Are We Not Alone?

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya walked up the ramp, pushing Tak in front of her. "Go to your room. Er, our room." She handed the kid her pack and watched as she scampered deeper into the ship she'd never been on board before. Hopefully she'd be able to figure out which cabin of the two was Arya's.

The smuggler turned to her passenger, who had walked up the ramp behind her. "So, Sarin, this is Wing of the Raven." She slapped the door controls and the ramp slowly began to retract and the hatch doors started closing. Arya smiled, "Want a tour? Isn't much to see," she talked as she walked, pointing to the cozy kitchenette/dining/living area off of the passage, "Galley here, cockpit up ahead, two cabins aft." She looked back at Sarin, "One's all yours for the duration. You can put your stuff in there. I've got to finish pre-flight."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It was easy to tell which room was Arya's; it smelled like Arya. Depositing her small carrypack on the foot of the bunk, the girl stood for a short time, wondering if her excitement at going with the Loveloxx Lupine had been such a good idea after all. The other Loveloxx, Sarin, had caught her staring more than once, but she'd always looked away as quickly as possible. Still though, she knew he'd been aware.

Yet, through all of her apprehension, the little girl couldn't help the curious nature within, and it wasn't long before she ventured out into the rest of the ship to explore.

It wasn't like Layla in the least.

[Sarin von Metzger]

I looked about the ship as she showed me the general directions and areas. "Very nice," I replied. "It smells like hearth and home. Earth and loam."

I murmured the last bit lowly, as the familiar poem ran through my mind. When I had first left Aruza some years ago due to the Imperial programme to make its citizens violent and without any kindness or sympathy, my father had said it while we boarded the transports. At the time, I wondered why so few had left with us; only later with reflection did I realize that our near-human appearance, different from the Aruzans, granted our freedom from that world.

"One's all yours for the duration. You can put your stuff in there. I've got to finish pre-flight."

"Thank you," I said as she finished. "I shall do that." I watched her as she walked up towards the cockpit.

"Under these strange stones and foreign skies,
Surrounded by strange beasts' cries;
Caressed by foreign winds' sighs,
'Tis 'neath these things my body lies."

Father taught me that poem as we travelled to our new home. He'd told me it was written in sadness after the Great Migration. It seemed particularly suited to both moments in my opinion. I murmured it quietly under my breath while I wended my way to the bunk I had been given. It was small, I was hit by the novelty of these surroundings, and made sure to etch the smell into my nose. And then, I was off to explore the ship.

"In my youth I left my home,
Familiar hearth and familiar loam,
To wander the stars and through them roam."

The cargo bay was the first place I entered. Very spacious, and it reminded me of the darkened rooms of home, with several pieces of Lupine and von Metzger history upon their walls and adorning a number of tables.

"Yet e'er I yearned for the lands of my birth,
Familiar skies and familiar earth,
Those common things of untold worth,
And though I wandered, I felt their dearth."

And then I was making my way to the galley, to see where one of our last scions of noble houses ate their daily meals.

"Where are the skies that I knew so well?
My homeland's scent which makes my heart swell?
To these I bid farewell, farewell!

To hearth and home,
To earth and loam,
For among the stars I go."

I sat in a seat and ran my hand over the tabletop, my fingers finding the slight and small scarring that gave it character. I then looked up to the ceiling of the galley, and folded my hands in my lap. I knew there was a silly grin on my face, but I couldn't really help myself. I was no longer alone in the universe.

[Arya Ravenwing]

She'd run most of the pre-flight checks before she'd gone to pick up Tak, so it was just a matter of going through the final steps and then contacting Cloud City traffic control to finalize her clearance to lift off. Arya started the repulsors and the ship rumbled softly, the tone of the engines indicating that no matter what she looked like, Raven's internal systems were well taken care of.

She pressed the intercomm controls. "We're cleared for take off, so we're going to go. Might want to find a place to sit down, if you haven't." Arya flicked the 'comm off, and gently pulled on the steering yoke, coaxing her ship into the sky. After about ten minutes they were out of Bespin's gravity well and she had a course laid in for Chandrila.

"Strap in," she said into the intercomm, and then she hit the hyperdrive controls. After she was satisfied that the jump had gone off without a hitch, Arya unfastened her crash webbing and walked down the passage to the living area.

Sarin was sitting there, looking happy. Good. Happy customers were good. Arya walked to a cupboard and pulled out some recplast tumblers. "Drink?" She raised an eyebrow and tucked the glasses under an arm while she retrieved a bottle of clear alcohol. Tak was nowhere to be seen, but considering how she'd reacted to Sarin the girl was probably hiding somewhere. Or exploring the nearly empty cargo hold.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Her explorations yielded nothing of any particular interest, other than to assail her nose with the strong pungent Loveloxx odor that belonged to Arya. It made her want to Change - to want the both of them to Change, so that they could romp about and play once more. But, Arya had said not to with a passenger on board.

Didn't she know he was a Loveloxx too though? How could she not smell it?

Teagan approached the galley carefully, tip-toeing the whole way, and gingerly she peeked around the corner at the two grown-ups.

[Sarin von Metzger]

I seemed to be smiling almost constantly now. Thankfully most of them weren't the ache-inducing full on smiles, but merely more understated ones that I felt comfortable sporting.

"Why yes, please," I rejoined while watching the clear liquid slosh around in the bottle. "I would like one very much."

But how would I start on the conversation of her heritage? Should I wait for her to bring it up, or should I? There was no clever segue presenting itself that would take me into the topic with polite smoothness. Alas, that.

[Arya Ravenwing]

What had Tak said? He's a love lost. Or something. Arya sat across from Sarin, pouring a double shot into each of the tumblers. "No ice, I'm afraid. Freezer's on the fritz."

She could smell the kid hiding out in the passage, but she didn't call her in. If Tak wanted to spy on them, she was welcome to. "We're headed to the Core. Chandrila. I hope that's okay?" She pushed one of the glasses towards him, and picked hers up, downing it.

She poured herself another drink.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Working up the nerve to actually join Arya, Tak stepped the rest of the way into the galley. She was thirsty anyway, and since Arya had a drink, maybe she'd share it.

With purpose she closed the distance between them, and scrambling up, she sat next to her new caretaker. A look was sent to the bottle, then Arya's glass, as if to silently convey that she too wanted a drink.

Eyes turning then to Sarin, the little girl leaned back in her seat, brow scrunching up.

"You're a Loveloxx," she said bluntly.

[Sarin von Metzger]

"That's quite alright," I murmured, and took half of what she'd given me in one gulp. It burned fiercely, but it settled my nerves quite nicely. I was pleased to hear my only reaction was a grunt and a puff of air from my nose.

The girl walked in, quietly, and sat next to Ravenwing. She seemed to want something in particular to drink; I found that somewhat amusing. Before I could even chuckle, Teagan looked at me with a serious expression and said something I hadn't at all been prepared for. At least, not from her.

"I am," I answered giving the girl a searching look, "but not only that. I'm also quite curious as to how you know this. I'd find it almost impossible--"

I paused to down the rest of my drink, and looked at both Ravenwing and young Teagan, allowing either to answer, though I expected Ravenwing to do so. "--Unless, of course, you are of us yourself. And that -- that only makes me more curious."

[Arya Ravenwing]

Oh. Loveloxx. Arya could sort of remember Loklorien talking some mumbo-jumbo about Houses from the alcohol induced haze that she'd been in that night so many months ago.

She moved the bottle away from Tak. "Curiousity isn't something we encourage around here." Arya used her right hand under the table to ease her blaster in its holster. "We're keeping a low profile."

He was another like them? A shapeshifter? A... Lupine? And one like her, not like Lok or Teagan. The more she thought about it the more his smell seemed obvious. It had a distinct musky odor, similar to s'Ilancy and her daughter.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Matter-of-factly, Teagan gave him a look. Dama had always said that the Loveloxx were below them, that they were beastly creatures who couldn't control themselves. That both Bloodlines were being punished because of the sins of the Loveloxx.

But... Arya wasn't really that bad, and Teagan had had loads of fun romping about with her when she'd Changed...

The girl shifted her gaze a little, scratching at her ear.

"I'm not like you. I'm a Losstarot."

[Sarin von Metzger]

Well. This certainly wasn't the way I expected the conversation to go.

"I'm not like you. I'm a Losstarot."

In an attempt to remain polite, I merely sniffed loudly and kept my expression passive as the girl proclaimed her heritage. Bah. While it was somewhat heartening that the species hadn't died out yet, why did there have to survive some of those? I certainly wouldn't do much more than that, as I still planned to spend quite a bit of time with the two to find out what I could of the happenings of the Houses.

"I see," was my reply to both Ravenwing and to Teagan. Seeing as there wasn't much else for me to say to the young girl besides that (I wasn't about to start arguing with a child), I turned my eyes back to Ravenwing.

"You shouldn't worry about me," I said, "Being a Lupine, your continued life and happiness are both very important to me."

I gave a slightly bitter smile, and tossed back the last drops of alcohol in the glass.

"There aren't many of us left."

[Arya Ravenwing]

"I didn't think there were any left." Arya eyed her glass, and then poured more alcohol in liberally before pushing the bottle to her passenger. She kept her glass out of the reach of the kid, knocking back half of it without so much as a grimace.

"And I don't know how I feel about some stranger taking an interest in my 'continued life and happiness.'" Arya raised an eyebrow, her hand still near her blaster, but not on it anymore. "Of course, credits have a way of making me happy, so you may be on to something."

[Sarin von Metzger]

"I had never seen another, but I never once I believed I was the last," I replied, pouring myself more of the alcohol.

"To credits, and continued happiness," I grinned, raised my glass in toast and downed it. It burned down my esophagus, filling me with non-existant warmth.

"I knew your name the second I saw it," I continued, mostly to keep conversation going. "I know the names of all the houses. Nearly all are dead, I believe. But I saw your name, and I needed to at the very least see you. I was curious about the only other of my kind I had ever heard of."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She still wasn't so sure about this new Lupine; he wasn't attacking or being overly mean, and while she was sure to remain aloof, the girl still remembered her manners at least. As it was, she really didn't know what to say.

Arya still hadn't gotten her a drink, and ever so slowly the little Lupine began to encroach upon the other's space. Squeezing close so that she could as covertly as possible draw nearer to Arya's drink, Teagan was - at this point - very nearly in her caretaker's lap, and steadily moving onwards.

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya picked up her glass, looked at it and then at Tak. "Here, have a sip." She handed it to the girl.

"To be honest, I don't know anything about Houses or... anything like that." She shrugged, "My mother was a raving lunatic, or at least she was when she died. I didn't..."

Arya hesitated. She didn't want to give away too much, or let Sarin know that Imperial Intelligence was trying to get their hands on more of their kind. Although, he probably deserved to know.

"Smell can be faked," she said suddenly, her natural suspicion rearing its head. "Why don't you Change and prove it?"

[Sarin von Metzger]

I was speechless. Change?

"Did not your families also lose the ability to Change?" I asked, my eyes sharpening on the both of them. I furrowed my brow as I considered the implications of Arya's order, for it was nothing less than one.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Taking the glass, Teagan gave it a good sniff, and with a surprised gasp the little Lupine pushed it back. It smelled horrid; pungent and gross. A lot like the stuff Sanis drank, in fact.

With a defeated sigh, she leaned on the table and wrapped her arms together, rocking back and forth slightly.

She decided to answer Sarin with a sing-songy lilt to her voice.

"Nooooo. We can Change just fine."

A wide grin as she looked sideways to Arya.

"In fact, I Changed for the very first time a few days ago. It was... well it hurt lots, but it was still great."

[Sarin von Metzger]

There wasn't anything I could think to say. I'm sure I looked a fool, with my mouth open say something, anything, but I just sat there unable to speak. Change? They can Change?

[Arya Ravenwing]

Arya poked Tak in the side, her scent radiating caution to the young pup. "Your family lost the ability?"

Now she was wishing that she'd listened better when s'Ilancy had been nattering on and on about stuff that she didn't care about. Well, she still didn't really care about it. But with another here...

"And you are... Loveloxx? Like me?"