A Day in the Life of One Who Belongs

[Riamah]

These past months had been almost like a dream for Ra. Something that had been lacking throughout her life was a family. Now she had one and was just taking the time to adjust to that. She stayed with Josh, Jason and Vincent and felt like returning to some semblance of duties outside that of being a mother and partner. The time had come for Ra to start accomplishing things again.

Opening her eyes to the sound of laughter and barking, she smiled. Soon after, Jason came bounding into the room with his new puppy in tow. Playing a game of tug-of-war with with the pup, she was getting involved whether she wanted to or not.

When Jason lost the war to the dog, she picked the damp sock and threw it across the room for the dog to fetch and it started all over again. Jason ran out, giving chase to the fleeing pup and Ra climbed out bed stretching. Letting out a sigh, she wondered where Josh had wandered off to.

He didn't have to deal with so much stress, but that didn't take him away from having duties to perform. An answer came soon enough as the smell of breakfast reached her nose and she went to join him in the kitchen.

"Need any help?"

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

On the mission to rescue a group of Jedi from a gladiator arena, Josh had come across where they had been holding their war dogs, animals they had been sicking on the people they forced to fight, as well as the Jedi who had come to rescue them. When the survivors had been liberated by the Silver Jedi, the dogs had been taken into the Silver Rest, with operations being done to remove the armors that those monsters had stuck to their bodies. There were some though that hadn't been armored yet, namely the pups. One of which Josh decided that as they were all going to need homes eventually, he might as well take one of them. They seemed sociable enough, though by the looks of the adults, they would get rather... Big, over time. Either way, while Porgbert was sociable, he was a little skittish and Jason was a very affectionate child. He and Ra had been talking about a second, bigger pet that could handle this type of affection from Jason, and the timing couldn't have been better.

So there it was. The puppy, still unnamed, had come home with them for the first time the day before. While Josh had been initially concerned, the pup had taken to Jason like a house of fire, and vice versa. To the point they were playing again already when he'd woken up. So deciding that maybe they could use a break in the action, he had gotten started on some bacon and space eggs. When Ra came down, he gave her a warm smile.

"Aye, can you grab the plates? I'm just about done."

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

In an attempt to adjust to something that was considered more of a normal life, Ra had been only really been staying at their homes. At the Rest and on Naboo. Josh had returned from one of his missions not to long ago and they had decided to take on one of the puppies that had been rescued. That is what Jason was currently playing with and romping around the house chasing.

They knew it was going to grow large, but Ra had large pets before. Namely her nexu that ended up getting left behind on Vjun when the Sith took it. Her cat and fox were both left there and hopefully, they had been able to return to the wild. She had raised the nexu up from a kitten so she would have a harder time adapting...if she even survived. What had happened then was in her past and Ra had done her best to keep it there. Once in awhile something happened and a memory came back. This was one of those moments, but she was over it before it became something she dwelled on too much.

Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed the plates he asked her to with a smile. Giving him a peck on the cheek, she set them down on the counter and spread them out. It would be easier to put the food on them this way.

"Did you sleep well?"

There were times when nightmares woke him up and kept him awake, but they were becoming rarer and she liked that. Almost every morning she asked the same question, but she honestly meant it and was serious.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

If Josh ever found out about her nexu, he would likely offer to go and search for it, bringing it to the Rest where it could be taken care of and properly stabled in an environment where it could roam. While it might be a little too scary and potentially dangerous at home with Jason around, at least for the time being, Josh would happily try to get it somewhere safe that would put Ra's mind at ease.

He smiled softly as she approached, meeting her peck by moving his head at the last moment to get her on the lips instead, laughing lightly.

"Aye, I did. Thank you" He responded as he nodded in thanks for arranging the plates. He began putting food on the plates once she had put them down. The nightmares had been receding a little, which was... Good, he supposed. Things felt... Peaceful, for once. Even if he knew peace was always fleeting. Before long they'd be back on the battlefield, after all. Such was their life.

But he'd enjoy every moment of this while he still could.

"Our new family member needs a name. Any ideas?"

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

The first and only time Josh visited her on Vjun, both her fox and Nexu were present. Both of them more in the background and not even noticed. Taking the plates once they were full of food, she called out to Jason to join them. Soon enough a ball of fur with a child chasing it appeared magically for the breakfast.

"That's good to know. A name though? Don't you think it's too soon?"

She was probably not a good person to ask about a name. Her own pets had simple names like Lya and she felt they named themselves.

"Is it a boy or a girl? That's going to be a great place to start. Need to find something that fits the gender."

Taking a bite of food, she waited on an answer before going again.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Never too soon when we've already verified we're keeping him" He pointed out, smiling lightly. "I believe it's a male, anyway. That's what the caretakers at the Rest told me when they examined him before I took him. Not that they needed to sell me on it, I knew I was taking one the minute I saw them all cramped up in those cages, malnourished and with some physical wounds. Deserved a far better life than whatever those monsters were going to give them, sicking them on innocent people."

They had finished preparing the food and Jason and this new dog had joined them. Porgbert had stopped by as well, perching on the makeshift Porg perch Josh had made with a tray jetting out of it to feed the Porg with. It seemed that the Porg had realized as well it was food time. Of course, Josh had already filled the bowl on Porgbert's tray, preparing ahead.

"Jason, what do you think for names?" He inquired toward the child as Jason pulled himself up onto the chair to eat. Jason had been about to dig in when the nature of the question hit him and he stopped.

"Uhhh... I dunno" Jason responded, scratching his head. Clearly he hadn't thought about it.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

"Ok. Male names. My Vjun Fox was named Akata. It fit him since he was a companion to a Nexu."

It wasn't often Ra really talked too much about her life on Vjun. He had visited her there once and Jason had slept rather poorly. That could have been explained by a few factors, but most likely it was due to the castle being placed on a Darkside Force Nexus. She had still been with the Sith at the time, but very soon after she had cut all her ties with them. Josh was just one reason for that.

"I don't think that name would fit this little guy though. Ghost? Mister? Oh! I have it! Mouse. He's little now but will grow into something large. Why not make the name a bit fun and use a word for something small."

Deciding to eat her food before it got cold, she started that before saying anything else. This also gave the other two the opportunity to think about her suggestions.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Considering they had later found out Jason's Force Sensitivity, and a strong one at that, the likelihood of the Dark Side Nexus being what upset him was very likely. Though Josh never said it, the castle being placed atop a Dark Side Force Nexus was why he never went back. Which was probably easy for her to guess, could you blame him? Of course it would make even him very uncomfortable.

"Because Jason will never stop laughing calling him Mouse" He pointed out as a reason for why to maybe put the name on the backburner as a distinct possibility at best for now. "Hmm... I've never had to name a dog, so this is a little out of my realm of expertise as well. And if Porgbert is any indication, Jason is just as creative at names as I am" He admitted with a small laugh between chews.

"Hmm... Why don't I just rattle off names at random and you can tell me if I hit any dead ringers?" He asked once he swallowed a few bites. He cleared his throat.

"Alright, here we go... Seteth, Goober, Chopper, Clifford, Titan, Achilles, Barnabas, Hercules, Max, Saber, Buddy, Tucker, Axl, Bowser, Colby, Bruno, Brock..." He trailed off as he took a deep breath before he continued to rattle off again, speeding up as he went, to the pure laughter of Jason. "... Colby, Enzo, Diesel, Kingsley, Moose, Ozzy, Rex, Oliver, Vader, Thor, Zeus, Logan, Bear, Big, Ben, Buck, Rusty, Charlie, Cookie, Harvey, Duke, George, Noah, Jack, Bruce, Doug, Sparky, Dogbert."

At this point Jason had nearly choked on his food, and Josh needed a chance to catch his breath, so he stopped to motion to Jason to settle down.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

"That's exactly why I suggested the name! It would be funny to call a large dog Mouse. Makes total sense to me."

Listening to the names he threw out on a whim, she shook her head. Smiling when Jason started laughing, she soon joined in the laughter. Clapping Jason on his back when he started coughing, she hoped it would help to get the food out of his throat.

Once he stopped coughing, she handed him a glass of water and waited until he calmed down.

"You going to be okay, champ?"

Honestly, Ra didn't understand what the hurry was to name the creature. He would name himself and it would be something natural.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh looked to Jason when he realized he was choking, and shook his head with a short laugh. "It was that funny, was it?" He asked the child, who gave small coughs a few times as he downed the water, before nodding his head, still giggling all the way. Josh let out a snort as he shook his head. "What a silly child you are" He joked in turn.

He looked to Ra and shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we'll just how how things go and figure out a name for him eventually. Would rather not wait too long to the point it gets harder for him to understand his name though, when we do decide."

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

"He seems rather brutish...maybe Brutus?"

She probably wasn't the best person to come up with names. When she was younger and lived on Vjun, she had two pets there. A nexu she had raised since she was a kitten and a Vjun fox. One of them was native to that planet so when the Sith came, she felt confident Akata was fine on her own. The nexu though...she missed that cat.

"A name will come up within the next few days. Just how it works, I think. Something about their personality shines and that sticks. My fox lived with a cat and started acting like her, so I named him Akata."

Even though those two pets had been present when he visited her, there's a chance they were so quiet they hadn't been noticed. Both of them liked to curl up next to the fire and stay warm. When the weather was nice, she took them out to romp around. They should do that with the dog and make it a family thing.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Hmm... He's a little rough, but looks can be deceiving. I don't know if Brutus fits" He admitted. It seemed to... Stereotypical of a name for the breed? He wasn't sure. But Ra was right about one thing: A name would come up before long. It wouldn't take too long for the dog to exhibit habits or do something that just... Clicked.

"I assume those pets were left with someone when you left Vjun?" He would inquire curiously at the subject of her pets. He looked to Jason, who had already taken to staring down at his new puppy with love-filled eyes... As the pup was staring up at him with a begging face. Josh couldn't help but laugh as Jason seemed to clue in quickly that the dog was looking for scraps. He didn't even ask permission this time before a bit of food was dropped into the dog's mouth, which was gobbled up promptly.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

"We could each pick a name we like and then use the one he responds to first."

That seemed to be the most logical solution to Ra and she spoke her mind on the matter. Watching the interaction between Jason and the pup was quite amusing and she couldn't help but chuckle just a little. It reminded her of feeding her own nexu kitten when it was little.

Shaking her head, she finished off her bite before answering him.

"The fox I released back into the wild. Vjun was his home, to begin with. So that made sense. As for Ankhara, I have no idea what happened to her. I can hope she's still alive, but I didn't release her like I did the fox. Honestly, I think she's fine though. She might have grown up as a lap cat until she was too big, that doesn't mean I didn't train her. I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself, even on a world with acid rain."

At this rate, they were going to need a bigger place just to keep all the animals.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

“We could. We also might just confuse the poor thing” Josh responded with a laugh. “Better to settle on something when it seems right. Suggestions are still open, Jason” Josh added, throwing the last part to Jason who gave a goofy salute as he turned his focus back to the dog whose undivided attention was on Jason’s leftovers now that the child had obliged them with food once. “Looks like they get along fine, at least” Josh observed, as he then turned to listen to Ra’s explanation of what happened to her pets from Vjun. He took a breath, and nodded his head a bit.

“While I don’t know about the house as it’s a bit crowded as it is, and I’m not sure if they’d get along with Jason, Porgbert and the dog… This is a big island. But I haven’t explored it much yet. Of course, Jongori roams it freely without issue when he’s not at the Rest with me, but he’s an Arkanian Dragon, of course he’s fine. But if we can explore the island a bit more, eliminate any potential threats, ensure it’s completely safe… It might be worth searching Vjun for them” Josh admitted to Ra between bites. “Our first priority should be looking for them though, if that is something you want to do. The Silver Rest has been very accommodating for Jongori, so I’m sure they would be able to do the same for your own familiars. Once we have a safe place for them, we can start working on a more permanent solution. Either way, anything’s safer for them than Sith-controlled Vjun. Aside rain aside, they probably still hold your scent and presence on them. That would make them a potential target” He brought up.

“In the end though, it’s your call as to what we do. I’m just shooting an idea. I’m sure you’d sleep a little better at night knowing they’re safe.”

He smiled softly. While she didn’t show it much, he figured she was worried. The least he could do was try to ease that worry a little.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

It was a possibility they could just confuse the dog, she didn't think so though. Ra had the feeling it was more intelligent than how it looked and would certainly gain more as it aged. Giving a bit of a mental shrug, his name would come to them within the next few days. Maybe Jason would be the one to name him. At the moment, she sometimes thought of him as an it and at others with the proper gender. That was something she would have to work on.

"Well, I'm pretty sure the fox is fine since Vjun is where she was born. Perhaps she helped the nexu settle in and they take care of each other. Your dragon would also be an apex predator here. I don't think or feel there is anything on this planet that can hurt him."

The thought of going back and getting them did please her, she was also scared. To return to Vjun and not be noticed might be difficult. Finding her pets would be even harder. Looking at him, she returned his smile and nodded just slightly.

"I most certainly would. Something we can start planning. Not today though."

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Confuse the doggo indeed. But there was no rush. Something would come naturally, she was right on that matter. For now though, they had a wonderful morning together. No work, no business... Just them together as a family. With a full day ahead with no worries, no cares... Just them. Sure, he was somewhat talking business now, discussing her old pets, but... This was purely personal business.

Ra seemed confident that her former pets would be fine, but she also seemed to be all for the idea of finding them and bringing them here. She was right that between them and Jongori, very little would be able to harm them on this island of theirs. But he did want to be on the safe side. He had instructed Jongori not to go beyond the little stretch of forest near the homestead, where he hunted, just in case. The dragon didn't seem fond of the idea, but the read of his feelings when he gave the order was satisfactory enough for the creature to understand in some fashion that it came from a place of precaution.

"Tomorrow, perhaps. Day off today" He spoke with a small smile. "Any ideas of what you guys want to do after breakfast?" He inquired both to Ra and to Jason.

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

She would allow Jason to speak for himself as to what he wanted to do, but Ra had an idea of what she wanted to do. With a small movement, she pulled the neck of her shirt to the side and showed off the outline of a swimming suit she had on under it. Not speaking, she wondered if Jason would have the same thought.

It would give them a chance to allow the new dog to run wild and see if he liked water. The dragon could also join them since they would be staying within the confines of their little safe territory. That is if Jason came up with the same idea.

Taking a bite of food, she set her fork down and looked to Josh with a bit of a smile. Hopefully, he had seen her motion. Lifting a finger to her mouth, she indicated for him to keep quiet. Turning to Jason, she urged him to answer first.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh smiled as Ra would not so subtly give a hint as to what she wanted to do for the morning. But she also seemed to be looking to Jason as well, giving him the choice in what they were to do. Jason blinked a few times as the choice was thrust on him. The smaller blonde would ponder it for a few moments, before looking outside.

“Umm… Swimming?” Jason finally suggested, looking to the dog. “Doggies swim, right?” He asked as Josh chuckled a bit in turn. “We can definitely see if doggie is ready to swim” He agreed. They hadn’t gotten a chance to swim much, Jason had been a bit too small for it for a good while. And then the Jedi training had started and they just... Got a little caught up in things. It was hard to remember sometimes that Jason was still a child, and he was still a human being. Mainly because Josh had a hard time considering himself one, with how he had grown up. But it was times like these that reminded him of the folly in this.

"Finish eating and we'll go get ready."

Riamah

 

[Riamah]

Making a small excited yes motion, Ra smiled when Jason mentioned swimming. While they had been to a beach before, it had been with the Silvers. Now it was just the three of them. They didn't have to worry about other people watching them or being judgmental. Not that she had really noticed that happen very often.

"Do you think he'll make a good water dog?"

This wasn't asked to either one of them, but to the air. Josh or Jason could answer and she looked down at the dog.

It really had been a long time since just the three of them had done something together. Nodding when Josh said to finish eating, her breakfast was gone rather quickly. Standing up to take her plate to the sink, she washed it and set it up to dry.

"Do you want me to make a lunch for us while you guys get ready?"

The only thing she would need to grab was a towel since she was already wearing her swimsuit.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It was true that their last swimming tenure was with the Silvers. This time, it would be just them alone. It would be a good family bonding experience and one he was surprised they hadn't done previously. Ra's clear excitement at the prospect was adorable though.

"I think he he will be. Odd are his breed is meant for most conditions, considering what those beasts were breeding them for" Josh reasoned when Ra asked as to whether he would make a good water dog. "What about Tank for a name?" he brought up then, scratching his beard a moment. "He's probably going to be built like a tank. But I'll think on it. And I suppose it's still up to Jason."

It didn't take long for them to wrap up eating now that they had a family activity planned for the day. Ra asked if she should pack a lunch, and Josh nodded his head as he got up and started to work on putting the dishes away first up. "Aye, I'll get Jason and I ready and we'll head out when you finish."

The life of a parent was hard sometimes. But it was worth it for days like this.

Riamah