A Long Awaited Reunion (Alienor)

[Luna Brocar'do]

It seemed like many years ago since Luna had travelled anywhere in space. In her wild teenage years, she was an entertainer. Singing, performing music, acting. She'd done it all and crashed down hard for many a time. She didn't care what it did to her health, for like all young women, Luna believed herself to be indestructible, damn the consequences. Sex and parties were her thing...until life threw her a massive curveball in the form of a baby girl named Lily (https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/2246178/696full-alisa-bragina.jpg), whom she birthed shortly after her 20th birthday.Six months before the child's birth, Luna made the conscious decision to 'retire' from the Entertainment industry though gave no detail as to why she left. She did not announce any pregnancy nor did she share it with many people. In fact, the only people that knew of Lily's existence, was her parents and her sister, Winter. While Luna wouldn't change Lily for the world, her pregnancy couldn't have come at a worse time. Winter needed her to be strong, for she'd been involved in a terrorist attack that had killed her fiancé and severely injured her. She did her best to hide her pregnancy to unsure her sister was well cared for, but there came a time when Luna had to reveal her unborn child's existence to her when she fell ill from stress. Winter was mad and rightfully so, but she was excited to know she was going to be an Auntie. The birth of Lily was a wonderful thing and for a time, Luna juggled life as a parent with life as a bar owner. It was tough going but enjoyable. However, Winter had a lot of issues dealing with the death of her fiancé and his sister and the two made a mutual decision to shut Black Moon down for good, for the sake of their mental health. It gave the sisters the freedom to go their own ways and Winter had found herself someone to travel the galaxy with. As Lily was still too young to really travel, Luna decided to remain on Gala until her baby girl turned four years old. Now that she had reached that age, Luna decided it was time to reconnect with her old friends now that she was able to take Lily in tow. Cloud City on Bespin would not have exactly been her first choice to take Lily given its lack of railing to prevent her from jumping off the edge of the platforms that formed Cloud City, but she wanted to connect with her old friend Alienor... 'Ali'. Oh she had so much to share with her friend about the last five years, yet she felt like the most terrible friend as she'd concentrated on everything but her friends. Having been so quiet for so long in order to protect her baby from Paperazzi. As far as the galaxy was concerned, her publicist had announced that she 'had a chronic illness that had left her too exhausted to continue in the Entertainment Industry at this time', when in truth, she was hiding her baby's existence. Though still concerned, Luna was finally ready to confess that the 'chronic illness' was a cover and show off her gorgeous creation. Alienor would be the first and while she arranged to meet up with her at the Spaceport, she still kept Lily's existence a secret.

A lot of thoughts swirled through her mind, however, as she rested on the shuttle with Lily sleeping in her arms. How had Ali been all these years? What would she think of Luna now that she was not only showing up after so many years and now a mother to a gorgeous little munchkin? She anticipated being scolded for her lack of communication for sure though perhaps it would be understandable given the nature of their work. She would not know until she got there.

Attention! Attention! Approaching Bespin's upper atmosphere. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing! ETA to Cloud City is 10 Minutes.

Luna cringed slightly as she fastened her belt across her own lap, gently placing the sleeping child on the seat next to her. The disturbance awoke the sleeping girl as Luna put on her seatbelt. Planting a gentle kiss on Lily's head, she whispered into the child's ear. "Look outside Lily. We're almost at Cloud City!"

Lily rubbed her eyes a little before looking outside watching the clouds suddenly envelop the shuttle. Her eyes widened excitedly as she let out a "Whoa! Wow!" with excitement. "That is so cool!"

Luna chuckled as she embraced her four year old baby in a big hug. This was a good time for Luna to share some lessons about where they were going. "This planet is called Bespin." she said as she looked out the window with her. "This planet has no land like our home on Gala did. Instead, Cloud city is on large platforms that float in the sky."

Lily was captivated by her Mother's words as she looked back at her. "Wow Mummy! So we'll be flying in the air too?" she asked.

Luna nodded to her daughter as she stroked the child's light coloured hair. "Yep! But you have to stay on the platform to fly. You can't jump off the edge like birds do otherwise you'll fall forever! So don't go near the edge of the platforms ok?""

Forever falling didn't appeal to the young girl much. "I don't want to fall forever Mummy. I won't fall forever will I?"

Embracing her daughter tight in a protective embrace, Luna responded with a determined voice, "Never on my watch baby girl! No one or any thing will come between me and you." As the shuttle finally landed on Cloud City Spaceport, Luna unbuckled herself and Lily and put their travel rucksack on her back before offering her hands to Lily, either to hold her hand or carry her in her arms. "Come on then Lils. Lets go meet my friend Ali huh?"

Lily lifted her arms up so she could be carried, and safe within her embrace, Luna took them off the shuttle and into arrivals. Spotting her old friend immediately, Luna smiled greatly and while making sure Lily was tucked into her hip securely, she offered out her free arm to embrace her friend. "Oh my goodness Ali, its so cool to see you again after all this time!" she said before gesturing to the little one in her arms. "I hope you don't mind me bringing along this little munchkin. I'd like you to meet my baby girl, Lily."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor felt as if names from her past were just coming back to life these days. First Tonyh, and now Luna. It felt weird to the musician. Of course Luna was a whole different story from the businessman. She hadn't heard from her friend in years, having often thought about her, but Luna had just vanished, and Ali had decided not to pry despite her many contacts in the underworld. She had wanted to respect Luna's decision to go off the grid. Luna reaching out had been welcome, and she had made sure to clear her schedule to meet her friend at the spaceport. She had upcoming travels planned but she was still on Cloud City, her current home base, for a few more weeks. Then performances and a couple of heists were on the list. Alienor needed to keep busy.

Having arrived early, the musician (https://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/photos/ksenia-solo/xo-magazine-issue-9-june-2015/Ksenia-Solo:-XO-Magazine-2015--13.jpg) blended with the crowd, awaiting her friend's transport landing, and the time it would take to go through customs. Killing time, she reminisced about old times with Luna, as well as joint performances. Luna had one hell of a voice, and it used to be a lot of fun to add unexpected violin accompaniments to her pieces. Alienor made a mental note to make sure to coax Molly soon so she could introduce Luna and her to each other. She had always liked connecting her people. It felt right.

Humming some tune, she suddenly saw Luna, and beamed. "Luna!" She waved at her friend and suddenly realized that the other blonde wasn't alone. Her blue eyes zeroed in on the little girl on her friend's hip. That was the last thing she had expected and her mouth dropped open. It took a lot to take Ali by surprise but fate seemed to have too much fun causing that lately.

Walking up to Luna and her little one, she was still recovering from the surprise. She gladly returned the embrace. "Hey girl, I've missed you." She looked at Lily and smiled. "Hey, Lily. I'm Ali. It's nice to meet you." Thank Molly and her street kids so she had had some experience with kids of various ages. "I don't mind at all. There's plenty enough room at my place. I just didn't see that one coming." Smiling at the little girl, she continued. "You look just like your mamma."

Realizing she was still standing in the middle of the airport, she gestured for her two guests to follow her. "My speeder isn't far." The universe, bless the VIP parking lots...

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna couldn't help but chuckle at Ali's reaction to Lily's presence though the little girl was quiet, waving shyly at the woman like she normally did with strangers. Caressing the child's hair for a moment as they walked, she explained why she hadn't said anything about Lily until now. "I've been keeping Lily's existence quiet since I found out I was expecting her. Last thing I want her to be exposed to is the Paps chasing our tails for the next great picture like it was back in the day. Paps caught me on the day off her birth going into hospital but since I hadn't actually announced a pregnancy, my publicist just told them that I was suffering from a chronic illness that needed treatment and a long recovery period before asking for privacy."

As they neared the speeder, Luna looked to her old friend apologetically. "I apologise for being a terrible friend as a result. Now that Lily's a little older, I feel a bit more relaxed about everyone knowing now. I cleaned up most of my bad habits too but hopefully haven't lost all my fun!"

Lily rested her head on her mother's shoulder as she attempted to listen to them talk, however, the journey was long and Lily barely slept until near the end of the trip because it was all new and exciting for her. However, as Luna strapped Lily into the seat, the child was pretty much out for the count once again, allowing Luna and Ali to talk more. "So how have you been? Travelled much since we were last together?"

[Alienor Vankar]

"I remember the mention of chronic illness. That was the last time I read about you, but I didn't know what to think of it, as I know too well how the paparazzi and even publicists can talk about things." Being in the limelight was still Alienor's life, which was another reason why Cloud City was a rather good deal as home base, given how crowded it was, and how people came and went, always following the next lead to whatever scandal there might be. And also how some of the underworld was more than happy to kick journalists far away from their business, or just scare the shit out of them.

"Hey, I'm glad that you contacted me. I know how crazy life can be. And you had a really adorable reason to do that." So people came showing up from her past, and everyone with kids. What did Tonyh say when she was a bitch when they recently met? Oh yeah that her only baby ever was her career. It had stung and he had apologized for it, but it was kind of true. "I've relocated here for a few months. We still have some paparazzi from time to time, but at this point, they just point their ugly noses when I give a performance, and if I have advertised it. I've managed to do some small scale gigs in a few bars around here. I had missed that."

She watched Luna strap Lily, and noticed that the little girl soon fell asleep, which brought a smile to Ali's face. "Oh boy, where do I start? I still travel a lot, making a ton of money mostly as a musician, because I've not taken any new students as a martial art trainer. And I still have my side stuff."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna let out a disgusted sigh whet Ali spoke about the Paps sticking their nose where it didn't belong. "Urgh, they just don't know when to quit so they?" she said as she sat herself in the speeder. "I've been pretty lucky back home on Gala since Lily was born. For a while, my sister and I were running our own tavern and had accommodation attached to it so we didn't have to go out for anything other than a food shop or a couple of hours out for playtime. Running a tavern, raising Lily and stopping fights did take its toll after a while though and Winter wanted to move on so we agreed to sell and do our own thing for a while. I'm considering going back to the entertainment industry but at the same time, I've enough money rolling that I don't even need to work if I don't want to. I don't want to miss a thing about Lily but sometimes even Mom's need a break from being Mom, if only for a little while a day." she briefly looked behind to check on Lily, who was now in dreamland, smiling before looking back at Ali. " Don't get me wrong, I love being Mom to Lily but the past two days in a shuttle have been stressful. With everything being new and exciting, she was hyperactive for most of the flight. She only passed out about four hours before we were due to land so it's great she's catching up now!"

She then laughed as she added, "Enjoy life without kids while you can because while you'll love your children more than anything in the world, they'll turn your world upside down, back to front and have you chasing your tail for a lifetime!"

[Alienor Vankar]

"Yeah, and I can only smack them when they get close enough." Alienor grinned wickedly. "The feeling of smashing their camera down a ventilation shaft, or under a speeder, is still highly satisfying though." She wasn't going to apologize to protect her life and kick idiots away.

She listened to what Luna told her about her life in the past years. She could definitely see Luna run a tavern. She smiled at her friend's words about her motherhood experience. That definitely was foreign to the musician, for outside of helping with the kids under Molly's care, she was certainly no mom. "I'm glad that Lily can travel with you now! Are you planning to stay on Gala or just travel the galaxy?"

They soon pulled up on the private landing pad at her apartment in the upper levels of the city. She helped Luna with her luggage. "There's no risk I'm a mom anytime soon. I'm just Auntie Ali to some kids," she said, before leading the way inside her duplex.

The place had high volumes and looked a mix of elegance and coziness, a grand piano in the middle of the large living area. "Welcome to my place!"

[Luna Brocar'do]

"We might travel a little bit before she gets to school age. I want her to interact with kids her own age and make some friends. She gets to at the parks when we're on land, but it's the first time I've been to Cloud City so I'm not sure what's here." she said as they pulled up to Ali's apartment and unbuckled her belt and moved to unbuckle her daughter's belt. "Honestly though, I'm terrified of the possibility of her getting too close to the edge of the platforms and fall off! Call it an overprotective Mom thing if you will!"

As Luna lifted her precious cargo from the back of the speeder, she couldn't help but laugh when Ali said there was no chance of being a Mom anytime soon. Luna said that once, telling herself that she was going to party till her mid twenties before ever thinking of settling down. "Yeah well... I said the same thing before Missy here threw a spanner in the works." she said softly as she watched her little girl sleep for a moment in her arms. "While I regret that my naïvity and irresponsible attitude brought her to life under less than ideal circumstances, she has given me a reason to be more than what I was and taught me more things about life than anyone I'd ever met before and since. Having Lily around has changed me... hopefully for the better." she then looked up and laughed as her old personality shone through briefly. "Oh geeze... She's certainly made me a lot more soppy. Little monkey that she is!" The look of complete and utter love though for her child was clear. The rebel had been brought to heel, not by the words of others that told her to stop before she dropped, but by the unconditional love and knowledge that her actions would help shape the course of Lily's life. She wanted her daughter to find her way through life with goodness in her heart. Sass was also a good thing under some circumstances but she did not want her daughter to follow the same destructive path she once took. To do that though, Luna would have to set an example for Lily to follow and be the hero Lily believes her to be. There would be no raising herself in an entertainment world like Luna had to. If Lily wanted to follow that path, she would do so with open eyes and be ready for its shortcomings as well as its good times.

Walking inside the apartment, Luna smiled at its elegance and coziness. "Its a beautiful home. I love the decor!" she said as. "Did you do the decorating yourself or was it like this when you bought the place?"

[Alienor Vankar]

"Well, I can be mother hen for people close to me, so I get it, even if it's not the same," Alienor remarked about Luna's statement about being overprotective towards her daughter. The musician couldn't really imagine, but she could relate to a degree. Granted her over protectiveness towards friends was rather the "they hurt you, I kill them" kind. "I've been Auntie Ali to a bunch of orphans a close friend of mine watches over. They're mostly a bit older than Lily, but many of them are good kids. I've actually seen some of them become adults in the last decade. Crazy to think about that..."

Alienor gave a look at her friend when Luna said that she hadn't planned to have kids but that her daughter happened anyway. "Hun, I have zero risks of getting pregnant now. I don't even know when was the last time I practiced how to make a baby. So, trust me when I say it's not happening anytime soon." And while she tended to still heavily drink at times, it was always with friends when going out, so they kept each other out of trouble, or alone at home. And even like that, Alienor never had a drunk one night stand. While she definitely had had a string of more or less serious relationships, it normally took her a fair while before ending in bed with them, or wherever they ended getting all over each other.

She was happy when Luna complimented the interior. "I had it completely remodeled. The previous owner was into a beige minimalist look but with tiny rooms. Definitely not my style! I can show you to your room. I had already given you the biggest guest room so it works well with your little gem! We can arrange for whatever sleeping arrangements you need."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled to Ali when she got a little defensive about having kids. "Never said you needed to pop out one my dear." she said with a playful sink and a wry smile. "You never know, some sweet innocent kid might come along and win your heart. They can be funny things."

When Alienor had said Luna had been seen the biggest guest room, she couldn't help but grin though didn't want to be fussed over about sleeping arrangements. " Thanks Ali, though don't worry too much about sleeping arrangements. Lily is used to sleeping with me in the same bed so she won't mind sharing." she said gratefully as she adjusted Lily's position in her arms. Luna used to enjoy cradling Lily as a babe but at four years old, the girl was almost dead weight in her arms while sleeping. "If you're OK with it, I'll get her sorted for her nap and we can chat some more. I'd love to hear more about what's been going down of late!"

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor couldn't help briefly think about Tonyh and the fact he had a daughter, upon Luna's comment, but she pushed that thought deep into the confines of her busy mind. She smiled at what her friend said next though. "I've been auntie Ali for kids around some parts of Cloud City for a few years, but haven't adopted anyone to the point of being their mom yet." She chuckled, reflecting on how moving to Bespin helped her reconnect with her crew more, including the other blonde in her apartment. It felt right to the musician to actually carve some space she could call home.

She led the way towards the guest room upstairs, having retrieved Luna's bags. "Alright, the bed is definitely big enough for you two." She grinned and soon took her to their place to stay. "There is a private bathroom, and obviously my house is your house as long as you stay, so please make yourself comfortable. I'll leave you get Lily ready for her nap. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

She waited for her friend's answer before heading back to the main living area downstairs.

[Luna Brocar'do]

Following Alienor upstairs, carefully placing one for in front of the other as she was unable to grasp the banister of the stairs, Luna was grateful for her friend's help in carrying her things as she suffered quiet anxiety climbing the stairs with a sleepy Lily in her arms. There was one time when Luna had stumbled downstairs with Lily in her arms. Luckily, Luna had managed to use her own body to shield her baby daughter from injury as they fell but Luna had suffered a broken wrist and bruising to her back and ribs as a result. Since that day, the mother was always nervous of climbing up and down stairs with the girl in her arms. It was a relief when they got to the final step and to the room they'd be staying in and when she gently rested the sleeping child onto the bed, Luna could finally breathe a sigh of relief as pins and needles ran up Luna's arms as blood returned to them. As Alienor spoke of a private bathroom and telling Luna to make herself comfortable, Luna nodded and smiled in appreciation, especially when she offered food and drink. Luna's priorities were always to her daughter's needs first and her own second, but she had to admit to herself that she was hungry. "Thanks Ali! We appreciate it!" Luna said gratefully. "Food and drink would definitely be great too! I could almost eat a rancor for dinner after that trip!"

Once Alienor had left, Luna took a breath and looked towards her sleeping child. Lily slept like a log during nap time so it was relatively easy to get things like her shoes and jacket off. Luna usually kept Lily in her everyday clothes during nap time rather than change her into pajamas to keep with their routine, especially as it was still daylight on Bespin. The only thing she did was to go into Lily's bag and pull out her favourite Teddy bear (http://www.epickidstoys.com/toy-shop/buddy-the-curious-teddy-bear-plush-stuffed-animal-9-buddy-plush/) and blanket (http://www.wealdenindependentmediation.org.uk/bmz_cache/2/LNPP%20Hooded%20Blanket%20%20Unicorn%20Decor%20Mic rofiber%20Sofa%20Throw%20Sherpa%20Fleece%20Wearabl e%20Blanket%20For%20Kids%20Adult%20C%20150%20*%201 30Cm%2059%20*%2051In%20%20B07K4MP82M_500x500.jpg) so she had some familiar things to wake up to. Kneeling down on the edge of the bed and gently rousing the child briefly, Luna looked into Lily's eyes and smiled at her. "Hey sweetie. We're at Ali's house now." she said gently. "Mummy's going to be downstairs with Ali while you sleep so don't be afraid okay?"

Lily nodded sleepily before reaching out for a hug. "I love you Mummy!"

As she hugged her child, Luna placed a gentle kiss on Lily's forehead. "Love you too sweetie. Sweet dreams." Luna responded as she bopped Lily on the nose with her Teddy. The girl grabbed it and pulled it close to her before falling asleep once more. Quietly leaving the room and closing the door, Luna felt the motherly prangs of reluctance to leave her child alone, but swallowed that reluctance and walked away from the door, quietly walking downstairs to join Ali in the main living area while taking in the surroundings. "I'm so in love with this place. You got yourself a nice retreat here." she said a she rejoined her friend. "That's Lily asleep for now. Hopefully she'll get a couple of hours rest."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor was still wrapping her mind around the fact that Luna had a child. It was mind blowing and it made her reflect on things more than she wanted to. She wasn't surprised that Luna made a good mother, for it was what her intuition and brief observation told her. Once downstairs, the musician busied herself with putting food together. There was no Rancor in the freezer, but she was still able to get started with some stew, while heating appetizers. She went ahead and opened a bottle of wine, pouring herslef a drink. She hadn't got specifics for what Luna wanted, so she would ask her.

The blonde did drink half her glass in one go, before getting vegetables and meat ready. She was almost done with the first part when she heard Luna's footsteps. "Hey, I didn't know what you wanted drink-wise, so I guess you can just pick whatever you want. There's about anything you might want from water to hard liquor, along with wine, caf, tea, ale..." She chuckled and returned her attention to the veggies, almost ready to put them in the pot.

"I'm glad you like it. I had been visiting Cloud City on a regular basis in the past years, so moving here made sense."

She looked up at her friend when Luna mentioned Lily. "Your daughter is a gem. You did pull one hell of a surprise on me though," she added with a chuckle.

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled as Alienor spoke of not being sure if what Luna had wanted to drink. There was a time when she'd gladly go for the nearest bottle of alcohol, but nowadays, Luna was happy to have a cup of tea or some juice to drink. It was extraordinarily rare for Luna to get wasted these days. In fact, she'd only been wasted from drink once since Lily's birth and that was mainly because Azshara was around to look after Lily while she worked or wanted a day with her friends. Now that it was just her and Lily, Luna makes sure she remains sober at all times. Moving toward the kettle, Luna lifted it and moved to the sink to fill it with water before returning it to the stand to boil. "I'm a bit of a tea drinker these days. Don't think I've sat down with a glass of wine for about three years now..." she chuckled.

As she started making the tea, Alienor mentioned how Luna had pulled a fast one by keeping Lily's existence quiet. Holding onto the jar of sugar, Luna took in a breath and sighed. "Yeah... sorry about that. You're not the only one that didn't know." she said sadly as she picked up a teaspoon to put two spoonfuls of sugar into the cup. "It wasn't intentional to keep you in the dark. At the time she was on her way I had a lot on my plate. Winter was involved in an attack that killed her partner. She needed me to support her while she recovered in a physical and psychological sense. I didn't tell her about my pregnancy until I was nearly seven months gone. I collapsed from stress and doctors told Winter about my condition." she felt her eyes sting a little at the unhappy memory gneiss she took a breath to swallow that emotion away. "You can guess that she was pretty pissed about that. Asked me why I hadn't said anything about it and blamed herself. I told her it wasn't her fault. I'd found out about Lily's impending arrival on the day I nearly lost Winter. Mom and Dad were rightly concerned about her wellbeing and for a time, I chose to forget and concentrate on helping Winter recover. I didn't even tell Mom or Dad about it until I was confronted with it in hospital. They were upset not because I didn't tell them, but because they blamed themselves for me keeping quiet."

Luna smiled a little, however as her mind cast back to Lily's birth. "The day Lily was born was the happiest day of my life. I'd never felt so much pain in my life as I laboured with her for ten hours. When it was over, the docs handed her to me mere seconds after she was born. I was so exhausted but I couldn't stop staring at her. Nothing I'd ever known before had changed me so profoundly until the day I held Lily and looked into her baby blue eyes. Hell, you know what I was like. Drink, drugs, party all night, sleep when I drop. It skidded to a halt the moment I found out I was expecting her."

As she took a sip of her newly made tea, Luna took in a breath and smiled at her old friend. "She may have come into my life at the most difficult of times, but I feel so very blessed by her. I wanted to protect her from the Paps that hounded me and let her have a simple life. The Paps had found out I had been taken into hospital the first time but didn't know why so my PR suggested that we'd release a statement to throw them off the scent by saying I'd been suffering from a chronic condition that needed hospital treatment and needed the press to respect my privacy. It worked. I gave birth to a beautiful child and managed to dodge having to announce her arrival to the galaxy."

[Alienor Vankar]

"I always make sure I have options for everyone. You should find something you like in my tea collection," Alienor sad with a warm smile to her friend. "I guess my parents ingrained how to be a good hostess well enough I keep doing my best." She felt self conscious for a moment when Luna said she barely drank anymore. Then she found herself silly, and took a sip from her glass of wine, before working on the meat for the stew, while the vegetables started cooking.

She listened to the other blonde without interrupting her, while she continued to work on their food. In between, she retrieved the warm assortment of appetizers from the oven and put them on a display plate, nudging them towards her guest. It was a wild story and crazy years. Alienor had only met Winter a couple of times, but she was shocked to hear about what had plagued both sisters. She could also tell how Luna's life had been changed by having Lily. It was funny, and sometimes horribly dramatic, how life could change someone.

"I'm sorry to hear about all this mess. I'm glad that you and Winter are okay now. I had no idea. I know you said I wasn't the only one; and I know all too well how it is to keep people out of your stuff. I'm just really happy that you reached out again, and that you are doing well. Seeing you so happy and grounded I guess is heartwarming."

She made sure that the stew was altogether cooking, and she sat down on a stool at the counter, nabbing an appetizer while polishing off her wine.

"As for me, well... Mostly music in the past years, with some fruitful heists in between, because that keeps a girl busy. And I still dig the thrills. Cloud City has enough people either attracting or scaring the paparazzi off, so it's been fairly quiet since the last time I scared them. Maybe they also find me boring now, because they don't have anything to sniff off except when I gather crowds for my performances. Hell, I've even been able to just do small random gigs in edgy bars since I moved here. I had missed that."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled as Alienor understood the reasons why she kept so quiet for so long and was happy that Luna was reaching out to old friends again. In truth Alienor was the first of her friends that she reached out to. She knew that people like Alienor deserved to know the full truth and it was rather liberating to tell her. She had been closed off from others for so long that it was almost easy to just put them all in the past, but Luna didn't want that. She wanted Lily to meet some of the people she essentially grew up with, especially those like Alienor. There are parts of her old life that she did miss, however, such as the touring. Luna loved touring but since her stint at Black Moon and raising Lily, she'd not gone on a tour for almost 6 years now and wasn't in much of a hurry to do so. "Did you find it strange when the paps suddenly stopped coming for gossip?" she questioned with a chuckle. "I had low expectations when I asked for privacy and it was strange to go out and not have one chasing my tail for something six months later. Even now after four years, I still check my surroundings in case the paps are about. I'm surprised they didn't catch me with Lily themselves long ago. I've certainly not seen any articles about it since her birth."

Luna shrugged her shoulders slightly at her ramblings. "Its not a bad thing really. I'm glad for the peace in truth. Yet when you're used to having them follow your tail for so long and suddenly find they're not following anymore, it's kinda unnerving. Like part of me wants to let my guard down in that regard but I know that, as soon as I do, someone's going to sneak up on me and do a story about it."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor pondered on Luna's questions for a long time. "Yes, and no. Thing is that they still show up when I give a big performance, especially off world. And Cloud City is really a good territory to blend in the crowd. I miss being on actual ground, but you really have nice upper levels, decent mid ones, and if you know your way around, the lower ones aren't worse than any other neighborhood of the kind. Having had a private illegal life most of my life besides the public stuff also makes it easy for me to slip in and out of sight to a degree."

She poured herself another glass, sparing a look at the stew that still needed some time longer. "I guess that's the good thing about going solo too. There's no one night stands or flames to track down, so I might be pretty boring in a way." She laughed a little bitterly. Heck, they hadn't tracked anything down about her meeting - summoning really - with Vankar. She was glad about that, because she hadn't wanted this to be spread in tabloids.

"We can never know for sure whether the paps will leaves us alone; but I dare think that Cloud City will be okay for you and Lily. There's definitely friends of mine I look forward to introducing you to."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled slightly as Ali spoke about missing being on actual ground. Luna had to admit, she found it difficult to not feel anxious about the stability of the platforms even before she became a mother. Inside her head right now, that anxiety was quietly in overdrive. It would take some time before Luna would ever consider letting Lily leave her side in Cloud City. "Don't you get nervous about not having solid ground underneath you?" Luna asked. "I mean, I got a lot of anxiety everytime I landed on places like Cloud City when I was in tour. It feels even more prominent now that I'm a Mom. Lily has no fear complex yet so I know when we go exploring, the first thing she's going to want to do is want to find out what's beyond the edge. Scares the living daylights out of me just thinking about it."

When Alienor spoke of introducing her and Lily to some friends, Luna grinned at the thought. "Looking forward to it! Would be great to meet people again without working or touring. I feel like other than today, I've barely socialised in years." Taking a sip of her tea once more, Luna leaned against the wall and canted her head a little. "Who've you got in mind?"

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor had never given any thought about the whole platform issue. "I'm sorry it's scary to you, and I guess that it makes all the more sense with a young child. After all I don't even think Tonyh traveled here with his daughter." The blonde stopped on her tracks and cursed herself in every bloody languages she knew. She had no reason to mention Vankar. At least it had been a casual name drop, so she should be fine. She continued up, maybe in a slightly hurried way, while refilling her glass. "I've not heard of any accident though. I mean dropping scumbags to their death is practical, don't get me wrong. But other than that, I think you ladies will be alright."

She chuckled and was happy that Luna was back in town. She had really missed her friend. "Molly's been like a sister to me for years. She's been on Cloud City for several years. We've got in trouble together a few times, and she's loyal and a lot of fun. I think you two will get along fantastically. She's been looking over orphans in lower levels too, and that's how I got to be Auntie Ali to some, including one who's now a teen, Talia, which I think you'd like too."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna clocked the mention of a certain man and his daughter. The name raised an eyebrow and a small smirk from the mother but Luna wasn't about to ask who he was as she noted the embarrassment afterward. She was almost laughing at the hurried need for another drink and found it incredibly hard to bite her tongue. Being a bar manager after taking retirement from the entertainment industry, Luna knew full well that drink often made the 'truth' spoil forth and this 'Tonyh' was triggering all sorts of blushes in her friend's face. "Aww. You're so cute when you blush, you know that right?" Luna said with a giggle and a playful wink. She could not help but tease her long time friend. "Stole your heart huh?"

While she felt quietly assured that she and Lily would be alright, Luna would still remain vigilant. It was mother's instinct, something that had caught Luna off guard in the past. Something Luna would not normally think about would suddenly look more threatening. It would fill her with anxieties she'd never had until she was convinced that the threat to Lily's safety was minimal. "Its hilarious yet scary sometimes. I mean, you go down the street and you don't even think about the people around you when you're on your own. You only care about going from A to B and very little in between. When you're a Mom, however, you're looking at everything and everyone around you, especially when in a new place. You look around you and think 'Oh God, they could get hurt on this, or someone could try to do this to her. A lot of it is irrational at times but it doesn't help that kids at Lily's age have no fear and will get themselves into trouble if you don't have an eye or ear on them at all times. Lily has already scared the living daylights out of me a few months ago. She climbed a tree on Gala while I was at a market and got so high she was unable to get down on her own. I'd only taken my eyes off her two minutes and the next thing I hear is her screaming loudly because she was scared. I had to climb up the tree myself and have her climb onto my back so I could climb us both back down. I'd never felt so terrified. You know you need to remain calm but you're panicking so much inside it almost overrides all reason."

When Alienor spoke of the people she was to introduce and how she and Molly had been taking care of some orphans, Luna couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat for the kids. All kids deserved a home with a parent that loved them. It made her feel sad that there were kids that didn't have that. Luna had always said that she was open to adopting kids, but with Lily in tow, she would have to bring her on board to such an idea. Luna had yet to teach Lily that not all kids were as lucky as she to have a Mom or Dad that cared for them. Okay, Lily's father was out of the picture but at least she had Luna to protect her, love her and teach her how to live in this crazy galaxy. Kids like Talia had to learn on their own. "I look forward to meeting them. Lily's a sociable kid so I'm sure she'll hit it off with everyone too!" she said as she sipped her tea once more. "If you and Molly are amenable to the idea, I'd like to help somehow. Lily and I may only be on Cloud City for a short amount of time but it would be time well spent if we can assist in some fashion. "

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor was cursing herself for having let her mind wander back to that scoundrel. She had made her bed without him several times at this point. When Luna teased her about blushing, she felt anger rise within her, but directed only at herself for the war zone her heart had been since she had met with him a few weeks back. "Stole my heart? Ah, that's a good one," she said polishing her drink, not even thinking for one moment how obvious she was especially to a former bar manager. "It's nobody really, just some old story. The galaxy can be a small place."

She found herself engrossed in Luna's stories about her experience of motherhood. It seemed quite eerie to the musician, as she knew her tangent experience as aunt to a few things, and not even on a regular basis until now, had nothing to do with actually raising your own kid. "I didn't peg you as the mommy type back in the days, but seeing you now with Lily seems like the most natural thing in the world. It makes me so happy to see you two together."

The stew was finally ready, so she served some of it in plates, handing one to her friend and then digging into her own.

"You don't have to do anything except explore and enjoy, sweetie! I may have to scamper off for about three days because I may have a one-night exceptional performance on Centares that has just landed in my lap. I hate having to spend time away when you're visiting; but it's the goddam Aleva Performance Hall." She kinda didn't want to go because of a certain someone, who was also another reason she wanted to go, though for the most part it was because it had been one of her dream locations for years.

"Of course, my home is yours as well, and I would be able to organize us a girl's night out as soon as I'm back. Granted, we might do different than usual, as I don't know whether our bar scene would fit Lily."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna laughed somewhat as Alienor spoke of not pegging the blonde to be a motherly type. "I wasn't exactly planning on having a child when I did." Luna replied. "I was more interested in partying be having fun, but I'm not so irresponsible that I'd willingly put her at risk. When I realised I was pregnant with her, I made sure I got clean and promised myself I'd be the mother she needed me to be. Not touched the recreation drugs and drank very little alcohol since. Funny, considering the past three years my sister and I ran a bar and nightclub on Gala."

As Alienor handed Luna a plate of food, she couldn't help but sniff it to take in the aromas. "Umm.. This smells fantastic!" she said as she took a fork and took a bite out of her meal and chuckled. "Wait a few minutes and Lily will catch a whiff and wake up! Smell of food will always catches her attention."

As Luna continued to eat, she had one ear listening out for Lily stirring as Alienor explained that she'd be away for a few days performing and felt bad about leaving Luna and Lily behind while they were here. Wafting a dismissive hand, Luna smiled as she reassured her friend that it would be okay to leave them. "Ppft! Don't worry about us. We'll be okay while you're away." she said softly. "And a girls night sounds great! Lily is good and sticks with me at bars but, if you want, we can see about a restaurant or a bowling alley with a kids play area. She'll get a kick out of the play area while we chill out."

Upstairs, Lily was indeed beginning to stir from her nap. The smell of food awakening her senses. Lifting her head and opening her dark coloured eyes, Lily knew she was somewhere new and vaguely remembered her Mother saying she'd be downstairs if she was needed. Climbing out of bed, Lily cautiously opened the bedroom door and looked around. Unsure of where she should go Lily decided to quietly call out for help. "Mummy..? Mummy!"

[Alienor Vankar]

"Well, it seems you're doing fine," Alienor said with a warm smile to her friend. She was fine being a part-time auntie to street kids at this point of her life. It was enough for her. Her career was still her baby. The thought made her cringe as it made her want to smack Tonyh for how he had tossed that in her face; although she had been a bitch to him as well, before they became civilized again. "That's good that you do what is best for you. My consumption of liquor hasn't gone down; though I'm handling things fine, and still never drink before a big gig, music or otherwise." In that regard, she had always been professional. "Now for nights at home, it can just be me, wine, and the piano or the violin," she admitted somewhat freely.

Alienor was happy when Luna complimented how the stew smelled. She was still able to host correctly. She chuckled at the remark about Lily. "Well, there's plenty enough for a few meals for the three of us! I always tend to prepare food for a whole community instead of a couple of people."

When her friend was fine with her wandering off, she felt relief. She hated doing that; but it was a once in a lifetime experience. "Thank you! I appreciate it a lot. I didn't think it was even on my radar. I was concerned someone had pulled strings for it to happen, bu thankfully it was just that they really wanted me to perform!"

Regarding girls night, the pirate pondered for a moment. "Well, we can just hang out here. The liquor cabinet is stocked up, and there's plenty space for us, even if we need to turn the living area into a dance floor!"

At that moment, she heard Lily upstairs, and grinned. "You were correct. I'll prepare her a plate while you go fetch her."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled and winked playfully at Alienor when she spoke of staying at the house for a girls night in. Luna was generally easy to please regardless though a girls night in did mean Luna could allow herself to have a couple of alcoholic drinks, though she'd likely wait until Lily was asleep to do so. Even then, Luna would limit herself as she'd learnt her lesson of having a massive hangover with a young child to look after. Granted, Lily was a lot younger then but she was still just as hyperactive now, perhaps even more so.

Speaking of Lily, Luna heard the tell tale steps of her little one cautiously open the door and she smiled inwardly while waiting to see what Lily would do next. Sure enough, Luna heard her quiet calls for help and laughed. "I wondered how long it would take for the smells of food to catch her attention." she said as she placed her plate of food on the table and left to find her little girl. Before long, Luna stood at the bottom of the stairs and saw Lily at the top, looking pathetically at her. Softly sighing at Lily, Luna dropped to all fours and crawled upstairs with a playful smirk on her face. "Here comes Momma cat crawling up the stairs..." she sang playfully, watching as Lily's little face turned from pathetically sad to a happy grin as Luna crawled further up. "Here come Momma cat getting ready to pounce in three...two...one... Rawr!" Luna quickly pulled Lily into her arms and blew raspberries on her belly. Squeals of delight followed with gales of laughter escaped the little girl as she squirmed. Letting the girl go, Lily continued to giggle for a moment before Luna sat at the top of the stairs and gestured for Lily to join her.

"Hey sweetie..." she spoke as Lily sat down and snuggled into her. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Lily nodded happily to her Mother. "Umm hmm. I had a good dream today!"

Luna smiled as she gently kissed Lily's forehead. "That's good!" she responded before gesturing downstairs. "Ali has some lovely food ready for you downstairs. You hungry?"

Lily eagerly nodded at Luna as she answered, "I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole rancor!"

Luna chuckled at the child's exaggeration of hunger but decided to play along. "A whole rancor huh? Wow! You must be really hungry then! I hope Ali has enough to feed that kind of appetite!" Luna then rose to her feet and held out a hand to her daughter. "Let's see what Ali has for you!"

Taking her mother's hand, Lily hopped downstairs before letting go of her hand and raced into the kitchen and dining area. Stopping at the entrance Lily looked up at Ali and waved happily. "Hewwo! Can I come in pwease?" she said as Luna stood a few paces back. She wanted to help grow Lily's confidence in talking to people and would not interfere in the conversation.

[Alienor Vankar]

When Luna went to check on Lily, Alienor realized that her friend and her had been eating at the counter on the bar stools. Those were not a good option with a young child, compared to experience bar-goers like them. She worked on setting the actual dining table, and moved everyone's plates and glasses, along with the remaining appetizers, in case Lily wanted to sample some besides the stew. It was nice to have friends at her still recent place. Even her parents hadn't visited yet; but they were most busy with their antiquaries business as usual. She hoped she would see them soon, because she missed them.

She was also excited at the perspective of having a girl's night to introduce Molly and Luna to each other. It would be the opportunity to put her old barmaid talents to good use, though she bet that by now Luna would beat her fair and square. It made her chuckle as she finished to get things ready, while she absentmindedly listened to the adorable exchange between mother and daughter. As much as she hoped to have actual children someday, beyond being a part-time auntie, she wasn't sure how good she was. At least, she didn't have to worry about that in the immediate future, maybe even not until the much latter one.

She smiled fondly when the little girl stopped by the area entrance. "Come in, Lily!. You have a seat right next to your Mom." She watched the child step closer and then she showed her to the mismatched chair that should give her the right height to eat with them, and she helped her in it when needed. "I served you stew, and there are other things to nibble on. Do you want water? Juice?"

[Luna Brocar'do]

Lily grinned happily as she was invited in and followed Ali to one of the chairs. Pulling the chair out slightly so she had room to climb onto the chair, the little girl was helped by their host while Luna sat on a chair next to her and winked playfully at Ali as Lily was served dinner. "Careful Ali... Lily said she could eat a whole rancor for dinner tonight." she said playfully as she stroked the back of Lily's head. Like all younglings though, Lily was more interested in eating at that moment in time and tucked into the stew Alienor provided, briefly looking up at their host as she asked if Lily wanted water or juice. "Juice pwease!" she said politely. Luna had made sure that Lily was taught to say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking and receiving anything and smiled in approval when Lily said please for her juice without prompt.

Satisfied that Lily was eating without fuss, Luna went back to her own food and watched as Lily's curiosity for Alienor grew. "Miss Alienor... What you do for fun?" she asked in between mouthfuls of food. A small smirk pulled on Luna's face as she quietly hoped Lily wouldn't drop some embarrassing stories in the conversation, especially about Winter and her.... escapades with men.

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor chuckled at Luna's tease about Lily's appetite. "I don't have roasted rancor available, but I'm fairly sure I have enough food available so this young lady doesn't stay hungry," she replied with a playful wink. She noted the little girl's good manners and smiled as she fetched her some juice, before joining her guest at the table, and digging into her own food again. It was nice to have people spending time at her place. And catching up after years apart was a joy.

When Lily asked her what she did for fun, Alienor considered her options, and decided against tales of piracy, for she liked to ensure this part remained private, even though Luna knew about some of her illegal endeavors. So she stuck with how she spent most of her free time in Cloud City, none of it scandalous. "I spend time with friends, chatting and dancing, and I play a lot of music." She pointed towards the large piano in the living area. "If you'd like I can play you something after dinner," she offered.

"What about you? What do and your mommy do?"

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna had to admit, a part of her was nervous when Lily asked what Alienor did for a living. The two were certainly not the most pious of women and while Luna had certainly changed her path since they last spoke, Ali was another matter so she was glad when Ali spoke of things that sounded like hobbies rather than the activities they were known for. She watched Lily as she ate and seemed relieved as she was satisfied with Ali's answer and attempted to continue the conversation. "Mummy likes to sing and pway music too!" Lily said cutely. "When I was little, Mummy would sing songs to me when I was upset and sometimes Mummy and Auntie Winter would sing songs together at home or in the Black Moon!" Luna took in a breath of some relief as Lily spoke of singing songs. Talking about songs was good. No embarrassing stories to tell when they talk about songs. She just had to hope that they didn't talk more about Winter or her antics with men in Black Moon. "I like to dwaw pictures." the little girl continued happily before looking up at Ali. "Do you like to dwaw Miss Alienor?" she asked. "Could we maybe dwaw togefer?"

Quietly observing, Luna felt pride as she watched her sociable little girl get to know her old friend. One thing the blonde woman was incredibly fascinated by was how much she was learning from Lily. Luna may be the mother and Lily the child, but there was nary a time when Lily wasn't teaching Luna something she didn't realise she needed to learn, whether it was something about Lily's needs or to just simply stop, have fun and enjoy the simplest moments she missed in her own childhood. Right now though, Luna was enjoying having a moment where she wasn't encouraging Lily to be social. She was feeding it. "Just as well I brought colouring pens and paper eh?" Luna said with a giggle before tapping on Lily's plate. "Eat your dinner first Lils, then we'll get the pens and paper out, okay?"

Lily sighed dejectedly at her mother, who gave the little girl a look that reminded her to not push the matter further. "Ooookay Mummy." she said before turning to her food and picking out one of the vegetables to eat. While Lily ate, Luna grabbed her plate and sat down on a chair beside her daughter as she spoke to Ali. "Got a bottle of loopy juice in my bag for later too if you fancy Ali?" she said with a playful wink. "Gala's finest."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor didn't know when she would get to meet Tonyh's daughter, who must be about Lily's age; but she knew it was probably going to be a challenge. While her partner had embraced paternity out of the blue; she had no idea how to be a stepmum yet. That was another thing she'd have to let Luna know about when they had grown-up time. The last thing the musician had expected was a committed relationship, and one that had become public from the get go; but she didn't regret it.

She smiled at the little girl who appeared happy with the truthful but tame answer she had offered. She grinned at the praise of Luna's talents.

"Your mom is an amazing singer. She and your aunt are awesome musicians."

At the mention of drawing, she was grateful to have an expert sabacc face; for that definitely wasn't something she had expected. She kept her cool, looking nonchalant; but immensely grateful to her friend for stepping in and postpone the now looming crayon-fest!

"I'm not a good drawer; but we can do that after you finish dinner, sure."

Digging into her own plate, she quirked a brow at her friend's mention of loopy juice. That was a good one.

"Gala's finest? You've always sweet-talked me so well, hun."

She relaxed as the three of them enjoyed the food.

"It's really good to see you. I've missed hanging out with you."

Life had been crazy for both of them, especially Luna because as much as Alienor had gone through her share of stuff, she wasn't going to compare it with motherhood.

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna grinned at Ali as she spoke about missing hanging out with the blonde musician. "IYeah...I've missed you too." she said as she took a bite out of her meal. Chewing through her food, however, Luna thought about the life she left behind. The wild parties, the drink, the money, the fights. She realised she didn't miss any of that. The only thing she missed the most was the people. Ali, Toca, Milo and the gang . Luna missed them all, but she didn't miss a thing about the industry they worked in. She was in no hurry to return to the world of entertainment. A lot of credits would have to cross her palms before she made the decision to work the industry before Lily was ten years old and even then, it would have to be a good deal for her to return.

As she took another bite, Luna looked up at Ali send as she swallowed her food, she asked Ali, "Have you seen much of the gang of late? I last saw Toca and Milo shortly after Winter was injured. I didn't tell them of Lily either..."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor loved the music world and couldn't fathom giving up her art; but at the same time, everything tied together for her, the martial art tutoring business, the many underworld piracy adventures. She loved having a foot in the legal world and one in the criminal hubs. It was who she was at heart. Tankreyds lived part publicly part in shadows; even though her cousin loved the shadows even more. She was walking a weird line, balancing various parts of her soul; but she loved it and thrived.

She had enough money not to need to music industry anymore; but she loved it, and was able to call the shots at this point, which was a true luxury she didn't take fore granted.

She nodded to Luna's question. After finishing her bite, she answered properly.

"I saw Toca and Milo about a month ago? We're talking about doing a gig together here, probably in one of the edgy bars where they can enjoy us going punk."

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna smiled slightly as Ali spoke of Toca and Milo. They seemed to be doing well if what her friend said was true. The blonde musician and entertainer knew she'd have to talk to them at some point and if they were here then Luna knew it was better to tell them herself rather than them finding out from someone else about what she'd been up to and tell them about Lily. "Do you know if they're on Cloud now?" she asked before taking another bite of food and swallow it. "If they are here... will it be okay to leave Lily here with you while I talk to them at some point? I wasn't exactly in a great state mentally the last time I spoke to them and said some things I regret. That's a kind of talk I don't want Lily hearing if things get heated."

Lily had been listening as the adults spoke but didn't quite understand what her mother meant and tugged on Luna's sleeve. "Mummy...what does 'heated' mean? "

Luna bit her lip slightly in indecision before finally deciding to tell her the truth. "In this case, it means when people shout at each other or get angry. Like when Mummy got mad at that mean lady in Black Moon, remember?"

Lily pursed her lips slightly at the memory. "Oh...She was scary..."

Luna smiled and stroked her back. "And Mummy had to act scary to protect you didn't she?" she watched as Lily nodded before turning to explain to Ali. "We had some issues with the sister of Winter's fiance, which, for the most part, I stayed out of. You know what I'm like if I get involved in stuff like that, and Winter didn't want me involved because of Lily being so young. Of course, this woman went way too far when she decided to push Lily to the ground after her rant with Winter last year. She got a response so frightening that she learned not to come near me or Lily again, while drunk or sober." Luna then grinned slightly at the memory before chuckling, "Scared the living daylights out of me as well to be honest. I've been in fights before but fighting on instinct to protect your young and fighting for the sake of fighting are totally different kettles of fish."

[Alienor Vankar]

"They came back a few days ago," Alienor replied between a couple of bites. She knew that their mutual friends missed Luna despite how things went down last time they had talked. They had all gone through shit episodes and they understood that making amends was part of long friendships.

"I'll be happy to watch over Lily while you go see them, hun."

She realized she had just signed up to look after a young child. All by herself. For the weirdest reason, she wasn't completely terrified at the prospect, though before she would have probably preferred going juggling on a tight rope over a volcano than do that.

The kid was a smart and inquisitive one; though Alienor wasn't surprised given that Lily was Luna's daughter. She got concerned at the mention of issues at the Black Sun.

"She sounds like someone I'd gladly toss through an airlock. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. How's Winter doing these days?"

The whole "fighting for your young" made her feel slightly uncomfortable, because she still doubted she had any maternal instinct in her even though she was going to be a de facto step mom in Sonya's life.

[Luna Brocar'do]

Luna chuckled a little when Ali spoke of tossing the vile woman out the airlock. "Oh believe me, I'd specialists to toss her on her as-... behind." she said, correcting herself so she didn't swear in front of Lily. Her attempts didn't fly over the girl's head so easily though as Lily sniggered under her hands, prompting Luna to comically put her head on the table and shaking it in a 'damnit' fashion.

"Swear jar Mummy! Hehe! " Lily said as Luna raised her head and pulled out a coms device, transferring thirty credits into another account. Luna called it 'Mummy's swearing jar' but the truth was actually a nest egg account for Lily. She transferred credits into the account every so often since the day the girl was born and it had amassed to nearly 200k in credits.

Once the transaction was complete, Luna put away her device and ruffled Lily's hair. "There. Thirty credits to the swear jar. Happy?" she said playfully, watching as Lily nodded before turning to answer Ali's question about Winter. "All things considered, she's doing well." she said. The tone was a little more serious, however as she pondered on the last time she saw her sister. "She's had a rough few years to be sure but things are looking up for her now." There was more to the story but given the fact that Lily was with them and she'd been protecting her from the worst of the issues Winter had endured and wasn't keen on talking more about it in her presence. The less Lily knew of it, the better.

Hearing that Toca and Milo were back in town was both good and unnerving for Luna. Like Winter, Luna had her own issues to deal with and Lily had taken precedence over much of it. With Ali agreeing to watch over Lily for a while, however, Luna could finally get that part of her history squared away. "I'll see about meeting them after your dealings are done tomorrow... if you're okay with it of course. I feel the sooner that's taken care of, the better..."

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor couldn't help laughing out loud when Lily told Luna that it was time for the swear jar. It was so adorable to see them interact. There was still the same fire in her beloved friend, with a new balance that stemmed from her interaction with her daughter. It was weird and yet beautiful to get to witness that. Alienor didn't really have close friends with kids around her. And the niece she should have spoiled was stillborn too many years ago. Watching her friend and daughter briefly made her contemplate her dear cousin and how she had pushed through after such a tragedy.

Returning to the present moment, she nodded to Luna's words about her sister Winter. "I'm glad to hear she is. You two have always been fighters. I always heard that your club was doing amazing though."

She finished her food and brought the empty plate to the kitchen area while Luna mused on what she wanted to do regarding Toca and Milo.

"Sure thing, hon. I can watch over Lily!"

She never shook in her boots but she was a bit terrified of baby-sitting; but she wanted to give Luna the opportunity to reconnect with their mutual friends.

She peeked at Lily and canted her head to the side.

"I promise I'll behave and keep track of how much I owe to the swear jar if I slip. How does that sound?"

[Luna Brocar'do]

Lily looked up at the two adults as they conversed. She didn't really understand what the two were conversing about but she did understand that Mummy was going to go away for a while tomorrow. At the moment, the little girl wasn't overly concerned, though it had been a while since Luna had left her precious child in the care of others. Even the mere thought of leaving her for a while did make Luna feel somewhat nervous inside. Who could blame her really though? Luna had not set foot on Bespin since her drug fuelled days in the band and as much as she loved Ali and knew she'd be somewhat safe with her, the blonde former rocker could not help but feel concerned. As much as Luna often detested it, Lily had completely rewired her brain and she was no longer the woman that dove into every sense of danger without consideration of others. She had to think of the consequences more now as it no longer affected just herself. She was putting a lot of trust in Ali by leaving Lily with her, even if it were just for a little while and as Lily was often her 'little shadow' it would feel incredibly strange without her little girl by her side.

As Ali looked over to Lily, however and spoke with her, Luna pushed her thoughts aside and having finished their dinners, Luna stood up and planted a gentle kiss on the top of Lily's head as she took away the plates and leave the two to interact. It would give the them a chance to know each other while Luna watched in the background, chuckling as Ali promised to keep track of how much money needed to go to the swear jar. The little girl, meanwhile sensed some apprehension and decided to use the oldest trick in her 'little book of happiness'. Looking towards her mother, she asked, "Mummy.... can you, me and Ali colour together?"

Luna grinned and gave the girl a nod. "Sure. Your books and pencils are in the bag upstairs in our bedroom..." she replied as Lily dropped from the chair and ran off upstairs. Luna hightailed it after the girl but stayed downstairs as the thump of little feet could be heard into the next floor. "Middle pocket okay?"

"I got it Mummy!" she said as she scrambled through the bag and came downstairs with her hands full of a book and pencil case. Luna gave a playful wink to the girl as she returned to the kitchen, presenting the colouring book to Ali. Luna knew the trick quite well and as Lily had only brought one book down, she knew all three couldn't possibly colour at the same time to play along with it, Luna called to the kitchen. "I'll be there in a moment. I gotta go to the bathroom. You two have fun now!"

Lily giggled before putting on her sweetest face and big puppy-like expressions as she held up the book high above her head for Ali to pick up. "Ali...can you colour a page with me.....pwease?" she asked nicely. This ice-breaker worked in the past so surely it would work this time too.

[Alienor Vankar]

Alienor had always liked kids but didn't necessarily thought she was that good with them, especially when they were so little as Lily, or Sonya, her partner's daughter. She was protective by nature, a very Tankreyd thing if one considered her beloved cousin. She could have her act quite clean around kids, even though some just grew up in pretty dire situations such as some she kept an eye on in lower levels of Cloud City. Yet she was glad for kids like Lily who could be raised in a loving and safe environment. And she could tell the change in Luna and she was happy for her friend. It was good to reconnect after all this time, although she knew too well how life could have people do their own thing for a while before meeting again.

The little girl was likely going to keep her mom on her toes for years to come, and anyone Luna allowed around her. She quirked a brow when the child asked if they could color together and she smiled. She watched the interaction between mother and daughter as Lily went upstairs to retrieve her supplies.

She helped cleaning up the plates quickly, not wanting her guests to have to deal with it. While she didn't entertain all the times, she really wanted her place on Cloud City to become a home more than a layover. When Lily came back down, she chuckled when Luna excused herself, although she wasn't surprised.

Alienor smiled to Lily. "Sure thing! Let's set up in the living room. We can do that on the coffee table. Do you need some more water?"

She just wanted to make sure that the little girl was alright. Once she got her answer, she did accordingly and then came to sit on the floor in the living room.

"Alright, what would you like to color?"