let him lie in the dark with his secrets

physical contact isn’t the easiest for either of them, but cal’s more comfortable with it around merrin and the others of the mantis crew than most. trilla might be the only exception now which is - a whole other thing he can think about another time. right now, he’s just glad to see the nightsister again.

he smiles as she straightens her outfit. she looks.. much as she had when they first met, not much older or different, so.. she can’t know the things she hasn’t lived yet. the stuff he’s been through, or what happened. as frustrating as it is that he’s not going to be able to get any answers, he can’t blame her for that. merrin hasn’t lived through it yet. “uh - yeah, it’s.. kinda weird. i got pulled here from ten years after we even met. i’ve been here for.. a couple of years now. it doesn’t get any less weird, trust me.” he says with an awkward sort of chuckle. “yeah - yeah, i know how you feel. are you alright?”

.

merrin could practically hear cal overthinking. it was obvious enough as they embraced, as he continued to look at her as if he had seen a ghost-- not that she blamed him. it was obvious enough to her that e was different, not the same as when they las meant, perhaps that was part of the reason he looked at her so... 

she couldn’t quite place it really. 

but-- “ten years?” she asked as her arms crossed, pausing briefly in thought at how that could be so. how it made any sense--

dathomir was a little shit planet in his opinion, one that had not been relevant during his lifetime, or several years before. they didn’t see any reason why that was going to change now, even with the power that was obvious in the young nightsister in front of him.

“your kind don’t really exist anymore,” they pointed out with a nonchalant shrug, words not quite stated aggressively enough to hurt, but still a reality that they were certain was painful for her. “so yes, you’re right, it is new to me.”

.

merrin was a bit surprised by the response. it was odd, at least, to the nightsister. not that she quite knew what to expect, really. it made sense, her people practically being lost to the galaxy. but, well, dathomir’s magic was hardly unknown. 

grief can motivate one to extremes they never imagined possible; it can shake the most dedicated believer or harden the softest hearts. this was its power, to leave one flayed and bloodied on the ground, grappling for a way to stop the lashes of its whip. for asajj…it broke the harsh exterior she had tried for so long to curate. moisture formed, hot and wet, in her eyes. she reached towards her sibling, clinging to the hope that she had for so long hidden away.

“so did i.”

gently, she cupped the cheek that shared a heritage, a home. two sets of eyes met, scarred and marked with hurt and pain and understanding. for the first time in a long time, asajj knew. this was no trick. no illusion. this sister was a gift. this sibling must be a sign from the ancestors, a sign of…she didn’t know. forgiveness? hope? redemption? whatever the meaning behind their meeting, she could hardly have hoped for better. asajj bowed her head in silent prayer to the spirits that were with them even now. 

i will protect this child of dathomir with my blood and flesh, for as long as i can.

“be still, my sister. you’re safe now.”

.

at the other’s words, tears broke through the young woman’s eyes. long held back, it seemed, the nightsister hadn’t even shed a tear while burying her own sisters. vengeance, solidarity, it had driven merrin for years. it had allowed her to survive. but now, having another, another stricken with grief, alone... a shared pain was felt. 

one that brought with it an immense relief. 

tears carefully ran down her cheek as their eyes, she waited. it had been unexpected... no, improbable for the two to meet. and now-- some sort of hope. a gift--

they were a funny little thing, weren’t they? perhaps aiya had not been completely wrong to instill some sense of hope into the last dathomirian that he had met, the one who had been involved with the jedi and sith. something that had the chance to work to their benefit in the future, worth keeping note of.

“of course you were.” a tight expression meant to resemble a smile, though it hardly managed. “interesting little bit of magic in your hands, isn’t it?”

merrin remained tense around the other. perhaps a mistake to make as much known but, well, it wasn’t as if merrin had much experience with something like this that didn’t involve them kicking someone off her planet. forcefully. 

it’s been so long since cal saw anyone from the mantis that he’d begun to wonder if any of them had even heard he’d returned. or if they wanted to know. or if they cared - no, that was a darker thought driven by the worst side of him, the side he’s still trying to detach himself from. he knows better than that.

when he hears her voice though, a voice that had become so familiar after years on the mantis with her, it takes him a second to realise it’s real. that he’s not just imagining it because he wants merrin to be here. “merrin?” he gasps, eyes widening at the sight of her. he doesn’t want to admit it, to her or to himself, that he’d.. imagined she’d come to help him, to save him from vader all those years ago. so much so that it’s hard to be sure she’s actually here.

it’s only when she takes his hand, though, that cal can let himself breathe. and he does, a sigh of relief leaving him as he steps in to wrap his arms around merrin in what he’s sure is a surprising hug. “i know. sorry, kinda on purpose. not to hide from you, though.” he says with a soft laugh, giving the nightsister a gentle squeeze before stepping back again. “i.. i can’t believe you’re here. how - how long have you been here?”

.

merrin couldn’t hold back the smile that spread as he spoke. it was as if some sense of hope had reappeared, slowly beginning to disappear, the feeling practically overcame the nightsister. it was odd. something she was still hardly used to. 

it seemed cal had a way of doing as much. 

regardless, at the hug, she couldn’t help but tense at initial contact before carefully softening, arms moving to return the feeling. it was as if nothing changed for a moment, only a moment as his words brought about the issue at hand. 

the wound was too fresh to forget. it hadn’t been long since ventress had lost everything– the remains of the only thing like family she had ever known. sure, it was fucked up and broken, but it had been hers. her sisters had been there for her as she reeled from the betrayal of her master, had welcomed her back after years of absence. who else could have shown that level of affection? and just as soon as she found them, they were gone again, taken by cold, mechanical hands that yielded no pity for any life but their own. 

it was a surprise, then, when she had heard of another. a survivor. but when were they from? how much did they know and remember about her? did they know that she was at fault for the clan’s extinction? still, she needed to know if the rumors were true. 

young was the child that stood before her, but with a gaze so haunted beyond their years. she sized them up, a twinge of something like pity and hurt churning in her gut. she was responsible for this. it was ventress’s actions that had left this person without a family. 

“i am. you…you’re a nightsister?” what was she to do? run, embrace, question, fight? for what felt like the first time in years, asajj didn’t know how to act. her feet weighed like lead and her tongue scratched the roof of her mouth. “w-when are you from?” regardless of the coming events, it was clear that this child of dathomir needed aid. and who else was left to guide her?

.

merrin held no malice towards ventress. as a child, it had been unclear what had brought the death of her people, malicos only further clouding that to a point that it hardly mattered now-- vengeance seemingly couldn’t be found. not with merrin’s little knowledge. 

not that it mattered right now. not with a sister here in front of her, no rotting corpse reminding her of the loss, but a living breathing semblance of her family. wide eyes blinked at the woman as she continued, not sure what to expect. 

surely family meant some to the woman, even not knowing them... it had to matter. 

the questions brought a sigh of relief she hardly expected. 

they didn’t give a shit about answering her question, of course. could not have cared less about what the other thought or had to say. but he was curious. that green glow, that kind of magic wasn’t something that was seen very often. 

“not everything’s about you,” aiya answered with a simple shrug of his shoulders. “i didn’t know you were here. i was just minding my business and here yo are, threatening me.”

.

merrin blinked at their response quite honestly... confused by the interaction. had she mistaken the other’s actions? misplaced his walking for following-- they were so on edge, perhaps, it made sense. 

but surely-- 

learning of another nightsister was unexpected. it was an accident-- a passing slur at her had brought about the idea that she wasn’t the first of her find they had seen. 

so seeking that out... it had become a priority. 

perhaps dumb, naïve of her to think that it would bring anything... any joy, fill any void left by the loss of her sisters... she had felt an obligation, in a way, to bring who was left back together. 

but seeing who it was, knowing briefly of asajj, she perhaps should have guessed who it was she would meet. regardless, the young night sister approached, a careful pose as she stopped in front of her, “you’re asajj... aren’t you? you were.... i presumed you were dead.”

learning off cal’s existence should not have been as surprising for the nightsister as it was. perhaps it was the uneasiness of this all-- the unlikelihood off then both being pulled for whatever reason-- but it didn’t stop the overwhelming joy merrin had felt.

it didn’t match the feeling of seeing him though. the closet being she’d connected with since her sisters, it filled a void she had become used to being full--

“cal kestis-- “ she approached him with a small smile, though, hand paused outreached slightly as she felt a difference, a cold one, perhaps, overwhelming him. something unfamiliar to merrin’s memory of him. 

regardless, the nightsister carefully continued the gesture, a hand reaching to carefully take his hand, “you’re not an easy man to find, i hope you know that.”

   Though her efforts to hide her identity were very good, Stassam knew a witch of Dathomir when they saw one. That and they could sense the energy radiating off of them. Thankfully it was easy to get…..lost on Coruscant and need the help of a stranger to find your way, which was exactly what Stassam had planned. When she turned so fast, they could sense that the witch was ready to attack, and it was such an amazing rush. Part of Stassam hoped she would turn her magik against him, just to see how powerful she was, alas that would have to wait. Raising both of their hands to show that they meant no threat. 

“I am sorry if I startled you friend, I was simply lost, and you seemed like you knew your way around here. I am an art collector, Stassam Char, you can imagine how easy it would be for someone like me to get jumped and robbed in this part of Coruscant, but well I was expecting to make a transaction, and I simply am hopeless when it comes to direction.” 

a transaction-- something that had never come to being anything good in merrins life. malicos came to mind, the pain he had brought to her, her planet.

though, he hadn't seemed the same, really. there was a pull, perhaps. one that allowed her to carefully rest her hand as hesitant eyes remained on him. he wasn't seeking to harm her... and she was willing to hear him out for now, at least. "no. I don't," she stated, arms carefully moving to cross over her chest, "coruscant is new to me."

coruscant was still a planet that they found theirself to be relatively comfortable on because of the imperial influence that largely lingered there despite the fact that it was no longer controlled by the empire. people were… sympathetic to such causes, less friendly to the new republic. though aiya found most to be largely insufferable, it was at least moderately more tolerable here.

“aren’t you a temperamental little thing?” he immediately accussed with a sharp raise of oe thi brow, dark eyes glancing over her already reeking of judgment. 

but an interesting little thing, at least, more so than most of the other faces in the crowded streets. “there’s no need to be quite so aggressive,” their tone was vaguely leering, though hands held up in a non-aggressive maner.

as the being spoke, merrins eyes only narrowed further, still remaining cautious. despite the slight malice... They weren't particularly threatening. Not yet, at least.

carefully glancing him over, her eyes met theirs, "I'm sure you might understand why one might be," they stated back, arms returning to their side. "though you hardly answered my question."

the bustling streets of coruscant were hardly something merrin was used to. no, anything more than the somewhat business of tribe meeting of the nightbrothers were somewhat anxiety inducing-- interesting, but not something merrin saw herself fitting into well. 

she pulled her red cloak over her head. they hoped to hide her markings, trace of something different, she’d dealt with enough backlash on tattooine as it was-- 

attention was redirected, however, by the sudden sense of being followed. 

eyes narrowed, she quickly turned, a wisp of magik ready in her hand to defend herself-- “what is it you want--”

MEDALION RAHIMI // have you met MERRIN yet? SHE/THEY are a TWENTY year old DEMIGIRL DATHOMIRIAN. they’re originally from DATHOMIR and now show loyalty to THE NIGHTSISTERS. they are best known for being a NIGHTSISTER, and i hear they’re pretty INDEPENDENT yet also VENGEFUL at times; i hope they survive the galactic civil war.

THE PAST

born into the nightsister’s, merrin learned the dark magik of dathomir from a young age, quickly growing quite powerful, despite her young age. with this, she grew a strong connection to illyana, another nightsister she believed would be in her life forever. 

but death forged merrin. a member of mother talzin’s clan, she was forced to watch her sisters slaughtered at a young age by the separatist general grevious. burning their corpses alone, the sole survivor of the slaughter taught themself the ways of her family, becoming a protector of her planet from outsiders. 

through her grief, she was manipulated by taron malicos, a jedi master turned sith who convinced her the death of her people was the work of the jedi, leading her to her deep hatred for light force users, and a vow to seek revenge for the death of the nightsisters. 

with this, merrin reluctantly grew to trust malicos, teaching him the ways of her magik with the promise of revenge for her people’s death, allowing the sith to gain a significant amount of control over the nightbrothers and planet as a whole. 

the arrival of cal kestis, however, was a turning point for the nightsister. 

despite initially keeping the man from remaining on the planet, he was able to gain the trust of merrin, explaining himself and allowing her to let got of some of the teachings from malicos. with his help, the two defeated the sith, upon merrin tiring of his manipulation of her and the nightbrothers. 

with this, merrin followed kestis on his quest to find the holocron and joined the mantis crew, despite having reservations about using it’s knowledge to find new jedi younglings. the pair bonded over their shared pain over the loss of their families, becoming quick, unlikely friends. upon the retrieval and destruction of the holocron, merrin simply decided to stay with the crew, finally finding some semblance of a new family. 

THE PRESENT

arriving suddenly on a new world, alone, in a different time was hardly an easy task for merrin, especially considering her limited knowledge of anywhere other than dathomir... and her lack of people skills. 

finding passage off tattooine had been difficult, but with some guidance, after a few long weeks she was able to make her way to coruscant, the galaxy’s center. desperate to find a trace of the mantis crew, merrin has been asking for help, despite the possible danger associated with as much. 

PERSONALITY