"Are you David?"...

[Aiden Rennure]

"'Scuse me, are you David?"

The man looked down at the little boy, fidgeting in impatience, and shook his head. Aiden sighed and dashed off to another table, another person.

"Are you David?"

Once again, the answer was no. Well, there were plenty of people in the room and one of them had to be David. After all, the man outside had said that David was in here and that David could bring his mom back. Aiden had even given the man all his money to make sure he wasn't lying.

"Are you David?"

"Uh, no, sorry."

His little red backpack was getting heavy so Aiden sat it down underneath a chair, giving it a loving pat before starting his rounds again.

After a few more "Are you David's", Aiden realized that it was going to take him a long time to find who he was looking for if he kept asking individual people. And what if, while he was asking, David left? How would he get his mom back then? No, there had to be a better way.

Retrieving his backpack, Aiden clambered up onto a barstool, with a great deal of difficulty being as small as he was, and then proudly placed his two sneakered feet on the bartop. He stood for a moment, reveling in this great feat before clapping his hands.

"'Scuse me everybody! I'm lookin' for David! If David is here, I gotta talk to you! David...is David here?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei looked up at the little kid that had climbed up on the stool beside him.

"Hey, there, little one. David? Never heard of a David. Do you know David's last name?"

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden shook his head, brown hair whipping around. He climbed off the bar and plopped onto a stool, swinging his legs.

"Nope. I gave the man outside all my money from my peanut bank and he said that David was in here an' that David knew how ta get my mom back."

Aiden looked around again. No one had answered his shouts. Frowning, the little boy looked at Wei.

"David does know how to get my mom back...right?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

"I don;t know." Wei frowned. "Are you hungry?"

[Aiden Rennure]

Once again, Aiden shook his head.

"Nope. I had a chocolate bar a little bit ago. I just gotta find David."

He put his head on the bar, sadly.

"If I don't find David then my mom won't ever be able to come back from heaven. Have you seen him? The man outside said he's really tall and has yellow hair."

[Salemn Lysce]

Salemn couldn't help but overhear the little boy, and a frown graced her lips. Standing up from her table, the girl walked over to Aiden then looked at Wei.

< Wei, it sounds to me like someone set him up ... >

The mute sent out her messages through the Force then glanced at the boy again.

< Aiden, do you know this David personally ? >

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden jumped as he heard the message in his head.

"Wow! That's cool! Like a super hero!"

For a minute, he was so caught up in the excitement of the message, that he didn't answer. Finally, still pretty impressed, he answered, though it was absently.

"Nope. But the man outside said he was here and promised that he wasn't lying' 'cause I gaved him all the money in my peanut bank."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei stood up. "Stay here, kid. I'll be back soon."

Wei went outside and found the man that the kid had told him about. It wasn;t hard to find the bum. He had a look that screamed out his infatuation with duping the innocent.

"Hey, you." The man tried to run, but Wei grabbed his wrist and twisted it sharply. "A little kid gave you every penny he had. I'm here to reclaim it. And if you know what is good for you, you'll give him all YOUR money as an apology."

The man winced, nodded and handed Wei a large sum of money.

"Thanks," Wei said, his voice now friendly. "Let this be a lesson to you, and have anice day."

Wei re-entered the bar and tapped the kid on the shoulder. "That man you talked to asked that I give you your money back." wei handed the kid the money.

[Salemn Lysce]

She smiled slightly and reached out with a hand, ruffling the kid's hair. He was so sweet and innocent, just wanting to bring his mother back from Heaven .... That's when Wei excused himself, then later returned with Aiden's money.

< Wei .. How did you get the boy's money back ? >

Salemn's brown eyes glanced sternly at Wei when he handed the boy back his money. Of course, it was a good deed, but the question was how it was received.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei smiled, put a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.

"Trade secret."

It was his way of saying he had implemented his Grandpa's training.

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden just stared at the money, not taking it. His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips in thought.

"But if he doesn't have the money to make sure he's not lyin', then that means that David might not be here..."

The little boy dropped his backpack which thudded to the floor.

"An' if David isn't here, then I won't never get my mom back! I gotta find David afore it's too late!"

Aiden stood up on his stool frantically and looked around, yelling.

"David! David you gotta get my mom back! It's me, Aiden Michael Rennure! It's me! I'm turnin' six on October ninth an' I can ride a big boy bike all by myself! You gotta get my mom back! It's me!"

[Salemn Lysce]

< And just what do you mean by that ? >

She hoped that he didn't use violence, or forced the man to pay back the money. The guy was probably homeless, searching for a living. All they had to do was ask Aiden how much he paid, and reimburst him.

Too late now.

< Aiden .. Aiden ! Please, listen to me .. >

Sadness welled up in her heart as she watched the child.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei clutched the boy's arms and shook him gently to get his attention.

"Aiden, Aiden, listen."

When he was sure he had the boy's attention he continued. "It's ok. He said to take the money. He wanted you to have it. Now let's stay calm. I'll help you find this David guy...and I won;t need your money."

Wei sighed and said, "Do you know what a Jedi is?"

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden shook his head. He was close to tears. If he didn't find David by midnight, the man said that he would dissapear and never come back.

"No."

Sniffle.

"I just wanna find David an' get my mom back. I promise I won't cry when she has to go to the grown up clubhouse even if it's past my bedtime an' it's dark out, I promise! Just help me get my mom down from Heaven...please."

[Salemn Lysce]

< Wei ! Now isn't the time to tell him he should be a Jedi ! >

The padawan bristled with irritation as Wei grabbed the boy. All Aiden wanted to do was find "David" .. Suddenly, it hit her.

< Aiden ! I have a wonderful idea. Would you like to sit down with me and I can tell you the story about David ? >

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei sighed and gave the boy a hug. "Jedi are good people, Aiden. They protect people and try to make it so that people are not sad. If you need help, you have coem to the right place. David might not be here, but there are plenty of Jedi here that will help you out. I am a Jedi, and so is that lady. Her name is Salemn. We can help you find David. Ok?

Wei sent Salemn a Force Message. "Salemn I am trained in telling people's intentions. Grandpa called it 'removing the shade.' That man wanted nothing but to make an easy dollar off of a desperate little kid. I have taught him better than that now."

Wei turned back to Aiden. "Dry your eyes, and tell me something. What is your favorite thing to drink?"

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden nodded at Wei.

"Okay. But I gotta get my mom back an' if I don't find David afore midnight he's gonna dissapear forever."

He wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve and then climbed down and picked up his backpack. Once situated back on the stool, he took a slow breath. These people would help him.

"I like orange pop but my mom said I couldn't have it at night 'cause I "bounced off the walls"."

He looked at Salemn curiously.

"You know 'bout David? Tell me please! I gotta know everything 'bout him so I can get him to get my mom back!"

[Salemn Lysce]

She smiled reassuringly at Aiden and took the liberty of seating herself next to him.

< Well, some people view him as a biblical character, and others believe his presence is reality ... But they say that his soul is in Heaven, protecting those on Earth who have faith .. >

It was hard to explain .. The poor kid.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei nodded. "By midnight? That is way past your bedtime, to be sure. Wei managed a laugh. "How does it feel to stay up late?" He asked, trying to lighten Aiden's mood.

Wei sighed again. The poor kid. Midnight. Tonight. What a feat. But Wei was determined. he reached out with the Force and began to scan for a lofe force that was out of the ordinary.

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden looked at Salemn silently.

"He's in Heaven?"

He looked at Wei and then at the room.

"The man outside smelled like the men my mom brought home. An' he had a bottle like my mom's grown up drink."

He turned back to Salemn.

"David isn't in here, is he?"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei opened his eyes. he had searched the thoughts of everyone he could, but diving into so many people's heads was tiring. He was a padawan, after all.

"Well, just because he looked, and smelled and drank what your mom's friends did, doesn;t make him by any stretch of the imagination your friend."

Wei sighed and hoped he hadn;t just sounded harsh. The kid didn;t need lectures, he needed comfort.

"Aiden, can I ask you what your mom was like? What she did and things like that?"

[Aiden Rennure]

The little boy shrugged.

"My mom worked at the grown up clubhouse when it was dark. Me an' my bruver Antrim built a fort in the kitchen so that the monsters couldn't get in when she was gone. An' then we had to hide when she came home in the morning 'cause her head hurt an' sometimes her friends chased us outside 'cause it was a game. Then she had my baby bruver Tobey. She said a lot of bad words when he cried but then she said sorry an' took us to the park."

He rested his head on the bar again.

"I don't think David is comin'. I don't think he's here. An' that means my mom won't ever come back!"

He sniffled again and then his head shot up.

"Wait! You said that the Jedi help people! You can get my mom back! I won't even ask you to get my bruvers, just my mom!"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei translated the boy's innocent talk into a more harsh sounding tale. His mother worked at a bar, or a strip club, or something like that. She sounded to be alcoholic also. The kid had lost everything. His brothers, his mom, and who knew where Aiden's dad was? It was more than Wei could bear. And he had never expeienced such a tragedy before.

"I don;t know if we could do that..." Wei thought to himself. Wei wanted to give this kid a mom. That kid had been through a lot of crap. He deserved to live a better life than he had been given. Wei would see that Aiden got that better life.

"Well, I am not too sure we could do that tonight. Do you still want to go find David, or would you rather give up and try another way?"

[Aiden Rennure]

The child shrugged and rested his head in his arms.

"I dunno. My head hurts. I don't wanna think anymore."


Aiden yawned and rubbed his eyes. The day had been long but he was still clinging to the hope that "David" would come and bring his mom back.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Are you getting sleepy? If you want to go to sleep, you can come stay with me. You can get sleep, and some food."

Wei smiled. "Thinking can make you confused somtimes. Being confused is no fun, I know that."

Wei looked to Salemn. What were they to do?

[Aiden Rennure]

He shook his head quickly, without lifting it from his arms.

"No, I wanna make sure that David's not comin'."

Even as he said this, Aiden started to doze off. His eyes had just closed when he felt as if he were falling and jerked awake. He hated those dreams! Playing it safe, the child sat up straight, determined to stay awake.

"I'm not sleepy."

Aiden was slowly falling asleep sitting up but every time he started to, he jerked his head up and rubbed his eyes, a determined frown on his lips.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei watched the little boy struggle to keep awake. Wei smiled and his eyes twinkled behind his glasses. Aiden was a good kid.

"Do your best to stay awake. But don;t push yourself too hard."

[Aiden Rennure]

Aiden nodded and rubbed his eyes again. His grip on the red backpack was loosening and his eyes were heavy. It was nearing his bedtime and after wandering around all day he was exausted. Aiden yawned and scratched his nose. He wanted to go home but the police had locked it up after the accident. Starting to get irritated, Aiden held his arms out to Wei.

"I wanna go to bed now. My eyes hurt."

There was a bit of a whine in his voice for the little boy was upset. He didn't know how he was going to get his mother back now but he couldn't stay awake a minute longer.

[Salemn Lysce]

At least he doesn't have insomnia ...

She reached up and massaged her temples slightly while thinking. What Aiden had told them were things she used to witness everyday on the streets, until she came here to become a Jedi.

It was sweet and touched her heart as he reached out for Wei, wanting to go to bed.

< Take him with you, Wei .. The boy needs his rest after a long day. >

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Ok. We'll go to the place that I stay. You can get some sleep there."

Wei took the backpack from Aiden and put it over his shoulder, then scooped the boy up into his arms, allowing Aiden to rest his head on Wei's shoulder.

"Everything will be just fine, good buddy."

Wei got up and headed for the exit to take Aiden back to his room in the living quarters. Wei would be sleeping on the floor tonight.

[Aiden Rennure]

"Mmmkay."

Aiden mumbled as he was scooped up. He rested his head on Wei's shoulder and wound his other arm around the mans neck, gently. His breathing grew slower, rythmic, as he started to fall asleep.

"I gotta get into my pajamas."

He muttered sleepily, into the shoulder.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei smiled. Poor kid. Wei looked over at Salemn. "Are you coming?" he asked with a Force message. "We need to talk, anyway."