Mandalor, she was a beautiful woman. Fought like an angel of death, and screwed like a beast. The way she'd moved in that fight? If he hadn't known better he would have sworn he was seeing a fully trained sith lord in front of her, the way she swung that lightsaber.
His gun had been destroyed, but they hadn't been truly trying to kill each other, just maim, and that just gave him an excuse to get up close and personal. She'd been more than welcoming then, too.
He had started checking over his weapons once they were done, not tired enough to sleep. Perhaps not the best etiquette, but since when did either of them care about that? They were rude, crude, and blunt to a fault. She wouldn't care.
"So...need help getting off planet? Or d'ya want me to check out that canyon for ya, since I ain't sensitive to it like you force users?"
Arwen laid back in bed, satisfied on every count. She rested on top of the sheets, completely naked and totally without modesty. Arwen tipped back her personal flask and sighed. Unfortunately, Canderous's question killed her buzz slightly. She rolled over and hummed at him thoughtfully.
"As much as I'd like to get out of this hell-hole, I do have to wonder what the big deal is about that canyon. Why bother trying to get me there? I don't really give two craps about what's going on in there, but knowing their reasoning would help me predict them better. Just in case I need option one."
With that, Arwen stretched and started to collect her belongings. They were strewn haphazardly throughout the room. Even if she wasn't going to put them on, she at least wanted them all in one convenient location. "Don't tell anyone this, but I don't actually want to pick a fight with the council. Well… at least not a battle anyways. It's not one I can win. I just don't like them. Small verbal bouts, yes. Fists and lightsabers? No, thank you. Running is better for long term survival."
"They are rather invested in you." Canderous paused, wondering if he should push the issue. He arched a brow as she spoke about running from the council. "After seeing the way you fight, you expect me to believe some old men could face you in battle?"
"Yeah, but it's as I said to Bastilla; I might win, but not without taking damage. They've got the numbers." Arwen sighed. "It really is fun to mess with them though. Did you see the look on her face?" Arwen barked with laughter.
Canderous chuckled. "You terrify her."
"I know!" Arwen got up and gave Canderous a peck on the cheek. "You seem to know the best way to cheer me up. Can I keep you?"
Canderous chuckled. "I'm not one to be tied down, darling."
"Aw, but you'd look so cute in a collar and chains." Arwen replied. She tapped him on the cheek lightly with her fingers and decided it was time to get dressed.
Canderous admired the view for a moment before beginning to grab his own clothes. The mandalorian made sure each weapon was secured before he finally felt ready to head out. He was a man of war after all. One of the few that thrived in it, and missed it when it was gone.
Arwen waited long enough for him to get ready. She fished into her pockets and pulled out a few credits. "Here. I expect my money's worth."
Canderous took the credits and tipped his head. "A pleasure doing business with you." He was looking forward to this. The aggression of the canyon drew him, and he wouldn't have to worry about Arwen going nuts and attacking him this time. Grabbing Arwen for one last kiss and grope he headed for the door. He wanted to buy some more equipment before dealing with force craziness.
He didn't get why force users were so tetchy about the canyon. He hadn't felt this great since the war! Canderous wiped a bloody hand over his face, ignoring the dirty smears it left behind. The creatures were ferocious. It had been a glorious one man battle to get through to the heart. Whatever it was that was there, it would be fascinating to discover.
Canderous froze as he pushed back that last branch and found a jedi. Cursing he retreated and called Arwen up.
"Hello, you've reached the supreme ruler of the Galaxy. What pleasure do you have to offer me?" Arwen chimed happily when she answered the call. She had just stepped out of the bathtub and was enjoy pampering her nails. Since Canderous was doing all the legwork for her, she saw no reason not to enjoy the rare moment of relaxation.
"Found out why the jedi are tetchy about the canyon," Canderous bit out, "A force user, can't be older than twenty, set up camp there."
"A force user..." Arwen thought about it for a second. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. See if they'd like to meet me with me. If no, tie them up and I'll come meet you… outside the canyon."
Canderous grinned. "Agreed." Dragging the force user out would be difficult, as whatever was affecting Arwen was probably something the trained cathar tapped into and used. Still, he was always up for a challenge. He closed the comm.
The feline woman focused on the mandalorian as soon as he stepped towards her.
"Someone sent to kill me?" she purred. Her eyes gleamed a sickly yellow, staring at Canderous. "I can assure you, you will not succeed!"
Canderous held his hands up, displaying them free of weapons. "Easy, now. Much as I'd love to fight you, I have a different reason for coming here."
Her ears twitched, but she didn't attack him, so Canderous decided to take it as a good sign.
"An acquaintance of mine has recently discovered force powers of her own."
"And why does this concern me?" the force user snapped.
"She has disagreements with the jedi. She's hoping you'd be willing to help her."
She purred. If she'd had a tail Canderous was sure it would have been swaying with pleasure. "An apprentice of my own...that could be rather pleasurable." Her eyes shot back to Canderous, piercing into him. "If this is a lie, you will pay for it, merc."
Canderous grinned. "Looking forward to it." The cathar crossed over to him, her feline roots showing clearly in her movement. It seemed someone had let their more base instincts take control while they were out here.
"Lead the way." He turned around and began to push back through the forest. It was different with the force user at his back. Occasionally kath hounds and other creatures would come out, but a simple wave from the cathar he was escorting would send them back into the forest. He wasn't sure if this meant she was powerful, or simply something any trained force user could do. Either way it meant he exited the canyon faster than he'd entered.
Spotting Arwen up ahead he waved for the cathar to stand with him. "My client, Arwen Fahey."
Arwen waited outside of the canyon for Canderous. She was absolutely against reentering the cursed place, but trying to meet back at the ships was just asking for trouble. This wasn't something she wanted the Jedi to know about. Especially since it would likely give her a hidden card to play, no matter the outcome. She was practically patting herself on the back by the time Canderous turned up. Arwen straightened herself and casually rested her hand her hip, just above her stolen lightsaber. She gave a quick wave to the mercenary.
"A pleasure." Arwen replied, offering her hand to the cathar.
The cathar stalked forward and looked over Arwen, measuring the mercenary. She grasped her hand, claws pulled in neatly. "Juhani," she purred, "You are to be my apprentice?"
"Maybe." Arwen replied smoothly. "Consider this a job interview. The canyon, that you?"
"Yes." Juhani lifted her head proudly. "The canyon resonates with the force. It carried my spirit well."
"Nice. You do that on my ship and I'll remove your spirit the hard way." Arwen pulled a hidden flask out and took a quick swig. She held the container out, offering a drink to Juhani. "Where'd you learn?"
The cathar bristled. She shook her head at the offered alcohol, a low resonance of anger building around her. "The jedi taught me, but they were quick to attempt to restrain my passions."
Arwen nodded. "Yeah, I bet they did. Bunch of cultists if you ask me." She took another swig and offered it to Canderous. "How far'd you get?"
Canderous happily accepted the drink. Juhani relaxed slightly, though her eyes still reflected a layer of suspicion.
"I would have graduated from my apprenticeship had I not turned from them."
"So far enough to teach. How long ago? Actually, no, better question; do they know you're still here?"
She drew herself up proudly. "I have no reason to hide my presence from such cowards."
"Doesn't answer my question." Arwen replied.
"They know I'm here. They would have to be blind to not notice my presence within the canyon."
Arwen frowned. So what exactly was the point of them trying to get her to take care of the canyon if they knew the cause? What, did they want to see if she could figure it out on her own? It was a test, so maybe they wanted to see if Arwen would kill Juhani. The more she thought about it, the more pissed she got.
"Awesome." Arwen replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You've got the job. I have a contract with the Republic, but if you want to ditch the planet I don't mind voiding it."
"Perfect." Juhani practically purred over the word, her eyes half closed as she studied the woman before her. A fiery sensation ran briefly over Arwen, tastes of rage and grief in it before it withdrew. "You have...more control than I would expect considering your power."
Arwen shuddered. "Don't. Do. That." she warned. A part of her was still testy and not really willing to just take Juhani's compliment. "Really? Because literally no one has said that to me ever. I'm kind of known for losing control. That and an unhealthy obsession with grenades."
Juhani tilted her head. "You do not use your powers in such a way?" Using the force as an extra sense to tell about the world was habitual. Juhani hadn't even thought about the possibility of someone disliking it. "Well, you will learn. And yes, your control is exceptional. Considering your power levels you should be subconsciously influencing everything around you. Instead it is bound to you, contained."
"Frankly, didn't even know I had them until a couple days ago." Arwen shrugged. "This is all news to me."
The cathar's eyes widened even further. "Did-did not know?" She subsided into muttering in her native tongue. Canderous side eyed the force user, and sidled over to Arwen. "Sure she's sane enough to teach ya?"
"If she's not, we can always gank her later." Arwen whispered back. "Besides, I'll take an insane Cathar over a Jedi or Sith any day."
Canderous nodded. "Well, shall we head back to quarters?" Juhani stilled.
"I will not return to the jedi," she stated flatly. Canderous snorted.
"We don't work with the jedi, sweetheart. Just mercs doing our jobs." The cathar growled, eyeing them suspiciously.
"You don't have to stay with us if you don't want to." said Arwen. "Just so long as we have a way to contact you easily and vice versa. I do want to meet every day at least. The sooner I get a handle on this force shit, the better. Plus there are a few things I want to go over with you."
Juhani shrugged, and nodded. "Very well. We'll meet at dawn tomorrow for your first session."
"Sounds fair." Arwen waved at Juhani and started to walk off. She paused. "See you tomorrow Teach." With that, Arwen left.
Have to hurry, have to find it. No one believes them, but it's there, beyond known space. They slide quietly through the canyon, cloaking their presence. Difficult to believe they were once padawans here, training together. Now they are risking parole, perhaps even being stripped of their connection of the force. Poor Meetra had only followed them, and had lost everything.
"You sure it's here?" Malak asked. Revan nodded grimly. "The ruins could contain anything, you know how ancient they are," Malak pushed. The heavy stare beneath Revan's mask is palpable. "Alright. I trust you Revan." The pair halted before a door. Revan studied it carefully, before waving his hand. He pulsed his power, carefully tapping the triggers. An ancient heavy power pulsed back once, and the stone door slid open.
"We're never going back now," Malak muttered.
Arwen bolted upright. Sweat dripped down her brow and body. She reached over and grabbed a flask, taking a big pull from it. The sweet liquor soothed her fried nerves. She tossed the empty flask across the room and cursed. That bitch Bastila was watching her dreams again. Not that she understood them.
Sill frustrated, Arwen marched her way to the shower and quickly washed off. There was no light outside her window, but the time of the clock said she didn't have long before sunrise. She didn't linger. Arwen was ready soon enough and on her way to meet Juhani outside of the canyon. Aside from her usual trappings, Arwen also grabbed a second communicator so that she could keep in contact with her new teacher.
The sun was barely halfway over the horizon by the time she arrived. Arwen took care to make sure that no one was following her. Although she doubted it would take the Jedi long to find out what she was up too, Arwen wanted to put that conversation off for as long as possible. The more training she earned, the easier it would be to keep abreast of their influence. Afterall, Arwen still had no plans to play nice.
Juhani was kneeling in meditation when Arwen arrived where they had met. Without even opening her eyes she spoke.
"Welcome. Please, sit. Your first lesson will be listening to the force inside of you."
Arwen settled down in front of Juhani, swallowing the sarcastic comment that she really wanted to whip out. Maybe tomorrow.
"Before the lesson, I gotta fill you in on some things." Arwen explained as much as she could understand to Juhani. She told her new teacher about the strange link between her and Bastila, as well as how invasive and unwelcome the damned thing was. Arwen told her about the incident with the Sith, how she managed to push past the force users influence on what basically amounted to instinct. It was also why her lightsaber was a bright, sith red. Arwen told Juhani about the strange dreams she had, how they basically meant nothing to her and how she'd really rather they stopped.
"Look, I know you ain't fond of the Jedi so I'll say this. To me, the Jedi and the Sith are equal. Both royally suck and I want nothing to do with either of them. It's why I came to you."
Juhani simply listened at first, but her eyes opened quickly as the unusual circumstances were laid out before her. She turned to stare at her new student. Part of her wanted to use the force to immediately check the truthfulness of the statement, but the odd link with Jedi Bastila certainly explained Arwen's touchiness about others sensing her. It would make it more difficult to ascertain the nature of things.
"Well," Juhani breathed, "you certainly are… unusual." She shifted uneasily, suddenly feeling as if the ground had dropped out below her. She could teach force basics certainly, and guide Arwen in how to use them, but the more complex force entanglements Arwen described? The cathar certainly didn't know how to handle that.
"It sounds… as if the force has chosen you," Juhani murmured uncertainly, "That there is something it desires for you to do, that it believes you would choose if you had the knowledge. I am uncertain what it means."
"Yeah, well, it can go choose someone the fuck else." Arwen spat. She wanted to say more, a lot more. Instead, she added, "Let's get through this touchy feely bullshit so I can start chucking buckets at people's heads with my mind."
Juhani tilted her mind. "Do you understand what the Force is?"
"Magic space voodoo?"
Juhani stared. "For someone so gifted, your ignorance is astounding."
"Oh, I'm just getting warmed up." Arwen smirked playfully. So much for no snark. She tried. She failed. She moved on.
Juhani grinned back, a surprisingly fierce look considering the warm nature. Most likely because it was so very obvious her species were predators when her fangs were visible.
"The Force is the source of life. Everything is made up of it. Most cannot touch it, not sensitive enough to it. A rare few however, are gifted enough to be able to actually sense this energy, and manipulate it. We simply seem as large in number as we are due to how many places we are able to look for those sensitive."
"The Force being basically life means it is not truly a guiding force, or a god, as the Jedi teach. It can show possible futures, as the energy flows in the most probable direction, but it represents the desires of the life around it. Simply look at the canyon. Before I was there, it was considered a pure place, one the jedi held sacred. My mere presence in it, a strong conscious user of the force, had the entire canyon following my will." Juhani looked to see if Arwen was following.
"So… basically magic space voodoo."
Juhani's lips pulled back in distaste. "The force is not some superstition," she hissed.
"Neither is voodoo." Arwen replied straight faced.
The cathar tilted her head, not entirely sure how to respond to that. "Well...as long as you understand. The force chooses those that are receptive to it. You are sensitive and powerful enough that it seems the force has a great deal of knowledge for you. I am...unsure of Jedi Bastila's connection."
Shaking herself Juhani returned to her meditative pose. "Now, as the force is life, sensing that life is the first step in grasping it, and bringing it to your will."
"Alright…" Arwen shifted so that she could mimic Juhani's pose. "So how the hell am I supposed to do that?"
Juhani reached with the force, brushing against Arwen. "Feel this?"
Arwen reflexively tried to punch whatever was brushing her, but all she got was air. Her temper rose and settled for punching the ground and glaring at Juhani. "Don't do that!"
Juhani met her gaze steadily. "You must trust me if you are to learn. I can show you how to sense it, but it will require contact through the force."
"Fine." Arwen replied through clenched teeth. Force users really needed to learn the definition of personal space.
Juhani frowned. Reaching towards Arwen more aggressively this time with her powers she forcefully prodded the tightly coiled pool of power, breaching the barrier keeping it contained.
Arwen gasped. The sudden awareness of not just Juhani's prodding, but something within her was overwhelming. Arwen doubled over. Her hand clawed at her chest. What is that? What IS that!
Juhani smirked, cruelty glinting in her eyes. She expanded her own sense of power, knowing that the new force user would be able to sense her now.
Strangely, it didn't have the effect Juhani had expected. Most after having their aura forcefully drawn out that way would have latched onto the first person that showed control as a way to receive help. Yet even with her force powers awoken it was surprisingly in control.
It was as if someone had flipped her upside down and she could figure out how to right herself. Actually, no, it was more like she had spent her entire life upside down and was suddenly rightside up for the first time. Arwen leaned forward more, clutching her chest harder as her forehead hovered barely an inch above the soil. She felt a tiny, silent will in her head. It pushed her this way and that, wordlessly whispering something she couldn't comprehend. Juhani had let it out of its box. All she wanted to do was put it back.
"Shut up." she growled softly. "Shut up, shut up, SHUTUP!"
Now that was turbulent. It was beautiful, the way Arwen's rage colored the force. The grass began to die beneath her. Juhani chuckled, and concentrated on sending a soothing sensation out to quiet her student.
"This is what the jedi wield. This is what I have sensed from the moment I met you. You could conquer the galaxy with such power," Juhani purred.
Arwen remained coiled, but she couldn't resist the calm. Her breath evened. The grip on her chest relaxed. Arwen let her head drop onto the ground. "Galaxy is too much work." Arwen managed. "Can I conquer a beer instead?" With that, Arwen grabbed her flask and started to drink.
Juhani laughed. "It's in your hands. I am merely your teacher." With a gesture she moved the flask away. "Now, take it back."
Frowning, Arwen leaned back, letting her palms take her weight as she studied Juhani. In one sudden motion, Arwen chucked a couple of pebbles at Juhani with one hand and made to snatch the flask with the other.
Juhani laughed, freezing the pebbles in the air and levitating the flask further out. "Not like that. You can feel the force now. You are not its slave. Master it, grasp it, and take the flask."
With a sigh, Arwen relented. She glared at the flask. "C'me 'ere boy." She whistled. Nothing. That voiceless whisper came back, prodding her like a kid with a stick. Arwen tried to ignore it, but it just got worse. "Shut up." she growled again. The feeling got worse until she wanted to just explode. Her frustration turned to rage. She grabbed onto the flask through the force and chucked it as far away as she could possibly manage, just to spite that feeling. Although, now she was down a flask.
Juhani arched a brow. "Well, that's one way of doing it." She laughed.
"I'm… gonna go get it..." Arwen stood and marched over to where the flask landed.
