Going Home

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She'd added a new ritual to her daily activities; well, every other day activities.

Teagan s'Ilancy always visited her brother, spending lunch time with him even if he didn't know it yet. It was one of those things that she didn't let fall by the wayside. She talked to him, and even if he was asleep she kept on. He was an ear whether he realized it or not. She spoke of her classes, her time spent studying, her thoughts on the other padawans, her unwitting Cizerack friend Untaurra, and of course of Zem. She told Markos about her decision, which only led into a long, one-sided discussion about her misgivings on such heavy decisions being placed upon such young shoulders.

This she did every day now without fail.

She'd made sure to go to her classes, and for the first time since arriving on Ossus, actually apply herself.

It was a strange turn-around. Which was not to say that she'd not found other things to mire herself into, but on the whole, the young Lupine seemed a slight bit... healthier... than she had since coming here to live with the Jedi.

She still missed her mother, but that was to be expected.



Now though, found her pushing her way into Master Zem Vymes' tent. A small flimsi clutched in one hand, she cast her eyes around the tent's main living area with a bit of curiosity. And skidding to a halt, she suddenly she wondered if she'd misread the time.

Where was he?!

[Zem Vymes]

"You're early."

Rounding the bend that led him back to his tent, Zem could see a familiar tow-headed youngster that was his daily afternoon appointment. The Jedi Master eased down a cooler and a fishing pole adjacent to the tent.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She snapped her head around at the sound of his voice.

"I'm- "

Her mouth clamped shut, short of finishing with 'not early, you're late' as she instantly thought the better of her retort. Good-natured though it might've been delivered, Teagan decided it better to simply give a nod and a shrug. Her scuffed boots shifted as she turned to face him more fully, and she reached up to scratch at an itch on her shoulder. Not exactly the picture of a padawan, she cut a strange figure; dusty grey trousers, and an old Cloud City Outfitters shirt. The only article of clothing that might've given any indication that she was a padawan was the tan tunic that'd been draped over her shoulders, unwrapped and hanging loose. At least she'd pulled her hair back, securing it loosely with an elastic band.

"I guess I am," came the eventual answer as she watched him set the pole and the cooler aside.

"I brought this week's marks."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded at her offering, gesturing with a hand as he took the flimsi containing her scholastic transcript. He buried himself in his examination, leaving Teagan to dangle on the proverbial hook a moment as he did.

"Hmm."

The Jedi Master thumped at the flimsi slightly with his off hand. He had to pick at something.

"You could do better at maths."

He glanced over the transcript to see if she agreed.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She had a suspicion that he'd zero in on that one. And he'd not disappointed. Or he had; however one decided to look at the situation.

"Yeah well," her eyes cast downward.

"I'm not good with numbers."

Which was the truth. Even basic number lessons seemed to stump her. She just couldn't wrap her mind around any of it. She'd never really complained, just took the brunt of her less than stellar mathematical abilities and bulled onward in the hopes that something would finally click. So far, nothing had.

"None of it ever makes any sense."

[Zem Vymes]

"It doesn't make much more sense, than math, young lady."

Zem cracked a skeptical look at the youngster. He knew exactly what she could do if she put her mind to something. Just had to find the precise angle of butt kicking to propel her into it.

"This isn't conjecture or a certain point of view. One plus one always equals two."

Still, she wasn't failing, so he wasn't about to have that sort of talk. And he wasn't here to damn over nitpicks. A somewhat satisfied expression on his face, he returned the flimsi to the young lupine.

"Other than that, good job, miss. Especially history."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Accepting it back, Teagan couldn't help the frown that turned down the corners of her lips.

"History's easy."

If one thing could be said for her mother's obsessive behaviors over committing to memory so many names and stuff that'd happened aaaages ago on Schwartzweld, it made learning things that'd happened in the rest of the galaxy rather easy.

She looked back to the readout while ducking through the tent's flaps, following him inside.

"But I mean, it's not like I had much choice. 'Which House is this, Tak'. 'When did the Great Migration happen, and which planets did each House go to, Tak'. 'How many died in the Battle of Jaska'har Point, Tak'. 'Why did the Houses leave Schwartzweld, Tak'."

She could've gone on, but chose to end there. The flimsi was tossed impatiently on the table that stood more or less in the center of the main living area. It landed atop a smattering of datapads and other printed out reports.

"It never stopped."

[Zem Vymes]

She had a point there. He'd been dragged through Loklorien's epic bookworming benders before on many occasions.

"Right, namanas not falling far from the bush, got it."

This moody awkward thing that used to be a smiling, bubbly little girl. Zem shook his head, heading towards the chiller unit at the side of the tent's common area. He procured a carton of reconstituted blue milk, pouring two glasses up. Sitting on his desk, he passed the other to his adopted daughter.

"Alright. You hate math, you're annoyed by history. How about something you like, now?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

That one stumped her for a moment, and taking the glass of milk, she gave it a sniff. It smelled strange; not exactly fresh, but not bad either. Course, there was a lot of stuff like that here on Ossus. Unless the daily meal was being made with the fresh ingredients from the gardens, the food always tasted just a slight bit off. Not quite sure she wanted to brave the milk, Teagan slowly set her glass on the desk.

"I dunno. I like to go on runs."

Which, of course, meant something completely different than what most people would consider a run to be.

Though, admittedly she'd not gone out in a while. Her encounter with the Y'sanna had put her in bed for a good three days, and she'd skipped every single one of her classes as her body mended the injuries she'd taken. Just the memory of it made her look away in slight embarrassment. She'd gotten a stern enough talking-to about that one.

"I like going places, I guess."

This question of what she did like was proving more difficult that she'd expected.

[Zem Vymes]

"Alright..."

He was expecting something a little more scholarly-minded. Zem sipped at his blue milk as he studied her tortured grappling of the question.

"Young Lady, there's nothing wrong in seeing the galaxy. I've been a bit of everywhere and won't see half of it in a lifetime. But there's a saying. It's the journey and not the destination. You want to travel, but what do you want to do?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

At that, she gave a defeated sigh.

"I don't know."

Of course there was the obvious staring at her in the face, but she'd still shied away from opening up that subject yet again. It just didn't seem right; not at this point in time, at least. Though she was fast running out of stalling tactics. She'd have to start coming up with more before too long.

She gave him a strange look then, her voice taking on a tone of self-deprecation.

"I guess it'd be stupid to ask you what you wanted to do when you were my age."

[Zem Vymes]

"Well, you can ask."

He said with a deprecating smile. They knew his cloistered youth was fairly singularly vocational. Still, she wanted a bit more than the usual, and Zem obliged.

"I had a knack for flying. I guess if things were different I'd be about as happy as I could be racing on some course out there."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She considered this, then recalled a few of the stories her mother used to tell her.

"I remember my mom saying that."

A bit of a smirk as the mention of her mother only served to remind her of the small message datachip that she'd stuffed into her pocket. Teagan rose to her feet, one hand going to retrieve it. With a smile, she pulled the chip out, handing it to him as she finished her thought.

"She said that you were a 'reckless idiot' whenever you flew."

[Zem Vymes]

A flippant expression grew on his features, and Zem rolled his eyes.

"Your mother got space sick in shuttles."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Teagan had to agree with the look on his face, not to mention the words he spoke.

"She gets space sickness just thinking about space," came the correction (a bit of an exaggeration, but still), and the girl handed over the chip.

"Which is kinda dumb since that's where she works."

With a final gesture for him to play the message, she went on.

"She sent this in the last mail shipment."

All of it was the normal fare, except for one small, very important bit. It was that part that she wanted him to see.

[Zem Vymes]

"She's still damnably old-fashioned, I see."

No direct HoloNet. Loklorien always preferred the courier method when it suited her. Zem walked back to his desk, plugging the chip into the reader to await the message.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She watched as the message flared to life, the reader projecting a sudden flash of blue light that coalesced into the small, projected upper body of her mother. She'd already keyed the message to start at the point that'd gotten her attention and caused wheels to turn in her head.

"-not the best of situations, but that is how things go."

There was the slightest of pauses before her mother's face settled into a smile. "Please be sure to tell Master Vymes that I look forward to seeing him in two week's time."

Another moment longer, as the face of Loklorien s'Ilancy dipped, her eyes closing. She opened her mouth to speak once more, but Teagan reached over, across his desk to pause the message.

"Two weeks."

The excitement was plain to see.

"She's stopping by for a supply drop or whatever it is she called it." A lot of the 'official reasons' that her mother spoke of didn't really matter. What did matter though, was the fact that the elder Lupine was going to be visiting.

[Zem Vymes]

"That's great!"

Zem smiled freely, knowing that a chance to see Lok would do him as much good as it would Teagan.

"I'll make sure to clear as much training schedule as I can to make sure we can make the most of her time here."

He sensed there was more coming from the youngster, and he hung on for whatever she wanted to add.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

But, the expression that met his had quite unexpectedly melted into a look of intense scrutiny. Where there had once been excitement now only dwelled a studious... glare?

Her hands came together, still resting atop the surface of his desk. This news of her mother's visit had gotten her thinking, and while she knew that things around here never changed overnight, they were constantly working toward some sort of conclusion. And it was one of those said conclusions that had been one of the main reasons for her visit today. Lesson grades aside, to her, this matter was so much more important.

She pursed her lips.

"You should also probably- "

There was a sudden halt as she rethought the beginning of what she wanted to say. Her eyes grew earnest.

"... You have to- "

Still, it seemed so brutal and jarring of a thing to say. Finally, the young Lupine decided to go the questioning route.

"Are you gonna stay here forever? I mean, in this... this tent."

Cause no matter how you looked at it, a tent was a tent was a tent. Was a tent.

[Zem Vymes]

And here he was again, trying to parse the tortured language of teenagers. Zem sat back down.

"You don't like the tent."

He wasn't sure if it was a question or an observation. Curious for himself, he looked around. It looked rather homey to him. And looking back to Teagan, he saw she was serious.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"It's not that I don't like it, but, you know... "

She trailed off then, giving a rather obvious nod to the frozen image of her mother, still illuminated in blue light particles.

"She doesn't have a real home anymore," which was a terrible truth. One that Teagan could see despite the smiles and reassurances in the messages that she received.

And then came the reality of everything. She'd come to terms with the fact long enough ago, and had accepted it with a surprising amount of approval. Still didn't make being in a... tent... any easier of a thing.

Her bottom lip seemed to drop, bottom teeth coming up over her top teeth as her eyebrows skewed in an expression that preteens often made when they chose to show their disapproval. Then came the sigh.

"You need more than a tent."

[Zem Vymes]

"It has rooms!"

Technically yes. Two of them. Zem stood, moving from the threshold of one to the other.

"Front room. Back room! And back to the front room!"

He stood in the threshold, spreading both hands for effect. It wasn't working.

"It's...fresh air. Good for the...lungs."

An uncomfortable silence filled the tent.

"Fine! A house! A mansion! A castle! Fetch me a team of stonemasons and a sturdy whip!"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her shoulders slump in just that way that kids slumped their shoulders when they were not exactly impressed, and she angled her head to the side, giving him a knowing look.

She was well acquainted with this behavior.

"A castle? Come on."

Her arms went up to fold across her chest.

"Do you want her to... " and finally came the falter, but she soldiered on.

"... to come home- " it was the very first time that she'd even voiced the notion that Ossus would be considered by her mother as 'home', "-to a tent?"

[Zem Vymes]

Zem's shoulder's sank. It didn't matter that he'd put the tent up himself. It didn't matter that it took an entire day. It didn't matter how much he liked his modest abode. It wasn't enough for Teagan, and it wasn't enough for Lok. That's what really mattered.

"Alright. We'll knock her down and put a house up."

A panicked look showed on his face. In two weeks. Somehow.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She saw that look, and instantly felt... bad? Well, not horrible, but certainly not great. Teagan set off toward him, one hand going up to wave at the air as her other went out to grasp his own hand.

"No no no," pulling him back into the main room, she bit her lip as she thought on the best way to salvage this.

"It's just," with one hand still holding his, she gave another wave.

"... something to think about."

That look of panic that he'd given had been enough to reign her in, and Teagan applied a healthy amount of brakes to her previous thoughts.

"Nothing that we have to do now, I promise."

[Zem Vymes]

He'd already made up his mind. There wasn't too much for her to ask of him. Zem gave her a light slug to the shoulder.

"Forget it, kid. I'd lasso the moon for you. What's raising a house in two weeks compared to that?"

He rocked back a little on his heels as he tucked thumbs into his belt.

"Maybe not a castle. But a home? You're worth it, kid."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She stared up at him, unsure of how to respond as her body absorbed the light sock to her shoulder. She blinked, and made a face.

"You can't build a house in two weeks."

It was said with such finality that even she herself was surprised.

"It takes longer than that."

Teagan fixed him with a stern gaze.

"It has to be done right; if you want to surprise my mom, you gotta take time on it, and you're gonna need my help."

It was an offer that she was ready to make good on. After all, she needed a home too.

"We gotta do it right."

[Zem Vymes]

A scheme was forming in Zem's head. Possibly hair-brained, but he'd just been pressed for delivering a house in two weeks, so hair brained schemes were the flavor of the day.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't build a house in two weeks, you and me. You'd need an army for that sort of thing, right?"

Zem stroked his chin a bit.

"What about a battalion?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She looked at him as though he'd gone mad. Well and truly mad. If this was what the Force did to you as you got older, the young Lupine was suddenly a little bit concerned.

"I don't get it."

And truth be told, she didn't; not in the least. He was going on about something, and Teagan was suddenly rather regretting even bringing up the matter at all.

"I mean, where would you even put it? You'd have to find the right spot and that takes a while and... "

He still had that funny look in his eye. It made her slightly uneasy, and she gave a protracted cringe.

"You... you're serious, aren't you."

[Zem Vymes]

"Better to be a serious old man than a crazy one."

Zem winked as he unhitched the comm from his belt. He brought it to his lips.

"Major Verratoa? This is Master Vymes."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

And then, just like that, horror fell across her features. She stared up at him, mouth open as her mind raced. She got out a hurried "No!", and without truly thinking, Teagan swiped up and across on a trajectory aimed at his hand.

The comm was slapped away a moment later, bouncing and clattering along the floor before rolling up under a cabinet.

And then her senses returned, and she let her eyes track away from the cabinet and back up to meet his own in the first stages of dawning realization at an action taken out of desperation.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem turned back to Teagan, his brow furrowed up in an expression of surprise.

Beneath the cabinet, a muted snowy voice could be heard. "Hello? Hello? Masterr Vjymess? Hello?"

The Jedi Master was trying hard not to laugh.

"I guess you don't want me to pick that up."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her fingers flexed, then curled in balled fists before splaying back out again, and the girl pulled them behind her back to removed their nervous motions from sight.

Another few seconds of time passed in silence, and Teagan shot a worried look to the voice beneath the cabinet.

"She doesn't know it's me," came the whisper.

[Zem Vymes]

He hadn't anticipated that would be the reason for her objection. Zem coughed into his hand to prevent his laugh from coming out.

"So what you're telling me is that you need to go change before we have company over?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Well," she faltered at that, the notion of changing having not even been considered.

"I just didn't think you were gonna call, you know, her."

The initial horror on her features had transitioned into an anxious look, and Teagan bit her lip.

"I mean, the last time she saw me I was," again her voice lowered.

"You know... "

[Zem Vymes]

"Hello...? Hello! jIss thjiss a rrou-rrou prrank??"

Zem shrugged at Teagan's angst. She was probably making a slightly bigger deal out of this than normal.

"So if the Major doesn't know it's you to begin with, what does it matter?"

When and if Teagan decided to reveal her gift was on Teagan's time and Teagan's judgment. It was the same with Lok. Zem had always respected that, but he also wasn't going to let the youngster hold sanity hostage for too long.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She bit her lip, finally nodding, and gave a tentative "Okay," before stepping away to once more sit back down in her chair. Her eyes went to the cabinet again, and the voice that was steadily growing more and more impatient.

A suddenly flippant gesture motioned to the hidden comm, and Teagan spoke, her voice as heavy as if the world rested on her shoulders.

"Go ahead."

If her outer tunic had had a hood, she would've pulled it up to hide her face.

[Zem Vymes]

A gesture towards the cabinet, and the comm drew back into Zem's hand.

"Ah, Major. Sorry about the..."

Zem paused, his lips pressing tight as the voice on the other end increased in volume.

"Yes, so sorry about that, I...."

The Jedi Master shuffled uneasily.

"...but I..."

He didn't dare look at Teagan. No telling what sort of look he'd get right now.

"...no I understand, it's just that..."

Master Vymes stared blankly at the ceiling of the tent, letting the comm rest against his ear. Finally, he had enough. Eyes forward once more, he traced the air with two fingers as he talked.

"You're going to be quiet and listen now."

The voice on the other line lowered in both volume and rapidity. Zem smiled politely into the comm.

"Thank you."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Teagan watched in a small bit of wonder as he was initially talked down by an angry Cizerack. She'd never seen him interrupted by anyone, and the way he stood, shuffling his feet! She stared in rapt fascination, picking apart his movements and the look on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. Even if he avoided looking directly at her, she still couldn't help but watch in amazement.

And then of course it all came to an end with a wave of his hand and a bit of the Force. She wasn't going to lie; the thought of being able to do that was a bit enticing. Major Verratoa's voice lowered, no longer a string of tinny accusations and lectures on proper comm usage.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Fifteen minutes later

The speeder car from the Cizeri camp was prompt. Major Verratoa stepped out of the vehicle, a few short words to her driver as they pulled the vehicle off the main thoroughfare to wait for the meeting to be concluded. Her short, muscular frame was framed in a sharp Jaanni'saari uniform, complete with small-billed field cap and high reflective sun blockers. She walked with a precise, quick stride that betrayed her military background. Just as Untaaura prepared to negotiate the flap of the tent she'd been summoned to, the tent opened itself. Untaaura pulled the sun blockers from her face, a frowning skeptical look on her features as she glanced to each tent flap, and then to the two figures within. One was obviously Master Zem Vymes. The other obviously was not.

Her boots clapped in a few steps and she afforded a curt nod.

"jYou assked forr mjy asssjisstance, Massterr Jedji?"

[Zem Vymes]

"I did, thank you."

Zem was perfectly genial, his hands clasped before him as he addressed the officer in person who had nearly melted his ear off over the comm minutes previous. She'd...come to her senses, thankfully.

The Jedi Master walked to where Teagan was standing, dropping a hand over her shoulder.

"We did, actually."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

His hand on her shoulder was unexpected, and Teagan jumped only slightly. Her attentions fixed solely on Verratoa, the girl didn't exactly put on a worried look; more of a concerned one. She certainly didn't say anything; not a single word fell from her lips. Major Verratoa cut a far more imposing figure (despite her short stature) than she had that fateful day of their shared run.

And then she did look away, angling her head up to cast a gaze at Zem.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Untaaura's eyes tracked from Zem to Teagan without a change in expression. Her tail snapped and jerked slightly as she again looked to the Jedi Master.

"Explajin."

The Major had little time for games, even from her supposed betters.

[Zem Vymes]

"Well..."

Zem plied a friendly smile to tamp down the Major's prickly demeanor. Then again she might be immune.

"...it's been recently pointed out to me that my current dwelling might somehow be considered less than suitable for a Council Member."

A glance down to Teagan, who was the very definition of awkward at the moment.

"And that it may be a good idea to consult the Cizerack Corps of Engineers to see about constructing a more permanent sort of home."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

With her thumbs hooked into the front belt loops of her trousers, Teagan tried to look away, lest she wilt completely beneath Major Verratoa's simmering eyes. She felt suddenly very extraneous, and very, very tiny; nothing like how she'd felt the last time the two were together. Then again, circumstances had been incredibly different, and perhaps it was silly of her to be so worried? One hand came up to lightly scratch behind her ear, ending in a slight tug to the lobe.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Untaaura's face was inscrutable, and only her ears twitched slightly during the explanation.

"Wjith all due rresspect, Massterr Jedji, that jissn't what we do. We arre a mjiljitarrjy engjineerrjing detachment. Mjy teamss arre alrreadjy harrd at worrk on varrjiouss otherr prrojectss forr jyourr camp."

The Major shook her head.

"Perrhapss ssome otherr tjime. jIn the meantjime jif jyou fjind jyourr tent jinadequate, jyou majy wjissh to conssjiderr the verrjy ssturrdjy dorrmjitorrjy we rrecentljy completed."

Verratoa's suggestion caused only the slightest of smiles to appear on her face. She wondered if the Jedi were similarly affected by class division, and if a Jedi Master would see cohabitation with padawans as beneath him. Certainly so.

[Zem Vymes]

"Oh."

Zem's face was a picture of polite disappointment as he looked down at the short officer as she gave him the bad news. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, squeezing a hand at Teagan's shoulder as if to say at least we tried.

"I understand, Major. I certainly don't mean to be a distraction to you and your capable engineers. I've already floated the idea to Mr. Ramastan, and he said he could call in a favor and get the build taken care of in two weeks. I'll go with his estimate instead. Thank you for your time."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It was on the tip of her tongue, the 'no you didn't!' Very nearly blurting it out, Teagan kept her mouth clamped shut as she felt his squeeze on her shoulder remain, as if he already knew that she had the words ready to fire out and was silently ordering her to keep her mouth shut.

And that was exactly what she did. Instead of her interjection, the girl only turned a look up at him, then back to the Major.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

A distinctly non-human growl rolled deep and low in Untaaura's throat as her ears swung ever-so-slightly back.

"Tevjit Rramasstan couldn't be trrussted to bujild jyourr home even wjith wooden chjildrren'ss blockss."

The Major's gloved right hand came up to rest beneath her chin as she thought about the overture. If that incompetent simpleton was offering completion in two weeks...

"jYou'll have jyourr housse jin ten dajyss, Massterr Jedji. A bassjic housse." she added, in case he had delusions of mansions running through his privileged head.

[Zem Vymes]

Ever polite, Vymes bowed his head in appreciation of the extra effort on Verratoa's behalf.

"We Jedi are not extravagant people, Major. I am honored by your work ethic."

Zem flicked a glance to Teagan, a cunning sparkle in his eyes.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It was... it was amazing...

Teagan stared, almost slack-jawed, at the Major as she bristled at the mention of whoever Mr. Ramastan was. It was abundantly clear that she didn't care a lick about him. Which worked out just as well; the thought of a home being built in ten days was a bit impossible for her to comprehend.

But, she at least didn't forget herself completely, and the young Lupine finally spoke up for the first time, albeit in a rather quiet voice.

"... thank you."

[Untaaura Verratoa]

The Major's attention again diverted back to Teagan, looking at the taller human adolescent with a slightly disarmed expression. Something seemed passingly familiar. She'd never seen the girl before. Maybe she had, but she'd seen plenty of humans and wouldn't normally give it a second thought. Realizing she was perhaps affording too much attention than was warranted, she nodded in reciprocation to the girl's thanks.

"Da'ne."

She again addressed Vymes.

"jI musst leave at once, then. We have verrjy ljittle tjime jif jI'm to deljiverr on mjy prromjisse. Ja irra korra'nai."

A curt nod, a click of boot heels, and Verratoa sharply turned and made her exit.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Teagan watched in silence as the Major took her leave, disappearing out of the tent in almost no time at all.

And then she let out a long, pent up breath. Had the Major seen how nervous she was? The look that she'd given her hadn't escaped the girl's attention, and she'd barely been able to keep from crumbling into a pile of dust at the lingering eyes. But then she was gone, leaving the tent without so much as a flourish of the front flaps, even.

Left in the Major's wake, she felt her shoulders slump just a small bit, and she leaned into Zem's side as if nearly blown over at the entirety of the exchange, and had used the last of her reserves to withstand it to the very last.

"She wasn't like that last time," came out in low, mumbled words.

[Zem Vymes]

"Neither were you, from what you told me."

Zem gave her a pat on the head as the tent flaps closed once more. He could see the strange complicated feelings simmering at the surface of Teagan's mind. The incident on the mountain path had been a harrying ordeal from what little she'd let on.

"Sounds like you've got something complicated to sort out."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Yeah well," she moved to sit back down, now that the Major had gone.

"It's not that easy."

Finally, she reached out to the glass of milk that he'd poured for her, and drawing it close, plucked it up to give it another smell.

"Besides, how long had you known my Mom before she told- " a sudden expression of mild distaste clouded her features.

"How long ago did you get this?"

[Zem Vymes]

"It's reconstitute." He blurted defensively, going back to his own glass to taste. It wasn't good, but it wasn't quite bad either.

Still, she was changing the subject on a matter that probably needed talking over, and Zem set his glass aside once more.

"As for when, it kind of just came out because of necessity. We'd known each other a scant year during the war. Running from the Emperor, you don't keep many secrets."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She braved a small taste, screwed her eyes shut, and promptly spit the small amount of blue liquid back into the glass.

"Yeah well, it tastes like what I'd imagine dog milk to taste like," she slid the offending milk away from her.

Considering his words though, Teagan leaned back in her seat, staring at him.

"We're not running from some emperor now though, so it's not like anyone is gonna die or whatever if I don't say anything."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem gave Teagan a pointedly strange look. Dog's milk. Well, she might very well be the only expert...

He shook his head to dispel the thought.

"I'm not telling you what your dama did to give you some kind of pointers on what you choose to do with your life, young lady. That's frankly none of my business. If you'd rather go your whole days without letting some folks know your secret, that's your decision. The only advice this old man can give you is that you ought to be careful that you don't conceal so much that you change who you are, if that makes sense."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"It does."

Still though, there seemed to be so many inconsistencies that she wasn't exactly sure which road to go down.

"On Cathar though, she always used to say that no one was to know, and that it was a secret that we had to keep. Even on Layla we weren't to talk about it. I mean, you didn't even think I knew when... when... "

She could still recal flashes of that terrible day; or least, the parts that involved her being denied her own mother. The rest she remembered so perfectly; of Layla falling out of the sky, of being forced to stay in the cockpit with Sanis. She'd caught glimpses of her mother though, as Zem had carried her aboard Layla like a corpse, and smelled blood. It was those glimpses that seemed to dash in and out of memory, unable to be truly caught and seen in her mind's eye.

"Well," she set her jaw, going on. "... when all the mess over Korriban happened."

[Zem Vymes]

"You're right. It just wasn't a thing that was talked about. Your dama had her rules."

Vymes clasped his hands together as he thought about worlds colliding. Lok s'Ilancy had her rules, certainly. That didn't necessarily make Teagan beholden to them.

"If you're worried about the notion that letting your secret slip is in some way a betrayal to her, you can stop right there. You have your own say in how you choose to present yourself to the world. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to make the decision yourself."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

This made her nod, as she let her thoughts dwell on his words. It was certainly encouraging at least, that in this matter he and her mother were in slight disagreement.

Still however, there was something that had caught her attention, and the young Lupine angled a look to him from over the tops of her eyes.

" 'Being careful not to change who you are'," she repeated his words.

And then came the question that had been simmering in the back of her mind ever since coming to Ossus. Ever since her mother's first visit, and ever since her own trip to this very tent to discover why Zem Vymes had left her mother, all those years ago.

"Is that why you're not," how to even ask such a question? Teagan frowned, her brow knitting in thought at the best approach to take.

"I mean... "

It wasn't coming together as she'd hoped, and she was becoming discouraged. Finally she bulled on.

"Is that why you won't let her Change you?"

[Zem Vymes]

At her question, Zem sat back markedly, surprise on his face.

"Excuse me?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It had been an assumption on her part, and by the look on his face, it seemed as though it'd been a bad one. Looking down to her hands, Teagan bit on her tongue as she thought of some way to make this less awkward. As if she hadn't had her fill of that today. Of course it was also entirely possible that she'd somehow made some grave and offensive mistake in even asking such a thing. But, it was out there in the air between them, hanging ever-present. No going back now.

"I just figured, you know. Since she... "

Hitting yet another wall, the girl put her hands up as if to wash everything she'd said away.

"Nevermind. Forget I even asked."

[Zem Vymes]

"Hey, it's fine. Don't wall up. Talk to me."

Zem softened his expression, realizing exactly how much surprise he'd expressed at the, well, damned surprising question.

"Your dama has never asked that question of me. I've never even had to weigh it in my mind until just now. I couldn't begin to tell you why she's never asked, and while I'm fairly certain I know the answer to that question, it doesn't diminish how deeply honored I'd be to hear it."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Was there a small amount of disappointment on her features? Perhaps.

"So then, you saying no would be because it would change who you are?"

[Zem Vymes]

Zem shook his head.

"Not exactly. I'm pretty sure I'd be the same old curmudgeon I am right now, except with a license to pee on the occasional tree."

A bit of a crooked smile, and he pressed on.

"No, I'm fairly constant in that. The book of Zem Vymes has mostly been written already. While I look forward to the future that I and your dama worked hard to bring about, I don't see that in my fate. It's a gift for the young, and I'm far from it."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Still the disappointment lingered, but now it melted into a strange mixture of thought and concern.

"You know, even though she acts old, she's really not. I mean, I've read a bunch of the books she let me have, and others that I got from ho- from Schwartzweld."

She sucked at her lower lip, looking away.

"She just acts old cause it's how she grew up, and who she grew up around, and it was how she saw her age compared to others." A shrug. "If that makes sense."

[Zem Vymes]

"There's such a thing as an old soul. No wrong in that."

Zem understood her words, and he knew well Lok's mind.

"We're close, her and I. I'd wager inseparable. Even without a change."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Still somewhat unconvinced, Teagan slid from her chair while pulling the flimsi that she'd brought along off the desk. She looked at it idly, not really reading the words on it. She set her mouth in a thin line, then placed the flimsi back on a stack of datapads. A last look at the glass of milk.

"I guess."

She wasn't entirely convinced, but she also had other classes to attend before her day was truly over. Visiting Zem had been a welcome distraction, but daily life still beckoned.

"I gotta go anyway."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem glanced at his chrono, noting Teagan's new-found appreciation for punctuality.

"Yes you do."

He fronted a stern look, but couldn't contain a smile within it. Clapping her on the shoulder, he gestured to part the tent flaps again.

"Guess I've got my work cut out for me too. Time to...pack all this up and tear down I suppose."