Private Coming Home

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"Alright, here we are," Valery said as they approached the door of her apartment, now in the early evening on Coruscant. Unlike the Temple they had visited earlier, the large flat she lived in wasn't all that special or fancy. The amount of space they had was limited, there were no grand statues and long hallways with beautiful fountains and ancient decorations — her home was more like what someone would expect from a traditional Jedi. Simple but with everything they'd need available to them.

With a tap of a button, she then triggered the door to open and turned to BB, "Vera might be home alread-" She couldn't finish her sentence, as the hiss of the opening door was overshadowed by footsteps rushing over, and the sound the little Noble made when she realized her mother was home. "Mommy!" she exclaimed excitedly before the five-year-old wrapped herself around Valery's leg with a big hug. Valery chuckled and crouched down to hug her daughter tightly in return, "Hey, little star, had a good day?" she asked with nothing but motherly love in her voice.

"Mhmm! Training was fun!" she said but when she pulled back, Vera finally noticed that her mother wasn't alone.

Her multi-colored eyes turned to BB-160, and the already excited grin somehow widened even more. She let go of her mother and dashed over to put her little hands on BB's spherical head, "Ahhh, he's so cute!" she said, now bouncing on her feet a little.

"Vera... be careful, please," Valery said with an amused smirk. "This is BB-610, or I call him Bee for short. He's going to be staying with us."

"Really?!" Vera asked, and turned to BB for confirmation.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Valery's Apartment, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

BB-610 rolled by her feet, trailing close behind through the streets of Coruscant, illuminated by a gorgeous blanket of orange light from the setting sun, glistening beautifully off of the droid's plating. There were no snarky remarks or playful jabs thrown at the apartment, as he studied its exterior with as much awestruck wonder as he had the Temple. When one had been without a home all their life, they weren't quick to begin criticizing the first one they'd been given, and BB-610 knew wholeheartedly not to look a gift horse in the mouth as he gave a quiet coo of amazement before the duo entered.

With the low hum of his motors as the astromech trailed forth, he's barely given a chance to digest the apartment's inside as the pitter-patter of dainty footsteps grab his attention, followed by overjoyed squealing as the Jedi's daughter comes bounding over with nothing but unconditional love and emotion, tight against Valery's leg. The loud noise was somewhat startling, but BB-610 sticks his ground, head tilted as his central optic began an idle scan. He's pulled out of it, to his shock, as Vera opts to dart over, which instinctively scares the droid, a surprised batch of clicks meeting the air as he rolls behind Valery's feet for protection, peeking out over them just as he had done when she saved him on Adarlon.

The BB-unit very quickly regains his composure, however, as he inches closer to the child and cautiously allows her to pet him. Unsurprisingly, Vera hadn't hurt him, and the droid felt a tad silly for his skittish behaviour in hindsight; she was energetic, just as her mother had informed him, and while that would take some getting used to, BB-610 can't ignore the contagious sense of joy sweeping over the room. His servos warm up, akin to a blush, whirring softly with a purr-like rumble from such an overwhelming amount of positive energy aimed his way. BB-610 was still very much a stranger when it came to receiving affection, so to have so much of it feels... really, really good.

He knows he isn't the most aesthetically pleasing the droid. Other BB-units, notably many belonging to the Resistance, were far 'cuter' than he was; BB-610's central optic is rather small, as opposed to the much larger ones of his counterpart's, and the glossy darkness of his shell may be opposing to some. But Vera - and Valery - hadn't seen him like that. He wasn't quite sure why, but he was in no rush to question it.

The astromech sets his gaze back onto the girl, and his initial scan is swiftly completed. A glance between mother and daughter, along with a brief facial recognition comparison, and BB-610 could certainly tell that the two were related. Even with such one of a kind eyes, Vera held the same warmth that Valery's did. Slowly, the droid nods, perking up and answering her question with another chirpy 'yup!'. If the two of them wanted him to stay, then he won't object in the slightest. They were family now.

Deciding to try and make a first good impression, BB-610 begins to circle around the young girl, almost as though he's inviting her to start playing, before tilting his head up and activating his holoprojector. A wide beam of light meets the room, and a handful of holographic blue-winged butterflies appear, beautiful as they flutter around Vera ever so gracefully, swirling elegantly and tracing her body, some even landing on top of her head. As the projected insects continue to fly, BB-610 makes them all disappear with a swarm of gorgeous blue particles, surrounding the girl as though she were standing atop the clouds.

Rolling closer to her, a slot on one of the droid's tool-bay disks open, the nozzle to his internal fire extinguisher present. His smoke dispensers churn and condense some into some froth, which BB-610 harmlessly squirts out to cover Vera's nose as though it were whipped cream. Retracting it, the droid begins giggling playfully, rolling across the room as he tweets and chirps for Vera to come chase him if she can.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

Valery stood completely still while she watched the interaction between Bee and Vera continue all around her legs. It was probably the most adorable thing she had seen alongside watching baby Vera sleeping, and Vera was loving every second of it. From the sounds, Bee made when she patted him, to the excitement in his tone when he confirmed that he'd be staying with them. Vera had sleepovers before, but now she had a friend who was always going to be there with her.

For a girl who felt rather lonely sometimes, it was the most amazing thing that could have happened around Life Day.

Bee then decided to start playing and projected beautiful butterflies into the room. Valery watched it happen quietly, and Vera just grinned from ear to ear, while she bounced up and down and stretched out her arms, so the little butterflies could land on it as well. "Look, mommy!" she called out excitedly, as one of them sat on top of her head.

"I can see it, sweetie. It's very pretty." She chuckled and nodded at Bee to show gratitude for entertaining her daughter. Vera had been struggling a lot as well after Aldric and Valery decided to spend time apart, so a moment of distraction and fun like this was exactly what she needed.

But even though she was already loving Bee, the little BB droid had an idea that really showed how much Vera was like her mother. The second her little nose was covered, the orange part of her eyes ignited, and she began to grin, laugh and run after Bee through the entire apartment.

"Beeee!" she called out, as she tried to tackle and hug him.

"Careful, you two!" Valery called out, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing either and walked into the living room. On the couch, she found Vera's favorite plushie — a teddy bear. She picked it up and looked at it with a bright smile, knowing it had once been a life day gift she had picked together with her late husband.

Vera still loved it and was definitely going to introduce Bee to him.

"Come here!" Vera finally called out, as she jumped to try and snatch him.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Valery's Apartment, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

Perhaps it had been a little reckless for him to offer a chase indoors, but such an unprecedented whimsy was so scarce for the little droid that Vera's bundle of energy had simply heightened his mood into playful mindlessness. BB-610 sped across the floor, darting underneath tables and swiftly repositioning when Vera threatened to crawl and catch him, hoisting himself up on the couch and harmlessly bapping the girl with any nearby pillows or cushions in an attempt to deter her, hopping off back onto the floor and circling the living room all while bweeping and chirping constantly throughout it all.

Carefully, BB-610 evades her grasp as best as he can, until finally, the astromech accidentally corners himself, peering his head around to glance at Vera. Try as he might, he attempts to speed past her, but he's too slow! Admitting defeat after a good few minutes of chase, BB-610 announces Vera's victory with some metallic trumpet-esque fanfare, two of the smaller compartments on either side of a tool-bay disk opening up for the droid to use up the last of his stored glitter as mock-confetti. It was nostalgic, in a way, to get to use them again; The Agents of Chaos loved their glitter, and it felt rather poetic to use his final reserves from his very first family on his newest one.

Amidst their celebration, BB-610 looks up at Valery, and soon notices the item in her hands. Head tilted to the side, the lens of his central optic narrows for him to get a better look at it. It's a portrayal of an animal of some kind, and ever the curious one, the astromech clicks and tweets, asking Valery what it was that she was holding.

His optic flickers briefly, and there's a lingering prompt in his visual processors letting him know that his fuel reserves are low, requiring the droid to power down sooner than later. BB-610's movements grow rather heavy, the droid equivalent of fatigue finally catching up to him. It had been five days since he'd entered sleep mode, and the excitement on Adarlon, as well as the impromptu dogfight and hours on Coruscant roaming the Temple and meeting Vera had gotten the astromech rather drowsy.

Refusing to power down just yet, BB-610 gently slumps his head onto Vera's shoulder, relaxing and snuggling up with her. While his systems are sluggish, there's nonetheless still plenty of processing power letting him purr, listening attentively to whatever needed to be said about the young girl's stuffed animal.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

While Bee had lost much of his energy after days of hard work and being chased by the little Noble, Vera seemed to have lost very little if any of her own. After catching her new friend, she was still excitedly bouncing on her feet, and the glitter explosion only made that worse. She felt like a princess because of it and she knew she had just made herself a friend for life. A friend who loved to play and mess around as much as she did.

"Mommy, looook!" she called out while BB rested up against her. Vera didn't mind that at all and made sure to hold him up and return the hug by wrapping an arm as far as she could around his spherical body. Earlier, Valery had wondered if BB was going to be sleeping and recharging in her room or in Vera's, but seeing them like this now, she knew the answer.

"This is-"

"Eddie!" Vera exclaimed before Valery even had a chance to introduce her plushie. "He's her teddy bear and one of her closest friends." Valery chuckled and crouched down to offer Vera the bear, which she happily took to show off to her new friend. "I have more plushies in my room too. You wanna see?" She asked and looked at her mother for approval. Valery nodded and gestured for another room nearby.

"I'm going to set up something for BB to sleep in. I... guess I'll put it in your room, Vera?"

"Mhm!" she hummed, "Pleaaaase." She looked at her mother with big pleading puppy eyes, and Valery just smiled and patted her on the head. "Of course, sweetie. I'll also get some food ready for us, and because there's no training tomorrow, you can stay up a little longer with Bee. He might be a little tired though, so be nice to him."

"Okay!" She turned to BB-610 and looked for an arm to take, but seeing none, she just pointed at her room, "This way!" she said before she moved off to show her room. It had a small bed, and simple furniture but lots of plushies, and the walls and floor were covered in drawings she made. Most of them were happy little drawings of her shenanigans and her family, but a few seemed to be using darker colors.

Vera had always used drawings to show what she could see in her visions, and not all of them were bright and happy.

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Valery's Apartment, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

A 'teddy bear'. BB-610 made quick note of it, optic glued to the item in question. He'd have to run some searches on the origins of such a thing, as his insatiable curiosity had been further piqued by knowledge of the stuff animal's name. It had its very own designation! And it was a rather close friend of Vera's, no less, meaning this 'teddy bear' had to hold some incredible importance to it. Questions would have to be asked at a later date, as the droid's energy worsened across the minutes, but he nonetheless sent a nod of acknowledgement Eddie's way, chirping out that his designation was 'BB-610', and that it was nice to meet him.

The astromech's head whirled round to face Vera, central optic focused on her as she mentioned more of the same creatures as Eddie. Nodding, BB-610 slowly rolled behind the young girl, following her into her room. There's a coo of amazement that comes from his voicebox when he took notice of the myriad of plushies, and Eddie seemed to have left a rather good impression on the droid, as he's shortly bweeping an introductory 'hello' to every single plushie in the room, as he himself wanted to ensure he's on good terms with all of Vera's other friends.

He was still in utter amazement at the notion of not powering down by his lonesome. The idea of a room, in general, astounded him, and the longer he spent roaming the rooms of Valery's apartment, the more he began to piece together why he felt as though he never quite fit in The Eternal Empire. The sound of paper crumbling beneath his spherical chassis earned his attention, and BB-610 immediately recoiled, rolling backwards and casting a look down at the floor to study the object he'd accidentally rolled over: a piece of paper, with an illustration of some kind. A drawing! This was art, something he'd discovered a few years ago. It fascinated him, prompting the astromech's utility arm to emerge and gingerly pull the drawing up for easier analysis.

Upon further inspection, BB-610 deduced that they were portrayals of Vera and Valery, among some others here and there. They seemed innocent enough. Glancing down at a spare sheet of paper nearby, the droid released the drawing in his mechanical hand and used it to instead grab the nearest coloring instrument, bringing it to paper as BB-610 began a drawing of his own. It consisted of nothing but blue scribbles, as he wasn't talented nor versed enough in the medium to pull off anything better, but BB-610's happy beeps and chirps prove that he's satisfied with it all the same.

Picking his masterpiece up, the astromech prepared to show Vera, only for him to catch sight of another few drawings; a firm juxtaposition to the brightly colored pleasantries of before, these carried a distinct energy to them that earned his attention, lowering his drawing in favor of picking up one of Vera's darker ones for questioning. Intrigued, BB-610 inched closer to the young girl, and as he extended his utility arm to present the drawing to her, he chirped in inquisitive binary, softly asking her what that particular drawing was supposed to be.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

After entering the room and introducing her plushies, Vera began to giggle when Bee properly introduced himself to them. He was just the cutest friend in the entire Galaxy to her already, and together with Eddie, she was never going to have to feel lonely again. Already, she was reminding herself to talk to mom about BB babysitting as well — it would just be amazing, and she surely trusted him enough for it if he was allowed to live here already!

Once introductions were made, Bee looked around and found himself rolling over one of her drawings.

Vera noticed this and smiled very proudly about that particular one. She had always been extremely loving and close to her mother, both because she was her mother, but also because Vera just didn't interact with a lot of other people. The problem she didn't yet understand about being Valery's daughter was that a lot of people targeted her to get to her mother — in the last few months alone, there were two separate assassination attempts that could have ended badly. So because of it, Valery always made sure someone she deeply trusted was watching Vera if it wasn't herself.

It meant that her freedom to move around and really just be a kid wasn't quite the same as it was for others. But it also kept her close to the woman who would always shower her with love and affection.

After having looked at some colorful drawings, Bee scribbled together something himself and presented it to Vera, who squealed excitedly and accepted the drawing, "This one is for the wall above my bed," she said with a big nod. The area around her bed was reserved only for the most important drawings, and all of them were older pieces that she had made when her father was still alive. She really missed Kahlil Noble and she was never going to forget him. Now, BB's drawing would be among them as well.

"Hmm?" she then asked when he referred to other drawings, and she perked up again. "I see things when I sleep or meditate, and I draw them," she tried to explain. "Mommy calls them visions and tells me that it's the Force talking to me. She and daddy helped me with them because some are really mean..."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Valery's Apartment, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

With a surprised glance between girl and drawing, BB-610 felt an even bigger bout of pride well at his chassis as Vera sought to hang up his messy scribbles. Rocking side to side ever so excitedly as it was placed among the others in the Hall of Fame, the droid paid close attention to the girl's words, central optic kept firmly fixed on her while she talked. He'd known that things weren't particularly perfect for Valery and her daughter as it stood, and it made him feel such a surreal cocktail of emotions. BB-610 felt selfish, as though his own troubles were invalidated because of his relative meaningless existence in comparison to a Master Jedi and her young one. He felt powerless, too - if Valery had found herself in a struggle, then there's surely not much the astromech could do to help her. She's of more worth than he'll ever be. What could tiny, little BB-610 do to make a difference?

Not much, he convinces himself. And it upsets him.

Visions... He'd known that the Force could communicate with organics, lightsiders and darksiders alike, and with how Vera described them, BB-610 was unsure of whether he lucked out or not. Being a droid, of course, provides him no frame of reference in regards to using the Force, and while their magical nature was most certainly intriguing and awfully helpful, he couldn't help but imagine that it came with a great deal of pressure and responsibility. At the mention of her late father, BB-610 lowers his head, sympathetic, as he gives a low coo of sadness.

"She and daddy helped me with them because some are really mean..."

He may not have the Force, but even he had experience with intrusive thoughts. So many times has his First Order programming isolated him from any attempted connection, keeping him two steps behind when he tries to move one step forward. BB-610 has felt alone and unwanted and scared so, so much. Much more than most other droids, he'd wager, and those feelings are - ironically - what brought him one step closer to feeling truly alive. Rolling closer to Vera to affectionately nudge her, BB-610 nods in understanding, and begins to speak.

One string of binary after the next, BB-610 explains to her that sometimes, he gets 'visions' that are really mean, too. The droid pauses, as if to muse on what to follow up with, choosing his words carefully, before continuing. Another series of clicks and bweeps, as he tells Vera that sometimes he feels haunted by what he feels, and that those thoughts are scary and make him feel alone. Confident, BB-610 continues with more droidspeak, assuring Vera that he no longer feels that way around her mother. There are times where their lives will drastically change, and that can be scary, but he promptly tells Vera that by trusting the people they love, those changes can ease into something good again.

Concluding his little talk, BB-610 nudges the flat top of his head against Vera's hand, silently asking for some headrubs or scritches. The droid may not be important in the grand scheme of the galaxy, he knows, but that doesn't mean he can't be important to the people that have made him feel like he belongs.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"You do?" Vera asked when Bee explained that he also saw mean visions. It didn't really occur to her that droids couldn't see Force visions but it didn't matter to her at all — if he was bothered by things he saw, she understood his pain better than most ever would. Vera dealt with visions almost every day, and even her mother wasn't always sure how to deal with them. But despite bringing up his own hardships, Bee went on to encourage and support her, and Vera appreciated that greatly.

He had softly nudged into her, and she was already wrapping her little arms around him for a hug. "Mommy always helps me and she loves you too, Bee," Vera said with a big nod, trying her best to also be a supporting friend. "I saw it," she then added with a big nod, likely referring to some kind of vision. Valery had once befriended a droid who always joined her on missions, and that connection was one of the few things that she was never able to replicate after her stasis.

Not until she met Bee.

The little BB droid then put his head against Vera's hand, and she began to softly pat him for a moment, "Bee? Do you want a plushie too?" She asked after a moment. Without realizing it, Valery had been watching from the doorway, but Vera just continued and reached for some of the plushies that were on her bed. "Mommy is making you a bed but it can be lonely. You can have one of mine," she said, and the one she picked was a tooka cat.

A very special plushie to her because she had won it in a game she played with Amani Serys .

"Hey, you two," Valery finally did say, her voice soft so it wouldn't startle them too much. "I have everything ready and it's getting late. Get ready for bed and I'll be with you soon." With that, she left them for now, and Vera looked at Bee again with a question on her mind she always asked those who entered her life.

"You will stay with us always, right Bee?"

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: Valery's Apartment, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

BB-610 was finding it increasingly difficult to not power down, not because Vera was boring him, no, quite the contrary; the droid was devoting every last ounce of processing power to keep himself awake, because he didn't dare let a single one of the young girl's words go unheard. There was such an unprecedented warmth to her voice, to Valery's, to the entire apartment, that BB-610 refused to miss any of it. He had never experienced such a blanket of comfort before in his entire existence, and a strange feeling wells at his servos: belonging. For the first time in his life, the astromech finally felt as though he belonged. Not with The Agents of Chaos, not with The Eternal Empire, or The Resistance, or The First Order. Not with Willow and Ivy, two girls he'd sacrificed himself to protect.

Not even with Bella, his first real friend.

To many, the idea of 'loving' a droid would be the start of a joke, and the prospect of the droid 'loving' them back would undoubtedly be the punchline. But to BB-610, there was no word he would use to better describe himself with. Ever since he had been given the opportunity to think and feel on his own, he'd always wanted love. Acceptance. Abuse after abuse, restraining bolts and memory wipes, abandonment after abandonment and betrayal right through the heart the galaxy didn't let him have, BB-610 would return only wanting to be loved. Even with the post-traumatic fear of humanity the droid had developed, he'd never once stopped.

Valery and Vera validated those feelings. He let his photoreceptors shut off as he leaned into the girl, if only to give him a smidge more power to keep him going. It almost felt strange to feel the gentle touch of someone, soft and loving without any hint of malice or assault. BB-610 had been lonely for far too long, and while the wounds of his trauma would take time to mend, he finally felt as though he'd started to heal.

Optic flickering back online, the astromech peered down at the stuffed animal. Slowly nodding, his utility arm sluggishly emerged, a ginger grasp on the tooka cat as he examined it. Deep in pensive thought, he pondered on what Bella was up to. If she was okay. How he missed her, and how he prayed The Galactic Alliance never cross paths with her, for the safety of all his friends, Jedi or otherwise.

Mustering up a faint bweep in thanks, BB-610 glanced to Valery, gave another nod, and then inched toward the spot beside Vera's bed. The plushie is placed onto the floor, slumped up against his chassis, and the droid shared one last look at the Jedi's daughter. Body stiffening as he prepared to power down, BB-610 managed a final string of binary in reply to her question.

' Always. '

And with that, BB-610's optic and photoreceptors lost their color, faded into a dull gray as his systems slowly whirr offline. The astromech began recharging, and this time, he was finally looking forward to waking back up.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

' Always. '

That really got Vera to smile brightly, so after he had gotten settled in the little 'bed' Valery had prepared for him, Vera shuffled over and wrapped her little arms around him one last time. She had lost her father, lost friends after moving several times, but she was never going to lose Bee, and that thought gave her a lot of comfort. Of course, there would be a day when the inevitable happened, but such a thing didn't exist in the mind of a five-year-old.

She just wanted to have her friend forever.

"Sleep well, Bee," Vera said before planting a gentle kiss against his head. Valery then stepped into the room, and Vera hurried into her bed to wait for her mother to sit down by her side. Gently and lovingly, Valery pulled the blankets over her little star and leaned in close to whisper something into her ear. Vera just smiled and turned her cheek up so Valery could give her a kiss before it was finally time to sleep.

"Good night, you two. Tomorrow will be a fun day," Valery said softly before she closed the door and retreated to her own room. The original plan for tomorrow had been just more training, but she figured a day off to go out with the three of them could be a lot more fun. It was just what the Noble family needed as well.