Private Emergence

[Rhia Kesyk]

For all the misery of the last few hours, hearing his account of what he'd been through with the Jedi really just left her in stitches. Tears even. She wasn't loud in her laughter but it was non-stop, perhaps just a way for her body to cathartically purge. Rhia even had to go so far as to sniffle when all was said and done, and wipe her tears away.

In the lull where he skewered some potatoes with his fork, she shook her head and replied.

"You think you got it rough, Pazaak boy... A crazed group of them raised me. Not just that, but they lied about so many things. I had to relearn a good chunk when someone good came along..." The humour vanished all at once at that thought, and she clenched her jaw for a moment. Despite all of her mixed feelings where he was concerned, Cotan had done wonders toward making her a normal child. Didn't make it hurt any less when he left, though. "Cult..." She shook her head. Yeah, definitely something akin to that, wasn't it?

Feeling a little more alive and able, she took up her first proper forkful of food and chewed on it while he asked his question. She mm'd a response, up until the point in time he spoke about Coren. Then she guffawed. "Coren, oh he'd love that," she said, only just noticing the similarity between the names. "Cotan, but yeah... That's the place. It's not too far out of the way is it?"

She hoped it wasn't, because frankly she wasn't too sure how she'd get there otherwise. Nor where else in the Galaxy she could possibly go.

That was a sobering thought. She went back to moving the food around on the plate rather than eating it, somber once more.

Marus Saretti​

 

[Marus Saretti]

Marus's head almost spun around with the sudden shifts in mood. Laughing and happy one moment, quiet and reserved the next, back to laughing, and then it was like no change had happened at all seconds later. He blinked in surprise, watching as she went right back to barely touching her food. "You, uh, have a history with that Cotan guy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. She was certainly too young to be any sort of ex of his, that much he knew for sure, but otherwise he couldn't exactly piece together what the relationship would have been.

Certainly didn't seem to be inspiring a lot of confidence on her part, though.

"Well, luckily for you, the route I took heading out of Maw territory wasn't one that would run me back to Kashyyyk quickest, because that would've meant crossing as much Maw space as possible. Right now we're cutting straight between Eternal Empire and Galactic Alliance, and from there I should be able to find a way to the RTR and get you down to the Kathol sector." Of course, he wasn't about to just admit that it was on the opposite side of the galaxy from where he'd started, and was going to take longer to get there than it would to go to Kashyyyk.

But he couldn't just leave her without any information.

"It will be about a..." He ran some quick mental math in his head, frowning.

"A couple weeks, if I had to guess? I think this thing has a class one drive. If not then, well, double that number. Boat's got the fuel for it, though." And it would be a nice diversion from the thought of having to return to Kashyyyk so soon, although if the last ten minutes had been anything to go by, she might not like the idea.

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

Apparently she was being something of a whirlwind if the bewildered expression on his face was any indication. She might have blushed if her cheeks weren't already red. But then he made the mistake of prying more on her relationship with Cotan, and she avoided his gaze for a solid minute as she glanced over the ship's galley instead.

"He, uh," She swallowed, feeling as though her throat was constricting, stabbed a piece of some sort of meat with her fork. "He's the one who helped me relearn what I'd been misinformed about" she explained, as gracefully as she could muster. There was no sense in letting her anger toward him rise to the surface, no sense in speaking any more about how he'd just left her behind with the Jedi when things got tough.

Marus was still a relative stranger, after all. He didn't need to see her baggage aired out.

She sat patiently as he tried to figure out the length of their trip going forward. Rhia wasn't sure how long she was expecting, but the time given was a staggering number. Had she ever traveled for that long before without pause? What was Ideon going to make of it? Damn kid was going to be crawling up the walls in just a few days time...

Rhia paled.

"Is there something that can act as a training room?" she inquired, trying to make the best of the situation. "I'm going to need to keep Ideon's energy in check some how..."

A couple of weeks... She paused, then finally looked his way again.

"Are you okay with that? With taking us to the Station, I mean? You don't have somewhere else you need to be?"

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

Marus sat in silence for a moment as he waited for Rhia to respond. He was just about to try and brush the subject off when she did, finally, and he didn't miss the thinking or talking about that Cotan fellow was making her lock back up. "That bad, huh?" he replied noncommittally with a raised eyebrow, before setting back into his dinner. It would definitely be a long trip, no way around that, but he didn't exactly mind. Rhia was good company. The kid, Ideon...hopefully he would be good company.

"Cargo hold, I guess? I don't think there are any options other than that. We'll pass a bunch of planets along the way as well, if we need to just put his feet on the ground and let him run himself tired or anything like that." Of course, for all his abiliy to notice Rhia's wording, changes in mood, and the like, he wasn't the most cognizant of his own. It was hard to be, sometimes, with such a cute girl so close by, especially when she was so momentarily vulnerable. Almost made him feel like actually living up to that whole Jedi ideal he'd been told about of being a protector and taking care of people.

Of course, getting liberal with the 'we,' arguing Rhia into taking care of herself, tucking Ideon in...he somewhat already was, and just didn't even realize it yet.

"Are you okay with that? With taking us to the Station, I mean? You don't have somewhere else you need to be?"

Beside you at nigh—

He caught himself before he could contine that thought any further, and shook his head. "Not at all. It's no big deal for me. Just, uh...that two weeks is just to Kal'shebbol. After that, going into the Kathol Outback, I...I really don't have any clue how long that will be."

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

Hey, he was more perceptive than she'd given him credit for. That or she was projecting a lot more than she realized. Either way she sort of shrugged. "Yes and no." Real conviction there, Rhia... Did she want to get into it? Not really. The noncommittal nature of his words at least sort of left it up to her, though. Maybe it was a topic which would be revisited again, during their all too long journey. For now she let it lie.

Marus suggested they use the cargo hold, and outside of it being the coldest part of the ship she couldn't think of any reason not to put it to good use. "Cargo hold... Yeah, that could work." Let the kid run around, practice with his daggers. He'd definitely need something to take his mind off all that had happened, and if he channeled it into his practice then that would only be a good thing, right..? Wasn't that what people did with balls of rage? Sent them to do something disciplined?

Yeah. Hopefully that would work. There was so much Vero had done that she didn't fully understand, things she'd wished she'd asked him about. In the wake of all this, she'd have to live on memory alone and fill in the gaps as best she could.

Then came the big revelation. Two weeks wasn't to the Station, it was to the Rift.

Rhia sort of stared for a moment, processing that information. A moment became more than a moment, until she realized she'd been staring for an uncomfortably long amount of time. She rubbed the back of her neck, swallowed down some of her doubt, and resigned herself to much longer in the ship than anticipated.

"Force... Let's hope Ideon can last that long."

Not to mention Rhia. And Marus. All it would take is for one of them to lose their mind and the rest would likely be screwed.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

"Well, with company like yours, what trouble will he have?"

He paused, thinking about the words that had just come out of his mouth. Sure, she'd just been staring strangely for a few moments in his direction, he wasn't the only one coming out being awkward, but...still. "And like I said, there'll be multiple planets along the way. He'll have opportunities to stretch his legs if he needs them, no doubt about that."

A nice save.

He scooped the last of his meal up, the final bite disappearing quickly as he chewed and swallowed to attempt to avoid any questioning over his initial phrasing. Once he swallowed, he rapidly shifted topics: "So, anything else you might need for tonight? Even if it's just another glass of water or anything like that, I'm happy to help."

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

What trouble would he have?

She pondered that for a moment. There was so much that Ideon required, so much patience that Vero had shown, so much guidance that she couldn't even pretend to have in her. But she knew that it would come with time. Each hour, each day, would be a learning experience for them both. Heck, no doubt for all three of them. She didn't have to rush, it didn't have to be perfect.

It just had to be.

He spoke of stretching their legs on planets along the way, an idea which felt oddly agreeable to her. She nodded her head, something of a renewed vigor entering her then. They could get through this. What other choice did they have?

"Thank you" she said, once he'd given his morale boosting speech. Then came his query, and she shook her head with a slither of amusement.

"I'll be fine. I do wish you'd reconsider the cockpit, though. Is there no way I can convince you to take the Captain's quarters?"

Rhia pushed away the remnants of her meal, having decided she was done with it long before that moment, and instead finished off the glass of water as she awaited his response.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

Well, there is, but I really don't think

"No, not tonight, I'm afraid." He drained his own glass, before scooping up both of their plates. "Now, Rhia, I must insist you get some rest. We've got a long trip ahead of us."

And with that, he stood and left to go do the dishes.

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

If she'd been of a better mind she might have fought further. Insisted, dragged him there and locked the door until he got some rest, but she wasn't. She was tired of fighting, so instead she nodded her head and quietly slipped out of her seat once he'd picked up the dishes.

"Okay, well... I'm going to bunk with Ideon all the same. So, you know, at least take the comforter and pillow. It can get cold in the cockpit."

She hovered by the doorway which led out into the hall, glancing over her shoulder at him. Guilt gnawed at her stomach, but she did her best to brush it aside. The more she pressed the matter the more likely he was to keep resisting.

A battle for tomorrow.

"Good night, Marus."

Then she was gone.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

He did his best to put her further protestations out of his mind as he made his way to the sink, dishes in hand. He just began running water, grabbing the detergent and sponge and building up a lather while she told him to take the comforter and the pillow. Two things he'd explicitly told her to take. No matter; he could play that game as well as she could, and sooner or later one or the both of them would be taking care of themself to the other's satisfaction.

Maybe both. Maybe tog—

"Huh? Oh, goodnight, Rhia," he replied, watching her walk away. She was slender and lithe, sure, but—

Her hips, well—

He returned to the dishes, a small blush on his cheeks now that she was no longer paying him any mind. Soon enough afterwards, he finished them off, went to the cockpit, and found out that his seat did, in fact, recline.

Then he just wrapped his coat around himself and fell asleep. Once the morning came, if Rhia came looking for him, he was still contentedly snoring away, curled up in the chair in a manner that...

Might have been comfortable?

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

After crawling into the foot of Ideon's bed, Rhia expected it to take a long time for her to sleep. It usually did, unless she'd trained particularly hard, sleep was elusive, and yet even so, even without a pillow beneath her head, she fell into a rather fitful sleep all the same. Strange swirling dreams marred the hours of her slumber, until she was roused quite suddenly.

The boy still slept. The ship was almost silent. She slipped out from under the blanket, and sat there for a moment. Soaked it all in. Then she stood up and padded across the room, opened the door and found the room across from her still open.

Blanket and pillow remained upon the bed, ignored. Frustration swirled up inside her, and Rhia crossed the threshold and bundled up both of the items in her arms. She carried them all the way across the ship to where the cockpit lay, and therein she found a sleeping Marus looking mighty uncomfortable on the reclined seat. He was still asleep; she had no idea how long it had even been.

"Boys" she whispered to herself, with a shake of her head, "What am I going to do with you?"

There was no way she could feasibly get the pillow under him without waking him, so she set that down in the copilot seat and instead focused on settling the blanket over him. Sleep had completely left her at this point, not least because it was cold in the cockpit, doubly so now that she was without her shoes. While he slept, and Ideon remained in a slumber of his own, she wandered back into the galley and made herself something warm to drink. Found a holobook somewhere, too.

Then she pulled the jacket back over her head for warmth and reentered the cockpit, where she sat in the copilot seat and silently read from the book, her gaze drifting over the ship consoles every now and then to ensure everything was okay.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

Curled up awkwardly, one arm hanging off the side of the chair, Marus was fast asleep and seemed at least as comfortable as ever. He was murmuring or muttering something or another in his sleep, although for the most part it was utterly unintelligible. Rhia's frustration with him went almost entirely unnoticed, but for the slight stir when she made her way into the cockpit. As she draped the blanket over him he curled up more, fully a third of the reclining seat unused.

He stirred a bit again when she left. Once she returned, though, navigating through the tight cockpit, the leg of her trousers brushed the tips of Marus's drooping fingers. His fingers quickly grasped on, though the simple tug of her continuing to walk was enough to release his grip. "Don't leave," he murmured, barely loud enough to be recognizable.

He still seemed to be asleep.

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

Rhia paused in surprise when the hand reached out to grab her, and she stared down at him for a long second to figure out whether he was awake or not. He wasn't, he'd been talking and moving in his sleep, but her heart thumped loudly all the same. She swallowed down her surprise, lightly shifted the blanket enough that his hand was covered against the chill of the cockpit once more, and then settled upon the seat.

Every now and then as she read, waiting for he or Ideon to finally awaken, she'd glance over to him. As frustrated as his stubbornness had made her, she couldn't help but soften some as she watched him like that.

He was going above and beyond, she realized. He didn't need to bring them to the Station, he could have just dropped them off at the first place they came upon and left them to figure it out for themselves. Maybe he should have. Maybe even asking him to bring them to Tribunal was too much. Guilt twisted through her stomach at that though, and she looked from him to stare out of the viewing port for a time instead, the book forgotten in her lap.

One thing she knew for certain was that she wouldn't let him sleep in here another night. It was cold, it was uncomfortable, and it wasn't fair.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

It didn't take too much longer for Marus to stir again, this time towards full wakefulness. In fact, it was hard for him not to. He was oddly warmer than he expected to be, there was some sort of extra weight on him, and...

I always feel like somebody's watching me~~

His eyes snapped open, and he took a moment to quickly adjust to his circumstances. One arm was hanging off of the pilot's chair, and seemed a bit more asleep than the rest of him was at that moment. He had shifted around in it a fair bit, and if it hadn't been for it raising a section for his legs, he might've ended up stuck on the floor between it and the console. There was also...

A blanket? Huh?

He shifted up to a more normal position, glancing at the blanket that had been laid over him, and catching Rhia in his vision just off to the side. "Well, that explains that, I suppose," he observed, rubbing at his eyes. The viewport was still darkened to keep them from staring at the shifting nature of hyperspace, so there wasn't much other than Rhia to look at. All the instruments were reading fine at a quick glance. "Sleep well?"

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

A slight jolt out of the corner of her eyes made her aware of Marus' newly awakened state. At some point during the interim she'd picked the holobook back up and had been reading for a short while. Now it was set back down, and she shifted in her seat toward him. Her lower half was lost beneath the jacket, pulled down over her knees to keep the chill at bay.

"Morning" she muttered, as he spoke. Was it morning? Who knew. This was space, it didn't have day and night cycles, just artificial time. "You want some caf?"

Her own mug had long since been emptied of its contents. He'd asked her a question of his own but a mere shrug had been her response. No sense dwelling on how shoddily she'd slept, after all. Rest was rest, even if it had been filled with terrors.

Slipping her legs out from the jacket, she touched her feet to the floor and winced slightly. "I was surprised to find you weren't an icicle," she confessed, as she rose up and stretched out her slightly stiff legs. Then she stepped toward the boundary which would lead her out to the rest of the ship. Even if he didn't want a nice warm drink, she sure as feth did.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

There was zero chance of her reaction to the cold floor passing him by. She really doesn't hide things, does she? was the main thought in his head, in response both to that wince and the lack of answer to his question. "I've had colder," he replied nonchalantly as he stood up, blanket in hand, and moved to catch up with Rhia. He wasn't really going to turn down caf or anything like that, as comparitively early for them as it was. Of course, before that, there was something else to contend with.

He had told her to take the blanket, and she hadn't. And now she was commenting on the cold. "But, if you're worried about becoming an icicle..." A plan formed in his head and rapidly met with full approval. It might have been a bad one, it might have been good, he didn't know, he wasn't too worried. Even if it did make her angry she might be able to find the humor in it.

He threw the blanket around her shoulders, and in the same movement, rapidly scooped her up from the ground like he had done with Ideon earlier, continuing along as though nothing much had happened. Her arms were still free, of course, as were her legs—he didn't want her to feel restrained or anything like that—but she was free from the cold floor.

"Maybe you should at least find some socks?"

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

She took his lack of rejection as a confirmation on the caf. Good, at least that was one thing they wouldn't be arguing over. While she was rummaging through the galley, maybe she could find out if they had something more suitable for Ideon. She'd heard that caf wasn't good for growing children, and though she didn't have any studies or evidence to back it up she wasn't willing to risk his health.

Marus was following behind her, she could hear his footfalls. Hear his words even when he spoke of icicles. But before she could respond, or do much of anything really, she found herself scooped up off the ground, wrapped in a blanket and carried like a babe as Ideon had been the night prior.

"What the kark?" she yelled out, squirming in his grasp. "Hey!" Wait, was that a laugh, a chuckle, which undercut the seriousness of her words? Surely not! Not Rhia. "Put me down, you, you..." A slightly aggravated sound escaped her lips, and she flushed green as what constituted as her blood rushed up to the surface in response.

Then she pouted.

It was warmer, she had to admit... But still, she was an independent sort of girl and this simply would not do.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking, you know?"

Socks. He mentioned socks. "I don't exactly have a spare set of clothes..." she grumbled, still trying to wriggle free. No socks were better than stinky socks any day of the week.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

While Rhia struggled, Marus didn't tighten his grip at all—but neither did it loosen. No, she would have to intentionally force herself up and out of his arms, he wasn't simply going to let go and put her back on her feet so easily. Besides, he'd heard clear as day the bit of a chuckle that came up under her frustration. As much as she protested, Marus Saretti could tell: She at least kinda enjoyed it.

Besides, her blushing pout was adorable. He didn't mind her wriggling eith—

"I'm aware," he replied airily to her comment about walking. "Shh, you'll wake Ideon." Yes, he'd make sure to catch the sleeping boy's name. Of course, her comment about socks stopped him in his tracks. He himself hadn't brought an extra change of clothes along when he departed Kashyyyk, having been of the expectation that he wouldn't end up caught by slavers and dragged to a war zone and forced to steal a vessel to escape with his life after having rigged the slavers' to explode.

He'd mainly been getting by just running a quick load of his laundry while he took a shower. Actually, that was a great idea!

"Well, maybe instead of caf, I can carry you off to the shower on this thing, and take your clothes and get them washed and dried for you? That way everything's good and clean for when we come out of hyperspace over Trevura."

Whether it be that he had only just woken up, or sheer dedication to the idea, even Marus managed to avoid noticing how the idea could sound odd and more-than-a-bit too forward. No, it was presented entirely innocently for Rhia to consider. "Up to you, but either way, we'll have to see about finding clothes for all of us soon."

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

The fact that he'd picked up on Ideon's name after just one brief mention of it by Rhia was what made the girl pause in her squirming. He'd really been paying that much attention? Her mouth opened then closed, and she went so far as to forget he was even carrying her especially when he also stopped dead in his tracks and became lost in thought.

Then he spoke, and she tried to wriggle free all over again.

"Hey now" she said, shaking her head, "That I am more than capable of doing by myself!" She didn't need someone carrying her into the refreshers. That was crazy talks. But then... How was she going to clean her clothes?

Force. That was a conundrum, wasn't it? The last thing she needed was to be walking around in a towel. Ugh. "Are there no spare clothes on the ship?" she inquired, already knowing that the chances of that were slim. The girl huffed.

Clean clothes would be nice... A trip to the refresher even nicer. But she didn't want to have to rely on this relative stranger to have either of those things. Rhia pouted, and glanced around at the ship as she tried to make up her mind.

"Fine. BUT... I'm going to walk myself to the refresher, okay?" She could pass through the clothes, right? That wasn't too weird..? Ugh. "How long 'til Trevura, anyway?" If it wasn't too far, maybe she could get away with not having to do any of that at all. Maybe then they could just make caf' as was expected.

Another thought entered her mind almost immediately after.

"What if Ideon wakes? Maybe I shouldn't. Here, put me down. I'll get us some caf' going instead. If you want you can shower, and I'll get your clothes cleaned instead." At least once Ideon was awake and understood what was happening she could risk taking some time for herself, until then?

No... It didn't seem fair.

Marus Saretti

 

[Marus Saretti]

"There aren't any clothes that fit me, at least. Didn't really pay attention to any that were smaller than me, though." Marus had started walking again, just generally in the direction of the lounge and galley, as the refresher and laundrey room would be fairly nearby. She had resumed her squirming, but just as before, without entirely forcing herself from his arms she wasn't having much success. "Trevura should be another few hours. Lunchtime, about."

Her commentary about him taking the shower instead netted a shake of the head as he continued along, not noticing the corner of the blanket she'd dislodged that was now hanging perilously. "Ideon will be fine, Rhia, you'd just be in the shower," he said, with a small bit of exasperation. "Alright, alright, let me just—" He put another put forward, nearly at the galley, ready to deposit her onto one of the seats, and it unfortunately found the hanging corner of the blanket. He slipped immediately, tilting forward.

He quickly shifted, aware that he was falling, turning on the ball of his foot so that he was falling backwards, not forwards. He landed hard, head titled forward so that he didn't crack it against the floor, and had the wind entirely knocked out of him thanks to having Rhia land atop him as well. He had to wonder whether or not he'd just heard and felt a rib crack. He didn't, did he?

That would be bad.

"You're really wriggly," he moaned out once he'd gotten enough of his breath back to do so. "I wouldn't mind that caf." Once he managed to peel himself off the floor, anyways. Hopefully he could do that by the time it was done.

Rhia Kesyk