Tag - You're It Again! [Evelyn]

[imported_Taja Loraan]

Evelyn was still peacefully asleep when Taja entered her room, standing with arms crossed over chest and a frown etched on her forehead. It was 3am - did no one suffer from insomnia anymore? "Wake up, you," she whispered, shaking the girl's shoulder. Nothing. She called again, louder this time. A few disparaging grunts and groans, then silence.

She sighed and grabbed the sides of the mattress and, with a violent pull, yanked it out from beneath the resting girl. The Apprentice rolled off the edge of the bed and landed heavily on the ground. Taja squatted down next to Evelyn and beamed at her cheerily, lying tangled in the flimsy sheets that came complimentary with the chambers at Bast - room service was lacking, apparently.

"Sleep well?"

[Evelyn]

"I was." Evelyn grunted.

She shook her head and rubbed her forehead with her hand, then running it through her short blue hair, untangling some easy knots. She was tired, she wasn't partying anymore or working at Devil's Dolls, so she has been found just lying around or with some unknown man.

"Good morning, though I don't see the sun shine."

[imported_Taja Loraan]

"Sun?" Taja made a face. "Yuck."

She reached out a hand to help Evelyn up. It had been a while since they had the chance to train, or do little else for that matter. The Apprentice was distracted... she promptly quit her job at the Devil's Inn without giving any concrete details as to why. She was certainly much more... solemn. Taja smiled sincerely in understanding and rose to her feet. "How are things going for you?"

[Evelyn]

"Things are fine, Ma'am." There. Evelyn finally picked up Eve's habit to call her Master 'Sir', this time, it was a bit different.

She squeezed Taja's hand gently as she rose to her feet. She then rotated her neck from side to side, to be a little less tired. She stretched her arms, her crimson eyes not leaving her Master.

"Are we training today ?"

[imported_Taja Loraan]

"Well, why not? It's a lovely day outside," she began, kneeling down across from the large windows on the opposite side of the room, "and here's your first tip on killing Eve's memory: lose the formalities." As she spoke, the shutters pulled upward and the drapes parted, all seemingly of their own accord. Vjun's sour atmosphere offered almost no breeze and only the pitch black dark was visible through the casement.

Taja canted her head sideways and glanced at her Apprentice quizzically. That girl was just too sober! What she needed was a good, healthy dose of humor to brighten up the night air. "Evelyn, can you fly?"

Even as these words were uttered, unseen hands suddenly grabbed Evelyn's ankles and dragged her back, pulling her through the open window and sending her spiraling down toward the tall spires below. Facetious? Certainly.

[Evelyn]

Evelyn's eyebrow arched as soon as she heard the word 'fly'. But then her crimson eyes widened as she was pushed outside of her window by invisible hands that gripped around her ankles. She was still sleepy, so it took time for her to realize that she was falling down the tall spires. She turned around so that she won't fall face first, lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. Suddendly a strange-looking shadow bird formed just on top of the spires. The bird spread his wings and Evelyn fell on his back. After a minute or two, she sat up slowly, rubbing her forehead.

"Ow ..." She groaned, but then pat the head of the shadow beast gently.

[imported_Taja Loraan]

Taja leaned out the window and stared down at what should have been the impaled figure of her Apprentice. Instead, there sat perched atop Bast's high walls a creature made entirely of shadow. Her eyes wide in child-like curiosity, the Dark Jedi climbed onto the ledge and hopped down, landing beside Evelyn on the bird's back.

She, too, gently stroked the bird's head. It felt odd: rather than feathers, her fingers were met with pure darkness. "Pretty!" she exclaimed gleefully, "but can you do this?" Her free hand reached for the dagger sheathed on her belt and she aimed between Evelyn's eyes; at this range and speed, the point of the blade would slice through her skull and kill her instantly.

It didn't, however. As quickly as it had appeared, the knife edge came to a halt, just as it was about to touch Evelyn's skin. But it didn't stop there: the mental equivalent of a psychic dagger had stabbed viciously into her mind.

[Evelyn]

Evelyn's eyes widened as she felt like an invisible dagger rushing through her head. She put her hands up to her forehead, her eyes closing tightly. She lets out small groans at first, then let out a scream of pain.

"Make it stop !"

[imported_Taja Loraan]

The pain faded just as Evelyn voiced her plea. Taja looked on placidly. "Tell me," she began quietly, "what have you done so far to kill Eve's memory?"

[Evelyn]

"I have no more memory of Eve. I grew up in a crowded city and was raped when I was only 13 by my father. When I was 15, I got pregnant of his child and he gave me my scar when he tried to rip out our child out ot my stomach." She pressed her hand against her stomach.

As soon as the pain was inflicted in her mind, it was as quickly forgotten. Evelyn talked like a robot, telling Taja her past full of lies. It was decided. It was that.

[imported_Taja Loraan]

Her expression remained impassive, and all traces of humor had drained from her face, her tone of childish amusement replaced with subtle understanding. The Apprentice's conduct had all at once become mechanical, as if reciting a tale she had spent much too long trying to believe, to convince herself that it was indeed her reality.

"And Slayn? What about your hatred for him?" she asked, her voice again lowering.