Going Home

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

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

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

"You need more than a tent."

[Zem Vymes]

"It has rooms!"

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

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

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

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

An uncomfortable silence filled the tent.

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

She was well acquainted with this behavior.

"A castle? Come on."

Her arms went up to fold across her chest.

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

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

"... something to think about."

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

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

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

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

"It takes longer than that."

Teagan fixed him with a stern gaze.

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

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

"We gotta do it right."

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

Zem stroked his chin a bit.

"What about a battalion?"

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

"I don't get it."

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

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

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

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

"Major Verratoa? This is Master Vymes."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

The Jedi Master was trying hard not to laugh.

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

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

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

"You know... "

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

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

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

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

"Go ahead."

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

[Zem Vymes]

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

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

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

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

The Jedi Master shuffled uneasily.

"...but I..."

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

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

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

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

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

"Thank you."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

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

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

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Fifteen minutes later

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

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

"jYou assked forr mjy asssjisstance, Massterr Jedji?"