Circle Circle Dot Dot...

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Zem had said to stay put; that he would return soon. But the room he had rented for them was so boring! There weren't any color books, no toys anywhere to be seen, and certainly no food. Not even any games. The holo was only interesting for a while, but it wasn't long before even that became boring. She was stuck. There wasn't any way she'd disobey Zem, but the temptation to go out exploring was high.

Teagan sat forlornly upon her small bed, staring at the far wall. A look out the window beside her wasn't much better.

Why did Cloud City have to be so boring? Weren't there any other places they could go that were more fun?

Fishing through her pockets, the little girl pulled out a single crayon and a marble... nothing to make her wait any more fun, that was for sure.

She gave a pout that no one saw, and with a grand sigh she let herself fall back to stare at the ceiling.

[Wyl Staedtler]

It was pretty clear that no one was going to conveniently leave a skycab unattended anytime soon. Wyl knew this because he'd been watching a little hub of the parked transports intently for the last twenty minutes. Beyond taking short breaks to smoke, the pilots were never far from their 'cabs and even while enticing passers-by to charter a fare, they were painfully aware of their vehicles.

So much for trying to sneak a spin behind the wheel.

The boy sighed and leaned back against the building. He squinted up at Serena, who was talking lowly on her comm to Daria. He'd already spoken to his master, telling her about what he'd been doing while she was gone and dutifully answering her queries into his well-being. Now he was waiting while the two Jedi spoke about important things - which meant he wasn't supposed to listen.

He wished Morgan and Rhianna would get back from the market. They always had fun ideas.

Wyl turned to tug on Serena's sleeve to ask if he could explore one of the little shops around them, when he overheard Daria. The particular tone to her voice made his ears perk. Wyl dropped his hand.

...He's traveling with a young one, perhaps his apprentice, though I'm unsure...

The boy's eyes grew round. Daria had been very vague about having come into contact with other Force-users. She certainly hadn't mentioned that there was a kid!

"Master Serena," Wyl whispered loudly, tapping her on the arm. She smiled faintly at him and shook her head, holding up a waiting hand. Wyl frowned. He waited a few seconds before poking her again and this time was rewarded with a pointed look from the red-headed Jedi.

Well, alright then. Wyl inconspicuously crept closer to the woman as she talked, eavesdropping intently. After a few moments a small smile crept over his face. He glanced up at Serena, bit his lip, and glanced at the pack of skycabs.

He was supposed to stay close. Of course, no one had really specified to whom, had they? Satisfied with his logic, Wyl shoved his hand in his pocket and fingered the modest supply of credits that rested there. The boy motioned to Serena that he was going to go and take a look at the neat little crafts, smiling innocently.

It looked as though he'd be getting that ride after all.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Stay here, Tak. I won't be gone long I promise."

She repeated out loud the words that Zem had spoken, hoping that he'd be back soon. Maybe he'd even bring back something to eat with him? The more she thought about that, the hungrier she found herself getting. A bantha burger, or even Ithorian tacos would've been great. Something to make her tummy stop growling.

Rolling the marble between two fingers, Tak sighed again in the hopes that Zem would walk through the door at any moment. What could possibly take so long?! She couldn't stay in here forever... little Lupines needed food and space and things to do! They needed to play games and run around!

She tossed the marble up into the air, catching it as it came down.

She thought about Dama and Daddy, and what they were doing this very moment. Did they miss her as much as she already missed them? She and Zem had left so suddenly that she'd not even been able to say goodbye to Daddy.

A-ha! That's it!

Sliding from the bed, the little girl set about searching the room for paper and a writing pen. She would write Daddy a letter, and tell him that she was sorry for having to leave so quickly, and that she missed him lots already.

One of the nightstands had a small notepad and stylus in it, and grabbing both, Tak scrambled back onto the bed.


Deer Daddy. Im sory I left without saying
gudby. Dama made me leeve with Zem, and you
wernt there, so Zem and me left. I miss
you a bunch. Wen can we be a family again?
Tell dama I luv her to pleez. Luv, Tak.

[Wyl Staedtler]

By the time he reached the Stratus Inn, Wyl was in full-on mission mode. His narrow face was drawn into a startlingly intent expression, and he walked into the less-than-stately motel with determined confidence. His face twisted at the sight of the lobby.

The Ugnaught behind the front desk fixed the child with a steely glare. He'd chosen the color-scheme himself, and he was rather proud of the garish purple walls with lime green stenciling. His eyes narrowed as he watched the scamp cross the room and nonchalantly press the lift button.

"'S'broken." He informed the child brusquely. "Can I help you?"

Wyl Staedtler, unfazed by the harsh glance, shook his head. "Nope."

The boy smiled brightly and then, without another word, disappeared up the stairwell, humming. He bounded up the steps two at a time, emerging breathless at the top of the third flight. It had taken some doing to get here, and he still wasn't entirely sure if he was in the exact right place but he had a feeling, and that was more than enough for Wyl.

He eyed the long hallway with it's many doors critically. Which one was it? He couldn't go knocking on all of them, and the little tickle in the back of his head was sort of spread out all over the place, instead of in one direction. Wyl huffed in annoyance and began to walk down the hallway slowly, trying to concentrate.

He had nearly reached the end of the passage when the tingle grew stronger. Wyl stopped. He canted his head to one side and stepped closer to the room on the left. There?

Squaring his shoulders, the boy rapped a cheery tune against the frame.

"Hello, this is," He paused, then licked his lips, "Uh, room service! We have service for you."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Startled at the knock, Tak snapped her head up to look at the door. Room service? What in the galaxy was that? Was it someone coming to clean the room? Or even better yet, was it someone with food? It had to be someone with food. Maybe Zem had told someone to bring her something to eat!

Her letter set aside, Tak hopped from the bed, her bare feet hitting the marginally clean carpeting with only a soft sound.

Whoever was on the other side had better have food for her!

She reached a hand out, palm pressing down on the panel that would open the door.

And when it'd opened, she gave a surprised start at the sight of a boy not much older than she was, standing in front of her.

Her blue eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, Tak stared at him without a word.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl's tentative smile dropped immediately, and he looked incredulously at the girl.

The girl.

"You're a girl!" He exclaimed indignantly, brows furrowing in outrage. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Tak as though he could will her sex to change by the sheer power of his thoughts. He'd come all this way, snuck all this way, for some dumb chick?

Maybe he had the wrong room. Wyl glanced over Tak's shoulder, hopefully. "Isn't there anyone else with you?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

No food?!

Her initial surprise was now forgotten, and the little girl stuck her hands on her hips while giving him a stern look.

"Of course I'm a girl!"

She narrowed her eyes as well, and as he tried to look past her she moved to block his view. She'd never really been around boys her age before... was this what they were really like?

"I'm here with a Jedi, so you better leave before he comes back."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl stood toe-to-toe with Teagan and glowered, glancing down the hall sharply at her pronouncement.

"Shh! You can't say stuff like that so loud!" He hissed, rolling his eyes. Wyl shook his head and raised his chin proudly. "Besides, so'm I. That's why I'm here, duh."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Not to be outdone, Tak puffed out her chest just a little bit more. He was not much taller than she was, and so she had to angle her head up a tiny bit to glare at his face. At his words that he was a Jedi too, she scrunched up her nose and made a face at him.

"I knew that," she lied angrily.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Did not." Wyl replied smugly. He eyed the girl critically for a moment, then shrugged and stuck a hand out.

"The name's Wyl." He said. "Who're you?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak looked down at his offered hand, not quite knowing what to do. She blinked, then stared back up at his face.

"Um... "

Tak breathed in and out a few times. He was confusing! Eyeing the hand he held out, she gingerly reached out to take hold of his wrist. Was that how it was done?

"I'm Tak."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl looked down at her small hand on his arm, and then arched one eyebrow and looked back up at Tak. Girls were so weird.

Unless it was some kind of secret code. In which case, he didn't want to look like an idiot. Wyl gently gripped her own wrist and waited to see what she would do next. They stood there, unmoving. Huh.

"O-kaaay. Hi, Tak. That's sorta a funny name." Wyl let go of her and took a step into the room. "What're you guys doin' here, anyway? My master didn't say."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

So she was right! Proud of herself for figuring out his handshake (as weird as it was in the first place), Tak gave a shrug as he came into the room and shut the door behind him.

"I don't know why we're here. We just are."

Moving around him to stand beside one of the few chairs in the room, she pursed her lips while giving him a critical eye.

"And my name is really Teagan. Tak is just my nickname."

[Wyl Staedtler]

He accepted both explanations readily as he poked about the room, glancing curiously around for anything of interest. It was fairly bare-boned.

"We're here 'cause where we were before wasn't safe anymore." Wyl hopped up to sit on one of the beds, bouncing a bit. "Maybe you're here 'cause of that too."

He glanced over at Tak. "Hey, you wanna come meet everybody?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Pulling an uncertain face, Tak looked down at her feet while digging at the carpet with her big toe.

"I dunno."

Hands at her sides, she flicked her fingers nervously. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to meet any other people right now. Besides, she was still hungry, and as if to punctuate her last thought, a deep rumbling sounded from her stomach.

A sheepish look was sent his way.

"Well, I am a little hungry... and bored."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"We can fix that, easy!" Wyl slid off the bed. Come to think of it, his stomach was feeling mighty empty, too. He wouldn't mind rummaging up something to eat.

Tak looked somewhat reluctant though, like she couldn't make up her mind whether this was a good idea or not. Wyl understood. He grinned persuasively, and grabbed the little notebook that was on the bed, carefully flipping the written page over for a blank one.

"Look, we'll leave a note saying that you're with other Jedi. That way no one will worry." He clutched the stylus with business-like certainty. "I don't think I got enough credits for food and another skycab, but we can walk."

"Unless," Wyl glanced up at Tak dubiously. "Can you walk that far?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Since Wyl was writing a note for Zem, Tak felt better about leaving the confines of the room the older Jedi had told her to stay in. And if Wyl was another Jedi, it'd make it even more okay.

The thought that they were gonna go get something to eat made her grin then, and the little girl moved to where he stood by the bed so she could see what he'd write.

She gave a dismissive wave (like she'd seen Dama do lots of times at Sanis) to his last words.

"I can walk as far as you can."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl's tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he wrote diligently. He shoved the letter (http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/lizmclellan/?action=view&current=notetozem.jpg) to Tak when he'd finished, waiting for her approval, before propping it up on the nightstand where it would be immediately visible.

Emboldened by the fact that he'd already manoeuvered through the city successfully, Wyl trotted to the door with a jaunty skip in his step. "Let's blow this joint and get some grub."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Severely impressed by his penmanship, Tak had only given a nod before he'd set it on the nightstand. She would have to ask him to help her with her own shaky handwriting maybe. She could write Bast'yr well enough, but Basic still felt kinda... funny.

Skipping along behind Wyl, the little girl followed him out the door, mindful to make sure she blew a quick breath through the doorway before the door closed. He had said to blow in there, after all.

Tak moved quickly to catch up with him, blue eyes wide as she looked at all the doors they passed.

"Where're we going?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

"T'get food." Wyl chirped, gallantly holding the stairwell door open for Tak. The two children clomped down the stairs and out of the motel.

It was crowded out on the pedwalk. Not as crowded as Coruscant of course, but busy enough that they could get jostled if they weren't careful. Wyl was glad that he was still slight enough to slip in-between limbs. He headed for the nearest holomap.

"Hmm." Wyl tapped his chin thoughtfully before touching the luminous screen with one finger. A list of options appeared, and the boy tapped 'dining and drinks'. The map immediately became dotted with little pulsing lights that indicated the various restaurants and food stalls in the city. Wyl idly trailed his finger along the screen, scanning the legend that had appeared on the right-hand side.

What did girls even eat? He looked at Tak uncertainly. "What do you feel like?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She'd never been around this many people in her whole life! Oh, she'd been to the Joffa marketplace on Cathar plenty of time with Dama, but there'd never been this many people around. Suddenly worried of being separated, Tak reached out a fast hand to grab a hold of the back of Wyl's shirt in a vice-like death grip.

She looked up at a few startled faces, but otherwise kept her hold on the boy firm.

When they stopped at the map kiosk, Tak gingerly released his shirt and moved to stand beside him, watching as he touched the screen with his finger. It was fascinating, watching him perform such a simple task.

And when he asked what she wanted, the little girl bit her lip. What did boys eat? So used to Cirr's cooking aboard Layla, her concept of what boys in general found appetizing was - even though much enjoyed by herself - very skewed.

Besides! What if she chose something like a bantha burger, and he thought it was gross (even though bantha burgers were great)?

"I like... "

Cirr was a boy after all, and Wyl probably ate the same stuff Cirr did all the time!

"I like Cizerack food. Like, sajoi and stuff."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Sajoi?" Wyl scrunched his face. He'd never heard of sajoi before. He hoped it wasn't a weird vegetable. Vegetables were disgusting.

It took a few moments of hunting to find directions to the Intergalactic Food Court. That was probably their best bet for finding the mysterious fare that Tak enjoyed, and it was only two levels away.

Wyl reluctantly grabbed Teagan's hand - oh gross, gross, gross he was getting infected - and helped her navigate the crowds. She acted like she'd never even been in a city before!

The food court was massive and the heady mix of smells was overwhelming. As soon as they arrived, Wyl let go of Tak and wiped his palm on his trouser leg. His stomach growled. He looked to her expectantly. "I dunno what... that stuff looks like, y'know."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"You don't?"

Huh.

Catching sight of a rather vacant foodstand, Tak slowly moved to the counter. A large man stared down at her and Wyl from behind the counter and pulled an odd face, but the little girl was determined to show that she ate the same food as boys. Wyl was probably just pretending to see if she really knew what sajoi were anyway.

Bolstered by the thought of proving herself, she put on her best serious face.

"I want a small bowl of sajoi."

The man furrowed his brow, but figured he'd seen stranger things than two kids ordering a bowl of mice.

"How many."

A quick look to Wyl.

"Um, four?"

A grunt, and the man dipped below his counter. First came a glass bowl, set on the countertop with a dull thunk. And then... one by one... four live mice dropped inside by their tales.

His job done, the clerk leaned an elbow on the counter and looked at his two customers.

"That's four and a half credits, and bring the bowl back when you're done."

At that, Tak turned to look at Wyl. She didn't have any money, and he was the one who said he'd find her something to eat.

[Wyl Staedtler]

He stared.

The little mice scrambled around in the bottom of the bowl, their tiny feet finding no purchase on the slick glass as they stretched up towards it's rim. Occasionally one would trod on another, eliciting an indignant squeak, before freezing and looking up with their tiny, jet-black eyes.

Help us, Wyl! They seemed to say.

Mouth dropping, Wyl silently paid the vendor and carefully took the bowl. He poked a finger in and gently stroked one of the little creatures. The boy stared at Tak in horror.

"You can't eat these!" He exclaimed. "They're alive!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Now it was her turn to stare. They couldn't eat them?! But she thought this was what boys ate!

"But... "

Tak stammered a little in confusion, but soon enough she became defensive.

"I thought this was what boys ate!" She pointed at the bowl and it's little occupants. "I see boys eat these all the time! My Dama eats them, too."

Plucking one of the sajoi up by its' tail, the girl lifted it out of the bowl. It scrabbled in the air, squirming back and forth.

"She takes them by the tail, dips them in kree'ai sauce," she made a dunking motion with the mouse, "... and puts the whole thing in her mouth."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Well you can eat yours then, but I'm not eatin' mine." Wyl declared, snatching the little creature out of Tak's hand and scooping a second out of the bowl.

He couldn't believe it. She was so weird. Who put mice in their mouth anyway? Wriggling, scratching, live mice. He wouldn't do that on a dare. Not even a double dare.

It was kind of impressive.

"I'm getting a burger." Wyl and his new pets headed across the court to a grill stand. "I only eat dead food."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Oh thank goodness! She didn't really like sajoi, but she figured he did. Apparently not, which was all the better for her.

Running to catch up with him, Tak looked down at the bowl he still toted. Sajoi were kinda cute, and if he kept two, then that meant that she'd be able to keep the others. She hoped Zem wouldn't mind.

"I don't really like them much. Honest. I just thought that you did."

Blowing out a frustrated breath, the little girl reached out to grab a hold of Wyl's sleeve as a group of Dugs passed by. They were a little more than intimidating, and Tak found herself squeezing as close to Wyl as she could.

"I really wanted a burger with bacon and cheese," she very nearly whispered.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl was so relieved he didn't even mind when she scrunched up so close they were practically hugging. He did his best to look brave and heroic until the alien crew had walked by.

"That's my favorite." He confessed to Tak with a crooked grin, getting in line. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

In no time they were sitting at one of the booths in the court, thick bantha burgers in front of them and a basket of fries in between. Wyl took a fry and set it on the empty tray, putting his sajoi next to it. They nibbled eagerly.

"Hey Tak," Wyl spoke through a mouthful of meat and cheese, juice dribbling down his chin. "Is a Dama like a mom?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She paused with her burger almost to her mouth. A moment of thought, and she bit into it with particular ferocity. Nodding as she chewed, the little girl swallowed her mouthful before setting her meal down and reaching for a fry.

"Uh-huh. She's a Jedi like Zem and you are."

The fry disappeared into her mouth.

"We used to live on Cathar. There weren't as many people there as there are here though. Not even at the Joffa market."

Reaching into her front pocket, Teagan pulled out a small pocket-charm - a small sandpanther fang on a little leather thong with black beads - and held it out across the table to Wyl.

"That's where I got this."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Wicked!" Wyl took the trinket and held it aloft. He'd never seen a real fang before, not up close like this. Grinning appreciatively, the boy stuck it between two knuckles and growled, swiping at the little mice. They scurried to the far edge of the tray and he giggled.

"I used to live on Coruscant. There's tons of people there." He handed Teagan her charm back and lifted up the top bun of his burger so he could peel away a lettuce leaf.

Wyl took another monstrous bite. "So you came here with your mom and Zem? Is he your dad?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Taking back her charm, the little girl regarded it for a moment before setting it back on Wyl's tray.

"You can have it, since you bought me something to eat."

Tak gave Wyl a wide smile while picking up her burger again and taking another bite. She shook her head at his question though and spoke after she'd swallowed.

"Zem isn't my dad. He's just Dama's friend. She made him bring me here, but I don't know why though."

[Arya Ravenwing]

Back in Bespin.

Back at Cloud City.

Arya tried not to duck when every security detail passed her, managing to suppress her urge to hide by simply turning her head away. Krasst but she couldn't live this way. But she'd been hired to bring a shipment to the City, so she'd done it.

Credits talked. They had a way of convincing her to do just about anything.

But now she was hungry, so the smuggler slunk to the nearest food court and located a bantha burger. She felt like she could eat the whole bantha, not just one tiny portion, but she settled for ordering three.

Arya took her tray to a table, passing by two kids who were playing with their food. Check that, playing with mice. She shuddered, and plunked her tray down, picking up a burger and chomping into it.

[Wyl Staedtler]

For the second time that day, Wyl found himself staring at Tak with his mouth agape. With reverent caution, he picked up the gifted treasure and slipped it over his hand to dangle around his delicate wrist.

"Really? Thanks!" He ran a finger across the fang. It didn't seem a fair trade - after all, she'd only gotten a silly meal out of the deal. After a moment's thought the boy reached into his pocket and produced a flat, gray stone. One edge was jagged where it had split, and in the center of that rough edge ran a sparkling blue vein.

"This's for you." Wyl slid the rock across the table. "It's from an old Jedi place on Dxun. We almost died there, 'cause there were these droids? And um they came out and had blasters and were all 'tseeew tseeeew!' at us and then Morgan came outta nowhere with a speeder and he can fly like a stuntman and so we didn't die."

"It was cool though." He smiled. "Morgan's just my friend too, not my dad. You'll like him."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Plucking the rock up from the table, Tak felt its' smooth contours with a careful finger, and upon turning it so she could see the jagged edge, the little girl stared at the sparkling blue. She'd never seen anything like it before, and licking her lips she grinned again.

"Thanks!"

She set the rock on her tray before taking her burger up once more. She'd already eaten well over half.

"I've never been to... Dxun? Is it -"

Pausing mid-sentence, Teagan narrowed her eyes. Something smelled funny... like...

Her meal forgotten, she nearly dropped her food to stare at Wyl, eyes now wide as saucer plates as she leaned forward a bit and spoke low so only he could hear.

"Do you smell that?!"

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Smell what?" Wyl whispered back, hunching to meet Tak mid-table. He sniffed experimentally. All he got was a whiff of congealing bantha patty.

He glanced over at the mice to see if maybe they'd pooped, but the tray was empty except for the gnawed fry. Wyl crinkled his face. Just to be safe, he snuffled his arm; nope, he was passably clean.

The boy shook his head and shrugged to indicate he had no clue what she was talking about. "What kinda smell is it?"

[Arya Ravenwing]

Halfway through her first burger, Arya paused long enough to stick the straw of her large drink into her mouth. She let the bubbles of the Fizzyglug brand cola tickle for a moment before swallowing. Taking another huge swig, she happened to look down at the duracrete ground and choked at the sight of a tiny white mouse thing crawling across her boot.

Cola scorched its way up and out of her nose as she scrambled out of the way, ending up perched on top of the swiveling chair that was attached to her table. Coughing and wiping her face with a napkin, Arya scanned the ground for the mouse but now couldn't see it. She caught the kids staring at her, and glared. Stupid kids.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"It smells like- "

Interrupted by the woman at the next table, Tak snapped her head over to stare. A funny look, and the little girl soon enough turned back to Wyl.

"My Dama has a friend... well, he's my friend too sorta, but anyway he's got a necklace. It smells funny... like how it smells now."

Tak pursed her lips in thought. How could he not smell it? It was strong! And not only that, but it was close. Almost like it was coming from...

Lips parting, her jaw nearly dropped as she looked once more to the lady.

"I think it's her!" she whispered carefully.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl turned to regard Arya suspiciously. She didn't look very nice. She kept glowering at them as she ate her burger, as if they were next. The boy's eyes narrowed.

Anyone who made faces like that was trouble, even if people were always saying you couldn't judge a datapad by it's display screen. Wyl knew that was a lie, just like your eyes getting stuck if you crossed them too long was a lie. Sometimes you could tell, and eyes never really did get frozen.

"She keeps lookin' at us." Wyl arched his eyebrows. A Rodian across the way barked in surprise, and Wyl caught a flash of white movement. He scrambled out of his chair and ran over, dropping to his knees to crawl beneath the table. He emerged a few seconds later, hands cupped around the escaped sajoi.

As he passed Arya, the boy's steps slowed. Wyl surreptitiously leaned to the side and breathed in deep. Huh. He still didn't smell anything.

Wyl slid into his seat and set the little mouse down with it's friends. "She smells normal t'me. Are you sure?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak nodded vigorously, her eyes going to Wyl as he sat back down.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

A moment of realization, as she remembered that her nose was more sensitive than Wyl's; he wasn't a Lupine, after all.

But, the lady smelled like Rasmuss' necklace, she was sure of it. Pulling the leftover crayon from her pocket, she grabbed at one of the paper tray liners and set it between herself and Wyl. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"I have a friend, his name is Rasmuss. My Dama had to go get him from Coruscant, and he came with us to Schwartzweld. He had a necklace... "

Making a circle on the paper, Tak tried to draw what she remembered the medallion having looked like.

"It smelled different than me and Dama," she pointed to the lady, "... and that's what she smells like."

[Arya Ravenwing]

Kids made her nervous. Arya eyed the boy as he walked past her, noticing the lean in and deep inhalation as he made his way back to his seat. Biting deeply into her second burger, she chewed the huge mouthful quickly and washed it down with a swig of cola.

Stretching a bit, she caught sight of the little blonde girl's drawing, and nearly choked again. Leaving her seat, the smuggler crossed the distance between the seats and pinned the girl's arm to the table. Arya stabbed at the drawing with her other hand. "Where did you see this?"

The boy jerked up and made like he was going to run or kick her in the shins or who knows, so Arya grabbed him by the shirt, getting a big handful and holding him at arms length. "Don't mess around, kid, tell me."

[Wyl Staedtler]

She moved so fast he barely had time to squawk in outraged alarm before he was collared. Wyl slapped at her forearm, twisting around in an attempt to free his shirt from her solid grasp. His efforts were rewarded by the thin material bunching up and becoming uncomfortably tight around his neck.

"Don't tell her!" Wyl hissed to Tak, punching ineffectually at Arya. "Don't tell her nothin'!"

He scrabbled and slapped a palm on the tabletop. Wyl tossed a flinty glower at Arya. "You better let us alone."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

So startled by the strange lady's grip on her wrist, that Tak found herself unable to reply. She stared wide-eyed up at the lady, her breathing suddenly rapid. The smell! So close it was overbearing, the little Lupine gave a gasp. Wyl's voice seemed to cut through the scent however, and she looked toward him as he glared up at the woman.

Emboldened by his resistance, the girl cast yellowing eyes back to the lady as she felt a rumbly growl begin in the bottom of her throat. It felt strange - even to her - and it made her sound like she had two voices, one regular and one ragged.

"Leave us alone."

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya looked down with surprise at the girl, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled. Letting the boy go, she snatched the back of the girl's jacket, hoisting her up in the air. "The medallion. Where. Did. You. See. It." She gave her a little shake. "Don't you change on me, whelp."

[Wyl Staedtler]

This was really not good. Maybe they had miscalculated this outing a bit.

A bit. For one thing, being pinioned by a strange woman with gravel in her voice hadn't been part of the plan.

"Tak!" Wyl's breath hitched in his chest, and the girl's name came out half-choked. He didn't know her, not really, but she was a peer and they'd adventured away together despite the consequences; that was the stuff that loyalties were born from.

Arya wasn't just picking on them though, and that was what made Wyl's stomach twist apprehensively. There was something not right about the purposeful way she was clutching Teagan - what was she talking about, don't you change, and what was wrong with Tak's voice? Smells that he couldn't smell and necklaces and why oh why wasn't he taller or stronger or faster?

He grasped at the Force but it slipped away from him uselessly. Months and months of running had skewed his fight-or-flight response and the boy was given to panicking. Without calculation, Wyl launched himself at Arya's hip, lifting his shoulder to crash bone against bone. "Let her go! Let her go!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Swept up by the grip on her jacket, Tak squirmed in the air for only a moment before slipping out. She hit the ground at a run, darting around the woman and grabbing a hold of Wyl by his arm.

"Run!"

Her eyes, still a tawny yellow, were wide and scared. She felt funny inside, and it wasn't getting any better.

Her grip on Wyl's arm was shockingly strong as she jerked him along with her.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya grunted as the boy rammed into her hip, her focus distracted momentarily at the collision. The little blonde girl slipped out of the jacket, dropping to the floor and running off with the boy, leaving Arya standing in the food court holding an empty jacket.

People were very pointedly not staring. She took off after the kids, pausing only long enough to grab the doodle the girl had drawn that depicted her father's medallion. The medallion that R. S. Esalis, head of Imp Intel, had taken from her months and months ago. Her boots pounded the pavement as she rounded a tight corner after the kids, only to face an empty alley.

Arya cracked her neck, inhaling deeply. Ah ha. The girl... she smelled so much like Loklorien s'Ilancy it couldn't be a coincidence. The smuggler dashed down the alley, taking a left and catching sight of the two kids still running like the devil was behind them.

"Wait!" she shouted, her long legs eating up the distance between them.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan had found the remains of a damaged Cloud Car, and wanted to tell Wyl. He'd been concerned - Wyl wasn't handling being couped up in the small area they'd cordoned off well. The boy had disappeared. He went to the market sometimes, so the Morgan banked on that. His concern grew when he was at none of the usual stores they frequented, on top of the fact that he had gone off without telling anyone. He positioned himself in a two-story cafe with an open balcony and... waited. Only careful attention to breathing kept his calm. There were questionable people who came through low traffic port cities that would see economic opportunities with a boy.

There was an odd pause in a cluster of tables situated near several food vendors. Morgan watched. He could see some kind of scuffle, when a kid with brown hair tried to tackle the black haired woman. Then, the two children ran. Morgan was already over the rail. He landed in a crouch, legs coiled, one hand forward and exploded. He navigated the crowd with an organic, liquid ease at tremendous speed. He slid under a large box carried, wove between tables, chairs and people, and cleared a few vendor booths with a meter to spare. He not only knew where everything was, but his mind/body knew where it would be. Wyl and the girl had headed towards the alleys and buildings that made the market possible. Morgan was coming up behind the woman, full speed. Morgan crouched, his left arm forward. Upon impact, her right leg collapsed, her back hit his shoulder, and he straightened. Arya was tossed into the air, three meters over Morgan. He turned and let his shoes slide to a halt.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Arya's voice echoed after them down the alleyway. It spurred Wyl on, a verbal whip that made his feet go like sixty; still, he only just matched Tak's pace. She was quick! And strong!

The alley dead-ended a few metres away. Wyl grabbed the seam of Tak's shirt and tugged as he veered to the right, down a narrow outlet that was lined with spare support beams and old fruit crates that stank of fermented juice. It, too, came to a sudden halt at a duracrete wall, but it was low enough that they could use the debris around them to climb over. The boy took cover behind a large dumpster.

Wyl doubled over, hands on his knees. He couldn't quite hear over the pounding blood in his ears, but whoever the woman was, she hadn't followed them down here.

"I think... we lost... her." Wyl panted. He looked at Tak, eyebrows angling n concerned confusion. Something was wrong with her. "Are... are you okay, Tak?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Now that they'd stopped, Tak used the moment to lean against the dumpster and wrapped both arms around her middle. Everything felt like it was moving around on the inside of her! Bones, guts, muscles, [i]everything![i/]

The little Lupine blew out a long breath and gave a worried shake of her head.

"I'm gonna change soon I think."

Sliding down to the ground while still cradling her tummy, the girl ground her teeth together. What would Wyl do if he saw her change? Especially since it was her very first time? Dama always used to say that the first change was special for Lupines, but Teagan sure didn't feel very special right now. She missed her Dama and Dad, and Zem wasn't anywhere. Not even Sanis, Daani, or Cirr were here.

But! Wyl was. He was nice so far, and he'd bought her lunch, and had seemed just as full of energy as she was.

Staring down at her hands, she watched as the first twitches beneath her skin began. Her eyes went to Wyl, and Tak gave him a worried look.

"I'm gonna change," she whispered, "... don't run away... "

[Arya Ravenwing]

Focused as she was on the smell, the chase, and the medallion, Arya didn't even notice the man coming up behind her. She grunted as he slammed into her back, and found herself flying through the air. The Lupine twisted in mid-air, landing heavily in a three point crouch facing her attacker.

She was surprised to see that he looked human, considering how strong he was. But then, she looked human too. And the kids were getting away! Arya quickly sifted through conversational possibilities, but the guy didn't look like he wanted to talk. His posture and expression seemed to project 'mama bear,' rather than good samaritan.

She got to her feet, hands spread as though she wasn't a threat, and then ran diagonally towards the wall, veering off at the last moment and bounding over some large rectangular trash receptacles that lined the alley to get around him.

[Morgan Evanar]

Apparently even her body was accustomed to lying. He hadn't expected the acrobatics, either, and missed a grab for her. Morgan bounced off one of the dumpsters. He stumbled for one step while his footing reset, and was off after Arya. Morgan was concerned. He could run down a human with little trouble, but gaining on her was slow going.

Why was she chasing Wyl and the girl who had arrived the other day? He pushed the thoughts aside and ran harder. He gained ground on Arya slowly, until he was a step away. He reached with his right hand, and she broke left. He caught the edge of her jacket between his thumb and pointer with his left hand and pulled. Arya's balance failed, but it brought her body into Morgan's legs. The pair tumbled in a high-speed heap against an empty dumpster with a loud, echoing gong.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Tak looked like she was getting ready to hurl but Wyl didn't back away. Instead, he knelt down in the grime beside her and placed a hand on her forehead. She didn't feel hot, but her skin was clammy. The boy wiped his palm off on his shirt and scooted closer.

He wasn't sure what 'change' Tak was talking about, but whatever it was it was weird and a little scary. Wyl watched her carefully. Was he supposed to go get a doctor? That's what you were supposed to do in emergencies, right? Was this an emergency?

A loud clatter in the main alley echoed down the narrow passage. Wyl jumped; if Arya was still out there, he wouldn't even get back to the food court much less be able to find medical attention. They were just going to have to be brave then.

The boy took a big breath and looked at Tak, hoping his smile wasn't tinted with as much worry as he felt. He put a hand on her knee and nodded solemnly. "I won't. I promise."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Another nod, and Tak gave a last look to Wyl before doubling forward. She gave the tiniest of squeaks as the first of her bones began to pop from their joints. Hands going out, the girl caught herself from tumbling to the ground on hands that seemed to shift beneath skin.

Gasping as her shoulders hunched over, Tak opened her mouth to cry out, but no sound came out; instead, her entire head slowly started to become narrower. Teeth grew long, ears flattened against the side of her head as a wild mane of silvery grey began to sprout out - starting first at what were now paws, and steadily spreading up her arms.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Adrenaline pumping, Arya barely felt it as she crashed into the side of the dumpster, legs tangled with her pursuer's. She thumped her fist hard into his flesh as she scrambled up, hoping to contact with his gut, or, from the squish of it, his manhood.

"I just want to talk to her!" she shouted, scrabbling for freedom as he grappled with her, insanely strong despite what should have been a debilitating punch.

[Morgan Evanar]

Initially, his eyes crossed. Even through adrenaline Morgan felt that. He knew it would hurt later, but a second after impact, he couldn't feel anything, anywhere. His entire body had gone numb to pain. They pulled and tumbled for a moment longer, but Morgan's size and surprisingly large mass advantage came to the fore, and managed to force her left arm into a hammerlock. With one hand on her shoulder, and the other pinning her arm against her back, Morgan lifted her up and planted her against the alley wall, probably a little harder than he meant to.

"Well maybe" he growled, "you should have said that in the first place." He took a deep breath.

"For the next five minutes my pain receptors won't work at all, so start talking."

[Arya Ravenwing]

"The... drawing..." she spat into the faux stone that faced the wall he'd smashed her face into. "Pocket. Jacket."

He kept her pinned into the wall as he located the napkin the little blonde girl had been drawing on. Arya wriggled a little in his grasp and gasped when he pulled her caught wrist even tighter, her shoulder creaking a little. "Its... its my... its mine... Need to know... where she saw... it!"

[Wyl Staedtler]

Oh. Oh. Oh.

Wyl was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating. It felt that way - like he'd maybe died and all the blood in his veins was freezing up. Only the fact that his breath was currently tumbling out of his chest at lightspeed convinced him he was still in the land of the living.

He'd seen plenty of things growing up on Coruscant and attending public school. Lots of bizarre, gross, probably-inappropriate things. Nothing could have prepared him for... well, whatever was happening to Tak. This change.

Wyl backed away on his knees, clapping a hand over his mouth. He jerked instinctively as Tak's skeleton buckled and shifted. Even without his promise, Wyl didn't think he'd have been able to move, not with this happening in front of him.

"T-Tak!?" The query was muffled by his palm and followed by a startled yelp when a particularly loud crunch sounded from the... girl? Wyl gulped, and pressed himself against the dumpster.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her clothes were too big now, and didn't fit right. With a shimmy, the little silver vornskr pup wiggled free. The pain was mostly gone now, only some sore joints and stuff.

Standing on all fours, the pup breathed in and out rapidly as she tested the air around her... it smelled so much stronger now than it had before. She could smell every thing in the dumpster they still hid behind, even the lady that had been chasing them. And Wyl; his scent was so strong!

With a full body shake, the little vornskr tried to settle the butterflies in her stomach before letting out a tiny sneeze.

She turned to look at Wyl then, lips curling back over sharp teeth in a funny looking smile. All of the pain was gone now, and she felt great!

This was fun!

[Morgan Evanar]

It was one of the most far-fetched loads of dren he'd ever heard. And one of the most sincere. Morgan considered the drawing and eased her feet onto the ground.

"Fine. You try anything and I'll hit you so hard you won't wake up for a week." Morgan was confident of that. He was so wired on whatever his body dumped into his bloodstream that reality had taken a different tinge. He let Arya turn around. Morgan wasn't far from two meters tall. His long, lean body was wiry, and had patches of blood dried through the ripped gray shirt. Parts of his face were scraped and bruised. A ring of intense primary-color green rimmed his dilated pupils.

"Here." He held out the napkin.

[Wyl Staedtler]

She was... a puppy.

The horror on Wyl's face trickled away, replaced by wonderment. He leaned forward on his knees, bending down so he was almost nose-to-nose with the fuzzy little creature. For a moment he was worried that maybe the pup would bite him - this was a pretty big change, after all! - but he was too entranced by the vornskr to stop. It was so cute!

"Tak?" Wyl whispered. "Is that really you?"

He held out his fingers, wriggling them a bit, so she could sniff them.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya turned around, her back against the wall, rubbing her shoulder a bit as she did so. As her assailant held out the drawing, she cautiously took it, wary of a trap.

No trap. He let her pocket the napkin, but didn't back up much as she adjusted her jacket. Judging by his face, she was a sight, and the smuggler fingered what felt like a bruise on her forehead. The minor scrapes on her face were already healing, but bruises lingered after their causes were healed.

She raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes meeting his unusual green eyes without fear. "You shouldn't let kids wander this City by themselves. I'm sorry I scared them, but... This is just very important to me."

Arya paused, scenting the air subtly. "They aren't far from here." She craned her neck, catching sight of the narrow street branching off from their dead-end alley.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her whip-like tail waggled a little, and the pup licked Wyl's fingers happily.

So this was what it was like! Dama had told her lots of times how strange changing felt and how it sometimes hurt... and also what it was like being a vornskr. Tak herself had dreams often about running about changed, and in the past had spent whole afternoons imagining herself as a vornskr.

And now she was one!

Shaking herself out once more, she turned on her haunches to sniff at her discarded clothes. With a little whurffle, the Lupine straightened back up and gave her new friend an elated look, her tawny eyes bright.

She wanted to run, to see what it felt like. Her tail wagging again, she crouched down playfully and gave Wyl an excited yip.

[Morgan Evanar]

"I kind of got that." Morgan said, and followed behind her. Morgan didn't mention how a little tact might help her cause in the future.

He heard a small whurffle from one of the alleys. An excited yip a moment later confirmed it. Maybe they found some sort of pup. He wasn't expecting 40 pounds of fluffy silver-furred whatever it was.

"Wyl?" The boy turned around, initially comforted by Morgan's voice, then worried by the sight of Arya.

"She's not going to do anything now." he said. If she did, Morgan was going to shoot her.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl laughed in delight as Tak licked his fingers, not even pausing to think about how weird that was. He ran a hand along her head, patting the soft fur that now covered his new friend. This was the coolest thing that had ever happened in the history of ever!

The boy rocked back on his heels, grinning. He growled at Tak in a passable imitation of her new form.

He was just going to suggest that they go for a walk and fool people into thinking she was his pet, when the two adults appeared. Wyl jumped; he'd been so engrossed that he hadn't heard their approach.

"Morgan!" Wyl was surprised to see the man. Boy was he glad he was here though, since Arya was too!

Without a second thought, Wyl looped his arms under Tak's front legs, and pulled her closer to him, pressing his face into the soft fluff atop her head and glaring at the smuggler with outright distrust.

"What's she want then?" Wyl didn't address Arya directly, just continued to give her stink eye. "She attacked us, Morgan, we had to run for our lives!"

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya sighed at the sight of the hefty pup and the boy. She remembered being young - 'shifting sometimes happened in times of stress, and it was difficult to figure out how to change back. Also - it was a lot more fun to remain in the new form.

The boy glared at her, and she couldn't really blame him. The man beside her was the only reason she wasn't diving on the two kids and trying to shake the truth out of them. Arya took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge. "Watch out for her tail, kid," she said instead, indicating the slightly bony, whip like tail. "There's a nasty barb on the end."

Of course, on the young the barb wasn't fully matured and would probably only cause a red scratch. Still. "I just need to talk to the girl." She crouched down on eye level with the pup, still a ways away, and could smell the distrust coming off of her, despite the limitations of her human nose.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Hugged close to Wyl, Tak looked up with a jerk as the woman and another man appeared.

A soft wine then, and the pup hunched her head down, her tail growing still.

She could smell the woman plain as day, see her in a world that had no color, and as she knelt down, Tak kept up her end of the staring contest. What did that lady want anyway? Was it that necklace? Rasmuss had it, not her. She needed to go find him, not her.

Turning back to Wyl, the little Lupine huddled closer to him before turning her yellow eyes to the woman who was still looking at her.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan was about a meter behind Arya, to the left. He folded his arms.

"I don't think she's interested." he mentioned to Arya. It was obvious that the critter's demeanor had changed, and not for the better. Morgan could see her muzzle twitch a little. Arya hurumphed.

"I'll talk to them. You stay put." Talking, what a novel concept.

"Fine." She said. Morgan walked around her, gave her a several meter berth before he headed toward Wyl and the creature. He paused in front of the pair, about two meters away.

"Hi Wyl, who's your new friend?" He asked.

"Tak." He responded enthusiastically as he could, given the situation. Tak yipped.

"Hi Tak, can I come closer?" Morgan asked. Whatever it was, it seemed pretty smart.

"It's Morgan, he's a friend." Wyl explained. Tak's eyes seemed to brighten some at the reassurance. Morgan moved closer, but stopped a meter short. he crouched, and slowly held out his hand, partially closed, so she could sniff it. Tak sniffed, and sneezed.

"Wyl?" Morgan asked, still crouched, and let his hand fall back to his side. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder. Arya was still there.

"Yeah?" He responded, and gave Tak a reassuring pat.

"Where did the blonde girl go?

"She changed! This is Tak." Wyl explained, as if that should explain everything. Morgan gave the creature a quizzical glance, and then noticed the empty clothes. He kept himself from saying "oh" out loud.

Morgan sat down next to Tak and Wyl. He let Tak sniff his hand again, and petted her head for a moment. He made gentle rubbing motions, and took special care behind he fuzzy ears.

"Tak, can you change back?" He asked.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl let go of Tak and scooted nearer to Morgan. He was close enough to his furry friend to reach out and touch her, but had given her enough space for her transformation.

"It's really creepy, Morgan." Wyl leaned up and whispered to the man, reverence in his voice. Now that he'd seen it happen and knew what to expect, he wasn't scared.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

A whine, and the little vornskr pup tucked her small whiplike tail between her legs. How was she supposed to change back?! And especially with the lady's smell so strong... it was distracting.

Hunching down on all fours, Tak sniffed at the ground for a few moments before casting her tawny gaze up to the lady.

[Arya Ravenwing]

"How old is she?" Arya turned to the two males, but they just looked at each other, and then shrugged in unison. Great, a lotta help these guys. "Look... I..." Well it was none of their business.

"This is probably her first time. Judging by the way she's acting and how big she was and is." The smuggler sat back on her heels, holding her hand out towards the pup. She considered tucking the girl under her arm and taking off, but that wouldn't do any good. She really needed to know what the girl knew about the medallion! How did she...where did she...

Had Imperial Intelligence had their hands on her as well? Arya looked at the pup sideways, her head a little to the side with her neck open towards her. She had to be Loklorien's whelp, there could be no other. And if it wasn't, then the possibilities were just more and more interesting. "I know your mom," she said.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

The pup eased forward only a little, her neck craning out so that she could sniff at the lady's outstretched fingers.

Her words however did well to make Tak wag her tail. Just a little though. Ears perking forward, the little vornskr inched closer to the woman. She knew Dama? How? A tiny whurffle escaped her lips, and the little Lupine looked up at the lady with wide yellow eyes. How was she supposed to change back? How had she changed even in the first place?!

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya could sort of smell the confusion of the large pup as she stood up, and sighed. "Hold this," she said abruptly, shrugging out of her nerfhide jacket and dropping it on the kid's head. While he was struggling to get out from under it she stripped off her shirt and bra and unbuttoned her pants. The tall guy was probably either embarrassed or interested in her sudden strip tease, but before he could do or say anything Arya Changed.

She didn't like doing it in front of people, because it could cause spontaeneous vomiting in some, but there was nothing for it. After a few moments she was in full, jet black and sleek vornskyr form, her wicked tail moving from side to side gently as she padded towards the female pup.

Everything was colored with scents, and she sniffed the gangly pup, inspecting her from head to toe with her nose.

[Morgan Evanar]

Arya was in good shape. Morgan shut up because, while unusual, stripping naked wasn't inherently dangerous. It was, as a physically mature humaniod male, inherently distracting. He wondered why she was doing it, more than anything else. Then she changed.

Morgan watched in fascination as her body quickly transitioned from bipedal human (?) to furry quadruped. She was covered in black fur that matched her hair. Arya-beast was sniffing Tak. He stood slowly as Wyl pulled the jacket off his head.

"Hey!" Wyl exclaimed. Morgan waved a hand in front of his face and shusshed him. Normally Wyl would say something defiant, but it was Morgan, and he sounded serious. Morgan realized then that if Arya was going to harm the pup, there was nothing he could do besides extract revenge. The ball really was in her court.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"What is she --" Was all Wyl managed to get out before his world went dark. With a startled squeak he began to wrestle with the jacket - which felt suspiciously like it was being held on by a large hand. Eventually the pressure eased and he yanked it off, brushing his hair up to stand in all directions.

He offered Morgan a narrowed look but kept quiet; he trusted the man wouldn't let things get out of control. Still, Wyl had watched enough Creatures of the Galaxy to be more than a little uneasy. What if Arya tried to eat Tak? Sometimes animals did that with strange young. It was so that they could assert their dominance and establish control over the territory.

Dropping back down to his knees, Wyl shifted his weight forward so that he could tackle Arya, should the need arise.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Standing rooted, Tak radiated nervousness as she felt the larger vornskr's nose travel over her. The smell was more than overpowering now, but she found herself becoming used to it. It wasn't unpleasant, just... different. She'd seen Dama change before, and unlike the shock white fur she was used to, this woman was all black.

Tentatively overcoming her initial shock, the vornskr pup turned her head to sniff at Arya, their noses touching.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya wurffled, pink tongue licking Tak's face affectionately. The musky odor of the pup was almost intoxicating, and she bowled her over with her muzzle. She nipped playfully at Tak's fur, not anywhere close to hurting her, and then leapt away, looking back over her shoulder at the pup.

The one hundred and thirty or so pounds of black vornskyr pounced back towards the puppy, and then away, inviting Tak to play.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

What was this?! Not expecting an invitation to play, Tak stood rooted for only a moment longer before bursting after Arya. She yipped eagerly, jaws open to playfully bare her tiny pointed teeth at the bigger vornskr. She crouched, then rolled a few times as Arya nuzzled at her again before coming up to tug at a black ear.

Any fears she'd had vanished in the blink of an eye, and the little Lupine found herself crawling up, over, and all around Arya's much bigger form.

[Arya Ravenwing]

In the Lupine form it was difficult to remember things that human Arya had been so concerned about. In the sudden joy of play, Arya let the pup nip and climb over her, rolling a bit from side to side and gently catching a leg or tail between her jaws. After so long alone with just the memories of her mother's final days of raving lunacy, it was incredible to be with another of her own kind.

Loklorien had never shared a moment like this with Arya, but the black vornskyr was nearly beside herself with happiness as she romped with the woman's pup. After a few minutes the smell of the two humans watching them snapped her out of it, and Arya sat up, looking at Morgan with an alert expression, ears pricked forward. He returned the look, a strong stare that was challenging to her obvious authority in the situation.

In her current form it was difficult to overcome the force of Instinct. Arya's lips peeled back from her teeth and gums in a silent snarl.

The pup scrambled over her back again, and rolled to the ground, pawing at her and trying to get her to move, to pounce and resume playing. Arya nuzzled Tak, licking her face and one ear, but kept one golden eye on the pair of humans, just in case they tried anything funny.

[Morgan Evanar]

"Shouldn't we do something?" Wyl asked. Morgan shook his head. He let himself rock from his feet onto his butt, and sat, feet forward. Wyl would not ease his guard.

"Fact of the matter is, it's in her hands right now. We just have to wait." Morgan said. He could still reach the blaster, but more importantly, he could teleport if he absolutely had to. Morgan let his wrists rest on his knees.

"I don't think she's going to do anything." He added. Wyl looked unconvinced.

"Trust Tak." Morgan added. Wyl looked at the pup as she circled and nipped at Arya. She let loose a joyful puppy bark and barreled into the much larger beast.