Sianid Ascendant: Epilogue 2
Epilogue 2: Dianiss and Kari'arra
"Annie, you DO realize that this has to be the worst bar in the entire galaxy. Not only is it on Tython, but inside the Jedi Temple. Why do we even come here?"
"You know darn well why, and it's not because Juju makes the drinks just the way you like them." Dianiss raised her glass and answered, "It's home."
"It's good to be home." Kari agreed, as she touched her glass to Dianiss'. "But being at the Vertica is also good." she added with a grin.
"...or the Silent Sun." Dianiss added with a giggle. "You know I once worked there for about a week."
"Serving drinks?"
"Dancing."
"YOU DID NOT."
"I did. I was helping the local authorities bring in a crime lord named Samovan Bann, and went undercover there as a dancer to collect information about him and his lieutenants. It's amazing what men will tell you when they've had a few drinks and . . . you know . . . they're alone and appropriately distracted."
"Wait . . . 'alone'? You were working UPSTAIRS? In the private area?"
"You know, getting the job was the easy part. The manager had never seen a human before who knew how to do Twi'lek dances, and hired me on the spot. He never even knew I was a Jedi."
"You're welcome." Kari said, faking being indignant. "I'll bet you made more in tips than any of the other girls, too. You owe me."
Dianiss paused with a sly grin, as if she had a secret to tell. "Well . . . I did, actually, but . . . not because of the Lapti'Nek dances."
"What. Did. You. Do...?" Kari asked, wide-eyed. "I know what goes on up there, you know."
"No-no-no. Not THAT." Dianiss reassured her. "But I did do this thing where I 'pretended' to be a Jedi, and . . . you'd be surprised at how many guys went for that. I convinced them that a pink-bladed lightsaber was an obvious fake, and even made a few objects in the room move--but with strings attached to make them think it was just a trick."
Kari was laughing out loud as she pictured it all, almost spitting up her drink. "Uh-huh, I see . . . you just couldn't settle for a little dancing, could you? So . . . just how far did you go during these 'interrogations', hmm?"
Dianiss simply said nothing--and was avoiding making eye contact with Kari.
"Oh now you're definitely buying the next round, Miss Bar-scene'whore." Kari insisted.
"Says the girl who got naked right in front of my brother...?"
"HEY, . . . that was in private, . . . and just business, . . . for a mission for the Jedi . . . aaaaaaaannnnd I should quit talking now. He is kind of cute, though. I think he liked what he saw...."
Dianiss stuck out her tongue and made a face like she was pretending to vomit.
"So . . . what's this I hear about Dina?" Dianiss said, changing the subject. "She's back in training as a Shadow?"
"Forget training . . . I heard it was like teaching a Rancor to EAT. Apparently, whatever you did back on--you know--really charged up her batteries as far as the Force is concerned. Your brother even made her a new saber, one of the long spinnie ones, and he's back to randomly attacking her."
"It's called a 'saberstaff'." Dianiss said with a disapproving look.
"I call them 'long spinnie ones' and that's final." Kari said in a joking tone. "It's even got one of those same pink color crystals like you use." Kari made a stern face as she did her best impression of Zedemm's accent. "You've been using this colour for so long, it would be a pity to stop now."
They both shared a laugh at how BAD her 'Zedemm voice' was.
Dianiss kept giggling, as a mischievous smile formed on her face. "I wonder if I can still sneak in and swap it for a different color, like I used to do when we were Padawans. You know, my record was four-and-a-half days before she figured it out."
"You're mean. No wonder she didn't like you."
Dianiss took a deep breath, getting serious for a moment. "Actually, . . . that was never it." she said, half staring into deep space. "I think it might be the Force bond, but I kind of GET THAT now. The thing about Dina . . . she's, like, the gold standard when it comes to virtue. And I..."
"...and you play at being a live sex toy for Jedi fetishists, just to gather information?"
"I was going to say that I have the evil spirit of an ancient Sith Lord inside me, but I suppose either one makes the point. With all that's happened, I feel A LOT of darkness inside me now--not just Kallig but the imprint left behind by my mother too. But this connection to Dina . . . it's kind of comforting. It gives me hope that I can eventually get back to the place where I was."
Dianiss could see the grin slowly forming on Kari's face, and knew what she was about to say. "No, not the Si-Sun VIP lounge." she said with a mock-disapproving expression.
"So tell me something, Miss Jedi Master." This was how Kari always introduced questions about the Jedi, since the days when Dianiss was an Initiate.
"Yes, my Padawan?" Dianiss responded, continuing their little routine.
"If Dina is gonna be a Shadow now, and--of course--she's already a 'luka, does that mean that her training now includes . . . singing lessons?"
Dianiss burst out laughing. "No Padawan, I'm pretty sure that particular form of taunting was unique to Master Vingar."
"Hey, isn't it open mic night tonight?" Kari asked.
"Well, yes it is, but Master Vingar hasn't taken the stage down here for a while now. I heard that he felt he still had things out there that he needed to learn, and that staying HERE would hold him back. So he left this place to explore other parts of the galaxy."
"Awww . . . ." Kari said, with genuine disappointment. "I loved that guy! It's not like I want to hear you singing that I'm Bringing Sages Back song again."
"You know, it's kind of funny." Dianiss continued. "Of course I wish him the best on his journey, and I understand completely how it's something he needs to do. But I still miss seeing him, and yes, hearing his voice. There's just something beautiful about a joyful heart, filled with song."
"You know darn well why, and it's not because Juju makes the drinks just the way you like them." Dianiss raised her glass and answered, "It's home."
"It's good to be home." Kari agreed, as she touched her glass to Dianiss'. "But being at the Vertica is also good." she added with a grin.
"...or the Silent Sun." Dianiss added with a giggle. "You know I once worked there for about a week."
"Serving drinks?"
"Dancing."
"YOU DID NOT."
"I did. I was helping the local authorities bring in a crime lord named Samovan Bann, and went undercover there as a dancer to collect information about him and his lieutenants. It's amazing what men will tell you when they've had a few drinks and . . . you know . . . they're alone and appropriately distracted."
"Wait . . . 'alone'? You were working UPSTAIRS? In the private area?"
"You know, getting the job was the easy part. The manager had never seen a human before who knew how to do Twi'lek dances, and hired me on the spot. He never even knew I was a Jedi."
"You're welcome." Kari said, faking being indignant. "I'll bet you made more in tips than any of the other girls, too. You owe me."
Dianiss paused with a sly grin, as if she had a secret to tell. "Well . . . I did, actually, but . . . not because of the Lapti'Nek dances."
"What. Did. You. Do...?" Kari asked, wide-eyed. "I know what goes on up there, you know."
"No-no-no. Not THAT." Dianiss reassured her. "But I did do this thing where I 'pretended' to be a Jedi, and . . . you'd be surprised at how many guys went for that. I convinced them that a pink-bladed lightsaber was an obvious fake, and even made a few objects in the room move--but with strings attached to make them think it was just a trick."
Kari was laughing out loud as she pictured it all, almost spitting up her drink. "Uh-huh, I see . . . you just couldn't settle for a little dancing, could you? So . . . just how far did you go during these 'interrogations', hmm?"
Dianiss simply said nothing--and was avoiding making eye contact with Kari.
"Oh now you're definitely buying the next round, Miss Bar-scene'whore." Kari insisted.
"Says the girl who got naked right in front of my brother...?"
"HEY, . . . that was in private, . . . and just business, . . . for a mission for the Jedi . . . aaaaaaaannnnd I should quit talking now. He is kind of cute, though. I think he liked what he saw...."
Dianiss stuck out her tongue and made a face like she was pretending to vomit.
"So . . . what's this I hear about Dina?" Dianiss said, changing the subject. "She's back in training as a Shadow?"
"Forget training . . . I heard it was like teaching a Rancor to EAT. Apparently, whatever you did back on--you know--really charged up her batteries as far as the Force is concerned. Your brother even made her a new saber, one of the long spinnie ones, and he's back to randomly attacking her."
"It's called a 'saberstaff'." Dianiss said with a disapproving look.
"I call them 'long spinnie ones' and that's final." Kari said in a joking tone. "It's even got one of those same pink color crystals like you use." Kari made a stern face as she did her best impression of Zedemm's accent. "You've been using this colour for so long, it would be a pity to stop now."
They both shared a laugh at how BAD her 'Zedemm voice' was.
Dianiss kept giggling, as a mischievous smile formed on her face. "I wonder if I can still sneak in and swap it for a different color, like I used to do when we were Padawans. You know, my record was four-and-a-half days before she figured it out."
"You're mean. No wonder she didn't like you."
Dianiss took a deep breath, getting serious for a moment. "Actually, . . . that was never it." she said, half staring into deep space. "I think it might be the Force bond, but I kind of GET THAT now. The thing about Dina . . . she's, like, the gold standard when it comes to virtue. And I..."
"...and you play at being a live sex toy for Jedi fetishists, just to gather information?"
"I was going to say that I have the evil spirit of an ancient Sith Lord inside me, but I suppose either one makes the point. With all that's happened, I feel A LOT of darkness inside me now--not just Kallig but the imprint left behind by my mother too. But this connection to Dina . . . it's kind of comforting. It gives me hope that I can eventually get back to the place where I was."
Dianiss could see the grin slowly forming on Kari's face, and knew what she was about to say. "No, not the Si-Sun VIP lounge." she said with a mock-disapproving expression.
"So tell me something, Miss Jedi Master." This was how Kari always introduced questions about the Jedi, since the days when Dianiss was an Initiate.
"Yes, my Padawan?" Dianiss responded, continuing their little routine.
"If Dina is gonna be a Shadow now, and--of course--she's already a 'luka, does that mean that her training now includes . . . singing lessons?"
Dianiss burst out laughing. "No Padawan, I'm pretty sure that particular form of taunting was unique to Master Vingar."
"Hey, isn't it open mic night tonight?" Kari asked.
"Well, yes it is, but Master Vingar hasn't taken the stage down here for a while now. I heard that he felt he still had things out there that he needed to learn, and that staying HERE would hold him back. So he left this place to explore other parts of the galaxy."
"Awww . . . ." Kari said, with genuine disappointment. "I loved that guy! It's not like I want to hear you singing that I'm Bringing Sages Back song again."
"You know, it's kind of funny." Dianiss continued. "Of course I wish him the best on his journey, and I understand completely how it's something he needs to do. But I still miss seeing him, and yes, hearing his voice. There's just something beautiful about a joyful heart, filled with song."
| Behind the Scenes: * Because of all of the time spent where Dianiss was 'not herself', I felt it was important to revisit the relationship between her and Kari'arra. At the end of the day (or the end of the story), this is where she ends up: spending time in the company of her best friend. * "Juju" is Jujuin, the nice lady behind the bar in the Jedi Temple cantina. * Samovan Bann is the Kingpin from Coruscant during Bounty Hunter week events. The Silent Sun Cantina is where you go to question "Shady Characters" when going after henchmen on Coruscant. * I originally had Club Ufora in mind (in Nar Shadda's Red Light District, where Republic soldiers were going missing) because of the seedier setting. But the whole thing just works better by tying it into the Bounty Hunter event, so I moved it to the Silent Sun. * "Lapti'Nek" is a term I repurposed to refer to a particular Twi'lek dance style. "Lapti Nek" is actually the name of a promotional music video for Return of the Jedi that aired on television in 1983, featuring an extended cut of the song played by Sy Snootles and the Max Rebo band in Jabba the Hutt's palace. Think of it--the way I'm using it--as the name of the dance that Jabba's Twi'lek dancer slave (named Oola) does in that scene. * ...plus, in this context, I like the suggestive onomatopoeia of a dance style whose name has "lap" as its first syllable. 😃 * "Barsen'thor" . . . get it? * I suppose I should re-post my "SagesBack" song lyrics from the old site, so the reference makes sense. * I'm glad I got the opportunity to give Master Vingar a proper salute. For those who don't know, Vingar (the character, that is) is also a Miraluka and a Shadow Tank. * One last Epilogue to go, and I think you'll like it! |
| Notes from the Future: * The thing you need to know about Vingar for this to make sense is that he (the player) was notorious for singing into the voice chat during operations. * The other thing you need to know is that at the time I wrote this, he had recently decided that he was putting too much of his time into the game and needed to step away to do other things. * The OTHER other thing you should know about Vingar is that he'd been badgering me since around Chapter 3 or 4 to put his character in the story. I finally relented and added him here as a way of saying goodbye and good luck. * BTW, there really is a parody song elsewhere on this site that I wrote called SagesBack. (Technically, there are TWO of them.) |