Private Wildfire

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Yeah," Elpsis admitted. "Still...I'm glad you're here with...me," she flushed slightly, her cheeks acquiring a slight pink hue before she finally managed to regain her composure. "We make a good team tearing apart scum, don't we?" she said a bit cockily.

Ziost.

It seemed like a lifetime ago, though in truth little time had passed. She had been at a crossroads then. In her heart of hearts, she'd known what she needed to do...but she'd lacked the strength of will to do what was needed. Not anymore. No compromise, no hesitation. Compromise was weakness.

"Rhea's alright, still fighting the good fight. Her own homeworld's ruled by complete scum, so taking down corpos and their lackeys is like a dress rehearsal. Got the makings of a leader one day. Shikoba's alive. Best healer, best ghosttalker we've got. You should run into her at the base when we get there. If she's not in the healers' bay, she's probably talking to a ghost somewhere." Her laughter was without mirth, and soon her expression turned morose.

"Celaena...Cel's... dead. She was amazing in Suqua. When she was in the rearguard with me, she tore through Firemane lackeys. Damn girl was fire. She was supposed to get the fuck out when she was injured, but she stayed. I was...proud of her. Then there was a missile." A shadow seemed to fill her face, and she sighed. "I guess she was too angry to die to anything less than that. We named a company after her. May they live up to her example and burn all parasites and bloodsuckers that stand in their way."

There was a brief pause. "Vagt...betrayed me." Her gaze was cold and hard, as hard as her mouth, as hard as the hilt of Inferno strapped to her belt, hard as the steel of the armour she wore. The cracks in her face seemed to flare. "I don't suffer traitors. He didn't live long enough to regret it."

Several hours later...

Much time would pass until the shambling group of rebels emerged from the caverns. By then they would've heard the distant rumbling that heralded the detonation of the explosive charges in what had once been their hideout. When they emerged from the darkness, they would face a very narrow, steep ascent up some stairs. By then the sun was going down.

Though no one could be seen, a Forceful being like Maeve would no doubt perceive that they were being watched. She might also sense that some of their Force signatures appeared blurry. Shadows moved near-silently.
Out of the darkness, a voice called out in Zandri, the main Qadiri language. "Restitution!"
"Revenge!" Sahmara Jai Saobana answered in Zandri.

Slowly and cautiously, hidden sentinels emerged. They were Qadiri, clad in austere, dark brown robes and cloaks which blended in with their surroundings. Their faces were shrouded by hoods, and they were armed with blades, knives, spears and pistols. "Lady Jai Saobana," their apparent leader said curtly in a thick Zandri dialect, face shrouded by a hood and mask. She didn't bow or salute.
"Zokala Jai Adshala," Elpsis said.
A figure stepped forward. Karrigan'Xalda. Evidently wounded and walking awkwardly, but still upright and fierce. Her gaze darted across the group, lingering on Maeve before falling upon Elpsis. "Come, sister," they grey skinnd woman said in accented Basic. "The perch awaits the phoenix."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve smiled softly as Elpsis went down the list. Rhea didn't surprise her—the woman had been headstrong, just like her. While they'd started off on the wrong foot back on Ziost, they'd earned each other's respect, and Maeve was glad she was alright. Same with for the ghost-whisperer, Shikoba. It was good news. A sign to hope.

Her smile died when she heard about Celaena.

"I'm sorry," Maeve said quietly. "I didn't realize." Again, she couldn't help but wonder if things would've been different had she learned about Firemane sooner. Would Celaena still be alive? How many other people would be had she come a week, a month, or a year before now?

Maeve hadn't known Vagt very well, so that news didn't hurt her as much, but she still saw the pain in Elpsis' face, the cracks. Part of Maeve wanted to reach out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, to say something, anything, to help. But the words were lost to her.

She never dealt well with grief, either.

Hours later…​

Their conversation dragged for the rest of the hike, but Maeve had managed to learn enough about what Elpsis had been up to since they parted ways back on Ziost. It'd been years, after all, and there was much ground to cover. Now, even more so. The base was just up ahead, and it seemed Maeve was in store for quite a few more introductions.

Or maybe not.

The Qadiri sentinels and their leader barely acknowledged Maeve before focusing on Elpsis. Maeve tried her best to look harmless, but that wasn't easy when one was caked in soot and dried blood. Hopefully, they would have a chance to take a bath soon.

As they climbed the steps, she leaned over to Elpsis and nodded to the Qadiri leader, whispering, "Who is she? Another general?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Zokala Jai Adshala? No. Leads one of the detachments though. Her folks are pastoralists, always on the move with their livestock. Except Firemane and rich city folk decided they should pay taxes and give up all their grazing land." There was more to the story, though she didn't feel comfortable going into detail. Things had been far from rosy while Siobhan was still in power. Siobhan had been a great woman...but not a good one.

What would people say of Elpsis when her fire had gone out? Spit upon her name? Or, perhaps even worse, call her saviour and bury the ugly truth beneath a myth? She clamped down on her melancholy, and ascended the steps. "They're good fighters, know what's at stake," she said instead.

Xalda had been scrutinising her critically. Without warning, she reached out and rested a grey hand upon Elpsis' face, touching her burning scars. It made the 'Fire Princess' wince slightly. "These were not as intense this morning," the Xioquo warrior-woman pointed out.
"I wasn't on fire then," Elpsis retorted, grimacing.
"The cracks deepen, sister."
"And I'll seek the priestess' blessing and submit to the rites to keep them from deepening more than I can handle. Nothing else to be done." Feeling the need to shift matters away from herself, Elpsis glanced at Maeve. "Maeve, meet Karrigan'Xalda." Maeve might notice that 'Karrigan' was not far removed from 'Kerrigan'. "I was about to introduce you, but then Firemane had to sic drones on us, so yeah. Xalda's been with me from the start. She's killed many Firemane lackeys."
"We meet for talk at last. You are Maeve of the Yedai, I greet you. I saw you battle with our foes, and I trust to see you battle more."

They plodded upward, winding their way back and forth across the face of the mountain as the steps twisted and turned. The steps were chiselled deep into the rock, ascending into the sky. Then the trail grew steeper, and the paths became more worn. However, Zokala and Xalda remained surefooted, as acclimated to the steep mountains as mules no matter how treacherous the path was. Up here, the wind shrieked relentlessly, and a precipitous drop awaited the careless. Vast black gulfs of air howled around them.

A concealed and guarded entrance would lead them into a long tunnel leading down into the rock. As they approached, Maeve would hear a sound akin to that of a grinder from afar. Then she would see what on first sight looked like statues made of rock, clad in armour. Closer inspection would reveal that they were people. Stone people. They were eating slices of rock topped with yellow sulphur, with some crystal dust on top as a treat.

One of them gave Maeve an impassive stare. "Want some? Basalt's good for you. It'll put some stone on that meat."
"Stop making stupid jokes," the other Kar'zun chided his - or her? It was hard to discern gender - comrade. "There's wounded mammals over there, go help them. And move those crates while you're at it."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

So, they were farmhands. More victims to Firemane's expansionist policies. At this point, who hadn't been affected? Just how deep had Firemane sunken their claws into Tygara?

Before Maeve could stew on the thought, she saw Xalda reach out and touch Elpsis' cheek. She felt a strange protectiveness for Kerrigan then, but said nothing and listened. Elpsis' cracks had deepened since the battle, though Maeve had thought nothing of it at the time. Was her condition really that serious?

By the Force, there was so little she knew about Elpsis. Her mother. The cracks. Her scars. The extent of her powers. More questions for another time.

"An honor, Karrigan'Xalda," Maeve said as she was introduced. "Trust that you will be seeing me a lot around here. Long as I breathe, Firemane won't be safe."

Onward they went. Up worn steps, against cold wind, and above what felt like thousands of feet of empty air. A good thing she wasn't afraid of heights. Now, what did surprise her were the two hulking statues at the tunnel's entrance, and statues that could talk.

Maeve blinked, silent even as the two heaps of rock moved past her to help the other rebels inside. She continued watching them as she leaned over to Elpsis. "I've come across countless species in the galaxy, but I can't say I've ever had the chance to meet walking, talking rocks."

"Are there more like them around here?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"The talking rocks have a name. Call us Kar'zun, and we shall not call you a talking mammal," the more serious-minded of the two Kar'zun soldiers said gravely. His voice sounded like the pounding of hammers. "We endure, though the Eldorai would wish it otherwise."
"Another long story with plenty of bloodshed, injustice and tragedy that we can't get into right now," Elpsis added, trying to wave off further discussion. "Suffice to say there's a bunch of them spread across the planet, they're good people who are good in a fight and great engineers, too."

As they would find once they passed through the entrance, inside rooms cut into the solid stone, with dark walls. The base had few of the amenities that one would expect from say the facilities of the GADF. Everything was utilitarian, if not to say plain austere. But it was functional. Wounded were received by healers, and gear offloaded by soldiers and civilian labourers. Everywhere rebels were busy getting settled in. One of the soldiers collected the supplies Maeve had helpfully carried for them.

"Jazira Jai Ghazana awaits you," Xalda told her sister softy.
"Jazira's a native word for general," Elpsis informed Maeve.

As the Jedi would notice, the complex was big. Indeed, access tunnels extended far below the mountain, to concealed caves deep under the earth. Some of the caverns were natural, others had been artificially enlarged and smoothed. Indeed, the process was still ongoing. They would pass a Kar'zun and a Xio engineer supervising one such effort. They gave Elpsis simple nods as she passed. Galaxy-standard mining equipment was sparse, but both species were adept at fashioning a home beneath a mountain.

But the base was crowded, for it was not only soldiers and support personnel that dwelt in these tunnels, caverns and caves, but civilians. Sick and wounded, the spouses of combatants, the elderly, the refugees. And, of course, children. Unsurprisingly, ventilation was rudimentary. There was no cheering, no shouting, when they passed. In a way, the reaction was more profound.

A young Qadiri boy who was dressed in rags and whose right arm was a mere stump covered in bandages ran up to Elpsis, showing no sign of fear despite her viciously scarred features. He gave Elpsis a hug, looking at Maeve nervously. Elpsis ruffled his dark hair and gave him a sisterly kiss on the forehead. Xalda gave him some ration bars, and he quickly rushed back to his friends. An old woman huddled against the stone wall, pushed herself forward to get a better look. Elpsis gave her a nod of acknowledgement. Here and there, one would hear murmurs and hushed whispers of 'Phoenix' or 'Heir'.

The dynamic duo was led further down into the darkness. Soon there were no more civilian refugees, but many guards. Their ultimate destination was an austere command centre. There were no windows due to it being under the mountain. As Elpsis and Maeve entered the Jazira's operations room they saw a small chamber, lit only by a couple of overhead lights. The dark, hard stone of the wall made the whole place seem more ominous than it was. Furnishings were sparse, with a holocom in one corner, a table with maps laid out, and a couple of chairs. The General looked up from her maps, nodded as they entered, though her gaze lingered on Maeve. The General was a tall, lean and heavily tanned, middle aged Qadiri woman, with a scar down the side of her face. Her uniform was devoid of any flummery, with her rank insignia on it. The warleader had a cold, ironclad presence, as cold and precise as a rapier.
"Mirza, I heard you had some issues," she said in good Basic with only a slight accent.
"Drone attack was dealt with, but we had to slight the base," Elpsis replied.
"I heard, necessary."
"Evac went smoothly on your end?"
"As much as could be expected. Jai Bysara's reported the charges have been detonated. Her arrival's expected soon." The Jazira's gaze flicked to Maeve. "This is the Yedai?"
"Maeve Linahan."
"General Zahbara Jai Ghazana. I hear you turned against Firemane's soldiers once you learned of the Mirza's presence. Since you come with her trust, I am also willing to trust you, but know that such a thing is rare in this time of war. Work with us now, and you will be accepted as sister and comrade." It did not need to be said what would happen if they did not.
"What's the situation?" Elpsis asked.
"The situation is grim, but it has always been so. We don't have a full casualty report yet. The healers will do what they can. Outposts have been lost like yours, but others are coming online. Firemane is resorting to desperate measures." Maeve would see the paper map was of the region, with outposts drawn and connected with lines. Some were crossed out, like the one they had come from. "But more than that will have to wait for the full war council. Go and get yourselves treated and fed. There is some water for cleaning."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Shit. The talking rock had overhead her.

Maeve glanced up at the statue and nodded, half-apologetic. Kar'zun. Another name to log into her memory. She was beginning to feel like a temple archivist, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She'd never thought a planet as remote as Tygara hosted such a wealth of species and cultures and history, and that only made her all the more determined to fight.

This wasn't just about saving a person or a people. It was about saving a world.

The rebel base was proof enough. Qadiri, Xio, Kar'zun, humans and many others—all working together. Anyone else would've been overwhelmed, maybe intimidated, but Maeve didn't shrink easy and she thankfully had Elpsis to guide and lead her on. Despite starting off on opposite sides, she'd carved a place out for Maeve, and no one had questioned it.

Not even General Jai Ghazana.

"I'm with you," Maeve told the older woman, before taking her hand and giving it a firm squeeze. Handshakes were a thing here, right? She hoped so.

Bare-boned as the command center was, it had everything a general could possibly need. Lights, safety, and plenty of maps. As the others spoke, Maeve let her eyes wander over them, cataloguing outposts and supply lines. Unfortunately, Zahbara hadn't been lying. Things did look grim. But poor odds or not, did it really matter?

Maeve had suffered worse. All they needed was a little faith and hope in the Force.

And maybe a bath, too.

"Good idea," Maeve said at the general's offer, perhaps a little too earnestly. She threw a sideways look at Elpsis. "Better the war council's Phoenix doesn't smell like a bantha's ash-powdered backside, wouldn't you agree, Elpsis?" A subtle smile crossed her face, although it wasn't like Maeve smelled like a bushel of roses, either.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Customs could differ quite a bit across worlds and species, and so Zabhara was momentarily surprised when Maeve moved to shake her hand. Instead she went for a forearm grasp, before realising handskaes were a human thing. She didn't let it phase her though, and gave the human a simple nod. "If only more of your kin were so prepared to see Firemane's crimes - and act on it."

Elpsis laughed at Maeve's joke. It was kind of funny. Then she crinkled her nose. "You know I'm blind, but that just means my sense of smell has gotten even better. And let's just say that Jedi in glass houses shouldn't throw lightsabres!"
Zabhara Jai Ghazana suppressed a chuckle. "Get moving, ladies," she said firmly.
"Yes, ma'am."
The General glanced towards the Xio warrior-woman. "Karrigan'Xalda, a word."
"As you wish, ma'am."

Once they were out of the operations room, Elpsis looked at Maeve. "Right, bath. Hope you're fine with things being a bit primitive. People call me Queen these days, but I'm afraid I don't have my mothers' budget for flummery. So no solid gold bathtubs, jewel-encrusted bidets, crystal gold chandeliers, marble floors and so on."

She led Maeve down some long corridors until they finally reached the washing facility. It was truly luxurious, for it consisted of two buckets of water and an old curtain. Elpsis placed her flesh hand into one of the buckets. The water was cold. "Water's fresh from the spring. f you want I can make things a bit...hotter for you. The water, I mean!" she coughed.

Further away from them, a Kar'zun was nonchalantly scraping off some ash from her hide. She hadn't bothered to cover herself...because there was not much reason to. After all, being made of rock, she lacked mammary glands and other things mammals got modest about. Upon seeing them, she held out a wire brush. "Want one?" she asked Maeve.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Primitive?" Maeve said. "I've visited and crash landed on so many backwater worlds, just the chance for a bath is good enough for me." She tilted her head to the side and sniffed her shoulder. Gods, she smelled monstrous. But after hiking up a mountain, fighting a half-Sith, an army of drones, then walking half a day through miles of tunnels, who wouldn't?

Still, when they arrived at the washrooms, Maeve had hoped for an underground mountain spring or along those lines, but she wasn't going to complain.

She selected her own bucket and tested the water with a finger. Chilly, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "Thanks for the offer," she told Elpsis and smiled. "But I like it cold."

Maeve began to unclasp her robe, but before she could finish, the Kar'zun in the corner caught her attention. For Ashla's sake, she had barely noticed them the way they were camouflaged up against the wall. She needed to be more mindful.

"Uh, thanks as well, but I'm good," she replied. A wire brush like that probably would've peeled her skin off if she wasn't careful. Better just to use the rags provided.

Slowly, Maeve sloughed off her dirty robes, revealing pale skin and a back dressed in scars. Not as many as one might've thought for a Jedi with her reputation, but enough. Most were mementos from her childhood, when she was nothing more than a test subject for Dark Side fanatics, while others had been gifted by Sith Lords or bounty hunters.

She expected Elpsis would understand.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Elpsis slowly discarded her battered armour, then slipped out of her sweat-soaked bodyglove, which felt like it had been glued to her body. Her skinned was tanned, and marred by a myriad scars. Aside from conventional scarring inflicted by bullets, blades, lightning and so on, the burning cracks had spread far beyond her face.

Her left arm and part of her shoulder was a bulky looking cybernetic prothesis, as was her right leg. Maeve would feel the Force emanating from both. Even her spine was metal, though not imbued with the Force. Where flesh failed, metal had taken its place, but even where flesh remained her body was strong, taut and trim. Even with shards of burning light bleeding through her skin.

Grabbing a rag, she climbed into her bucket. The water was damn cold, but she didn't mind. Her white eyes darted towards Maeve. "You know, it's a shame I can't see you, just your aura. Don't even know what your face really looks like. Your aura's...nice though. It's...bright, burning. Not like fire, more like a...burning light. Like phosphorus, I guess. Light, but dangerous. I like it."

The Kar'zun meanwhile had finished with the wire brush and stood up, with the sound of an avalanche. She was scarred too, though these marks were from attacks which likely would have cut a human in half, the deep marks on her rocky skin deep. Grumbling, she set off for the door. "The mammals are doing mating rituals again," she muttered, closing the door behind them.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve's breath almost hitched at seeing Elpsis completely as she was—scarred, bruised, changed. Half her body was metal, the other half olive skin and burning cracks. Maeve had known about her prostheses, but to this extent? Here she'd thought they were the same, but Elpsis had suffered so much more than she had, bearing wounds few could survive.

Despite all that, Elpsis wasn't ruined. Not even close.

Maeve traded a look with her and smiled. "I've been called many things, but phosphorus is a first. I appreciate it, though, coming from you."

Before she could say much else, the Kar'zun groaned and stood up. With thudding steps, they marched for the door, grumbling something about 'mating rituals.' Maeve had no idea what they meant, but at least they were giving her and Elpsis the room to talk. It might've been the first time they'd ever been alone together.

Maeve wetted her hair, slicking it to her back. She couldn't help it, but her eyes wandered back to where Elpsis sat, watching the breaks in her skin flare and glow.

"I've been meaning to ask," she said. "The cracks only appear the more you channel your magic and the Force, but can they be reversed?" She resisted the urge to reach out to touch them. "Do they… hurt?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Elpsis was scrubbing beneath her armpit, when she sensed Maeve's gaze was upon her, and felt the Jedi watching her intently. "There's bad days, and good days. Sometimes they really sting, especially after...exertion. Naturally, Firemane kept them off their propaganda posters back when I was their mascot. Had to look perfect for recruits. Of course, I went along with what they wanted because I was an idiot and it was the easy, comfortable thing to do."

She grimaced, wincing slightly. "There's...no way to reverse it. Spoken to all manners of priestesses and wise women. They know rituals to call upon the spirits' blessing to make it more manageable, but they can't change it. And I can hardly stop smiting scumbags." She washed away some grime and dirt. "I'm still standing, I can do my duty. That's what matters." She sounded weary, resigned even. "So what've you been up to? Wrangling idiot Paddies, carving up Sith?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"I'm sorry," Maeve said, because that was all she could be.

Living with irreversible cracks in your skin sounded far from pleasant, but it wasn't going to change her opinion of Elpsis, and it clearly hadn't changed how the other rebels viewed her—she was still powerful, and beautiful, and strong.

Still, Maeve couldn't help but feel a stab of worry for her, at the thought that one day, she might dissolve into smoke if she let the cracks keep coming.

"Surely there's a way we can stop the cracks from killing you, or at least to stop it from getting worse." She traded a hard look with Elpsis. "If there's not, then fine. I'll make a way."

More promises, but Maeve didn't care. Let them pile up. For Kerrigan, she'd do whatever was necessary to make sure she won her war against Firemane and lived long enough to see it.

She scrubbed roughly at her chest. "What I've been doing isn't worth talking much about, but I've done what I can for the Alliance since my return from the Unknown Regions—gone undercover at a beauty pageant, broke out of a prison, cleansed a convent full of possessed nuns." A smile rose to her lips at the memory. "You know, the usual."

Her pale eyes slanted back to Elpsis. "And you? Have you only ever been here on Tygara, fighting and leading? Nowhere else? With no one else?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Sometimes it feels like I am fighting all on my own, but people are gradually starting to see the truth." Elpsis' tone was laced with bitterness. "If more Jedi were like you, we wouldn't have had seventeen Alliances, Republics and Jedi orders."

She shook her head, then began to wash her hair. "When I'm not on Tygara, it's Arkas. Tropical planet a couple systems away. Mostly a haven for outcasts, refugees and so on. Naturally Firemane and its business partners had to screw it over. I had a cabin on an island there. Maybe I can show it to you when this is all over. Would be a nice place to...spend some time, away from everything. If there's an afterwards," she said the last bit awkwardly.

"Anyway, what you've been up to matters to me," her lips curled into a slight smile. "Especially the beauty pageant. Got all dolled up? Did you stab any of the idiots trying to make a lovely doll out of you? Has anyone sent you adoring fan mail? How'd you fit with all the contestants? Did any of the airheads spot you?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

She snorted at Elpsis' remark about the Jedi. Now that was the truth.

So many Jedi had their own selfish ambitions, carving out kingdoms or conclaves in faraway corners of the Outer Rim, focusing solely on their own goals and ignoring the rest of the galaxy at large, leaving planets like Tygara in the dark. Of course, the Galactic Alliance wasn't blameless either. They'd overlooked what was happening here, too.

Until now.

Her pale eyes wandered back to where Elpsis sat, red hair matted to her shoulders, eyes cloudy white. She smiled softly. "An island cabin? That doesn't sound like a half bad idea."

Maeve squeezed the water from her hair, a puddle collecting at her feet. With a wave and tug of the Force, she called a towel into her hand and began to dry herself.

Dabbing her face, she chuckled and shook her head at Elpsis' mention about the pageant. "Don't get me started—that competition was a nightmare I have no intention of reliving. I would rather be left in a room with the drones we faced earlier than those narcissists."

"Still. Wearing makeup, a dress? It was… an interesting experience. It's not for me, but it didn't make me nauseous the way it used to." Another smile. "But what about you, Kerrigan? Do you think you could survive a beauty pageant? A panel of judges?"

It was hard to imagine Elpsis in a dress, but the thought didn't seem so terrible.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Elpsis snorted. "Get gawked at by a bunch of smug, sexist men who bloviate about how I need a makeover because I don't look like some rail-thin, pampered, fashion doll and don't suck up to them enough? No thanks. On the other hand, if the panel was composed of pretty ladies who aren't pompous arseholes...that might be different. Although I wouldn't want to remain clothed for long then," she winked at the Jedi Shadow.

"I'm not what some idiot rich folks in the Core would consider pretty. I don't care. Every scar's a mark of something I've overcome, something I've endured so someone else didn't have to. Well, I do like perfume, as you know, but not into makeup at all. I've worn a dress sometimes. I don't mind...provided the occasion's fitting and it's not some fancy crap loaded with gems that could feed a whole village. I'd rather support a local seamstress who's sewed it with her own hands than make some big fashion company even richer. More than half of them use slave labour in their supply chain."

Grabbing a towel, she started drying herself off. Her armour was battered and dirty, as was her bodyglove, and Maeve's Jedi robes were in no better state. However, at some point while they bathed a soldier had quietly deposited two tan camouflage uniforms in the corner of the chamber. There was an audible whirr of servos when she got out of the bucket, feet still wet. One made of flesh, the other of metal. "Right, let's head for the medbay. I'm afraid it doesn't have the resources of a GADF one, but we manage. Will be good for morale if the wounded see us, too."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve let out an unexpected laugh. "Now that's a good way to put it, and I can't say I don't agree with you. Women are always better judges of character."

Elpsis might've not been able to see it, but she could've probably sensed the smile Maeve was shooting her, the light she radiated, the warmth she gave. She was glad to be with the witch again, scars or no scars, regardless of the cracks, and it had been a long time since Maeve had felt so comfortable around someone outside the Jedi Order.

Honestly, this might've been the first time at all.

"Say what you want," Maeve replied. "But you underestimate yourself. You're prettier than half the women I saw at that beauty pageant put together, and if you'd been there, I know you'd have put them all to shame." She wrapped her towel around her chest, binding it closely. "Glittering dress or not, and that is no exaggeration."

Maeve padded towards her own folded uniform left in the corner of the room. "Surely you've caught a few eyes since you've become general, haven't you?" There was a glint of curiosity in her eyes. "Or is there someone I should know about?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Better judges of character, and better lovers, too." Elpsis couldn't see Maeve's smile, but she could feel the warmth radiating from her. For a moment, it felt like being touched by rays of light. She smiled broadly. Perhaps the first time in a while. "Thanks...I think you're hella hot, too. And brave. A proper judge would make you the winner."

Crossing the distance with a limp, she began to slip into the folded uniform that had been set aside for her. Like Maeve's, it was devoid of adornments or insignia. The Jedi's words made her chuckle a bit. "There are women I have my fun with...women I like...but, uh, nothing serious. I mean..I'm open, but it's not easy. I'm being encouraged by various parties to get married," she made a face.

"Politics. Welcome to the life of a feudal warlord trying to knit multiple insurgent movements together. Fortunately, folks here are very cool with gay marriage. How about you? Any princesses asking for your hand after you saved them from assassination plots? Or any princes? Any Jedi you're getting hot and sweaty with? Or are you the celibate sort of Jedi?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Hella hot," Maeve repeated and laughed. "Thanks?"

As she slipped into her uniform, she threw a sideways glance to Elpsis, catching a pale-white eye as she spoke. So, Kerrigan leaned more towards to women? That she didn't quite expect, but Maeve had nothing against it—even she sometimes felt the same, though it was not something she'd much explored. Of course, she didn't explore intimacy in general.

"You must have women lining up out the door to meet you," Maeve teased. "But I can't imagine it ever being easy, especially in your position."

Political marriages. This was nothing new to Maeve. Corazona von Ascania, for instance, came to mind, what with her forced union with that bastard Horace and her unswerving loyalty to Ukatis. That was the driving force for many marriages. Not love, not friendship, but politics.

No surprise these 'outside parties' were encouraging Elpsis to cave into the same role. She was a general, and if there was one thing rebellions needed as much as hope, it was alliances.

Maeve pulled over the uniform shirt and slicked her hair back down her neck, still wet but drying. She didn't bother tying it into a braid. Easier to leave it free.

"Don't get me started," she told Elpsis and shook her head, smiling all the while. "No princes, no princesses. It's not that I mind either or favor one over the other, but…" A beat. "I don't know. I vowed to spend my entire life hunting Sith, to leave room for nothing else. As a result, I've always thought myself in the celibate crowd, but lately… I haven't been sure of myself."

Her smile faded as she looked to the floor. "I'm not sure what it is I want."

She glanced back up to Elpsis. "Forgive me. I'm rambling." She adjusted her collar and gestured to Elpsis' own uniform. Not that she thought the witch needed it, but Maeve offered anyway, "Did you need any help with that?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

An arranged, political marriage was not what Elpsis would have chosen for herself. Truth be told...she was not sure about marriage in general. It felt...confining, even though few expected her to be exclusive. Her adoptive parents' marriage had been toxic and unhealthy. But...she had a duty. Tygara was not her homeworld. She had not been born here, shared no kinship with these people. But she had her sisters and brothers. As much as she had a home, it was this world, and Arkas. And her family had been responsible for horrible wrongs, both directly and indirectly. Their toxic legacy had wrought great harm, and people continued to suffer for it. Firemane was their creation. And with gone, that made their sins Elpsis'. She was the last of the chain. Unlike them, she would not shirk the responsibility.

Elpsis listened to Maeve with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. When the Jedi's face fell, she reached towards her. Her rough, calloused flesh hand gently cupped Maeve's chin, tilting her face up. "I've got the worst timing," she muttered. "Fuck it," her fingers stroked Maeve's strong jaw. "Look, Maeve, I like you. I think you're hot, brave, strong...and I'm attracted to you. So if there's a chance you want to be...intimate...explore being intimate with me...I'd be down. Nothing more than what you're comfortable with. But if you're not interested...or there's someone else, that's okay. You're not gonna lose my friendship over that. It means too much to me for that," she coughed, awkward and self-conscious. "I can't offer you white picket fences, candlelight dinners, and all that...but I figure it's not something you're into anyway."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Her breath hitched when she felt Elpsis' hand on her chin, but Maeve didn't pull away. She didn't recoil or blanch. She looked into her eyes and listened.

Maeve expected none of it. Not the confession or kind words, but strangely she felt a tremor move through her, and for a moment the entire world disappeared, leaving only Elpsis.

"Intimate?" Maeve repeated as she spoke, still taken aback. "With me?"

Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Like a fish. Never before she'd been rendered this speechless, not since Cale and… oh, Ashla's Light. What was there to say?

Maeve felt like a toy boat on a storm-tossed sea, fighting against wave after wave of thoughts and feelings and questions. Part of her wanted to lean into her touch. Another wanted to crash their lips together, to say yes, because who cared about white picket fences or candlelit dinners? She had always admired Elpsis' strength, her scars, her honesty.

But more waves crashed. More feelings.

She thought about Cale and his gruff voice and teasing attitude. Alexander and his stupid face. Her duties as a Jedi, most of all, and her vow of revenge. She felt torn in four different places, drawn and quartered, split between who she was and what she wanted.

She closed her eyes, just for a moment feeling Elpsis' hand on her skin. She felt her presence, her warmth, her light. But when she opened them again, a sad look crossed her face. Slowly, she brought her fingers up to Elpsis' own, bringing her hand away from Maeve's chin but holding it all the same, not wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry, Elpsis," she said, forcing out the words, hating them. "I don't know if I can give you what you're looking for. It's not that I'm not interested—you are not like anyone I have ever met before—but I haven't been sure of myself lately."

Maeve flushed and a weak smile rose to her lips. "I… well, I have never done it before. Intimacy. Love. All my life, I've steered clear of it. Even grew nauseous at the thought. Only recently I've tested the waters, and still I'm not sure if it's something I can commit to when already I have so much to figure out."

Both of Maeve's hands now held to Elpsis' own, soft as silk. "I care about you, Elpsis, but I just don't know, and you deserve someone who does."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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