A faulty saleswoman, (Maja Vern)

[Darth Zilti]

Now Maja felt more uncomfortable than ever. She was not used to kindness and certainly not to generosity. In her life you overpaid for everything - because that's the way it was for those less fortunate. People knew you were desperate and took advantage.

But this was worse because not only had Alexandra been selfless, now she'd offended her host. Maja was having real trouble balancing out the contradictions in her head and had never before trusted anyone. But now she did and did so unreservedly. Alexandra could take advantage of her now and Maja wouldn't mind - such was the rise in her situation that even a drop now would be a meteoric increase from where she was yesterday.

"I didn't mean...that is, I'm not suggesting...you don't need to be sorry. I am sorry if I sound ungrateful or in some way rude. I never meant to offend. It's just...I didn't, no I don't expect anything for free. Even if it's intended. Somehow, some way, some time I will repay you. It may not be in money but I know I owe you. And no," finally her face broke into a smile and she laughed, "I know you don't expect or probably want it - but that's all the more reason for me to do it. If you demanded it, it would mean nothing. It's the not wanting anything that makes giving all the more special."

Maja didn't know where the words came from, they just tripped from her tongue and her brain wasn't part of the process. It was what she felt. What she believed. If she could make Alexandra proud, that would be her way of repayment.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

She sighed as she listened to her ramble on... and simply put a hand on her head and patted her head a few tims before walking down the hall. "Come on, owe me or not i still need to show you the actual room..." She moved down the hall, mentally counting off which rooms already had students and finally coming to a door that was on the right side of the hall about seven doors down from the first. "Here we are, follow me miss Vern." She pressed the button and the door opened up to a simple room with a desk, bed, refresher area, window on the far side, and a vid screen. "Here you are, the refresher is completely private so don't worry about anything like that, the door locks from the inside, the smaller button next to the larger one... and ya."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was still in shock at being called Miss Vern - but she made a mental note of the location of the door - seven doors down from the first. So when Alexandra showed her the room, she was speechless. So, silently for once, she checked out the room. A bed. And just one.

So she did a double take on the layout of the room. It still contained a bed and there was still only one of them. Her eyes couldn't be peeled from that item that so many took for granted but for Maja was a first. She'd never had her own bed. Actually, she never really had a bed. Once she got to share a mattress with three other. It was about 3cm thick and you could feel the bumps and lines of the ship beneath it - but it was a bed to Maja.

Half the time she slept on the floor of the hold with a bag as a pillow. And when on a planet, she slept rough in alleyways or on top of containers in whatever warehouse she could pry open.

And then she saw the refresher area. Maja understood cleanliness but washing on-board the sort of ships she worked was done in a 30-second window with recycled cold water and industrial strength cleanser - and when on a planet, alcohol typically served as a means of cleaning her teeth. It was a wonder she was still in decent physical shape - but a few square meals and a day in the shower would do wonders for her.

"This is...for me alone?" It was a rhetorical question but the words tumbled from her mouth anyway. Private was a new concept for her - and she imagined she'd spend hours locking and unlocking the door - just for the sensation of knowing she was safe and secure. Master of her own domain for the first time since...well 'ever.'

She yawned loudly but had the good grace to try and cover her mouth with her hand. The bed was tempting but the shower was too. Her own soap. And shampoo. And conditioner. Body wash. Deodorant. Perhaps even perfume. Toothpaste. These thoughts flashed through her brain in quick succession. So many firsts to try and without a stopwatch on her.

She flung her arms around Alexandra. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She finally stopped squeezing and stepped back. "You don't know how special meeting you has been."

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

She laughed, a light kind laugh that fell on her ears, mixed with Alex's naturally soft voice. "Maja, you don't have to thank me, everyone gets a room, really its no problem. I made this place so people could learn and i am glad to teach you in any way i can..." She smiled at the woman and waved for her to take a seat on the bed while Alex would pull out the chair at the desk and sit in it. "... Please, sit down Maja, im happy to answer any more questions you have about anything or if you have any concerns at all."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja had one eye on the bed and half an eye on the shower-room but in a very real sense she didn't want this day to end. She had someone's attention 100% and that was rare for Maja. Maybe for a few minutes, when she was given an instruction or a reprimand - but a whole day?

Maja had a thousand questions and the answers would inspire a thousand more, so she did her best to prioritise them. If she only had time for one, what would it be?

The scrunched-up frown on her face was evident - but their time together would have told Alexandra that this was Maja's thinking expression. It was a toss-up between two, but in the end, "When does training proper start? You know, using the Force type training?" won. 'When was breakfast' was a close second in Maja's mind.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Oh you know, a dozen years from now." She would let Maja think she was utterly serious before grinning wide and laughing. "Im joking, normally though it does take that long to grasp the basics and the concepts... i think i can get you into the groove in a number of lessons... infact how about you get washed up, get something too eat, and then go to bed. We can start getting you situated tomorrow." She leaned on the chair as she sat facing the back of it. "But before any of that, i got all the time to answer all your questions... well a few atleast."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja’s face was a picture when Alexandra answered. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

When Alexandra put her out of her misery, she wanted to laugh, cry and shout for joy – all at once. She settled for a broad grin and a shake of the head. “Tomorrow would be just fine.”

“And on that subject – where do you eat? I mean, when are meal-times? And do you have to cook yourself? And what sort of food is there? And how big can a portion be? And what if you want more?”

Realising all of the questions could probably be covered by one answer, she shut up. For once, the concept of comfort took the precedence of knowledge.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

She laughed as the question after question about food came out and she did her best to answer them fully. "Theres a cafe for when the majority of the order comes around for dinner, lunch, or breakfast. You and i will be eating along though most likely as its no where near either of those three by this point. Meal times can be when ever, though most eat at Six AM, Noon, and Six PM. Yes and no, i have droids ready if you don't want to cook your own meals, i like to though. As for what type and portion size, that is completely up to you, as eat what ever and as much as you like, though meals prepared by droids will be more nutritious. And if you want more, just ask."

 

[Darth Zilti]

"Cool. As much as I'd like to freshen up first, I fear once I get into the shower, you won't see me again this side of tomorrow. Can we go and eat."

Her stomach echoed the sentiment with a low growl.

"What sort of food do you like by the way? I'm not fussy as a rule - I'll eat most anything - but that's probably because I never got any choice on-board and when I'm planet-side I eat whatever I can stea-...I mean afford." Maja smiled widely in the hope that Alexandra wouldn't pick up on her slip. "Lovely decor by the way. Is the architecture local or did you bring someone in?"

Heading towards the door, Maja was clearly hoping that changing the subject and physical movement might get her off the hook.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Mixed Alderaanian styles and naboo styles with that of an Atrisian design. It came out nice and i like it, hoping to move though and truly create a personal home out on Panatha or something in the outer rim. Who knows. And as for what i like to eat... i guess a good nerf steak cooked slowly and medium rare never hurt, but i think we can handle some eggs i found from a local Avian species that are edible, faster and they taste good."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja nodded at the mention of the architectural styles but in truth it was all over her head. It was actually pleasing to the eye but she hadn't travelled widely enough to appreciate the variations. Or rather she'd travelled but the inside of one space port looks pretty much like the inside of another.

The mention of food made her salivate. She'd never had a steak and never fresh eggs. The processed kind of course, but actual eggs? Real eggs? Maja nodded excitedly. "That sounds wonderful."

When she saw them she had a further question as the look puzzled her.. "Do you eat the shell?"

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Not unless you want to cut up your throat... come here." She waved off a droid that was trying to help and showed Maja how to crack the egg, a quick jab at the shell with the pan she split the egg and then threw the shell in a bowl on the side. Continuing this process a few times before smiling and looking at her. "Your turn, lets see how you do after that quick lesson."

 

[Darth Zilti]

People who reached their mid-teens and didn’t know how to crack an egg were either incredibly pampered or incredibly poor. Maja fell into the latter category. All of her food had either come from a tube, packet or latterly a refuse chute.

Alexandra demonstrated but it all looked rather complicated. She looked longingly at the droid that seemed to be doing a fine job all by itself.

Her first attempt ended up with a cracked shell in the pan and the egg outside. Her second attempt had all of the components in the pan. The third attempt was a success and Maja beamed with pleasure at what she felt was a great achievement.

“And how do you know when they're ready to eat?” All thoughts of sleep seemed to be temporarily forgotten.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

Alex smiled and poked at the eggs in teh pan, moving them about a bit before letting them sit. "Once the eggs are solid enough you can start flipping it to the other side, or just mash it up into a scrambled mess though i prefer it as one solid mass. Either way, once its solid enough, get both sides to the point of starting to collect what looks like browning to the egg, then it is ready." At least that was ready to her, she liked things a small bit more done than others.

 

[Darth Zilti]

One minute they were talking about the intricacies of mastering the Force and the next Maja was struggling to cook eggs. Despite her belief she was wordly wise, it was clear Maja was still so naive about many things.

But that mattered little to the girl as she shared domestic chores with someone she'd only just met but was closer to that's any living being she'd ever known. There was not so much of an age difference but Alexandra had already become a mother figure to Maja. The mother she never had - the mother she never knew. That she was going to teach her all about the Force was almost irrelevant - Maja would have stayed here forever even if she could learn nothing.

Maja couldn't say this place felt like home, as she'd never had one and had no reference point - but she could say, hand on heart, that she'd never felt happier, more contented or more wanted.

As she laughed and made something of a mess in the kitchen, she realised she didn't want this day to end. In part in case it was just a dream and in part because tomorrow could never be as good. Today was the best day in her life.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

Alexandra smiled a bit wider watching the girl trying to cook them and making a mess at the same time, her eyes though a bit brighter at the joy she saw Maja taking in the task. She really had no other experience to compare this too, this was past simple training that she had given a thousand times before now, past simple sights of how things like this were great. Finally though she spoke, the joke obvious and light as her voice matched the tone. "Well, it seems that i am going to have to spend the next few days cleaning up this mess, oh well, gives me something to do."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja revelled in the shared joke. Someone was laughing with her, not at her. There was no sarcasm or undertone of aggression – it was as if they were equals. Maja had never had one before. In her world, you fought for what you wanted and always tried to be one rung above those who needed what you had and one rung below those that had what you desired.

But here was different. Needs and wants were removed. At least for now. Maja ‘had’ more than she’d ever dreamed of and it would take a while for that desire for ‘extra’ to kick in. That’s not to say she hadn’t dreamed big – but they were really unattainable desires. Her ‘real’ hopes had extended to a place that was warm; food when she needed it; and no requirement to look over her shoulder every five minutes.

But happiness can’t take the place of sleep and as the adrenaline of the situation wore off, her eyes became heavier and the yawns became more frequent. ”I’m not really tired,” she tried to argue as her jaws threatened to unhinge like some massive snake, ”I’m just relaxing.”

“Alexandra.” Her voice was suddenly serious as she fixed the woman with a stare, ”This is real, isn’t it?”

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

Alexandra's eyes drifted from the food to the yawning, obviously getting tired but she would let Maja argue with herself and think she could last much longer. First smiling and nodding to show she didn't even thinking about suggesting that Maja was getting tired, but then she froze when the question came. "No Maja, everything here is real and there is no illusion in what i have shown you. If you want to see an illusion though..." She smiled and closed her own eyes, a small white bird materializing on Maja's shoulder.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja squealed in delight. The streetwise urchin of questionable ethics had been swapped for a child - one that revelled in laughter and games and found the simplest things the most appealing.

"Make it the colour of my hair. Oh, to on, pleeeeease..." Maja clapped her hands with excitement at the prospect of the trick, as she craned her head to look at the bird. "And can I have one on the other shoulder and one on my hand?" She stretched out her palm in anticipation - the most potent power in the galaxy (after love) reduced to being used for parlour games. "Alexandra. I wish you have been my mother." The relatively short age gap between them was lost on Maja, she just saw someone that looked out for her the way she'd imagined a mother would. The mother she never had.

[member="Alexandra Lianne Feanor"]

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

[member="Maja Vern"]

That left her utterly shocked. She had to replay the words twice over, eyes staring at her for a few more seconds afterwards. Her eyes looked at the wall for a moment and then finally smiled as she spoke. "Thank you for saying such Maja, though i must say that i am very interested in why you have said such..." She was rambling more than she was actually sure about what she said, trying to come up with something better to say.