would explain her accusations as well. "You speak Shi'idese? Or just learn the swears like everyone else?" She inquired, before giving the door a push.

Feeling it not budge one bit, Natima took a step back, her face a mixture of perplexed and concerned as she looked to her fellow prisoner. "You don't think this was part of the test do you?" She asked, before taking a step back and calling upon the force. She wasn't going to stay in here, she had someone waiting for her back in bed. Unleashing a force push aimed at the door, the acolyte's meager strength in the force did little more than wash off the door. Dejected, Natima's shoulders sunk, letting out a sigh as she looked back to the woman. "Well, I'm out of ideas. Looks like we are in this together sister." Natima muttered, hoping the woman wouldn't accuse her of tampering with the door.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna glared at Natima, though her gaze soon began to soften. She couldn’t detect any sign of dishonesty in the redhead’s voice, body language, or through the Force. Granted, she was a shapeshifter—deception was part of their nature.

It was more likely, however, that the door was simply jammed. Or perhaps something else was at work. Either way, they were stuck in there.

"You speak Shi'idese? Or just learn the swears like everyone else?"

Inanna glanced sharply at Natima, smirked grimly, and uttered in her native language. “Naturally. I grew up on the outskirts of Goshen. As for profanity, I was the only girl in my family—not much use in being ladylike under the circumstances.”

She avoided going into too much detail. The wound of her disownment by her father was still fresh, and word might’ve gotten out about it even this far from Lao-mon. Instead, she turned her attention back to the door. “There’s got to be a way of overriding the lock. Are you any good at slicing, or lockpicking?”

Otherwise, they were going to have to find another way out.

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

Well, least her fellow prisoner was talkative. Hearing the woman hailed from the same world as her, Natima bit gently on her lip, knowing that the woman across from her might know about her exile. Natima could only assume she was a fellow Shi'ido, given how effortlessly the language seemed to flow from the woman.

Putting the relating to others segment of this situatiom asidd, Natima moved to inspect the lock as the other woman questioned her skill set. "I mean I know a bit about slicing and lock picking, but this lock is electronic, and I can't bypass it without the proper tools." Natima was quick to look at the woman knowing full well she had no intention of trying to shape her way out of this problem. Yea. Turning your hands into slicing tools was possible, but good luck not electrocuting yourself in the process. Sighing and trying to think of another option, Natima went back to the current topic, speaking the same tongue that the woman had spoken just moments ago. "Goshen? No offense, but that place was never on my 'must see' list. I can relate though, I was an only child too. The family structure is so screwy sometimes." She mumbled, wondering if the woman with her was aware she was talking to a criminal. "Oh, um, what's your name? I'd rather not keep calling you pretty lady. Don't want you getting the wrong idea, you know?" Natima teased, looking back to the woman as she was fresh out of ideas. She had to make a constant effort not to be flirty. She didn't want Lil getting the wrong idea, as Natima's eyes were solely focused on the raven haired woman. After all, a pretty face was easy to come by, but someone like Leliana wasn't someone you just happened upon. "I'm Natima, if you must know." She added, though she suspected the name exchange would do little to help their situation. "And yea, I'm stumped right now. You have any other ideas?"

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

So slicing or lockpicking the door was out of the question. Inanna began looking around the bathroom, though she kept glancing back at Natima to make sure she didn’t make any sudden movements.

She snorted upon hearing Natima’s low opinion of Goshen. It was such a typical Shi’ido thing to say. Goshen was the planetary capital of Lao-mon, and the most crowded, bustling city on a planet that was not an ecumenopolis by any means. Shi’ido were reserved, solitary creatures who preferred the sole company of their families rather than being crammed together with strangers and tourists from other worlds.

“That’s why we lived on the outskirts of the city,” she replied. “Our house was built into the jungle and designed a certain way so it wouldn’t look out of place among the rest of the natural landscape.”

"Oh, um, what's your name? I'd rather not keep calling you pretty lady. Don't want you getting the wrong idea, you know?"

“Inanna.” Much like Natima, she deliberately neglected to mention her surname so as to avoid the inevitable questions. Hoole? As in, Mammon Hoole, one of the most famous Shi’ido ever? Are you related to him? Etc. As for flirting, Inanna barely reacted to the compliment. Not only was she used to it by now, it didn't really mean anything - her appearance and its perceived beauty was constantly subject to change. She could turn into a Hutt or a Croke, and then no one would call her 'pretty lady'. Except, well, fellow Hutts and Crokes.

“Maybe we could crawl out through a window or a vent?” she suggested, still looking around. She didn’t see a window, but there was a small ventilation duct on the floor at the far end of the room. Shifting their way through there would probably be unpleasant. Arrik and Jonu might even throw her out of their cabin if she came back smelling like sewer water.

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

Hearing the explanation of the woman's housing on the homeland, Natima gave a small smile, thinking of her own childhood home in the middle of the rain forests of the world. She could see it in her minds eye, but it was merely a distant dream. She would never see it again. "Least your family knew how to do that. We used to go through neighbors like crazy because they couldn't figure out how to make a proper house." She mused on the little chapter of her life, though it was just a reality of the home world. You adapted or you died, then again, wasn't that just life in general? Setting herself on the floor, Natima could only lament what she was missing out on with Leliana. If nothing else, she had gotten her fellow Sith's name, though it didn't really help the current situation.

Being asked about squeezing through the vent, Natima gave Inanna a concerned expression. There was alot that was riding on if they were looking to escape that way. "And get diced up by the fans? I don't think so. I don't even know where that would lead us to." Feeling annoyed, Natima rose and began to pace, trying to think of what should be done to escape. This was dumb, they could turn into anything they wanted, and here they were locked in a bathroom with murder happy bushes stalking outside. Standing up, Natima began to check the doors, trying to think if there was some way they could remove it from the hinges. "Maybe we can pop the door off, come on help me look for a hinge, if we can fit something in between there we can dislodge it. Or something, I don't know." She was getting desperate and she knew it, but there was no way in hell she was going to go climbing through a vent shaft and risk being diced to pieces, or worst being flushed into a sewer container. Nope. She just wasn't in the mood.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna gnawed on the inside of her cheek, only half-listening to Natima as she continued to search the bathroom for an escape route. Neighbors couldn’t figure out how to make a proper house… She thought of her family’s ancestral home with a startling flash of melancholy that projected outward through the Force, totally unhindered by any mental defense on her part. Natima probably couldn’t read her mind, but she might feel that. She shook her head, trying to focus.

It had never occurred to her to think of herself as a member of Lao-mon’s elite—her upbringing had been a far cry from, say, a Naboo or Serennian noblewoman, or even the daughter of a well-to-do Corellian shipping dynasty—but she supposed getting to grow up in the House of Hoole counted as luxury compared to others on the planet, who were still just trying to survive day-to-day against the elements and the world’s dangerous natural predators.

“A sliding automatic door with hinges? Unlikely.” Still, Inanna gave the door a second look. “Could… turn into a pair of Wookiees and try to pry it open?”

Without waiting for Natima’s answer, Inanna began to shift. Fur sprouted all over her body, which grew larger, dog-like, and imposing. She started to jam her newly-formed paws into the crack running horizontally across the door, trying to pull the two sides apart by force.

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

Well, she had tried to be smart about it, but Ianna was right, there probably weren't going to be hinges for the door. What she hadn't thought of was the woman taking the form of a Wookiee and moving to tear the door apart with her own hands. Natima stepped back, blinking as she witnessed the shifting occur, and only sighed. "I really like this dress too...". She mumbled, before moving away from Inanna as the woman began to grapple with the door. "Hold on, hold on. Let me just take this dress off so I don't ruin it. I think we are going to need something stronger than a wookiee to break it down." She explained, moving to the stall to disrobe, before taking on her desired form. "Ugh, this is going to suck." She mumbled, before going through the transformation. Her red hair turned into crimson needles, making a long mane of bone spurs that covered across her back. Her muscles tripled in size, and her form grew to that of a two and a half meter behemoth.

Her bulky new form proved to be too large for the small stall, as Natima found herself to be a bit too large to contain her new form. Grunting and squeezing to the stall door, she forced it open, as the bulking figure of a Massassi stood before the Wookiee. "This should do it." Natima spoke, her voice gruff from the new vocal cords she had developed along the way. She ignored the image in the bathroom mirror as she walked past, moving instead to the door, where she stood and prepared herself. "Step back." She warned, before charging towards the door, throwing the hefty might of her new body against the door in an attempt to dent it. Getting any form of grip-age on the damn thing would work towards their escape, and with the might that her new body held, it seemed reasonable that the two would be able to dismantle their prison.


Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna obeyed Natima’s order to move out of the way, watching as the Shi’ido rammed the door.

Outside, another acolyte was sleepwalking through the camp. At the sound of metal bending, the somnambulist was promptly jerked awake. Whirling around frantically, he beheld the sight of a Massassi-shaped dent in the bathroom door, shook himself to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating, then promptly ran back toward his cabin… only to be seized by one of the people-eating plants in the forest. Oh well.

In the bathroom, Inanna blinked Wookiee eyes at the warped durasteel. “Wow,” she commented, though it came out as a bear-like grunt. “...Do it again?”

Hopefully Natima could read her intentions clearly enough.

Natima Vando

 

[Natima Vando]

Slamming into the door, Natima felt her shoulder 'pop', prompting a grunt from her lips as she made some progress on the door. Groaning, she stepped back, rubbing her shoulder, as while she had the strength and bulk of a Massassi, the toughness didn't exactly carry over. Rubbing the sore spot on her shoulder, she figured now was the time to ask that question she had brewing on her mind.

Looking to Inanna, she popped the question. "Hey, so, do you find your pain receptors a bit screwed up when you shift? I feel like every-time I do it everything just gets more sensitive. Is it just me?" Waiting for the answer, Natima would throw herself back at the door, ignoring the pain that followed in the wake of the impact. The door began to give, groaning as another Massassi sized dent began to push it outwards. Leaning hard into the door, Natima could feel it starting to give, but she was going to need a bit more weight to help. "Alright, almost got it. Give a girl a hand?" She asked, shoving into the door once again as it began to give. With Inanna's help, the door would be shoved outward, spilling the two Sith into the outside world, and leaving them exposed to the hostile plants that were hunting for acolytes at this hour of the night.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Natima Vando

Inanna shrugged. "Rrruuuurrhuuuh."

In other words, no, she didn't have that problem. There might be a specific reason for that, but it involved Inanna's ancestry, which again, she'd rather not discuss.

She joined Natima in pushing against the door. It wasn't long before the door collapsed. Inanna lumbered forward and fell on the ground, then quickly picked herself up again. She began to shift back into her typical human form. "Right, thanks," she said, turning to Natima as her voice became clear and feminine again. "Now to just get back to our cabins in one piece..."

 

[Natima Vando]

It didn't help Natima that her companion seemingly had no answers, but that was to be expected. Seemed she'd need to see a doctor for her condition.

Slamming into the door and sliding out onto the ground upon it, the pair would make a hell of alot of noise in the process. Groaning, Natima stayed in her larger form for a bit, knowing she still needed to retrieve her gown from the place she had left it in the stall. "Yea, easier said then done." She muttered, as the pair would hear the unnerving rustling of bushes and branches, though Natima seemed to put the sound out of her mind. Sitting up, she would begin to move back to the restrooms, intent on grabbing her gown and finding her way back to Lil. "Well, this was certainly the most entertaining refresher trip I've been on, so thanks for that, Inanna." As Natima would just break the threshold of the facilities, roots would begin to break up out of the ground and snake towards the two acolytes, though the Massassi shifted Shi'ido didn't seem to pay it any mind.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Natima Vando

Inanna finished shifting back into a human female, complete with fake "clothing". Brushing dirt off, she heard the roots begin to snake toward them. "Oh hell," she muttered. A lightwhip appeared coiled on her hip, drawn from inside her body; she took it in her hand and activated the red beam of energy, striking at the root headed toward herself. The living plant trembled, steam rising from the burning lacerations she inflicted upon it.

"Watch out!" she exclaimed as one of the other roots arced toward Natima. Her hands were busy enough as it is with her own foes.

 

[Natima Vando]

Natima wasn't able to see what was coming, so when Inanna began to attack the plant monster that sought to kill the apprentices, Natima was rather startled to find that they were under attack. "What in the blazes-" She had began to say, before leaping out of the way of an attack. She rolled with the momentum, as she came back to her feet with dagger in hand. This had to be a bathroom trip to hell, as the Shi'ido was less than pleased with this new development. She flipped her dagger about in her hand, feeling the adrenaline start to pulse in her body. There were two good reasons why she was about to do what she was going to do. Firstly, she wanted that night gown back; she paid good credits for it and she'd be damned if someone was going to swipe it. Secondly, Lil was going to wake up any minute now and realize she was gone. And what was the sole thing that was keeping her from accomplishing both of these objectives? This nerf-herder of a plant monster. Natima ran towards the creature, her honed senses giving her some wiggle room to avoid the vines that the creature attempted to strike her with. She began to gather energy in her hand, focusing it around her dagger as she neared the monstrosity, and when she felt the time was right, she flung it towards the creature, with the force propelling it towards the creature.

The weapon struck deep into the wood of the creature, splitting the bark and puncturing something of value as green sap began to seep from the creature. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to kill it. As just as Natima had done her attack and began to tumble out of danger, one of the roots caught her ankle, hoisting her up into the air. "ARE YOU FETHING KIDDING ME!?!" She exclaimed, her nails digging at the root, as she was tossed about back and forth in the air. She was trying to formulate a plan before this thing started flinging her around like a rag doll, but unfortunately she was coming up with nothing.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Natima Vando

"Well..."

Inanna started to speak, still whipping at the roots which were assailing her, only to be struck in the chest by a particularly thick branch which knocked her through the air. She landed hard on the ground, then scrambled to her feet, gasping for breath.

"Well... that's..." She halted, gazing up as Natima was grabbed by the ankle and hoisted in the air in front of her. "...not good."

She still had her lightwhip, and the Force was at her disposal. Inanna reached around her, picking up stones and larger rocks lying around, anything she could find, then telekinetically hurled them at the plant monster with the speed of a bullet. Green sap splattered across the exterior wall of the bathroom, the other root-tentacles of the monster, onto Inanna's body, and presumably Natima as well. The stuff was thick and syrupy and smelled like chlorophyll mixed with something unpleasant.

"Damned Sith and their fething science experiments..." she muttered. If she hadn't already tried to be a Jedi and failed, honestly she would've vastly preferred not to be a Sith apprentice and have to deal with this bullchit. She held her lightwhip at the ready, unable to see in the dark whether or not the thing was dead, wounded, or still thrashing poor Natima around like a ragdoll.

 

[Natima Vando]

Unfortunately for Natima, she was very much at the mercy of the planet monster. Several roots and vines latched onto her, pulling her this way and that, and making it all the more difficult for the Sith to fight back. Initially she had tried to increase her muscle mass, hoping to prove too much weight to snap the roots, but the addition of other vines quickly put a dent in that plan. "KILL. THE. BASTARD." She managed to shout out, as she was waved back and forth in the air like a flag, feeling the vines begin to pull her limbs to an uncomfortable extent. Thankfully, she could just let her body stretch, unfortunately, she was pretty sure the plant monster could go much further than herself.

As the situation grew more dire, Natima had thought she was going to die. Panic had taken over her mind, as she flailed and struggled, before loosing a hastily constructed bolt of lightning into the sky. Then, just as it seemed that death had come for her, the vines melted away, and she was free. Unfortunately, she had been cut loose a solid ten feet in the air, and gravity was quick to claim ownership of her. Hitting the ground, a low groan spilled from the Sith's lips, as she roiled around on the ground in pain, but rather happy to be alive. She lifted a single arm up, flashing a thumbs up to anyone that was still alive, but she was really looking forward to getting back in bed once this nonsense was said and done.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

Natima Vando

Inanna enhanced her vision like that of a nocturnal predator, trying to see in the dark. She heard a loud thump as Natima's body fell, then caught a glimpse of the rubbery Shi'ido giving a thumbs up. "Well, whaddya know. You're alive!"

She stepped over the fallen vines and reached out with a slime-coated hand to help Natima to her feet. "We should probably get out of here before anything else shows up," Inanna said.

Funnily enough, she had been sent off to be eaten by these same plant creatures by Marcis Sorr just a few hours earlier, courtesy of a mental impulse he had planted in her mind after she pushed him just a little too far. (Was it the petting? It had to be the petting. But she couldn't resist - he just looked so soft and fluffy, like a deadly gas bomb hidden inside a teddy bear.) She managed to evade the forest predators entirely by screaming and flailing, which the buggers evidently didn't find all that appetizing. At least the plant monster slime would make her slippery enough that she could slide easily through the window of the cabin... and maybe leave Arrik with a nasty chlorophyll surprise in the morning. Silver linings, ladies.

With this new, mischievous, and very stupid objective in mind, she promptly took off at a run towards her cabin. "Make as much noise as possible - they're less likely to attack you then!" she shouted over her shoulder, then began waving her arms in the air and screaming like a maniac. The last sight Natima would have of her was Inanna's rear end stick out of the cabin window, then just her feet, and finally nothing as the window slid shut.