Golden Cage

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

So Hazel wore covering outfits for a reason then.

Nora smiled at the newly acquired information. And she could certainly understand that people didn’t want to see a scarred doctor. It was a bit like when people saw Arkanian taxi drivers for the first time. Most other humanoids took a lack of irises for blindness, but it meant anything but for an Arkanian such as Nora who had the blessing of the ability to see into the infrared spectrum. She was quite familiar with heat signatures by now.

“Water.” Nora shrugged at Yune’s question. Not so much because she wanted it but because it was the one thing she knew they had. There were a few local Arkanian sodas she could have killed for right now, but that didn’t really strike her as a possibility in this moment. The soda that was. Murder was always a possibility, but never something that was called for.

“So, how did it happen then?” Nora asked Hazel. “The bumps, I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Yune simply gave a nod to Nora's answer and was immediately on the move again away from the table. And with the simplicity of the order, it didn't take long for the man to return with two glasses in hand.

"Thank you, Yune." Hazel said, giving the Twi'lek a thankful nod as he placed the drinks down.

"No problem, the food will be ready soon." And with that he was gone again, leaving the two women to talk.

Hazel though remained silent for a while longer, taking a moment to sip some of her water and think on Nora's question.

If the Hapan were honest, she could probably accurately recount a lot of her scars. The majority of them had a specific event attached to them, though there was a mess of others that were nothing more than passing memories. Which were more often than not just simply incidents such as shrapnel nipping her skin as it flew past.

"Well I suppose to put it simply, I fought in a war." Hazel paused, another sip of her water before continuing. "Though I guess fought isn't necessarily the right word. I was a Battle Medic for the Republic, when that was still around. I was on the battlefields, just in a position of healing rather than killing."

Though that was in a way a contradiction. As there had been a number of times when the Hapan doctor had to put her comrades out of their misery, suffering injuries far too serious for them to be saved.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Oh.

Oh no, that’s horrible!

One of the reasons that Nora’s parents had sent her to Sanctuary was for the exact reason that Hazel was talking about. While Arkania remained widely independent of external rule there were still people on the planet itself vying for control, and they’d rather not have their little girl fall victim for that. And that was not to mention the rest of the antics that Arkanians got up to, not excluding genetic manipulation. They didn’t want that for her, they wanted her to grow up without the preconception of superiority and vanity, without the weight of having to make herself superior by external means for superficial reasons.

As for the war Nora had always shown a promise and interest in the fields of toxins and disease.

… If that was weaponized…

No.

“My dad was meant to go to war as well, but…” Nora frowned. “Conscientious objector.”

“We weren’t allowed back until the war was over and neither side had won, at which point my father had to work hard to not let the rumors destroy what fortune we had. My mother worked overtime, my father sold off valuable artifacts he had brought back from the field during the war.” A bigger frown spread on her lips. “Arkanian collectors are ruthless when bargaining from a position of power.”

“I think half the reason I was taken off-world was to alleviate the financial burdens.”

The girl felt a tension rise in the bridge of her nose as her tear ducts began to sting in miserable pain. “I miss them.”

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel bit her lip and internally cursed at herself for bringing up the topic of war.

She hadn't intended to dredge it up, even though the Hapan had a decent knowledge of Arkanians. She knew that while as a whole they didn't stick their foot into the galactic-wide conflicts, they instead had their own internal conflicts. Which from one perspective could be seen as much worse and more damaging than anything that say the Galactic Alliance or the First Order could do. It had the possibility of destabilizing their homes, their culture, their people. A constructed bubble that would seal around them and constrict them until it just pops and everything goes to hell.

And that didn't factor in any external forces looking to take advantage of it.

Hazel had remained silent, watching Nora and the moment she saw the telltale signs in the young Arkanian's face, the Hapan reacted.

Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she reached over and placed a comforting hand on Nora's shoulder.

"Life is full of hard choices and difficult decisions, most never being purely black and white. It's never easy for a parent to send their child away. And no matter what the situation was; financial or otherwise, I'm sure the true reason was to ensure you were safe. And not be bottled up with what is happening on Arkania."

Force knows, Hazel's parents had been unbearable after she was rescued from the Hutt's clutches. It took a long time for them to be comfortable allowing her to leave their sight and reach again. She was fairly certain they probably wouldn't have if the Republic and the Jedi hadn't taken an interest in her.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Black and white choices.

“Yeah, they don’t want me to be swept up in the eugenics, and the shadow wars and the successions, and all that.” Nora looked at Hazel. “I am not as naïve as I may seem sometimes. I know what happens on my world.”

“But at the same time, we weren’t exactly the most well-off.” Nora sighed. “I have always loved toxins, and diseases, and in general things that people tend to avoid or see as ‘dangerous.’ It’s the thrill of knowing that I can help others that drive me to learn about all of this. I mean, my first instinct upon pulling that dart out of Nylea wasn’t to dispose of it as much as steal it for myself for later study. Not for the Order, but for myself.”

“I know how to make a man choke to death using three different toxins, I know of three different diseases that can cause his heart to stop over the course of a day.” She went on to explain. “If things got worse, if my father ran out of artifacts to sell, they would come for me.”

“I don’t want to make weapons, Hazel.”

“I don’t want to create ways to kill people.”

“I want to heal, I want to help, and that’s what my parents want for me too.”

“The choice to send me here was as white as it got.” She frowned still. “If I had remained I would have been a mouth to feed. That’s expensive when we are slowly running out of means to make ends meet. If I am not there, if I am someone else’s mouth to feed, I will both get an education and they will be able to make ends meet for at least a few more years until I can return upon investment.”

“Me being here keeps me out of reach of higher-ups looking to make me a pawn, and that’s something that is for the better of all the people I surround myself with.”

“I just wish it wasn’t so. I miss my mother and my father, they were there my entire life until now.” Her tears stung worse than before. “They kept me out of the world of intrigue as best they could, but we both knew that it was just a matter of time.”

Nora swallowed air. “The day I left was the day they knocked at our door.”

“I can’t return home for a decade, Hazel. I can’t take that risk.”

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

She had watched and listened attentively, nodding in agreement at several points but ultimately remaining silent throughout.

Hazel's heart went out for the Arkanian seated before her, along with her parents. The decision they had to make was tough to make, and the Hapan pondered if she could've done the same were she in their shoes. Sure, you could say it wasn't exactly hard to get rid of another mouth to feed, but it was still your own flesh and blood you were sending away. Hazel thought of her own parents, and the decisions they had to make for her sake. There was no mistaking the fact, that no matter what the emotional toll it will give, ensuring the safety of your child or children was the paramount.

Nora's admission about her fascination with toxins and diseases wasn't much of a surprise to Hazel. The Hapan had watched the Arkanian's interests since she arrived, much as she had with most of the students. That, and the event at the summit had certainly highlighted the young woman's eye for analyzing such toxins.

Hazel had given an understanding nod when Nora had mentioned weapons and killing. She shared a similiar sentiment, as does anyone who looked to heal and help others. But to learn such things also meant you also ended up looking at what could potentially harm and kill. And while Hazel's medical field didn't necessarily encompass poisons, she knew well enough what Nora would likely be orced into making should someone with ulterior motives manage to get to her.

And with that thought, the Hapan made a mental note to keep an eye on any news from Arkania, in case someone came around sniffing. Though albeit, she suspected they had enough to deal with than go searching for just one person that managed to get free.

"Well they sent you to the best place they could, we'll look after you and ensure you continue to help and heal, not harm."

It was at that moment the delicious aroma became more apparent, as Yune approached their table. With and expert grace, his hands were full with two bowls, each with a spoon sitting in it and a couple bread rolls too. He placed them down before the two women. It was soup, with various different types of meat floating about in the the bowl.

"There we go, sorry it wasn't anything special, but the students went a bit mad with the other selections today. So I figured I'd throw in what meat we had left over. Hope that's fine with you both?"

"That's perfectly fine, thank you Yune." She said, giving the cook a grateful nod.

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Deep breath.

“Well, of that there’s no doubt.” Nora exhaled with a sigh. “At least the food smells great. Thank you, Yune.”

Arkania was a complicated issue and one that Nora had little doubt she would ever really solve herself. In the end it was far more likely that once she had made something of herself she would bring them to her than herself back to them. Life off-planet had offered them a different view on the galaxy, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact if anything it had been good. It had allowed her parents to raise a child that wasn’t tied down by the expectations of those around her. At least to a degree. She hadn’t been raised with preconceptions of superiority, and just that in itself had helped her loads on Sanctuary.

Heck, she even got comments about it every now and then about how she was the least stuck up Arkanian someone had ever met. She didn’t think it was a bad thing either, there were worse things to be called.

Nora proceeded to eat, taking a sip of water in between bites as she stared herself blind at the surface of her plate.

“So, we’re sort of… Friends now, right?” Nora smiled as she eventually looked back at Hazel. “I mean, it’s probably against some kind of rule, somewhere, but I welcome it.”

“Not sure what the Sacred Lotus’ opinion on fraternizing is. Only know it was heavily frowned upon in the school I attended on Arkania. No one was supposed to get the upper hand by simply knowing the right person, you know? Only through supposed enhancement of the self.”

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel let out a small chuckle as she grabbed her two rolls of bread. The Hapan made quick work of breaking them up in her hands, fingers tugging away at it with accurate percision and allowing the now smaller bits to drop into the soup. She let it sit for a while, stirring it around with her spoon a little before scooping up some of the soup and bringing it to her lips.

"It probably is, somewhere." She admitted, taking a moment to let the steaming out soup go down. "But who cares when it comes to making friends, aye?" Hazel smiled at that.

"Plus the Sacred Lotus isn't like that, it makes use of a version of the Jedi Code, but not the one that is typically used. We adopted one that doesn't outright forbid connections to others. So yes, we are most certainly friends Nora."

She took a few moments to continue eating, before she let out a slight laugh.

"Force knows, I know I struggle not to somehow befriend my patients, colleagues...and well students in this case." Hazel did admittedly look a bit abashed at that fact.

The duo remained in that comfortable silence for a while longer, simply enjoying the meal and taking sips of their water when required. Though eventually, the Hapan decided to drum up the conversation again.

"So, I take it the incident during the summit is what pushed you to look into toxins and diseases some more?"

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

There was no small sigh of relief that burst through Nora’s nose. It was silly, but she liked rules and she’d much rather not be thrown out from her life’s greatest opportunity because of poor conduct. To be left with no home, nowhere to go, no money or belongings to sell to get anywhere else. Living on temple grounds had its benefits, but it also brought some downsides that few would seem to consider. Truth told Nora had never really studied the Jedi Code because she had never really had any use for it. It would have been like studying language. Interesting field, little practical application unless you happened to find a field for it. As far as toxins and disease were involved, the Jedi Code was not it.

Smile crept on Nora’s lips as they continued to eat. A silence hung between them, albeit not one that felt too uncomfortable. Nora sat in deep thought about the seat she had been placed in by the time Hazel talked to her again. Eyes blinked awake.

“Huh?” Nora blinked still and looked at Hazel. “Oh, I mean, yes to a degree.”

“I picked up some books on Devaronian blood-poison because of it, but it wouldn’t necessarily be the cause for it.” Nora shrugged. “People fear death but they never seem to do anything to try and prevent it where it is preventable.” Nora shook her head in disbelief. “No toxin is incurable and no disease can’t be kept under control. You put hard work in, make studies and you find a way to make life better for those afflicted. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t, but you never quit.”

“I want to do that, I want to find a cure for blood-poison and other maladies. It’s what I’ve decided to spend my life doing, and that’s what I hope others will do with the research I pass on when I die too.”

“Just sort of help people.”

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

The Hapan continued to eat her soup in silence, occasionally taking a moment here and there to take a sip of her water. During that time she looked over at Nora who appeared to be deep in thought. It brought a smile to Hazel's face, seeing someone so invested in what they desired and wanted to learn.

Though that expression slipped slightly, turning sour for a moment before Hazel realized and masked it being a neutral look.

Nora's words about toxins and diseases rang soundly in the Hapan's ears. She was after all a living example of what the Arkanian was talking about. Hazel had a disease that was believed to be nearly impossible to cure, and now in the wake of Maena knew full well it was completely incurable. But she still had the Force to keep herself healed.

And yet sometimes, she could swear it was slipping every now and then. But had pushed that aside as her seeing things where there was nothing.

"I know what you mean..." She said, the words simple but if one looked a bit deeper, they'd likely see something lingering hidden beneath. Seemingly catching on to this fact, Hazel quickly changed the subject.

"I'm glad to hear you've got such a good goal set ahead for you. Helping others, couldn't be more proud." She gave Nora a smile and a nod. "As always, if you ever need any help feel free to come find me and ask any questions you might have."

[member="Nora Lithos"]

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"]

It was a bit like having a mother away from home in a way. Hazel was warm, caring and easy to talk to in comparison to some of the other teachers around the grounds. She didn’t scream of regulations, at least not as much as Nora perhaps did, and she was always just sort of there. The two of them continued to eat in relative ease. There were a quick sullen face on Hazel’s lips, but it had disappeared as soon as it had come and Nora could only assume it was because of something unimportant. She would have voiced it otherwise.

Nora smiled back at her mentor’s compliment. “Thank you. You too can come to me if you need help with something. Not that I think you would need my help, but you know what I mean.”

“... As a friend.” Nora nodded. “That’s what friends do.”

Another silence began to seep in to fill the brief gap as they both finished their meals. Thank yous were given to the chef. Nora offered to stay and help clean it up but had been turned away with a joke. Opting instead to catch up with Hazel on her way out, saying their byes for now as they went back to whatever life would throw at them.

All things considered, a pretty good evening Nora would say.