#kimas comissions

Ayane sits on the edge of her seat, her hands gripping the arm rests so tightly that her knuckles are bone white. Her bright eyes are wide and fixed on the turbulence of the vivid blue tunnel in front of her. She watches each strand of light with wild focus, trying desperately to lose herself in the captivating swirls. The echoes of violence roar up and down her body, scars of the past ripping her apart from the inside out. The icy lick of hyperspace caresses her bare arms, and the cold air settles on and in her. The cool sensation does nothing to quench the heat of her agony, is not enough to soothe or to ease her sorrows. She feels a looming presence behind her that suddenly breaks her focus, and she knows that he is watching. She tries to relax, exhaling softly and leaning forward, strands of her long inky hair falling over her shoulders. 

"Good morning," she whispers softly. Tears threaten to fall down her pallid cheeks as she feels Maul's gloved hand rest on the back of her neck.  

His voice is rich, flooding her freezing body with the warmth she doesn't know she needs. "What troubles you, my dear Ayane?"

She is silent, and minutes pass. Her eyes slowly close, and she basks in the echo of his words, his concern. When she does not reply, Maul swiftly moves in front of her, kneeling to be at eye level with her. "You cannot speak it," he says, the reassurance of his understanding making the lump in her throat ease some. "Look at me."

She opens her eyes, and finds his golden irises staring back her, reading her. One look, and he knows. He believes. He can delve into her very core, the part of her that is him reaches out and clings on, like a frightened child desperate for familiarity.

"Your words may fail you, but your strength does not." His hand is then caressing her wet cheek, and she leans into his touch. She can feel the warmth of his palm, even through the leather of his gloves.

"Do not be disheartened, sweet Fairy. You will rise from this. You will find the words, and the strength within you will awaken once more."

She begins to nod in agreement, the fire inside of her that was raging now reduced to embers by his calm, undeterred belief. She feels the cold, the warmth, the spark.

"You are resilient," he whispers. And with those three words, he brings her back to life.

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The young woman's eyes twitched as she sank deeper into her sleep. The wind hissed through the room, carrying in some snowflakes. Ayane laid alone in her bed, the blanket wrapped tightly around her body. She slept deeply, but something made her feel restless. 

It had been foolish to leave the window open like that. In the mountain peaks of Midgard, where the cold could be felt even by non-human beings, it was foolish. But Ayane did not remember opening the window. She turned uneasily to the other side and suddenly she felt her body being warmed. It felt like...rays of sunlight.

The smells of the cold air had also given way. It smelled like a long summer rain and Ayane could hear insects buzzing around her. Everything seemed so incredibly peaceful. Too peaceful for her to just go back to sleep.

She wrenched her eyes open and quickly straightened up. She sat on her knees, her eyes taking a moment to take in her surroundings. She lowered her hands into her lap and fumbled hastily with her fingers.

Ayane straightened up and recognised the place she was in. It was the forest that started behind her family's estate and led to the cliffs. The grass was blooming a healthy green and the flowers attracted bees and butterflies with their vibrant colours. The stream babbled beside her and she glanced in.

The water was crystal clear and gave off a certain calm. Ayane looked at her reflection. She was no longer wearing her nightgown. Her body was covered with a white dress. She took a few steps back and inspected herself. It was very plain and had no sleeves. It had two straps and the fabric fell tightly down her body and covered her feet. Then she felt her neck with one hand. She was wearing a necklace. A long one, so long that it was wrapped twice around her neck. Ayane fumbled with it. There were beads attached to the chain. 

What was going on here? Why was she here? It didn't feel like a dream either. No, she knew the feeling. 

It was that feeling when the tongues of strangers whispered something in her ear and showed her pictures of places she had never seen in her young life. When she perceived smells and colours that were not of this world.

Ayane decided to investigate the familiar forest. It had been a long time since she had been there and seeing it brought her great joy. But something didn't seem to fit. It was little things. A tree that stood next to others and clearly belonged to a different species. The flowers that kept crossing her path that she had never seen. 

After reaching the cliffs by the sea, she paused for a moment. Ayane felt the fresh breeze carrying the smell and taste of the sea to her, caressing through her long, raven black hair. 

The last rays of the sun touched her skin and her gaze fell on the magnificent, large tree that stood just off the cliffs. 

The crown of the tree was filled with green lush leaves and they rustled with every gust of wind. The trunk was strong. The roots reached deep into the earth and ran for several metres. Ayane remembered the stories of a great world ash tree that connected dimensions and worlds.  As a child she believed in these stories, but by now she had stopped believing in fairy tales. 

As she took a few steps towards the tree, a figure sitting on one of the roots caught her eye. 

"Hello?" said Ayane cautiously. 

No response. As she got closer, she could see that it was a woman sitting there. She couldn't be very much older than Ayane. The young woman had thick, curly brown hair. It fell over her shoulders and was long. She had a book in her hand and was writing or drawing something in it. Ayane was not sure about this.

Now the young noble daughter stood directly in front of the stranger, but there was still no reaction. This time, however, Ayane recognised the green eyes staring passionately into this book. Ayane's gaze wandered into the distance, past the stranger and the large tree.

The wind died down, the darkness of night hit the land and a cold moon was about to rise. The smell of the sea gave way again to the unfamiliar smell of summer rain. 

When her eyes wandered back to Stranger, she had disappeared. Ayane looked around to the right and left. The tree, the cliffs, the sea, the flowers...all had disappeared. And now she was standing in a forest she had never seen before in her life.

The flowers had grown long and the blossoms were purple. The trees stood close together. A glaring moon hung in the sky and as Ayane looked up, she saw a second moon slowly creeping into her field of vision.

Everything was so strange and yet she felt safe. As if she had to be here and as if someone was waiting for her. The stranger? Where was she? Ayane wanted to see her again. 

Her path led her through the undergrowth, through paths she didn't know, and she saw beings that were foreign to her. Until she found the woman with the thick brown hair and the green eyes. 

She was sitting under a large and old-looking tree. The second moon had already risen and illuminated the scenery. 

Somehow Ayane wanted to approach the stranger. Not only because she wanted to know who she was, no. It was because she radiated a certain familiarity.

The young woman moved a few steps forward, stepping on a branch that broke in two with a loud crack. This caught the brunette woman's attention and Ayane decided to step out of the shadows into the light of the second moon.

What was at first a seemingly normal evening for Nienna became most unusual indeed. 

She sat beneath the light of the second moon, perched upon the remains of an ancient tree. The Great Wood, her forest of solace, was soothing her of a particularly terrible day. Her secret nightly rendezvous with the woods was a balm to all that was painful in her little life, and the sights, scents and sounds never failed to calm her. She inhaled the musky aroma of moss and soil, closing her large eyes.

But then, there was a crack. A twig snapping, breaking the silence.

She turned her head towards the sound, and saw a shadowed silhouette of a woman. She had never seen anybody else in these woods at night, nobody dared come here for fear of the mythical monsters that supposedly lurked between the trees. Who by the moons could this be?

The woman stepped closer and into the light, the moon’s cool glow gleaming on her silky blue-black hair. The stranger’s expression was painted with mild confusion, her distinct blue eyes soft, unable to recognise where she was. As she stepped closer, the scent of an ocean caressed Nienna’s senses, the smell of large open expanses of land, salty and rich. The material of the stranger’s white dress ruffled against the ground as she turned in a circle, taking in her environment. 

“Where am I?” she asked. “I was at home, but I no longer recognise this place.”

Nienna stood up and moved towards her, drawn to her other-wordly beauty, with a strong urge to ease this woman’s bewilderment. As she came closer, the forest around Nienna warped. The ancient trees morphed into different shapes and colours. They were still trees, but their leaves mutated from a green of deep spring to that of light midsummer, their gnarled forking arms untwisted themselves into elongated, high reaching branches. The moon’s light was no longer blue, and Nienna found herself struck with puzzlement, the same perplexed expression as the stranger was now on her face, too.

“I like your dress,” said the woman abruptly. Nienna looked down, but did not fully recognise her outfit. She was wearing a long white gown, with a V-shaped neckline, its trim adorned with modest lace, and a little ribbon bow at the centre. It looked as if…as if her night shift had been inexplicably transformed into this pretty, demure sundress. She returned her green eyes to the stranger.

“Thank you,” Nienna said, slightly abashed. “I like yours, too. It is very elegant.”

“Walk with me?” asked the stranger, and Nienna agreed, moving to her side. As they walked further into the forest, the trees continued in their odd transformations, moving back and forth between the woods she knew so well and the sleeker, brighter forest she didn’t at all recognise. The light from the moons slid between two colours, illuminating the young ladies in oscillating whites and blues as they strolled together, side by side.

“What is your name?” asked the slim woman, looking down at Nienna warmly.

She did not seem at all phased by the peculiar forest and its changing form, as though she had accepted this odd circumstance in all its strangeness. As though she were now used to such a situation. Where did she come from?

“My name is Ayane. What is yours?” she asked politely. 

“Nienna.”

“That is a very pretty name.”

“I was named after an ancient goddess,” Nienna said, a tad awkward. “Thank you.”

Ayane nodded, gently taking Ni’s arm in her own. “I believe we are together for a reason.” She looked at the trees and grinned, excitement gleaming in her icy eyes. “Shall we make the most of this curious place?”

Ayane seemed a very wise person, though she appeared to be the same age as Nienna herself, just nineteen. Not even yet out of her teen years. Ayane was a charming woman, and the energy around her made Nienna feel safe, totally at ease in her company. She nodded in agreement, and the two young ladies began to giggle, the magic of girlhood vibrating between them. Nienna could sense their shared joys of the natural world, and it felt entirely right to embark on this experience with one another. Nienna abandoned her reservations, and embraced this bizarre, beautiful night with her new mysterious friend. 

The girls skipped and laughed beneath the stars, they climbed the surreal trees, danced in the fluctuating moonlight, the hours of the night passing seamlessly around them. They spoke of their favourite foods, their families, their hopes, dreams and goals. Nienna showed her the second moon, and explained the significance of its light. Ayane spoke of cliffs and the sea, the natural wonders of her own midnight escapes. Then Ayane told Nienna of the most beautiful dusty blue flowers that sprinkle her path to the cliffs, and in return Nienna spoke of long petalled blossoms the colour of a dusky purple sky, which grow in bunches throughout the woods. 

Ayane led them to the edge of a clearing, and what in Nienna’s world was a small pond surrounded by wildflowers, was in Ayane’s world a fragrant meadow. Both areas were littered with their respective flowers, their petals morphing between gentle shades of blue and purple. The sight was mesmerising, and the girls quickly decided to settle on the grass together. They sat amongst the foliage, threading the stems and blossoms of these flowers with frantic fingers, turning them into the most exquisite circlet flower crowns.

Ayane placed the one that she made on Nienna’s head, the tresses of her thick, frizzy hair surprisingly soft beneath her hands. Nienna returned the favour, placing a carefully crafted crown upon her friend’s silky, dark hair. They looked and felt like two princesses, the innocence of girlhood and the beauty of friendship blooming in the sweetness of their grins, the blossoms in their twin crowns vibrant, fiercely fragile. The perfume of the flowers was heady, lovely and comforting. The two girls giggled at each other, standing up and linking their arms once more, deciding to wander back into the forest.

But the sun was now beginning to rise, and the sky in both worlds transformed into the soft orange of the dawn. Ayane turned towards her shorter friend, and smiled sadly.

“I think our time together ends with the coming of the sun,” said Ayane. “I do hope that we are brought together again soon, Nienna.”

Nienna felt her eyes well up with tears. She had never had a friend like this before, and the joy of their time together was much too short. It was unfair, but she wished Ayane goodbye.

“Take care, Ayane. I will value tonight for the rest of my life. Goodbye.”

Ayane felt the familiar tingling that comes with the conclusion of a vision, and Nienna began to fade. The two girls were no longer walking between realms together, and they fell back into the oblivion of their separate sleeps, entire universes away.

When Nienna slowly awakened in her bed, she did not fully remember the details of what happened. She recalled the feelings of comfort and understanding, the sight of a beautiful woman with icy blue eyes, dark hair and a warm smile. What a strange and gorgeous dream, she thought. 

What gave the young woman pause when she sat up, was that she felt the crown of dusty blue flowers upon her head. It was physically present: real. She took it off and held it reverently, looking upon it in disbelief. She recalled that it was made by a woman of another world, a friend. Nienna smiled in awe, holding in her hands proof of the true magic of friendship. 

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Her hair dripped into the sink. Red color ran out of it just as she turned off the faucet. She grabbed the towel she had ready, dried her hair with it, and wrapped it in a turban. After that she went to her huge closet built into the wall and pulled out a striped pants suit. She provided red pumps and stood in front of the mirror in her nightgown. 

Luciana Arinori looked herself up and down, tossing aside the towel and letting her dyed red hair fall to her shoulders. How long has she been dying her hair? 

She thought back to that time, sometimes with pleasure, because it was peppered with happy encounters, but also with hard work. 

Lu had left her family's estate shortly after her mother's death. She had not yet fully completed her medical training, but that left her cold because Luciana knew that she already knew everything she needed to be a good doctor. She wasn't inferior to the people in her class, she was better. Luciana's skill and knowledge has always been above average. Did that make her arrogant and overbearing? Definitely, because Luciana didn't just use her good looks to achieve her goals.

Putting on the pants suit, she slipped into the red pumps. Her glasses, which had the frame of a red rose, rested on her nose. As always, her nails were painted red and a fine scent surrounded the woman. 

She left the room and went to her bedroom. The woman's eyes immediately fell on the large round bed in the middle of her room. A naked, blue-skinned demon layed there. His long fingers were holding a toothpick. His crotch was covered with a piece of the bedspread. 

Grinning, Luciana walked over to the Duros and sat on his lap, just the way she was. "That was fun. Are you staying a few more days? Meals are on the house." she said cheekily while winking at him. The Duros let out a shudder. He flicked the toothpick away. His thin lips curled into an annoyed expression. As he was about to answer her, Luciana put her hand over his mouth. "You will stay here, Cad Bane."

That said, she stuck her tongue out at him, tossed back her red hair, and left the room. She thought back to how she had met the old crook. It was a cold night on Coruscant and Luciana had just finished a rather long shift at the clinic. In those days she still wore the raven hair so typical of the Arinoris lineage. 

Cad Bane stood in one of the dark alleys that Luciana had to walk through to reach her home on the lower levels. She could see his eyes staring vacantly in one direction and his hand pressed to his stomach. 

The young woman could hear him cursing and swearing. She cautiously approached him. A wound was visible on his stomach. It was probably one of those magical laser pistols they often use in Coruscant. Lu offered to help, but Bane vehemently refused. He wouldn't let a young thing like that help him. He would rather die than allow it. And yet the two ended up in Luciana's shabby apartment.

She had carefully cleaned and bandaged the wound and a tension developed between the two that has lasted to this day. Neither of them knew what it was, but most of the time they ended up in bed naked or half-naked in a dark corner. 

For many years, Luciana has followed Bane on assignments after he had convinced her that this was the best way to earn money for her dream. 

A bar. To open a large bar in Coruscant. That's what she wanted. And Luciana would achieve that goal. Even after a seedy vampire from the gutter turned the woman into one of its own kind. She never talked about how or when exactly that happened. 

Nothing could stop her, and the fact that she was now a vampire herself strengthened her will to create a place where everyone could feel good. 

Luciana sat down at the large counter in her bar. The dark red carpet had muffled her steps. The lights were off and a soothing calm filled the room. Crossing her legs, she contemplated what she had accomplished.

She was no longer the insignificant paramedic who had to take every mess as an order. She had worked so hard for all of this and now it was she who was giving the orders. Now Luciana was the one who decided who got the information, who she would give what reward, and who she would let in. Now Luciana was her own boss and the woman grinned at the thought. The grin faded to a giggle as her dark eyes gave way to her vampire eyes. The night-black sclera, the blood-red iris. The fangs she bared. "The Lulling Vampire" was her kingdom and it would remain so.

Tagging some of you! ♡ let me know if I shall add you!

Tagging some of you! ♡ let me know if I shall add you!