Gimme shelter

[Zem Vymes]

The trip to Bespin seemed to take forever. Forever to think. Forever to plan. The implications of the voyage were immense. Something terrible had happened to s'Ilancy, and Dan was at the epicenter of it all. Worst of all, s'Il seemed to have succumbed to the dark side. Zem couldn't grieve her. For the sake of little Teagan and for his own rediscovered Jedi faith, he had to become the foundation of better things to come.

Tak had tired of her grief, and had fallen asleep against him. He cradled her as the shuttlecraft approached the Jedi sanctuary. Inwardly, he was thankful that the Rebel pilot hadn't been compromised by Dan already. Then again, Dan wasn't stupid. He knew that one place he couldn't touch would be Cloud City. Beyond that was another story.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

How long had they been flying? It seemed like ages. Tak opened her eyes, pushing against Zem to sit up on her own, and looking around, the little halfbreed Lupine yawned. She looked around for Dama... and suddenly remembered that Dama had made her leave with Zem.

Without a word she crawled up into Zem's lap, burying herself into his chest while closing her eyes tight against a fresh wave of tears.

And when she spoke, her voice was tiny and muffled through his robes.

"Why did we have to leave... ?"

[Zem Vymes]

"Your Dama and daddy are going through a tough time right now."

There wasn't much else he could say to sugar-coat it.

"They just need some alone time to work things out, is all."

Distantly, he wondered if even he believed it. Dan was certainly an enemy now. s'Il? Could she be saved? The dark side rarely brought people back from the divide. Zem wondered if he could bring her around. He had to.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She thought about that, but couldn't quite make sense of it all. Dama and Daddy had always been smiling and happy. Daddy especially.

It wasn't fair! She'd just gotten her family, was living on the Lupine world, and had taken a particular delight in spending time with Rasmuss. Daddy was there, Dama was happy, nothing had been wrong.

"It's not fair," she finally sniffed, shifting in his lap so that she could lean back against him.

[Zem Vymes]

"No it isn't."

Zem nodded in agreement.

"Not at all."

He tilted her chin up and dried her eyes.

"I'll find a way to make it right by you though. It'll be alright."

The pilot was at last touching down on a landing pad at the city's port district.

"We're here, sir."

Zem hefted Tak up slowly, nodding his thanks to the pilot.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Held aloft in his arms, Tak was at least content for now. She clutched him tightly, arms around his neck as he made for the shuttle's boarding ramp.

"Are you gonna teach me like you taught Dama then?"

[Zem Vymes]

That gave Zem some pause. The thought had occurred to him before that she might be force sensitive, but it had never really been something for serious consideration. In these desperate times, it could be something worth considering.

He set her down outside of the tarmac, and squatted to eye level.

"Teagan, a Jedi is not only somebody who has to work hard at what they do, but they also have to be born with the gift."

He searched her eyes, stretching out with his feelings.

"If you want, we can see if you have this gift here."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She seemed to think about that, but soon enough shook her head. She didn't want to think about that stuff right now. She was still a little upset, and a little tired also.

"No, not now."

Tak leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"Maybe later."

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira strode out onto the landing pad to greet the Jedi. While the Jedi were established on Cloud City, they were still few in number. Each arrival was significant.

"Zem Vymes?"

Anbira nodded in greeting.

"I'm Anbira Hicchoru. Your pilot signaled us in advance."

Wearing his particular combination of plastoid armor and more austere Jedi cloth, Anbira seemed to embrace an anachronistic look often chosen by Jedi of the previous Clone Wars. His long hair and beard whipped a bit in the wind as he greeted both Vymes and his young traveling companion.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

The stranger's appearance and greeting elicited a sudden wave of shyness, and Tak made sure to keep close to Zem. She stared at the new arrival, eyes wide as she took him in from head to toe. He wore the same kind of robes that Dama used to wear.

Far from the normally energetic little girl, she was quiet, huddled against Zem. Her hand reached up to seek out his own, and she grasped it tightly.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem held Tak close. She obviously wasn't in the mood to be gregarious.

"I've come directly from Schwartzweld. Dan and s'Ilancy are regrouping with the Dauntless. It was best to keep Teagan out of a combat zone."

That was the official story, at least. Zem didn't want to discuss the darker aspects of transpired events around Tak. She was having a hard enough time as it was.

"Are any Masters in the city? I have matters to discuss with them."

[Daria Nytherciria]

A short distance away, at what was the 'entrance' to the landing pad, another figure stood watching the meeting. She wore none of the trappings of the Jedi that Anbira clothed himself in, save for a heavy grey cloak which shifted restlessly in the breeze. Her eyes narrowed against the wind, as she studied the trio, her mind always open and aware of the fact that whilst Cloud City was 'neutral' ground, they were never truly safe.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Eyes wandering about the landing platform, Tak breathed in deeply. The air smelled funny here, like something she couldn't figure out. It was just so different!

There was another scent on the breeze however, and the little Lupine turned her head in the direction of another stranger. Curiosity began to overcome her shyness, and Tak craned her neck for a better look. From the distance it was hard to tell, and it wasn't long before she leaned against Zem's leg once more, her free hand going up to tug at his tunic.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira shook his head.

"No masters, but if you need counsel, I can bring you to people who listen."

Anbira glanced back at a demure figure who waited in the wings.

"I would advise discretion here. The possibility of spies exists."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded understandingly.

"Let's go someplace more discrete then."

He held onto Tak, and followed Anbira off the tarmac, to rendezvous with a woman waiting at the edge of the landing pad.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Their path from the landing pad took the group towards Port Town, the hub of Cloud City's criminal activity. It wasn't the most pleasant place, but it was by far the easiest for getting 'lost' in – the luxury of anonymity being one which the Jedi treasured. The area was full of industrial warehouses and loading bays to rent. Thanks to a windfall from the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi contingent had been able to hire out a handful of storehouses, to be used as rendezvous points. They were dark and dirty, but most importantly they were secure. Daria entered first, her senses alert towards any threat.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She clutched Zem's hand fiercely, keeping close to him as they walked. She wanted Dama, and she wanted Daddy too. Zem said that they were having tough times though, whatever that meant. They didn't look like they were, and for a few panicked moments the little girl wondered if they even wanted her anymore. No, Dama said that she loved her no matter what, so it couldn't be that.

As the small group cautiously entered one of the store houses, Tak reached up to Zem, wanting to be picked up.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem hunched down as they entered.

"Teagan, can you do me a big favor? I want you to stay right here with Anbira for a moment while I talk with this lady. Don't worry, these are all friends of Dama, you'll be fine."

He knew he was asking a lot, and he hoped she would be okay with the request.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

On cue, Anbira stepped forward to the little girl and knelt down.

"Hello Teagan."

He didn't assert himself, and let her have enough room to come out of her shell.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria watched – as much as she could – the interaction between Teagan and Anbira. Idly, she wondered what had brought the three together. There was a thread of the Force twining them as one, somehow, but its origin was not self-evident. Arms folded across her chest, fingertips curled tightly around her upperarms, the Miraluka shifted her focus from the girl and her guardian to Zem.

“How can we be of assistance to you, Mr. Vymes?”

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Staring up at the man who'd met them, Teagan shuffled her feet a little and clasped her hands in front of her. Shyly she looked at him, and with one last look back to Zem, the little girl turned to stare at Anbira.

Her voice was tiny.

"Hi."

[Zem Vymes]

Vymes looked to Daria, and nodded.

"I'm here of some urgency and I need to speak to other Jedi of recent news."

He glanced sidelong to Anbira and Tak.

"In private, if we can."