『Ghost of Zakuul』

Vaylin had spent two hours creating specifications for her next attire through a console-to-droid program at a tailor's shop. Now, she was standing in the changing room, staring at the finished product hanging from the hook upon the wall in front of the door.

A medium-length titanium white asymmetrical tunic with a dark brown and gold trimmings, a square collar, V shaped belt and brown leather gauntlets. For bottoms, was a pair of white trousers paired with black skirting and a set of white and black, gold trimmed, boots.

She had it designed off of her own memory, from what she remembered wearing before the time she had been taken by her father. The day she chose to show off her prowess and instability of the force. Oh how much she had wanted her father's and mother's praise, yet neither of them gave it to her.

In addition to the clothes however, she also chose a short cloak could be draped around her shoulders, with a hood that could cover her head.

Her mother forbid her from using the force for menial things, she didn't want her to grow. Then her father feared her power and locked her away, had her tortured.

She closed her eyes as she pulled her clothes off and threw them to the ground, opening her eyes to peer at herself in the mirror from the side.

A frown across her lips as she looked over the visible tattoos. She remembered when her skin was pure, untouched, untainted by someone else's taboo art.

Running her fingers down her arm, her gaze moved back towards the tunic again. With a simple gesture she called her clothes to her, taking it off the hook. She wrapped the tunic around herself and clipped it closed after slipping her arms through the long white sleeves.

Fixing her new trousers on, followed by her belt and boots. She stared at the reflection in the mirror as she was adjusting the gauntlets along the back of her hands and wrist.

Her blue eyes seemed to get brighter as she kept her gaze on herself. Still, the corners of her square collar revealed the tattoos her father had his people transcribe upon her.

About to turn around, the girl froze in place as from the corner of her eye, she could see someone else in the mirror. A blue light, an apparition of her mother. She let her arms hang at her sides and said nothing, just staring at it as it stared back at her.

"How I've searched for you... Oh my child... You've barely grown..."

The full length mirror on the wall shattered and fell to the floor, a tendril of her emotions escaping. Hatred had suddenly sparked, thoughts of being abandoned. However in that moment she closed her eyes again, before she could spur out of control, everything calmed down. Her gaze moved towards the apparition of an elderly woman with dark hair and a middle aged face.

It was apparent the apparition wanted to reach out to her, to embrace her, but it knew it couldn't physically interact with her.

"Miss, are you alright in there?" There was a knock outside the door, "I heard something break."

"I'm alright, the mirror just shattered is all." Her eyes trailed away from her mother towards the door, listening for the attendant as they acknowledged it.

The female attendant asked as she tapped her fingers worriedly against the door. "Would you be able to step outside so we can clean it up? You didn't get cut did you?"

"I'm fine, I'll... Just be a moment..." Vaylin turned and looked to her mother, glaring through her semi-transparent form.

"You should've come for me...!" She'd hiss at a muted volume, pointing at the dead apparition.

The older woman looked to her daughter with sad eyes, she had indeed come to save her, but she wasn't there. It wasn't as her vision had foretold, and thus, she had no choice but to escape Nathema. "I had... But you were gone, my visions had failed me..."

Vaylin's lips pursed tightly, her cheek twitching, but again she kept her anger under control with the thoughts of her new friends. Though most in particular, Ento.

"No mother... You have failed yourself." She imitated Dooku's stony expression, her eyes appearing to be shaking as she looked over the woman. Wondering how it would have gone if she had remained in that room. Would she have still gone with her mother when she arrived? Or would it have been too late... Would her father have broken her?

It wasn't something she wanted to know really.

The dead sighed hearing the words of her daughter. "Perhaps I have..." Looking around the changing room, her eyes rested on the worn clothes upon the floor. Then she lifted her gaze, looking over the clothes she was wearing now. It was the clothes she had last seen her in.

Clicking her tongue on the top of her mouth, Vaylin looked away from her mother, after they had grazed over the dark hair on her head. "I want MY hair back..." She spoke of wanting her hair to be blonde again. Though there were many artificial ways of doing so, which were only temporary, she wanted something more permanent.

"I can't give you that..." Senya tried to joke with a soft look on her face.

Vaylin lulled her head back as she stared at the ceiling. "I didn't ask you, abandonologist."

"A-abandonologist?" Senya furrowed her brows as she stared at her daughter.

"Yes, one who studies abandonment... You did a pretty good one," Vaylin dully looked at her mother, these words just leaving her mouth out of spite. She wanted to instill guilt.

While that wasn't the actual or literal meaning of the word, it in a sense, made it quite clear on the stance Vaylin held towards her mother.

"Well.. I'm here now," Senya gestured her hand forward towards her daughter.

"No... You're not," Vaylin waved her hand lazily with two fingers up and two fingers forward, her thumb tucked into the side of her hand. "You're dead... Gone and I... I hate you for it." Collecting her clothes from the ground, she refused to even look at the apparition now, until she reached the door and sniffled; wiping her face with her sleeve before stepping outside.

When she turned to look into the room as the door slid closed, she watched as the blue apparition vanished into the force. Huffing through her nose, "Good riddance..." Her eyes drifted towards the side and to the floor, before a hand rested itself on her shoulder.

"Quite the conversation you were having in the stall," Ento poked her cheek with his index finger as she turned her head to look at him.

With a half-smile over her lips, her eyes now bloodshot and glossy, as she sniffled. "Is that so?"

Ento blinked seeing her just about ready to cry as she was pulling the hood of her cloak over her head with her free hand. "Perhaps I know a way to permanently change your hair?"

Vaylin blinked hearing him say this, he really had been listening in on the conversation. She narrowed her eyes, perhaps he was looking in on her? Her face blushed horribly at the thought before he raised a brow in a confused manner.

"Were you peeking?"

"No," Ento responded immediately and almost monotonously, as if he was insulted.

"Hm..." Vaylin blew a raspberry as she brought about a stony expression once more, not buying it, but didn't push it any further in case he was really telling the truth. "How?"

He closed one eye as he spoke, letting his one hand that he had on her shoulder fall to his side. "My dad taught me a rather... Radical technique that allows you to control every molecule in your body, it was one of the last force powers he conveyed to me."

"Eh? Every molecule?"

"Yes, it's a special stealth technique used to shrink your presence down to microscopic size... But it can be used on at least one other person, it'll allow me to change your hair back to whatever color it was before..." Ento tilted his head slightly as he watched the attendant walk by and go into the changing room in order to clean up the mess left behind.

"Wouldn't that be, uh, dangerous...?" Vaylin almost shrank back, remembering the pain she had gone through under the 'care' of her father's disgusting zealots.

Ento knew exactly what she was thinking, and he knew the answer to her question. It was dangerous, that was why it was considered radical, it wasn't a technique someone would use under normal circumstances unless the scenario called for it.

"You're serious about it..." Vaylin rolled her jaw slightly seeing how he could read the answer to her question in his eyes. "Can... Would you be able to do it when we return to the Villa?"

Though he couldn't see the ghost, he could definitely feel its presence. His eyes drifted over towards the door of the changing room.

Vaylin noticed his gaze immediately and turned her head, seeing her mother standing there.

"He is able to see me...?"

Ento squinted, he didn't hear her speak.

Vaylin turned and looked to Ento, "You see her too?"

"Who?" The Jedi Padawan looked to Vaylin immediately as she spoke of seeing someone.

"Nevermind," she said rolling her eyes, the girl shrugged. "Lets go... Okay?" She gestured towards the doors leading out of the storefront. "It's already paid for right?"

"Yup, half off too." Ento snickered lightly seeing how she was immediately tugging him along.