Sun May 20, 2012 10:13 pm by Taera
*Groaning, Taera reluctantly slid out from under the mound of blankets, hissing as her bare feet hit the cold floor. Mother of the gods, it was like kriffing Hoth in here. She quickly got dressed, pulling on the coat as quick as she could. Why Laele had to have it so damn cold, she'd never know. Taera left the room, blowing on her hands to fight off the numbing cold. Laele, the Ice Queen herself, was seated in front of a low standing table in the lounge, different bits of metal arranged carefully on its smoot surface. What was this, some kind of kumbiyah ritual?*
"Have a seat, Green Eyes."
*Frowning and still not quite comprehending why the need for so much ceremony, Taera eased herself to sit cross-legged opposite Laele. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to keep them warm while she also tried to focus on what Laele was saying. There was no sarcasm, no quips, none of her usual signs of "life". This... thing Laele wanted to do with her clearly meant something important for her as well. She'd rather not infuriate Laele in the middle of something important.
The Chiss started setting different crystals on the tabletop, naming and explaining each as she did so. Some of their effects intrigued her. But which would be best? Suddenly Laele was touching her again, gently lifting her chin. Taera swallowed hard and forced herself to not jerk away. She did, however, lift it ever so slightly in an attempt to break the contact.*
"The crystal or crystals you choose to make your weapon will last you a long time, Green Eyes. You will impart your force and your will upon them, until the auras that they exude are yours and yours alone.
"This is a process that will take days, and cannot be interrupted for rest or nourishment. We will be near Csilla by the time you have completed the construction. Let the dark side direct your hand on which materials to use. I will stay here with you, as your master, to guide you in the force and in the construction."
*Taera looked back down at the crystals as soon as Laele had finished, grateful that she had withdrawn her hand. She let the chilly black waters of the Dark Side envelope her, so much more frigid than Laele's ship and infinitely darker. Slowly, her hand came to rest on the table then picked up the Rubat. This was her—quick, nimble, precise, a surgical weapon. Her fingers found the Firkrann crystal and joined it to the Rubat in her palm. She didn't quite understand why but she didn't question it either. It just seemed to fit.
She was on the brink of something, she could feel it. Something unknown and terrifying in its mysteriousness. But oh so exhilarating in its whispered promises. As strange as it was for her to admit this to herself, she was glad that Laele was present and remained present. Her fingers curled around the crystals tightly and she looked back up at Laele, as if for reassurance, before delving back into the Dark Side and proceeding.
Minutes, hours, days, they all melted and blurred into each other. Taera rubbed at her eyes and stared down at her work critically. Two sabers, nearly twice the effort of just one. Why those two crystals seemed to leap out at her when Laele put them in front of her those days ago, she never knew. But again, she didn't question it. They felt right somehow. The Rubat was encased in a curved hilt of bronzium, elegant, light, but dangerous given the right hands to guide it. The Firkrann had been caged in a more industrial hilt, practical, no nonsense. The tricopper hilt seemed to absorb any light that shone on or near it.
Taera took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling tired, weak, but triumphant. She did it. She built her own lightsabers. Two individual weapons that were every inch just as a part of her as her own limbs. Wordlessly, she looked to Laele, wondering if that was all and if she had succeeded.*