A Flower Among Duracrete

[Lief]

She kissed Tefie on the top of her head before they set off again down the street, not having to say anything more on the subject for it seemed as though her little speck of stardust understood what had been said. There was no more need to go on about the hardship she had endured this day, though she would always lend an ear should the child wish to speak more on it of course. Instead she wanted to focus on getting the child tended to in other ways.

Jyn could sense the girl's confusion at the mention of getting things, so she smiled down at her and merely said "You'll see." The idea of getting lunch was fantastic to even Jyn who had not eaten since leaving the shadowport a great many hours earlier. There was a cafe of sorts up ahead which Jyn led her into, and once they were directed to a booth she pushed the menu across the table to her.

"You can pick whatever you would like from the menu. Wait... Do you have any allergies?"

It occurred to her then that Atefeh may not have been able to read what was on the sheet, but she wasn't going to presume as much. To meet her half way she began to list off a few of the options, pointing to their place on the menu at the same time.

"Panna cakes, sandwiches, kodari rice and beans," Jyn made a mental note to get the latter for herself, "and then there's juices to drink too. Whatever you like, Stardust."

[member="Atefeh Lorr"]

 

[Atefeh Lorr]

The child giggled joyfully as Jyn placed a kiss on the crown of her head. It was heart-warming seeing how such a little gesture such as that one could bring her so much happiness and hopeful giddiness. With absolute trust in the young woman, Atefeh followed her wherever she led, remaining as close to her as she comfortably could. One might have thought that it was wrong of a child to trust so deeply in someone they had so recently met, and would have normally been right. Yet this was not an usual scenario. Jyn had done more for her and shown her more care in five minutes than any other ever had in her entire life. No one could blame the child for wanting to stick to the first true beacon of hope that illuminated her, and it just happened to be luck that this person was a young woman as good-hearted and caring as Jyn Lorr.

Once they reached the cafe, the feline-like eyes of the hybrid infant quickly scanned through the place, filled with curiosity. Some of the customers already there eyes her a little, certainly due to the tattered attire she was currently wearing. Atefeh was oblivious to this and in any case, none of them made any comments upon seeing the little creature accompanied by Jyn.

She took her seat at the booth, picking her place next to Jyn rather than across from her. When her mommy asked her about allergies, she seemed to search into her memory for a second before coming up with a reply, "Uh...I am allergic to bacta but I don't think that is food." She said. She had been taught to reply 'bacta' when asked about 'allergies' but in truth, no one had ever bothered to explain to her what bacta was and what kind of danger it represented for her.

Not aware of the actual seriousness of the information she had just provided -which the Old Lady had conveniently decided to withhold - she grabbed the menu between her small hands and started squinting at its contents. She could read, but very poorly and with much difficulty. Tefie had taught herself what she could about reading, not all the kids at the orphanage could say the same so it was already an achievement. "C-can I have this?" She asked, pointing her little finger at a dish that read 'Nerfburger with hubba chips'. It was evident that she had avoided saying it because she didnt really know how to read it correctly. She had chosen it simply because she managed to recognize some of its ingredients like bread, meat and hubba.

[member="Jyn Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

For a moment Jyn felt her anger spike.

Thankfully Tefie was too focused on the menu at the time to be holding onto Jyn's hand because it became extremely hot to the touch, and the thin veins of magma could be seen more easily through her skin. Allergic to bacta, and yet that had not once been mentioned? Oh, that old hag was lucky Jyn had more important things to concern herself with than throwing punches. Letting out a somewhat shuddered breath she forced herself to calm and instead smiled down at her daughter.

Her daughter. What an odd thing to say, all things considered. Jyn hadn't expected to be a mother, at least not so soon.

"No, sweet thing, Bacta is something which heals sickness and injury. Thank you for letting me know, though, that's an important thing to let doctors know so that they don't accidentally do more harm than good when mending you. Not that you need mending right now of course."

Jyn would book her in for a small medical once they got back to Aurum, she could count on Master Vo to be gentle with the child and not overwhelm her. Ensuring she was in good health was important, after all, it didn't seem as though the orphanage gave two damns about the kids health.

Her gaze drifted down to where Tefie pointed to and she smiled. "Nerfburger. With. Hubba. Chips." She pointed to each individual word as she said it aloud, so that her little Stardust would know what it was she was reading and hearing. "Of course you can, sweet thing, what about to drink?"

[member="Atefeh Lorr"]

 

[Atefeh Lorr]

She looked at her mommy with wide eyes as she explained what bacta was. Normally, the nature of the words would have scared her. She was not dumb and could tell deduce that being allergic to something that is supposed to heal didn't mean anything good. It was a great thing then that she found Jyn's voice so calming and reassuring. Tefie had never had good experiences with doctors, and the general thought of them was enough to unease her.

Soon her direction was redirected elsewhere, keeping her from exploring those negative thoughts further and allowing her mood to brighten up again. Her eyes darted back to the menu as Jyn said the words out loud for her, she followed the letters as Jyn produced the sounds. They became clearer in her mind, and she decided to give it a try. "Nerb- Nerfburges-" She stopped, took in a little breath, and tried again. "Nerfburgers. With Hubba Chips." She said, cutting the sentence into its hardest bit: nerfburgers, and saying the remaining words with much more ease.

Immediately, she looked up to Jyn to see if she had said it well, a little bit worried about letting her mommy down. She then focused on answering the second question, and returned her concentrated eyes to the menu. "Mommy, is spice liquor good?" The innocence in her voice was evident, but it didn't make the question any less shocking. "Oh! Oh! Fizzy-bip!" Phew.

[member="Jyn Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

She listened as the young girl did her best to mimic Jyn's pronunciation, proud of her for glancing to the menu and following along so that she could correctly identify the words in the future. Just how much formal education had Tefie had? Given the state of the orphanage she doubted very much at all, and that both angered and saddened her at once.

Knowledge was such a wonderful thing, it unlocked so many doors... Hopefully Jyn could impart what it was to love books, and the stories they held within, the new worlds to uncover in the pages, on the girl, though something told her it wouldn't be too difficult. There was a look in Tefie's eyes that spoke of intelligence and imagination both.

Excitement replaced the frustration, at the thought of being able to teach her. It would be more difficult given her age, a lot of the basics ought to have been covered already, but it was a challenge she was more than willing to sink her teeth into.

"Very good, Stardust," she said with an encouraging tone, moments before the girl began to look for a drink. When she asked about spice liquor Jyn thought she might have a heart attack, yet moments later she chose one which was actually suitable for her age and so this time she let the question of liquor slide. Another time such things could be explained.

When the waitress arrived Jyn relayed the both of their orders and their drinks were brought soon after.

"The food will take about 10 more minutes, is that okay?"

"Of course, thank you."

Jyn turned to Tefie, and pushed her drink toward her. "Help yourself, sweetheart... I hope you enjoy it."

[member="Atefeh Lorr"]