Checking on a daughter (Lillian Snow)

[Miss Te]

It was a familiar place to her, though she had only been to visit a few times. Her son lived here. Her son. A Jedi Knight, and a member of the Jedi Council. She was so proud.

Te waved goodbye to her husband as he went off into the town to make some trades. The little woman adjusted her purse on her shoulder and walked through the doors to the turbolift. She was going to visit someone special today. She was here to see a little girl that held a dear place in her heart. Lillian Snow.

"That poor girl is always so sick and lonely. I wonder how she is doing?"

Te was here to see Lillian and offer her some help. Then she would visit her son. But the main focus for today was Lillian.

[Lillian Snow]

Lillian is sitting in the middle of her bed with Titian, holding him close as she finishes feeding him. He drains his bottle and squirms as he watches it go away, but doesn't get a chance to protest as Lillian claps him gently on the back. The little boy burps, blinking surprisedly at the sound. Lillian cradles him gently, shutting her eyes with a heavy sigh as he squeals.

"You burped, honey..." she explains weakly. "It keeps your tummy from hurting..."

[Miss Te]

Te could hear the baby from the hallway as she got off the tubolift. She couldn't help but giggle. "Reminds me of when Wei was a little baby."

Te found the door and gave a soft knock. "Lillian, honey? Are you home? This is Te. I'm Wei Wu Wei's mother. Remember? I've come to check on you. I sent you a message telling you I'd be coming to visit. I sure hope you got it."

[Lillian Snow]

Lillian, for once, opens the door in a flash. She's holding Titian, but not as a shield.

"Please come in, Miss Te. It's very good to see you!"

Te will be the first woman to visit her for a long time, apart from her master, Salemn.

"Sit down. Can I get you anything?"

Titian cuts his mother off with a loud squeak. Lillian cringes as he leans over backwards as far as he can, and the poor girl almost drops him as she tries to change his position.

"Hold still...hold still, sweetheart..."

At last she gets him changed around so he can see Te, but she looks very worn out from the effort.

[Miss Te]

Te giggled. "Wei did that alot too as a baby."

Te walked in and took a seat. "When he does that, just turn him sideways and cradle him in your arms. He can kick and scream all he wants, but he won't move if you hold him close to you."

Te leaned forward, getting lower to look Titian in the eyes. "Hello there, Sweetheart. You give your mother trouble, you know that?"

Te is wearing a deep blue sleeveless shirt with a big red rose embroidered on the chest, and matching deep blue pants. Her purse was on the floor next to the chair.

"Just some water, Dearie. You can leave the baby here with me while you work in the kitchen."

[Lillian Snow]

Lillian deposits Titian in Te's lap with a grateful smile and goes to get the water. Titian is glued to the red rose on Te's chest. He takes big fistfulls of the red cloth and babbles loudly, shaking it for emphasis as he tells Te all about it. In the kitchen, Lillian tries not to cry at her son's boundless energy. She wanted him to sleep after he was fed, but there's no chance of that now...

[Miss Te]

Te smiled and gently removed Titian's hands from her shirt. "Yes, that's a rose. Roses are red. Yes."

She laughed and set Titian on her knee, supporting him with one hand while holding his small hands in hers. "See?" Te asked, opening up her hand to show Titian his. "See your hands?"

Te reached in her purse for a small key ring full of keychains. She shook them lightly and they jingled. Te had no keys, but she liked keychains. They were so cute to her. So she collected them.

"Lillian, you have a very precious little boy. Does he play a lot?"

[Lillian Snow]

"Y-Yes..." she calls from the kitchen, hurrying back with Te's water. "He likes to hold and look at noisy things or things that are red. He screams every time I try to keep him from red things."

[Miss Te]

"He likes red things? Well, red is indeed a very bright color. He's just a baby is all. Babies cry for things. It's all they know how to do. They cry for food, attention, diaper changes, and of course the things they grow attached to."

Te let Titian hold the keychains and shake them about in his little fist. One keychain was made of rubber so he could suck on it if he wanted to.

"He's so sweet. Does he give you any trouble?"

[Lillian Snow]

"Yes, he gives me lots of trouble! He cries at night, he never sleeps, he's loud, and he attracts crowds and crowds of people! Men keep coming to my door asking for baby supplies and wanting to help with him and I don't want them here!"

[Miss Te]

Te sat up straight at the sudden outburst. But once Te understood she relaxed again and went over to sit on the bed.

"Come sit next to me, Dearie," she said, patting the space next to her.

Te waited a moment before continuing. "Now Lillian. Titian can't help it. He's a baby, after all. I remember when Wei was about this age, he never slept at night for a long time. And he was loud. Babies have to be loud. How else is something so small going to get attention?"

Te patted Lillian on the back. "Babies are also very cute. People love that which is cute. It is good for Titian's survival that is so cute. Do you think many people would take care of an ugly baby? People are repulsed by ugly things. Oh, and can I tell you a secret?"

Te leaned in close to Lillian's ear. "Men don't know the first thing about taking care of babies. They don't know anything about diapers, or bottles, or anything like that. Ask a man to change Titian's diaper for you and watch them start sweating bullets."

Te adjusted Titian on her lap. "But men are good at playing. Just explain to them how to hold a baby and how fragile the baby is, and they can keep a baby entertained for hours. But don't expect them to know what to do when the baby needs to be fed or changed."

[Lillian Snow]

"But...But..." Lillian stammers, her voice cracking with desperation. "I don't like them! I don't want them anywhere near me OR Titian!"

Titian squeals and kicks his feet, having recognized his own name. Lillian buries her face in her hands.

"It's just so hard."

[Miss Te]

Te gently pulled Lillian over so Lillian's head rested on Te's shoulder. "I know it's hard. But babies can't take care of themselves. They depend entirely on somebody else for their food and comfort and shelter. And even you and I can't take care of ourselves entirely. We can provide food and shelter and clothing for ourselves, but we cannot provide ourselves with companionship."

Which brought Te to her next point. "Why don't you like to have men around?" she asked. "When I was your age, I absolutely loved for men to be near me."

[Lillian Snow]

"They're awful," she sobs. "They hurt me and my master Salemn, and they burdened me with him!"

Titian blows a spit bubble, popping it as he squeals delightedly. He smiles over at his mother, unable to comprehend the scowl she's giving him.

[Miss Te]

"Oh. Lillian, you poor girl."

Te hugs the girl close and shuts her eyes tight to keep back the tears. "Lillian, I had no idea."

Te at long last let Lillian go and looked her in the eye. "Lillian, I know you didn't ask for Titian. And you didn't do anything to deserve what they did to you. But please know that not all men are like that. You're surrounded by men who are the exact opposite of what the men that hurt you are. My son Wei in particular. I know, I brought him up."

Te smiled. "It is not Titian's fault that you gave birth to him. And it's not his fault about what they did. He, like you, is innocent. You cannot hate him because of what his father did. Love him, and make him into the opposite of what his father is. Make your mark on the world. Through him."

[Lillian Snow]

"But I'm so weak. Men will take advantage of it. Titian will be burdened by it...he may even grow up to be weak himself. That's not the mark I want to leave on the world..."

[Miss Te]

Te leaned Titian back, and rocked him gently. "Weak? How are you weak?"

[Lillian Snow]

"I'm physically weak...I have this disease that makes me frail, and I've been sheltered all my life, so I guess I'm naive..."

[Miss Te]

Te nodded. "I suppose being delicate and trusting can be weaknesses. But sometimes we are able to do the things we do because of our weaknesses, instead of in spite of them."

Te moved Titian so she held him with her other arm. "For a child, being small can be a great disadvantage because they cannot lift heavy things and reach things very high up. However, children can fit in small spaces and reach things that bigger people cannot."

[Lillian Snow]

Lillian blinks, not understanding at all.

"What?" she asks. "What does that have to do with anything?"

[Miss Te]

"Everything," Te said in an intense hushed voice. Even you, Lillian Snow, can do great things, even though you are so weak."

Te was doing her best to encourage the young girl. She had to understand that not all was lost.

[Lillian Snow]

"I don't know what great things I would do. I'm not like the others, who can fight or move things with their minds..."

She takes Titian and holds him tight. The baby makes a comfortable burble and shuts his eyes.

"I'll bet even he is stronger with the Force than I."