Ask Blood to Blood

[Arla]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Arla had been wandering the galaxy in search of new knowledge of the Shadow, but she knew that there was one of the largest Orders that she had yet to actually pursue. She wasn't really sure how she was going to manage to get in contact with a Jedi without being attacked or arrested, but she would figure that out. The first step was going somewhere where she could find a Jedi.

They were the opposite of the Sith, but her mother - unknowingly passed down from her father - had invested in her an idea that there were some redeeming qualities of the Jedi. Enough to pique her curiosity. It turned out that cutting ties with the Sith and Empire had its benefits, and she found herself rather enjoying the independence.

Ultimately, she had gone out to Ithor and waited outside the Jedi temple to find someone going into the main town who she could bump into. Finally, she found someone. It seemed they were all in morning prayers or whatever it was that the Jedi did, and finally she saw a tall guy heading out into the town from the temple. He was young, which meant he was probably either a padawan or new knight, which was good. She didn't really want to potentially be waylaid by a zealot master.

She fell in a little way behind him, not exactly "blending in" with what she was wearing. Although it wasn't tribal garb, her red and black robes weren't exactly civilian clothes either. She didn't really care, it would be fine. She was just here for a chat!

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was going to be a Knight in a short period of time and he still couldn’t entirely process the idea. He grew up on top of the galaxy, but that did come with restrictions. Being a Knight sounded like true freedom - it was basically being an adult. He could go wherever he pleased and do whatever he wanted without having to check in with anyone.

The part Sephi had a break in between his classes and he walked out with his eyes glued to his Nalphone. He was rapidly texting away, unaware of anyone following him at first. However, with his sensitive ears and paranoid parents, he had long since learned to pick up on being tailed. Ezra kept walking, making slight little adjustments to his direction to see if she followed. After a while, it became clear someone was definitely following him.

He abruptly stopped walking, and if the follower didn’t slow, they would bump right into him. Ezra turned around to regard the culprit, at first thrown off guard by the ears and the eyes. The Thorne eyes were vivid and distinct. It was almost unsettling to see those eyes and the ears on someone he had never met before. Ezra’s brows furrowed a bit.

“Are you trying to get an autograph or something? Buzz off,” He stated curtly.

 

[Arla]

Arla was, indeed, following him, and his abrupt movement to turn around on the side of the street actually managed to catch her off guard. She stopped about an inch short of walking face first into his chest, and her heard reared back slightly in displeasure, but she said nothing at first.

Why would I want your... and then she stopped as she looked up into eyes that almost matched her own, her eyebrow coming down slightly as she realized who those eyes belonged to. Of all the Jedi she could pick, had she really just unknowingly picked the President's son?

Hm, she grunted, still frowning.

I was following you because you're a Jedi, she stated directly. I wanted to ask you some questions about being a Jedi, she said like this was a totally normal interaction to be having.

And yet, she kept having her attention drawn back to the similarities between them. The eyes and ears both were so unique and yet matched almost perfectly. It was odd, but she supposed the galaxy was full of coincidences.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra stared blankly at the girl. The girl stared blankly at him. There was a moment of silence. Questions about the Jedi? There was an entire temple of them and he had better things to do. He didn’t bother with a response before he turned around and started to walk again. He actually brought out his NalPhone once more to resume texting.

 

[Arla]

Arla's eyes rolled back into her head at his response and as he started to turn and walk away, she did as well. She'd met Sith who were more polite than him. Shaking her head, she started to head out to look for another Jedi when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Down a narrow street to her side, she heard a music playing and with Ezra in such close proximity, he would hear it as well. It wasn't like any music that either of them had ever heard before, and they would both be drawn - or more precisely compelled - to go see what it was. A siren's song that couldn't be resisted, what neither of them knew now was that it was a totally novel piece of technology based in science around mind control.

Without even thinking, Arla would find herself drawn down the alley and toward the sound, entranced before a stunbolt struck her and knocked her unconscious. Ezra would suffer a similar fate.

---​

When they would finally awaken, they were in what could only be described as a dingy room. Somehow, Arla got the feeling that they were not even on Ithor anymore or... maybe they weren't even on a planet at all? A ship? It was hard to say, and her head was still clearing as she let out a quiet groan.

She blinked several times, trying to look around and see if there was anyone else, but they appeared to be alone. Alone and tied together.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was already awake and glaring at nothing in particular, his arms resting on his propped up knees. He should have been surprised and mortified by this, but this was exactly the type of nonsense his fathers warned him about. Some sort of siren song was a first and he now wondered if he had to constantly wear full noise-canceling auditory dampeners.

He didn’t bother looking over at the girl from earlier. This was likely entirely her fault. Who just showed up to a temple to quiz Jedi about being Jedi? He was silently fuming, not because he was kidnapped and potentially in danger, but because his NalPhone was taken from him.

“Let me out this instant,” Ezra called out to no one in particular, “My father will have a fleet here to erase you from the galaxy within moments.”

All he heard was a chuckle in response. An old, scrawny man walked over. He grinned and bared his teeth, whatever remained of them yellow and disgusting, “I’m banking on that, boyo!” He said gleefully, “I can get the President to give me whatever I want now that I have the Thorne twins!”

Ezra’s brows furrowed. He looked over at Arla and scoffed, but he didn’t outwardly say anything just yet. Perhaps it was a card he could hold close to chest. Unless Arla blurted out on the contrary.

 

[Arla]

Arla heard someone enter the room and craned her neck to try to see who it was to no avail, and that was followed moments later by the Thorneboy spewing threats. So that was why they'd been kidnapped: some ploy by a lowlife to get rich from the President. Typical.

The Thorne twins? So they had the other one as well? Arla's brow furrowed slightly as she wondered where they were keeping Thornegirl and why they'd bothered with taking Arla at all.

You're going to make me rich, the man said, wandering over and giving Ezra a pat on the cheek before laughing like the nutcase he was.

Ship's nearing the base, another voice said over the intercom speakers prompting Old Scrawny to stand up and head for the door.

Hold tight my little Thorne twins, he said. And now it dawned on Arla that he thought she was Thornegirl. She scowled and looked over to Ezra as her eyes fell on his ears and the eyes she had noticed earlier. Fine, she could see the resemblance.

As soon as the man was out of the room, she immediately began to squirm about, seeing if she could free herself from her binders but with no success.

I don't suppose you know where they're taking us? she said, fully expecting the answer to be a "no" but it'd be foolish not to at least confirm. From what she could tell, they had no opportunity to escape right now, but they might in the coming hours if they kept their eyes open.

She could feel the ship shuddering as it cleared what she ahd to assume was a planet's atmosphere and she took a deep breath. Her mind was still groggy and not clear enough for her to summon the Force, which meant it was a matter of waiting.

The weirdo appeared again a few minutes later.

We're here! Welcome to the Conico Resort your Excellencies! the man said before launching into another cackle. Arla couldn't stop fantasizing about breaking his neck.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra remained silent at her question. He had no idea what was happening, and he was barely reeling in his temper right now. He tried to remind himself that even Pops managed to get kidnapped once before. He only hoped he would be rescued before these captors tried to cut his ears off.

The two were led out of the cell by a group of shady men. A few of them gave leery looks to Arla, but Ezra seemed unconcerned. Her perception of a Jedi was likely very enlightening at this point as she stumbled across one of the most impassive ones yet.

“Did we get a hold of the President yet?!”

“Uhh his aide has me on hold..”

“WHAT?”

Ezra rolled his eyes. He wasn’t surprised - Pops wouldn’t mount any real rescue. News had to make it to dad for anything to happen. In the meantime, one of the men came over to stare at them. He barely opened his mouth before Ezra waved his hand. He didn’t even need to vocalize anything - the man had glazed over look on his face and Arla would feel the Force pulse powerfully.

“Ey boss!” The man stepped away, calling out to the others, “I think we should do a patrol around the perimeters. There are reports of a rival gang trying to take the twins.”

Ezra kept his pokerface, hoping his ploy would buy them some time. He gave Arla a sideways glance, “If we get out, you need to keep up. I’m not going to slow down for you,” He warned her quietly.

 

[Arla]

Even the president didn't want his son back. Figured. Arla was becoming more irritable by the moment, and the leering looks weren't improving her mood. Oh she was going to kill so many people when she was out of here.

She could feel the Force pulse and bend around her, and she knew that it wasn't because of her own doing. The scumball blurting out that he should go search the perimeter a moment later told Arla that Ezra had played a little trick. Well, that was good at least. She was glad to see he had picked up some useful tricks among the Jedi.

As it turned out, the Jedi didn't seem much better than the Sith when it came to being beacons of Light and kindness or whatever they were supposed to be. Still, she would reserve judgment until she had more information. She wasn't fond of hasty or unwise decisions... normally.

Hm, so Jedi are survival of the fittest as well, she noted under her breath, not expecting that from what she had heard about Jedi. Although it was said to herself, his sensitive ears would doubtlessly pick it up.

I will not have any trouble, she said.

They were led out of the ship and shoved down a ramp by the single remaining guard and into the evening air of... whatever planet this was. The air was damp and humid, clinging to the skin almost immediately. It reminded her of Nal Hutta in all the worst possible ways except the air didn't smell quite as polluted as the nearly-toxic planet.

They were led through the open grounds and to the place that would be their prison. Although prison was a generous word. It was more of a cage no more than four or five feet tall and made of wood with a dirt floor. They were shoved inside and the door was closed, leaving them - thankfully - alone.

Arla's head was beginning to clear and she focused her attention back on the area they had just walked through. Multiple ships had been docked all along the way, and she had seen no less than twenty pirates and there were probably more inside the building.

She scooted over toward the side of the cage and reached out to put her hand against the wood when she reached the edge of her "leash." She turned back over her shoulder and motioned with her head for him to move toward her, tugging on the electrowire that attached them.

Come here, I think I can break this quietly, she said, tugging at the cord again until she could reach the bars. She closed her eyes and channeled the Shadow, green energy climbing up and down the wooden "bars" until they cracked and snapped in several places, deforming enough for them to crawl out.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra paused and glanced at her assessment of Jedi, “Should I judge all part Sephi by how awkward you are? No? Then don’t generalize about Jedi just from me,” He stated dryly. He may not have had a positive opinion of Jedi when he started, but he had certainly learned to appreciate how different they could be. He even dared to wonder if it was the same with Sith, though he would never walk that path if he could help it.

Ezra was casually leaning against the side of the cage with his arms crossed when he felt her tug at him. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to hear out her brilliant plan. Within moments, his brows furrowed as he saw the green energy. He was surprised by it, but it was more than that, “I’ve…seen something like that before..” Ezra muttered quietly. He couldn’t place it. It was one of those fuzzy memories that was just on the tip of your tongue but just out of reach. He knew he had seen something like that before. But in what context?

He didn’t have time to ponder as the opening was created for them to get out. Arla would realize immediately that Ezra’s larger frame was problematic as he promptly got stuck. She would have to apply a bit more Force to widen the gap so he could follow through.

They scampered out of the cage in time for the guards to come back from the perimeter check. Immediately one of them sounded the alarm, giving the two very little time to get away. Ezra practically crawled away, dragging the girl behind him as he ducked behind a stack of crates.

“I can hotwire a ship and fly us out if we find an opening,” Ezra spoke to her telepathically. If she tried to do the same to him, she would find it slightly difficult for inexplicable reasons. The pirates were wandering about and crowding the space. There was a good chance they would have to lay low on the planet for a while before they could get out. Of course, Ezra wasn’t used to any of this - he expected to get rescued any second now.

 

[Arla]

Hmm, so you're a poor example of Jedi ideology? she asked, her tone seeming to ignore his rude comment and actually giving off a genuine curiosity rather than snark or sarcasm. Well perhaps she wouldn't learn much from him in that regard, but she still kept it in mind.

She widened the bars more until one of them actually snapped but they were out. As they snuck out of the prison, she could hear the alarm raised a short time later, and she was practically dragged as he ducked behind a stack of crates. She heard his voice echoing in her mind a moment later, and she bristled, turning and scowling at him for a moment but not saying anything. It was practical, after all, so she couldn't really argue. Plus she wasn't much use for hotwiring ships.

She nodded in agreement.

The roof, she placed the thought in his mind, though even as she did it was like pressing a hand through thick clay. It grabbed and pushed back against her telepathy in a surprisingly resistant attempt to keep her out. It was strange and more natural than most of those whose minds she had invaded.

She started moving over toward the main building and dodged the guards combing through the area only for the sound of that music to appear again. She reached up and quickly shoved her fingers against her ears, trying to shut out the sound if only a little. The compulsion to follow and surrender was still present, but at least this time they had a bit more warning and knowledge of what was going on.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“Do I look like a parkour dude to you?!” Ezra telepathically remarked with a glare as she casually suggested the roof. However, when he was backed against the wall with guards chasing them, he cursed inwardly and called the Force to himself. Without warning, he leapt up, still dragging the girl with him. He effortlessly landed in a crouch on the roof, though she would be yanked over and land on the ground unceremoniously. Ezra blinked in surprise, still in awe of his newfound strengths with the Force.

He heard that faint call again, and like her, he tried to cover up his ears and hummed to himself. The roof ended up providing ample cover for now, but the call was getting louder. Ezra looked around till he could spot scantily clad women and lots of men hovering around a particular building. There was a bright, neon sign outside of it and he could hear the bass even from here.

Ezra led the way, the booming bass and club music beginning to drown out the siren call that would lure them otherwise. The part Sephi gave the girl a look to warn her before leaping off the edge of the roof and landing in a crouch again. He quickly made his way towards the club, waving his hand to ‘talk’ his way in.

 

[Arla]

Arla had landed splayed all over the ground and momentarily thought about simply throwing him off the roof. She could survive the fall with the Force, right? It might be worth it.

Be smart, Arla, she mentally reprimanded herself and pushed the thought aside. Instead, she followed his gaze to the club and leapt down after him, not to travel inside but to get to a point where the sound would wipe out the Siren's Song.

He started moving over toward the entry, and she yanked back on the electro-chain binding them together and held it up.

We're going to draw a ton of attention with this, she said. We need to deal with it first, she said, starting to march around the side of the building and toward the rear where there were far fewer people.

In particular, the guard on the rear spotted them almost immediately, but Arla wasted no time and throwing herself bodily against him, letting the Shadow flow through her as she did. She let it wrap around the man's head and twisted it so hard that his head nearly turned completely around.

She wasted no time in rifling through the man's pockets before finding a vibroknife and hoisting it out.

Come here, I'll see if I can get this to cleave through the outer shell of the belt, she said, moving over toward him in an attempt to do just that. Of course, he might not be quite as enthusiastic to have her using a knife on something attached to him, but knowing her way around a knife was actually certainly one of her skills, and the thought, of course, hadn't even crossed her mind.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra watched in stunned silence as the girl brutally killed the guard, the twist of his neck resounding loudly into his sensitive ears. That was a noise he wasn’t going to forget anytime soon. She grabbed the knife and he grimaced, “Why are you curious about Jedi? You’d never be one,” He stated flatly. She was beginning to sound more like a spy, which only made things worse given their situation. As she moved to cut the bond, Ezra shook his head, “Let me try.”

He hadn’t tried this trick since back on that planet with Dash. It only worked before when he was under extreme duress. Why was he trying it now? 1) Because it was relevant and 2) He couldn’t resist showing off for a girl, even if she was a lowkey psycho. Ezra called the Force to himself, seeing through the plane of the Force. The Force surged powerfully and he could see the outlines of breaking points.

Within seconds, the chain broke cleanly and perfectly. It broke not only between them, but it crumbled apart from their wrists as well. Ezra had a smug grin on his face, knowing it was a refined Force trick. However, his gaze soon flicked to the necklace around the woman’s neck which was suddenly glowing vibrantly. She would feel it come alive and pulse suddenly in concert with Ezra using the Force.

“Cool necklace,” Ezra remarked, thinking nothing of it. He walked past her and into the club.

 

[Arla]

Never said I wanted to be, she responded simply and honestly. She was, as ever, direct and straightforward. Perhaps she would have made a terrible Sith in the long run simply because deception was not in her nature.

He asserted that he had some way of breaking their ties, and she relented a moment allowing him to work... whatever it was he was going to do. She could sense the Force ebb and flow around him again, this time funneling into the device before it shattered at multiple points. Her eyebrows pulled down into a curious frown, but her attention was almost immediately pulled from that to the pendant around her neck.

The pendant that shouldn't have responded to anyone but her. The pendant that was connected to Darth Raze and his blood. Had she been wrong about its connection by blood? No, no she hadn't. Right?

She didn't even pay any attention as he slipped into the club. Her mind was completely consumed by questions that she didn't have answers to and her interest in the Jedi was now almost completely gone. Now she was curious about him.

Her eyes flicked back to the door he had just gone inside of and there was an intensity in her gaze now as she slipped the vibroknife away and pressed through the door.

Wow, she hated it in here.

The smell of spice and alcohol was thick in the but there was an underlying scent in the Force. Fear and twisted instinct hung in the air. Abuses had taken place here in no small amount, and it clung to this place even long after time. It was stifling in its own way and even to Arla lacked the natural, predatory cycle of a planet like Dathomir. It was pure corruption.

She pressed on regardless, looking for the Thorneboy and wondering if he has simply opted for his own "out."

Even as she searched for him, and amidst the din of darkness that surrounded them, Ezra would be able to feel an almost tether-like sensation that pulled him back toward the amulet. It was, of course, incorporeal, but in some ways it was no less strong than the electro-cord they had just broken.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was always just fine in clubs. He had been attending them since he was just barely a teen, when he snuck off with his rich friends. He had slowed down on the drug use since his private school was very strict about those things, but he was very familiar with the party scene. His auditory dampeners served their purpose, making the booming bass and music bearable. Ezra thankfully had invested in borderline invisible dampeners and his captors didn’t spot them to remove them.

He noticed she didn’t follow, and he simply shrugged. Ezra preferred being on his own without being responsible for a spooky chick. In fact, with the way she applied the Force, she was more than capable of handling herself. However, there was that nagging feeling- something pulling him back. It wasn’t the siren song which he couldn’t even hear anymore, but it was something else.

Ezra groaned to himself, shoving past the crowds to make his way back. After a moment he found her again, an older, drunk man trying to grab at her. The part Sephi didn’t intervene, knowing she would handle this in a far more entertaining manner than anything he could do. Once she was rid of him, he approached her, his eyes immediately flicking to the necklace again. It was no longer pulsing or glowing, but there was just something about it.

“Why did you fall behind?” He asked icily, eyes narrowed, “Come on, we have to find a way out of this city.”

 

[Arla]

Arla was pushing her way through this insufferable place hand moved up to cup her ear to keep out the noise when some drunk, old guy grabbed her. Her eyes flashed like wildfire, the normal golden flecks now blazing even more brightly at the uninvited touch.

Her fingers curled into a claw at her side and she was about to smear his brains across the wall when she remembered that she was still in very hostile territory. Her jaw clenched and instead she leaned forward and whispered something in the man's ear, the Force tugging violently through his mind as he released her and made for the door to find the nearest building he could jump off of. Ultimately, around here, it would probably just mean a broken leg, but he deserved it.

She turned and was immediately confronted by Thorneboy and his grumping. She didn't miss the way his eyes dropped to her necklace, and she could only assume it meant that he felt it too. There was something... something... she didn't know what.

And here I figured you'd just take off. But you feel it, too, don't you? she said, her eyes looking up at him with an unyielding intensity. She knew this wasn't the time or place to discuss it, so she pressed onward, the thoughts still swirling around in her head as she made her way toward the upper level of the cantina, searching out someone who looked like they might be in command of a ship.

One was an overweight man with a long trench coat and fedora reclining at a table and drinking while playing cards. Another was a old-looking woman, covered in tattoos and looking like she had been under a life of hard alcohol and drugs for a very long time that might well have aged her more than she actually was. Finally, there was a Rodian who was doing some trick to a nearby woman that left small, suction-cup-finger-like marks on her arms. All three seemed to be giving cues to the surrounding pirates who were too drunk to be of any value when it came to spotting trouble makers like the Thorne children.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra said nothing about taking off, nor did he answer her question. However, she would see that he looked a bit unsettled. He walked with her to the upper levels, the music booming and thudding. Ezra was normally spiced up and drunk when he was at establishments like this. In fact, they passed through a fog of spice that would no doubt give them a contact high.

He spotted the creepy guy in the trench coat, along with the…suction fingers? Ezra looked disgusted. Nevertheless, it was best to blend in. Others were dancing, so he started to sway and move, loosening up and appearing sloshed as well. Ezra looked at the girl as he danced.

“Ship Keycard next to Trenchcoat Tubby,” Ezra said through the Force.

With that, he created a quick diversion by abruptly tripping over a chair and nudging the Rodian so his face catapulted into the woman’s chest. Ezra groggily muttered apologies, but he was drowned out by the sound of the woman slapping the Rodian in the face. Hopefully the other girl had nabbed the key by now, because they needed to get out stat.

 

[Arla]

The dubious look in his eyes was enough of a confirmation for her, but they were far too busy now to continue discussing it. He started to dance, and her attention was drawn to the man she mentioned, though - only through considerable personal effort - she managed to avoid staring and drawing attention.

She watched as Thorneboy moved over and started dancing closer and felt the tug of the Force as he sent the Rodian falling into the lady's chest.

Arla wasted not a second. The Force reached into tubby's coat and plucked the keycard that she could just barely make out, letting it move rapidly across the floor and into her hand a moment later. She spun on her heels and started heading out, knowing that Thorneboy would inevitably be quick to follow.

She threw a glance back over her shoulder a moment later despite herself to make sure he was there and headed toward the exit. It was only as they snuck out the back and past the cooling body of the guard she had killed earlier that she stopped, spinning on her heels to look at him.

We need to capture or destroy whatever that... thing is that lured us here. I have no interest in being exploited again, she said. In fact, with his tech savviness, he would likely have begun to suspect that it was specifically designed to target species with sensitive ears, and if it spread it would put both of them at risk for the future if they ever ran across it: something that perhaps wasn't unlikely for him either given the original attack occurring on Ithor.