Twisted Sister (Evard)

[Zola]

"Yeah, um don't quit your day job," said Jem, taking another drag on her cigarette. Then the Hapan woman shrugged. "Alright then, Blondie, in we go." She gave a dramatic bow. "Ladies first," she said to him with an evil grin. In her mannish suit it was clear that she didn't consider herself to fit in that category.

As they walked into the temple Jem dragged a few paces behind him looking around at all the marble pylons with a curious expression. She'd never been to a Jedi temple and it was a complete mindfark. Plus, she thought that Evard vaguely knew where Mallisi's quarters were so she let him take the lead.

The deeper they went into the temple, the more anxious and distressed Jem started to look. She began biting her nails and stopping to look at every little artifact and, oh look, suddenly the floor tiles became very interesting! Heading down the hallowed hallways of the Academy, she weaved behind Evard on shaky legs, starting to resemble a timid Khommite strider in the speeder lights.

[member="Evard L'Rik"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard's brow furrowed as he watched Jemmila weave around like a drunk old man without his cane. She seemed a little confused, and possibly scared. She'd seemed cocky as hell before... What was wrong? He stopped, and turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

"Yeah sure, Blondie. Don't I look alright?" she said huffily. Reaching into her trench coat pocket, Jem took out a small bottle of whiskey and took a swig, wiping her mouth with her hand. She then gave Evard a playful shove. "Keep going ok? Before I lose my nerve."

She wrapped her arms around herself in a defensively posture and stared at the floor. "Look, I just haven't seen her in a while and I'm not sure how she's going to feel about me being here. So let's just find her already before I change my mind about hurting you."

[member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard snorted loudly, and looked at Jemmila over the rims of his glasses.

"Least she's alive. Somethin' I can't say for my sister, or my brother."

He swung around, the black-dyed hair streaming behind him.

"It'll be okay. Maybe. I wouldn't know, would I?"

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

As they continued through the halls of the Academy, Jem walked alongside Evard with her arms still wrapped around herself, her cigarette dangling from her lips. She noticed some wings off the main hallway that seemed to contain smaller rooms with one or two beds in them. They must have been the living quarters of the padawans. She reached out with the Force and felt her sister's presence nearby. As quickly as she reached out, she shut off the power, not wanting to make her sister aware of her dark presence.

Slowing down a few paces again, with her eyes still downcast, she finally spoke again. "So what happened to your siblings?" she asked Evard in a soft, hoarse voice, almost a whisper.

[member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard didn't look over at Jemmila. He walked silently, with his jaw set and his hands in his pockets. His voice was as hoarse as if he'd still been playacting, but he wasn't.

"They disappeared. My parents were still on the planet when it was ripped to shreds. My fiancee ran off with my brother, but somehow ended up married to an Asherian prince. Dead. And my sister is the only one I haven't heard anything of."

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

"That's Farkled, Blondie," said Jem, blowing smoke out of the side of her mouth. "No wonder you seem like you have a damaged goods thing going on." Then she quickly added. "No offense."

She still wasn't sure why she was being nice to the guy, especially since she didn't want him anywhere near her sister. But she felt for Evard. Her family was everything and although she felt that she'd lost her sister figuratively, Jem couldn't imagine losing her to the Maker.

Then the mentally unstable Hapan woman quickly changed the subject, narrowing her brown eyes at Evard. "As much as I love aimlessly roaming the halls with you here in a Jedi temple, are we going to find my sister's quarters or what? Don't you know where her room is? You're the one who's been here before."

[member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard looked back this time, and grinned at Jemmila.

"No, you got it in one. I was blacked out for two years while that wonderful little Sithy voice in my head ripped a planet to shreds."

He looked at his hands almost wistfully, and stopped walking.

"It's almost sad, really. I would've liked to know how he did it, but getting the knowledge would kill me."

He looked around, almost bewildered, and laughed.

"Anyway, I have no idea how to get there from inside the building. The other day, I stepped out from my ship, onto a balcony in front of her window. I figured trying to scale the side of the building in broad daylight would be stupid, so this plan happened. You never would have come if I wasn't here. Ain't that right?"

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Jemmila suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her cigarette nearly burning itself out in her hand before she dropped it with a hiss, she closed her eyes and concentrated again, attempting to sense her sister's Force signature. With her eyes still shut, Jem said, "She's close by. That I can tell. It's risky, but I might be able to get her to come out and play."

She reached out again with the Force and tried to create a small disturbance in her sister's mind. It would make her aware of her presence and also give her their location. Even if Mallisi were asleep, she'd be roused out of whatever dream state she was in, the dark energy an unwelcome intruder in her consciousness.

Jem threw her cigarette butt into a nearby urn and promptly lit another one. "And now. We wait," she said with a shrug, then plopped down cross-legged on the floor and gestured to his arm.

"So what's the story with the arm, Cyberman?"

[member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard shrugged, and sat down next to the smoking woman.

"My arm..."

He grinned like an insane person, and mimed chopping it off/

"I didn't like it, so I cut it off. My leg, too. Don't you get rid of things you don't like? Barring me, of course. You couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to."

There was, of course, more to it. The Sith Lord had tried to physically take his body over more completely, and the only way to end the corruption had been to remove the limbs that were being corrupted. He'd even incinerated them in the reactor core of the Resurgent, but there was no reason for Jemmila to know any of that.

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Ahe'Rain Sekairo]

The last thing Mallisi had expected to sense in the Academy was a dark presence in the light of day, let alone a familiar one. Not only had [member="Evard L'Rik"] decided to pay a visit, but there was another that was all but ingrained in her memory, something she hadn't felt in a long while. It seemed that her older sister, [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"], was with him. The fact that she was at the Academy didn't strike her as being necessarily out of the ordinary, as she'd expected to be found by her eventually. Whether it would be sooner or later was the question, but it was obvious that it was going to be the sooner. What was almost ironic was the fact that she'd come with a certain blonde male that had recently surprised her in a similar manner not too long ago.

But there was nothing to be done about that fact now, so instead she stood from where she'd been meditating, excusing herself from the presence of the two Padawans before stepping outside of the training room, quickly getting a more precise location that the presence was emanating from and setting off, reaching down to pull a portion of her robe over the saberstaff at her waist, regardless of whether it was a training blade or not. Something told her that the weapon wouldn't be appreciated by her sibling, due in part that one of the reasons of their drifting apart had been her will to join the Jedi Order.

Finally the two came into sight, and she slowed, watching them from a distance with the hood of her outfit raised. It wasn't that she was nervous about approaching so much as unsure, not knowing where her relationship with her sister stood, or how she would react, given her dark presence. Taking a breath to strengthen her resolve she finally stepped forward, glancing to Evard with a faint smile before looking to the woman she hadn't seen in years, or thought she would for a few more.

Reaching up with her hands, she slowly lowered her hood, pausing for a moment as no words found her lips. When she did speak, her voice was soft and measured, "Jemmila. It's been a few years."

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard sort of slid over, a little surprised at the fact that Jemmila's trick had worked. He was very surprised, though, by Mallisi's greeting to her sister. He decided to sit back and watch what would happen, and hope that his presence wouldn't cause any trouble. He'd had about his fill of the implication that he should stay away from Mallisi, and he thought that maybe turning the attention away from him would work to keep the hostility away.

His voice lowered to a mutter, and he leaned his arms and chin on his knees.

"Well, I'll just be over here..."

[member="Mallisi Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Jemmila stood very still as she stared at her sister with an unblinking glare. Then slowly a slight smirk. "Hey Mallisi," she said. Her eyes lowered to the saber staff at her sister's waist. She could tell it was there even if Mallisi was trying to hide it. Still looking at the weapon hilt, she softly said. "Oh, are we on those terms now, sis?"

Jem looked back to her sister's face and lifted her cigarette slowly to her lips, taking a long drag and with a Belasco inhale, a dense cloud of smoke left her mouth and rose up into her nose. She gestured to Mallisi's robes. "Jedi is a good look on you. I bet you've got those strapping young padawans fawning all over you as usual." Jem raised an eyebrow and clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh.

Then she smiled widely, her brown eyes glinting with subtle malice as she turned towards Evard. "Look I brought you a present!" She swept her arm out dramatically, referring to the blonde man. "Well, aren't you going to kiss him hello?"

[member="Evard L'Rik"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"]

 

[Ahe'Rain Sekairo]

Although a hostile attitude had been expected, given the circumstances under which they parted and how they had reunited just then, Mallisi still paused for a moment with a slight frown, unsure of what to say. But still she gave a small wave in Evard's direction, offering a smile in his direction before looking back to her older sister, the smile sliding off of her face. "I think you might have overestimated our relationship. We might be together, but we haven't kissed yet..." A faint blush made its way to her cheeks, and she glanced in his direction with another smile, a vaguely apologetic look in her eyes. When she was younger she'd appreciated her sister's protectiveness, but it had taken on another level in their adulthood.

"It's a training blade. I didn't think you would have any reason to be upset over it." The tension of the situation was thick enough to cut with the weapon at her waist that she didn't bother to conceal, instead letting the corner of her robe fall back to reveal it. "It's standard issue to most every Padawan, but most of them prefer a single blade. Assuming you were interested in the first place." Her departure to the Jedi hadn't been welcomed by her sister, and even when they were still on friendly terms Jemmila had been aloof about the entirety of her fascination with the Order.

Choosing to ignore her comment about the male Padawans, she kept her hands open and at her sides, her demeanor relaxed though mentally she was tense, her Force abilities only adding to it. Having Evard there only served to make the situation more awkward, but she wasn't about to ask him to leave. In his own way he was providing a kind of support for her, having a familiar face in it all. Sure, she'd known her sister for the entirety of her life, but after the reception she'd received, didn't hold too high of hopes for the progression of their relationship. However much she wished they would get along, she wouldn't push things if her sister wouldn't go along with them.

"I thought you'd be..." What? Nicer, happy to see her after the years that had passed? "...not so hostile. Apparently things really have changed." A part of her thought that maybe her sister would have missed her, because, although she wouldn't admit it, Mallisi had missed her adopted sibling. And now that they'd met again, those feelings were brought to light once more.

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"], [member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard blushed bright red, and his jaw clenched, along with his left fist, the flesh one. Like with the Jedi guard earlier, he was angry enough to disregard the one weapon he did have, and simply go to the instinctive response. What the hell gave Jem the right to do that to Mallisi? Or him, for that matter. It had nothing to do with her at all. It was literally none of her busi-

Then he realized it was. The hostility was unwarranted, but it was her sister he liked. Even if they hadn't even kissed, they'd sat there on a ledge for a long time, talking and talking. But he couldn't help but have his mind skewed against Jemmila, because she'd treated him way worse than that from the moment he'd started talking to her.

He shrugged, holding out his hands to Mallisi.

"She's like that to everybody, apparently."

[member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Jemmila looked down at her combat boots with a frown. "You thought I'd be what? More forgiving of the fact that you basically deserted me on Natinati?" She looked up and met her sister's gaze, taking another drag of her cigarette, her brows knitted together, eyes wet. "I can't just shut off those feelings, you know. I miss you, sis. With all my heart."

As Evard reached his hands out to Mallisi, she quickly stepped right in front of him, deliberately bumping into his shoulder. "Come on over here and give your big sister a hug." She said, moving towards her Cathar sibling, going in for an embrace.

[member="Evard L'Rik"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"]

 

[Ahe'Rain Sekairo]

There was a moment of hesitation, but only a moment, before Mallisi stepped forward to hug her older sister, smiling at the all too familiar feeling of her embrace, releasing her after a moment. Though still not completely relaxed in the situation, the fact that Jemmila was willing to make physical contact spoke the fact that maybe their relationship wasn't as rocky as she thought. Reaching up with a hand she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, getting a bit emotional despite herself. It had been years since she'd seen her, and now that she had it was all catching back up, whether she wanted it to or not.

With another smile she reached out to take the other woman's hand in hers, rather for the sake of the gesture than anything. "I'm sorry, Jemmila. About everything. I shouldn't have left, and it was wrong, but..." She sighed quietly and shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "There isn't an excuse for it. No matter how much I wanted to be a Jedi, I should have told you. And it's too late for that, I know, but it isn't something I can walk away from. However cliche it sounds, I know that I was meant to do this." Never had she poured her heart out like this, to anyone, but with her sibling it was a special case.

Now she looked to Evard, with an almost shy wave. "Sorry about bringing you into all of this, as well. A complicated relationship like this probably isn't what you were looking for."

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"], [member="Evard L'Rik"]

 

[Evard L'Rik]

Evard looked up from his arm, to Mallisi, and raised his eyebrows in mock incredulity.

"Oh, no! I dyed my hair black and snuck up here because it's simple. Totally."

He glanced towards Jemmila, and grinned crookedly.

"I brought you your slightly vicious older sister, and I had to deal with her. Almost harder than cutting limbs off."

He reached out to brush the hand that Mallisi waved at him, and smiled more softly.

"So, yeah, I'm absolutely gonna back off because stuff around you is complicated. Fits perfectly with everything else I do."

[member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] [member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Tightly returning their embrace, Jemmila hugged her sister and let the tears fall. Hastily she wiped them away with her nicotine stained fingers. Jem wanted to describe how sad she was on Natinati and how powerfully she felt the tug of the dark side of the Force, a development which deeply worried her. But she was too damn proud.

In her mind, her sister had made her choice, Jedi over family, and she wasn't in a rational enough state of mind to see it any other way. Overpowered by her feelings, she simply backed away from her sister, stubbing out her cigarette on the stone floor of the temple with the toe of her boot. With knitted brows she looked first at Mallisi and then at Evard and said, "I'm super touched by your speech sis, but..." Here she trailed off, and left the words unspoken. Then she quickly shook her head."Uh, I gotta go."

Then she whirled on her heel and walked quickly out of the temple before either one of them could process what had just happened.

[member="Evard L'Rik"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"]