You Got Something I Need II (Coryth)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Siobhan would certainly not think that Coryth was foolish. The redhead was just...eccentric. As indicated by her refusal to wear shoes. While we're on topic and talking about footwear, Siobhan was of the belief that Coryth's feet were...cute. As might have become clear by now, the Countess had some rather odd fetishes in that regard. We cannot say more, because the kiddies might be reading this.



"I remember how mind wipes work pretty well from Alderaan," Siobhan muttered to herself. A hint of wounded pride could be detected in her tone. If there was something she hated, then it was being vulnerable and weak. Almost losing her mind was not something she ever wanted to experience again. Coryth's question have her pause though.


"I guess when someone just wants to inflict pain it's simple battering ramming via mental attacks. Like beating someone over the head with a hammer. Or the mind claws you used. Prying information from someone's more like cutting through with a surgeon's knife. There'd be more subtlety, perhaps use of illusions to get the target to think of what you want to pull from their mind. With high-powered mental attacks thrown in to knock their walls off-balance."


If a mind was completely broken, it would probably be more difficult to tear information from it that was actually useful because chances are it would be in pieces. Mind raping someone to the point where they were a vegetable might be satisfying if you were a very wicked person, but their mind probably had nothing useful to offer then.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth nodded as she reached out grabbing Siobhan's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Not much slipped by the Master Empath. "Failures, are not weakness Siobhan. I understand that it has shaken you, and your confidence. However, you must not allow it make you believe you are weak. You are so far from that. And I know for a fact, you are stronger than you believe. You're the strongest person I know."

Listening carefully, the redhead took in Siobhan's words. "Yes, pain is simple. One just seeks to influence the mind to press into it with no goal of looking for anything beyond fear, and painful moments in your life, to use against you. It's quite specific, a hammer is an adequate example. And you are exactly right on that. So, with pain, you just need to force them off, exactly like you've done with me. The seeking of information, you simply must guard what they want exactly as I've taught you to protect what is close to your heart, that image I asked you to guard. The same idea."

The woman sighed softly, thinking to the rest of the examples she'd give. "Now an attack to deceive you, trick you... illusions? What do you think would be the best way to defend against that? Keep in mind things like my doppelgangers, fall into this category, they are nothing more than a trick of the mind a deceit at it's most basic form. But this can also involve reaching into your mind to use things in your life against you. For instance, Galina in pain to throw you off balance." It was almost funny, Coryth could easily deceive a person through illusions but the woman could not lie to save her life.

The little Jedi wasn't too sure if Siobhan would have the skills to see through Illusions and see the truth from what was real and what was not. But still she could try. It all relied on Siobhan keeping reality close to her, and knowing the truth of where people who mattered in her life were, and were not. As for Coryth's doppelgangers, there was a subtle difference in them and her. For Coryth had a heart, a soul and a heartbeat, doppelgangers did not. They were creations of Coryth, but they were not Cory, nor could they ever be.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


The Master Empath's words made Siobhan flush slightly for a moment, her cheeks acquiring a slight pink hue. Intellectually she knew that Coryth was right, but fact was that Siobhan tended to equate failure with weakness when it came to herself. Truth be told there was almost nothing she hated more than appearing weak and out of control. In her mind, Tegaea was the really strong one, for she had managed to rise the way she did without any space magic.



It was quite accurate to say that her powers had given Siobhan a measure of self-confidence she had not possessed before, tying in with her underlying insecurity, which naturally in turn fuelled her desire to be liked and adored by others. As for Coryth, in Siobhan's estimation she was strong. Very much so. Otherwise there was no explanation for why she could be the remarkable, compassionate woman she was even after all the hell she been through. It would have been far easier to give in to rage and bitterness to the point where these feelings ruled her.


You're such a sweetheart. If only you knew how strong you are, she thought to herself fondly, but then she turned her mind back to the training exercise. "Well, I guess I'd have to keep focus and get a grip on what's real in my mind. I imagine there's some tell-tale signs that doppelgangers aren't the same as the real thing. Of course, I'm not good at listening to the ripples, as they say, but I recall them dissipating when they get hit. Way back when the One Sith launched a terrorist attack on Fondor, Kaine launched a mental attack on me when I was bashing him. He tried to lock my mind in my worst memory...when Kaelin tortured Tegs," for a moment she was quiet as she reemed to relive that, her voice cracked a bit before she composed herself. "Only in the illusion she died. I was paralysed for a bit...but that detail then woke me up since I knew it did not happen. I thrashed a corridor then."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

The redhead sighed softly, finally opening her eyes as the majority of her pain had faded to just a dull throb. It was something she could manage with ease now. Well, so long as Siobhan didn't end up throwing her across the room again. Otherwise she might just end up in the hospital or in the care of one of the many capable healers of Kaeshana.

Another breath in and out, and the Empath was feeling much better. "That's exactly correct Siobhan. You just have to know what is real and what isn't. We'll try with that a bit later, since I know many master illusionists like myself can blur the lines between reality and illusion to the point they cannot be concerned. Which is entirely dependent on getting deep enough into your mind to find the information like say for instance where Galina or Tegaea was last that you knew, and so on."

"Now, as for memory erasing, and destruction of the mind, you have to get ahead of them and either guard your mind with every ounce of power you have. Or you must find them quickly and force them from your mind or alternatively find where they are and crush the building they are in. I suppose it also isn't a bad idea to find crystal to to store both our memories on for safe keeping, just in case."

The woman managed a soft simple as she glanced to Siobhan. "Why don't you give me a hand up, and we'll start again. I believe I am ready, now. The pain is manageable and ignoble." Running a hand through her hair, pushing it back she reached a hand up to Siobhan to get up. "Just like last time, prepare your mind and let me know when you are ready to begin."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

This one knows at least one capable healer on Kaeshana who would be totally down for taking care of little Coryth if she got hurt. Coincidentally she was also a fiery redhead. Maybe that was an unspoken rule among healers.


In any case Siobhan listened attentively, then gave the Jedi Master a nod and helped her up. Crushing a building had worked somewhat on Alderaan. Personally she thought she could have handled the Sith mentalist if the Eldorai sorcerer had not shown up as well. Of course, that would not have changed the battle's general outcome. The prospect of mental attacks still spooked her strongly. It was probably quite accurate to say that her experiences with Shadow had traumatised her, but she now she felt more confident that it was something she could deal with. All thanks to Coryth and Mirien.


Speaking of her Force Bond sister..."I was wondering about using a holocron to store our memories in, come to think of it. We do both get in trouble a lot after all." Hence why she had Coryth under surveillance, just to watch out for her! "Mirien could do it. She's very skilled at mental stuff like that."

She wondered how Coryth and the former Grand Inquisitor would get on. Personally Siobhan was sort of hoping for a threesome. It seemed the best way of corporate bonding to her! Besides, being a bit of an idealistic romantic, she really wanted 'her' girls to get on.


Regardless she did as Coryth commanded and sunk into the Force, drawing upon her powers and concentrating intently to shore up her mental walls and form a powerful barrier around her mind to shield it. Concentration was written all over her features but she persevered as she sought to wrap her mind in a protective cocoon and protect the image that was most dear to her. Finally, after plenty of time had passed, she gave the little redhead a nod, indicating that she was ready. Somehow she had the feeling that the short stack of fire would knock her on her arse. Not that Siobhan minded Coryth being dominant in the least. As it turned out, she had a thing for powerful redheads.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

A heavy sigh passed as the redhead briefly dusted herself off. Her lips twisted into a bit of a frown as she pondered Siobhan's words. "It should be doable. It would be a good method in which to capture who we are, the essence of what makes you and me, just that." A small chuckled followed, though her eyes spoke of being a little lost in thought. "That we do, far too much trouble I think." The name, didn't ring that much of a bell for Cory, but something about it was nagging at her, "We can always try and see what she thinks, if its truly possible in the end. I certainly hope so, because I believe we need it."

Now Coryth settled back onto the floor some distance from Siobhan. It was space between them, distance that she needed to give time to react to any of Siobhan's mighty powers used on an instinctual level. Quickly she sank into the force with ease as she reached out and probed gently at the barriers Sio had built. This time, she attacked without warning to tear at the first barrier. Aggressive, and a bit more heavy handed than she was the first time she did this to the brunette. The redhead wasn't even close to done as she planned to bring illusions into the game soon enough. Still, she just wanted to test Siobhan's skills and see if she had applied any of the knowledge she'd given to her.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Siobhan tended to display a notoriously short attention span when it came to things she was not interested in. Like paperwork and stuff like that. However, she was quite capable of being attentive and listening to advice when she was invested in something. Besides, pissing off redheads was terribly dumb. So with that in mnd she actually tried to take Coryth's lessons to heart and apply them to the exercise when the redhead's mental onslaught smashed against her walls with the force of a battering ram.


'"Yes, pain is simple. One just seeks to influence the mind to press into it with no goal of looking for anything beyond fear, and painful moments in your life, to use against you. It's quite specific, a hammer is an adequate example. And you are exactly right on that. So, with pain, you just need to force them off, exactly like you've done with me. '


The invisible walls shook. Very, very strongly, for it was a strong attack Coryth had launched. It had come without warning, but Siobhan would have sensed a shift in the Force, though it would not prevent the walls from shaking as if struck by tremors. Likewise illusionary mental bricks would fall, in places there would be gaps in her mental defences as holes were blown into her outer walls and her mind would reel under the onslaught, but she managed to maintain focus. Deep down she knew that this was just a test and Coryth had not brought out the big guns yet, but she persevered as she poured in energy to shore up her defences and strengthened the barriers, willing them to push off the onslaught and repel it, in the same way as a telekinetic shield would.


Then Siobhan hit back. The attack she used could be described as a mental shockwave akin to the telekinetic explosions she was so famous for. Siobhan was not and would never be an expert mentalist, so she would be incapable of actually in turn punching through Coryth's walls or damaging her much on the mental front. However, that was not the intent. It was simply supposed to be a shattering mental blast aimed at pushing Coryth out of her head.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth lips curled into a subtle smile. This time Siobhan's walls felt so much stronger to her, more prepared for the assault she had launched against her dear friend. Keeping up the pressure, Coryth prodded and poked at the stone wall looking for the slightest weakness and then when she found one however small attacked viciously. Though, she kept a hold of her skills, not attacking at her own full strength. Coryth had learned her lesson already to not press Siobhan too hard, too far as she had last time.

Sensing the incoming attack, Coryth pulled back and waited. With a deep breath in, she cut a path through the shockwave pushing it off to either side of her as it moved passed her mind. It dissipated harmlessly away from the redhead and this time she did not harness its power to throw back at Sio. No, she had something else in mind.

Sinking deeper into the force she pulled firmly on the strands of infinite power as she started to form an image within Siobhan's mind, preying on fears she suspected the woman had. A young redhead woman would appear, the wildling Galina. The girl doubled over crying in agony at some pain within. Soon to slip into a coughing fit. Reaching up, Galina did her best to cover the cough but when she withdrew her hand, the girl found it covered in a bit of her own blood. A step taken forward and the young girl grew dizzy, stumbling before she fell to her knees.

While the young woman was not being blatantly tortured, hacked at by a sith with some instrument of pain, it seemed she simply was violently ill with her life at risk, maybe even dying. It was the very kind of thing a force using parent might see. A vision of within the force of their child in harms way, ill and in danger. The normal type of danger that everyday parents faced. That was exactly why Coryth was using it. Making it feel as real as she possibly could with her powers of illusion.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Illusions were, at heart, a subtle art. Sure, you could go for blatant things such as an image of one's spouse being brutally tortured. Or trap someone in their worst nightmare. Doubtless such acts were amusing if you were a tremendously sadistic person and could be efficient. They also suffered from the fact that they were...rather obvious.


The best illusions were those that actually seemed realistic and were the sort of thing that could easily happen. Having Galina get blatantly tortured or kidnapped would be a bit harder to swallow. By contrast, an image of her being violently ill and with her life at risk was a lot more plausible. After all, this was the sort of thing every parent feared. More to the point, it was actually a very reasonable risk since Galina had come from unknown space and spent the past eight years on an arctic island in the wilderness.


So, it was not something Siobha could easily shake off or power through like she sometimes managed to do when confronted with illusions. Rather she was frozen with fear and then gripped by terror for her child's well-being. "Galina...we need to help her...," she tried to get to her feet. Was this a premonition, a warning the Force was sending her because she had been so neglectful as a mother, or one of Coryth's illusions?

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth's heart nearly broke, feeling the severity of pain that she was causing her dear friend. Pain and fear that threatened to overwhelm the master Empath if she did not keep things under control. Sighing deeply, Coryth knew this was the time to attack. A moment of weakness that would not last, if she did not attack now the opportunity would be wasted. With that the redhead launched her final attack, seeking to disintegrate any wall standing between her and the singular image and thought she had told Siobhan to hang onto. That was her entire goal as she took full advantage of Sio's momentary weakness, her distracted state to tear down any wall that remained behind.

Perhaps it was a cruel thing to do, and there was little doubt that the master illusionist would regret her choice of attack, feeling entirely guilty for causing someone she loved and cared for so much pain in what felt like a needless action. But the Jedi in her, the teacher in her knew this was necessary and needed. It was something a Sith might use against Siobhan one day, and she had to be ready. Granted a Sith that was actually capable of such subtly was extremely rare. There was even rumors that such a Sith simply did not exist and never had. Perhaps it was just stories they told, to frighten young children away. A Sith with the illusionary skills of Master Coryth Elaris was indeed a most rare thing. This writer doubts its existence entirely.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


There was not much Siobhan could do at this point against the mental onslaught the master empath short stack of fire was subjecting her to. Pain and fear had all but overwhelmned, creating a brief but decisive moment of weakness, a chink in her armour. Siobhan felt a shifting in the Force when Coryth launched her final attack. It was in this moment that she realised that Galina's agony had just been an illusion...but still one that could turn very easily into a reality.


She really needed to have a doctor examine the girl and probably give her various vaccinations. This one is reminded how the Aztecs were decimated by smallpox the Spaniards carried with them when they sought to conquer Mexico! Anyhow, Siobhan's moment of realisation came too late for her to shore up her defences and launch a counter. The battering ram onslaught from Coryth blasted through her walls and Siobhan was knocked to the ground. On instinct Siobhan had launched a mental shockwave of her own against Coryth in the moment her walls had shattered. But now the redhead would see the image that Siobhan had sought to guard so fiercely. It was an image of Tegaea, her dear wife.


Siobhan was pissed, feeling a bit guilty and...sort of turned on by Cory smash.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

With a wave of her hand, Coryth forced aside the final mental shockwave with fair bit of effort given the power behind it. The image came into her mind as she once more returned to Siobhan's mind. "Tegaea." Coryth said quietly, guilt had already seeped into her tone and even her mannerisms as she sat on the floor. A part of her certainly expected Siobhan to lash out at her for doing such, and a part of her believed she might deserve it.

"I am sorry, Sio." Guilt taking its hold, a little deeper in the redhead's mind.

A sigh and a small wince came, as she rose to her feet, walking slowly over to Siobhan. "You let your fear, and I don't blame you in the least for that. But it's an avenue directly into your mind and all you hold dear." The woman felt like she was stating the very obvious things, still feeling incredibly guilty for cause her dear friend that much pain, worry and fear over her own child. A girl that she'd give her live willingly to ensure came to no harm. "Doesn't mean for a second that I wanted to do that to you."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


My sweet angel, even now Coryth was so concerned about her. It was very touching. That said, Siobhan still felt an urge to bend the redhead over a table and give her a good spanking. "I'm a mother. If I'm not concerned about my mother, I'm not doing my job properly. But you're right, I'll work on it."


A soft sigh escaped her throat as she got to her feet. "It's alright. There's nothing to apologise for. If you'd gone easy on me, it would've defeated the purpose of training," she ran her flesh hand through her sweat-matted dark brown mane. "I should really have a doctor examine Galina." Truth be told Siobhan felt awful for having overlooked this simple, yet vital duty.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth managed a small little smile, as she laid a hand on Sio's arm gentle. "I know, I know dear. It still doesn't change the facts of it though. You just have to do your best to protect her. Give her all the tools you can to do just that, and then at some point you have to trust her to manage on her own. Though, if I know you half as well as I like to think, I still believe you will worry on her for the rest of your lives."

The redheaded healer nodded, "I still feel bad for causing you that much pain, fear and agony on behalf of your daughter Sio. I don't like the things I'm capable of. Though I know full well enough, no Sith out there will hesitate to do what I did today." The woman sighed a little as she wrapped an arm protectively over her injured ribs. "Yes, you should. It would help give you and Tegaea peace of mind that she is healthy, well, and fine." Coryth couldn't help but sense a little guilt in Siobhan for not having cared for this detail sooner, "She's been through a lot, and had to learn so much in a short time. Getting her to see a doctor any sooner than now, truth be told probaby would have frightened her half to death." Hoping to at least give some comfort with those words.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Letting go was...very difficult for Siobhan. Her style of parenting could best be described as a mixture of her instinctive antiauthoritarian and liberal inclinations, which might be a reaction to her own childhood, and a strong element of overprotectiveness. She knew that she could not keep her daughter sheltered forever, but like every parent she could not bear the thought of something happening to her little girl.



"You're probably right. Doesn't make me feel any better about it though. I'll call Eileithya. She's quite good. Bit of a ban of yours," she said with a thin smile. Siobhan and the Priestess of Ashira...knew each other very well. Moreover, she was also a redhead and as everyone knows they're special. In any case she would probably be able to get an appointment for tomorrow.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Letting go, was something even Coryth herself struggled with. Her own daughter, given up for adoption was out there somewhere and still she had visions and urges to go protect the little one that technically was no longer hers at all.

"I understand Siobhan, I do. I just don't want you feeling too guilty on it. You all have had so much to deal with integrating her into society, just be careful with her. I worry for what she has been through already." Reaching out she offered a soft hug with a single arm, keeping the injured side away from Sio.

"Oh?" Coryth blushed a little, hearing she had a fan. It was still strange to her after all this time since Gehenna. "Well call her dear, without delay. Galina needs all the tender care she can get." The redhead sighed softly, "Would you like to go see Galina, now? It might make you feel a bit better." For her part, Cory still felt a little bad given what she'd done.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Sometimes I kind of love you, you know, Siobhan thought to herself. She was clearly super attached. Besides, Coryth's reaction to hearing she had a fan was just too cute for words. "Yeah, I'll go check up on her. Gives you some time to heal your ribs." She still felt a bit bad about hurting the redhead like that.


She raised her flesh hand to gently stroke and caress along Coryth's cheek, then bent down to give the Jedi Master a loving kiss. "If there's anything you need, the servants will be eager to accommodate you." This was spoken with a completely straight face, but the perceptive would undoubtedly detect another meaning to her words!


"And, Cory, there's nothing to be sorry about. Thanks for everything," with that she took Coryth's hand. "Let's go to the villa." This writer has just remembered that they were at Firemane headquarters, not at Sio's and Tegs' place. On the bright side the speeder trip should give Coryth more time to use her space magic on her ribs and Siobhan could fangirl over her even more.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth nodded, "That would be great, and I'm sure she'd love to see you." It was just the best way she could figure to give comfort to Siobhan after that.

"I appreciate that Sio," Smiling sweetly as the brunette stroked her cheek. A pink hue formed on her cheeks after the kiss, still getting used to the affections and love from Siobhan.

"Just glad that I was able to help, and that someone can learn from my skills. The villa it is." With her hand in Sio's they headed out out of the training room, for the speeder outside. The little redhead eager for a moment of rest that the trip would offer her, to help mend her ribs.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Siobhan was, all things, considered a very affectionate woman and not shy about displaying her affections when she felt like it. Partly this was probably because she was a very lustful woman who lacked a concept of modesty. But partly this was also because she frankly craved affection very strongly. She got attached easily and had a strong urge to both love and be loved. Moreover, she owed Coryth a lot.


In the light of this, it was probably for the best that both Siobhan and Tegaea agreed on monogamy being monotony. "You may be the kindest soul I've ever met," Siobhan said warmly, as they boarded the speeder. Yes, she was a Coryth fangirl. The little redhead may or may not find a surprise gift for herself at the villa.


In any case they boarded the speeder. Presumably Siobhan would open the door for Coryth to let the short stack of fire hop in first. The speeder took off and lifted into the sky through the power of awesome technobabble. This writer is not sure why almost every scifi universe has a hard-on for flying cars, but anyhow. A couple minutes later the speeder would touch down at the landing pad of the villa.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"Thank you, Sio." Still blushing a little as she settled into the car. Closing her eyes she instantly brought her focus to mending her ribs. Granted she would not be able to do so completely in this time frame but she could at least start the process and keep the pain at a tame level. Arriving at the Villa, Coryth stepped out and waited patiently for Siobhan. Also this writer completely blames the 60's sci-fi for the flying car hard-ons. She hoped the young girl would be fine and well. Hoped that nothing would be wrong. The Wildling had already been through so much.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]