Strange Beginnings (Morgan)

[Wyl Staedtler]

At age eight, the concept of complete obedience seemed somewhat negotiable to Wyl Staedtler. This was not to say that he wasn't a compliant child - he was, by and large, mostly due to the fact that his was an agreeable nature. When it came to commands and practical requests that kept one safe, the boy could be counted on to adhere to instruction without debate. It was the smaller things, things that seemed to be of little consequence, that were his downfall. For Wyl, in the glorious spirit of innocent-rebellion, was beginning to discover that there was almost always a loophole. Almost any remission could be excused, if one looked at things from a certain point of view.

And so, when Daria had said (in a Very Serious voice) that Morgan was not to be disturbed while he recovered (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16636), Wyl obeyed her to the letter.

He didn't once disturb the man. He just watched him. Morgan had been asleep whenever Wyl visited the makeshift medbay, and so he could hardly be considered disturbing him by being there, especially since the boy didn't speak or touch the slumbering form. With quiet intent, Wyl had spent whatever time he could steal away keeping wary vigil over Evanar. Though the man had healed at rapid clip, there had still been a shadow of fear in the little one's heart; he'd seen death before, and any whisper of it's return sent his alarms blaring.

Morgan had since returned to his own quarters, but that posed little barrier for his newly-acquired bodyguard to circumvent. The inner security of the Enclave had yet to be perfected, and Wyl didn't yet put much stock in knocking. He'd simply slipped silently into the Spartan room. Again, Morgan was fast asleep; of course, this time it probably had more to do with the fact that it was only just dawn, rather than any physical injury.

For reasons that little Wyl couldn't fathom, he was acutely curious about Morgan. He was the first adult male that Wyl had ever spent any real time around, for one thing. There seemed to be some sort of mystique in that, a strangeness that was craved by the boy, who'd been raised in a distinctly feminine household.

Creeping forward, hair still mussed from his own sleep, Wyl bent to crouch by Morgan's bed. Skinny arms oh-so-carefully leaned into the mattress, bringing his face inches away from the older Padawan's. Wyl studied the lines of Morgan's relaxed face, resisting the urge to poke him in the shoulder to check if he was alive; he could hear a soft whistle that meant the man was breathing.

Or maybe that was his own nose? Suddenly alert, Wyl stared hard at Morgan’s blanket-covered chest; was it his imagination, or was it too still? His heart jumped a little bit. Abandoning caution, Wyl leapt onto the bed, causing it to dip menacingly, and lowered his head sideways until it was millimeters from Morgan’s mouth. He couldn’t really hear anything because of the pounding in his ears, but, and his chest relaxed slightly, there was a sort of tickling that might have been breath against his hair…

[Morgan Evanar]

“mrmrnghmn.” Morgan's mouth was dry. After all, his food and fluid had all been delivered intravenously. He coughed once, and his eyes winced for a moment. Wyl jerked away, simultaneously startled and relieved. Morgan rubbed his eyes, and blinked.

He grunted as he sat up and gave his chest a thump. Morgan frowned slightly. He was still achy, but did not hurt very much. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked around the room, noting that he was in his, but some of the medical equipment had migrated over.

And apparently, so had Wyl.

“Hey.”

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Why were you breathing so quiet!?" Wyl all but yelped, narrowing his eyes in an accusing manner. Blue eyes filled with concern as Morgan pawed at his chest. The boy slipped off the bed and scampered into the attached 'fresher, returning moments later with a cup of water. Carefully so as not to spill, he inched his way back and handed the cargo to Morgan.

Wyl watched as he took a careful sip. Little hands were right there to take the cup again, half-drained, and set it gently on the floor. He leaned on the bed, less bold about clambering on now that Morgan was awake.

"Does it still hurt?" Wyl motioned towards Morgan's chest with a jerk of his chin. "'Cause you were making noises last night. When you were sleeping."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan ignored the first question, as it was simply... obnoxious. He appreciated the water and drank it carefully. His body wasn't thirsty, but his mouth and throat were dry. If he could have, he would have spit half of it and drank the rest.

"It aches." Morgan moved his arms experimentally, gradually going through the full range of motion.

"It doesn't hurt." He concluded. "What sort of funny noises?" He asked. "And how long have I been out?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl did a rough imitation of the low moans that Morgan had periodically emitted, complete with a melodramatic twitching facial expression. "And you laughed, too. You must've been dreaming." He grinned toothily at the memory.

At the second question, Wyl bunched his face up in thought and counted on his hand. He held up his right palm, index and middle finger stretched into a 'v'. "Two days. They put you in here last night, 'cause the little numbers on the monitor," The boy pointed to a small, grey unit that was clipped onto the bed frame, blinking steadily, "Went up. That means you're okay."

"Rhianna was here." He said suddenly. It didn't seem directly related to the present conversation, but Wyl thought Morgan would want to know. It was nice to know about people visiting. "She kept talking to you. Weird, huh?"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan smiled at Wyl's mention of Rhianna.

"Not very. Rhianna's ways are a bit different." He shifted his legs and felt the needle running to his bladder. Morgan reached down into his pants and pulled the tiny pin out, knowing it would self-seal immediately. He turned the alarm on the grey screen off. The process continued over his body. He pulled the fluid IV out with a bit of struggle, as his skin had started to grow over it. A grunt, and it came free. Food IV, out. Monitoring patches, off.

He looked at the time, noticing it was still morning.

"Have you eaten yet? I want breakfast."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"I don't think you're supposed to do that." Wyl said, looking scandalized as Morgan rid himself of tubing and wire - it was sort of gross, watching, but gross in the can't-stop-looking kind of way.

Wyl glanced anxiously at the equipment, expecting it to unfold in some sort of security measure to block their exit. At the very least, he had presumed that someone would rush in to see what was going on. When nothing happened, the boy raised his eyebrows. It was somewhat anticlimactic.

Though his stomach hadn't really woken up yet, Wyl nodded. He was going through a growth spurt and there was always space for filling in his belly. "Me too. Do you, um, need help?"

He wasn't sure just how he could help Morgan, since the man was roughly the size of a Coruscant skyscraper, but it seemed appropriate to offer. Wyl hovered like a worried besala hen, making little 'tch'-ing noises.

"Maybe I should fetch it and bring it back here?" Wyl said, even as Morgan swung his legs off the bed. "Maybe you should just rest."

[Morgan Evanar]

"I heal..." Morgan said. The extra blood that had spurted onto his hand from the IV wounds had already dried and scabbed "...very quickly." He stood, his frame steady. He yawned wide and brought his arms over his head, and then back away from his body. There was a gentle pop as his back settled into place.

Morgan held the door open.
"C'mon. Food." Wyl hesitated, knowing deep down that almost anyone else would still be in bed, instead of merely bandaged over where the wound was. Two days after having a piece of metal in the chest was a serious injury, right?

But here was Morgan, looking at Wyl expectantly.

"I'm not going to be carrying any grain today, just making some breakfast. It'll be fine."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl stared dubiously at Morgan; obviously the contrast between agricultural labour and culinary endeavors had been lost on the Core-raised boy. All he knew was that a few days ago he'd watched this guy bleed. A lot. It didn't seem possible that he was up and about, looking relatively fine.

With an experimental air, the boy shyly crossed the room and took one of Morgan's hands in his own. He turned it palm-down and inspected the spot where the IV had been moments before. Beyond a faint bruising, there was little to indicate the line had been present at all. Wyl gently thumbed at the scab before he dropped the appendage and looked up at Morgan, impressed.

He had to admit, the man didn't look like he was about to collapse anytime soon. Besides, Wyl would be there to help with the getting of the breakfast part; he'd play the sous chef and do all the prep work. Satisfied that he'd reached a solution, the boy relented and exited the quarters.

"Boy, that's pretty cool. I bet that comes in handy when you get into fights, huh?" Wyl stared at the scab again, shaking his head in obvious adulation. "That's just like Hydarian Dan the Healing Man. Except he's only in the holovids and you're for real."

Determined not to let the early morning silence fall between them, Wyl reviewed events of the past few days with hushed seriousness. Nothing was left out, even if it had been trivial (like the discovery of an enormous beetle with pincers that it liked to use.) He stayed very close to Morgan, glancing up every few seconds to check that the man was still alert, all the while keeping up a running monologue.

They came to the end of the reinforced passage, and Wyl leapt forward eagerly. "I'll get it!" He said, pushing open the door that led to the roughly-assembled kitchen. It was empty, which was not a surprise.

The child immediately busied himself with pulling open storage bins and scouring cupboards. There was a parcel of sweet walla bread, and the boy grabbed it with a pleased hum. Wyl had no idea what Morgan's tastes were, so he held up the wrapped loaf and waved it a bit. "Toast?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Yes. Toast." Morgan agreed with no hesitation, even before he turned to look at the walla bread. He extracted a bag of dried vegetables and fungi from the refrigerator along with a carton of psudeo-egg. Serena had managed to get them all manner of spices, and Morgan pulled several from the cabinet.

He was going to make a very large omlette. There wasn't really much of a stove, per se, just several well arranged portable cooking units on a stone slab. There was, however, a nice cast iron skillet. It was quite large, but in Morgan's hands, didn't look quite so massive.

"Cheese." He said aloud, and searched quickly through the refrigerator before finding a sharp asiago-like cheese. He found a cutting board and a sharp knife, slicing off thin strips from the block of cheese and then slicing it fine. Soon, Morgan had a neat pile.

A quick anti-stick spray, and Morgan began to mix the ingredients in.

He started to sing in a gravely voice.

It's not where you're from
It's not where you're at
It's not where you've been
It's where you're between

C'mon Wyl, join in!

It's not what you've been
It's not what you've seen
It's where you're between
It's not what you've seen
It's where you're between

La la la la x5
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!
La la la la
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!

From A to Bee
Then onto Cee
Don't stop the journey
'Til you get to Zee
'Til you get to Zee
There's nothing to see
Don't stop the journey
There's nothing to see
Don't stop the journey

Every time I look around me everything seems so stationary
It just sends me the impulse to become reactionary
Spell it out, rip it up, rearrange it, on the contrary
If I scream it I mean it, I hope you will understand me
Wooh!

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl jumped in surprise when Morgan burst into song--it just wasn't something one expected a recent stab victim to do. Dumbfounded, the boy watched as ingredients were thrown together in time with the song. It was a bit surreal, and he couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity.

Though Wyl didn't know the song, he joined in the la la la's at Morgan's urging. His voice wavered shyly at first but then, as his courage mounted, he matched Morgan decibel for decibel. While he waited for the bread to toast, the boy drummed a beat on a tub of buttery spread. By the time the walin popped up, beautifully browned and sweet smelling, Wyl had the chorus down pat and shimmied even as he clumsily buttered the toast.

Withdrawing two plates, Wyl tossed a piece of toast onto each one before sliding them down the counter to Morgan. Curiosity swam in his blue eyes as he hovered next to the tall man, leaning around his side to watch the goings-on in the skillet. Whatever spices Morgan had used were wafting up in a tantalizing blend that awakened empty tummies.

"Mmm." Wyl murmured, licking his lips. He squinted at the cooking omelette. "How do you tell when it's done? Is it done now? Can I fold it?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Well, um. Not yet." Morgan said, having to think about it for really the first time. He normally could tell by smell, and the sound, the way it looked and uh, well. Darn.

"It starts to brown a little bit and it smells just right. I never gave it much thought before." He said as he lifted part of the egg-creation out and sniffed intently. He squinted, giving it a quick inspection. Satisfied, he extracted the main course from the skillet neatly. Most of it went onto Morgan's plate, but he served Wyl more than he could probably eat in one sitting, to be on the safe side. Morgan was not worried. If Wyl did not finish his part of the omlette, Morgan certainly would.

Wyl had already set the small table in the kitchen, so as soon as the plates touched the table, breakfast was being shoveled away.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Thank you." Wyl said to Morgan as he was handed his plate. It was about all he said, too, because one bite of the omelette was enough to render conversation unnecessary. Eyebrows rising cheerily, the boy took a huge bite and flashed a double-thumbs up in hearty appreciation. The meal was delicious, although quite a lot more than he could manage.

As much as he was enjoying it, Wyl ate very slowly. Nibbling on an edge of toast, he tilted his head sideways, imagining shapes in his food. If he squinted, the mushrooms almost looked like a baby krayt dragon. A rogue bit of onion (invading the dragon's space) was quickly stabbed, and promptly banished to the edges of the plate. It joined a sad heap of it's uneaten brethren.

"I'm," A last bite was taken. Wyl sighed contentedly, "Full."

He pushed his half-full plate across to Morgan, who was already done his own. It was no wonder the guy was so tall; briefly the boy wondered if he oughtn't try and scarf a few more mouthfuls - another couple of inches would be great.

Wyl rested his chin on his hands, idly studying the man opposite him. There was no telling what he was thinking, for his eyes betrayed nothing. "Morgan? Will y'have a scar even if you heal very fast?" He pointed at Morgan's chest. "Can you show me? Just to um, check."

[Morgan Evanar]

"I dunno. I've never had anything go through the ribs before." Morgan's entire upper chest was wrapped in bandages, although there were some slight scars on his lower body.

“I'd guess it will.” He paused at Wyl's request of “checking” the wound.

“It doesn't hurt anymore, and painkillers don't work so well on me.” Morgan shrugged. He concentrated, and floated a knife to his hand. It trembled in flight, nearly falling a few times. When it was close enough, he deftly grabbed it from the air.

“Well, here goes.” Wyl started at the knife as Morgan cut away the wrap. Most of it fell away easily, until all that remained covered him from his left ribs to the right side of his neck and across his chest. He hesitated to cut the rest away, even though he felt nothing wrong underneath the bandages. A few rubs through the bandages told him it was healing nicely. Slice, and the remaining bandages peeled away. There was a large pink spot just below Morgan's heart. The pole had missed by two millimeters. New skin covered the exit wound on his back, too.

“It will probably scar some.” Morgan pondered, looking down at the spot.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl stretched out across the tabletop until he was level with the healing wound. It was something of a relief to see. He'd not been around for the changing of the bandages, and so his mind still equated the injury with it's initial state: a gaping, bloody disaster.

Cautiously, Wyl extended a hand and gently pressed his fingertips to the edges of the new skin. A hum of bodily repair could be felt, punctuated by the steady beat of Morgan's heart. Wyl's eyes closed briefly, and his brows knit together; he appeared to be looking for something. After a few seconds the young one nodded, and slid back into his seat.

"Okay." Wyl appeared a great deal more relaxed. "I just wanted um, to make sure. You bled a lot." I thought you were gonna die. "But that's going to look pretty cool."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan chuckled a little. "I was half expecting the wound to start oozing out blood." The next few moments were committed to making the rest of the food disappear from the table. He was usually like this after any major injury. After having a blaster wound cut out and bandaged, Morgan put away more food than a family of five for a week straight. He normally ate about 3700 calories a day to maintain body weight, which was around 260 right now, despite his wiry appearance.

"I think we should tell Serena that I'm on my feet again."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Why?" Wyl scrunched his face up. "She's probably still asleep."

It wasn't that he didn't like Serena;he did. But it felt unfair, somehow, to go and get another adult now that Morgan was awake. After all his waiting and watching. The novelty of just hanging out with the man would fall flat if it were interupted.

As soon as the fork fell in finishing, Wyl whisked their plates away and dumped them into the wash basin. He bounced back to the table, but did not sit down. Instead, the boy fixed Morgan with a persuasive grin, startling on his small face. "How 'bout we go outside? Fresh air is good for you."

Without waiting for a response, Wyl trotted out, stopping only to glance back and make sure than Morgan was following.

It was a clear morning, and the usual winds were not gusting strongly. By the looks of things, it was shaping up to be a pleasantly mild day. There was about four seconds of unbroken silence.

"There was a lizard out here yesterday. On that rock. It was only little, but it was still cool. Hey, Morgan, remember when we first met and you were flying the speeder and all those droids were shooting at us?" Wyl was walking backwards, nearly tripping over his words. "Where'd you learn to fly like that?"

He did trip then, on a half-buried stone. With a surprised yelp Wyl tumbled backwards and sprawled on the ground, giggling a bit when he realized he hadn't hurt himself. Wyl dusted himself off and continued, as though nothing had happened. "Did your dad teach you? You get tickets if you drive in the skylanes like that, and people call you names."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan half smiled. "Depends on which skylanes. Not every world is as well mannered as those in the Core. I taught myself. My Dad wasn't around very much then.” He knew Wyl was going to speak, but waved his hand dismissively. “It's complicated. I'll tell you some other time.”

The sun had barely come over the horizon. The air still had some bite from the cold of night, but it felt good on Morgan's skin. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but found it difficult. Something was bothering him, so he opened his eyes and watched instead. The sun crept over the hill in front of them, and the Vortex sky glowed with hues of golds, pinks and purples refracting off of the upper level ice clouds. Wyl stood silent, equally ensnared by the atmospheric display. Slowly, it gave way to a bright blue, and Morgan stood silent and closed his eyes as the sun beamed down on him. Wyl began to fidget.

“Hey.” Wyl said after three minutes of boring silence.

“Wyl,” Morgan began slowly as his mind began to truly wake, like a capital ship lumbering out of docking, “what happened to that crazy lady who attacked me?” He recalled that she was a few centimeters shy of Serena, but wider in the shoulders and a bit narrower in the waist. He found it odd that he could remember her perfectly now. Her green eyes seemed familiar. Wyl was ok, and Morgan had been patched up, leaving him to conclude things must have turned out well enough.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Immediately the boy's voice dropped, adopting a sombre inflection. He stopped fidgeting, his flashing eyes the only indication that he was struggling to keep still. Wyl wasn't sure if Morgan wanted to know everything or just the latest news, so he started from the beginning.

"We-elllll," Said the boy, stretching the word so it became three syllables. "Master Daria whacked her and knocked her out, 'cause she really was crazy. They bound her up, too, before they put her in a room. Then, uhm, Master Serena went in there, and I had to go because my Master said so.

"There was another lady, too, Lianna. She's a Jedi." Lianna had been fairly quiet the last few days, mostly staying with the redhead or conversing in hushed tones with Serena and Daria.

"And Adia - that's the nutso lady-," Wyl brushed tickling hair off his forehead and looked up at Morgan. "She was sick. That's why she stabbed you, it wasn't 'cause she hates you or anything."

Wyl hadn't seen the wild-eyed woman since her arrival, which had been an added bonus to keeping vigil over Morgan. Being drugged was no doubt horrific, but Adia had still been terrifyingly capable even in her hallucinogenic state. She cut an intimidating persona.

Wyl stopped, narrowing always-curious peepers. There was a funny feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with breakfast. It sort of tingled. "D'you want to see where she is?" The fluttery sensation grew stronger. "It... we should."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan paused. He had no idea what state the woman was in now, and from the sound of it, Wyl didn't, either.

"Is she ok now?" He asked, more than a little nervous about the whole thing. Wyl was right, he had nearly died. Without Serena's intervention, he would have died. He nearly bled out anyway.

Fear led to the Dark Side, but this fear could easily be replaced by certainty.

"I think we should talk to Serena before we do that. Really. I want to make sure she is ok first."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"If she wasn't, they'd probably be guarding her." Wyl reasoned.

The boy wasn’t particularly eager to confront the woman either, but he did want to find out what the heck she was doing here. And possibly yell at her for her less-than-polite introduction. Nevermind the fact that there was something else, more than curiosity, surrounding the woman. Wyl suspected Morgan felt it too.

There had been a distinctively common sensation surrounding the two - Adia and Morgan. Wyl was by no means proficient with the Force, but he'd been around the others long enough to recognize their distinctive signatures. The hours he'd spent keeping vigil over Morgan's unconscious self had only made it easier for the boy to memorize the man's presence. Enough so that he'd noticed something rather odd whenever he'd ran (quickly, in case she heard) past Adia's room.

"I don't think she's really dangerous. Besides," Wyl squinted at Morgan, arms windmilling as he balanced on a stray piece of metal casing. "She feels like you."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan looked down at Wyl and raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what to make of the comment. She feels like you. Morgan repeated the phrase a few times in his head, and still could not come to any kind of conclusion or real feeling on it beyond "huh."

Wyl started to slip catastrophically, but a fast helping hand kept him on his feet. Wyl grinned at him and kicked the casing away, like a rather sturdy empty can. It pinged as it bounced along the imperfect surface that made up their Vortex home. Morgan took a deep breath, relieved, but noted he was rather ripe smelling.

"I desperately need a shower." Morgan said.

Wyl giggled. "You do." He agreed.

Since they were inexpensive, everyone's quarters had a sonic shower.

"Stay put." Morgan instructed Wyl when they arrived at Morgan's door. Fortunately for Wyl's 8 years of accumulated patience, he only had to wait two minutes, and he had a casing to kick.

Morgan emerged, with clean clothes feeling much refreshed. Wyl kicked the casing hard, and it hit the opposite wall and went airborne, into Morgan's hand.

"Lead on, I don't even know where they put Adia."

[Wyl Staedtler]

With a grin Wyl wrestled the casing from Morgan's grasp and resumed kicking it down the corridor. It made a great racket, clattering along the stones. The boy raced ahead and kicked it back to Morgan, starting up an impromptu game of 'hallway soccer'. Wyl was doing a lot more running than Morgan, stopping only to make sure they were heading in the right direction.

Left. Down the hall. Right. The casing disappeared around the corner, followed by the boy. A few seconds later it flew back, skittering past Morgan's foot. Wyl peeked around the corner and pumped his fist. "Yes! Goal!"

There wasn't time to gloat though. Pressing a finger to his lips, Wyl pointed at one of the rooms that had gone unused since the Rebel technicians had left. The door was closed.

"She's in there." He murmured, inching back to Morgan's side. Wyl slipped his hand into Morgan's. Just in case the man was scared or something.

[Serena Laran]

The few days since Lianna Mal Pannis and Adia's arrival at the Vortex Enclave had been eventful, to say the least. Serena rose from her bed a little later than she was accustomed to and slipped into the shower. Warm air pulsed around her as ions bombarded her body, ridding her skin of any particles or dirt that may have accumulated during the night.

Once finished with her daily toiletries, the Jedi Knight exited her room, heading towards the medical ward and the two patients that resided there.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan wasn't sure whether he felt Serena approach or heard her approach first. Nevertheless, he turned to greet her.

"G'morning." Serena seemed a little bit perplexed.

“I turned the alarms off. I'm fine.” He explained.

“You've done that before.” Serena said. It was not a question.

“I've had more than one visit to a hospital bed where I beat the estimate by a week.” Morgan shrugged. It was the way of things. Serena took a hard look at him, and knew he was, in fact, fine, if a little stiff.

“Adia has not faired as well as you have.” Serena said, noting where they were standing. “She still is resisting the poison. It is a neuro-emitter suppressant.”

“Oh.” Morgan said. That explained why she attacked him.

“She is still very disoriented, but improving.”

“Can I see her?” Morgan asked. It was important now. He didn't know why.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Beyond offering Serena a chirpy good morning and a wave, Wyl sayed quiet. It was far more interesting to listen to the talk between her and Morgan, a principle which held true for most adult conversations. They said things without saying things.

The boy's head swivelled back and forth between the two as they spoke. Much of it was completely undeciperable, but the gist was pretty clear. Wyl might not have known what 'disoriented' meant, but if Adia was still it, then it wasn't good. His hand gripped Morgan's tighter.

Even as Morgan queried about seeing the woman, Wyl was nodding at Serena in grave agreement. "He needs to, Master Serena."

[Serena Laran]

She hesitated a moment longer, then nodded her assent. "It should be fine, but I do not want you going in there by yourself until she is healed." Serena gave Wyl a pointed look as she said that, but softened it with a small smile. "Give me a moment with her first, we don't want to overwhelm her with visitors."

The Jedi Knight opened the door to where Adia was and slipped inside. The woman stirred on the bed, free of restraints for one of the first times since she'd been brought to Vortex. Sitting by her side, Serena placed a cool hand on Adia's forehead as the woman looked up, soothing her with a touch of the Force. "You have visitors. Are you feeling up to some company?"

[Adia Issoris]

Adia blinked, only comprehending that Serena had come in and said something. She stared at the Jedi blankly for a moment before she made the effort to understand what she had said. Words still gave her a headache, but some were easier than others.

"Visitors?" She asked. The word didn't mean anything to her right now, but company did. Company would be different.

Her mouth moved, meaning to say some words that would not come.

"Yes." Adia said, but put a hand on Serena's arm as she turned.

"I... still..." She winced, "there are spaces, and pain. But yes." Adia looked frustrated. Adia had gotten worse before she had gotten any better. From Serena's perspective, she should have already experienced brain death. With Serena's help, Adia had fought back and was slowly regaining her function. Adia still trembled sometimes, but was recovering more quickly after each episode. Unlike Morgan's wounds, the brain took longer to heal.

Adia let go of Serena and nodded.

[Morgan Evanar]

The door opened again, and Serena gave a quiet smile to Morgan and Wyl.

"She has trouble speaking and understanding some words, but she is improving. She wants to see you." Morgan took a deep breath and stepped inside. Adia no longer looked possessed, but rather somewhat dazed.

Adia looked up at Morgan and instantly brightened.

"You, you are uhhhhh" Adia visibly cringed for a moment before finishing, "up."

Morgan nodded, and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt.

"Dead." Adia gasped. "You... should be." She was now sitting bolt upright, but made a strange sound, like the air was being forced from her lungs. Adia's hands trembled rapidly, and she started to hyperventilate.

"Serena." Morgan said, concerned. The Jedi had already stepped forward and placed a hand on Adia's forehead. Her breathing and hands steadied a few seconds later.

"When the toxin circulates to the lower brain stem, she has an episode. They are getting progressively shorter as she slowly recovers." Serena explained.

"Her recovery is remarkable, like yours. At best, she should be catatonic." Adia seemed to be ignoring most of the conversation, but pointed at Morgan and patted on the bed. Morgan complied, and Adia smiled.

"I'm sorry. For pain, th, the pain." Adia said.

"It's ok." Morgan said, and meant it.

"You you your?" Adia tried to ask, but put a hand to her face when she couldn't find the word and sighed.

"Ss... Serena." Adia said, pointing at the Jedi, and then pointed at Morgan.

"Morgan." He replied. Adia stared at him and slowly brought up a hand to his face, touching him experimentally. Morgan raised an eyebrow but did not recoil. She stopped, and picked up one of his hands experimentally. She brought his hand close to her face, looking at his fingers closely, and took a deep breath.

It hit her like a comet crashing into a moon. She looked up into his eyes and began to cry, but smiled and laughed at the same time.

"Found!" She exlaimed, and nearly knocked Morgan over with a hug.

"Serena?" Morgan asked, patting the woman on the back.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Confusion mixed with an intense urge to protect Morgan surfaced in Wyl. Where it came from he did not know, yet it was undeniably strong and enough to propel the boy from the doorway, into the room. He stood, face still with apprehension, adjacent to Serena. The scene unfolding made little sense. It was this uncertainty that kept him a reasonable distance from Adia's bed.

It didn't keep Morgan from it, though. As the man acquiesced to Adia's invitation to sit, the boy jerked to attention like an Isfahanian meerkat. He glanced at Serena to make sure she was watching. The last thing they needed was another incident. Adia's rambling made little sense, at least to Wyl, and Morgan's compliance to the crazy woman's overtures only served to confuse the child more.

Thus was left an interesting contradiction. Adia did not feel like a threat--he'd meant what he said to Morgan, that the woman was somehow familiar. But only days before she had driven a steel rod through someone's chest. Was it really safe to trust her?

Just then, Adia lunged forward and embraced Morgan. Before he knew what he was doing, Wyl thrust a hand out in alarm.

"No!" he cried, the familiar pulse of the Force humming through him violently. "Don't, you'll hurt him again!"

[Serena Laran]

Adia seemed to take to Morgan and was staring at him with the same intensity she'd favored him with when she'd first arrived - but there was a distinct difference between the two encounters. On her guard, but sensing no coming disturbances, Serena watched the two dialogue as Adia struggled for words.

When she pulled Morgan into her arms, Serena put a hand on her back though not because she felt Adia would do the man harm. The woman sobbed and laughed, and Morgan looked up at the Jedi, questions in his eyes.

"Serena?"

She shrugged, as mystified as her padawan was, but Wyl cried out in alarm at nearly the same time, Serena kept her hand on Adia's back, near where Morgan was awkwardly patting her to try to settle her down, but turned towards the little boy. "Its okay Wyl, she's not angry. She's happy. Can you feel the difference?"

[Adia Issoris]

"Found you." Adia sniffeled out, and looked up at Morgan through wet eyes. Morgan looked down at her, completely confused. Adia let out a tired sigh, unsure if she could find the words. She couldn't think on how to explain the concepts of him being what she had been looking for, but remembered someone who could.

"Find Lianna?" Adia knew that Lianna could explain things. She hesitated, but let go of Morgan.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"She means she has found her son," said Lianna as she stepped hesitantly inside the room, knowing that her presence was still not completely welcomed by some.

The Jedi smiled down at Adia, happy that she was recovering. It was most fortunate that she had decided to visit her, saving Serena time in locating her. She looked over at Morgan with a tight, but pleasant smile. "It's why she hurts, knowing that it was her hand that almost took you away."

[Morgan Evanar]

"I'm sorry." Morgan said. "I'm her son?"

Lianna nodded. "You have the same eyes. And," She said, glancing at his torso, "apparently the same ability to heal." Adia grabbed and hugged Lianna with a happy squeal.

Adia let Lianna go, and stared at what she had been looking for since the death of the Emperor. Morgan blinked an identical pair of green eyes.

Morgan was at a loss for words. "I... uh..."
Adia jumped into him, and squealed again. Morgan was surprised at how much she weighed, but most people had the same reaction when they picked him up.

"Found!" She said, and laughed between the sniffles and tears of joy. She let him go.

"Okay. We'll talk when you're up for it." Adia nodded.

[Wyl Staedtler]

She shrugged, as mystified as her padawan was, but Wyl cried out in alarm at nearly the same time, Serena kept her hand on Adia's back, near where Morgan was awkwardly patting her to try to settle her down, but turned towards the little boy. "Its okay Wyl, she's not angry. She's happy. Can you feel the difference?"

After a wary hesitation, the boy had to nod reluctantly; Adia wasn't upset at all. In fact, it was easily discernible that she was ecstatic. Her happiness was a tangible swirl around Morgan, pulsing warmly. Wyl glanced again at Serena's reassuring - although equally puzzled - expression. Strange didn't even begin to describe this.

"She means she has found her son." Lianna's voice cut through the room, explaining Adia's "crazy" antics. At which point, things became even more confusing.

"She's your mom?" Wyl said incredulously, staring at Morgan's startled face. Adia was hugging him again, but the boy could see her profile and he compared the two with wide eyes. There was a certain angular resemblance echoed in mother and son. She feels like you. Well, it was no wonder, was it?

Morgan looked a bit like he'd been hit by a speeder. As soon as Adia released her hold on him, Wyl quietly slipped in between, almost-protectant. Moms were complicated things, and he was pretty sure that finding one had to be just as displacing as losing one.