A Quick Snack(open)

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

The young mother wandered into the bar, she was clothed in a cloak with the hood up since by all accounts, the KAR thought she was dead. Her youngest, Hiroaki babbled in her arms while the bouncer checked her for weapons. Inu was back at their room with the other three but seeing as Hiroaki didn't share his father's present hair color nor his mother's, Sorr thought it would be okay to take him along.

Once checked, she wandered over to a table and sat down. A droid came up to take her order, Sajoi, she had been craving them for months since leaving this planet before. It wasn't long before her order returned with the droid. She ate one, ignoring its squeaking while her son looked curiously at the new squirming items, the mother was pondering if he was old enough to try them all the while.

*no KAR please, still don't want to rp that yet, doing this again since Keer killed the other one.....

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

I step into the famed Yoghurt's Bar and Grill with all the caution of a small child sneaking about in her parents' room looking for a toy that had been taken as punishment. It's more than a little intimidating...I feel like I'm being watched by everyone. The guard gives me a slow, calculating look-over, not to check for weapons, but to check my body. I'm still wearing the sleeveless blouse and form-fitting pants that I had when I leapt from my balcony two days ago.

He winks when I catch him staring; I give him a scowl and move on. The large dining area is horribly crowded. It's hard to move between the tables without bumping the chairs. One chair makes an upset squeal, and I jump a mile at the unexpected sound. Turning, I find a mother and her baby.

"I-I'm so sorry!" I stammer. "I didn't mean to upset him!"

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

Sorr merely looks up and smiles.

"jIt's no trrrouble, he's a tough boy."

Hiro had already moved on, eyeing the mouse things in the bowl mommy had ordered. The little creatures squeaked and skittered about trying to find a way out but the bowl's sides were too smooth to climb so all efforts were to no avail. The cub batted the side of the bowl testingly, the Sajoi inside squeaked louder from within in terror. Sorr chuckled softly before looking back to the newcomer.

"You new herrre?"

She asked before grabbing one of the creature by the tail and putting it in her palm while still keeping hold of it by the tail for her son to see. Hiro mewed softly questioningly before poking it. The poor Sajoi squeaked so Sorr put it back for now letting Hiro get used to them.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"Yes..." I reply, taking a chair at her table. Now I can see her little boy better. He has what looks like a pair of adorable little puppy ears perched atop his head. "He's so cute..." I wave a little, trying to catch his attention. "What's his name?"

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Hjrrrroakji, he's almost my youngest, Nef, twjin hjis sjisterrr jis though....so what brrrjings you herrre?"

Sorr asks, for a part Cizerack, she is not ill-natured, the halfling had always been nice to most. Hiro giggles softly at the newcomer before babbling away at her, ears fluttering about a bit.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

I can't help but giggle back at him.

"Hiroaki..." I repeat softly, considering my answer to Sorr.

"I need a job, and a place to stay. I thought maybe someone in here could help me with a job, and maybe someone would be able to recommend a place to live. I need the job first, so I can pay rent and everything...I'm afraid I don't have a single credit to my name right now."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"jI'm jin the same boat honestly, the only reason we stjill do well jis because of the Jedji, we'd have nothjing jif they hadn't taken us jin.."

Hiro is still babbling away in her lap, battling the table with the palms of his hands for emphasis on the "stories" he's telling to Paegxis.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"The Jedi? How lucky!"

I hold out a finger to the little boy, watching him sieze it with both hands and shake it, still chatting away happily.

"You're so cute, Hiroaki," I tell him with a smile. "How did you come under the care of the Jedi?"

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"My husband jis a forrrce userrr, ourrr home was destrrroyed and we sought rrrefuge herrre. He was a Sjith but that starrrted beforrre he met me, he's worrrkjing on earrrnjing the Jedji's trrrust so they wjill starrrt to teach hjim thejirrr ways, therrre's a good hearrrt jin hjim, they wjill see jit one of these days."

Hiro continued telling his "story" loudly as he got to the scary or good part of it. Sorr nuzzled him lightly but he continued, the story had to be told, no time for mommy now.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"That's very interesting," I reply to Sorr, but directing my eyes to little Hiro. "I can't use the Force, so I doubt if the Jedi would give me housing."

The little boy catches me speaking to his mommy, andshakes my hand as hard as he can, as if to scold me for my inattentiveness.

"May I hold him, ma'am?"

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

'jIf he's okay wjith jit..."

She picks Hiro up and starts to move him towards Paegxis, watching his reaction all the while. Hiro only giggles so she sets him down in her lap, Hiro babbles happily, his audience is closer now!

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

I hold Hiro carefully in my lap, hugging him to me so he can see his mother, just in case he decides that he suddenly needs her. The baby takes a fistfull of my shirt and tugs on it so I'll look at him, then continues his baby story in earnest.

"He's adorable...You're very fortunate, miss."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Ljife has blessed me wjith hjis twjin sjisterrr and hjis elderrr brrrother and sjisterrr.....fourrr jin less than a yearrr, jI'm quite happy wjith the carrrds ljife has dealt me."

She smiles as she watches her son, he's getting to the really good part as you can tell with how loud and excited he is.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

Hiro's babble ends abruptly as he bursts into a fit of giggling. It seems his story is done, and that it was very funny. I brush his bangs back and kiss his forehead lightly.

"Such a wonderful story. You're an excellent storyteller, Hiroaki."

He looks proud, and I hug him tight.

"You're so lucky. I would like to have a child of my own, but I'm afraid I'm still too young to handle it."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"All thjings come jin tjime, yourrr day wjill as well."

She chuckled softly, in a way her and Inu hadn't been ready for their first, Anuberis had been a bit of a surprise for both of them. All the same, Sorreessa took to mothering quite quickly as if she had done it for years.

She reached over and ruffled her son's hair, muttering a word in her native Tano along the lines of cutey. Hiro giggled and mewed a little back at her.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

I nod, murmuring to the little boy about how wonderful he's behaving, when it suddenly occurs that I don't know his mother's name.

"I just realized that we haven't introduced ourselves to one another. My name is Paegxis Pragmaa."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Naeerrrji."

This name was a false one though. Before she would've told her real name but since her faked death to free herself from the KAR, she didn't have that liberty, some could still be around that knew her.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

Naeeri. What an exotic sounding name!

"That's a great name...back when I was allowed to attend public school the children would make fun of mine."

I tickle Hiro's chin a little to distract myself from continuing the story further. I can't keep telling sob stories to people; I need to be more confident about this new situation I'm in, just as Naeeri is with her own.

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

Sorr started to say something about being a halfbreed but bit her tongue, that would give her away too. The mention of a halfbreed tended to bring attention to said halfbreed which Sorr couldn't allow, the KAR would take her back or kill her if they found out she was alive. No, she wouldn't go back to the KAR at any cost.

"Worrrks for me, chjildrrren can be so evjil."

Hiro giggles softly before watching the Sajoi teem about in the bowl, trying to escape their fate.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"Your baby is a darling little angel...he's so happy and well behaved."

I tickle his little tummy, cuddling him with a happy smile.

"Babies are so wonderful."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

Sorr chuckled.

"He's good on hjis own but he pesterrrs hjis sjibljings but then agajin they all do."

The cubs' fights were always small squabbles but they happened often but seeing as the cubs' ages were not very far apart, it was only natural for them to be that way. Hiro is now telling stories to the Sajoi, babbling away.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"Poor little guy...I'll bet you and your siblings fight alot. You're such a lucky boy, Hiroaki. I never had any brothers or sisters of my own."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Well he prrrobably won't have any new sjibljings forrr awhjile, fourrr jis morrre than enough forrr now."

Hiro looks up at Paegxis briefly but looks back to the Sajoi, babbling again, he hasn't finished the story for them.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"I imagine I'd be hard pressed to take care of even one," I reply, smoothing the baby's hair and lightly holding his hands. "I babysat for my neighbors once, for just a few hours. I was so tired afterward that I slept until dinner the next day."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Heh, my mate and jI can harrrdly move afterrr a full day of watchjing fourrr of them, most days we just curl up where we are and fall asleep. Kjids arrre well worrrth jit though, jI love them so much."

Hiro has by now finished his story for the Sajoi and peeks over Paegxis' shoulder to tell the closest patron a story, babbling loudly as he tries to get its attention. Hey! I got's a story to tell! he seems to say.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

Gently I pull the little boy back into a sitting position on my lap, bouncing him lightly.

"Hush, little one. That man's sleeping, we don't want to wake him."

The patron chosen to hear Hiro's next story was a Twi'lek man who had drank himself to sleep at the table.

"Let's save a few stories for later, okay?"

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

Hiro shakes his head then tries to get the attention of another patron. The one in question ignores him though so the cub flutters his ears in annoyance. Sorr giggles softly at her son's antics.

"He used to do that forrr Obaasan all day, he's the only storrrytellerrr though of the fourrr."

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"He's so little, I can understand why. Daddy had this favorite analogy he used to use with little kids that were always talking and calling attention to themselves. He'd say 'little dogs bark the loudest, just to make sure you know they're there'...he said I was like that back in elementary school..."

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

"Hehe, jI thjink he just loves attentjion, he's happjiest when he has an audjience....he jisn't the smallest of the four either, he's much bigger than Nef."

Hiro is now batting at his mother's tail that she always swishes idly when awake.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

The baby swats and misses a few times before tagging the tail and giving a victorious cry, waving his arms and babbling proudly. Look what I did!

"You're very good at that. Try again!"

Regardless of whether or not he understood me, tiny Hiro reaches out to try and bat it again.

[Sorreessa Tarrineezi]

His mother keeps it teasingly out of reach though, batting him back lightly with it before moving it out of reach before he can get it. Hiro giggles and growls softly, fluttering his ears.

"He hates jit when jI do thjis..."

Sure enough, Hiro mutters a word unlike the rest he's done before, a distinctly his mother's native dialect, a sure sign the cub has to be annoyed so Sorr lets him get it to soothe her little boy.

[Paegxis Pragmaa]

"Poor baby..."

Carefully I hand him back to Naeeri, ruffling his hair with a smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Hiroaki and Naeeri. Perhaps we'll see each other again? Right now I need to go back to finding a job. It was a pleasure talking to you both."