National Lampoon's Hyperspace Vacation

[Q. Samus Dage]

Continued from here (https://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57753-She-s-a-Beaut)








* * *



What had once been magical, was now a long-running exercise in putting out a single, solitary, angry fire.

In the tunnel of hyperspace, the silence of an evil glare was loud and clear for the recipient, and Samus Dage was currently wondering if his ears would survive the cacophony.

Gradoona was taking a longer-than-normal trip to the fresher, and T'yeellaa had chosen this time to join him in the cockpit, dropping her languid frame into the co-pilot's seat with calculated ease. It was that sort of ease that made him nervous, and for a few minutes he focused on the swirling kaleidoscope of starlines in the front viewscreen.

There was no ignoring her though, and eventually he tore his eyes away to give her an innocent smile.

"Nothing quite like the hyperlane, you know?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI'm sstjill not talkjing to jyou."

T'yeellaa masked herself in a frown, which was difficult to do in the face of a flowing display of hyperlight. And maybe that's what was so aggravating about all of this. This was almost soo perfect. So close to perfect! Until it wasn't.

She pulled a small bottle of medicine from her pocket. Painkillers she'd found in the 'fresher. At least it was stocked for every contingency. She shook two out into her palm before popping them in her mouth. She gave a heavy dry swallow, finally cutting her eyes to her gai'tou, who was more beauty than brains by far.

"Grradoona Pod-Floewanderr. What werre jyou thjinking?!"

[Q. Samus Dage]

For a moment he didn't say anything, simply watching her essentially choke down pills. It looked painful.

"She needed a ride?"

Silence reigned after that, and trying to bridge the divide, he gave her a concerned look.

"That's the third time you've pulled from that bottle, Kitten. You should be careful you don't take so much that you damage your insides."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Sso tell herr to take a trranssporrt!" Her voice raised, but T'y kept a lid on it enough to keep it from traveling to the back of the ship. Still, her eyes were blue fire. She gave an indignant huff, forefully stuffing the medicine bottle into her pocket.

"Thjiss wass ssuppossed to be forr uss, about uss! We werre gojing to fjind a beautjiful planet jin the mjiddle of nowherre wjith no one arround forr ljight jyearrss, and sshe'ss thrrown a bjig ssmelljy blanket overr everrjythjing."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He bore the brunt of her rage in silence, knowing that it was best to stay quiet for the time being. It would not last long, however, as he also knew that her wordless demand for an answer to this apparent travesty was unavoidable. Samus leaned back slightly in his seat.

"She wanted to go to the Grassley Dunes Mudfish Festival back home, and I couldn't tell her no, especially since we're going to Myomar also."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Before T'yeellaa could retort, the refresher door hissed open.

"Wooo-oo, thaat feels better, boy howdy!"

The Herglic rubbed down the parts of her arms and legs left exposed beyond her t-shirt and shorts. Normally supply and shiny, Gradoona's skin was especially glistening now.

"Gaat a new mooisturizer baalm shipped in fraam back hoome aan Giju. It's suppoosed too keep foor twelve houurs, aaand doonchaknoo, its alsoo SPF 15. Even smells good too, see!"

Without invitation, Gradoona thrust a hand towards each of her traveling companions.

[Q. Samus Dage]

The meaty, over-sized fist shoved close was enough to cause him to lean to the side in slight surprise, not exactly expecting the sudden closeness.

"I, um," he gave a test sniff.

"It smells good, yeah. Don't you think so too,T'yeellaa?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She didn't even look at the over-sized Herglic hand in front of her. Instead, T'yeellaa kept a stony expression fixed on Samus. Her ears pivoted parallel to the deck.

"jIt'ss fjine."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Youu can say thaat again!"

Oblivious to the signs, Gradoona carried on, tracing a line down her forearm with one stubby digit.

"I dunnoo abouut Humans aand Cizeri, but Herglics caan't cut coorners with moisturizers. Well, naat if youu caan't take three baths a day, yaknoo."

She gave Dage a friendly shoulder punch.

"Heyy, want me to spell ya foor a bit at the helm? I'm good to go. Just jettisoned the paylooad yaknoo, and I oonly need two houurs aaf sleep."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Taking the punch in stride, Samus eagerly accepted her offer, and with a swift nod, moved to extricate himself from his seat.

"That sounds wonderful," he managed to get out, "... should give me time to get a bath of my own."

A terrible thought then, and he slowly sent a concerned gaze to Gradoona in wordless question as to the state she'd left the fresher in.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Gradoona's blowhole whistled a moment before click-clacky laughter. She took his seat, reclining deeply as she waved away his worries.

"Ah geez Commaander it's fiiiine! I'm a lady, yaknoo! Now, youu be a gent and keep the lid up! I knoow the blonde hair and aall, but youu're naat Luuke Skyywaalker shootin down exaaust poorts."

Laughing at her own joke, Gradoona reached over to one of the bench seats, retrieving a box.

"Hey K'oohta'rrou, ya waant some Spunky Dunkers?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The box opened in front of her, and T'yeellaa was assailed by saccharine smells of sugar, mocoa, namana jam, and oil. She could feel her stomach turn on itself as a cold bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

"jI...jI alrreadjy ate" she lied, turning away sharply to look back at the swirl of hyperlight. Even here she found no solace, the light seeming brighter than usual. Her headache and now her nausea weren't abating any time soon.

[Q. Samus Dage]

In the face of an assault by donut, T'yeellaa looked especially pale, and for a moment he grew concerned. Surely she wasn't coming down with a case of space-sickness like s'Il?

Samus did reach forward though, to poach a chocolate-iced, kolinut-dusted ring of sugary tastiness. He'd not yet had the chance to try Spunky Dunkers, but both Varin and Rahgus swore up one bulkhead and down the other that there was no donut shop anywhere that came close.

A single bite later, and he had to admit that his crewmates were right.

"S'good!"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Gradoona popped an entire Ronto Claw down the hatch.

"I knooow, riiiight?"

The whole pastry could still be seen surfing on her tongue before she finally closed her mouth.

"I found ouut abouut them aan Kitoo, 'cause the originaal waas a Kitoonak place. I aalmoost fell ouut when I saaw they were aan Joovan!"

She flipped a buiberry jam donut down the hatch.

"Kiinda wish I'd gaat moore than three dozen foor the trip."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

On top of everything assailing her, everyone was talking way too loud! T'yeellaa winced every time Gradoona went up a decibel or an octave, and she was kneading the arm rests of her chair. Eventually she got out of her seat, heading for the ladder at the aft of the ship.

"jI have to check on ssomethjing." She didn't have the imagination for a creative lie, so a vague one would have to do. But if she didn't get away for a few minutes she was going to kill one of them.

[Q. Samus Dage]

With half a donut still in hand, Samus was quick to follow after her. Once they'd left the cockpit, he was on her heels with a look of concern etched on his features. She was acting strange; oh, she was upset, he knew that much, but there was something else. The amount of painkillers that she'd gone through was worrisome.

"Are you ok?"

His voice hissed out as his free hand came down softly on her shoulder.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Even the way his hand came down on her shoulder drew irritation. T'yeellaa stiffened a little, drawing in a breath as she half-leaned against the ladder.

"jI jusst have a headache. Everrjythjing'ss ssettjing jit off rrjight now."

Everything. Everything. Her brows knit suddenly as she drew close, taking a cautionary sniff.

"Gai'tou, have jyou taken a sshowerr?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

It was an odd question, and Samus gave her an equally odd look before slowly pushing the rest of his donut into his mouth. He chewed, relished the sugary sweet taste, then swallowed.

"Last night I did," he finally answered cautiously, "... I even used that frilly fancy body wash you bought for me from whatever that store back in the Cluster is called."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Romaaiyarro'ss." She replied a bit absently, lost in her head over all of this. She could still smell that too, but there was a lot more of him in the air, like they'd spent a long night upstairs. That might have been interesting to her before, but now it was all too much. Not to mention the smell of that damned donut.


"Majybe jI had too much tea..." T'yeellaa massaged her temples gingerly, trying to backtrack the day. Sure, she'd had a cup of kri'achee early, but that couldn't be it. And it shouldn't be causing her to feel this way now.

"Majybe jI'm jusst jin a bad mood. jI'm ssorrrjy gai'tou, jI know jyou mean well and all..."

[Q. Samus Dage]

She looked as lost and confused as ever, and in that moment he wanted to make her feel better. He wanted to make her feel comfortable and happy and no longer lost. With an understanding look, the rangy blonde bent down to deposit a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"How about a bath? We've got just enough in the tanks to be able to get a good long soak in," his hand traveled down, fingertips trailing along the skin of her arm before finding her own hand and grasping it tightly.

"We can even use that bubble concoction you like."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

It all sounded good on the surface, and T'yeellaa wanted nothing more than to own that suggestion and relish it as much as she was looking forward to doing so when he'd shown her all of this. But she felt awful and there was the high probability that Samus in all of his good intentions would just make it worse.

"Pleasse don't take thjiss the wrrong wajy, but can jit jusst be a bath forr one tonjight?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

She looked like a drowned womprat, and he took pity on her sad state of affairs.

Delivering a final kiss to her cheek, he gave a nod before stepping back to return her personal space to her.

"If that's what you want, then that's what my Kitten will have. Don't you worry about me; I'll grab a sonic later, after you're done."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She felt awful, but she was still left in amazement of Samus Dage once again.

"jI don't desserrve jyou, gai'tou. Thank jyou. Forr everrjythjing."

T'yeellaa sighed.

"jI'll be jin a betterr mood ssoon. jI hope."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then disappeared into the refresher.

[Q. Samus Dage]

He watched the door shut, giving her backside a long last look before the latch clicked, cutting him off.

A sigh, and he turned on his heel to head for the cockpit once more. Hopefully Gradoona hadn't eaten all of the ronto claws.

Stepping through the threshold, he let himself fall into the co-pilot's seat without any amount of ceremony, and reaching over to liberate the box from his Herglic friend's lap, began to dig through what was left.

"Never figured you for knowing about that old festival back home. Hell," he lifted up the last ronto claw in triumph, "... even some of the natives don't know about it."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh well I keep taabs aan my loocal fishing buddies baack hoome."

A donut with pink frosting and sprinkles was disappeared in the time it took to wait a beat.

"Yaknoo, naat just Giju, but gooin to aall the good spaats. Deep sea fishing aan Dac. Pond spelunking aan Naboo. Ice hoolin' aan Oorto Plutoonia, yaknoo? They doo a whoole circuit. Said this oone waas a real chunky penguin! And yaknoo since we're pert near and aan the right side aaf the liine, I figured heck! Why naat goo mudhoolin'?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Tearing into his prize, Samus chewed eagerly, swallowing with barely enough time to recover before he'd taken another bite.

"You've got yourself a hell of a network, then."

The ronto claw was dispatched in record time for a human, and he was already eye-balling the contents of the box once more. A namana fritter was chosen as his next victim.

"Anywhere you haven't been that you wanna go to?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"I mean...with infinite credits and unlimited time aaff, wouldn't mind swinging Taakoodaana oor Glee Anselm. I hear ice-hoolin aan Haath is a pretty good to-do."

The Herglic surrendered the donut box for the time being, content to simply cruise along with the conversation.

"Soo, how'd youu aand the K'oohta'rrouu, yaknoo? I mean, asiide from the aabviouus."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He was in the middle of a bite, but when that question came, he froze for a moment. Trying to think of what T'yeellaa would be comfortable with, Samus brought the fritter back down, holding it just over the box.

"Oh you know," he started with a cough, "... the normal way, really. I was looking for a good place to eat, and she volunteered to help me out."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Bwaha I bet she did!"

When the baudy punchline wasn't shared, Gradoona got quiet for a moment. She shifted in her seat, puffing from her blow hole.

"Er, I mean, that's soo sweet."

A bit of an awkward pause happened as she course corrected, and Gradoona continued conversing.

"Soo is it truue abouut her, what everyone says?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

This was new to him, and Samus blinked in slight surprise as he turned his head to look at Gradoona.

"What does everyone say about her?"

Not exactly sure, he tried to explain further.

"I don't really spend too much time on the station, since we only really use it as a stopover for restocking. Not to mention, the only person on the command staff that I know is Commander Akiena, and that's only because he's one of the old fellows like myself."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well...yaknoo..."

Gradoona squirmed a bit. She cast a wary glance towards the closed refresher door, then leaned closer to Samus.

"...that she's rich. Naat just rich, but Rich-rich. Richer than Gunray. The goolden penguin and aall. Thaat she's just dooin aall this aas a hobby oor somethin."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Ah, that.

"Well, ehm... "

If T'yeellaa had not put such talk to rest by now, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to spill the periberries.

"She hasn't talked about it much. I think there's some credits, but I don't know exactly how much."

He returned his attentions to his fritter, tearing off another chunk with his teeth.

"I know that she's in the service because she wants to be, though. It's not really a hobby, since she likes where she is. She also likes the uniform, near as I can tell."

And, well, so did he. Gods she always looked so tempting when she walked through the door in that crisp uniform of hers, each line hugging her form and accenting her body just right.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"I mean, I'm naat saying youu're some kiinda goold digger oor anything Commaander, I'm just saying thaats a heck of a benefit yaknoo?"

She thought about it some more, growing uncharacteristically quiet.

"I guess if thaat's truue thouugh...whew! Ya miight make this next trip in youur own staar cruuiser!"

Gradoona shrugged, as if to say "forget it".

"She doesn't act rich thouugh. I guess thaat's something. If youu didn't knoow her laast name, ya miight think she was one aaf us."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"To be honest, sometimes I think she wishes that she was like everyone else."

He gave an answering shrug to her, to acknowledge her unsaid 'forget it'.

"Me though, I'm just some hayseed from Myomar who decided to join the Rebellion and got lucky to live long enough to find someone that is willing to put up with me."

He reached into the box one last time, pulling out a plain glazed donut before hefting the box back to Gradoona.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"And I'm just a gaal with waanderlust who gaat aaff Giju at the right time."

Gradoona accepted the box, hucking a chocolate frosted & creme-filled donut down the pipe.

"Its a laat better now thaan it was, but yaknoo, it's naat the Alliance. I caan't ever reaally goo baack. Naat now, anyhoo."

There was something almost wistful in the Herglic's expression at that point, but she simply hauumed it away with a puff from her blowhole.

"At least there's a laat aaf us ouut there, eh? Noo shoortage aaf Herglics in the Alliance. Just waitin foor that ooone Herglic beau to come knaackin at my dooor."

She shrugged.

"Naat thaat there aaren't plenty aaf eligible bacheloors aaf the alien soort, buut I'm paarticulaar."

[Q. Samus Dage]

There was something in her voice, and the way she seemed to let the air out of her blowhole.

Chewing thoughtfully, Samus swallowed before leaning back in his seat, getting as comfortable as possible. There was still a fair bit of hyperlane to cover, and they were all in it for the long-haul. T'yeellaa in her bath, and Samus, Gradoona, and the donuts in the cockpit.

"Can't go back... ?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

She'd just assumed he knew, and the look on his face seemed like he'd run with something cryptic and assumed the worst.

"Yaknoo, becaause its aan the other siide aaf the liine."

Gradoona gave an approxiate shrug.

"It is whaat it is, eh. I'm naat maad oor anything, yaknoo, just kiinda wish the penguin swaam a little different."

That was enough melancholy. The Herglic gave Dage a friendly shoulder punch.

"Sooo, yaa meet the paarents yet??"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa sat perched on the edge of the tub, having succeeded only in submerging one leg up to the knee. The jiin'arrauu petals and iiyarro oil were normally aromatically pleasant, but now they seemed oppressive, so she had left them out. Even the water felt too hot to the touch, and it had taken a little intent for her to slip this far into the bath.

She'd let her hair down, letting her straight platinum locks fall over her shoulders. A glance at the windowed cubby fridge revealed a bottle of Pai Leeha, for which she had no desire. What was her problem, anyway? The thought fell heavy on the felinoid's shoulders as she tried to diagnose her own stormy mood. Invariably it came down to too much of everything. Gradoona was too loud, the lights were too bright, the bath was too hot, and she couldn't take a breath without catching Samus on the air.

T'yeellaa caught herself in reflection on the full-length mirror adjacent to the door. Maybe it was an unflattering pose, but had she put on weight? She pushed against crease at her belly. That had to be her imagination. She eased her second foot into the tub, then paused, looking back. Adjacent to the counter and tucked into a recharger cubby sat a compact KB-6 first aid droid.

"Drrojid."

A three-toned affirmative beep sounded as three blue oculars lit up. The KB-6 unit rolled out of its bay, coming to a stop next to the bathtub.

"Can jyou rrun bassjic medjical sscanss?"

An affirmative beep again.

"jI need jyourr help."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"The Line. Right."

How had he forgotten? Had T'yeellaa's bout of illness distracted him so much that he ignored the obvious so terribly? A sigh, and he gave a shake of his head.

"Here's hoping the Line becomes a bit more fuzzy in the future," he got out. Rising to stand, Samus stretched as he gave his Herglic friend a pat on her bulky shoulder.

"I'm going to go check on T'yeellaa."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Sshjit." she spoke breathlessly, staring at the diagnostic information displayed on the first aid droid's display. T'yeellaa played with her hair for lack of a better thing to do with her hands and the sudden restless energy that needed out somehow. Then the gentle knock on the door came.

"Sshjit." A look of panic creased T'yeellaa's face, and she forced herself to get fully into the tub. It felt slightly too hot for comfort, but she nevertheless gave her head a quick dunk and out beneath the surface.

"Drrojid, delete all data of lasst djiagnosstjic."

An affirmative beep chimed, leaving T'yeellaa a moment to get her game face on. She took three measured breaths.

"That jyou, Gai'tou?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

His hand had been just about to knock gently on the door, when her voice sounded out. Slightly muffled though it was, the words were unmistakable. Blinking, he couldn't help the instinctive inspection of his underarms, and lifting his left arm up, angled his head down and to the side to give a test sniff. Nope. No offending odor that he could detect, but never-the-less she'd known he was here. How in the nine hells was her smelling so on point?!

"Um, yeah?"

His voice ticked a little bit lower, as he let his forehead practically rest against the still-closed door.

"You doing ok in there?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jYeah!" she replied, wincing. Too perky, he'd never buy it. "jYeah. jI'm fjine, jI jusst drrew the bath too hot, jI thjink."

She retreated down the back of the tub until the water was touching her chin and she peeked above her exposed knees.

"jYou want to come jin?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Well... yeah... ?"

He didn't want to impose however, and Samus made extra sure that he wasn't intruding.

"... but I know you're feeling under the weather, so if you don't want me to, that's ok... "

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Ssamusss..." she sighed out his name in an ambivalent way, stuck somewhere between frustration and longing. "Come jin."

T'yeellaa felt emotionally fragile. She'd always made it a point to strike out on her own and do things her way, on her terms. That hadn't been easy, given where she'd come from. But she'd never felt quite so vulnerable, unsure, and scared as she did now. Even something as small as asking Samus to come in - was she really ready for that?

[Q. Samus Dage]

Slowly he pawed the door open, just enough to slip through. Which, all things told, was more than he would've liked. It was also more than he was sure he imagined it to be.

Closing it behind him, he reached up to stick his pinky finger in his ear to alleviate a sudden itch, and licking dry lips, moved to sit on the edge of the tub.

"You feeling any better?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jYeah," she lied, hopefully convincingly. She wasn't ready to have this conversation. She wasn't even sure if she would have this conversation. So many contradicting thoughts ran roughshod through her mind, and all T'yeellaa wanted was a moment of quiet and serenity in her own head. For that, Samus helped.

T'yeellaa slid a hand out of the bath water, catching on to one of his hands and guiding it to rest on the rim of the tub. She closed her hand over his, feeling the roughness of his callouses and how it contrasted her own hand. She looked in his eyes, small and sharp and set on a face so unlike her own. How had she gotten here, with him? They couldn't be from more different families, different backgrounds, and different experiences. The closeness of him filled her senses, and she didn't back away from that now. She could feel him, smell him, and hear the beat of his heart almost in sync with her own.

She laid her head on the edge of the tub and just looked at Samus. T'yeellaa knew it wasn't making things any easier on her, but for now, this felt good.

[Q. Samus Dage]

He stared back, the obvious concern in his eyes as he watched her. She looked so comfortable in the water, almost as though she was a lounging watersprite, or the blue fairae creatures that his sister used to read about in her books so long ago. If any creature looked the picture of a magical being, it was T'yeellaa, now, in the water.

With his free hand, he reached out to gently brush away a strand of blonde hair from her face.

Both were silent, each watching the other.

Finally.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI ljike jyourr nosse."

T'yeellaa's mouth curled in a little smile. With her other hand, she reached out of the water to give his nose a wet boop with a pruny finger.

It wasn't much thought to spend a credit on. T'yeella continued to gaze.

[Q. Samus Dage]

It wasn't what he was expecting, and Samus gave her an odd look, which only seemed to deepen when she tapped his nose with a damp finger.

"You know, if you're really not feeling well, we can turn back around and go back to Jovan."

He knew that it was usually a good thing to put on the table, since most folks liked being in a familiar, comfortable place when they were under the weather.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She shook her head.

"No, Ssamuss..."

And just as quickly, T'yeellaa paused. What could she say? She wasn't ready to say anything!

"jI want to be herre, wjith jyou. jI know jI'm bejing a downerr but jit'ss jusst a passsjing moment."

In the grimace of her expression lay self doubt at her own words. She took his hand in hers, turning it over palm up to run her fingers over his.

"Can jI assk jyou ssomethjing? Have jyou gjiven anjy thought about wherre jyou'll be jin fjive jyearrss?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

She was so earnest, sitting there in the tub, lounging, her arms out and draping over the edge like spider's legs.

"Well... "

Five years? That was a shade longer than he'd ever put much thought into. Usually it was maybe... about a day?

"...well Kitten, I don't know?"

It was the sort of answer that he knew she wouldn't be happy with, and Samus tried again.

"I suppose in five years I'll be on my own ship, if the Navy has any say in it."

He gave a long exhale, turning a look to her.

"What about you?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"The ssame thjing. Mjy own command agajin. Majybe even the Admjirraltjy."

But even as she said it, T'yeellaa didn't feel as assured or fulfilled by her five year 'plan' as she used to be. Worse, it started to make her afraid.

"jI thought that we'd jusst rrjide the wave wherreverr jit took uss, and now jI can't rrememberr what jI djid wjithout jyou, that funnjy grrjin, and jyourr cute nosse. Fjive jyearrss frrom now, wjill jI sstjill wake up next to jyou? How doess that worrk?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

She was getting deep, and it was worrying him.

"Well, I would certainly hope to be around you in the next five years," he started carefully.

"I don't really see myself cashing in my chips so soon like I did back in the day," he went on, "... so right now I suppose we're riding the wave you're talking about."

Apparently bath time made her introspective, but he wasn't one to judge.

"In five years," he reached out to gently brush an errant strand of blond hair out of her face, "... I'm fairly certain you and I will still be kicking about together."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

His words didn't fully assuage her onset of worries and fears, but T'yeellaa could hardly blame him for that. Samus was always of the mind that 'this will work, we'll just figure it out later'.

She envied that way of thinking.

"jI hope sso" was better than giving voice to the doubt in her heart, and so T'yeellaa said the easy thing. It didn't solve anything, it just pushed it away from the forefront.

Maybe she could sleep on this? Maybe tomorrow would have a better answer.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

The next morning


Samus's ship was big for a few passengers, but it wasn't that big. So when someone used the galley to cook breakfast, it wasn't a secret for long. The smells of ronto sausages, shaak bacon, tuber hash, and other less identifiable things saturated the main compartment of the ship, and began to make their way up to the master bedroom, along with a musical string of whistles, clacks, and warbles that only a Herglic could call singing.

Gradoona carefully stacked another round of bacon atop the previous batch, keeping a lattice that was at least four layers deep. A ding in the oven immediately shifted gears, and she pulled out two trays of tuber tots,which she promptly began piling into a casserole dish.

[Q. Samus Dage]

It was the smell that woke him. That wonderful smell of breakfast and a new day.

He was on his side, one arm over the top of T'yeellaa as she had apparently burrowed herself against him sometime during the night, and the other propped up along a pillow over the top of her head.

His hold tightened by only a fraction, and he pushed his nose almost into her ear.

"Kitten," his voice was still sleep-muddled, but it was also soft and gentle as he slightly shifted.

"... Kitten, you should wake up."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa stiffened slightly, obviously now awake. Without looking at Samus, she talked against his chest.

"Djid jyou put jyourr nosse jin mjy earr?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Eyes still closed, Samus couldn't help the light chuckle, which only seemed to send a few hot puffs of air into her ear canal.

"Well, it's either that or I find another hole to put something in."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She pushed him away with a groan, then paused, suddenly aware the air was alive with smells.

"What'ss that?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

He pulled her close for one last little moment, his arm over her tightening as if he was about to ride a kaj bull out of a pen and into an arena.

"That's bacon, Kitten."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

It was the combination of the name and the smell that brought T'yeellaa back to familiar alien moments. Her mouth watered.

"jYou know what jyou sshould do? jYou sshould go get me bacon."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"You should get me bacon."

It had been said in such a matter-of-fact tone of voice, and he was not about to argue. She'd not tried to throw him aside like the comforter she was currently nestled in, so he took the small blessing for what it was.

Which was what now found him in the small kitchenette area; or rather, just outside the periphery. Gradoona took up enough space for him to know that the best tactic would be to hover.

"The lady smells your rashers," he grinned, leaning on a countertop.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh yaa, everyoone says it's gaat a reeaally strong smell. I'll haave to take youur woord foor it."

Gradoona pointed to the ridge of her beak, which distinctly lacked a nose.

"Ya waant me to hear the bacon cooking six rooms awaay? I'm youur gaal. Thaats how the speecies laattery gooes I guess!"

The Herglic began to arrange a dozen prepared strips of bacon on a plate.

"Foortunately, I haad a nootion she'd fight throough the caat naap and waant some. I've gaat sausage & egg haat-dish coming when she finishes up."

Gradoona paused, looking at Samus pointedly.

"Everything peachy?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

The mention of a hot-dish was enough to make him instantly freeze, and Samus fixed the Herglic with a singular stare. A memory tugged at him, of a time on Jovan when he'd stuffed himself silly on a dish that Gradoona had made for some potluck in one of the spires. It had been amazing, and he'd never had anything quite like it since. He couldn't quite remember the name; pop-tots? Popping-tots?

"Is it... please tell me it's that thing you made last time, at the potluck... ?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ya mean paapple taats?" Gradoona whistled, shaking her head. "Noo, thaat's a supper haat dish. This is a breakfast haat dish. Yaknoo, with Greel syrup?"

For emphasis, she hoisted a liter bottle of a dark, viscous liquid.

"I mean, if ya doon't waant haat dish, I can aalways make flaappers?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Fully intrigued by the different styles of Gradoona's go-to dish, Samus shook his head.

"Breakfast kind sounds just fine," he grinned.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"It's the moost impoortant meal aaf the day, yaknoo!"

Gradoona loaded Samus up.

"I've gaat a pot of caaf gooin', and theres jugs aaf meiloorun juice and blue milk in the fridge. Figure thaat'll get us aall the way there. Help youurself!"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

A soft padding sound came from behind as slippered feet moved down the ladder rungs.

T'yeellaa was rarely a mess in the mornings, but she also wasn't exactly put together either. While she wore pajama pants, she eschewed the top for an oversized tee. Her hair was shoved carelessly atop her head into a messy bun that was just enough to keep blonde strands out of her face. She entered the galley, moving past Samus with a squeeze.

"jYou wajited too long."

She unceremoniously began raiding the bacon, taking a rasher in each hand as she leaned against the counter.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Whoa whoa whoa," he cautioned, liberated one of her hands of its prizes.

"Bacon tax is one strip only, Ma'am."

Before she could reclaim her second strip, he took a swift bite, disappearing half of the rasher with a wide grin that seemed to go from ear to ear.

"Thems breakfast rules."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'y folded over the rasher in her hand, stuffing the whole thing past her lips.

"jYeah, well thjiss jissn't a tax," she talked with her mouth full as she snatched back the half rasher still in Samus's hands, "jit'ss a rrobberrjy."

And before he could right that wrong, she ate his half piece too, purring as her tail made a self-satisfied loop. Not satisfied with her first crime, T'yeellaa looked past the human towards the array of breakfast items in mid assembly. This close to the cooking, the aromas were almost overwhelming.

[Q. Samus Dage]

It was a change to the age-old rules of the bacon tax. It was the sort of deviation that stank of heresy. And for a moment, he could only stare as she took the rasher from his hand and sent it into her own mouth. It was in that moment that he realized he'd created a monster. A bacon monster.

"You're breaking all the breakfast rules that've been in effect for countless generations," he finally grinned, giving her shoulder a gentle pat as her own eyes wandered the bounty that Gradoona had been preparing.

"But... I guess that's ok."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"It's fiiine!"

Gradoona clapped a friendly hand on Samus's shoulder, giving T'yeellaa a curled-tongue grin.

"I mean we're aan vacaation, eh? I packed enough soo, yaknoo, live a little."

A ding on the convection unit caused the Herglic to turn back around, quickly donning thermal mittens as she did. The convection unit was opened and closed in a flash, and she placed a large casserole dish on a waiting trivet.

"Besiides, we're gaanna be aan Myoomaar in abouut an hour and a haalf, soo the sloow penguin does the dishes!"

Gradoona retrieved the bacon plate, and held three more rashers in front of T'yeellaa.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her eyes on Samus in what could only be a smug expression, T'yeellaa disappeared another piece of bacon. Then, her eyes tracked to the thing Gradoona had taken out of the convection unit.

"What'ss that?" She asked, mouth still full.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Seeing as how Gradoona ran her kitchen differently than his father, Samus needed no other bidding, and he deftly snatched two rashers off the plate. One vanished into his mouth, and the other followed right behind. He chewed happily, cheeks bulging like a Rodian chipmunk for a few moments before he managed to swallow everything.

"That, I imagine, is the thing that we've all been waiting our whole lives for," a fork had appeared in his hand as if by some long-forgotten magic, and without a second thought he speared a heap of the breakfast hot dish. Holding it up, he gave it a few gentle blows before holding it out for T'yeellaa.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

It looked, as so many forrda dishes often did, like a mess. But it smelled like something amazing. T'yeellaa watched the steaming forkful as it hung over the dish. Something textured and brown gave way to something browner, held together by something browner still and a stringy white ooze. T'yeellaa carefully negotiated the pronged instrument, slipping the fork past her lips.

She immediately speared another bite. Then another.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Beaming wide, Samus couldn't help but laugh.

He gave Gradoona's oversized shoulder a playful jab.

"Looks like your cooking is a hit!"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Gradoona's blowhole fweee'd, preceding a belly laugh.

"Haa haa! Well aaf coourse it is. It's made with love."

She gave Samus a wink.

"Love...tuuber haash, penguin sausage, nuna eggs, and fresh curds."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa negotiated a strand of cheese stuck between her teeth and the fork. She looked at the Herglic with confusion.

"What arre currds?"




An hour later

Curled up on their bed and clutching her belly, T'yeellaa moaned.

"jI...thjink jI'm gojing to djie..."

[Q. Samus Dage]

It had all been terrifyingly funny. Terrifying for the fact that T'yeellaa had let off multiple biological bombs in the 'fresher, and funny because... well, who doesn't love 'fresher humor?

Slowly moving up the ladder, Samus made sure to keep a safe distance from her. She was still volatile, and he wasn't so sure if she would bolt back up and scurry off to empty her guts for the hundredth time.

He did feel sorry for her, though.

"It'll be ok, Kitten," he tried to soothe from a distance, "... you just had a weird reaction to the hot dish, is all."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She felt absolutely disgusting. Between the roiling distress in her stomach to the sheen of cool sweat on her face. To top that all, she felt bloated and once again, all of her senses were functioning on overdrive. T’yeellaa moaned as she stuffed her head between a pillow and the mattress, while at the same time kicking the duvet off the other side of the bed.

”How can ssomethjing that tasstess sso good make jyou feel sso completeljy awful?”

[Q. Samus Dage]

A sudden flash of concern flashed over his features, as one of his hands drifted down to rub over his midsection. He certainly hadn't had such a reaction, but perhaps it would hit him at a later time? And if that did happen, their 'fresher situation would suddenly be a grave issue. He didn't think Gradoona would accidentally use something that had gone past its expiration date; no, the Herglic loved food too much to soil her cooking with bad ingredients.

The concern melted into a look of thoughtfulness.

"Kitten... "

Surely not. But, he still had to ask.

"Kitten, have you ever had... cheese before?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She un-wedged her head from under the pillow, looking at Samus through disheveled strands of hair.

"Wajit, jyou mean that thjing jyou had once that ssmelled ljike mold and feet?"

T'yeellaa felt a wave of gastric resurgence, and she pressed the back of her hand against pursed lips, narrowly averting disaster.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Well, there are different kinds," he started with a hint of a defensive tone, "... but yeah."

He opted to not get into a lesson of all the different sorts of cheese found all throughout the galaxy, and settled for doing what he hoped would help. Her hand over her mouth was enough to illicit a deep-rooted panic though, and he backed down a rung.

"Best hurry before that bile gets any further up," he urged while stepped down the rest of the way to allow her an unimpeded pathway to the 'fresher.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She wasn't some wilting Ithorian flower. She was a K'ohta'rrou in Her Grace's Navy! She was made of sterner stuff than this. T'yeellaa swallowed heavily, banishing the sudden flash of an urge to vomit.

"jI'm not gojing to thrrow up, gai'tou. jYou'rre perrfectljy ssafe. jI'll ljive. jI jusst majy not enjojy jit forr a whjile, uggh."

She rolled over.

"Everrjyone hass a sstorrjy about takjing holjidajy on Syragor and eatjing orr drrjinkjing ssomethjing thejy rregrret. Doessn't mean we sstop takjing holjidajyss."

T'yeellaa drew in a ragged breath and let it out in a rush, her tail beating a soft tattoo against the mattress.

"Can jyou brrjing me ssome mejiloorrun jujice and lajy down wjith me?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

* * *


The ride to the old homestead was a mostly smooth one; until they hit the unpaved dirt track that led the rest of the way to the house. Even on a bulky utility speeder it seemed that the repulsors had a difficult time accounting for the ruts and water-filled potholes. On either side was grasslands, and beyond those were foothills that bled into sky-topping mountain ranges, peaks kissing the crystal blue sky above.

If you ignored the bumpy ride, the view was actually quite beautiful.

Despite the years removed, Samus still loved the drive and the way that he felt when coming home.

"Only about five more minutes," he called over the wind to his passengers.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

*clatter*

One crumpled empty liter beer can landed in a small pyramid. Gradoona had taken to drinking like it was an olympic sport. She reclined in her seat, belched, and cracked open another one.

"Graassley Hiills heeere we come! Yaknoo I can't wait t' set up my spaat! Put out my liiines, goo see the fish caamp, its a heckin' good time!"

Pounding another beer in record time, Gradoona crushed the can and tossed it with the others.

"I knoow yoou guys are praaabably gaanna be aall lovey dovey, but yaknoo you're welcome to co-haab? My poorta-cabin's extra roomy!"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Another turn sent them further along, and the house that he'd never stopped thinking of as 'home' came into view.

"Eh, we'll probably stay here," he answered with a jovial tone, "... but thanks for the invite."

There was no denying the sense of homecoming that he felt now, and Samus felt a warmth begin to spread in his belly as the home he grew up in grew in the distance.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Fortunately they were cruising in an open canopy, or the smell of beer and of Gradoona's belching might overwhelm her. Still, T'yeellaa looked somewhat dismayed.

"jYou've had njine ljiterrss of beerr jusst on the sspeederr rrjide overr herre. Don't jyou thjink jyou sshould sslow down?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

He turned a smile in her direction, but otherwise said nothing. There was nothing judgmental in his eyes, but he was sure that she would see it regardless.

No matter.

Another switchback before they leveled off, and Samus let his body relax.

A hand reached over to pat Ty's thigh.

"It's ok, Kitten. We're just about there."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Geepers I guess I could sloow down, didn't feel like a little pre-gaamin' waas ouutta liine, Koohtarrouu."

Enjoying the ride, the Herglic kept a grin on her face.

"I waanna say again thaanks to booth aaf youu foor haavin' me alaang. Means a heckin laat to me, yaknoo, gettin' to haang ouut with the ol' gaang aat the festivaal. If ya change youur miind and waanna swing down, just lemme knoow!"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

As much as she wanted the excuse, it was irritatingly difficult to stay mad at Gradoona. It was like the emotion itself simply deflected off her blubber or whatever. It helped that Samus was giving her all the cues that the light was indeed at the end of the tunnel.

"jI don't get jit. What'ss a mudfjissh, and whjy'ss therre a fesstjival forr jit?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Samus grinned at the question.

"It's a fish mostly found in lakes and inlets. Not very pretty, but it is tasty, and people around here decided to start having a festival."

He shrugged at the same time they passed through a wooden overhang.

"Mostly I think it's just an excuse for people to get together and knock a few back while riding their quad-riders and fishing."

He began to slow down, as they angled up a slight incline toward the front of the house.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well, yeaaah, but there's alsoo mud wrestling, mudfish taassing, the Miss Mudfish paageant, stein hooists, mud skiing, mudfish caalling caantest, couch pulls..."

Gradoona paused, scratching her blowhole as she tried to recall the whole array of festivities.

"And yeeaaah, I guess all thoose are improooved by drinking a hecklooad, but its naat required!"

[Q. Samus Dage]

The speeder rolled to a final stop in front of a sprawling front porch, and Samus shut down the engine with a sigh as his eyes tracked up to stare at his old home.

"Anything is usually made better by alcohol," he offered in half-hearted agreement.

The house looked exactly the same as it did when he'd left all those years ago. The same weathered porch that wrapped around two sides of a large tundra-style home with a gently sloping Chandrilan gable roof.

Samus leaned back in his seat, and turned his eyes to T'yeellaa.

"Welp. This is it."

[Quarles P. Dage]

He'd been waiting as patiently as he could, but the sound of a speeder making its way up the long drive between the driftwood fencelines was enough to make him spring to his feet in barely contained excitement.

"Micah! Coraline!" he called to the back rooms, "They're here!"

For his age, Quarles displayed a rather spry figure as he opened the front door wide, bounding out across the deck and down the stairs with a wide smile.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jIt'ss sso ssmall."

It was out of her lips before she could correct it, and T'yeellaa turned to Samus, trying to backpedal.

"jI...jI mean..."

Her ears drooped. She shook her head, embarassment prompting her hide her face in her hands.

"jI jusst ssounded ljike a sspojiled hejirresss, djidn't jI?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

Her observation wasn't spoken from a position of malice, and he certainly didn't take it as anything like that. Instead, Samus gave her a sweet smile, leaning over to deposit a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Don't fret, Kitten," he whispered, "... I know what you mean."

Besides; it's not like he hadn't gotten a taste of the sort of accommodations she'd grown up with. If the chalet on Taltimant was any indication, at least.

The sounds of his father's footsteps coming down the shallow stairway from the deck pulled him away, and smoothly he stepped out of the speeder, a smile on his face that matched the elder Dage's own.

"I'd almost think you were waiting for us," he greeted the older man warmly.

[Quarles P. Dage]

Loping the rest of the way on long legs that ate up the distance between himself and the speeder, Quarles took his boy up in a strong embrace, one hand slapping at Samus' back.

"It's the first time you've been back, Boy. Of course I've been waiting."

His voice was gruff and warm all at once, and pulling away, he turned his eyes to T'yeellaa and the Herglic, Gradoona.

"Ladies! So glad you could come!"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

“Ooh hiiiya!”

Gradoona’s open-toothed grin widened by degrees. She leaned towards Quarles to extend him a hand, the act causing the repulsor hauler to rock on its cushion of air.”

”Howdya doo, Mister Daage? Geepers, niiice place ya’ve gaat here, boy howdy!”

The Herglic surveyed the house again, whistle-clicking in approval.

”Woooow, real wood! Ya miind if I taake a few snaaps foor the foolks baack hoome?”

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Oh! Of course!"

He felt as Gradoona's hand engulfed his own, and her smile only seemed to feed his already wide and happy expression.

"Take as many as you want!"

Halfway leaning back, he gestured toward the back, "... there are more outbuildings out back; a hay barn, a tackle room, some old storage sheds, and Micah's saddle shop, so feel free to explore."

The Herglic made little work of getting out of the speeder, and Quarles turned his full attentions to T'yeellaa.

"Dear, here. Let me help you," his hand reached over so that she could take it on her way out of the speeder.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She didn’t need the help, but T’yeellaa had quickly determined during their last meeting that giving Samus’s father the chance to do so meant more to him than any practical need demanded, so she took his hand without hesitation. The moment she was on the ground, T’yeellaa embraced the taller human at the shoulders, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheeks.

“jIve mjisssed jyou, Arr Dage.” T’yeellaa’s expression beamed a wide smile. She gestured back to the speeder driver. “jI wass jusst telljing Ssamuss how loveljy jyourr housse jiss.”

A lie, but an innocent one. It really was a cute little place. Equal parts cute and little.

[Quarles P. Dage]

Never one to do things by half-measures, Quarles lifted T'yeellaa up into a large hug, lifting her off her feet with ease.

When he set her back down, his eyes were happy and dancing from behind his glasses.

"It's just home, T'yeellaa. I'm sure it's not as grand as what you're used to," his voice lowered as he bent down to deliver a gentle kiss to her cheek, "... but home is where the heart is, and my heart is here."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Her ears skewed as Quarles demurred.

"jI'm ussed to drrab quarrterrss on an old jImperrjial sstatjion, Arr Dage. Beljieve me, thjiss jiss wonderrful. Doubljy sso that jitss jyourr home."

She glanced back to Samus, perking her ears as her tail swished.

"And jI get to ssee wherre mjy gai'tou grrew up."

The felinoid got to work, quickly unloading the luggage in the back of the speeder.

"Djid he tell jyou about hjiss new sshjip??"

[Quarles P. Dage]

Still he smiled, moving to help her with the luggage.

"He did indeed!"

In that moment another body came through the front door; this one just as lanky as Quarles and Samus.

[Micah T. Dage]

Micah passed through the front door, his leggy gait bringing him across the front porch and down the stairs.

"Well now, little brother," he grinned. If his lanky frame was already not a healthy indicator, his wide grin made it even more obvious that he was every bit a Dage man.

"Looks like the military life suits you."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa turned around after shouldering a heavy ruck. Gradoona had disappeared around the corner, no-doubt still snapping photos of the Dage farmhouse. The source of the voice addressing Dage was a man unmistakeably built of Dage stock, with the same long & lean figure, prominent jaw, and strong nose. His grin even creased his face in an uncanny way.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Micah's hand on his shoulder was rough and firm, and everything that he remembered of his older brother.

"Micah!"

Twisting around, Samus was quick to give his brother a strong embrace, and just as quick to disengage. It wasn't for any ill will, just that... it was their way. They'd grown up close, and yet distant. But the sibling aspect of their relationship was more than apparent.

Keeping one hand around Micah's shoulders, Samus half-turned to gesture at T'yeellaa.

"Micah, this is T'yeellaa. T'yeellaa, this is my older brother; Micah."

[Micah T. Dage]

Micah was all smiles as he leaned forward, moving away from Samus to approach T'yeellaa.

His hand went out in warm greeting.

"I hope you're keeping him well-behaved, T'yeellaa."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

They grew them even taller on the farm.

T'yeellaa had heard of Micah by way of mostly Arr Dage, since Samus generally kept mum on the topic of home. She held out her hand to shake his.

"A wjild beasst ljike that?" she attempted deadpan, but the amused crinkle of her nose gave herself away, "jI'm jusst luckjy he'ss houssebrroken."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Making an odd face, Samus busied himself with helping his father to gather the luggage. There wasn't too awful much, as both he and T'yeellaa had made it a lifestyle of packing light. Being in the military - no matter what type or for what government - did that to folks.

"Hey now," he rumbled goodnaturedly while shouldering a shoulder-bag, "... at least I eat my steaks as they're meant to be eaten."

He'd not bring up the few times he'd found a tail under her pillows, or the telltale puff of vibrant blue tailfeathers on a nightstand. Those guilty pleasures were fodder for him when it was only the two of them, in his mind.

[Quarles P. Dage]

"You eat your food like a heathen, boy. You and your sister both."

Quarles had kept mostly silent as his two sons reunited with a quick hug before moving on to introductions.

Samus' help in offloading the bags was appreciated, though, and the elder Dage couldn't keep his chuckle quite hidden.

"Red-dip has no place on anything but tuber fries," he finished while hefting to cases up and towards the porch stairs.

[Micah T. Dage]

Taking a fraction of a second to give T'yeellaa a single wink, Micah grabbed at another, larger bit of luggage.

"Old man here told me about the food you brought him," he started conversationally.

"Maybe some day I'll have to visit myself."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Well, the beautjy of Cizeri cujissjine jiss the ssjimpljicjitjy."

T'y's ears twitched at the sound of bleating in the distance. Something small and woolen approached a corral gate while Gradoona eagerly pet it. She glanced at the livestock, then back at Micah with a shrug.

"Ssometjimess jyou jusst need one jingrredjient."

Not that she particularly felt like dwelling on the thought of food. Gradoona's curds were still imposing a very important lesson on her insides. She tightened her grip on the ruck, and glanced back to Samus, but not before giving a subtle warning wink to Micah.

"jYou neverr told me that jyourr brrotherr wass cute? jYou feel ljike ssharrjing?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

That gave him pause, and Samus straightened as he held aloft his burdens.

"Easy now," he grinned while moving past T'yeellaa and Micah, "... we're good, salt of the earth people here."

[Micah T. Dage]

Micah laughed aloud, clapping his brother on the shoulder before following after their father.

"My days of stealing Samus' ladyfriends are long past," he grinned.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa laughed along as well, the joke having run its course. She followed after Micah with her bag, pausing only to glance back at Samus's face. He was unguardedly happy to be here, and the sight of him made her take a moment to appreciate the emotion. Her thoughts then turned inward, towards something confused, ambivalent, and unsolved.

She headed after Quarles and Micah, not wanting to dwell on that feeling a moment longer.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Haa Haaa! Ya gaatta see this Commaander, I gaat a holo of the critter oover there drinking beer!"

Gradoona hurriedly tromped back to the front of the house with her recorder in one hand and a crumpled can in the other.

[Q. Samus Dage]

* * *



He and T'yeellaa had been given his old room. Thankfully the furniture had been updated a bit; his old bed would've never been able to fit the both of them, but apparently over time that rickety old thing had been replaced by something larger, and blessedly more sturdy.

Rolling her larger piece of luggage over to a far wall that held his old dresser, Samus left it upright before dropping his own small duffel down beside it.

For now, they were alone.

"Good thing they upgraded a few things," he sighed while letting himself down onto the bed, his eyes going around to each wall and the old posters that were still up.

"... of course it seems they didn't really touch much else."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa took it all in, curiosity read plain in her perked ears as she studied every tchotchke, every remnant of Quentin Samus Dage's boyhood. There were a handful of trophies atop a bookshelf, a few books, an old grav ball. Pictures hung the wall with a frequently-visible kid with sandy hair and too-long legs. She grinned at the sight of little Samus.

"Now jI have a face forr all of jyourr fatherr'ss sstorrjiess."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"At least now you can see that I was actually a child," he laughed. He remembered what his father had said in a comm once, about how T'yeellaa had never been able to picture him as a youngster.

"Might've been a bit leggy, but that's the Dage curse."

His smile widened as he reached out to grab her wrist, and giving a light tug, Samus pulled her until she was nearly in his lap.

"Thanks for coming with," his voice went low then, and the blonde gave her a grateful smile.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"When jyourr fatherr arrjived on the sstatjion, jI guesss we djidn't have tjime to conssjiderr jit, but now jyou've brrought me to meet jyourr famjiljy."

T'yeellaa leaned against Samus, looking around her at all of the pictures and signs of his life here.

"That'ss fajirrljy sserrjiouss, jissn't jit?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Sometimes, a person can think of it as serious."

He nodded in a small bit of agreement of her assessment, feeling her body against his own. She was still having some troubles with her gut, but he knew better than to coddle her too much. She would only brush him off, he suspected.

"But, other times it just so happens that it's nice to spend some time away from where we usually find ourselves."

A light kiss was delivered to her forehead.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Wjith jyourr fatherr and brrotherr?"

She quirked an eyebrow as he pulled back from his kiss. Not that she didn't appreciate it - far from it - but...

"Gai'tou, therre arre a mjilljion bjilljion sstarrss out therre and we could have pjicked anjy one of them. We could have gone to the crrjysstal cavess of Marrajijya, we could have plajyed the valachorrd togetherr on a Glee Ansselm beach."

T'yeellaa kissed him on his cheek.

"jI jusst don't want jyourr famjiljy to get the wrrong jimprresssjion. jI know what would happen jif the ssjituatjion werre rreverrssed and jI brrought jyou to sstajy at Hai'raa'thee."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Well," he gave her a light squeeze, "... Coraline is traipsing about somewhere too, but honestly, it's not too bad."

He ventured another look around his old room.

"Besides. It's the calving season, so they'll all be fairly busy tending to the herds and whatnot. We'll have plenty of time to ourselves."

A teasing smile then, as he couldn't help the thought, "Might even get you up on an Equa to do a bit of herding!"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The way he'd mentioned that little offer had surprised her. T'yeellaa's ears skewed as she smiled.

"How...how djid jyou know jI rrode?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

To him, it was a strange question, and Samus gave her nose a light tweak.

"Because ALL little girls love riding animals. Whether they're Equas, Gulas, Guarlaras, Gualaar, Gualama, or even TaunTauns, for some."

Easing forward, he rose to stand.

"And knowing your family, it would be silly of me to think that you never sat in a saddle."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well, guilty as charged.

"jI got mjy fjirrsst ponjy on mjy njinth ssolsstjice. Sstarrted rrjidjing fathjierrss bjy fourrteen. We'd take them forr holjidajy huntss, but jI alsso rrode competjitjiveljy. jI won fjirrsst prrjize jin drresssage at the Hai'raathee Eventjing Club mjy fjirrsst jyearr of unjiverrssjitjy, and sshow jumpjing jin mjy ssenjiorr jyearr."

T'yeellaa sighed.

"jI haven't been able to rrjide jin fjive jyearrss orr morre. Not ssurrprrjissjingljy, therre's not much demand forr jit jin the Trrade Navjy."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Later that evening...


The sun was setting, painting the scudding clouds above in hues of gold, pink, and purple. The mountains in the distance were nearly submerged in darkness, so that they were like a black silhouette over the colors above. On the large back deck that mirrored the front, Samus sat on a hanging bench swing, with T'yeellaa safely ensconced beneath one arm.

Dinner had been just like he had remembered it always being. Coraline had made a roast, along with some baked tubers and greens. Rolls made from that peculiar Myomarian yeast strain that never failed to make the bread taste sweet and savory all in one mouthful. With butter spread on each cut half, they were nothing short of divine. And, just like it had always been in the past, Coraline made sure to cut off a portion of the roast and cook it further, to his tastes. The rest of the family enjoyed their meat bleeding, but for him, he had never cared for that, and so his mother had taken to cook his portions even longer.

There had been the normal banter and old stories told. It had been as if he'd never left.

Except...

Except for the obvious.

The absence of Bernice Dage was a palpable thing for him, but he pushed the sorrows back for now.

With the rest of the family going off to do their own things, it left Samus and T'yeellaa to enjoy the sunset together.

Which was where they were now, outside, gently swaying on a bench swing, with the buzzing chorus of field chirpers that seemed to rise and fall in auditory waves.

"It's not a view of the mountains from a fancy chalet," he finally rumbled out while holding her close, "... but I'd hope it's the next best thing."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

As far as forrda cuisine went, dinner had been as close to perfect as T'yeellaa could hope for. She'd abstained from dairy, of course, but also from alcohol, but the food was eclipsed only by good company. The Dage family was gracious and jovial in ways that reminded her of her own family, minus matters of court and pedigree.

She let Samus keep the pace of the bench swing, finding the gentle creak of the apparatus like a kind of music set against the faint drone of insect wings in the distance.

"How djid jyou know we have a chalet?" T'yeellaa asked, cutting her eyes up to her beau in confusion. Him sussing her out as an equestrian was one thing. Figuring out other specifics was almost supernatural.

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Your sister," he murmured, completely at ease.

"Of course, even then I'd not be surprised if your family had one."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Oh." She responded in clipped reply, letting the matter drop. Again, they returned to the serene sounds that occupied their silence. T'yeellaa felt contented - or would if she could truly let herself be that way. But now the peace of that silence mocked her; it scolded her. The conflict creased her brow.

"Ssamuss..." she drew in a breath, as if she were toeing the edge of a precipice, "Therre'ss ssomethjing we need to talk about."

[Q. Samus Dage]

That gave him pause, and his legs hesitated for a half-a-heartbeat, the swing hanging on the back peak before finally once more returning to its normal pace.

Talking about a 'something' was dangerous territory, and the blonde couldn't help the worry-lines that furrowed his brow. His thoughts went immediately to their trip, and the shared time they'd spent with Gradoona.

"If this is about Gradoona," he started slowly, "I'm sorry."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"What? No, Grradoona'ss fjine."

She shook her head, but it wasn't hard to miss the sudden change in demeanor from Samus. There's something we need to talk about was an attempt to ease into the matter, but it was the kind of thing that was said that never really put the listener into anything but unease, and T'yeellaa hated that. There was concern on his face that she couldn't protect him from. He was right to be concerned.

"jI know jI've been actjing odd on ourr wajy herre. jI've been ssenssjitjive to, well, everrjythjing."

The smell of Samus and his concern read as loud as his features, and T'yeellaa averted her eyes.

"And jI sstjill am."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Well," he gave her a comforting squeeze, holding her closer for a small bit.

"... you did eat all that cheese, so I'm not surprised."

He'd had his share of food poisoning, and had even spent two entire days laid up after eating a can of preserved meilooruns from before the Clone Wars. They'd found a small stash of the stuff after a raid on an old Imperial munitions depot, and Kori had dared him to try it. What followed was the sort of pain and anguish that he'd not even wish upon Palpatine. Maybe Dan, though.

"It's ok though, I still love you despite being so sick."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jIt'ss not the cheesse." T'y said firmly, then halted, "Well, that djidn't help, but jI, jI wass feeljing thjiss the njight beforre, wjith everrjythjing. Grradoona'ss laugh, the ljightss, jyou, the wajy jyou ssmell when...ljike now. jIt'ss a common ssenssatjion when..."

She swallowed hard.

"...comjing out of esstrruss."

[Q. Samus Dage]

His concern shifted to something else. Confusion?

Sensitivity to sights, sounds, and smells, talk of her... cycle... ?

Frowning, Samus angled his head away so that he could turn to look at her. He didn't really say anything, only stared.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

He didn't know, and there had been no reason to discuss such things with him before. They weren't casual lovers, but they also weren't mated.

"jI came out of cjycle a week earrljy." she spoke quietly, stealing a glance back at him.

[Q. Samus Dage]

He knew nothing of what that meant. Aside from the basics of a woman's... time, he'd never had to learn anything more. All the same, a cautious suspicion glinted in his eyes as he continued to stare at her. Coming out of it early certainly seemed strange; he'd certainly never heard of anything like that. Samus stared for another few moments, as his thoughts tried to make sense of his rising notions.

"Early," he repeated quietly.

Tongue pressing against the backs of his lower teeth, he blinked as the last, most important piece of the puzzle slotted into place.

His eyes instantly went from suspicious slits to being as wide as saucerplates.

"Wait- "

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The surprise and understanding read plain on him at once.

"jI had the medjical drrojid perrforrm a check lasst njight. Ssometjimess a cjycle can end earrljy forr otherr rrreassonss, but..."

T'yeellaa closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"...not thjiss tjime."

[Q. Samus Dage]

His mouth fell open before she'd even finished speaking, and Samus felt his mind go blank, leaving a single thought left that he sputtered out.

"... but, but how?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

That was the question, or at least the smaller question. T'yeellaa leaned forward, propping a hand against her forehead as her hair shrouded her expression.

"jI don't know! The onljy thjing jI can thjink wass that we werre on that rrefugee mjisssjion, and...and jI know jI brrought mjy jinhalerr wjith me but now that jI'm trrjyjing to unpack everrjy ljittle mjinute and jI can't rrememberr jif jI got a chance to usse jit orr not. Between jyourr quarrterrss to gojing planetssjide, jI...jI don't rrememberr!"

T'yeellaa threw her head back with her outburst, driving her fists against her thighs in frustration.

"And then comjing back to the sshjip, jI can't rrememberr jif jI djid jit therre ejitherr. jI've been sspendjing a dajy trrjyjing to account forr everrjy mjinute, but jit doessn't even matterr how at thjiss pojint, jit ssjimpljy jiss!"

[Q. Samus Dage]

During her entire explanation, his features grew ever softer and there was a dawning elation that overtook him.

His smile returned in force, wider than ever, and Samus reached over with his free arm to wrap her up in a massive hug, pulling her from her previous posture and crushing her close.

"And it's wonderful!"

He held her tightly, unwilling to let go for this moment in time as he buried his face into the side of her neck.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She was glad at least that in the crush of the embrace that Samus couldn't see the shocked-to-horrified look on her face.

"What?" she managed to squeak out, glancing with worry at the side of his head pressed against her.

[Q. Samus Dage]

A baby. A little one. A tiny sprog. Setting aside the fact that all of this was completely unexpected, Samus couldn't help the joy he felt in... well... all of this. He gave her one last squeeze before pulling away, though his smile remained.

"It's amazing, Kitten."

Fingers lifted then, and moved to gently run through her hair that'd been mussed in his embrace. Caught in her eyes, Samus felt himself becoming lost in their blue depths. And there was nowhere else he wanted to be.

"We're going to have a baby."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

There was worrying, and then there was worrying. It wasn't difficult to miss the elation in Samus's expresssion and his words.

"Ssamuss, we arren't gojing to have a babjy. jI'm gojing to have a babjy."

And there was the other problem to boot.

"That jiss, jif jI have one at all. Ssamuss...gai'tou...don't jyou underrsstand what that meanss? What a babjy would do to uss?!"

There were even larger problems to consider, and T'yeellaa wasn't sure if her wholesome partner was prepared to consider them.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Her concern washed over him, and he assuaged it the best he could.

"We'll deal with all of that when the time comes, Kitten."

But, there was something else that she said, that gave him pause.

"... if I have one at all."

He pulled her close once more, his voice lowering.

"You don't want it... ?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Ssamuss...jI want mjy carreerr. jI want jyou, and uss, the wajy we arre! Peerrss, loverrss, both of uss frree to purrssue ourr goalss! jI wassn't even prreparred to thjink about a cub, not forr anotherr ten jyearrss, orr majybe at all!"

It was pouring out of her, and T'yeellaa was beginning to understand how her concerns were going over with Samus.

"Rrememberr when jI assked jyou wherre jyou jimagjined jyourrsself jin fjive jyearrss? Wass thjiss parrt of jit? jIt wassn't forr me!"

[Q. Samus Dage]

"I remember, yeah."

His hold became protective then, and he let a long sigh escape his lips as he leaned further back into the bench seat and resumed the rocking.

"If you don't want this," his earlier elation seemed to fade, as he worked through his next words, "... then I understand."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint Samus, and it was plain to see that was what she was doing. T'yeellaa's face twisted into a conflicted grimace.

"jI don't know what jI want! jI know that havjing thjiss cub would be harrd on both of uss, and worrsse sstjill, a half-brreed cub hass a terrrjibljy harrd ljife ahead of jit."

Not to mention the scandal, the shame, everything that went with it. She wasn't ready to have that talk with Samus, but the time was fast approaching.

"Havjing a half human cub could desstrrojy mjy carreerr. Everrjythjing jI've worrked forr, rrjissjing to the Admjirraltjy on mjy own terrmss, wjithout mjy motherr'ss ssupporrt, jI mjight neverr get off Jovan sstatjion. Orr worrsse, jI mjight even get pusshed out to dessk dutjy at the Academjy. jI have everrjy rreasson to want to end thjiss beforre jit begjinss, but...but..."

Despite her attempts to remain stoic, T'yeellaa began to quaver.

"...jI don't know jif jI could. jI thjink about what happensss jin fjive jyearrss. Ten? Twentjy? Wherre wjill jI go, who wjill jI meet? What ljife would that be? And jyess, majybe that jincludess a ljife wherre jI meet a handssome Cizeri ssujitorr wjith a good name, and jI have a cub then. But jI don't thjink jI'd everr apprrecjiate anjyone the wajy jI do jyou. And jI don't know what that meanss."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Held he held her close, making sure that she was enveloped in his arms.

"For all that I would love to be a dad, I know that all of that hinges on what you want. If you're not ready, then that's the most important thing to me," his words were soft and low, a soothing rumble that carried with it all of his emotions.

"If there is a little one, then I want us both to want it. There's no point in any of this if one of us isn't willing."

He delivered a light kiss to her cheek, which shifted to her lips.

"It would be stupid if I asked what you want now, in the face of this."

They were on Myomar, swinging on the old rocker bench that he'd grown up with, and looking out over a mountain sunset that would put to shame any other in the galaxy.

"I trust you, T'yeellaa."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Too locked up in her ambivalence to reciprocate or resist, T'yeellaa simply allowed Samus to hold her. And that concession wasn't a bad one. Her mind was a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and emotions, and even if it didn't solve anything, having Samus's affections was a salve that dulled the sharpest pain of the dilemma.

"jYou sshouldn't, gai'tou. jI've done nothjing to merrjit jyourr trrusst. What happenss jif jI have thjiss cub? Mjy carreerr ssufferrss, majybe jyourr carreerr ssufferrss too. What jif we go ourr sseparrate wajyss? What happenss then?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

"No matter what our futures are, we won't really ever know. All we can do is our best."

He wanted to make sure that she felt as safe as possible in this moment, and for a few minutes longer, he held her tight. One hand shifted then, traveling down her neck, over her shoulder, and continued downward before coming to rest over her midsection.

"Whatever happens, I'll support you. I always will."

Delivering a light kiss to her temple, Samus finally leaned back to allow her her space, his palm also moving away from her stomach and the tiny spark of life inside.

"And, if you want to sleep on this, then I'd be more than happy to accommodate."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She smiled at Samus, but it was a smile tinged in sadness.

"jI don't need to ssleep on jit. jI know what jI'm gojing to do."

T'yeellaa leaned in and kissed him softly. Their lips parted as she rested her forehead against his.

"jI'm ssorrrjy, but jI can't have thjiss babjy."

He said it was fine. She wanted it to be, desperately. This wasn't a repudiation, he had to see that. But she was afraid. What they had together was difficult to define, and that unknown contained fragility.

"When jI rreturrn to Jovan, jI'm gojing to go ssee Doctorr De La Tourr."

[Q. Samus Dage]

The crestfallen look in his eyes was there, and he bowed his head, trying to mask his feelings. It was ultimately her choice, he knew, but it didn't mean that he couldn't hold any sadness over her decision. His eyes remained closed, and he took her hands in his.

"If that's what you feel is best," he whispered.

He could never blame her for anything.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She could tell he was disappointed, and he was trying so hard to keep that emotion out of his response. When he took her hand, she cupped her other over his, squeezing with both.

"Thank jyou, gai'tou. Thank jyou forr underrsstandjing."

[Micah T. Dage]

* * *


Morning brought with it early risings, and Micah had taken it upon himself to begin breakfast. His father was still asleep - the old man had never been quite the same since Mother passed, but since his visit to Jovan, he'd seemed to become more at ease. At the very least, he was sleeping better. No longer was 4 AM the normal waking hour. Now, it had become, at the very least, 7 AM.

Which meant that Micah was able to tend to the task of preparing breakfast. And with Samus finally having visited home, there was even more of a reason to do so.

Shaak rashers crinkled and popped in the cast beskar pan atop the stove, and biscuits were cooking in the oven. A bowl with stirred nuna eggs waited for their time in the frying pan, and Micah reached over to turn over a few rashers, letting them sizzle and send off thin tendrils of smoke and scent. The wispy smoke lines were caught up by the overhead airscrubber, but the smell of fresh shaak bacon wafted through the kitchen and outward to the rest of the house.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Sleep hadn't come easy, and T'yeellaa didn't take to it well, waking several times through the night next to gai'tou. So when the punctual smells of breakfast began to drift to their shared room, she woke easily. Her piqued senses were starting to wane, but Myomaarian breakfast wasn't subtle with its aromas. She only wished that she had the appetite to greet it.

Moving into the kitchen after drawing her hair into a ponytail, T'yeellaa scanned the room, looking for the familiar sight of a tea kettle. No such luck. The Dages, it seemed, were religious caf drinkers. Oh well. It wasn't really all that much worse than Kri'achee probably. T'yeellaa helped herself to a mug, and poured herself out a measure of the dark liquid. She hovered by the sink, looking out the window while she warmed her hands by cradling her mug.

[Micah T. Dage]

She was a far cry from the jovial mood that he'd recalled at their first meeting, but Micah wasn't one to pry too awful much. He continued cooking, letting her navigate the kitchen like an old hand, and once she'd settled at the window, he finally half-turned his head to give her a cursory look.

"Sleep well, then?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Not exactljy." she admitted, taking a tentative sip from the steaming cup. She stifled a grimace. "Had too much on mjy mjind, kept wakjing up."

T'yeellaa tried a second sip, which to her surprise went down better than the first.

"jI'm not ussed to wakjing up beforre Ssamuss. jIt'ss ussualljy the otherr wajy arround."

[Micah T. Dage]

"Here," he slid a small, ceramic container toward her on the counter.

"Scoop a few spoonfulls of that into your caf."

Her bitter expression after both sips - even though the second was less severe than the first, made him offer her the chance to sweeten her drink with some xakane sugar.

"...should make the caf easier to drink."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa declined the offer with a slight shake of her head.

"No thank jyou. The bjitterrnesss jiss grrowjing on me."

To demonstrate, she took another sip, now fully expecting the character of the caf.

"Tell me about Ssamuss. Grrowjing up wjith hjim, jI mean."

T'yeellaa leaned back against the sink, watching the sibling that shared so many features of her gai'tou.

[Micah T. Dage]

She seemed determined to suffer through the bitterness of black caf, and he wasn't about to argue. And so, Micah returned to the cast beskar pan of sizzling bacon, flipping a few rashers to keep their edges from burning too much.

"Eh, he was mostly quiet. Had a lot of ideas and notion on buried treasures and mystical legends, though. He and Coraline liked to go out into the mountains and try to dig up chests of republic credits."

He gave a small laugh at the memories.

"Neither came back with anything, though."

Another few rashers were turned over.

"Never stopped either of them, and over time it got to be where it was just him going out to look for buried treasure. I think Coraline stopped going out with him after they ran across an old drunk. After that, Samus was the only one who'd go out."

Moving to the other eyes on the cooktop, Micah tested the heat in the two pans before pulling open the oven and drawing out a large sheet with a smattering of kajaan ribeyes. Without thinking, one hand reached up to turn on the smoke hood. It roared to life, and he forked two into each of the pans, the hiss of flesh meeting hot iron filling the kitchen.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Sso he was alwajyss lookjing forr ssomethjing bjiggerr than the worrld arround hjim?"

Her ears perked as she sipped.

"Wass that what brrought hjim to the rrebelljion agajinsst the Empjirre?"

[Micah T. Dage]

Micah shrugged at that.

"Who knows? He and Marlon were usually elbow-deep in some scheme or another. Whether it was trying to make their own magic Force potions, save imaginary villagers from evil barons, or other things of that hair-brained nature."

A few of the steaks were flipped.

"And when Dan came, looking for volunteers, they both jumped at the chance to do something that they both thought was good."

He sighed, testing the meat's surface out of pure habit.

"And even though our dad and Marlon's dad strictly forbade them from going, they went anyway."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Gai'tou had spoken of Marlon before. It was a name with history, both good and bad. The good was shared. The bad, well, that was only hinted at. T'yeellaa's eyes averted to her caf, catching her dark and distorted reflection within.

"Well, at leasst that parrt ssoundss famjiljiarr." she grinned, sipping. Her eyes returned to Micah, and the smile waned slightly.

"Defjiance jiss ourr common thrread. Therre arre otherrss, but wjithout that sstrreak of rrebelljion, nejitherr of uss would have everr met. jI'm cerrtajin of jit. jIn ssome wajyss, manjy wajyss, we couldn't be morre djifferrent."

[Micah T. Dage]

"Opposites have a way of attracting, I've been told."

For a while he went silent, tending to the steaks as they finished their time in the pan. A few moments later, and he plucked one out, then the other. Both were set on a waiting metal rack, and Micah went in for the other two, placing them expertly beside the first pair. A bowl of rough-cut tuber hash was emptied into one of the still-hot pans, followed by a few pats of butter.

"When Da came back from Jovan, he told us about you. Seems you made a heck of an impression on him."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

It was a compliment that did little to put her at ease. T'yeellaa took another thoughtful drink, trying not to hang onto Micah's words until they caused a grimace. She wasn't surprised to hear that Arr Dage thought well of her. It just meant that she'd dwell on the possibility of what he might think of her once he knew, if he ever did.

"jYourr fatherr jiss too ssweet forr hjiss own good. He doessn't know me. jI doubt he'd feel the ssame wajy jif he djid."

[Micah T. Dage]

"Well, that old coot generally doesn't feel ill of anyone unless they cheat him."

Micah turned back to her, giving her a kind smile.

"Don't worry too much about making him mad."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She let that bit of conversation die. There wasn't anything gained in sticking to a disagreeing point. Instead, T'yeellaa cast her eyes to the kitchen window, and the barn in the distance.

"Ssamuss ssajid jyou have a few Equa."

[Micah T. Dage]

"Well, Da has maybe one or two nags that he keeps around, but I've got a few younger ones of my own that I use."

Committing to finishing the breakfast prep, Micah fell into the old familiar of talking about work.

"Got a few mares that I like to send out to a few other studs, and a small group that I pull from when it comes time to actually tend to the herds. They're not show animals by any stretch of the imagination, just stocky, hardy ranch workers. There's nothing shiny or polished about what we do here," he at least reached over to grab the pot of caf, and half-turned to hold it up should she want more.

"... just the basics with a few little bits of lace. The real beauty is in the land and the people that live off of it."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa surrendered her cup for a top-off.

"jIt'ss been jyearrss ssjince jI've had the chance to get back jin the ssaddle. jI mjisss bejing able to jusst mount up and go rrjidjing."

It was a simple, soothing distraction, thinking about riding. She grinned, taking back her full cup.

"Thank jyou. jI ussed to rrjide jin competjitjive eventss. Mjy motherr encourraged jit, jI guess becausse jit wass an acceptable hobbjy forr a ladjy of the barronjy." She shrugged. "Eitherr wajy, jI loved the feeljing of bejing sso closse that jyou almosst became the ssame crreaturre. Knowjing, antjicjipatjing, all of jit'ss poetrrjy."

[Q. Samus Dage]

It was just like he was waking up on a weekend morning; early-ish, and rolling out of bed with a bounce in his step. He didn't even bother to pull a shirt on, and instead simply wandered out of his room in his boxers, a yawn and a roll of the shoulders the only indication that he wasn't some sleep-walking fool.

The trip down the stairs was a rough affair - just like it had always been in his youth. The only difference was that there was no voice belonging to his mother, yelling from the kitchen that he needed to not sound like such a herd of banthas.

Moments later, Samus trundled into the large kitchen, old habits sending his arm up to tap two fingers against the top of the doorframe.

"Sooga," he mumbled happily, like some undead creature only sated by the drippy insides of a mudhorn egg for breakfast.

[Micah T. Dage]

Making a face, Micah returned to the stove.

"None of that, so you're just going to have to settle for steak and fried nuna eggs."

Another quick look at his brother.

"Though you're going to have to put clothes on before I put anything on your plate."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Before T'yeellaa could ask what sooga was, Micah was already admonishing Samus over his state of undress. T'yeellaa chuckled over her caf.

"Come on, Gai'tou, jyourr brrotherr doessn't apprrecjiate the vjiew ljike jI do."

[Q. Samus Dage]

With a strange wave of his hand, Samus brushed off her words.

"Ain't nothing he's seen before," was the sleep-addled reply, as he shuffled his way to the caf pot. A long arm reached up to open a cupboard, and an unassuming earthy-brown mug was pulled out and set on the counter. A portion of the remaining caf was poured in, and the rangy blonde lifted it up to his nose to give a test-sniff. Apparently it met with his approval, and he set it back down before beginning the search for both the jar of sugar and the chilled tub of cream.

"A man in his old home reserves the right to walk about in any state of dress he likes."

He turned about then. Ignoring his older brother, Samus sent a wink to her.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa quirked an eyebrow and skewed her ears in response.

"jI thjink that ssounded morre charrmjing jin jyourr head, Quentjin."

She took another sip, ears instantly triangulating back towards the window at the sound of a distant whinnying. Attention again diverted from Samus, T'yeellaa gazed out towards the barn.

[Quarles P. Dage]

* * *



The barn was a haven of sounds, smells, and everything else that tickled the senses of a being. It was like home for him, and Quarles, after breakfast, had immediately bundled himself up to go out and tend to his morning chores. Animals had to be fed, their water troughs checked, nuna and tipyip eggs needed gathering, all the sorts of things that he simply did now out of habit. Except, there was to be more this morning, and as he led a pair of equas from the corral, he let their leads drape over a hitching post. There was no need to worry over whether they would dash off; the two grain buckets he'd provided proved to be a happy distraction, as the animals buried their faces into each pale.

The boys and Coraline were still inside, but T'yeellaa had come out with him, and the elder Dage appreciated the help she'd given him. She'd braved the hen houses, collecting eggs and he had dutifully helped as she passed over each one, putting them into the lined crate that rested on a worktable.

Now though, he knew that she'd wanted to have a ride, and he was more than willing to oblige her.

Ducking into a side-room within the larger barn, he gestured for her to follow him.

"Our rigs aren't as fancy as what I'm sure you're used to, but they're comfortable, which is the most important thing."

Hefting up a saddle from one of the many stands along the wall, he held it out for her. The headstall and chest piece were draped over the horn, and the cinch strap and attached back cinch flipped up across and over the seat.

"Here. It's a Wade style; like sitting on a cloud," he smiled.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The smell of hay and old leather lit up her senses, and T'yeellaa felt like she was transported back twenty-five years.

"Not everrjy rrjide jI took wass forr drressage orr ssteeplechasse, Arr Dage. jI mjisss the competjitjion, but jI mjisss jusst rrjidjing morre."

The saddle had good weight, and the leather creaked in a pleasing way to her ears. She looked from the saddle to the row of stalls just beyond.

"Sso, who am jI rrjidjing?" She asked with an eager grin and a sway to her tail.

[Quarles P. Dage]

He gave a bit of a grin at that. Nothing particularly conspiratorial, but there was also a glint in his eyes from behind his glasses that was unmistakable. His own saddle was pulled out, and he led the way out to where the two equas were still standing at the hitching rail, their noses still happily buried in their grain buckets. Hefting the saddle over to rest on an open rail, Quarles stepped around to give a rather towering grey gelding a solid pat to the shoulder.

"Hatrack," his grin was unmoving.

"A bit of a tall one, but he's as gentle as the fattest tooka cat looking for a warm blanket."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Hatrack looked at least two hands taller than the other equa in their stalls. Not as tall as a fathier, but broader and sturdier of build. T'yeellaa approached him, setting the saddle aside momentarily to put an unimpeded hand over his mane of coal-black hair. The gelding kept taking his grain, occasionally chuffing out a puff of warm breath.

"Ei'arri kaurra'erraa, Hatrrack." T'yeellaa greeted him in gently-spoken Cizeri, gently running her fingers down through his mane. The gelding broke his oblivious concentration on his grain, and a large lashed eye focused on her and blinked slowly.

[Quarles P. Dage]

"He likes you!"

Quarles couldn't help his smile, and with a lingering grin he took up two small handbrushes. One he handed to T'yeellaa, and the other he fitted over his own hand. His own gelding, a medium-build bay with rust-colored mane and tail continued to happily eat his fill of grain. Quick strokes of the brush, and he gave a dusty pat to the equa's rump. A few more brushes, and he set the handheld tool aside so that he could take up a faded saddle-pad and the accompanying blanket of stitched geometric patterns.

He gestured to the pad and teal-colored folded blanket beneath T'yeellaa's own saddle.

"Not the cleanest, but they do what they're supposed to do."

A few moments later, and he had hefted his saddle up and over to rest easily on the equa's back.

"I'm glad that you decided to come for a visit, T'yeellaa," he spoke with a hum.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She smiled at his words, but there was a stitch of ambivalence preventing her from savoring the experience whole cloth.

"jI wassn't...ssurre jit wass apprroprrjiate to come."

Setting the saddle on Hatrack, the felinoid busied herself with readying her mount. It made talking easier.

"Therre'ss a lot about human cusstomss that jI'm behjind on the learrnjing currve, but bejing jinvjited to meet the famjiljy jiss ssomethjing that jI thjink nejitherr humanss norr cizeri take forr grranted."

She gave the strap beneath the saddle a firm cinch, and tugged down on each stirrup to test.

"jI djidn't...want jyou to asssume the wrrong thjing."

[Quarles P. Dage]

"And what sort of wrong thing would there be to infer?"

It was a rhetorical question, and one made with an accompanying wink of his eye.

"You and Samus... You seem to be happy together, from what I can tell. You've both got a sort of old familiarity with one another that is something I am happy to see."

For a moment he paused, holding the headstall in one hand while his other rested softly on his own equa's mane.

"What the two of you have together," he finally mused, "... it is lovely. It... it is what Bernie and I had."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

No, no no...T'yeellaa's mouth felt dry. Don't compare us.

"jI...jI'm not ssurre what jyou mean, Arr Dage. No djissrresspect, and jI carre a grreat deal about Ssamuss, but he and jI, we'rre..."

Her face twisted in thought briefly.

"Morre than frrjiendss, but ljike jyou and Rrou Dage? jIssn't that too much?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

With a smile, Quarles began the easy ritual of sliding the bridle up, the bit going into the equa's mouth with practiced ease.

"Not really," he answered with an easy tone.

"I've seen the way Quentin looks at you. That boy thinks you single-handedly destroyed the first Death Star. I was the same way with Bernie."

The reigns were tossed over his mount's neck to land softly just in front of the saddle's horn, and in the next moment, his hand grasped both them and a large chunk of the mane that ended at the mare's withers. His booted foot was brought up in a swift motion, sliding into the stirrup, and the next moment he was up, swinging his leg over the top of the saddle.

"The key isn't to think of where you plan to end up, it's just to enjoy the ride."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa measured her first toe into the stirrup, then pressed up and over into the saddle. It was a lot different than riding fathiers, but in all the ways that mattered, it was the same. And maybe that was the lesson she should take to heart. For a moment, the K'ohta'rrou looked back at the elder Dage, just as sure in the saddle as she was, despite his years. He didn't know everything she and Samus were going through, but he didn't have to. He could probably guess, and what he couldn't guess was probably best left unsaid.

It was time to take Quarles' advice to heart. T'yeellaa drew up the reigns, hearing the old leather creak appealingly in her grasp. Hatrack easily pivoted with a tug, and T'yeellaa gave a quick snap to the slack, giving the old gelding permission to cut loose.

He obliged her.