Almost Sisters (lmr)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Nothing ever went smoothly these days.

Certainly she’d gotten her target, and no one would be any the wiser as to her involvement, but it had been a bit more of a struggle to get out cleanly than she’d expected. But then again…zeltrons never made anything easy. No force-sensitive ever made anything easy, much less a planet full of them. The moment her target had figured out what was about to happen (even if it had been milliseconds too late) the zeltrons around them had been alerted to it from his emotions.

If only she’d been able to get a good shot on him it would have made everything worlds easier, but no…things couldn’t have worked that way.

So, here she was now, slipping away from the scene of the ‘crime’ with the information she needed hidden in her bra and a cool demeanor that seemed a polar opposite to how she should have been feeling at that moment. Sender’s voice echoed in her ear as she followed his directions, which he was (no doubt) compiling as he flew in order to move her through the city with the least amount of resistance.

”Turn left at the next walkway…you’ll have to take the lift up to the walkway above before continuing on.”

Without hesitation, she turned left and kept walking at what would seem like a leisurely pace, except for the way that she moved through the crowd with a purpose and force guided ability. The black and red leather of her top (armored lightly beneath the surface), and her sculpted cerulean features, gave her a lethal beauty that earned her more than a few looks…and that was before people noted the oddity that was the grey cloak clipped around her neck. Pausing at the lift, she didn’t have to wait long before it opened, allowing a press of beings out and another in.

Allowing herself to be swept inside with the crowd, she made sure that the correct level of the multi-leveled walkways that she required was lit. With the next opening of the door, she slipped out and onto the new walkway, glancing around a bit before starting her walk once more.

”I have you in my sights. Continue north and then head east along the overpass and continue straight. Thus far, I’m not hearing anything from the local security bands that signifies any further hindrance to your progress.”

As she came to the overpass, however, Rahja had to disagree…something felt…off. It wasn’t danger, per se, but she was wary of it anyway.

<< Alright, but keep a close eye out…something else is happening.>>

The words were quiet, and in her native language so as to be as indecipherable to others as possible, transmitted to her partner through the choker around her neck that hid a small, but high quality, throat mic. If something was lurking, hopefully Sender would be able to see it…because at that moment in time, she certainly didn’t.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Selene Andalara was continuing her quest for wealth, one credit at a time, and had found herself on Zeltros. Widely regarded as a pleasure world, the Daravin fortune teller had to admit it was. However, it was also more suited to the 'common rabble' in her opinion, the ones who flocked from one bar and nightclub to the next with the constant promise of indiscretion hanging in the air.

It wasn't exactly her crowd.

What was more, it made her feel so old. Everyone around her was absurdly youthful. It wasn't really that she looked any older, it was that they felt young. The exuberance of youth touched almost everyone, except Selene. She felt tired and bored by the whole experience, weary of the constant excitement.

For a Daravin, time was different. Selene was over a hundred years old, with twice that still left in her. With a lifespan so long, the rest of the details just sort of felt... Unimportant. They felt unimportant. Parties and drinking were just lacking, little diversions that didn't accomplish anything. Trifles.

Sometimes she felt her own calling was a trifle as well, but it was valuable experience. She could respect that. She had to.

The Daravin woman traced the lip of her mug of tea with a slender, charcoal-colored finger. But suddenly, she looked up and out the window, feeling a presence in the Force. It wasn't a strong one, but something about it demanded attention. And her eyes seconded that opinion. She only had a glimpse for a second, but what she saw captured her attention. Dark blue skin and glowing red eyes, and black hair. All possible traits of her own species.

A Force-sensitive Daravin besides her? That was rare enough to demand attention.

Selene hurriedly rose and tossed down a credit onto the table, rushing out into the crowd with a rustle of silk. She paused and looked around, not seeing the woman. The 'dark elf' closed her glowing red eyes and reached out with her highly attuned senses. Somewhere near her still... To the right. Moving fast.

The fortune teller moved through the crowd, her meager five foot height doing her no favors. Somehow, she managed to gain ground until finally her prospective 'sister' was in sight.

She reached out to tap her on the shoulder, with a rare smile on her full lips. It would be good to have a nice conversation in her native tongue.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As her tall form slipped through the crowds she could feel the sensation of impending doo—destiny creeping up on her. It kept her cautious, eyes moving across the crowds before she would pause and turn just moments before that grayish hued hand could reach to tap her shoulder. Crimson eyes fell upon the shorter woman and widened a bit in surprise, her breath catching just slightly.

Another chiss? So far away from the Ascendancy?! Could her luck really be so good?! Almost all of the concern she had felt about getting off of this thrice-damned planet seemed to melt into the background at the thought of another Chiss being here. Perhaps she would have a place that she and Sender could wait a little while and allow some of the heat die down…

The woman felt distinctly of the force and Rahja wondered if she had, perhaps, been like her…a part of the Order. If that was so, then perhaps this would work out to be more beneficial to her even beyond what she’d previously expected, and certainly beyond simply meeting a fellow chiss. Still…there was something…odd…

”Rahja, what are you do—oh my…”

<<Cousin?>> The term was given, not as blood relation, but rather as an informal way of greeting a kindred member of the Chiss race. Still, the appearance was…off. Black hair, grey-blue skin, red eyes…but the ears…and the height…Puzzled, Rahja furrowed her brow a bit before speaking in crisp and fluent Basic.

”You…aren’t Chiss?”

The question was obviously one of curiosity, but beneath it hid a kernel of disappointment at the revelation.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Perhaps a second before Selene's hand touched the blue-skinned woman's shoulder, the other individual turned to face her. That was a moment that was both profoundly satisfying and quite strange.

Smooth blue skin was set with two glowing eyes, a beautiful crimson color, just like the Daravin. However, this woman was of considerable height for a female Daravin, and her ears were... different. They weren't long and tapered to a sharp point, they looked like human ears, stunted and like semi-circles. It was almost like looking at a Daravin, but with such an improbable hint of something else that Selene was genuinely befuddled.

Could this be a Force-sensitive Daravin hybrid?

At the very second the other woman started to speak, Selene greeted her in the Daravin language, a rather flowery and diplomatic language, and one that she stopped short at only a few words in when she realized whatever language the other woman was speaking was a complete mystery to her.

A split second later, the other woman asked her if she wasn't a Chiss.

"You aren't Daravin." Selene said in an almost accusational tone as a response.

Promptly she sighed and rubbed her temples with a hand, massaging and trying not to feel embarrassed. That, she found, was surprisingly easy. She wasn't embarrassed, she was confused. Here was a woman who looked shockingly like a Daravin, yet called herself a Chiss.

What was more, she couldn't sense any deceit from the other. They both happened to look remarkably alike, and they seemed to have nothing in common when it came to race.

"What's a Chiss?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As if the physical appearance wasn’t enough of an indication, the language certainly was. Instead of the intricate tongue of her people, this one was…softer, but no less diplomatic in tone. The reply that came from the woman in Basic was almost a mirror of her own, and seemed to hold no less confusion, but held a hint of something akin to accusation. She blinked and lifted an elegant eyebrow as she studied the shorter woman, considering that, maybe, whatever a Daravin was, was the link back to the beginnings of her own people.

Well, the only next question was naturally…”What’s a Daravin?”

A smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth as her question was echoed back to her with the only difference being ‘chiss’ at the end instead of ‘daravin.’ Now that was amusing…and it showed in those crimson eyes and the half-smile that kept tugging at the corner of her lips. Huffing a single chuckle, Rahja replied simply.

”I am a Chiss…and I would suppose it’s safe to assume that you, are a Daravin.”

In her ear, however, Sender was giving her a quiet warning and reminder about their current position on the planet. It earned a glance back in the direction she had come as that smirk vanished. Looking back at the woman standing before her, Rahja was….loath to leave. A mild furrow of her brow said as much.

”I need to leave this area, but would like to learn more about you and your people…perhaps we are similar in descent. Can we meet at another time, or do you know somewhere less conspicuous where we could talk?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Selene's ear twitched slightly as her own question was repeated back at her. Maybe she had deserved that. But it still didn't help her at all. She had no idea what a Chiss was, and this woman had no idea what a Daravin was. There was mutual confusion getting in the way.

Obviously they needed to sit down and have a conversation about this.

While the other woman had a smile, Selene had a carefully neutral expression. Her lips were pressed together firmly, but not tightly, and her red eyes were inscrutable. She was, however, bothered inside. To come so close and yet so far? That was galling. And more so, there was mystery that needed to be unravelled.

Before she knew it, the Chiss woman announced she needed to leave or talk out of sight. That piqued Selene's curiosity, and she reached out telepathically to try to get a 'read' on what was up. From her cursory touch she could see dedication and serious actions, and a matter of life and death. Someone was on a mission.

"All right," The Daravin woman said, "Come this way to my quarters."

She turned and headed off through the crowd, trusting the Chiss would follow her.

Selene's path was straight forward and direct, taking her directly into a nice hotel and up to a suite on the fifth floor. She paused in front of the door and turned to face her almost-relative. The look on her face asked "are you ready?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Honestly, it didn’t matter what Rahja felt in the end, there were more important things that had been brought back to the front of her mind that came first. Besides, Rahja, while disappointed, was used to disappointment in the realm of connections with other Chiss outside of Csilla. What did gnaw at her was the fact that there was another race so very similar looking to her own people that they could so easily mistake each other for one of their own. While not the most curious person these days (she’d learned curiosity was often better left behind or else the truth may yield more costly consequences) this stirred the embers of a long dormant hunger for knowledge that the Jedi had managed to instill in her…and it refused to be denied.

Her words, however, had garnered a reaction from her stoic near-sister that she hadn’t (but likely should have) expected…a light probing through the force. It was lucky that she had already been maintaining an alert vigilance over her mental and emotional state (more out of habit for her missions than conscious thought upon meeting this woman) or else the shorter woman may have gleaned more information than was wise. That sobered Rahja further and tempered her curiosity with a bit more caution.

“All right, come this way to my quarters.”

Nodding once, she followed after the Daravin along the crowded walkways, slipping through the gaps she left in her wake. It wasn’t at all difficult to follow her path, either. The majority of the walk was a straight path, with only a turn or two along the way, until they reached a hotel that was obviously well kept and likely fairly expensive. Well…this reminded her of a few good times…and a few not so good. Like a shadow the primarily black-clad Chiss followed along into the lift and up to a suit on the fifth floor.

The two paused, finally, before one of the doors, the expression on the face of the woman she was following one of simple questioning. Rahja simply lifted a brow and shifted her weight slightly before lifting her chin ever so slightly in a motion toward the door itself. Of course she was ready…was she supposed to be expecting someone or something to come jumping out at her? Even if that was the case, Rah was fairly confident that she would be able to defend herself long enough to get away…or at least put up a decent fight. Still, she highly doubted that particular scenario was going to come into effect.

…Just in case, however…

As the door was opened and the woman with her entered, Rahja followed…

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Selene entered her room, but didn't bother turning on any lights. Instead she walked over to the low table in the center of the room and produced a lighter, lighting a pair of candles, and adding a stick of incense to a brass stand. Soon the room was filled with a wafting aroma of strange spices and flickering light illuminating the interior.

Hanging on the walls were ornate silk textiles, adding an exotic flavor that was obviously not native to the hotel. They were Selene Andalara's own additions, her unique style that added a touch of the strange and foreign. Indeed, perched in the corner was a large owl with eyes that glittered in the dark, grey feathers making him look ghostly. He uttered a soft 'hoo-hoo' at the arrivals.

It did wonders for the persona she cultivated for clients, which was wholly at odds with who she was in private.

The charcoal-skinned woman lowered herself onto a cushion on the far side of the table and motioned her guest to be seated.

"Please be seated. Can I offer you tea? I've adapted a Daravin tea that isn't toxic to other species."

Selene pulled an errant lock of hair off her face and continued.

"Or if not, please tell me exactly what a Chiss is."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Crimson eyes glimmered in the darkness, taking in the outlines of furniture as she entered behind the Daravin. It wasn’t long until a small flame lit the area dimly before being used to light a couple of candles and a stick of incense. Looking around now that the room was more appropriately lit, she blinked quietly at the silky drapings. The owl, too, was noticed and given a flickering ghost of a smile that vanished only a moment before her hostess turned back and took a seat on one of the cushions placed around as seating.

Taking a seat as well, Rahja was careful to push the heavy cloak behind her shoulders, the thick…material…of it pooling up with a sound almost like thin chain links that were being muffled heavily by cloth. The outline of the cloak (what was visible of it from behind the chiss, anyway) would seem to soften, almost appearing to meld into the colors around it.

”Isn’t toxic to…? Hmm, I could stand some tea if you have some, thank you, though I’m afraid I don’t quite understand why any tea should be considered toxic.” Her mind filtered through a list of reasons why tea could be toxic, but in general those were laced for the simple purpose of being lethal to whoever was going to drink it….not just on general principle. ”As for what a Chiss is…”

Where did she even start with that question? Especially for one who looked so much like her own people…

”We are considered near-human, our main homeworld named Csilla…the heart of the Ascendency.” Raven haired head shook slightly, not entirely certain how much she should say, or where to go from there. ”We, in general, prefer to keep to our own borders and let the galaxy do what it wishes…so long as it doesn’t trouble us. Aside from that, however, I’m not entirely sure how to even begin answering your question.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Selene turned to her side and swept away a curtain over a small camp stove, putting a kettle onto a burner and waiting for it to heat. It wouldn’t take long, and it bought her time to prepare the cups, as task she fell to as she listened, making a mental note to discuss the details of Daravin tea at greater length.

She listened quite intently to the short and enigmatic information delivered on the Chiss as her ashen fingers placed sachets of tea leaves and spices into a pair of handle-less glasses. By the time she was finished, the other woman had spoken her piece and left many questions unanswered.

So the Chiss were an isolationist species of near-humans. It was more knowledge than she’d started with, but it was still lacking a great deal of detail. It felt like a twig rather than a tree branch.

The Daravin woman would ask, but first her racial pride was taking center stage, and she found the idea of summarizing her own people concisely to be quite captivating.

“Daravin tea traditionally contains arsenic and lithium in high concentrations, enough to be fatal to most near-humans. My people require them in our diet for health purposes. As you may have guessed, we are not near-human. Daravin have never bred with another species, and we consider this providential; our religion teaches we are a race set apart. However, we are still traders and merchants. We produce these fabrics you see in my quarters. But as to you…”

Glowing red eyes fixated on the Chiss woman and peered at her unflinchingly.

“You say ‘the Ascendency’ as if I should know it. It is a religion? A government? And what of your culture, your beliefs? I don’t even know your name.”

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

”Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on Rahja? Or am I just going to fly circles up here all night?”

Damn. Sender.

Sighing just slightly, she’d listen to what the woman had to say before holding up one finger to her. She’d answer in a moment. Perhaps that would give her some time to think of a better way to describe her people. In the meantime, she replied to Sender in Basic, rather than Cheunh.

”Sorry, Sender. Find a safe vantage and hunker down. Save your energy since I don’t want to have to scale a building to come and get you. I’ll let you know when I’m leaving, so keep a channel open.”

The digitized sigh in her ear had her smirking. She could only guess what her partner was thinking about this (rather impulsive) choice of actions. With that taken care of, she returned her attention back to the woman with her.

”There was never an exchange of names between us, no. I will give you the simplified one…I am Rahja. I apologize for not giving it to you earlier but leaving that area was a priority for me. As for the Ascendency….it can refer to our government but it is more what you might consider our nation. It is where we live and the space we patrol…more or less. It is a political federation of our territories. We are governed by our ruling families…a sort of…oligarchy, if you would. It is a complex system, despite what my words may imply. We do not have a ‘religion’ that I am aware of, however. Our belief lies in our family and our society…as well as what we are able to learn.

I, however, am a bit…different…as I was not raised in the Ascendency.”

She thought for a moment on that, thinking on what else she might add to what she’d already said. Certainly she’d spent a few years in the Ascendency, learning about her people and her culture, attempting to meld herself back in, but it had been difficult since it was such a very detailed and complex task.

”We are a very…structured people. Detail and thought are highly important in everything from art to the military. I also cannot stress how important family is to us. There is no ‘sin’ worse for an individual than to bring shame to our family. As for trade…we do trade on occasion, but not often or with many. We do not typically need to and…we very, very, rarely have any need for luxuries such as these sorts of fabrics.”

Shrugging a little, Rah wondered why that might be. They were certainly pretty enough…and there were times when a bit of opulence was necessary in their culture (for example: important family occasions)…but for the most part such things were uncommon among their people. Then…a thought occurred to her.

”The latter, however, may be because our home world is so frigid.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Simplified name? That was interesting. But Rahja did seem quite simple enough.

"And I am Selene Anadalara, noble of House Andalara."

A smile accompanied that statement. Not a large one, but a small, contented one. It wasn't often that she had the opportunity to mention her noble title, but to her audience it was probably quite welcome. Unfortunately they had little chance of bonding over family, as Selene had only two immediate members, and almost a hundred years of separation from them.

Of course her time in the Jedi Order was generally a secret. It wouldn't do to simply advertise she had those powers, it would ruin the mystery and secrecy of her occupation. She had to rely on being an enigma with supernatural powers, and the Jedi name would tarnish that.

At least she knew now about the Chiss Ascendency. Information was valuable, and in fact...

Information was her passion. It wasn't so much a huge source of money to be a fortune teller, it was an opportunity to learn things. That was what kept her wandering, at least for another few years before she returned to Dara for good.

"So Rahja, tell me about yourself? Or should I tell you about yourself?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

A noble…well, that certainly seemed to fit with the rich décor that the woman had added to the hotel room, as well as certain aspects of her personality. Well, what Rahja had seen of it thus far, anyway. Still, the chiss woman had to wonder who Selene had been trained by. Was it someone from her own people? Had she been jedi trained? Had it been some other force user out in the galaxy? After all…one simply couldn’t gain this level of power and refinement in the force all on their own. If that were the case she’d have been almost master level in skill by now, but still she struggled with some of the simple abilities a padawan was able to use.

“So Rahja, tell me about yourself? Or should I tell you about yourself?”

”I would prefer neither, but if I must choose, I would tell you myself rather than have you poking about in my mind, Miss. Andalara. My history is a sensitive one. I’m sure you understand.”

While polite, Rahja always had had a way of saying exactly what she meant in a way that left no doubt in how she felt about things. Perhaps that had been part of her problem at the temple? Of course, being Chiss and having spent time on Csilla hadn’t helped that either. She dismissed that musing and moved on, nodding her head politely to the woman.

”My parents and sister were killed by pirates when I was quite young, after that I was taken in by the jedi where I was….given the opportunity…to work in the Medicorps. After I’d had enough of that I became a mercenary for several years. It was events there that led me back to Csilla. A few months later I left once more and became part of the Republic Military.” A slight shrug was given at that. ”And that, it seems, is what has brought us to this point.”

Despite the small smirk that flitted about her face, Rahja felt very little mirth at having to tell even that much of her history. It was, indeed, a sensitive subject for the woman…one where she never felt like going into the gritty details. It was because of this that she moved on with her topic seamlessly, even adding a bit of her own brand of cheeky humor (if one could call it that).

”Besides that, I enjoy long treks through the mud, sharing company with insane scientists, and dolling out torture.”

The devious smirk that followed her statement, as well as the bubbling up of her own amusement very likely made it questionable if she truly did enjoy these things or not. Of course…the majority of her amusement was because she wished to see just how her pseudo-sister would react to that statement.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Jedi Training.

Selene frowned. Had she really missed that as she sensed the woman? Perhaps she was getting complacent...

But that Jedi training wholly disarmed her mystique and enigma. It was the backstage tour that showed the magician's smokes and mirrors were just illusions, and it ruined her business. That meant this Chiss was not about to be a client.

The Daravin woman frowned.

The quip about torture was amusing, and if she knew a thing about telepathy wasn't a lie.

"As it happens," she said, "I was a Jedi once, decades ago. I was fed up with it after the better part of a century serving in it. There was no more room for advancement. I moved on to greener pastures."

As an afterthought she added a few more words.

"I don't have any strong feelings about torture however."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“As it happens, I was a Jedi once, decades ago.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was…if only mildly. It didn’t show on her features, other than a slight raise of one brow, but it etched through her presence. What had she thought? Most likely that the woman had been trained by a jedi apostate, or perhaps in some other force wielding group. Though, honestly, it wasn’t such a stretch that the woman was an apostate herself. Rahja herself was one, sort of. Still, the jedi didn’t hunt down those who left the corps unless they became a true threat. Even so, it didn’t feel as if this woman would be the sort to be hunted…

…Still, caution was always advisable.

Smirking slightly at that afterthought, Rahja shrugged a bit. ”To each their own, I suppose,” came the nonchalant reply. ”If I might be honest, though, I didn’t expect you to be a former jedi. Trained, obviously, but…”

Mulling her thoughts over, she wondered just why the force had decided to have her cross paths with such a woman as Selene. Not only had she been a jedi (for quite some time, as well), but she was of a people who were so strikingly similar to her own in some ways that it was…eerie. Just how should she feel about all of this?

As a general rule, she had a jealous streak when it came to jedi that, when combined with the hurt and anger at being rejected by potential master after master as time ran out, often morphed into disdain. This woman, however, was no longer a jedi…maybe she hadn’t even been around when Rahja herself had needed a master, so there was no logical reason for her to dislike the woman on those grounds. Still, there was a slight sting that couldn’t be completely ignored.

”And these are your greener pastures, then?” It was honestly a question based in curiosity, not to mention a fairly ‘safe’ question…and a new direction to steer the conversation rather than dwelling on the information she’d just learned. Glancing around, she wondered…”Just what is it you do?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I don't give off the Jedi impression do I?" Selene said almost whimsically.

She gave off a very different impression indeed.

"As to what I do, I am a fortune teller. I read the past, the present, and the future. I also perform seances. Rest assured, I am very... high end. Not some cheap conjurer."

A knock came at the door. Selene looked at it intently.

"A customer. Can you come back later?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“I don’t give off the jedi impression do I?”

Well that was a simple enough answer: ”No, not particularly.” Still, it was some interesting knowledge to have, just as it was interesting to know that the woman used her talents to act as a fortune teller. ’Hmph…it seems the jedi even have their lives after the temple well set for them. With skill they can even live whatever life they choose with ease while those who fall through the cracks are left seeking to find a suitable place for themselves, or are doomed to eternal second-rate status in the Corps.’ A knock sounded at the door just then, causing both women to look in its direction. Even as Selene continued to gaze at it, Rahja was on her feet and moving toward the window, opening it and glancing up and then down again.

“A customer. Can you come back later?”

Rah paused, looking back at the woman for half a moment before pulling a grapple-launcher from her belt and prepping it. ”No, that isn’t likely. I have other places to be…but perhaps I’ll see you again at some other time if the Force decides such a thing should happen. Thank you for your help and your time.” With that, the woman slipped her upper body out the window, careful not to catch her rifle or her cloak on anything. In another instant she was gone.