Willin'

[Quarles P. Dage]

How long had it been since he'd left Myomar? Years? A decade? Two decades? Well, even if he couldn't remember the specifics he knew at least that it'd been... a lot of years.

But that wasn't a bad thing; Myomar was home, and home had rolling fields and a climate that agreed with most folks; especially him. He'd been born there, and made his life there. Farmer and overland-hauler; an honest profession if there ever was one. His land was fertile and his rig was one of the old models that just never quit so long as you cared for it. He'd married, had children, and lived quietly and happily. For the most part. Over time his sons and daughter had all grown up, some staying while others left.

And now he was here, on an old Imperial space station.

He'd never had cause to leave Myomar, and at least before the treaty had been signed there'd never been any desire either. But, with the peace brought the chance to see those of his children who'd ended up on the other side of the border, and Quarles Dage found himself doing just that. Here on Jovan and unsure exactly if this was where he needed to be, the lanky elder Dage stood a good head above the rest of those around him as he departed the customs area, having been ushered through with barely a grunt from the official on duty.

With a shock of white hair and black-rimmed glasses that he'd gotten for his last birthday from his daughter, he waited patiently with the rest of the crowd in front of the bank of lift doors. He'd at least dressed up from his normal wardrobe, choosing to don his best pair of trousers, a crisply ironed button-up, and a sharp jacket that seemed more for show than anything else. His wife had once told him that he looked distinguished when he dressed up from his normal habits, and he knew that she'd be proud of him now with his attempts. His canvas strap-pack hung from his shoulders, and a small suitcase rested beside him, ready to be wheeled about towards any destination.

Five minutes later found him on what he guessed was the main concourse, standing amidst a sea of bodies. One hand had reached up to hold tight to the strap of his smaller pack, and the other clutched the handle of his suitcase.

Jovan Station was nothing like home.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"First tiime aan Joovan, eh?"

Gradoona didn't need to look hard to see the signs of a fish out of water. The old gent stood rooted in the path of foot traffic, with hardly an inclination of the next step he should take. The Herglic gently herded him away from an approaching crush of foot traffic.

"Ya lookin' foor quaarters? I can help ya ouut."

[Quarles P. Dage]

Not exactly expecting a mountain of a Herglic (they really were mountains, weren't they) to shuffle him away from the milling bodies, he was still grateful for the help, and an 'oh!' followed by a quick succession of movements to further facilitate the action of moving out of the way of others trying to get wherever they needed to be. He felt most definitely the starfin-out-of-water, and he supposed that he hellaciously looked it, as well. Someone attempting to scoot him to a quieter space certainly lent credence to that notion well enough.

"Well, ah... "

Still a bit shaken in his attempts to wrangle his few personal effects, Quarles couldn't help but put forth the picture of an older man who was a bit at a loss for how to act.

"I'm not really looking for quarters, no."

Finally satisfied that his strap-pack and suitcase were safe, he looked up to the Herglic.

It wasn't often that he had to actually look up to someone. Felt different.

"I'm ah... just sort of looking for someone, actually."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh, maaybe I can help ya ouut, then!"

Gradoona moved over a smidge, allowing two Cizerack leading an eopie by a tether to pass. When they did, Gradoona extended her hand to the older gent.

"Name's Gradoona. I'm aan the station engineering staff, but thaats naat impoortant."

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Oh!"

His features brightened at that, immediately shifting upwards from the previous befuddled expression to one of unexpected delight, the corners of his lips pulling back into a wide smile.

"I'm Quarles, Gradoona. Quarles Dage." He reached out to meet her outstretched hand with a hearty grip of his own despite it being engulfed.

"Pleasure to meet you."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Mid-handshake, the Herglic's blowhole squee'd in understanding the moment the old guy said his name. Gradoona gave him a closer inspection, her toothy beaked grin widening a little.

"Ahhhhh...yeeaah! I tootally can see the resemblance, eh? Two penguins in a paad. I mean, eh, you're praabably lookin' foor Commaander Dage then?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

What a stroke of luck! Not only a member of the station's staff, but one that it seemed knew Quentin!

Quarles let his smile widen.

"He's a Commander now?"

It was a far cry from when his boy had run off with Janus Kori's son to join up with the Rebels. Back then he'd wondered if his second youngest had merely been entertaining a flight of fancy to satisfy some rebellious streak.

The older man couldn't help the reflexive grip on the extended handle of his suitcase.

"If he's here, I was hoping to see him, yes."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Hmm, weelllll...I thiiink the Khera'vaa'ssio, er, thaats the ship the Commaander's aan, I thiiink she's naat due back to berth foor another day oor soo."

The Herglic pondered the whole in the meantime bit, then brightened up with a raised finger.

"But youu couuuld visit K'oohta'rrouu Meeoorrrei. She's, err...the Commaander's girlfriend. I think."

[Quarles P. Dage]

Meorrrei? Girlfriend?

Wasn't Quentin a little old to have a 'girlfriend? He'd figured his boy would either be married by now, or without a lady for his whole life. At least, the life that a young buck who joined a Rebel Alliance afforded. Which was... no woman at all. His thoughts quickly lidded, Quarles looked off into the distance for a moment before letting his gaze return to the throng of people just a few paces away. Each one had places to be and people to see. He supposed that he wasn't all that different from those around him.

His features lifted somewhat, in that way that older folks used to hide their mild disappointment.

"Of course!"

His brows descended then, in a heavy moment of considerate afterthought.

"If she's available, that is. I'd hate to disturb her if she's wrapped up in... ah... official business."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Three quarters Inaaki knot, madam."

"Ugh!"

T'yeellaa sighed, standing in front of the full-length mirror in her quarters. The hovering valet droid was nauseatingly patient with her flailing, and she was definitely flailing. She hated wearing the Raau'tirrau. Hated the multiple silken mantles, the shawls, the ribbons and bows and all of the silliness that went with it. It all felt so much like those long-ago teenage years, growing up the oldest in the Meorrrei house when heaps of expectations were thrown on her shoulders. This is how a lady dresses, her mother used to say. Yes. This is how a lady dresses. A lady with a pair of husbands to actually fit her into all this...

"Oof!"

The valet droid withdrew its manipulator arm, hovering back slightly.

"Too tight, mum?"

"jI want to brreathe, sso jyess!"

The droid went to correcting its work. T'yeellaa sullenly looked in the mirror. Yes, yes. Very pretty. Pretty useless. Why she couldn't attend this dinner in her uniform, she didn't know. The station's chapter of the Cizeri matrons of commerce had invited her, and the implication was that they were inviting T'yeellaa Meorrrei, daughter of Taataani, rather than K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei. Hence this ridiculous multi-layered thing. Then would come the ritual of peeling herself out of it to eat, then getting wrapped up all over again.

beep

T'yeellaa glanced back at the door with a panicked expression. Goddess, no visitors now!

"Who jiss jit?"

The voice on the other line was easy to pick up.

"Howdy-do K'oohta'rrouu, it's Gradoona. I gaat a special visitoor foor yaa, says he's come aall th' waay fraam Myoomaar."

Myomar. T'yeellaa's face was an unguarded expression of surprise. She was glad there was a door keeping that hidden for now. Myomar was Samus's home planet. Who could it be? He hadn't exactly been chatty about his own family, but T'yeellaa could at least imagine.

She gestured to the droid to pick up his work, and quickly.

"Gjive me...oof...gjive me fjve mjinutess pleasse!"

[Quarles P. Dage]

Standing to the side and just behind Gradoona, Quarles was a bit unsure of all this for a split second. He certainly didn't want to impose, and if his son wasn't due back to the station for another day he could just as easily find a room to rent...

"Are you sure this is ok? I don't want to be a bother."

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh, I'm suuure the K'oohta'rrouu doesn't miiind..." Gradoona breezily dismissed Quarles' worries with a grin and a handwave.

"She's naat the grumpiest Cizeraack I've met. Naat the nicest either, but yaknoo, I think aan the whoole, praabably above aaverage nice, if I had to say."

The Herglic rocked back and forth on her feet, stuffing her hands into utility pockets while she waited.

"She suuure is sweet aan Commander Dage thoough! He's definitely the penguin in her pieroogi!"

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Well then."

He'd never actually met a Cizerack, but he'd read about them and seen holos of them. They were exotic enough, and his wife had even managed to get her hands on Carshoulis silks which she'd sewn into a dress. To hear Gradoona describe the... K'ohta'rrou?... in such a way caused his features to crease in an expression of caution.

But those last words made him hope, and the lanky Myomarian let out a long breath, his eyes shifting forward once more as his lips couldn't help but turn upwards at the Herglic's phrase.

"Penguin in her pierogi, eh? That's a good sign."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The door finally slid open, revealing T'yeellaa in full aristocratic array. Embroidered green silk mantle, goldenrod sashes and ribbons trussed around shoulders and waist. Her hair was drawn up into a tidy bun that was itself adorned with a gold band, matching the array of jewelry on her ears and fingers. She even wore makeup.

And of course, the first person she runs into is Gradoona Kriffing Pod-Floewander, who would be sure to tell half the station about all this in the span of an hour. She spread gossip like she needed to in order to stay alive!

So the first thing that T'yeellaa did was fix the herglic with a Don't you dare tell a soul sort of look, before softening her features into an unsure smile.

"Hello, jI'm T'yeellaa Meorrrei, and jyou'rre..."

Her ears rose in time with her eyes widening. Myomar. Tall and lanky. That grin.

"...Mjissterr Dage?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

Ever the gentleman, Quarles nodded his head respectfully at her well-educated guess. His smile never left, his eyes soft from behind his glasses.

"That would be me, yes." He seemed to draw up even taller, if that was possible, his shoulders hitching back with habit.

"Quarles Dage, Ma'am."

His free hand gestured to Gradoona.

"The young lady here was kind enough to point me in your direction."

Taking in T'yeellaa Meorrrei's current state of dress, the old worry began to percolate in his gut once more.

"I hope that I'm not disturbing anything?"

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

Gradoona mooned over something inconsequential-ish that was said.

"Aww gee...he called me a lady!"

Squee-clacking in Herglese, the mechanic bounced up on her tip-toes.

"Well, thaat suure puts the butter aan my penguin. Doon't mind me, I'll let you two caatch up!"

Grin wide as ever, Gradoona sauntered away.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa waited for the decking to stop lightly thudding from the enthusiastic foot-falls of a flattered Herglic leaving the scene.

"Djissturrbjing? Oh...thjiss?"

She gestured generally towards the state of her attire, ears skewing in ambivalence.

"Jusst a djinnerr jI'm gojing to tonjight..." then she mumbled "...agajinsst mjy wjill."

Changing tact, T'yeellaa turned attention back to Dage the Elder, clasping her hand over his as she air-kissed to each side of his face.

"jItss wonderrful to meet jyou, jI...Ssamuss djidn't tell me jyou would be comjing, jI would have clearred mjy sschedule."

[Quarles P. Dage]

The air-kisses were unexpected, and he made sure to remain as still as possible lest he disturb whatever protocol was proper, and heaven forbid he'd done enough of that over the course of his life.

"Actually," he noticed her grip was strong and sure, filing that bit of knowledge away before going on.

"... he doesn't really know that I'm here. It was somewhat an unexpected trip on my end as well."

But, he was determined not to dwell on that for now, and instead went back a few paces to her apparent dismay at having to attend a dinner. Surely a dinner wasn't anything to be too upset over? Though, if he had to dress up to the extent that she appeared to be, he'd more than likely be a shade of perturbed.

"Either way, I wouldn't worry to much over cleared schedules."

Releasing his hold on his suitcase, he laid his hand over her own that still held his other, giving a gentle pat.

"I'm only here for a short time, since my flight back to Myomar is in a few days."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Jusst a few dajyss?"

T'yeellaa's brow knit. Damn, that wasn't much time. She'd wondered when and if this moment would happen, and now that it dropped in her lap, she was worried it was going to be squandered. Just a few days wasn't enough time to make real plans. Doubly so when gai'tou wasn't going to be back for another day.

"Well, do jyou have a place to sstajy whjile jyou'rre herre?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Honestly," there was a bit of almost-breathless exasperation in that single word, as he'd been confounded by the fact that his son was not already on the station.

"... I don't. I was counting on Quentin being here, and staying with him."

But, he brightened up regardless, putting on a brave face and a confident, reassuring smile.

"It's no matter, though. I'm sure that there are temporary quarters here that I can rent out, so I'm not too ill over it."