Wait... I know you!

[Faegard]

It wasn't even worth trying to stifle the soft moan of pleasure that escaped my lips as I indulged the creamy beverage.

Settling back in the chair, I let out a contented sigh. Most of the time, I'm merely content with whatever I can find. As long as I can get the calories to get me through a given day, I don't much care where it comes from. But this? Oh, this was a treat. I had to be careful, of course, I chuckled to myself at the idea that Scherezade could basically have me at her beck and call, perhaps even more than Darren did, simply by offering more of this divine drink.

My ears picked up as the woman spoke of being on my home planet - a place I'd honestly never been - and how she'd rescued the royal family there. I snickered, grinning.

"I swear to the gods if you shove me into a closet..." I joked. "But... thank you, for what you did there. I've not met a trandoshan yet but, if I'm honest, they're not exactly high on my priority list right now. Felacat, though, that I'd like to see sometime."

She asked if I had any combat experience. I didn't answer straight away, instead pausing to take another long, indulgent sip from the mug. It was creamy and sweet and warm and comforting, and I felt my entire body relax. As a soft sigh uncoiled from my chest, I placed the mug down in front of me, lifting a hand to sweep my hair over one shoulder and pull down the shoulder of my top with the other. From below the clothing on my left breast, all the way up and over my shoulder, the fur was thinner, discolored, patchy even. A huge scar had formed, clearly very old.

I rolled that shoulder a little, a reflexive action every time I remembered about it. Clearly the movement was hampered somewhat; scarred muscle tissue never having fully reformed as it was meant to.

"Experience?" I echoed, grinning "You... you could say that. I mean, the war form can get me out of trouble, but... I guess I'm not exactly the kind of person you'd see on the front lines of a war zone. I'm, well I'm more of an ambush hunter, I guess."

I pulled the shoulder of my top back up and reached for the mug, taking another sip. One hand then moved to the shard of metal around my neck,

"If you want a fighter... then you want A'Baal."

Leaning back in the chair, I prepared to remove the necklace from around my neck. Whether she asked about him or not, it was kind of something I figured she should probably know.





[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Valrayne"]​

She gave the kitten an impish grin. Her? Stuff a cat into a closet? Naww. Well. No, that was a lie, in her two years of existence she'd shoved many a-people and many a-thing into the closet, and some of them on more than one occasion. Closets were safe space. Everyone knew that! Enemies never checked closet spaces if there was a fight happening elsewhere. Scherezade supposed that the logic was that if someone was fighting, someone was not in the closet, and if one person was not in the closet, it had to mean that nobody was in the closet.

But Valrayne herself wasn't a combatant. Not in the traditional in-your-face sort of a way that you put on the front lines. That was perfectly fine. While Scherezade couldn't deny hoping that it wouldn't be the case, it didn't mean the kitten could not be of use. Especially with that ambush hunter thing she'd mentioned. But then she was a name and Scherezade blinked.

"Baal?" she asked, blinking, and setting her mug down.

This was too close of a coincidence. Baal was the name of Scherezade's Loth Wolf. Well, hers and her sister's. The story of how they'd gotten him was another one of those complicated ones. Was this a sign from the Force? That Valrayne would have someone in her life who'd have the same name as the beast companion that Scherezade trusted above all others?

"I have a Baal too," she grinned from ear to ear, not realizing that Valrayne had said A'Baal and not Baal, and that when Scherezade had said a Baal it sounded like A'Baal, "He's my Loth Wolf. Usually I bring him with me to see the 'verse but it was my sister's turn with him. We share custody. Who's your Baal?"

 

[Faegard]

Baal?

I canted my head to one side, blinking. Scherezade seemed excited, but didn't seem to entirely make sense. She... had one too? What? There was another Sith lord...? Oh, the girl went on to explain a Loth Wolf, with a very similar name. A smile curled at my lips, my gaze upon her in total awe. Had the force perhaps drawn us together? It seemed almost too much of a coincidence.

Clutching the shard of metal in my hand, I shook my head,

"A'Baal", I corrected, "he was a Sith Lord, a felacation like me. You... you know one too? That's... the force works in mysterious ways, I suppose."

My smile became a smirk,

"Would you like to meet him?"

Whether she did or not, I was wound up now, I had to show him off. I stood from the table, moving to the edge of the space to ensure that in front of me, there would be enough space for a creature the size of a nexu. Clutching the shard of metal in my hand, I closed my eyes. The words I uttered were in ancient High Sith, although the creature and I were already bound, all I had to do was concentrate through the force. The words were just a medium to do that.

The air before me seemed to gather and swirl, reality itself apparently shimmering in the localized spot. The meal grew hot in my hands, singing my fur and forcing me to drop it, letting it fall back around my neck. Before us, a huge felacatian warrior appeared in his war-form, stepping from nothing into existence, the dark energy of the netherworld wafting from his void-black fur.

I grinned as he looked around, stepping over to wrap my arms around his thick neck and hug him.

"A'Baal!" I grinned, "missed you, ya big old floof."

The Sith lord scowled,

"Little kitten," he seethed, his low growl of a voice seeming to echo around the small ship, "each time you summon me is another bone I will break in agonizing slowness when I am free."

I pulled away to plant a kiss on his muzzle. There's something about the top of cats' heads that's just... perfect for planting kisses, after all.

"I wanted to introduce you to someone!" I beamed, turning to the girl, "Scherezade, meet A'Baal. Don't worry about him. He talks a big game, but he's harmless."

The great cat lumbered towards her, his mighty tail swishing and his ears back as he pulled his lips up a snarl. The enormous cat stalked like a true predator, large paws making no sound as he carefully stepped across the floor. Torn, ancient barding covered his body, tattered and withered. As he approached, she'd likely notice the remnants of a helmet around his feline head, made from the same strange material as the little shard around Val's neck. Waiting a few feet away from Scherezade, the cat paused. He did not bow or lower his head, instead tilting it up to stare down his maw at her, as though the being was beneath him.

"What the queen means," he purred darkly, "is that she fethed up her ritual. I cannot harm you unless you strike me first."

He lowered his head a little, seeking to stare intensely into Scherezade's eyes,

"So please, little Sithling, strike me."





[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Valrayne"]​

Scherezade's face almost dropped. Here she'd been sitting, being all excited about both of them having a sort of companion of the same name, but then no, it wasn't that; she'd simply heard the name wrong and it wasn't a second Baal, but an A'Baal. The rest… Well the names were still similar, but her Baal wasn't any sort of a Sith Lord. She was the Sith Lord. Sith Lady? Krak no, she wasn't any sort of a Lady. She was the sort to have belching competitions and scratch her bum in public.

And then the offer to meet him was made and Scherezade was pretty she hadn't agreed with words or body language, but Valrayne was already busy moving, so Scherezade played along, moving the table a few inches back as well, glowing green eyes peering at the kitten with interest. She wasn't a girl for jewelry either so she hadn't actually noticed the necklace earlier, but now that Valrayne was using her, her attention was on it entirely.

As the air began to gather and swirl, Scherezade's sense of self preservation, which peaked its head up very rarely, decided it was a good time to announce itself, and she wondered what exactly she'd let aboard her ship. One of her knives slide beneath her clothes and into her left hand, and she was ready to butcher both whatever might show up as well as the Felakittie should the occasion demand it.

But…

Scherezade blinked. Big old floof.

Scherezade blinked again, for good measure.

And then smiled, putting the knife away. He was big, his fur was dark, and he was making threats. It was easy to spot family, even from the distance of the little kitchen. Scherezade slid from her chair to the ground, setting her eye level more or less on par with his, and his raised head received her own chin going up just a tiny bit in response. If he was trying to posture over her, it wasn't working. Not because she was resisting – but mostly because she wasn't realizing that this was going on at any level, at all.

"So what sort of striking are we talking about here?" she asked with a giggle, "like if I read you a really boring story or something incredible lewd that offenses the senses, does it count? Or is it physical stirkes only? And does the ritual know the difference between hitting you for violence and just booping you on the nose?"

With that, she reached her hand forward. Slowly. She wanted to know if his snout was cold or warm.

"Also, hi, I'm Scherezade. You're going to fit right in!"

 

[Faegard]

A'Baal's fur bristled, the ancient warrior sensing Scherezade's trepidation and the weapon on her person.

He growled, a low, almost inaudible rumble erupting from deep in his chest, erupting through a mouthful of wicked-sharp teeth. Even as she put the knife away, his eyes never left her form, seeming to see past her physical body and staring directly into her soul. The girl didn't respond with fear to his presence, and the cat threw Valrayne the briefest of glances before turning his attention back to Scherezade. She spoke, a little giggle and the upturned corners of her mouth drawing a somehow even deeper scowl from the cat.

"This one thinks she can offend the sense of the dead?" He responded in a predatory purr, "Come, little one, hurl your worst, and I'll repay you by showing you all the horrors of the netherworld, to a symphony of your own screams."

She reached out, her soft, feminine hand moving slowly towards the great cat. His ears flattened against his great head, his tail swishing. Clearly, he was annoyed. However, perhaps contrary to this behavior, he reluctantly bowed his head enough to gently bump her hand with his muzzle. He turned his head slightly, running it along her hand until he'd positioned those slender fingers at the base of his ear.

"If you're going to disrespect me with your touch," he continued, "at least make yourself useful."

Even the mighty A'Baal cannot deny the irresistible pleasure of scritches. Should she abide him, Scherezade would soon hear a rumbling purr emenate from his throat.

"To answer you truthfully, little one," He growled, "sith magic isn't so ambiguous. A strike, in the context of this blasted spell, would mean for you to draw blood from me or singe my fur with magic or lightning, accompanied with the malicious intent to do so. In short; you have to want to hurt me... and be able to. But please, take your best shot, slice my fur and cut into my form... so that I can drag you screaming back to the Netherworld and flay you a thousand times over."

"Oi."

I definitely had not been observing the scritches and my own hand had definitely not found its way to the base of my large, feline ears. The great warrior reluctantly let his gaze fall on me and I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms across my chest.

"Be nice to her. Scherezade is a friend."

The cat ignored me and turned his attention back to Scherezade,

"If you manage to break my binding, little Sithling," he said, "or slay queen kitten... I'll not only spare your life, but grant you a measure of my power. Interested?"

I chuckled at him, shaking my head and walking over to come around his other side and scratch under his chin. The advantage of sharing a race with the ancient sorcerer was that I knew exactly where all the itchiest spots were. He talks a big game, but he's never not reluctantly started to purr when my fingers found his fur.






[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Valrayne"]​

"You're cute," Scherezade grinned from ear to ear, "but I've experienced worse stuff than the Netherword, I've heard sounds that tore into me harsher than any scream ever could. If you wanna be the big evil cat dude, you're going to have to try harder than that." There was no fear that could be detected on the Sithling, because she simply didn't feel it in that moment. There were things that scared her in this big ol' galaxy all right – but a big angry kitten wasn't on the list of those things.

As A'Baal moved about so she was not with his ear, Scherezade's grin widened even further and she set to scratching where he wanted her to with excitement, inching her body ever so closer so that she would not have to keep her arm stretched out. The purring were a delight that made her wish she could do it as well, but alas, despite her age and legacy, she was but a human, and somewhere it was written that humans did not purr.

While she did so, the purring feline continued to speak. She listened intently, nodding every now and then, though her features made it plain that she didn't overly heed his warning. There wasn't any reason for her to attack an animal, sentient as he may be, unless he striked out first, and since he had no ability to do that… They were both pretty much safe from each other. Which was a damned good thing. Scherezade's ego wouldn't let her believe that a cat could take her down, and she'd hate to lose a potential friend because her beast companion turned into her new bathroom rug.

"I could probably break your binding," she said idly with a careless shrug, perhaps not even realizing the magnitude of the words she was speaking, "I'm a Sith Warrior and not a Sorceress like my sister is, but I am also a Blood Hound. If anything of your binding involves something that was done to your blood in the process of making you what you are, I could probably undo those parts and make alterations to your predicament."

Scherezade blinked, only now realizing what she had said. Or, more importantly for the girl herself, what she had revealed.

"Not interested," she said quickly, shooting Valrayne an apologetic glance, "Unless Valrayne asks me for it as well as is capable of paying the price… Don't ask me for it."

Would that be enough? Would that signal that she was not interested in taking the power that her kitten friend had over her beast companion away? Scherezade rose from the ground and dusted her hands on her jeans, gritting her teeth so that she would not let the long string of curse words out. She just hoped she wouldn’t ask what the price was. Because Scherezade had made it on the spot and really had no clue.

 

[Faegard]

At her words, A'Baal seemed to straighten a little, his attention on Scherezade moving from idle boredom to genuine interest. His purring increased in volume and one might paw raised, carrying him a little closer to the woman. From where I stood, I watched him with my arms folded, like an older sister might idly watch an energetic younger sibling.

"Finally, a true Sith." A'Baal purred.

I smirked. Oh, how everything must have changed for the cat since his time. I couldn't help but wonder if he postured so because in truth, he feared that his power and legend were no longer relevant, if he'd been surpassed by the living. It must be a terrifying thought. No wonder he liked to be so prickly, why he was kind to those who showed great power, despite his apparent arrogance.

Then Scherezade spoke again, and what she said made my blood run cold. She could break the binding. For the first time since I'd originally found him, I felt a powerful jolt of fear consume my spine in a shudder at his presence. My jaw clenched, and my hands balled into fists tucked under my arms. Behind me, I could feel my tail swishing, ears tilting back a little.

My attention turned to the woman herself.

A sith... a bloodhound. I didn't even know what that meant. She hurriedly apologized, seeming to blush, as though she hadn't meant to spill so much all at once. Poor lamb. Much as I found my curiosity piqued... I knew what it was like to want to keep something like that to yourself. Maybe one day I'd ask her about it, but for now, the girl deserved her privacy.

"No way." I shook my head with a grin, "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't last three seconds if someone unbound A'Baal."

"Depends." the great cat answered, "how long does it take you to beg for your life? I ache to hear that."

I rolled my eyes at him with a chuckle and turned to Scherezade.

"By the way, thanks for doing all this just for us... for me." I said.

It was only small, and not really related. But I hoped that she would understand that what she'd just revealed didn't scare me; but I respected her desire to let it remain un-discussed for now.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Faegard​

Scherezade squinted, looking the cat over again and then at the kitten girl. No. She did not agree with her assessment. If it happened now, sure, but with proper training? The odds could be reversed with dedication. And she had very little doubt, that the big evil cat knew this perfectly well. Acht. If she ever got a few minutes with him without Valrayne, she going to tease him about it to no end. And he would not be able to lift a single claw.

Shrugging, she turned around, now lying down on the floor, using A'Baal's paw as a pillow, daring him to even think about it with a glance. Predator vs. predator. This was going to be fun.

But then, she cast Valrayne a questioning look. "You piqued my interest on Coruscant," she laughed and smiled again, "If you decide to join us, it's gonna be you doing stuff for me and my us. And if you want to, become part of it too. Not just for the job."

It would be… It would be nice to have more people around that were a friendly face. The treatment Scherezade was receiving in no way resembled what she'd received prior to abdicating her former place, but not-mean was still not the-bestest. She didn't expect anyone to be her friend. But a few more would definitely not hurt.

"I hope you'll like it," she said quietly, and then shook her head and stood up again. "C'mon, let's go see where you'll be sleeping for the next few days."

 

[Faegard]

A'Baal watched as Scherezade showed a total absence of fear in his presence, even going so far as to lay down with her head on his paw. For a moment or two, I could see the cogs turning in his mind, feel the thought process within him as the ancient Sith considered simply sliding his paw away and letting her head hit the floor. However, to my surprise, he didn't. My ears tilted forwards curiously as the felacatian warrior lowered his head to my friend, speaking in his low, rumbling purr,

"If you can truly free me, little one, rest assured I'll find a way to ensure that you do."

I shook my head with a chuckle. Always with the promises, such a dramatic old cat. Then Scherezade turned her attention to me, and my tail flicked idly as she spoke. I canted my head to one side, chewing my lip thoughtfully.

"Us?" I echoed, "you think... I'd be a good fit?"

I'd been offered work in the past, even a spot on a crew once, but this... this felt different, somehow. Like, it wasn't out of convenience or with an immediate desire for something in return. But rather, I felt as though, it was a real place she was offering me, a home, to be part of something else, something bigger. Could I even fill such a role? It had always been just me, and then after that, just me and A'Baal. Sure, Darren had occasionally popped in and dragged me off with him, but I'd always looked out for myself.

Scherezade pulled me from my thoughts as stood and offered to show me where I'd be sleeping. Pulling myself from the bench I leaned against I grinned, my heart beginning to race excitedly.

"Ooh, yes!" I chirped, hopping up beside her, tail swishing, "a few days isn't long to catch up on a lifetime of sleepovers with girlfriends, but I'm sure we can make it work. Especially with more of those drinks you made."

Behind me, I could feel A'Baal roll his eyes, willing himself to fade back into the netherworld. Once more, it was just the two of us in the ship; me... and my friend.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Faegard​

"Yes," Scherezade answered, and her expression left no place to wonder if she might have been joking about the matter. The Felakitten had been running away on Coruscant. On Coruscant, of all places, where you were part of the scenery unless you weren't. Many people in places like that tended to get… Lost, perhaps, swallowed up by the sheer size and population. But to be someone there that was running away, and not just from the local authorities that were following them…

"You're like a few of us," she explained gently, "Some people would say that running away, or leaving, boils down to essentially the same thing – closing the door behind you. I think… Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a hunch that you haven't had an open door in a really long time. The group I'm with, a few of us are called the Firsts because that's essentially what we were; the Firsts of the group, but we had either slammed, closed, or burned down the doors behind us before heading off into the Unknown Regions. And we're building our own doors now. I think you could do with door building rather than door finding."

Pausing, Scherezade scratched her head. She didn't often fall into explaining things like that, but now that she had, the Sithling smiled a little and nodded, mostly to herself. It was a good explanation, and it worked. But more than worked, in some place, she felt as though she'd just explained the situation to herself more than to Valrayne. Scherezade was more a woman of actions rather than words. She could burn entire planets for those she loved, but to say I love you was almost impossible for her. Words were… Tricky. Not her domain, anyway.

As A'Baal vamooshed himself away, Scherezade jumped off the floor and motioned for Valrayne to follow her. The ship wasn't huge by any standards, but it was bigger than the one that personally belonged to Scherezade these days. Which meant, the kitten's room was going to be larger than a capsule.

"There's a refresher at the end of it," she grinned, "and you can open any door here, except that one," she pointed, "because that's where I'm going to be sleeping, and if the door opens my brain will think you're an intruder. Always knock on that one if it's closed."

The rest of the tour was pretty straight forward. Hallways, cockpit, the kitchen had already been introduced, and most of the rooms were used for storage, except two with beds and one with bacta. The whole bunk bed thing was a huge nope for Scherezade, and she made sure to never take ships that had it, even if there were other options present.

"So how'd you end up away from the rest of your kind?" she asked once they returned to the kitchen, the Sithling's hands already working on making new mugs of hot cream, "When I was on Felacat I got the impression that your species tends to be a very communal one. But I'm also chit at reading those stuff so I could be completely wrong."