Undone

Falling from High Places

Day 154

It was not a sound or movement that awakened her. It was a feeling, a rather powerful feeling that battered against her sensitive and poorly shielded empathic receptors. Lantis squeezed her eyes shut as her small furry fingers press against her temples. It took several deep breaths before she had reinforced her meager empathic shields (so similar to and yet so different from her normal shields) enough that she could think clearly. She opened her eyes and trained her focus to the emotions that roused her from sleep. Someone nearby is quite happy, but it was not a joyous or ebullient sort of giddiness. No, this was far more... self-centered and conceited. This person was smug.

The young felinoid slid silently out of bed and padded softly to her door. There Lantis paused a moment to reach out with the Force to scan the room beyond. Her extended senses only confirmed her suspicions. With only a blush of trepidation she opened the door, wrapped the Force tightly around her and stepped into the common room. She stalked slowly and silently through the room like a creeping fog determined not to alert the room's other occupant. Her efforts were rewarded when she found she was able to approach the young man at the room's terminal without his being aware. She pulled up behind him now only a meter away. At this distance, she could just begin to make out what was on the screen. Her eyes widen and a gasp escaped her short muzzle before she could stifle it. Immediately the screen went dark and Adaen jumped out of his seat his expression darker than a night on Dagobah.

"What do you think you're doing? Were you spying on me?" he snapped. Lantis wanted to snap herself at his tone, but instead she took a half second to calm herself as her master would want her to.

"Were you engaged in some activity where I would need to spy on you?" she asked serenely. Her demeanor only served to infuriate the other teen more, but Lantis didn't know how else to proceed so she continued relying on her instincts and her thoughts of what her master would do. "What were you doing, Adaen?"

"I was minding my business," he replied angrily, his fist clenched at his sides. "I suggest you do the same. Curiosity has been known to kill felinoids, you know," he finished with a smirk. Lantis's thin lips curled into a snarl reflexively.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Now would I do something like that?" Adaen asked smugly, his previous ire replaced by casual malevolence. "I have nothing to fear from you."

"Perhaps not, but I could wake Master Jinn and I'm sure he could conjure sufficient reason for you to fear him," Lantis spat back. Adaen shrugged.

"Wake him I don't care. I saved Obi-Wan, remember," he said stepping closer to the felinoid. He stopped just inches away from her face. "No Jedi would dare touch me now," he whispered and then suddenly Lantis felt a pressure on her neck. Her throat constricted violently cutting of her supply of air. She looked at Adaen with wide eyes, but he only continued to smirk at her; his eyes gleaming at her struggles. Then as quickly as it had closed her throat was open again and Lantis found herself gasping and gulping for air. Adaen stepped back as he watched the padawan fight to return to normal breathing. Finally, Lantis was able to regain control of her respiration and she looked at the boy before her through narrowed eyes.

"You're wrong," she rasped. "My Master, Master Jinn, the other masters... they will stop you. I will stop you."

"Yes, you've done a marvelous job of it so far," he replied coolly. "Don't get in my way again, little felinoid or I will put you down," he added then he turned and reclaimed his normal position on the couch as if preparing for bed. Lantis stood there silently for several minutes, one hand still clasping her neck. Finally, she too returned to her bed, closing and locking the door behind her. The young Jedi sat heavily on her bed as she tried to shift through her jumble of thoughts. That had not gone as she had planned and the boy had used the Force against her. He had nearly killed her! On the other hand she had seen what he was doing and though it didn't make any sense now with a little research... Lantis shook her head. Tonight was too close. If her master knew what just happened, well he would probably kill her himself. Lantis instinctively reached out for the bond she shared with her master, but managed to stop herself before she accessed it. If she talked to her master now he would come to her and the ruse would be blown. No, she would wait and speak to Master Jinn first... after she did a little research of her own. With a plan now solidly in hand, Lantis laid back on her pillow and closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come easily as her thoughts traveled back to Adaen's attack and what she felt from him...