Author's Note: Wow. Has it only been a week since I last posted? Feels like a million years between now and then, geez. Anyway. Just a quick one, since what happens here we've seen plenty of times before.
Trigger Warning: Non-graphic description of the effects of fire on a body. Short description of waterboarding. Mentioned PTSD.
Chapter X
It was the same Aqualish - - as before. She still didn't remember much other than life as Dooku's apprentice, but it was clear to her now that there was a "before."
This time instead of complicated devices, he favoured the elements for her torture. They started with fire; large, blistering, red and white patches forming on her body as proof of his work. The second was water. Ahsoka didn't know why, but simply hearing the sloshing sounds of the man taking a drink made her feel like she was going to be sick. When he dropped a cloth over her face and the water started pouring through, she viscerally experienced the feeling of drowning over and over again. Choking on the water, suffocating slowly… adding fuel to her nightmares.
The Count wasn't even there. He had declined to oversee her torture, declaring that there were better uses of his time. It didn't really matter at this point. Ahsoka had finally glimpsed the level of manipulation this man had put her through, and all she prayed for now was a swift end that never seemed to come.
She had no illusions that the Jedi would be taking her back. Clearly, she was weak and compromised, and far too physically and mentally damaged to be anything other than a burden. A familiar voice appeared in her head, one that came with a red glow, and it readily confirmed all she was thinking. She would be a burden, utterly useless. She couldn't seem to use the Force the way Anakin had, the way Obi-wan had said she could. Useless.
By the time Mr. Theeto stopped, and she was thrown in a cell to rot, she couldn't even lift her head. All she could do was lay where she had fallen, and let the sweet release of darkness take her in.
