A cry in the night

[Katie Miller]

From the recruitment center, crys echo through the halls of the jedi. Not the cry of some sad being but the cry of a babe. The sound a child makes when alone and cold with no where to go or a way to get there.

A single box sat in the empty recruitment center. There was not lid on it. Every once in a while, a small hand could be seen pokeing above it. Stepping closer to it, exposes a small human child wrapped in a white blanket. The child could be no more than a year or two old. Unable to speak yet but able to reconise a kind being when it saw one.

As soon as her blue eyes saw any careing jedi, her crying stops, replaced almost instantly by a small smile and a high laugh. Hands reach up towards the person in a plead of comfort.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei raised an eyebrow as he peered into the box. "How incredibly odd."

Wei was instantly reminded of Aiden, a small boy that Wei had taken under his wing as a Padawan, and then again of a baby named Jacoby that Quay'Na had wanted to take care of.

"Anbira won't like this. Neither will the rest of the council for that matter."

Wei could already imagine what it would be like when they found out. "The Jedi Order is not an orphanage!" Wei said in an exaggeratedly deep tone, light-heartedly mimicking Anbira.

Wei laughed and picked the child up out of the box, cradling her gently in his arms. "Hello, there. I'm Wei Wu Wei. I'm not sure that you'll be able to stay with me for too terribly long, but I'll take care of you for now."

Wei looked down into the box again. "Let's see what else is in this here."

[Neyasha]

Neyasha was out for a walk with her 3 year old daughter when she heard the crying. After a moment the crying stoped, and Neyasha rounded the corner to see Wei holding a small baby girl.

Neyasha walks over to her master, with her daughter still in hand.

"Good evening Master... Logic would dictate that ether you have found a child left here for the order to raise, or you and your Wife have been hiding something from the rest of the order."

[Valora Ashen]

Out for a walk with her mother, Valora Follows Neyasha up to where Wei and the baby is. She waves at Wei..

"Hi!"

[Katie Miller]

All that is visable is the white blanket. On the corner of the blanket though is writing in light blue.

"Katie Miller"

Under the blanket is a small peice of paper that says only a few words.

"Care for her."

Nothing more is found in the small box. The child cuddled down in Wei's arms and soon falls asleep, warmed by his body heat and arms. Her small hand clutches his shirt tightly.

[Falcon Gyndar]

Falcon was sitting back, his feet propped up on the main desk of the RC. Sleeping...He had been sitting there all night, doing some work, and must have drifted off. Then with all the commotion, he awoke.

"Oy..."

He fell out of the chair..

"..ow!!"

The knight stood up, and dusted himself off, looking to where the 'disturbance' originated. It seemed that Wei was there, along with two female Jedi...And...

..Is that a baby?

Falcon shook his head, but still walked over to the small gathering...

"Well, Wei...who might this darling little compadre be?"

He noticed the box on the floor, and the note inside..

"Katie Miller, Eh?..I haven't seen such a cute little child since my sister was born..."

He looked at the small one..

"Hello there.."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei's face flushed, and his eyes grew pained at the mention of Ange and him having a child. "This is not our child. Ange...who knows about Ange?"

His wife had gone crazy a short while ago and Wei had no idea what happened to her after that.

Wei brightened a little and waved at Valora as best he could with Katie in his arms.

"She is indeed precious. It's good to see you again Falcon. And you seem to be in much better condition than when we first met, too," he said with a chuckle.

Wei lifted the blanket out of the box with the Force and settled it over the chlid. "Katie was indeed left here to be taken care of, Neyasha. Jedi take care of people. That's what we do. But the Jedi Order is not an orphanage. If Jedi have children, they make take care of them, but this is not a boarding house for children without parents."

Wei hated these situations. He would naturally take care of Katie, but Wei did not want people to make it a habit out of dropping unwanted children at the doorstep of the Jedi Order when there were orphanages on Coruscant made especially for youngsters.

"Not another thing in the box. I'll be making a trip to the store, then. Get some diapers and formula for her."

[Neyasha]

"Is there a way to see if this child has the potental to use the force? If she does have the potental, maybe the council would be willing to let this child be raised here, so that she may get training when she is old enough. If she does not have the required potental, logic would say that we should find an orphanage that would be approprate for the child."

Neyasha looks down at the baby with her normal, cold, emotionless gaze.

"As you said, this is not a boarding house for children without parents. the child should be delt with as such, and unless she is to become a student, She is not in our care, and thus we should not have nead to go to the store to get her anything."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Oh, but she is in my care. I will see to it that she gets shelter. But until she has that shelter, it is up to me to provide for her until I find someone else to do it."

Wei began to walk out the door. "It won't take me long, and I won't be needing much. Just enough for a day or two until I can get ahold of the orphanage I'm thinking of."

[Neyasha]

"Will she be tested for force potental before she is sent off? I'm sure that one of the students or teachers would take her in if she was to be a student in her future..."

[Katie Miller]

The child stirred slightly by the sounds of the people talking about her. Her hand clutched tighter to the shirt of the jedi holding her. Her other hand found its way to her mouth and her thumb found its way in.

[Falcon Gyndar]

Falcon walked with Wei to the door...

"Well, ah, if no one else takes the child, i'd be up for the task. I have the space in my life for a lot of things..."

Falcon pauses inside of the door, as Wei is in the entrance...

"Well, it's good be feeling better now, Wei. Good to see you again too. Anyways, I'll just be hanging out in the center here, just catching up on some stuff..."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Falcon. We can meet together at a time that is not so late to discuss all this. Bedding, clothes, toys....I might have to give my mother a call. Oh, and then there's the whole paperwork deal about becoming Katie's legal guardian."

Wei chuckled. "Have fun catching up."

Wei shifted Katie in his arms a little. "Man I wish I had a baby stroller."

[Neyasha]

"If you wish master, I could carry her... My arms will not complain."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Not right now, thanks."

Wei chuckled. "I don't think she'd hear of it anyhow. She's got a good grip on me. We'll just leave her be for right now."

Wei chuckled. "Come walk with me, Neyasha. I would like to discuss some things with you."

Wei was talking about her lessons. Between her being kidnapped and her bracer thing, Wei wanted to make sure she was ready to continue on. That, and with all of his responsibilities as Council Member, Wei had forgotten what he had already taught her.

[Neyasha]

Neyasha goes to walk with Wei... Looking down at the baby now and then...

"That child is rather apealing to my visual sensory organs... I remember when Valora would distract my sences in the same manner."

Neyasha looks down at her daughter...

"She still distracts me, but not in the same manner... She looks too much like her father." Neyasha says with a slight look of longing in her eyes.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei shrugged. "It happens. But don't let it get to you."

Wei used his free hand to tuck the sheet around Katie. "So, when would you like to continue your training?"

[Katie Miller]

Katie suddenly wakes and looks around. She laughs and sticks her hand in her mouth. After getting it pretty wet, she reaches out and touches the little girls hair that is walking with them. She laughs agian and looks up at Wei. She pulls her blanket up and starts chewing on it, making cooing noices. She keeps wiggling around, making it hard for Wei to hold her with one arm.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei swooped down with his free arm and shifted Katie upright so she leaned against his chest. Wei placed his forearm under her bottom so she sat on it and used his other arm to keep her close to him.

"Well, that was a short nap, Katie. Katie took a short nap, Katie did," Wei said, punning the little girl's name with a type of insect that liked to jump and move around.

[Katie Miller]

Katie looks at him and laughs loudly as he says her name like that. She puts her dry hand on his face and pats it a few times. Her hand grabs ahold of his lower lip and pulls down lightly before letting go. She laughs again.

She looks around bright eyed at the halls of the jedi. She stares around in wounder as they walk.

[Valora Ashen]

"EWWWW!!" Valora says as Katie puts her drool in her hair.

She then trys to wipe it out of her hair.

[Neyasha]

Neyasha looks up at Wei Again, Letting herself smiles inside at the exchange between Wei and Katie.

"My body's systems are in opperational condition, and would be able to continue with training whenever you are ready. I beleave you said I would learn to heal with the force next, which would be helpful since I am still partly damaged."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"OK, then. Force Healing. Then we will cover Telekinesis, and Sensing your surroundings. Oh yes. And lightsaber combat."

Wei left the Jedi compound and began walking briskly down the street towards the grocery store. "I'm glad that thing never closes," Wei said to himself.

[Neyasha]

Neyasha nods, and continues to walk down the street with wei, picking up Valora and carrying her so she doesn't have a hard time keeping up.