Little Moments...

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

... and other Short Stories.


* * *

It was early morning. So early in fact, that neither Dama nor Daddy had woken up yet. They were still on Daddy's ship the Dauntless, and wouldn't be leaving for Schwartzweld at for another few days. Daddy had said he needed to make sure that things were tended to, but that it wouldn't take too awful long before they could be on their way.

In the still of the bedroom, Teagan carefully crawled out between both parents, mindful to make as little noise as possible. They slept soundly, and sliding to the floor on bare feet, the little girl wondered how it was that they could fall asleep so easily. Like, it only took them a few minutes it seemed! She however had lay awake long after they'd gone to bed, tossing and turning a few times before Dama put an arm around her to keep her still. After that she'd busied herself with wrapping a finger around a few strands of Daddy's hair. It was grey like Zem's, but it was thinner and not as wild. It was soft too, and felt nice.

But now she was awake and determined to help with the morning chores; she was even going to get a head start before Dama and Daddy woke up.

Padding her way out of the room and into the main living area, she headed straight for the kitchen alcove. Dama usually kept a small bit of caf at home on Cathar, saying that it was for Daddy whenever she saw him, and also for Sanis. She said that both only ever drank their caf black, so that made things like spices easy - considering they weren't needed at all.

She'd watched Dama make caf enough times to get the general idea of how to go about preparing it, and finding a mug, she set it on the counter. Finding Daddy's caf beans was easy enough; he kept a bag of them on the tiled counter. The caf maker was also easy to find. With determination she set about making the steaming morning beverage, and it wasn't long before the familiar aroma of roasted beans filled the kitchen... and soon enough the rest of the quarters.

Carefully Teagan lifted the pot away from the heating plate, but stopped as she held it over the mug she'd set out. Something was missing. Something... oh yes!

The pot was once more placed back, and quickly skipping into the living room, the little girl was quick to find her small travel bag. A few minute's worth of searching, and she grinned in triumph.

A sound from the bedroom made her look up, and Teagan scurried back into the kitchen, dropping the two small objects in the mug before lifting the pot back up. Making sure to not spill, she filled the cup almost to the top.

[General Dan]

Dan stirred in his sleep, his subconcious being roused by something.

"Hrmm"

An eye cracked open, and then he suddenly could recognize what had woke him. The dark base notes of brewing caf. He sat up slightly, and the sheets resisted giving way. He looked to see s'Il's sleeping form.

"Tak?"

He smiled a little, being tickled by the girl's generous sense of early bird initiative.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She heard her name being called, and taking a moment to return the pot to its' resting place so that it would stay warm, Tak was mindful to not spill the hot liquid as she picked the mug up. It was a cautious journey back through the living room; past the vacant couch and towards the doorway to the bedroom.

She smiled wide at the sight of Dad sitting up slightly in bed, and she paused for only a moment to hold up the mug she carried. Only by a little bit though; she didn't want to risk spilling anything, after all.

Moving to the side of her bed, Teagan gently set the steaming cup down before moving to climb up and sit on the side of the bed. She could see Dama roll over and open her good eye to watch.

A somewhat proud smile graced the little girl's face as she looked from mother to father.

"Dama told me that you like caf, so I made you some."

[General Dan]

"Well, that's the best way to tell your daddy good morning. Thank you, Tak."

He smiled, positioning his face over the steaming mug to absorb some of its wakening properties by osmosis before hazarding a first hot sip.

"Ahh, that's wonderful."

He eased the mug over to the bed stand so he could give his daughter a squeeze.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"I watched Dama do it lots of times. She always had a little bag set aside and said it was yours; though she said that she only really made it for you. She said she doesn't really care for it all that much."

"It's god-awful sludge."

Dama had sat up a little more, and leaned over a little bit so that she was resting against Dad's shoulder.

Teagan mouthed an oh, and looked from her Dama to the steaming black contents of the mug, visibly perplexed and concerned.

"Well, I hope the little soldiers I put in it will make it taste better."

[General Dan]

"The little..."

Dan didn't quite hear her right.

"...the little what?"

He picked up the mug again, but in the dim light of the bedroom and due to the caf's opacity, he didn't see anything. He figured it was just another of the girl's eccentricities of expression, and he tentatively took another sip.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"The little soldiers."

Oh, he'd heard her right. Little soldiers.

Watching him take a sip, Tak went on.

"I saw it once on a holoscreen on Cloud City when Sanis had to deliver a dewback there."

One hand went out in emphasis then as she remembered the sign, and she looked him straight in the eyes, a look of utter earnestness on her face.

"It said 'the best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup'."

[General Dan]

For a moment, Dan didn't exactly know what to say. He looked over Tak's head to her considerably groggier mother. Getting no help there, he looked back to Tak and squeezed her shoulder.

"It tastes really good, kiddo."

He tilted it back again, being ever mindful to not let a little plastic toy slip past his mouth and choke/scald him.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *

On Cloud City with Wyl Staedtler...


They were huddled in front of the holocomm, and Teagan was concentrating on punching in the numbers that belonged to her Dad's comm channel. Dama had written them down on a piece of paper for her, and the little girl had made sure to always keep it with her. Just in case...

Wyl had a very important question he wanted to ask Dad, and Tak hoped that he would say yes. She looked up as the transmission began to connect, and as they waited for her Dad to answer, she looked at Wyl.

"I hope he says yes. He'll like you though I think, so he probably will. Plus it's not like we'll be doing any of those gross things, you know?"

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Yeah, like kissing." Wyl made a face and stuck his finger down his throat, coaxing a hearty gag.

Despite the casual nature of the call - it wasn't like he was asking to teach Tak how to fly a ship or anything - the boy was nervous. He'd never met Tak's dad and wasn't sure what to expect. Just in case, he was wearing the robe that Rhianna had made him because it was clean and extra Jedi-like. First impressions were important.

Wyl shuffled next to Tak and cleared his throat. They'd been waiting for an awful long time. He frowned. "Maybe he's not there..."

[General Dan]

The comm beeped on Dan's desk, and the Rebel commander pulled himself away from the pressing matters and drudgery when he saw the frequency it was coming from - Tak's.

The hologram warbled to life on his desk, and Dan arched an eyebrow at Teagan and her friend, who looked a little nervous.

"Meet a new friend?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Hi!"

She was all smiles. She hadn't seen him since they'd been on Schwartzweld, and her excitement showed. She'd written a letter theat Zem had sent, but still. Seeing him was a world of difference.

Teagan's smile turned into a smirk.

"This is Wyl. I told you about him in the letter I wrote."

The little girl looked at Wyl and motioned to Dan on the holocomm.

"This is my dad," she announced proudly.

[Wyl Staedtler]

A muted choking sound came from somewhere beside Tak, and Wyl yanked on his collar. Standing a little straighter, he gave Dan a firm and purposeful smile.

"Hello." He waved tentatively. "Um, it's nice to meet you. Tak is really cool, for a girl."

[General Dan]

"Nice to meet you, Wyl."

The awkwardness of his presentation made it hard for Dan to not smile, and he tried to keep the tough dad act up as best he could.

"I hope you two are behaving."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She very nearly scoffed at that.

"We are, I promise."

For her, talking with her Dad was easy, and she didn't even think to consider that Wyl might be nervous. She wanted to ask how much longer she had to be away, but there were other important matters to discuss, and for those she deferred to Wyl.

"Wyl wants to ask you a question, and please say yes, ok?"

Blinking, she gave the boy beside her an encouraging look.

"Ask him."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl looked frantically at Tak, his eyes wide with horror. Turning slightly so that they were partially shielded from the comm unit, he lowered his voice.

"I dunno what to say!" He hissed. Teagan rolled her eyes in the way that girls did, the single motion managing to convey the depth of her impatience with him. Wyl bristled indignantly and hazarded a glance back at Dan's image. "He's wearin' a uniform."

The two children held a hushed conference which ended rather abruptly when Tak pinched his arm. Wyl gave her a significant look that vanished as soon as he turned around. He swallowed and took a step forward, chin up.

"I was wondering," He began, very seriously, "If I could have permission to marry your daughter."

Wyl reached behind him and grabbed Tak's hand.

[General Dan]

Dan arched an eyebrow at that.

"I think, young man, I'm going to have to know a little more about you before I answer that."

He could tell that the boy was likely to blow away on a breeze, and he was frozen with trepidation. Finding an ounce of mercy, he injected a little levity.

"Is that a Padawan robe?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She didn't even give Wyl the chance to answer, but she did give Wyl's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It is. He's in training to be a Jedi like Dama."

Hopefully that would help the poor boy's chances. Teagan gave her Dad an almost pleading look.

"Please? I mean, you and Dama are married, and Wyl already said he won't do the gross stuff like kissing that you do with Dama."

She made a face at that, giving Wyl a look that conveyed as much. Nooo, she certainly wouldn't kiss him, but she could definitely handle being married to him.

"He'll be good," this time she gave a rather pointed look to the boy.

"Won't you."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"I'm not the one that said playin' bounty hunters with real blasters was a good idea." Wyl matched Tak stare-for-stare. He made it roughly half a minute before breaking down into a grin. They'd sure gotten in trouble for that one. It had been awesome.

The break in tension was a welcome relief. Wyl turned his attention back to Dan, feeling less like he was seconds away from passing out. He really hoped this went in their favor - not only would he get a wife out of the deal, he'd also have a puppy! It was a win-win situation.

"Yeah, don't worry sir, I wouldn't kiss her if my life depended on it. I know all about diseases." The boy nodded solemnly.

[General Dan]

"Are you saying my daughter has a disease?"

Another practiced stern look, done in jest to let him wriggle on the hook.

"Tell you what, Wyl. You stick with your Padawan studies, and I'll let you and my daughter spend time together. I'd better not hear about any slacking off though. You should be getting an education, the both of you."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She was ready for that.

"Well what if you taught us? Dama said you used to be a teacher, and so I bet you could teach us everything we need to know, that way you'd be sure we got an education."

It made perfect sense, and she looked to Wyl while further explaining.

"He used to be a teacher, and taught, um, history I think. But he can teach us the other stuff too. And especially since he's already married, he can teach us about what married people do that isn't hugging or kissing or stuff."

She brightened up.

"And my Dama too - she can help also."

[Wyl Staedtler]

"N-no, sir! Everybody does - well, maybe not you. Or your wife. But. Um." Wyl stammered, and was relieved when Tak took over. This marriage business was harder than it looked, and they weren't even in the thick of it yet.

He listened to her counter offer and nodded enthusiastically. It sounded like a good idea. "We're fast learners and we'd work really hard!"

"We really want to get married, and we gotta do it soon." Wyl offered a grave expression and let go of Tak's hand, moving it to perch on her shoulder. The gesture rested somewhere between support and protection. "These are uncertain times."

[General Dan]

Dan averted his eyes to keep from laughing. He looked at the two lovebirds again.

"Tak, it's a deal. I'll handle your lessons, two hours a day. And Wyl, you'd better make high marks."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *

Seven years ago on Cathar...



In his short message, Sanis had said that he was bringing someone with him. A Cizerack, and his new mechanic. To her, it was an interesting thing to read, and the Lupine found herself mildly amused by the fact that she too had a bit of news for the wandering Prent.

It'd been more than five months since the last time he'd visited with news beyond Cathar, but she knew that he was out doing whatever it was that he found to take his various fancies. As well, she had been preoccupied with her own dealings and business. After her last visit with Dan, the Lupine had gone back to her normal daily activities.

Until.

Well.

The news had been enough to make her scour the libraries, long nights spent by lamplight in a darkened corner with nothing but the books around her for company. At first she'd thought that it had been a mistake, an uncommon bout of daily sickness that only seemed to last for half the day, but it wasn't long before the truth of the matter settled over her, and with the revelation that she was indeed pregnant, s'Il sequestered herself away in the citadel of House Losstarot. She didn't venture out to Imram'Lien, nor to Kyba even.

There were many things that she'd not been prepared for; mood swings that changed within seconds, feelings of sluggishness, worry over her figure, and most of all, her appetite. Her normal diet no longer satisfied her at all, and it was perplexing to think that she so often longed for food that she would've otherwise had no desire to touch.

And so at the news that Sanis would soon be arriving shortly, the Lupine did her best to make herself presentable. She fussed over clothes, with the noticeable bulge in her belly that was making itself known, with her hair, with her clothes once more... with everything about herself.


Standing on the expansive landing platform that dominated the southern spread of the citadel, she watched as Sanis' ship, Layla, slowly dropped from the atmosphere. Her clothing was loose, the outer robe she wore draped over her figure.

Eyes turned skyward to the approaching ship, s'Il absently hoped that he'd brought Ithorian jelly mints with him...

[Sanis Prent]

"Easy baby, easy, easy."

I eased up on the yoke and brought the Corellian freighter in for a soft landing.

"Oof!"

Well, sort of soft. Hey, I'm new at this sort of thing. Parking a 75 ton light freighter isn't exactly like finessing a swoop bike.

"What was that??"

I powered down, thumping a red warning indicator light that had been sticking for the past week and was probably nothing.

"Hey, we're here, aren't we?"

I shouted down the hatchway that led from the pilothouse to the engine compartment. My new mechanic, Cirrsseeto Raurrssatta, was taking some getting used to. I'd known him, or rather, known his mother for a while when I was doing semi-reputable work inside the Carshoulis Cluster. She'd asked me to take her son under my wing to avoid an arranged marriage. I don't know, Cizerack customs still baffle me.

I climbed down the ladder to head to the main bay and boarding ramp, and Cirr was already there.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr had taken to his new-found line of work with an insatiable eagerness. For the first two months he basically sequestered himself in his quarters with every technical manual he could get his paws on. Unlike many Cizerack males, he'd been fortunate enough to have an education. His mother was a progressive libertine and doted heavily on her favorite boy. She couldn't bear to leave him as an uneducated mate to some trollop she thought was beneath him. Of course, that sort of thinking was highly unusual on Carshoulis, so she made sure to get him away from the life she feared he'd be destined to assume.

With a homeschooled background of a sort, Cirr was used to solo study, so he'd turned starship engineering into an obsessive hobby. He waited on Sanis, thumbing through a technical datapad as the human freighter captain climbed down.

"jI thjink yourr forrwarrd stabjiljizerr needs a tunjing. Do you thjink we can fjind a scannerr on thjis planet?"

The gangplank lowered as he asked Sanis for a litany of minor tweaks he'd figured the ship was due for.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The landing it looked, had been not quite as soft as intended, but s'Il smiled regardless. It was a fine-looking ship, and that Sanis had had enough fortune to be able to buy it himself was also cause enough for her to be happy for him.

She watched as the boarding ramp lowered, and bringing her hands together in front of her (they rested on her protruding belly, much to her inner disappointment), the Lupine squared her shoulders back.

It would be good to see Sanis again, and she looked forward to whatever new stories he could bring her, and to hearing about whatever misadventures he'd managed to get himself into and out of.

A slight breeze picked up. It felt good in accompaniment to the heat of Cathar's sun and fresh air.

[Sanis Prent]

"Lok!"

I ran down the gangplank and went for a hug, pulling up slightly to be more careful when I saw her condition.

"Wow, talk about your surprises, huh? When were you gonna tell me?"

I'd never known Lok s'Ilancy to be really the sort to roll in the hay, so the idea of her being knocked up was a peculiar one.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She'd become somewhat less peculiar since the first time the two had met, but perhaps that was more owing to the fact that she had become accustomed to him. His reaction did little to throw her off however, and the Lupine returned his embrace.

She gave him an almost apologetic smile.

"Now is as good a time as ever, no?"

She held him at arms length, running a critical eye over him to make sure that he was indeed still in one piece. Seemingly satisfied, she gave a nod. He looked well enough and healthy. It made her happy for him.

"But we can talk of that later," she looked over his shoulder and up the ramp, ever curious to see with her own eye the Cizerack.

"Your mechanic... where is he?"

[Sanis Prent]

I jerked a thumb upward at the freighter entrance, where Cirr was still standing in the threshold, aloof and in his own world, thumbing through his manual.

"That's the big guy. His name's Cirrsseeto Raurrssatta."

I was annoyed at having to goad him into being social, so I called up to him.

"Big guy, put it away, alright? We got company!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Eager to get a better glimpse, s'Il stood at Sanis' side, watching as the big Cizerack started down the gangplank. He was far taller than she'd expected. She had to wonder if there were also sajoi tucked away onboard Layla.

As he approached, the Lupine inclined her head to Prent.

"You have much to tell me of your travels, I hope?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Well, travel's a bit light."

I scratched my head sheepishly as I admitted the major shortcoming in my latest plans.

"See, the ship eats my wallet. I make a bit here and there, but upkeep on this thing tends to kill me. I usually pull in every few ports or so, and have to skulk around looking for odd jobs to make enough money on the side to afford maintenance or something we end up needing. The ship was old when I was a baby, so I mean, she's got a little character."

Cirr finally made it over, towering over us both. He didn't speak, and kept his eyes low in s'Il's presence.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was instantly taken with Cirrsseeto, though his downcast gaze made her knit her brow in slight confusion. Angling herself so that she could meet his eyes, s'Il gave a warm smile.

"Come now Cirrsseeto, look me in the eye and let me get a good look at you."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr did as he was told, and his pale blues came up to meet Lok's eyes as his ears remained low. He'd heard from Sanis that she was one of the legendary Jedi Knights of old times, so that made his introversion around powerful women even more pronounced. Even if he was literate and vastly independent by his peoples' standards for men, some things were slow to change.

He wasn't sure what to think of the scar-faced woman, and inwardly he wondered if she had mind control powers or whatever it was that Jedi were said to have.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Much better."

She offered an encouraging smile to hopefully cheer him up, and leaning back on her heels, s'Il took a half-step backwards. With one arm outstretched she bade her guests to vacate the landing platform for the much more inviting interior of the citadel.

As they passed through an arched doorway, she gave Sanis a sideways look. Jedi talents weren't needed to know what was on his mind.

"It's a girl," she finally offered.

[Sanis Prent]

"Jedi intuition?" I guessed.

We walked along, and a little grin didn't leave my face.

"So, next month's stop in, I should pick up some baby clothes and puree food? Do you have a name yet?"

The notion that Lok had a soft side that could be reached seemed possible, but still pretty far out there. I wasn't sure I was even ready to ask about the father.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

At his question of a name, s'Il allowed a distant look to cross her features.

"I do, yes."

The continued on deeper towards the heart of the citadel. She'd done more work in making it livable since Sanis had visited last, and now there was a strange warmth to be felt from the place.

She smiled at the memory of spending time with the girl, Teagan, on Schwartzweld all those years ago.

"Teagan."

[Sanis Prent]

"I like it. Was a pretty common name on Nar Shadaa, at least in the shipwright district."

She'd finally worked out of the eccentric hermit phase, at least. The husk of the citadel looked inviting and quite lived-in.

"Man, I can't believe you did all this. You could probably sell this off for a good bit, assuming you could find somebody else who would want to live on a planet full of felinoids."

I felt two blue eyes swivel onto me, and I elbowed Cirr's unmoveable abdomen.

"No offense, big guy."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave him a rueful look.

"Oh I could never sell my home. My family built it, and it'd be dishonorable for me to do such a thing."

At Sanis' last remark she smiled outright, choosing to say nothing for the time being. Instead she simply settled for keeping her gaze ahead of her.

But... she had to know. She had to ask.

"What sorts of food did you bring with you?"

[Sanis Prent]

"I, uh, about the usual stuff you order, really."

I could hardly be bothered for the details, but I knew that Cirr was anal enough to keep the detailed manifest.

"Cirr, you got the manifest?"

The Cizerack produced his datapad from a pocket in his coveralls and passed it to me. I thumbed through it until I got to the edible sundries.

"Dried lentils, fruits, veg, oils & flour, saltmeat, a few other random things. Not much changed, really. I have part of a dressed down bantha I conned a wholesaler on Malastare out of. Oh, and a few imported candies from Naboo I was gonna keep, but I really don't need 'em."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Oh."

She thought on his words for a moment, but soon enough she'd moved closer as they turned a corner, peering at the datapad he held. Pulling a strand of long hair from her face, she squinted a little to better make out the illuminated lettering.

The corners of her lips turned downward in the beginnings of a frown.

"You wouldn't happen to have sajoi, would you? Or maybe some pickled shaak tail, butter-graham nuggets, or even some honey breads and bacon sauce? What about brown rice and processed sausages?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"You know sajoi?"

Cirr suddenly found himself speaking out of turn. Few forrda knew of that perennial Cizerack comfort food, and if they did, it was out of notoriety. That somebody was actually looking for it was a shock.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Looking up at Cirr, s'Il gave him the happiest of grins.

"I haven't had any in so long, but I've always been fond of them."

Which sparked another memory, and the Lupine tapped the 'pad Sanis was holding.

"And kree'ai sauce. I need that to dip them in."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI have all of that."

Cirr hadn't intended on parting with his own personal section of the ship's pantry, but hospitality was the order of the day. Besides, he wasn't sure if he was ready to lie to a Jedi, or worse, tell her no.

"You eat otherr Cjizerrji food?"

His experience with humans around his native dishes was to have Sanis run him out of the galley. Some were live, what wasn't live was probably raw, and most were strong flavors. The portions were usually large, and the whole experience seemed lost on most people. Of course, life outside the cluster had Cirr eating a more cosmopolitan palate, of a sort. He'd learned to combine pickled fish brain jelly with the fruit jam Sanis kept on slabs of the economy-brand bread that was always around.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il had to think on that, and after a moment of thought she gave a shake of her head.

"Only sajoi. I don't get out as much as I used to, so I never got to try anything else. Shame, really."

As they stepped into the most lived-in portion of the citadel, she favored the big Cizerack with an eager grin.

"Perhaps you could introduce me to more?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Ugh."

My forehead fell into my open palm.

"He's got half my galley full of it. By all means, you two loot it and go have a picnic, but do it where I can't hear, see, or smell you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Wonderful!"

The Lupine gave Sanis a gentle, almost motherly pat to his cheek before moving away to sit on a low sofa along the side wall of the main room they'd entered.

"Now about that bacon sauce... "

[Sanis Prent]

"Bacon sauce?"

I rolled the phrase off my tongue as if it were an alien substance I couldn't quite remove from the tip of it.

"Wait, what? Is it a sauce for bacon, or uh, is the sauce made of bacon? Before you answer either way...why?"

I admit, I'm not exactly the champion of haute cuisine. My freighter puts me in the poor house most days and I subsist off of the usual spacer fare of cheap sundries, specials at some far-flung dive, or just plain junk food. That said, I'm not unfamiliar with eating well on other people's money, so I am aware a line exists.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She beckoned him over to sit beside her.

"Because I need it."

s'Il looked for all the world like a fluffed owl, trying to adjust herself and the mass that she was still not quite used to. With one hand on her belly, she used the other to fuss with the back cushion, then one of the intricately woven throw pillows.

"It's sauce made from shaak bacon, and you pour it over more strips of shaak bacon. It's just... "

Another frustrated look as she fidgeted in her seat, still not entirely comfortable.

"It's just I have to have it."

[Sanis Prent]

I looked to Cirr, who didn't seem to be as nonplussed about this notion as I was. Yes, I was the one who was stupid enough to argue food semantics with a pregnant lady, but I'd just pushed seventeen hours of Imperial checkpointed space to get here, so the odds of me pushing back to retrieve much of anything were going to be a long shot, much less something that seemed so, so, wrong.

"A sauce made from bacon, that you put on...bacon? I've got that right, do I?"

Cirr sat with his hands in front of him, fingers interlaced, looking about as pleased at the notion as s'Il was.

"Got a blender?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A stare was sent his way. A blender?

"What's a blender?"

Before he could answer she waved a hand in the air to dismiss any explanation he might've had.

"I need Caridan olive juice, too. All of this you can find in Joffa though, so you won't have to leave Cathar."

It wasn't hard to see that the wheels in Cirr's head were turning, and s'Il fixed him with an intent stare.

"Can you think of anything else?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr was doing a mental checklist. She was wanting to make Gaatekee? Mama Taa made that all the time and it was easy.

"Gjizzarrds and sweetbrreads."

That was assuming that there were animals of the right proportions here. The trouble with bringing home cooking was that you never knew, really.

"Oh, and Keecha'ma, oh, wajit, you call jit, uh, burrned nut paste? No that's not jit."

He tugged at the tip of one ear as he thought.

"Sanjis what's that what you use? Grrassnut butterr? Not the same, but maybe close?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A few seconds of thought, and s'Il rousted herself from the sofa. It was an awkward affair, and she had to grab a hold of Sanis' hand to help lever herself up. Making her way past her two guests, she headed for the small kitchen nook that had as of late been turned into a holding cell for every bit of food that she thought might be satisfying.

She motioned for Cirr.

"Come look in here; I might have what you're talking about. Or at least something close to it."

And indeed, the possibility certainly existed. There seemed to be no end to the culinary disasters contained within the small cupboards. Jars of curry paste in every flavor, Bothan lobster preserves, and a myriad of exotic spices populated every inch of shelf-space.

[Sanis Prent]

"How about I cook instead?"

I offered hurriedly in a desperate attempt to deflect the culinary war crimes that were about to happen.

"Bantha burger, you like bantha burger? Medium rare just for you, and namana pepper sauce?"

That usually was a winning hand, even if that was something I also thought was south of cheese in terms of good ideas on a plate.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A mystified look was given to him, but it wasn't long before she warmed up to the thought of a bantha burger. It sounded delectable at any rate. Except...

"Rare."

s'Il held up a jar of homemade apple-mustard jelly.

"With this and some bacon on it."

[Sanis Prent]

"You know you're eating for two, right?"

Rare ground meat? Was she high?

"I know the urge to spoil your daughter with gifts is going to be a strong one, so let me help you here. Baby's first onesie? Good idea. Baby's first tapeworm? BAD IDEA!"

I took the apple mustard jelly jar, unscrewed it, and took a sniff. Who would think these two things went together?

"And stop putting bacon on inappropriate things!" I snapped at her last suggestion.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave him a rather unsatisfied hrumph, but soon enough relented.

"Fine, not completely rare."

Taking back the jar, the Lupine stared at its' contents for a moment before dipping a slender finger into the gooey mixture and popping it into her mouth, sucking it clean. The lid was replaced, and she returned the jar to its' spot in the cupboard.

"I do have some hawkbat eggs. I bet if you fried them up, they'd make a great sandwich with some chili chutney spread on the bread."

[Sanis Prent]

I looked at her dumbfounded. Cirr nodded along in agreement, which wasn't surprising.

"That's not food, it's bowel surgery!"

Suddenly resigned to a terrible fate, I figured that of all the offensive ideas these two war criminals were coming up with, that one was at least possibly not going to kill somebody.

"Fuck it, why not."

[s'Il]

* * *

Twenty-One years ago...


Downtime was a luxury that very few in the Rebellion could afford. In fact, it was about as likely a thing as winning the galactic lottery. Or at least, that's what everyone told her. The last few months had been a whirwind of activity - a concerted campaign to retake Panna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_planets_%28O-Q%29#Panna), and while the first wekk of fighting had been the most intense, resistance had begun to dwindle. Granted, the Imperial presence was not as extensive as on other worlds, but the forces that had been there were firmly entrenched and weren't easy to root up.

Three weeks into the campaign showed a widening margin of possible victory for the still-fledgling Rebels, and they had become invigorated by the turn of events in their favor.

In the middle of their second month, most if not all of the Imperial presence was gone, and what was left now was the daunting task of cleaning and helping to rebuild. Days were spent outside amidst rubble heaps and ruined buildings, and nights were spent in exhausted contemplation of what would come next.

It was becoming an all too familiar routine.

At least those who chose to continue helping were afforded accomodations by the locals, and Lok s'Ilancy had been more than happy to accept the offer. She shared a small room with Dan. There wasn't much, but it at least had a 'fresher, and the Lupine thanked the Bloodline for that much. Her nightly showering ritual was one of meticulous and methodical cleaning following the day's activities, and s'Il would more often then not spend her drying time picking at the dirt that often clung to the undersides of her fingernails.

It was just another of her eccentricities that Dan had seemed to take a joy in observing, and the mildly annoyed looks she sometimes shot his way did nothing to deterr his amusement.

Their nights had become routine, but not so much that she found any real discontent with things.

She stepped from the 'fresher, hair damp and wearing a clean pair of drab fatigues. Dan looked up from where he sat at the small table, and she noted with no surprise that same bemused look on his features. Only, there was something else to it, and the Lupine shifted her gaze down to the table's surface.

Dan had taken the time to lay out what looked like some sort of boardgame, and coming closer, s'Il looked at an empty box resting open on the bed. She read the name written in bright red letters.

" 'My Apologies'?"

[General Dan]

"You've never played, I take it?"

Dan arranged a few pieces on the board and poured into four glasses an orange-colored liquid from what looked like a durasteel coolant bottle.

"Kori and Dage are coming up for a go, and we found this in that bombed-out shop on the city limits. Figure a little fun's on tap tonight. We need it."

[s'Il]

She busied herself with running the towel through her shock of soggy blonde hair.

"I've never even heard of such a game."

That Kori and Dage were to also play made her shrug. She had no real objections, and the Lupine moved to sit beside him as he finished pouring. In fact, she didn't know exactly what to think of this new turn of events.

"Is it fun?"

[General Dan]

"It depends on your affinity level for shadenfreude. If you like that, it's very fun. Add alcohol, and it's a laugh riot."

He passed her a glass of the "orange".

"That's from Dage. He said it's okay to drink, but you probably shouldn't ask what it is or how he made it."

[s'Il]

s'Il made a face at that, gingerly accepting the glass he gave to her. It looked - and most certainly smelled - suspicious. She gave it a whiff, and quickly turned her head to the side, eyes closing tight.

" 'Okay to drink'? For who, a person with a lead-lined stomach?"

A second careful smell yielded the same results, and she hurriedly set the glass back on the table.

"It sure would be nice if we still had some wine from home," she accused with a pointed look at Dan. He'd finished off the last of their private stock (taken from Schwartzweld on a trip four months ago) the other night, and she'd only found out about it two days after when she had hoped to have a glass of her own.

[General Dan]

He held his glass up, regarded the cloudy liquid inside a moment, and took a sip, showing no ill effects.

"Well, war is hell."

He smiled at the thought of returning to Schwartzweld soon.

"I think we'll have enough time for a field trip if we secure the system. Shouldn't be too long. The Empire really doesn't reinforce this sector very well."

[s'Il]

That notion was enough to brighten her disposition somewhat, and s'Il turned to examine the board. She plucked one of the game pieces up, turning it over in her hand.

For now she would wait before venturing a drink.

"Ok then, how do you play this game."

[General Dan]

"Well, you put all of your pieces on your home circle, and your goal is to get them all to your finish circle. You draw random holocards to determine your movement. If you draw a My Apologies card, you pick a player and remove one of their pieces that's in play and put them back at their home circle."

He shrugged.

"It sounds pretty straightforward, but it's the flaring tempers that make it."

[s'Il]

"Flaring... tempers."

It seemed simple enough, and s'Il leaned back in her seat after replacing the gamepiece she'd picked up. A sidelong skeptical look was sent his way.

"And people play this to have fun?"

[General Dan]

"People drink to have a good time as well. It's a journey, not a destination I guess."

At that point Dage and Kori knocked on the door.

"Come in guys."

The other Rebels were just in from a food recon, which was relatively bountiful. The locals didn't have much, but they made sure their liberators were fed.

[s'Il]

Turning in her seat, the Lupine gave a nod of her head to both men, and her eye moved to the white bags they carried with them. Whatever was in there smelled heavenly, and involuntarily she wet her lower lip in anticipation of what was no doubt dinner.

Even if this game turned out to be far more lackluster than Dan's claims, at least there would be food. It was one of the more well known things about their resident Jedi - she was a notorious bottomless well.

Eager to inspect their bounty, s'Il held out both arms to accept whatever might be handed her way.

[General Dan]

The haul included some hearth-baked bread, roasted veg, and slices of some kind of preserved sausage. Pretty hearty and rustic stuff.

Dan began the game while Kori worked the baguette with a vibro bayonet.

Food and drink were passed around, and soon the game was well underway.

[s'Il]

Half of her orange drink was gone, imbibed during a few of the more blatant attacks against her game pieces. Kori and Dan it seemed were having a time, and Dage just grinned like an imbicile as he employed merciless cutthroat tactics to the rest of them. It had been mildly confusing at first to keep up with the ins and outs of the game, and as it went on her confusion only transformed into a quiet brooding. She frowned, scowled, and ground her teeth.

This was not a fun game in the least.

It was when Dan pulled a 'My Apologies' card from the deck for what seemed like the hundredth time that she fixed him with an icy glare. From her peripheral vision she saw the grin, and his hand straying closer to one of her pawns.

A hand lanced out to snatch his wrist in a vice-like grip, and she growled at him.

"Don't. You. Dare."

[General Dan]

Just as Dan had hoped, the game was causing emotions to swing a bit, and he laughed at s'Il's outburst. He and Kori had a gentleman's agreement at this point, and he didn't think of using it on him yet. Dage was pushing, and was the most likely target, but he was pressing s'Il's buttons before he made his move.

"I'd like to help you out, but you see, my drink is a little low and I may be thinking irrationally!"

[s'Il]

She pushed his hand away roughly, affording him an ill gaze while snatching up the coolant bottle and refilling his glass.

"There. Now pick on someone else."

Who in the world had thought that this would be a good game?!

Grumpily, the Lupine took another sip of her own drink, mindful to keep a wary eye on Dan.

[General Dan]

Dan turned his attention to Dage.

"Can you top that?"

Reaching conspiratorily into his longcoat, the Rebel trooper retrieved a metal flask, and held that over Dan's drink, allowing an amber liquor to tinkle in.

"That's pretty persuasive."

[s'Il]

s'Il gave Dage a withering glare. How had she been cajoled into this game? And for that matter, why was she even still playing it?

But, not to be outdone, she held a finger in warning to the others while rising unsteadily to her feet. A quick rummage through her traveling duffel, and it was only moments before she palmed the object of her desires.

Taking her seat once more beside Dad, the Lupine haughtily set the small, dusty glass bottle in front of him. It had an old style cork firmly sealing it off, and the deep tones of the liquid contained within were recognizable enough. It was the very same Lupine whiskey that he had so thoroughly enjoyed on Malastare; she'd kept a small bit of it tucked away, and it seemed that now it was needed.

"There."

[General Dan]

"HA! I knew it!"

Dan reached out for the bottle, and ran a hand down the contour of it.

"Man, I haven't had this in ages. Stuff's the real kitty, eh?"

[s'Il]

She was thoroughly pleased with herself, satisfied that she'd won this little contest of bribery. Perhaps this game wasn't so bad after all. Taking another sip, s'Il leaned back victoriously in her seat.

"The very same," she confirmed.

[General Dan]

Bottle in hand, Dan took a whiff of it. Yep, that was the stuff alright.

He chucked the contents of his glass over his shoulder and filled it a quarter full of the dark Lupine liquor. Touching it to his lips, he smiled.

Then, he gave s'Il the My Apologies holocard.

[s'Il]

Staring at the card he'd given her, s'Il was dumbstruck. She stammered a bit, and her face ran the entire gamut of emotion conceivably possible of any human being.

She stared at him, watched him happily sip from the liquor that she'd so graciously allowed him to have.

And that was it. She was done. Finished. Through.

Both palms hit the table, causing the game pieces to shake, and with another outburst she swiped the entire board off the table while standing up and pointing to the door.

"You two," she fixed her eye on first Kori, then Dage, "... OUT."

[General Dan]

Dan continued to smile, and even the two expelled rebels cracked wise as they left. The game had reached its expected climax. Nobody ever really won "My Apologies". The game evaporated in a temper tantrum and you went and did something else.

[s'Il]

The door closed, and the Lupine turned to stare daggers down at Dan. She scrunched her face up, watching him take another leisurely drink, and turning on her heel, she gave the game board one last kick for good measure.

"I'm going to bed."

[General Dan]

"Aw, come on."

Dan gestured for her to turn back.

"Have a nightcap with me. No hard feelings."

[s'Il]

It didn't take much cajoling on his part to woo her back to the table, and s'Il slowly lowered herself back into her seat. He offered her his glass, and she accepted, taking a sip before returning it to him.

Staring at the game strewn across the floor, the Lupine gave a pout.

"That's a horrible game. I'm never playing it again."

[General Dan]

"Oh sure, that's what they all say. Eventually you're the one that deals out the most cards, and that'll change everything."

He refilled the drink and relaxed, kicking off his boots.

"Like I said, it's a game of schadenfreude."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *

One and a half years ago...

"SANIS PRENT!!"

She'd spent the last hour almost tearing apart the inside of the Black Cat, looking in every nook and cranny that she could think of. Her searching remained a fruitless endeavor, and the Lupine was growing more agitated with each passing minute. In frustration she threw the book she was holding down onto the bed. Whirling about, s'Il stalked through the open hatchway and stopped at the gantry railing to look down into the rest of the cargo hold.

Below her, Tak was sitting with Zem, and had somehow convinced him to play "My Little Dewback" with her; a little purple dewback in his hand and a rather disgruntled look on his features. Tak of course was oblivious to this, but the sound of Dama yelling for Sanis was at least enough to make her look up.

Not seeing Sanis anywhere, the elder Lupine marched in the direction of his quarters. She didn't even bother knocking, and forcing her way inside, she neatly sidestepped a pile of dirty clothes - why were there cans of blaster cleaning spray mixed in with his laundry... ?

Dismissing the thought, she ventured deeper into his room.

"Where... is my lightsabre."

[Sanis Prent]

Fortunately, I was quick enough to tuck my Wet Zeltron Teen Gymnastics Squad Weekly holomag under my pillow. For a Jedi Knight, the lady lacked a bit of tact. Respect for personal space was sort of vital on my ship, but oh well. No time to complain about that now.

I looked at her, and thought about her question for a moment. When it seemed I was about to deliver a detailed explanation, I offered up a shrug.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

An accusing finger was angled in his direction, and s'Il fixed him with a determined glare.

"Don't even do that. You took it; I know you... " her eye caught sight of a poster tacked up on the bulkhead over his bed, and she stared for an awkward moment at the picture of the nearly naked smashball cheerleaders laying all over themselves.

"... did."

She shook her head and focused once more on him, a look of flustered impatience written across her face.

"Tell me where you hid it."

[Sanis Prent]

"Why would I do that?"

Already to the accusations? She was playing hardball.

"Did you check your bookshelves?"

Wasn't I a reputable guy? What caused such feelings of direct suspicion? This was an indictment on my character!

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She threw up her hands at that.

"I looked everywhere in the Cat. Teagan knows better than to touch it, and Zem has his own."

She blinked then, and before he could offer anything else, the Lupine narrowed her eyes at him.

"I could pull it out of your head," she threatened.

It was a hollow threat and even he knew that, but it still felt good to say.

[Sanis Prent]

"Don't make me get my foil hat, devil woman. Stay out of my head."

I groaned and got up from bed, fishing a pair of semi-clean pants off the ground to slide on.

"Let's retrace your steps. Where haven't you looked?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il crossed her arms, watching him pull his pants on without batting an eye. She stood rooted, blocking the hatchway. Sanis wasn't going anywhere for the time being.

"I haven't looked in here."

[Sanis Prent]

"Let's assume, for my feelings you know, that I have the best of intentions and I haven't a thing to do with this. Now, without having the burden of wasting both of our times by violating the sanctity of my personal space, let's work on this together."

I walked up to the doorframe. She still wasn't budging.

"Tell you what. I'm famished. Let's go to the galley, get a bite, and we'll go top to bottom on this one. Me and you, whaddya say?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I'm not hungry."

Which meant in no uncertain terms that he shouldn't be either, but after a moment of staring up at him, the Lupine stepped back and out of the doorway.

A scrutinizing last look through his over-cluttered living space, and s'Il stalked along beside him as he headed towards the galley.

"Where'd you put it."

[Sanis Prent]

I headed to the galley and shook my head at her steady accusations.

"You think I want my very own Jedi protector to be without the means to save my ass when I need her to? I'm not that stupid."

I opened the door to the fridge all the way, and rummaged in the bottom for a bottle of beer and an old sandwich.

"I guarantee you the moment you stop thinking about it, you'll remember where you left it."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Standing off to the side, s'Il gave an unsatisfied grunt at his words, and she cast a sullen look in his direction.

"I'm not your 'Jedi protector'."

She moved then, grabbing the top of the fridge door and shoving him roughly to the side. She'd caught site of something, and with growing disbelief the Lupine carefully reached inside.

It was her lightsabre.

And yet...

All feelings of frustration evaporated as s'Il pulled a plate out, a wobbly jello mold encompassing its' entirety. And right in the center...

Her mouth open in utter shock, s'Il turned her eye to Sanis, unable to speak a single word.

[Sanis Prent]

I gave a deadpan, if not earnest response.

"I've really got to talk to Cirr about this gelatin fad he's on."

I shook my head sternly, and opened my beer.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her whole body shook in the beginnings of... something. It wasn't exactly anger by any stretch of the term, but this was so unexpected and infantile...

Her eye went from the mold to Sanis.

"I... "

What was there to possibly say? She didn't believe his little innocent act for a moment.

"What did you do?!"

[Sanis Prent]

"Me? I just got a beer, that's all. The dessert is all you!"

I stepped away from the fridge, having trouble containing my growing smile.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For only a moment longer she stared, but without a second thought s'Il drove her hand through the top of the gelatinous concoction, pulling her sabre out with more than a little fuss.

She waved it at Sanis, bits of leftover jello still clinging to both her hand and weapon.

"This is the second time you've done this," she growled.

"It's not funny anymore."

[Sanis Prent]

"No, that's still funny!"

Looking at her fume with a lightsaber and arm full of delicious fruit gelatin was enough to make my day.

"I even picked the same color as the blade!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *

On Cloud City with Zem


Sitting at the small kitchen table in the room they'd been renting, Tak was busy furiously writing a letter to Wyl. They both had to make plans for their marriage, and she was intent on being sure to account for everything she thought that they'd need. She'd made sure to express the need for no kissing, but holding hands was ok.

That her Dad had agreed was a good thing, especially since it was so important.

Zem was at the kitchen counter fixing himself something to drink, and pausing in her writing, the little girl screwed her face up into a somewhat frustrated expression.

She looked over at Zem, his back to her.

"What do married people normally do?"

[Zem Vymes]

"Argue."

Zem spoke mid-pour without really thinking, and smiled.

"I'm kidding."

He walked over to the table, talking to the precocious Lupine without standing over whatever she was writing.

"Mainly, they are people who are so completely right for each other, that they live their lives almost like they're the same person."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Despite the fact that he'd said he was kidding, she made sure to write down 'argyew', and with that done, Teagan looked up at him. Arguing was easy; she'd seen Dama do it plenty of times with Sanis.

"When you get married, does that mean you can't get diseases from kissing? I mean, you used to kiss Dama right? And you don't look like you're sick."

[Zem Vymes]

"Well, you're not married to Dama either, and you don't have a disease from kissing her."

Zem swirled his drink in his glass, watching Tak with an amused expression. It didn't take a Jedi to know that she was smitten with that Wyl ragamuffin. There wasn't any harm in a puppy crush, and he figured that if Lok were here, she'd have as much fun with it as he was.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Yeah, but Dama 's another girl. Wyl said that if boys and girls kiss, they can give each other diseases."

She chewed on the end of her stylus, lost in thought for another few moments.

"Wyl and I decided that we need to get married," she finally blurted out.

"Dad already said it was ok, too."

[Zem Vymes]

The smile on Zem's face faded a little at mention of Dan.

"Did you tell Dama about that?"

He changed the subject.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Teagan shook her head.

"No, she wasn't there when Wyl and I talked to Dad."

Making a face, she let out a long breath.

"But it's still important. Wyl said that 'these are uncertain times', so we need to hurry up and get married."

[Zem Vymes]

"Well, why do you want to marry him?"

Zem pulled up a chair to sit across from her.

"Tell me about this future husband."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Well, she didn't really know why they needed to get married; it seemed like a good idea at any rate though.

Teagan shrugged.

"Wyl is cool, plus he's training to be a Jedi like you and Dama. He took me out to get lunch when we first met, and bought me a bantha burger. And he also gave me this... "

She fished the rock the boy had given her in return for the sand panther tooth charm, holding it up so that Zem could see.

"It's fun playing with him and watching holomovies with him too. We don't kiss or anything though, since it's dangerous to do that. He told me that a friend of his once died after sharing a drink with a girl, so we're gonna have to be extra careful to not do anything like that."

She thought for a little bit, and her eyes went to Zem's hair. She pursed her lips.

"He doesn't brush his hair very well though, so I think I'm gonna have to start taking care of him like Dama took care of you."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem smiled. At least her heart was in the right place.

"Well Tak, let me tell you, sometimes it's just nice to have a friend. Why don't you work on being the best friend you can be to Wyl, and if he likes you as much as you like him, he'll be a friend that'll stick with you through anything."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak shook her head at that and returned to writing down that she'd need to brush Wyl's hair for him.

"No, I'm definitely gonna have to brush his hair and maybe cut it too if he lets it get too long. And if he grows a beard I'm gonna have to trim that for him too since I don't think he'd be able to cut it right."

A pause, and she looked up from her note to scrutinize Zem's face carefully before pointing with her stylus at a nick on his jawline.

"I don't think you know how very well either."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem smiled. She was a microcosm of her mother.

"We'll see who's pointing out nicks when you end up having to shave your legs."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *

Five months ago on Dac...



The Grand Ballroom of the majestic Ana Kennep Hotel and Resort was alive with activity. High ranking Alliance officers, every one of them dressed in their military finest, milled about - some danced with spouses and others congregated into small groups to discuss the war. It was a much different atmosphere than the one normally felt on the front lines. Even a slew of other lower-staffed Rebels had been welcomed, and they too enjoyed the atmosphere of the evening.

s'Il herself had chosen a simple yet elegant dress; a satin cream colored gown that fell to her feet. No frills or anything extraneous, it was a compromise between the more garish affairs available and the far more exotic formal wear more common to Lupine cultures. Her hair she left partially down to fall below her shoulders. Sparse pieces of gold jewelry adorned her wrists and neck, though what she'd chosen to wear were intricately etched - a stark contrast to the simplicity of her dress, they gave her a certain air of sophistication that she wasn't normally used to.

In fact, she hadn't been to anything like this ever, and it had taken a fair amount of prodding from Dan to convince her.


And now, with one hand in his and the other on his shoulder as they danced, the Lupine took in the scents all around her. She felt slightly out of place with such people.

"I wish you'd not talked me into this," she whispered.

[General Dan]

Dan smiled at her unease in the moment.

"Relax, a little posh treatment is good for the soul."

He looked around with her as they danced.

"Maybe something to look forward to. A lifetime free to be able to dance and enjoy things, rather than to spend your years fighting."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave a slight laugh at that, moving close as her eye passed over countless other smiling faces. She nodded to the few who acknowledged her and Dan as they passed by.

Her attentions went back to Dan and she leaned in, her lips a hair's breadth from his ear. It was easy to see that his last words had amused her.

"After your great visions for the galaxy come to fruition?"

[General Dan]

"I'm not so cruel. Fighting for fighting's sake isn't any meaningful pursuit."

The band changed to a different song, and Dan whispered again to her.

"I think you and I agree on that much."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was as the next song began to be played that the Lupine stepped away, her knowing grin somewhat teasing in its' nature.

"Despite our previous differences, I like to think that my beliefs are far more in concert with your own by now."

She kept a hold of his hand still, but s'Il had decided to opt out from the activity of dancing. She was thirsty as it was, and something stiff would be welcomed.

A gentle pat was given to his uniformed chest, and she delivered one last kiss to his cheek.

"Don't you agree?"

[General Dan]

The reprieve from dancing was probably a good idea. Dan had noticed a group of people politely gathering at the periphery, no doubt to engage him in a little business on the side. It was something that was to be expected at an event where so many powerful people congregated. Even recreation couldn't be fully that.

"I think you're right though. This isn't exactly our element here, is it?"

He grinned at her as they stepped away from the dance floor.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With an 'I told you so' look, s'Il parted ways with him, headed for the nearest empty table so that she could sit and pass the time away from the larger pockets of gathered people.

She paused while wading through the sea of bodies however, and an odd look descended upon her features. Slowly she approached a table near the far wall and its' single occupant. His back was to her, but there was no mistaking that blonde hair and familiar posture. Even through the suit he wore it was impossible to mistake him for anyone else.

He looked...

"You look like you're at a funeral," she spoke from over his shoulder.

[Sanis Prent]

"I think that was the last time I wore this too."

I thumbed at the fabric of my suit. I mean, it wasn't a bad suit at all. Fairly respectable given my income level, which was to say, highly variable.

With a half laugh, I kicked the adjacent chair out halfway for her to take.

"Get tired of dancing?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She took the 'offered' seat with a cocked eyebrow, lowering herself down to sit.

"You were watching?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Just passing through."

I declined to take the bait, and took a drink of my whisky.

"The bar is on the other side after all."

Standing, I straddled the seat I was sitting on in the opposite direction, leaning slightly against the backing.

"What do you think about our hosts?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Flagging down a passing server, s'Il ordered herself a glass of wine. He nodded, leaving to fulfill her request.

"I'll be honest," she folded her hands into her lap.

"I'm not entirely used to such gatherings. Dan convinced me to come."

[Sanis Prent]

"Did he?"

I asked without any surprise to my voice.

A man in a suit arguably much nicer than mine approached me, with a woman wearing a dress much nicer than s'Il's.

"And these must be more heroes of the Rebellion here. To whom might I give my gratitude?"

I glanced briefly to s'Il, feeling even more out of my element, before looking back to the man and reluctantly standing to take his extended hand.

"Sanis Prent, Captain of the Layla."

"The Layla? I'm not familiar with it." the woman spoke with a formal smile. "Is that one of the cruisers? It's a very strange name for a ship."

"Actually no." I grimaced a little. "It's a light freighter. Privateer, I guess. My own ship."

"Oh!" She seemed surprised, and perhaps a little disappointed.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A fairly audible groan, and s'Il gave a rather obvious roll of her eye. Dealing with people like this had never been something she'd had to endure; by many standards she was something of a hermit in comparison to these types.

But, her demeanor regained its' normal regal bearing, and the Lupine turned a smile to them both. She could detect well enough the touch of disappointment in the woman's voice.

"It's men like Mr. Prent that the Alliance grew from. They often don't get the recognition they deserve from those who enjoy parading about in needless frippery far from the front lines of the war, speaking words of support without having to actually sacrifice anything."

The scar cutting through her eye lent her expression solemn truth.

[Sanis Prent]

s'Il wasn't hardly subtle, and the two wealthy partygoers shrank back with a look of slight indignation.

I looked down at my drink, and took another sip.

"That wasn't necessary."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The server returned with her glass of wine, and s'Il nodded graciously.

"When you've been fighting alongside the Alliance as long as I have, people like that tend to annoy you."

She sipped at the wine, giving him a wink from over the rim of her glass.

"I did a lot of things before going to Cathar."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah, I know. You've put in your time."

I glanced at her, feeling a little bit weary.

"I don't even know what I want anymore. You already know where I stand with these people. I still cant answer why I'm still doing what I'm doing."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Oh?"

She gave her glass a little swirl.

"What about your 'cute little number' on Cloud City?"

[Sanis Prent]

I took a long drink, punctuated by silence.

"Sasseeri, right."

A slight smile. The promise of good things possibly to come. Of course, the deal we'd negotiated earlier hadn't gone down yet. I was still getting my cards in play before it started.

Looking back at s'Il, my smile faded.

"It's just work."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Another sip from her glass, and s'Il waved his words away.

"Even if it wasn't, it's not my business to pry into how you spend your time.

"No need to look for some sort of acceptance from me."

[Sanis Prent]

Then why did I defend it? I knew that I valued Lok's judgment. I think I was scared to let on that I did. Whatever we were now, things were more difficult.

"No, not like that, just"

Another drink, and a slight grimace.

"it seems like this might be my shot. I'm not sure where this will take me, but I've always talked about making it big. Maybe this is it? If so, why haven't I gone all in on it?

I think a part of me almost wishes that things were simple again."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She gave a sour face at his mention of things being 'simple', and leaning back to settle herself more comfortable, s'Il kept a hand around the stem of her wineglass.

"I must admit to a fair amount of wishing for the old days myself."

Though, the 'old days' she referred to were not exactly what Sanis was no doubt remembering.

"Back when the Alliance was first finding the energy to get to its' knees, all we did was hop from one system to the next, put our feet down on a planet for long enough to bloody the Empire's nose, and then help to rebuild what was left.

"Now?"

She bit her lip, looking off over Sanis' shoulder to catch site of Dan, deep in conversation with the small group around him.

"Now," her attentions returned to Prent and she drank deeply of her wine, "... I read reports and shuffle datapads while authorizing missions and the like."

Idly, she flicked at an unseen speck of dust on the tablecloth.

"When Dan asked that I serve as his counsel, I was not expecting to also be his secretary."

[Sanis Prent]

I killed the dregs of my whisky, nodding in understanding.

"Yet I guess if you asked us then, we'd give anything to be away from all that. I know I did."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave him a curious look at that.

"You were unhappy with our previous arrangement?"

[Sanis Prent]

I shook my head, rising from my seat.

"I need a drink."

Taking a few steps toward the bar and also toward the sea of well-to-do Alliance patrons, I looked back with a lightly pained expression.

"You coming?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Leaning over so that she could gaze past him, the Lupine eventually gave a weary nod while rising from her seat to join him.

"Surely they're not that intimidating," she grumbled good-naturedly while looping her arm in his.

[Sanis Prent]

"I'd rather not bother making excuses for myself. Having company helps."

We began to attract curious glances from passers-by. A couple of formal greetings were given, to which I didn't really think of anything but nodding my head.

"To answer your question" I continued as we walked through the throng. "it was never about you. Just my own ambition at work."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

They stopped at the bar, and s'Il gave their order to the tender. She knew Sanis well enough to know what he preferred.

"To better one's situation in life is an admirable quality. It's what makes you human."

[Sanis Prent]

"No arguments there."

I took my drink from the tender and swirled it around a little for the whiskey to melt the ice slightly.

"Maybe this Alliance thing takes off. Maybe it's the real thing. Maybe I shouldn't even fight it in such a passive aggressive way."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With a smile, s'Il took her own glass.

"Maybe you shouldn't."

Taking a swift drink, the Lupine savored the taste while taking his arm in hers once more, guiding them back to their table.

"Would it be improper of me to attempt to recruit you at this point in time?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Got any openings for a Senator?"

I laughed at my own joke as I chewed on a piece of ice.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

That garnered a rather quizzical look from her, and s'Il allowed a faint smile to slowly ease its' way across her lips. Staring at him, the Lupine absently fingered the gold ring she wore.

"A... senat'or."

The barest of lilts in her tone could be heard, and she winked at him before taking another sip.

"It is a rather legit'amite undert'aking. Are you sure that you would be comfort'able in such a position?"

[Sanis Prent]

I hadn't entirely considered the prospect to be a serious one, and then I decided to entertain the ridiculous.

"Politicians get kickbacks all the time, right?"

I took another drink, feeling the effects of the alcohol a little. How much had I drank tonight anyway?

"Hypothetically that would be a higher evolution of my career as a professional opportunist I guess."

It hadn't escaped me either that Lok's high-brow accent was peeking through. I smiled conspiratorally.

"More wine?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A glance to her glass showed that it was still half full, and she pursed her lips.

"Not yet.

"Now. As for you being a senat'or, I should hope that I never see the day."

Placing a hand palm-down on the table, she leveled a stern gaze at him.

"You would be a dreat'full servant of the public."

[Sanis Prent]

"By what barometer? Compared to some shithead Imperial Moff? I think I could pass the test."

I took my whiskey down double-time, grimacing as I bit down on the last bit of ice.

"Besides, these guys all look down on me here. I'm a total lock on the common man vote."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I can already see the scandalous heat'lines... " She finished off the rest of her wine in one drink.

" 'Republic Senat'or found with secret'ary', both atop his desk'."

Seemingly pleased with herself, she gave him a smirk.

"It pains me to think that I may have to read such drivel."

[Sanis Prent]

I was already making my way back to the bar. This time, I figured I'd skip the formalities and just hover there. I got dressed up for this bore show, might as well take advantage of an open bar.

Tossing Lok a look of sly confidence, I smiled.

"You'd vote for me too."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

* * *

Sometime in the near future with a new friend...


She held his little hand in excitement, knowing that he was going to be taking her somewhere fun. Giddy almost, the little Lupine chattered away about nothing at all, and every so often she reached over to tweak his ear playfully.

"I bet since you're not gonna get any bigger, everyone's gonna think you're a kid forever. Well, a wrinkly kid, but you know. I have a husband, did you know that? His name is Wyl Staedtler. We don't have rings yet though, since we haven't had time to get any, and we're also gonna build our lightsabres together. He said that we can buy our own kids too when we decide to do that. But we're not gonna kiss or do anything gross like that."

Looking at him to make sure he was listening, Teagan gave a funny look around her, as if noticing for the first time their surroundings. She knew he wouldn't take her anywhere bad or dangerous, but still; she gripped his hand a little tighter.

"Where are we going anyway?"

[Hobgoblin]

A pair of large eyes turned around and peered out at Tak from beside a pair of even larger ears. "Going? Know I do not! Knowing not, fun is!" The small green being wiggled his eyebrows at the young girl, causing the slight nervous look on her face to dissolve into giggles.

The goblin looked up. "Hm!" he remarked aloud. "Red streetlamps! In town, a circus must be!"

As if to prove his point, a group of several colorfully dressed females stood on a nearby street corner grinning and blowing kisses at speeders as they drove by.

The goblin smiled brightly at Tak. "Come! The clowns we must see!" he said, tugging her in the direction where they and other garishly dressed beings strode the streets.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"What's a circus?"

She'd never heard of whatever a circus was, and curiosity soon enough got the better of her. From the way Hob spoke, it seemed that it was something fun, and Tak grinned wildly. She skipped around him, pulling him into a spin as they passed by others who wore brightly colored clothes.

She was sure to keep a hold on him though, and the little Lupine looked all around her.

This was gonna be fun!

[Hobgoblin]

The goblin gave her a look of sheer amazement. "Heard of the circus, you have not? A place of fun and wonder it is! Many animals, have they, and tumblers for doing amazing tricks, and clowns for making laughter and driving around in small cars and-"

The goblin cheerfully continued to extol the virtues of the circus to the young girl who listened in curious wonder at this grand thing she had never before been aware of. "But best of all!" the goblin proclaimed, striking a grand pose. "Master of Ceremonies! Calls out performances, does he! Dignified, hm! Important!"

The girl and goblin had by now reached the group of ladies on the corner. "Hello!" the goblin greeted them cheerfully. "Show us where the fun is, can you?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Everything he said sounded great! Animals and people that did tricks, and even "clowns" to make people laugh! Giggling madly, the little girl wrapped an arm across Hob's shoulders as he addressed the brightly dressed ladies.

"Yeah!! We want to have a good time!"

[Hobgoblin]

"Aren't you a little young, kiddo?" one of them asked pointedly.

"Aw, leave 'em alone Dusty!" A lithe, blue-skinned Twi'lek fussed over the little couple. "They're so cute!"

"Sides," chirped in a scantily clad human with thigh-high net stockings and bubble-gum pink lips. "The green one's not a kid, he's just short."

"A'chetnwa ka, nodeesia!" the speaker was a green-skinned Rodian with a shockingly red mohawk and an even more-shocking leopard-print bodysuit. "The short ones have the most energy!"

"What about you little guy?" the Twi'lek purred at Hob. "How much energy you got?"

"Lots of energy!" Hob proclaimed. "Dance all day, Hob can!"

"Oooh, you're so cute!" the Twi'lek tickled Hob's head. "I could just nibble on those ears of yours."

"Nooo!" Hob's ears, which had been standing out to the side, wilted and the small green man hid behind Tak, his face poking out from her blonde locks. "Not for eating are Hob's ears!"

This elicited laughs from the ladies around them. "Oh, I only bite if you want me to cutie!" the Twi'lek grinned. She reached out and tickled Hob's hair again, causing the goblin's ears to un-wilt, although he continued to hide behind Tak.

"The circus we want to find!" Hob piped up.

"The Circus, huh?" Dusty smiled. It seemed even she had taken a liking to the two fun-seekers. "If you really wanna go, it's down the street and take a left, down the stairs and second door on the right. Tell the guy at the door Dusty sent you - they'll treat you right."

The goblin's face brightened and he stepped out from behind Tak. "Go, we shall!" he said excitedly, then bowed to the assembled women. "My thanks you have, ladies!"

They giggled. "Bye cutie!" the Twi'lek called as Hob tugged Tak along according to the directions they had been given.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

As he pulled her along, Tak made sure to do her best imitation of Hob's bow, but it was a little hard since his hold on her hand kept her moving. She waved as the two scampered off, and called over her shoulder to the ladies.

"Byyeeee!!"

Hob's pace was quick, and the Lupine resorted to skipping beside him.

"This is gonna be fun, right? I want to see the animals. Do you think they'll let me pet them? What kind of animals do they have at a circus? Do they have vornkrs? I bet they do!"

[Hobgoblin]

"Vornkr?" This was new to Hob and he said as much. "What that is?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak ground herself to a halt, her grip on Hob's hand pulling him to a stop as well. With wide eyes, she stared at him as if he'd just sprouted a second head. Her voice rose a pitch as she very nearly squeaked at him.

"You don't know what a vornskr is?!"

How could he not know what a vornskr was? Tak thought everyone knew what they were.

The questioning look on his face made her straighten up a little higher - still not quite taller than him, but Dama had always said that she'd grow tall like dad, so she figured it wouldn't be long before she was the taller one. But, time for growing later! She had to tell Hob all about vornskrs!

Well!

"A vornskr is like a big dog, and they're all different colors. But they don't have tails like dogs. Their tales are long and thin, and they have a stinger on the tip. Vornskrs are really pretty, too. They're strong and fast and their fur is soft."

She remembered petting Dama's white fur lots of times, and it was always so soft.

Tak leaned in close to Hob then, and looking around to make sure no one was too close, she cupped a hand to a big ear and whispered her next words.

"And I can turn into one."

[Hobgoblin]

Hob squeaked a note of concern and promptly scurried into hiding behind Tak, peering out from beneath one of her arms. That he had hidden behind the source of his concern did not seem to register.

"Big dog?" Hob quivered. "Dogs try to eat poor Hob! Mean and growly they are! Not want to be eaten, no no!"

A pair of furry Talz (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Talz), each wearing a spiked collar and leashed with chains that were held by two more colorfully dressed ladies, walked past the small pair and down a flight of stairs nearby. "Vornskyr-dog!" Hob yelped, and retreated entirely behind Tak with nothing showing except a quivering pair of ears.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak turned on her heel, hands upon her hips.

"They aren't scary," she intoned evenly.

Staring at him, the Lupine gave a concerned look before reaching out to give him a gentle, protective hug.

"But don't worry. If any dogs try to eat you, I'll turn into a vornskr and chase them away."

[Hobgoblin]

"Not scary?" Hob seemed to mull over this new concept.

Emboldened, both by the hug and the promise of protection from his companion, Hob's features brightened. "Promise, do you?" he asked cautiously.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She grinned at him and gave a little pat to one of his large ears. They reminded her of Cirr's, but Cirr's ears weren't as big as Hob's.

"I promise."

Looking off in the direction of the stairwell, she gave a sigh. And then... ! Licking her lips, Tak turned back to her friend with a conspiratorial smirk.

"You know, I bet we could make our own circus - I could be the trick vornskr, and you could be the... the... "

What had he called it? Oh yes!

"... the master of ceremonies!"

[Hobgoblin]

"Hm!" The notion of being the supremely important Master of Ceremonies had caught Hob's fancy. "Fun that will be! Learn how we must!"

His attention returned to the stairwell down which the two Talz had been escorted earlier and he remembered the directions they'd been given by Dusty. Comparing them to his current location, Hob realized that the stairwell was, in fact, the place where they had been pointed to go.

"Come! Come!" Hob tugged Tak's hand towards the stairwell, the dinge and grime of it ignored in the face of the excitement of their destination. "The show let us see!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Once more she was all smiles.

"Okay!"

It would be a good idea after all to see what happened at a circus. If they were gonna make their own, they'd need to know how to do it.

Pulled down the stairs with him, Tak bounced her way along, ever happy to follow the little goblin as he led the way to certain fun.

"I can't wait!"

[Hobgoblin]

The two made their way down the stairs, eventually coming to a door blocked by a large, burly guard. "Come for fun, we have!" Hob proclaimed. "Sent us, Dusty did!"

The guard peered down at the two of them. "You look a little young to be here."

Hob bristled. "Young Hob is not! Over 200 of your years old, he is!"

"Yeah!" chimed in Tak. "He's just short!"

"Yes!" Hob agreed, drawing himself up to project as much dignity as his stature would let him. "Just short!"

"H'okay." The bouncer shrugged bemusedly and stepped aside to let them pass. "Have fun."

"Yes!" Hob strode to the door and pushed it open, pulling Tak through. When she had finished sticking her tongue out at the bodyguard's back, she turned to find Hob standing there with one arm outstretched, presenting the grand scene of the circus to her wide eyes.

Loud-but-not-too-loud thumping music played from massive speakers on either side of a grand stage, the music being guided by an Ortolan (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ortolan) in a wide-brimmed top hat. Three poles stretched from stage to ceiling with red-draped curtains behind them, clearly the area where the performers entered from. Multi-colored lights spun and flashed above the stage and the stage floor itself was lit with a fluorescent blue light. Patrons sat around the room near various forms of other entertainment, from men and women dancing scandalously close to those patrons to small groups engaged in gambling games to those whose chief entertainment was the served food and drink.

After taking it all in, Tak's gaze returned to her companion, who beamed at her brightly. "The Circus!" Hob proclaimed.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

With eyes as wide as saucer plates, Tak looked all around her with her mouth slightly agape. So this was the circus!

Bright lights and flashing... flashing everything could be seen everywhere, and Teagan stifled a giddy yelp, one hand over her mouth as she watched the people around them enjoying the show. It was amazing! And it looked like fun, too! Hob was right - the circus was great!

"This is aawwesome," she whispered to Hob.

And it most certainly was. The little girl found herself grinning wildly at everyone and everything, and it wasn't long before she pointed to the three poles on the stage.

"What are those for? Do the people in the circus do tricks on them somehow?"

[Hobgoblin]

"Yes!" Hob said. "For tumblers and dancers! A fun show to see! But slow they sometimes move. Dangerous, such tricks can be."

Spying an empty booth near the stage, Hob beckoned Tak in its direction. "Come! Order food we will and then wait for the performance to begin."

The two had no sooner set themselves down than a scantily clad waitress appeared. "Hey you two," she smiled. "What can I getcha to eat?"

The goblin's ears twitched. "A bowl of hearty root stew if you please!"

The waitress laughed. "Sure thing little man. And you, Miss?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She was so busy staring at the stage, wondering when the next show would start, that Hob had to tweak her nose to get her attention. She giggled at him before craning her neck upwards to look at the waitress.

"I want a bantha burger with bacon and cheese and some spicy namana sauce, some crisps, four pickle slices, a bowl of olives... " she stopped for a moment to think, pursing her lips while tapping at the tabletop with her fingernails.

"And a big fizzyglug. Berry flavored."

As if to remember her manners, the little Lupine smiled sweetly.

"Please."

[Hobgoblin]

"Such a big appetite!" the waitress patted Tak's cheek. "Okay you two, coming right up!"

Hob and Tak settled down into the booth to wait for the show to start. It wasn't long before the waitress returned with food. "Anything else I can get you?" she asked. "Anything at all?" The last sentence was accompanied by a meaningful smile at Hob.

"Good are we!" Hob said. "Later, more maybe."

"I'll check on you later then," she winked.

The two small beings began on their food. Having ordered far less, Hob finished his root stew first, drinking the remainder from his bowl with a loud slurrrp! Daintily wiping his face with a napkin - this was the circus, after all, so he had to be neat - Hob looked around the room. Off towards the corner, he spied a well-dressed, dark-skinned human surrounded by a small group of hangers-on and servers. The gentleman had a different colored ring for each finger, a number of linked chains hanging from his neck, and the piece de resistance, a long black cane with gold trim and topped by a gold ornament of a falcon.

Hob gave Tak a nudge, directing her attention away from the giant amount of food she had ordered. "Master of Ceremonies, he must be!" he said, pointing excitedly.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

With a mouthful of bantha burger, Tak turned to look at the man Hob pointed to.

Wow. If that was the master of ceremonies, he sure looked the part! He had waaaay more jewelry on than Dama sometimes wore, and swallowing her bite, she found herself unabashedly staring. His cane especially looked amazing.

Taking a sip from her fizzyglug, she whispered at Hob.

"What does he do?"

[Hobgoblin]

"New acts, call to the stage he does!" Hob told her. "Speaks in rhymes, and sometimes performs too! A great thing it is, to be Master of Ceremonies in a circus!"

At that moment, the lights dimmed and slow-beat music began to play. Two blue-skinned Twi'lek dancers emerged from the curtains to the back of the stage and took positions at the side poles, beginning to dance against them to the slow tune of the music. After about a minute, a third Twi'lek emerged from the back, this one a rare, red-skinned Lethan and clearly the most athletic of the three. It was easy to pick out that the blue-skins were exact twins, and the third looked so much the other two she might as well have been a different colored triplet. Each dancer wore garments that accented their skin; the Lethan even wore a bright red boa that twined around both lekku.

But, something was wrong.

"Announce the act, no one did!" Hob frowned in concern. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Master of Ceremonies sneeze, then continue to sit and watch the stage with a fairly disappointed look.

Could he be sick?

He nudged Tak again. "Sick, he may be!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her mouth stuffed now with crisps and half a pickle slice, Tak watched the Twi'lek dancers in fascination. They moved like water! Aounrd the poles they went, dipping and stretching like sandpanthers sunning themselves in the desert. The red one looked like she was having fun, and the girl grinned in spite of herself. Dama and Dad would love the circus, she just knew it. She'd have to tell them about this trip the next time she saw them.

But, the goblin's words didn't go completely unheeded, and she looked at the master of ceremonies. She hadn't seen him sneeze, but she still nodded rather gravely.

She swallowed before agreeing with Hob.

"Probably. Maybe you should go and take over for him? I bet he'd really appreciate that."

[Hobgoblin]

Hob blinked with surprise. "Hob?" he asked. "But never has Hob done this! Hob would not be good at it."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tak smiled sweetly, leaning on the table as she paused in her eating to reach out and tap his nose with a little finger.

"I bet you'd be really good at it, even if you haven't done it before."

[Hobgoblin]

The little goblin screwed his face up in puzzlement, as though thinking of a question he could not put words to. "How know this do you?" he asked eventually.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She gave an exasperated sigh, setting her pickle down and getting up from her seat, the little girl moved around the table to scramble up beside him. She was the very picture of seriousness.

"I know because my Dama says so. She says that anyone can do anything if they really care enough about it. And she knows a lot, too."

She folded her hands on the table in front of her, giving him a sly grin to offset the very serious nature of her previous words.

"You should do it."

[Hobgoblin]

"Anything?"

Hob stole a quick glance at the Master of Ceremonies, who seemed even more bored, if anything. Could he really be the grand director of everyone, the magical being represented by the person in such flashy dress that he thought it fun to be?

Hob lightly tapped Tak's nose. "Stay here, you should!" he said, and disappeared beneath the table, then scurried off among the crowds.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She grinned once more, watching him disappear. As he trundled his way out from under the table and into the crowd, the little Lupine reached across the table to drag her plate close. She still had half her bantha burger, after all, and she was still hungry.

She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before pulling her fizzyglug close as well, sipping noisily from the straw.

Hob would be a great master of ceremonies, she just knew it.

[Hobgoblin]

At first nothing happened. The dancers on stage continued to grind their way through the dance, the patrons all were invested in their diversions, everyone going through motions in a way that was a little too routine.

Then the music skipped a beat.

At first no one seemed to notice, but then the music skipped again, then twice more. Curious glances turned towards the DJ booth, where the crowd could see a small form in a very oversized coat switching the music. A more up-tempo song came on and the dancers grooved in place while they adapted to what was happening.

The DJ, meanwhile, was not happy that someone was in his booth. He grabbed at the creature who had tinkered with the music settings and found nothing but air; in the process the smaller being somehow managed to find his way into the DJ's top hat. With its pink feather bobbing gaily from the hatband, Hob disappeared from the booth and back into the crowd. His small form appeared briefly next to the Master of Ceremonies, to whom he bowed, then zipped off with the man's cane and leapt onto the stage. Most likely through sheer-astonishment, he neither moved nor chased after Hob to regain his cane.

The dancers had already begun a more quickly-paced number when Hob joined them on stage, skidding to a halt in front of the Lethan Twi'lek who regarded him archly as she spun around her pole. Hob stood facing her and tapped his borrowed cane twice. Taking it as a some form of challenge, the Twi'lek leaned in close to Hob and flung her boa around his neck, drawing him in to the dance itself.

The goblin puffed himself up to his dignified best and joined in, weaving around her with the natural athleticism of someone very used to all sorts of climbing activity. Not only did his performance entice something extra out of the lead dancer, he also managed to draw in the side performers as well; at one point Hob used the borrowed boa as a tightrope between them. When he was midway across it they then spun, causing the boa to harmlessly ensnare the small goblin. They then delivered him back to the Lethan, who planted a kiss on his small forehead as he slid back into step with her.

The crowd, initially attracted by the spectacle of the goblin on stage, was now enthralled by the even-more-exotic nature of the dance on stage. The DJ had long ago decided to run with the odd ball he'd been left and the "Master of Ceremonies" just watched with a bemused expression, finally seeming entertained for the first time in the evening.

For his own part, the goblin was having the time of his life. The Lethan Twi'lek was an exceptionally gifted dancer who suddenly had the chance to show off with a partner as gifted as she was. She made the most of her opportunity and in turn, the crowd roared increasing approval as she went through a variety of unique poses with Hob beside, underneath, and sometimes on top of, her artfully arranged moves. Money began to be tossed at the feet of the dancers and when one large coin seemed like it might hit the lead dancer, Hob somehow managed to pluck it from the air while clinging to the side of the main stage pole.

With a grin, Hob tucked it into his hatband. He searched out Tak among the crowd and struck the grandest pose of all: head tilted loftily upwards showing off hat, feather, and coin in a single angle, one arm grabbing the pole, the other holding the cane triumphantly in his outstretched hand so that the falcon atop it caught the flashing lights being shown everywhere. The Lethan took her cue and rose up, allowing Hob to stand on her shoulders as he showed himself off to the assembled crowd.

In that little moment, he truly stood the picture of the Master of Ceremonies.

[Teagan Staedtler]

Many years later...


She stared at him, that very same wild grin on her features that he knew so well. Only now, she was taller. Taller than her own mother even. Loklorien s'Ilancy had been right in telling her daughter that she'd be as tall as Dad.

Years had passed since that night out with the goblin, Hob, but the two had never ceased to find ways to spend time together. And each time that he'd found his way to her, she'd aged just a little more, growing up from the young girl into a teen, and now on her twenty-second birthday, Teagan s'Ilancy had once more been visited by the diminutive Hob.

They'd spent the afternoon together, well into the evening, and now, with midnight fast approaching, they spent the hours reminiscing about years past.

Sitting on the floor of her bedroom, the two shared a bowl of root stew - it'd taken a few years, but she'd become rather fond of the soup, and it'd become something of a tradition now for them to share a bowl.

Grinning at him, Teagan swirled her spoon in the hot liquid, staring through the cloud of still-rising steam at his wrinkled face.

"You're still the best master of ceremonies I've ever seen."

[Hobgoblin]

"And still a fun date, you are!" Hob returned the compliment while sniffing the stew steam. "Mmm, a delicious meal. Delicious, like that other meal we had! Ate so much did you, that Hob remembers still your messy face."

She laughed at that, reaching out to playfully ruffle his hair. "I've got the eating habits of a Cizerack; least that's what Mom always says."

"Hm!" Hob beamed at the good-natured tousling. "At least a proper root stew you make. Combine tumbleweed and rocks, do Cizerack, and eat them for meals!"

The goblin leaned forward and spooned some stew into his mouth. "Mmm! Better than that other stew, this is," Hob proclaimed. "Has the secret ingredient, yes, yes. Mm!"

Taking a spoonful herself, she made a face at him. "Of course it's better than the other stew; I'm the one who made this batch. You made the last."

She scooted herself around then, so that the two were sitting beside each other. "You're gonna keep coming to visit, right?"

Hob drew himself up indignantly and lightly poked Teegan's nose. "Hob said he would, and lie Hob does not!"

The goblin's face suddenly took on an evasive look as he seemed to remember something. "Well, lie about promises Hob does not. Maybe... some other things... Hob does lie about."

She lofted an eyebrow at that, and slowly the Lupine set her spoon along the edge of the bowl. "Everyone tells lies you know. You don't actually think I told my mom that you took me to a stripjoint when I was eight years old, do you?"

Hob somehow managed to look embarrassed. "Thought it was the circus, Hob did."

"But Hob does not usually lie. Only when something is very important and lying is necessary does Hob lie. Part of being a Jedi is to be open to all of myself. To lie, is to hide parts of me that should not be hidden. SO!" The goblin's ears perked up. "Hob shall tell the truth."

"Hob is not over 200 years old."

When Teegan did not respond right away, Hob continued. "Hob is only 143 of your years old. Hob... Hob just wanted to seem old so that the bouncer would let us in."

[Ledo Prent]

* * *

Many, many years from now...


Oh, he knew something was up. Exactly what it was he couldn't be sure, but there was definitely something funny going on. He was a fairly observant guy these days, and not much really escaped his attention. Course, it wasn't hard when everyone around you acted suspicious - like they were doing now.

Ledo Prent had grown like a weed, much to his mother's dismay. She bemoaned the fact that he refused to get his hair cut, and it'd become something of an art in avoiding her subtle attempts to cut it herself. Thankfully she didn't dote on him quite as often as she used to, but there were still a few times where he'd be caught in her clutches and have to endure her attentions. And what did his father do? Nothing. Nothing but sit and watch and laugh. The youngest Prent suspected that it was because it was he was the one who had been ensared, not his father.

His older sister - well, half-sister - Teagan, wasn't any help either, sometimes even helping to corner him whenever she was spending the week at home with the rest of the family.

But now, during the last week, Ledo had suspected something had happened; or was going to happen. He could smell it in the air almost. Dad was acting clueless, and Mom had stepped up her crusade to improve his cleaning habits. It was becoming more difficult everyday to elude her.

After the week had ended he'd had enough. He couldn't take much more of this, and Ledo knew that something had to be done. Mom had pulled him aside just last night to ask him something, and now he had a fairly good idea about what was about to go down.

Again, he was a fairly observant guy these days.


Now, sitting in the den with his father, Ledo paused the game they'd been playing on the holo. He set his controller down on the floor while turning a to look at the elder Prent, a serious expression on his young features.

It was time to play his hand.

"I know what you and Mom are doing."

[Senator Prent]

"You do?"

I set aside the controller, almost relieved in a way. It was getting harder and harder to play these games since I almost never won anyway. Still, it was a good way to relax after another day in the Senate. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that I'd actually settled to turn out a family. Being a Senator was a lot more plausible in comparison.

[Ledo Prent]

"I do."

So. Dad was still playing like he didn't know.

"And you don't have to pretend anymore you know. Mom pretty much told me everything last night."

He narrowed his eyes while leaning toward Dad.

"Everything."

[Senator Prent]

"Did she?"

I continued to feign ignorance. This wasn't the first time I'd been sweated after all.

I rose from my seat and headed toward the kitchen, unbuttoning the top button of my shirt as I walked.

"What did she tell you about?"

Never hurt to call his bluff.

[Ledo Prent]

Ledo scrambled up to his feet, trailing his father with a scowl. It would be better if he just caved and admitted it instead of this stupid runaround.

"Oh, I don't know, you tell me. You're the ones who've been planning it for like, the whole last week; keeping me in the dark, not telling me anything."

His scowl transformed into a rather prideful smirk.

"You guys honestly didn't think you'd be able to keep something like this from me, did you?"

[Senator Prent]

I shrugged, and opened the fridge door.

"Well, I gotta know what you're talking about to help, Ledo. You're mom's the mind-reader, not me."

I retrieved a few items, setting them aside on the counter to make dinner. Of course, we had plenty enough help around the house, but I reserved the right every now and then to take care of cooking.

[Ledo Prent]

There wasn't any way he'd fall for that one. Ledo kept his smirk while moving to stand beside his father at the counter.

"But you do know what I'm talking about. You and Mom can't hide secrets from me, so why even try? Look. If you tell me, I promise I'll act surprised, okay? It's not hard to fake that; you do it all the time."

[Senator Prent]

Was I almost proud that my progeny was aiming to be a fraction of the hustler that his dad used to be, at least?

Sort of, yeah.

I set aside a few eggs, some herbs, and some dried pasta as I began my prep.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you, but we're getting your sister a Sorosuub speeder for her birthday."

[Ledo Prent]

No way. There was no way in the galaxy that that was what this was about. He knew it wasn't. And even if it was, it wasn't like they'd not tell him about that.

"Half-sister," he corrected, "And it's not that."

[Senator Prent]

I held my hands up in half resignation.

"Well, thats all I know. Maybe you should ask your mother."

I smirked as I took the kitchen vibroknife and began to work on chopping veggies.

"Now, what do you want to eat tonight?"

[Ledo Prent]

Frowning then, Ledo pursed his lips - much like his mother did when she was frustrated. It was a habit that he'd picked up over years of watching her. If Dad was still going to refuse to say anything, it looked like the time had finally come for full disclosure. There wasn't any getting around the fact.

Ignoring the question of what he wanted to eat, the boy crossed his arms. He gave his father a perturbed look - another trait of his mother's that he'd inherited.

"Ok fine. When Mom talked to me last night, she said that you and her were going to have to start picking out names."

The truth always came out.

"You guys are getting me a puppy, aren't you."

[Senator Prent]

I pursed my lips together and paused in the midst of cutting veggies.

"Well Ledo, you got me there. I couldn't keep that from you for too long."

In the back of my mind, I was making a note to have one of my assistants pick up a puppy.

[Ledo Prent]

"I knew it!"

He'd been asking for a pet for years, and had almost resorted to begging even. That his parents had finally caved and decided to get a dog was wonderful.

He couldn't exactly let on that he'd managed to weasel the information from his father though, and at the sound of approaching footsteps, the boy gave a wink before trotting happily from the kitchen.

Passing by his mother, who'd no doubt smelled the promise of a meal coming from the kitchen, he ducked back into the den.

He was gonna get a puppy.

[Master s'Ilancy-Prent]

For once she made no move to pull him aside, to straighten his hair or any other thing that would constitute as an attempt to better his appearance. No, she had caught the scents of the beginning stages of dinner being prepared, and s'Il was intent on finding out just what she would be eating.

Her eyes went to Sanis, standing at the cutting board, and with a final look behind her to where Ledo had disappeared, the Lupine moved quietly to stand beside him, watching as he continued to cut the assortment of vegetables he'd pulled from the fridge.

[Senator Prent]

"Our son is becoming quite a hustler."

I worked through vegetables with practised ease as I flipped the knife aside.

[Master s'Ilancy-Prent]

Well. That wasn't much of a surprise. Ledo was a carbon copy of Sanis, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before his behavior led him into many of the same situations that his father so often found himself in.

She gave a soft hrmm, content to watch as her husband prepared their dinner.

"I would hazard that that's because his father is a wonderful teacher."

[Senator Prent]

A small look of self satisfaction crossed my face as I measured a bit of oil in a cooking pan.

"One of the best, I'd say. "

[Master s'Ilancy-Prent]

He looked proud enough about that, and s'Il moved to the side so that she could lean back against a far counter, out of his way. It wasn't hard to tell that something had happened before she'd come into the kitchen.

"And what, may I ask, has he conned from you now?"

[Senator Prent]

"Well, he found out that we're getting him a new puppy for one."

I gave her a knowing expression that she was probably best not to question the absurdity of it.

[Master s'Ilancy-Prent]

"A... puppy."

For a moment, her features clouded over in confusion. They weren't getting Ledo a puppy, even despite the relentless campaign he'd been pursuing as of late. All manner of thoughts raced through her mind at what could possibly make the boy think such a thing, and it wasn't long before her eyes closed tightly.

Last night. Why? Why had she even mentioned such a thing to him?

Reaching up to gently massage along the edge of her scar, the Lupine let out a long breath.

"He told you about last night then, I take it."

[Senator Prent]

"Of course he did. That was his leverage."

I chopped the bulb root and added it to the hot oiled pan, following with a little salt.

[Master s'Ilancy-Prent]

And that was it. Unlike Ledo, she knew that it wasn't hard for Sanis to guess what her question had truly meant. She'd planned to tell him on a quiet evening, when their son was gone to one of his friends. When it would be just her and Sanis, over a peaceful dinner in a quiet home, without the sound of some holo racing game in the background.

She stared at him as he went about cooking, quiet as she watched. He said not a word, only wearing that same smile on his face that she'd seen when she told him that she was pregnant with Ledo. It elicited a familiar enough, slightly snappish tone in her voice.

"Well say something then.

[Senator Prent]

"Well I guess we'd better think of a name for that puppy!"

I couldn't keep my deadpan expression up, and my smile grew even more as I covered her up in a big hug.

[Teagan Staedtler]

* * *

In the years to come...


No matter how much time passed, home always seemed to stay the same. Schwartzweld, though still uninhabited by the largest portion imaginable, was still the one place - over Cathar even - that Teagan thought of as home. Since the first day her mom and dad had brought her here, and even after their rushed parting, it had always been and would always be home. With the exception of a few scattered estates, it was wildly overgrown. The great monolithic statues were still crumbling, and whispervines still traced their lush patterns over nearly everything.

It was perfect.

Growing up, she'd always managed to convince her parents to take her back periodically; sometimes they'd given her grief over the matter, but Dan and s'Il had always relented in the end, and she'd more often than not gotten her wish. And when she'd grown old enough to travel on her own, it was Sanis that she went to, begging, blackmailing, and bribing until he too took her back.

But it wasn't the simple fact of being there that always made her happy - he was always there. Rasmuss. The man was a fixture it seemed, alone with none to bother him, on his own world. He was family, and she'd been ecstatic when first learning that her mother had Changed him. He'd always been kind, and even playful when out romping through the gardens and orchards, and so growing up, an attachment to him had formed. He was the 'cool uncle', as Wyl had said once.



And now, standing in the rather large kitchen of House Losstarot, Teagan busied herself with preparing a surprise breakfast for Rasmuss. She'd come in during the night, and instead of waking him, spent the few remaining hours before sunlight putting together a rather wide spread of food; vegetables, eggs, poultry, everything she could find that was stocked in the fridge unit and cabinets.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon, and still the young woman worked diligently.

She'd sent no messages ahead of her, so she knew that her presence would be a surprise. She'd even brought gifts for him - the newest editions of the galaxy's science journals - just another of those things that she reserved only for him.

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage woke with the rising sun, his eyes cracking open as his nose, still fresh from the talents of the previous night's change, detected a change in the air. He wasn't quite alone.

Not bothering to fuss with the remains of his hair, the former Colonel slid a robe over his pajamas and walked the long path to the house kitchen.

"Teagan?"

He fit his spectacles over his face as he took the stairs down.

"When did you come in?"

[Teagan Staedtler]

She paused momentarily in the midst of slicing one of the fruits she'd brought in from the orchard, a grin on her face. She went back to her cutting after only a moment however, and it wasn't long before she'd finished. The knife was set on the countertop then, and the young Lupine turned to watch as Rasmuss came through the kitchen doorway.

He looked positively bedraggled, and the sight of him made her grin break into a wide smile as she closed the distance between them.

"A few hours ago," she said while wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into an embrace.

"Couldn't bring myself to wake you up; you looked too comfy so I figured I'd let you sleep."

[Colonel Karrnage]

"Ah, yes, a wise idea."

Karrnage blinked slightly blearily.

"I seem to have thrown caution to abandon and stayed up too late for my own good. Scientific muse indeed."

He looked over her bountiful spread and smiled.

"You are making breakfast? How thoughtful."

[Teagan Staedtler]

"I thought so too."

With a fingernail, she tapped at the necklace he wore. It was identical almost to her own. That he still wore it after so many years never failed to make her proud - that a seemingly innocent trinket she'd asked her mother to make was still kept close to his heart.

Teagan reached for the handful of datapads she'd set on the center island, presenting them to him.

"I also brought you presents. Science journals mostly. I made sure to get all the newest editions, and a few that I forgot from the last time I visited."

[Colonel Karrnage]

"Thank you very much."

Karrnage quickly thumbed through the summaries of each journal, inwardly prioritizing each one on his reading schedule.

"Always good to ensure that my self-imposed exile doesn't make an ignoramus of me."

He adjusted his glasses as he regarded the younger woman.

"Tell me of your travels of late. I'm sure that you're finding adventure just as easily as your mother did."

[Teagan Staedtler]

She pulled a plate from one of the upper cupboards, and haphazardly placed both fruit and vegetable slices on it before placing it on the kitchen island.

At the mention of her mother and 'adventure' in the same sentence, Teagan pulled an odd face.

"Mom and adventure - that's funny.

"I haven't gone anywhere new lately; just Cathar and Bespin mostly. Went to the old citadel, even."

Slicing through a chicken thigh, Teagan set about cutting it into thin strips.

"Mom says hi, Cirr says you're still weird, Sanis agrees with Cirr, and you don't want to know what Ledo said."

[Colonel Karrnage]

"Perhaps I don't, then. Even still, he should arrange a visit at some point. It would do some good to chart your half brother's growth."

He watched her familiar hands work to prepare breakfast, and smiled sheepishly.

"Tell me of your travels to Cathar and Bespin, then? Have you decided upon a profession that interests you yet?"

[Teagan Staedtler]

"I only really went to Cathar so I could go through the library at the citadel." It worried her at times, that she was turning into her mother; spending hours among books and journals, and sometimes even writing herself.

With a small sigh she scooped the chicken slices into a bowl, setting them beside the vegetables. There was no need to cook anything, as for her, raw was just as delightful to consume as cooked.

"Sometimes I get worried that you and Mom are rubbing off on me - not like that's a bad thing. I mean, reading is fun and all, and I like going over the House records and genealogies, but I don't know. And I'm too old to really train to be a Jedi - not to mention I can't hardly even use the Force as it is. Staying here with you wouldn't be so bad I guess, but... "

It was the thought of Bespin though, that made her smile wistfully.

"I spent time with Wyl on Bespin," she continued, casting a sheepish look of her own over her shoulder at him.

[Colonel Karrnage]

"Yes, your Jedi gentleman caller?"

The professor picked at a piece of fruit and nibbled it, continuing.

"I take it the visit went well?"

So strange, the recent trend of Lupines to be co-mingling with Jedi, as if in direct rebellion from their genetic nature.

[Teagan Staedtler]

"I s'ppose."

She paused for a few moments, and the once far-off stare she held was soon replaced with a furrowed brow.

Moving to sit down beside him, Teagan picked at a strip of chicken, popping it in her mouth before chewing thoughtfully. She swallowed, toying with one of the datapads she'd given to him.

Finally, she broke the short silence.

"I don't get guys."

It was a statement that without a doubt meant she was expecting him to fill in the blanks.

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage paused in the midst of eating a piece of fruit.

"What don't you undestand?"

This was a curious avenue of discussion she was bringing up.

[Teagan Staedtler]

An exasperated groan, and she leaned forward to slightly rest her elbows on the table.

"I don't know - anything."

Opting for a carrot slice, the younger Lupine plucked one up from the plate, but instead of biting into it she simply stared at it.

"It just seems that this whole 'relationship' thing gets harder and harder the older you get."

[Colonel Karrnage]

Karrnage was in a quandry, in that he had no real anecdotal experience with which to dispense to the young Lupine. Nevertheless, he endeavored to provide some help.

"Is there any specific part of it you find difficulty with? Perhaps by isolating that, you can set a controlled experiment to determine how best to deal with it."

[Teagan Staedtler]

She groaned at that.

"You can't experiment on relationships, Rasmuss."

Pursing her lips, Teagan gave him a slightly baffled, sidelong look. Controlled experiments? Though, she supposed that she shouldn't really be surprised. Still. There was no way she was going to talk to Sanis about this - he'd probably just start telling her about all the girls he used to... know. And no way was she going to go to her mother. That was a disaster just waiting to happen.

"Hasn't there ever been someone you've liked enough to want to spend more time with?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

"I'm afraid I'm guilty only of admiring from afar."

The Colonel helped himself to more breakfast, thinking about it.

"And why can't you experiment? One would assume that you haven't resigned yourself to monogamy at this stage, that is correct? Isn't that a normal process?"

[Teagan Staedtler]

"I don't know."

Finally, she took a bite of the carrot. Toying with her necklace, she let out a grumped hmph.

For as much as it was said that women were the complicated party in any relationship, Teagan found herself at a loss.

"I just don't know how to say 'I like you' without sounding like some idiot. We're friends, and I don't want to mess it up."

She thought for a moment.

"What would you say if someone you knew for a long time said something like that?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

"I suppose I would thank them. It seems that would be a very high compliment indeed."

Munching a piece of veggie, Karrnage somehow sensed that his answer wasn't adequate.

"I suppose that would depend on your expectation of reciprocation."

[Teagan Staedtler]

Teagan stared at him, her brain doing its' best to understand his thought processes. It wasn't long before she gave up her attempts while in the same motion leaning back in her seat and waving any previous thoughts away.

"Ok, maybe not the best question."

"How would you tell someone you liked them enough to want to start a relationship with them?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

"I would start by outlining all of the advantages of a relationship, weighed against the disadvantages of a relationship. Using logical reasoning, I would make it a foregone conclusion."

[Teagan Staedtler]

At that, she couldn't help but stare at him. She'd become used to his nature early on, but there were still times when he managed to surprise her. That he was approaching her question as if it was some sort of scientific problem to suss out logically struck her momentarily speechless.

She blinked, not entirely sure what to say.

And then she laughed.

[Colonel Karrnage]

"This is amusing?"

He was a little surprised at the reaction, and it seemed like prudent advice.

"Have I missed something in my reasoning?"

[Teagan Staedtler]

"You can't use science for everything," she answered, still chuckling.

Scooting her chair closer so that their shoulders touched, Teagan gave a light poke to his temple, then settled for smoothing out his unruly hair, still mussed from the night's sleep. It was a habit taken from her mother so long ago, and one that she'd always found herself exercising upon Rasmuss. Whether he enjoyed it or not, he'd never said otherwise, and throughout the years the younger Lupine continued her ritual.

"There's times when you have to just act, and let your feelings guide you. I know you've been keeping to yourself here at home, but that's no reason to let science take a back seat?"

[Colonel Karrnage]

He smiled politely, eventually allowing himself to set right what Teagan had made asunder.

"Emotions may rule the moment, but observation is still important. We are all still animals, and animals of many races. As such, we have rules either ingrained culturally or though the species as to the process."

He reached up to her face, a fingertip running just below her eyebrow. He pulled back, revealing just a hint of color. Teagan's makeup was certainly minimal, but it existed still.

"Bright plumage isn't too abstract of a notion for us, is it?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

... In which the Master Loses His Lightsabre

s'Il had spent her free afternoon reading, though at times she periodically set aside her book to busy herself with jotting down notes in the journal that she'd continuously kept. She wasn't entirely sure how many she'd filled, though it was more than likely a fair amount. The time would come at some point, for her to collect them all and rewrite each page into a larger volume, collecting her life's work into a single bound volume.

It was a peaceful time for the Lupine, and she enjoyed it with a glass of wine from home, sipping from its' contents every so often.

There was a certain level of curious expectancy in her motions however, and only the most diligent of observers would notice that she was anxious for... something. Her movements were light and airy, a constant smile of content peace on her lips.

Dan, not so lucky as to share the day with her, was fated for another day of the mundane; overseeing those below him and keeping his ever watchful eye on the comings and goings of those under his command. She did not envy him, and took a small bit of joy in the notion that when he returned from his duties, she would be waiting for him. Waiting to listen as he complained about this or that. Waiting to watch him sit beside her and begin nattering on about... well, about something.

She took a moment to look up, at the mementos scattered about the shelves along the far wall, and with an unreadable expression, the Lupine leaned back into the comfortable confines of the sofa as she stared at a rather empty portion in the assortment of trinkets gathered.

[General Dan]

The doors slid open, and Dan entered without a word, beginning his daily task of removing his jacket upon entry. As usual, Lok was sitting at the table, enjoying time to herself.

"Busy day then?"

He tossed his jacket onto an empty chair and headed into the living room to dispense of his usual odds and ends that he carried with him each day.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Not so much as yours I would imagine."

There was an airy tone to her voice, as she closed the book she'd been studying.

Angling her head to watch as he went about his normal routines, the Lupine licked her lips. She knew that come tomorrow, the both of them would be just as busy as the other, but for now she took comfort in the relaxation offered by a day unfettered.

[General Dan]

"Yes, unfortunately."

He moved to the wine rack to retrieve something to enjoy for the end of the day, and paused.

"Lok, have you seen my lightsaber?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il blinked at that, giving him a rather befuddled look. With a deliberate motion, the Lupine rose to her feet, moving to stand beside her master. Her eye followed his own gaze, falling upon the rather empty display stand that normally held the familiar serpent hilt.

Her brow knit.

"You didn't take it with you this morning?"

She gave him a sideways glance.

"I thought you had."

[General Dan]

A frown crossed his face.

"You know I wouldn't do that."

Why would he take that sort of thing out in the open. Suddenly, he looked back at her.

"Come on. Where is it?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For a fraction of a second, she stared at him wide-eyed. She placed a hand on her chest to emphasize her next words.

"Me?"

And as if offended that he'd even entertain such a thought, s'Il turned about in a flourish to once more reclaim her seat. She gave him a rather haughty glare.

"I did nothing. I'm not stupid, you know."

[General Dan]

Ah, feigning ignorance. No, Dan knew she'd done it. He just knew it. This was exactly the sort of thing she enjoyed.

"I think we both know. Tell you what. If you bring it to me, no harm, no foul. If I find it first, you're going to wish I didn't."

His tone was mostly disarming, but still held an impishness about it. Practical jokes, huh?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She still clung to her innocence.

So much so in fact, that she leveled a finger at him.

"Don't be so quick to assume that I'm so juvenile as to take your lightsabre and hide it from you.

"You're old. You probably just set it somewhere and forgot where."

And yet, beneath it all, her eye held a sparkle of amusement at the tone he'd taken with her.

[General Dan]

"Old huh?"

A surprised grin. Oh she'd definitely done it.

"Not old enough to start by rummaging through your old trunks!"

He turned to head to the bedroom.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In a split second she was up and hot on his heels.

"You stay out of my things... "

Attempting to pull him off course, s'Il only succeeded in being dragged along with him.

[General Dan]

"Got a better idea where to start?"

He shot back a sly grin and continued ahead unabated. Entering the bedroom, he found the largest and most conspicuous trunk, and flipped the ponderous lid up.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Helpless, s'Il could only watch as he opened up the lid.

"Yes in fact I do; somewhere not here."

She reached out to close the trunk's lid, moving quickly to deposit herself atop it.

[General Dan]

Seeing that this avenue was blocked, Dan narrowed his eyes at the very-guilty Lupine.

"I could go ahead and pull it out of your mind, but I suppose that would be against the rules."

He tapped his feet a few times.

"I need a drink."

With that, he whirled about and left the bedroom, heading to the kitchenette.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Satisfied that he'd been stopped for the time being, s'Il leaned forward on her perch to watch as he marched out. She quietly rose, padding silently after him at a distance.

She stopped in the middle of the living room, but it wasn't long before she moved to stand just outside the doorway leading into the kitchenette, watching him carefully.

[General Dan]

Dan opened up the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of ale, and stopped in his tracks. With the door open, he looked back to s'Il with an arched eyebrow.

"You never struck me as much of a dessert person."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She matched his expression, still intent on feigning ignorance on the matter. She crossed her arms.

"That's because I'm not."

[General Dan]

Dan reached into the fridge to pull out her handiwork. It was a bright yellow wobbling mound of flavored gelatin dessert. In the middle of it, suspended like a fly in amber, was his lightsaber.

He held it in front of him, and said nothing.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il gave a gasp at the sight of it, her hand going to cover her mouth as her eyes grew wide. She blinked a few times, masterfully playing her shock at seeing his weapon encased in gelatin.

"Who did that??"

[General Dan]

"Seems to be a mystery."

Dan spoke in a voice bereft of surprise, and gave her a funny look.

"Well, I think somebody better get hungry for some gelatin."

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a spoon, handing it to s'Il.

"And soon."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For a scant few moments she looked at the spoon she now held, then back up to him. A smirk, and she pushed it back into his own hand.

"Oh, no thank you."

The Lupine could no longer keep any semblance of innocence, and a wide smile spread across her lips. She gave a sympathetic pat to his arm, a kiss to his cheek, then turned on her heel; it was time to return to her studies, after all.

"I've already eaten. I do recall you having a bit of a tendency toward sweet things yourself however, so by all means. Have at it."

[General Dan]

ssssshlurrrrp

The gelatin peeled off of the lightsaber, which clattered onto the plate. Held by the force, globules of shiny yellow wobbled in mid air, as if poised for attack.

"I told you it would be bad for you if I found it first."

His smile broadened as the first globule flew toward s'Il and shot down the front of her shirt.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Caught by surprise, the Lupine stood stock still. She narrowed her eyes at him, but it was easy to see that there was no real anger in her gaze, merely shock that he'd do such a thing.

"Dan Thrule," she stressed every syllable.

With deliberate - and rather ungraceful motions - s'Il managed to pull the unwieldy yellow chunk from inside her shirt.