Common Advice

[Kay-Larr]

Kay got up from her desk and walked over to the side table. She prepared the Sapir leaves, crumbling them into the cup before pouring the hot water into them. She gave them a little stir and then carried the cup over to Elsa while she listened to her story.

"He sounds like...great Father material. Are all Fathers like that?" She walked back to her desk and sat down. Having a Father-figure wasn't something that Kay was used to. She hadn't really had one. Her own Father [member="Tobias Larr"] wanted nothing to do with her for the sole reason that she was Force Sensitive. But she had friends to look out for her though. They never beat her. Only her abductor did.

"Where is Senator Dawnset now? Did he retire? Or?"

[member="Harvey"]

 

[Harvey]

Elsa took the tea, a stray tear falling from her right eye. Harvey noticed the discomfort and stepped forward, speaking for the girl instead.

"Senator Dawnset retired several days after we escaped the planet. The scandal destroyed his political career. Unfortunately, the details of the event were manipulated somewhat. Most of the public knows of him beating his daughter, but it is commonly believed that it was a rogue AI that nearly took his life. This has not been very helpful to our cause."

"Droids are people too! They think, and feel, and even love. They don't deserve to be treated like slaves or tools. If only my father understood that..."

Harvey's hand gently brushed the remaining tears off of Elsa's face, a slightly sad look on his face.

"The ultimate crime, in his eyes, was her loving me. The fact that she saw me as more than a machine was unforgivable in his eyes."

"He said I loved Harv more than I loved him. I couldn't love him, that abusive, power-hungry..."

Elsa nearly dropped the cup of sapir tea, but her android companion caught it swiftly without spilling a single drop and set the glass down on Lady Kay's desk.

"Forgive the young woman. It is a sensitive subject."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly. Their cause? What Elsa said next clarified that statement. It seemed as though there was a growing number of 'organics' fighting for equality of androids. She remembered a time when the same message was being protested with regards to clones as well.

Kay looked to [member="Harvey"] after he caught the tea, and then to Elsa. Even with her Force signature minimalized, she could still feel empathy towards the young lady, and to Harvey himself.

"I'm sorry for getting you upset. It wasn't my intention. You're safe here, you both are. One of my closest friends is an android. Post traumatic stress has caused me to lose some of my memories of him and others, but we were close and went on many adventures together. As I told Harvey earlier, life takes many different forms. And you won't find such prejudices here if your secret is ever found out."

 

[Harvey]

"It's fine. Thank you."

"Prejudice is bred from ignorance. Believing that you are superior to someone or something simply because you created it is being uninformed, and if there's one thing that displeases me, it is lacking knowledge."

Harvey placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder and gave Lady Kay a cold, analytical look.

"When shall I start working?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay studied the two for a moment. No doubt [member="Harvey"] would risk everything for Elsa and vice versa. It seemed that maybe she'd have nothing to worry about from the pair.

She picked up her tea again and had a sip, nodding to Harvey's comments on ignorance. He was right, of course. She had come across it many times.

"You can start whenever you're ready. I'd assume that you two would have belongings to transport here? And we need to outfit a charging station for you in your chambers. Elsa, what is it that you'd like to do while Harvey's working? I mean..how do you spend your days?"

 

[Harvey]

"We have no belongings, although a place to store our spacecraft would be appreciated."

Elsa turned to Lady Kay, thinking for a second.

"Normally I read the news, or I write down my thoughts in my journal. Nothing really. I wouldn't mind helping Harv out with diplomatic stuff. That's what I was trained to do back home."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. "We have hangers for personal ships for you to use."

Her eyes then turned to Elsa. "I can imagine that being the daughter of a Senator, you had learned quite a bit growing up. If [member="Harvey"] doesn't mind, then you're more than welcome. I wouldn't want you to be isolated." She gave her a small smile. Kay knew perfectly well what it was like to be isolated.

 

[Harvey]

"I don't mind at all. Having me by her side would be comforting for the young woman, to say the least."

"I'm flattered, Harv."

Elsa gave Kay a small smile in return, now sipping on her tea nonchalantly.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked a little. She wondered if having Elsa around would be for [member="Harvey"] 's piece of mind as well.

She sipped her tea and then got to her feet, holding her cup in her hands. "Shall I show you two to your room and office?" Kay had no qualms about being a bit of a tour guide. She never thought that such a task was beneath her.

 

[Harvey]

"Please do. Lead the way."

Elsa got up, setting the now empty cup of tea down, and they stood side by side, ready for Kay to show them the premises.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was still working on her tea. The sips that she always took were small. Given that she was still dealing with post traumatic stress, she was limited to only four cups per day, so she had to make them last. Sometimes she snuck more, but not always.

She walked around her desk and led them out of her office, turning right down the hall. Four doors down on their left, she stopped and opened the door letting [member="Harvey"] and Elsa walk in first. "I hope that you like it."

The room was modest in size, with an office desk in the corner by the window, sofa, small table to complete the living space, as well as two adjacent rooms, one being the refresher and the other holding a queen-sized bed.

 

[Harvey]

Elsa looked around the room, taking in the setting. She turned to Lady Kay and smiled, nodding her head.

"I love it."

Harvey scanned the area, secretly trying to determine if there was any surveillance equipment or bugs anywhere inside the living area. There weren't, at least from what he could tell.

"This will do. Thank you for your gratuity. I look forward to working together."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay returned the smile to Elsa. "Glad to hear it."

She watched while [member="Harvey"] looked around the room, no doubt he was mapping it out. "I'm not sure where you'd like to put your charging station. It could be in the same room as the bed, so that it's hidden." There were no bugs or cameras in the room. Only Kay's had them, although she was unaware. The First Order has eyes everywhere, including on their allies.

There were however secret passageways that ran alongside the room. A vast network of tunnels and secret openings had been built into the Palace long ago in case of a seige.

"As do I. The rest of the staff are quite helpful, so finding your way to the kitchens shouldn't be too difficult." Kay stood there for a moment, not quite sure if she should dismiss herself or not. More than likely she should. "I'll leave you two to settle in. Have a good night." She bowed her head and then headed back to her office, sipping her tea as she did so.

 

[Harvey]

"You have a wonderful night, Lady Kay."

"Sweet dreams!"

Harvey looked over the bedroom. Yes, this would most likely be the best place to have a charging station set up. Hidden from immediate view. The android made sure to remember to also remind Kay that he would need a synthskin producer as well in case his exterior took any damage. Harvey didn't exactly want to be walking around with his durasteel exoskeleton out. The droid turned and looked at Elsa.

"Is everything all right?"

The young woman breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged Harvey.

"It's perfect, Harv. It's a place we can call home. I love it."

Harvey gently wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture.

"Home is where the heart is, Elsa."

[member="Lady Kay"]