Madalena (mad_queen) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-05-02 09:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: nar chunna, dee, issan ren, madalena |
gone are the days of begging
Who: Issan, Dee & Maddie.
What: Issan goes home following her fight with Liri and reconnects with her students to continue the development of her coven.
When: Following this thread.
Where: The Vox home, Nar Chunna.
Rating: PG?
Having completed her assignments, Issan booked passage on a ship bound for her home planet. Unable to fully repair the damage Liri had inflicted on her -- her cheek refused to heal correctly, one vessel in her eye kept popping and filling the white with red, and her shoulder ached -- Issan cast an illusion on her person to make herself appear older to hide the fact that she was moving away from First Order interests once again. The same illusion also made others want to look away from her, as though there were something terribly off putting about the old woman who kept to herself on the small freighter bound for Nar Chunna.
Her hands, gnarled and veiny, clenched themselves in frustration over how poorly the fight had gone for her. Part of her wished she'd known more of what had transpired on Coruscant before attempting to engage Liriael, but the other half was also all too curious about how far the woman had gone. Liriael had always been such an avidly good person, and now she was skirting the edge of the dark side. The event had ideas spinning through Issan's mind, which only fanned the flames of her excitement to reunite with her students. In addition, the assignment of creating a talisman for Glasya reminded her that there was still so much more to come.
Two days later, the ship docked and Issan offboarded with a hobbled walk that kept up appearances. She made her way slowly toward her mother's home, her heartbeat increasing with every step.
Her rap on the door was stronger than it should have been for someone of her appearance, but Issan was hardpressed to keep the illusion up once the door opened and she saw her aunt.
"Issan?!" Sia all but pulled her inside, Issan nearly collapsing on her with a hug. She winced as her shoulder protested the movement. "Issan, what happened?" Her aunt's hands went to her face, unconcerned about the illusion and instead concentrating on the wounds she saw quite readily.
Madalena was lying on her cot, reading a datapad she’d picked up that was blissfully written in a language she could (mostly) understand. The commotion at the door ripped her from the world of spaceships and creatures whose names she could not pronounce and appearances she could hardly imagine.
“Dee!” Madalena reached over to smack the cot next to her. “Dee, I think Issan is here,” she said, her voice a shaky mix of anxiety and excitement. She slid from her cot, dropping the book behind her.
“Mm.” Dee rolled over, her eyes bleary from sleep. “Issan?” She blinked, and rubbed her eyelids with the back of her hand. Then she unfolded herself from the cot, her hands toying with her hair. She followed Madalena to the door of their room, then out into the hall.
Something was wrong; they could feel it at once. Sleep fled from Dee’s mind, leaving her as on edge as Madalena had been. Their footsteps quickened, and they reached the common area as one.
“Issan?” Dee’s brow furrowed. Sia held up an old woman; Dee recognized the shape of her beneath wrinkles and liver spots, but the meaning of what she saw eluded her. She moved quickly to the women’s side, her hands already outstretched though she did not know how to help. “What’s going on?”
Madalena stood frozen, hands over her mouth. “We thought --” The rest of the sentence seemed absurd and pointless now, so Madalena let it die unspoken.
Issan pulled Sia's hands from her face, a grin spreading her mouth as Maddie and Dee appeared. She moved to drop her hood, and with it the illusion of her elderly self. What replaced it was not much better; the white of her right eye was red, and around it blood vessels were brought to the surface from her cracked eye socket. Her nose was bent, but the rest of her face seemed intact.
"It's nothing," she replied, disregarding their questions. She was focused on the here and now. "How are you progressing? I know it's too soon, but we need to start moving forward. I have something--"
"Nothing will happen until we deal with this," Sia interrupted, grabbing Issan's hand and pulling the woman to the dining area, forcing her into a chair. Issan gave a slight pout, grimacing a little when her arm was pulled, but otherwise didn't protest the manhandling. Her hands lay in her lap, palms up.
Sia motioned toward Dee and Maddie, encouraging them to step forward. "Come, this will be good practice."
Madalena stepped forward, leaving space for Dee to come closer as well. “Good god,” she mumbled under her breath.
Dee moved where she was bid, shoulder to shoulder with her fellow student. She wanted to ask what had happened, but had the distinct and unwavering certainty that no-one was going to provide answers. She had faced this enough times with the Queens to understand: there was work to be done and until it was complete, her curiosity would have to wait. Once her teacher was once again whole, Dee would feel comfortable pressing for answers.
“All right,” she said. She drew a deep breath and focused, as Issan and her aunts had taught her. Issan’s wounds were deep, and there was damage far beyond what they could see. Worry was plain on Dee’s face; it shone in her eyes as she stared openly at Issan.
"If you're going to make a fuss, you might as well know my shoulder was dislocated as well," Issan commented drily, clearly unhappy that the focus was drawn to her injuries. Sia sighed, but made no comment toward Issan's statement. She motioned at Dee and Maddie.
"Place one hand on her face; the other can put their hand on her shoulder. Gently," she added, with a glare shot toward Issan as though she didn't deserve the mercy. Issan's face gave no reply.
"Close your eyes and concentrate; Dee, I think you'll have to lead here, but the two of you working in tandem will make the healing happen faster. It should be stronger too, eh? I know you tried this yourself, Issan." Her tone was harsh, and a touch disappointed. Issan remained silent, though her gaze had drifted from her aunt to her students; she looked eager to see how far they had come.
Dee found herself as eager to please as she was to heal Issan. Her touch alighted on Issan’s cheek, between her bloodshot eye and her broken nose. Dee looked up to Madalena. When Dee caught her eye, she tipped her head to indicate Issan’s shoulder; even from a distance Dee could sense the damage throughout it, the mangled tendon and muscle that had been roughly jarred back into place. It would be difficult work, but less delicate than the small bones and capillaries of the face. Heat rose in Dee’s cheeks as she realized she trusted her own work far more than her friend’s. She turned her gaze back to Issan’s. Together, at least, they could fix what had been done.
“Ready?” she whispered. Madalena nodded. Softly Dee counted down from three. Then she reached out with the Force and the magic she had relied upon in another world. It spread out from her fingertips, warm and comforting, seeping beneath Issan’s skin.
Red slowly gave way to white once more; bone reshaped itself, shifting just beneath the surface of her flesh. Dee’s hand shifted closer to her bent nose. Her eyes narrowed until they were nearly shut. Her brow knit. All her focus turned on that injury, on putting back to rights each bit of bone and cartilage.
Madalena’s long fingers lay gently on Issan’s shoulder, so gently her touch was barely noticeable. She listened for Dee’s quiet signal and then the room and the women around her vanished. There was only Madalena, only Issan, only this wound, and only the Force around them. A haze tinged the edges of her vision. Under her palm, Madalena felt Issan’s shoulder pulling back together, bones drawn to each other like reunited lovers. Healing muscles snaked their way under Issan’s skin, knitting knitting knitting themselves into a perfect quilt. After what felt like an eternity, Madalena drew a deep breath and took a step back as her surroundings came rushing back to her.
Having been on the giving end of the Force healing ability, it was an odd sensation to feel others manipulating her flesh. Issan felt like an outsider in her own body; she took a step back, trying to view the whole scenario with objective eyes. There was little pain -- whether that was a testament to her students' skill or the fact that they were working together was yet to be seen -- and Issan let her eyes close until the work was done.
Then they were stepping back; Issan could feel them leave her side. She opened her eyes, her right hand going to her face. While she couldn't see what they had corrected, she could certainly feel it. Her eye felt whole, normal, less bulbous than it had a moment ago. Her nasal cavity was clear, and her shoulder was as if nothing had happened to it. She rose from the chair, an excited smile creasing her face.
"You've come so far!" She stepped forward, grabbing Maddie's hand as the distance closed between them. Madalena beamed. "This is wonderful news, because there are things we must do. Things are moving faster than I had anticipated."
Sia stood to the side, listening patiently to the whole scenario. Her arms were looped around her stomach, her entire posture one of discontent, but it was clear she was doing her best to not show it.
Dee's smile was sincere, but guarded. She was pleased with the work they had done, the progress they had made, but now that the immediate danger had passed there was far, far more to discuss. She shifted uneasily on her feet. "I imagine so," she said. "People don't end up with injuries like that for no reason." She folded her arms across her chest, as though she might hug her way out of her burgeoning anxiety. "Did the First Order find you? Is this my fault?"
Issan turned toward her, shaking her head. "No," she replied, reaching out a hand to take Dee's. "This has nothing to do with you." It was a lie, but Issan was well used to telling them. For now, she needed them to remain focused on the task at hand. "It was an assignment that went wrong, but I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."
She glanced between the two women, suddenly feeling immensely proud of what they'd accomplished. The moment stretched between them, and Issan imagined their connection as palpable as her touch on each of them.
"I want to initiate you, because there is work we must do."
Sia finally interjected. "Issan, they have only been practicing a few weeks! This is too soon."
Issan's hands fell away as she turned to her aunt. "You saw what they did; we are already connected. I would have more time for proper training, but I don't have it. But they, you," she amended, glancing back at Dee and Maddie, "are strong. Together we are strong. And we must use that strength now to secure our future."
Maddie’s free hand found Dee’s. The magnitude of the moment weighed down on her; she felt she could almost see the future stretching out before them, just out of focus, just out of reach. She also realized, not for the first time, how much these women were starting to affect her. Already, she could not easily recall why she had longed so deeply for ultimate power. Why she had been so angry. So content to be alone. Sometimes she even thought she might be growing less cruel, but that made her laugh.
The priestess squeezed Madalena's hand. She was not comforted by Issan's explanation, if indeed it could even be called that. Free-floating fear nipped at the edges of her mind. But being unsettled with no logic or concrete evidence behind it was no help to anyone. To express those thoughts would be even less so. Her teeth worried at her lower lip. After a moment, she nodded.
"All right," Dee said. "We can keep studying after the initiation, right? I agree we're working well together, but I do feel there's more to be learned. I wouldn't want to go back up against… him, or others like him, right now."
"Of course!" Issan took a step back toward Dee, her hand instantly alighting on the woman's arm. "I would not stymie your growth. I want you, both of you," she added, glancing at Maddie, "to become as strong as you can be. Time is the one thing we do not have, but there is nothing for it.
"And your initiation will only help your learning. It will open up new parts of you that were locked away, and through it we may find more abilities, powers that were sealed until now. I need you with me." Her voice edged on desperation, hoping that nothing had occurred that would cause Dee or Maddie to change their minds. It would be too much to come this far, only to be abandoned by the ones she'd taken under her wing.
"Once that is complete, I would have us attempt a ritual. One of my allies needs help; doing this will not only aid him, but it is something I have long wanted to attempt. We will attempt the creation of a talisman, and if we are successful, there is no telling how far we might go." Excitement laced her words, her very presence thrumming with hopeful energy. Even Sia, standing behind them, was moved from her suspicion to a cautious optimism, the beginnings of a smile playing around her mouth. It was clear that, in her mind, she was beginning to see signs of what she had experienced when she and Esaaj had lived on Dathomir all those years ago.
Madalena glanced around the room, her hands still entwined with Dee’s and Issan’s. The excitement in Issan’s voice and Sia’s eyes felt contagious. “I’m in,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
Dee nodded. The talisman was of particular interest. Her mind went at once to the mask of the high priesthood, itself a talisman of a sort; if this creation could aid her in understanding how such things were made, perhaps it could shed light on their full use and unmaking as well.
Issan's grip tightened, her excitement swelling with each confirmation.
"Good," she replied. "I would have us start immediately--"
"No," Sia interjected, putting her hands on Issan's shoulders. "You need to rest. It's no wonder you didn't heal fully, lobito. You rush around like this, you will be of no use to anyone. Then you may go." Issan hefted a sigh, but it was clear she was in agreement with her aunt. She gave a soft nod, her grasp on her student's hands faltering for a moment.
"And I think your mother would speak with you, before you disappear once more." Sia's voice was gentle but chiding; Issan's face fell a little, but she only nodded in reply. She looked up to Dee and Maddie, favoring each with a smile.
"This will give you time to prepare, and pack your things. We will not be staying here; it will give us all time to say a proper goodbye."
Madalena’s face fell. “Of course,” she said quietly. She had known this day would come, but she wasn’t ready for it. She’d grown to love the small house and the bustle of the city outside, the quiet sunrises and the happy chatter of a house full of women. She bowed to Issan, then to Sia.
Dee could not bring herself to share Madalena's displeasure. The house had become a comfort of a sort, but there remained too much to be done to rest there for long. Their enemies -- First Order and otherwise, it seemed -- drew closer with every day that passed. That they would continue to learn and grow after leaving was to her reassurance enough.
"Thank you," she said, smiling at their host. "You and Esaaj have been so hospitable. I won't forget either of you."
Sia returned Dee's smile, one hand having dropped away from Issan's shoulder; the other lingered on her niece, as though keeping a tight rein on her.
"And you both have been excellent students. I am only sorry I will not get to see what will become of you." She looked back to Issan. "They are in your old room, so you will come with me. Your mother is out, but she will return soon."
Issan nodded once more, and looked to her students in passing. "Meditate for a little while; you'll need clear minds for these next steps."
And then Sia was pushing her from the room, the two women disappearing down the short hall that led to the sleeping quarters. Sia was much taller than her niece, and the stark contrasts between them didn't end there; but their gait and posture reminded anyone watching that they were indeed related. Then the moment passed, and Dee and Maddie were left to their own devices; at least until Issan was rested enough to call upon them again.