Do You See Me? (Anija)

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy blankly stared out onto the streets. Her eyes flicking back and forth as she scanned the area from the shadows of the alleyway. Few thoughts entered her mind, still looking, watching.... She needed an easy mark. Someone who wasn't paying any attention.

A part of her wondered if a soul saw her as they passed her by. Am I invisible? A part of her was nearly certain she was at this point. After all she was nothing more than a street rat. Her clothes tattered, torn and badly stained with dirt, a little blood from scrapes here and there. Izzy's hair was at least somewhat looking okay pulled back into a low ponytail.

The poor dear was looking to be little more than skin and bones these days. The child couldn't recall the last time she'd actually eaten as her eyes drifted to a nearby vendor, selling fruits and other goodies. With a loud rumbling growl of her stomach, the girl sighed sadly. It was time to pick someone. Izzy not only wanted food, some kind of meal but needed it. Slowly she stepped forward, seeing one woman. This was her mark.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

It wasn't all that often that Anija visited Concordia these days. With the ongoing war with Primeval, she found she had little time for the more... mundane things. Though, she certainly enjoyed them when she could find the time. And so, she had come to visit. More for some time to be alone and think than anything. Being a Field Marshal was a wonderful use of her skills, but it was starting to wear on her.

So, she'd taken a few days away after the events on Taris. Seeing that would really put things in perspective for anyone... she mused silently as she browsed the fruits that the vendor was selling. As she continued to browse, Anija felt a prickle along the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. her eyes narrowed, and Anija began to carefully scan the crowd via her HUD as she watched body language. This she could do without having to turn around, thankfully.

After a few moments, Anija found her. Her... She frowned slightly. The girl looked to be no older than nine or ten... and reminded her a bit of Mirshko, to tell the truth. And, now that Anija was paying more attention [she mentally kicked herself], she noticed that the girl had an affinity for the Force. How much of one, she didn't know, really, but it radiated off of her, like a bad power coupling.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy frowned slightly. This was one thing about this planet that she did not like. There was always so many in armor. It honestly confused her, made it harder to read people. Harder to know if she could steal without being noticed. After all, pickpocketing had become her only means of survival now.

Another sigh, as she tried to get the nerves to move forward. It was that first step from the shadows that was always the hardest. Her hands shook slightly, anxiety setting in. The girl needed to take. Her dark brown eyes darted to the vendor. Perhaps stealing a piece of fruit would be easier she wondered. I hate this. You have to do this. Her or the vendor. Make up your mind and move.

Finally the young girl stepped into the light. Truth be told, she hadn't decided if she would attempt to take something from the woman or the vendor. The vendor felt like the easy target now. The food was right there, and boom she'd have a meal. Taking from the woman, harder and she wasn't sure what she could grab yet. Crime of opportunity. A few more steps, crossing the street as her eyes moved constantly, checking all around her for anyone watching. Though there was an odd feeling that someone was. Still she shrugged it off and kept moving.

More steps boldly taken as she neared the opposite end of the vendor's stall. Her eyes now locked with the fruit, only occasionally looking to the vendor. For a moment, she just waited. The finally he turned his head away from her, and Izzy moved quick as she could grabbing a couple of pieces of fruit before she turned and raced off as fast as her tiny bare feet could carry her. The food desperately needed. She had to get away with it! Just had to!

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

Anija was still watching her, trusting ANNE to track her as Anija kept her head down under the guise of browsing. Though, she knew full well what the girl was up to. After all... it was very similar to what Anija had been doing to survive on Corellia. At least here, Mandalorians understood about homelessness. Many of them had been adopted in and raised in the culture. As Anija herself had.

Thinking a moment, Anija sighed. Turning to the vendor as ANNE tracked the girl's movement, Anija paid for what the girl had taken, as well as a small basket of fruit of her own. Which she fully intended to share with the girl when she found her. And hopefully it wouldn't take too long to do so. ANNE's discreet scan made Anija's lips form into a thin line. The girl was thin. Too much so, and she could tell she was malnourished.

A frown crossed her face then, and she slowed her pace as she drew closer to the girl's location. She really didn't want to spook her. Sighing softly, she took out a piece of fruit, and carefully wrapped it in a piece of tissue. When she had done this, she set it on the ground, and carefully rolled it towards the girl, keeping herself hidden.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy kept running for a little while, until she was certain no one had followed her. Little did she know, one had. Coming into a dim alley, the young brunette settled down beside a trash can with her prize. Crossing her legs beneath her, she laid the two pieces of fruit into her lap. With tiny nimble fingers she started to peel the first orange like fruit with a soft smile on her face. She couldn't have been more happy to have food in her hands as her belly angrily growled at her.

It was then she saw the tissue wrapped fruit roll towards her. Cocking her head to the side, Izzy just curiously looked at it for a moment. Once she was certain it wasn't something that could hurt her, she reached out and picked it up, careful to unwrap it. A bright smile spread across her lips at the most unexpected surprise.

Then, she quickly looked up and about the alleyway, trying to find where this little gift had come from. Someone had to be there, she just knew it. "Who's there?" She asked, as she clung to her fruit. The question was friend or foe. Though, in Izzy's eyes they couldn't be all that bad if they had been the one to roll her the fruit. Quickly she took a slice of the fruit she'd peeled and munched it while she still kept her eyes open, looking for the source.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

At the girl's question, Anija sighed. She'd been like that once. And that realization left an ache in her chest. It had been.... months now since she'd seen or spoken to Ordo or even Rianna. She knew they both wanted their space. And she wasn't one to infringe on that. But, at the same time, she felt a small void. Shaking her head at her own thoughts, Anija took a step closer to the corner and stopped. She could hear and feel the fear in the girl's voice. A feeling she knew all too well from her own past.

Pausing for a moment to consider the situation, she slowly reached up and disengaged her helmet's environmental seal, lifting it off. She took a moment to turn it and stare into the visor as she tried to collect her thoughts. Part of her wanted to test the girl's reaction by doing the same thing with her helmet that she'd done with the fruit... roll it towards her across the ground. And she did just that.

Carefully setting her helmet on the ground, she gave it a nudge with the Force, and rolled it carefully across the ground between them, bringing it to a stop at the girl's feet just as she stepped around the corner. She hoped that such a gesture would be well received. Taking a slow breath, she whispered a few commands to ANNE, making sure to deactivate several of her perpetually active combat systems. Once this was done, she took a step or two more and stopped, squatting down to more of the girl's level - and waited.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy still searched the alley as she nibbled at her fruit. Half starved, she'd long ago learned the hard way not to eat too quickly. It was about the moment that she reached for another piece of fruit that the helmet rolled down the alleyway. Oddly enough, curiosity seemed to override her fears in that moment as the young girl reached over and picked it up, just looking at it for a moment. A careful finger traced over the metal for a moment, before she heard the footsteps.

Her attention quickly drawn away from what was in her lap to the stranger. Fear rose rapidly within her. Izzy glanced around the alley, checking for an escape route, and considering her odds.But a thought did cross her mind, She could have grabbed me by now.... and she gave me food. She can't be all that bad. That simple thought kept her where she was.

Despite everything in her that said run Izzy stayed, curious about this woman. "Was you that gave me the fruit, yes?" She asked nervously, as she at last focused on Anija. A part of her did wonder of the woman's intentions, but so far what she had seen truly they couldn't be all bad. And even with the fears she felt, it had been a long time since she had actually spoken with an adult. Most never seemed to see her, or just pretended she didn't exist. This one was certainly different in that.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

"Yeah, that was me..." Anija replied softly, regarding the girl from where she knelt a few paces away. For now, Anija stayed where she was. She didn't want to spook the girl and cause her to bolt. And as many of her vode would tell her, 'When trying to gain the trust of a child... take off your buy'ce. Show your face, and bring yourself to their level.' It was a lesson well-learned on her part. And, it was what Ordo had done with her... so long ago. It felt like a different lifetime.

She regarded the girl for a long moment as she watched her carefully eat the fruit, asking her question after a mouthful. there was so much in that one question. Anija could feel it. It made her chest ache. She'd been in the exact same position once. Stealing to survive. It was strange that the Force seemed to have brought her full-circle. "Are you... still hungry..?" Anija asked after a moment, producing another piece of fruit from her satchel and passing it towards the girl. She thought a moment. "Is it ok if I sit here with you...?" she asked softly as she hefted a fruit of her own in her palm, and sat down cross-legged across from Izzy. It was a bit difficult to do in beskar'gam, but Anija didn't care.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy gave a quick nod, acknowledging the woman. The girl bowed her head for a moment, her eyes dropping to the ground, "T-t-thanks." She stuttered nervously. The little one had finished the first fruit she had, and carefully balancing everything in her lap she set aside the remains, the peel and seeds onto the ground beside her.

She she brought me fruit. She cannot be all bad. Must be at least some good. And ... and she's taking time. Not chasing me, not cornering me. Izzy thought silently to herself as she looked the woman over slowly, taking in every detail that her curious little mind could.

At the next question, Izzy nodded quickly. "Very, very hun-gry." Her nerves still seemed to rise to the surface, showing in her words with a shaky, trembling voice. She inched forward quite timidly, and quickly took the fruit before retreating back to her exact spot. "Don't 'member when I ate last. Been long time." Such sorrow held in her tone for just a brief moment before her eyes were once more focused back on the food.

And then the last question, one that made Izzy a little uneasy. For a moment she glanced from the fruit in her hand, to the woman and back to the fruit. Finally the girl nodded, "Yes. Gave me food, and kind. Yes, sit." She said softly, with the first hints of a smile. With that said the girl started to peel the piece of fruit that Anija had given her.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

Anija frowned. Feth, the girl reminded Anija so much of herself at that age. It made her chest ache again in sympathy. She was silent for several long minutes as she slowly ate her own piece of fruit, savoring the rush of flavor in each bite. She contented herself with eating for the moment, and took the time to quietly observe Izzy and try to get a sense of her in the Force.

Sure, she had a child of her own... but Anija was still hesitant to put herself out like that. The girl seemed harmless enough, and if the sense that Anija was getting from her was any indication, she was at least honest. Only her circumstances had made her otherwise. Thinking for a moment, Anija finally spoke again. "My name's Anija.....what's yours?"

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy quietly savored the piece of fruit that Anija had been so kind as to give her. Her curiosity was getting the best of her as her eyes would wander over to the Mandalorian and shyly look her over before quickly looking away.

With the exception of the stealing, Izzy for the most part was a good kid. She'd just not grown up in the most stable of life, with her parents constantly in and out of her life for work or what not. Then just one day gone. It wasn't a thought the girl liked to think about, as she pressed it to the back of her mind.

When the woman spoke again, the girl lifted her head and glanced up to her. "I'm ... Izzy, well Elizabeth but no one calls me that, just Izzy." She said softly. Finally with the fruit finished and the young girl at last feeling satisfied she turned her attention onto Anija. Picking up the helmet that the woman had rolled to her, she carefully picked it back up. Izzy looked it over one last time before she reached out and offered it to Anija. "Yours?" She asked as she handed it over. Granted, she was nearly 100% certain that she knew the answer to that question, she asked anyway.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

Her curiosity was palpable. And Anija caught the furtive glances Izzy kept sending her way. Smiling slightly to herself, Anija finished her own piece of fruit. It was nice to sit still and not have to worry about much of anything adult-like for a time. She didn't get that chance often. She frowned slightly as she sensed a faint spike of distress from Izzy, but for now, she didn't press the issue. "My name's Anija..." she said softly,reaching out to carefully take the helmet back. "Yeah, it's mine.." she replied with e nod. "As you might have guessed... I'm a Mandalorian. Grew up that way.. though I spent my first few years in much the same way you probably have.."

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy shifted, feeling a little more relaxed as she crossed her legs beneath her and turned to face Anija completely. The tension seemed to be melting from her shoulders. The first tendrils of trust were starting to form. "Anija." The girl said, repeating the name in an attempt to remember it better.

Nodding her smile grew just a tiny bit, "Thought so. See lots around here." Though she wrung nervously at her hands, "Just .... well, no one sees me." The girl gave a shrug as her eyes dropped to the ground. For months she'd been invisible. "Others scare me." Izzy finally admitted.

Her mind quickly grasped on to the next words of Anija's, "You did? You were like me? On streets?" She asked, a part of her liking the idea that maybe she wasn't entirely alone. That maybe the two of them held something in common. "It only been a year for me." She said quietly, remembering the painful morning that brought her to the need to live on the streets, that morning she woke to her parents both gone without a trace. "Been hard." The girl sniffled quietly as tears threatened to fall. Izzy was quick to wipe away any trace at all, and once more pushed those thoughts away.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

As Izzy repeated her name a couple times, Anija nodded encouragingly. She knew exactly what the girl was feeling - she'd felt very much the same when Ordo had found her all those years ago. She sighed softly at the memory, and closed her eyes for a moment. "Yeah... Concordia is one of our colony worlds, so you'll see a lot of them..." she said quietly, taking a moment to look back towards the streets behind them.

At the girl's next statement, Anija felt her heart leap into her throat. She hesitated a moment before reaching out to grip Izzy's hand. "They did for me as well, when I was on the streets. Not an easy thing, trying to survive like this.." She nodded at Izzy's questions. "I don't remember how long it was for me a couple years at least." she looked away briefly, thinking about all that had happened within her own little family, and she sighed heavily. Force only knew where Rianna and Ordo had gone. They'd left no word, simply vanished, She at least knew they were alive, but it was a small comfort.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

"Ah," The girl nodded, it made sense after all. "Not sure how I got here." She said with a shrug, "Snuck on a ship but couldn't sneak back on after I got here. So, stayed." Not that she had an option in that, and she'd been incredibly lucky that no one had found the little stowaway. And that had been the plan for her to keep moving on but Izzy hadn't expected security to be tighter than it was on other worlds. Or at least it seemed that way to the young girl.

For a moment Izzy had wanted to pull away but stopped, squeezing Anija's hand tightly in return. Simple positive human contact, something she couldn't recall the last time she had. "It's not. Hate it." Izzy whispered, as tears threatened to fall. "Wish I could go back to before. Miss my mom and dad, but they gone. Been gone for a while now." Reaching up, she wiped away the first trace of a tear to fall, doing her best not to let another fall.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

A small smile touched Anija's lips and she gripped Izzy's hand more firmly for a few moments in reassurance as she breathed and lightly pushed calming feelings into the Force. From what she could tell, the girl had the ability, but little to no training. it reminded her very much of herself... and Mirshko at that age. Maybe Mirshko and Izzy would get along well.... They were about the same age. The thought made her smile again.

She turned her attention back to Izzy, gripping the girl's hand gently as she related how she had gotten here. That explains the feeling of being trapped... Anija mused to herself. "Concordia is a Mandalorian world. It's why there are so many of us.." she said softly. Taking a slow breath, she continued. "Sometimes, I wish I could go back to how it was before, too.." she whispered. "But, I wouldn't change what I have now for anything.."

"The Mandalorians, as most people know them... are a culture of warriors. We are raised to fight.... to hunt, but most importantly.. to defend ourselves... and our family." She paused. "Family. Not something many outsiders know about us. The Mandalorian people..... are big supporters of family. In the centuries that the culture has existed, a huge emphasis has been placed on this alone. Why, because it is through diversity... and our strength as a people that we have remained as we are."

She looked up at Izzy from studying their gripped hands. "Some people are born into the culture. Others.... are adopted in. I was..." she said quietly. "It... is common for Mandalorians to adopt orphans.... commonly from war or other campaigns which the Mandalorians have participated in. I... know how it feels to lose the only family you know... to be lost, and trying to survive." She paused here, and studied Izzy's face intently.

When she spoke again, it was hesitant, but firm. "Izzy..... how would you like... a new family...? This isn't an attempt to make your forget your mom and dad... but to help you find your way."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy kept her grip on Anija's hand, rather tightly, without showing the slightest sign of wanting to let go. As the woman spoke, the small girl listened with keen interest, but said nothing at first. Instead, still listening, she opted to scoot closer. Another moment or two passed, of shy hesitation before she finally moved again to lean against the woman. After so much time on her own, on a strange world, she just wanted simple comfort that only a parent could provide.

While she had heard everything, it was a long while before Izzy actually replied. It just seemed to take that long for what Anija had said to actually sink in. Her brow knitted together, eyes on the ground as she bit nervously at her lip. Izzy honestly, at first wasn't sure of her answer. So, she chose silence as she worked through her own thoughts.

Truth be told Izzy was exhausted, worn, lonely and felt entirely trapped on this world. She needed a way out. No one yet, had offered her that, until today. No one needed to tell her twice that this was a chance to get out of the life she had been leading. It was no life at all for a child like her. It was a chance to do something other than just survive, to maybe find purpose again. And maybe just maybe she could be a kid again without shouldering the burden she had for so long, alone.

There was a single question she had for Anija, "Are you sure?" Izzy sighed as she shifted the fruit she'd been holding off her lap, and drew her knees against her chest, before resting her head upon her knees. Though she still managed to keep her tiny frame against Anija. "Cause I'd like that. Don't want to be alone anymore. I want family again. Mine's gone. I know that. Want family back, again." Her thoughts drifted back to the family she once had and sighed. "Don't want to be alone." Not like she was now, where not a single soul had seen her, until today.

[member="Anija Ordo"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

Surprise flooded Anija as she saw Izzy move closer and after a few seconds lean against her shoulder. She waited patiently as the girl thought it over. After a few moments of hesitation, Anija wrapped her arm lightly around the girl's shoulder, offering silent support. She reminded Anija strongly of Mirshko. "I'm sure..." she replied softly. "I've been where you are, and I want to offer you a way out."

 

[Izzy Aureth]

There was something oddly comforting being so close to Anija. It had been far too long since she'd allowed herself to be this close to another, when she wasn't relieving them of their personal property and or credits.

Tiny hands reached up slowly, clinging to Anija's hand, and arm. Izzy finally nodded, "Okay, then yes." A smile, a true one actually spread across her lips and something like relief washed through the small girl. She'd been far too aware of her plight and the horrors that came with it. Closing that chapter of her life, was a breath of fresh air, and a new chance at a different life.

[member="Anija Betna"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

For a long moment, they sat there on the permacrete, Anija cradling her helmet in her lap. The arm around Izzy's sjhoulders tightened for a moment and then relaxed - a gesture of comfort and reassurance. Sure, she had a daughter of her own. But she never for once thought she'd be adopting someone as Ordo had done for her. She squeezed Izzy's shoulder again and then shifted her hand to lightly rub at the girl's back. "I'm so glad to hear you say that.." she whispered in Izzy's ear. "I feel it's the least I can do... because I know what it's like." She paused for a moment, and then murmured a phrase in Mando'a before translating it for Izzy. "Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad.... I know your name as my child, Izzy..."