Hello my old heart

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

Shoulders visibly relaxed once inside the kitchen. This was home. The brilliant colors mixed with dark tones of wood, sounds of clinking plates and cookware, and the smells of warming food and Gabe's voice. The Ithorian always teased that Taheera ate as much as the teenage kids.

Mouth was already watering slightly. This was one of the things she missed most when off on missions. Gabe probably knew but she'd never admit it! Maalik already knew about her love of food as well.

Slightly chagrined look crossed her face. "Yes please." She didn't hesitate and stepped right up to the plates, plucking one up along with a warm sandwich. "Mmm thanks. I was worried I might never see one of these again."

Tone was light even though there was a serious note hidden somewhere beneath. She could be sitting in a First Order prison right now. Or floating around space in pieces. Scooping up a second plate, she got another sandwich. "I'm not taking two, it's for Maalik," she tried to head Gabe off, handing it over as she went to perch up on one of the stools around the island.

Not to say she wouldn't have a second sandwich in a bit.

Greens circlets flickered between Maalik and Gabe, face growing serious. "Is there any way to break that tether?"

 

[Gabriel Sionoma]

​He took a sandwich of his own, watching as Taheera took to hers with a certain enthusiasm. And Maalik picked at his before taking little bird bites, deciding whether he liked it or not. Gabe pointed with the half eaten sandwich. "I put a bit of honey in it from the apiary, a hybrid bee not entirely unfamiliar to you...strain from the Sparkbee." He said with a smile, knowing for a fact that Maalik had a certain preference for mead.

​Taking another bite, he looked to Taheera and furrowed a brow.

​"Yes. Of course. There is nothing in the universe that can't be broken. If one knows where to hit... " He gestured to the top of his head, fingers splaying out that weren't attached to the nearly eaten sandwich. "Within you, Maalik...a Vong creature rests. Branches, like a tree, extend through components of your brain. It adheres to you, not entirely different from an anchor."

​The sandwich was done and there was more to consume but Dick was already moving in, feet covered in booties to protect the tile. Gabe watched quietly as the protocol droid eyed him, setting down a batch of the good mead. And without saying a single sassy word, the protocol droid turned around and left. Gabe could have sworn he hid that stuff for special use.

​Grabbing a few ceramic glasses from the cupboard, he set the items down on the island and looked towards Maalik. "Within you, you once had a conscious. Maybe you have something now that resembles that... " He waved his hand, as if to imply that maybe it wasn't really the case. "But in the end, the shadow of the Legion will interrupt when it sees fit. I can stop that. I can ask it to simply stop breathing. It will die and over time, assuming your body rejects it, your white blood cells will break down the carcass. But...you will feel empty and alone for some of that time. As if you were without conscious altogether...No drive, no direction, no purpose..."

​He trailed off as began pouring mead into two of the cups, looking towards Taheera and Maalik alike. "Is that something you want? " He wasn't just asking Maalik. It was clear that this would involve more than the Chiss hybrid.

​[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

Her sandwich was gone after a few bites. The healer always had a ravenous appetite. Eyes of jungle and forest greens tracked to Gabe, finding her posture leaning forward slightly. Everything vong was no new to her, Maalik and now Gabe, being her primary instructors on the topic. Something else inside Maalik? Controlling him?

Made her longing for a second sandwich disappear.

Dick seemed to smile at her when it passed. The droid seemed to like healers and the mirialan guessed it had something to do with Ava. She just got to experience the reward by default. The only other person, besides Gabe, the droid held in contempt...or really, seemed to be scared of was that skinny blonde, quiet girl with glasses. Hadn't seen much of the little mouse-like girl since her own time at the homestead.

Green fingers brushed along the contours of her water glass in thought about Gabem's proposal. Gaze panned to Maalik, feeling a weight in her chest with the options. Either way, he'd experience pain. Loss. "I meant it when I said you wouldn't be alone. You aren't alone, Maalik. But this is your decision. I'll support you, whatever you decide." Green palm went to rest along his forearm, touch reminding the chiss hybrid they weren't just empty words she spoke.

Green-brow furrowed as she looked back to Gabe though her hand remained in contact with blue skin.

"I am curious. How would you...kill this vong creature? Maalik can't be touched by the force."

Went back to how Gabe had manipulated Maalik outside as well.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

​Molten orbs fixed on the grains of the bread, as if the words that were spoken were somehow secondary to his own internal and ongoing conversation. The toasting of the sourdough was perfect, Maalik thought, as fingers traced over the swirls of char and unblemished bread alike. Then a hand touched his arm and the words that were spoken seemed to reverberate, as if he could watch everything in rewind. Listen to the conversation, removed from it yet inherently involved. Because he was the subject of the conversation.

Gaze drifted from Gabe to Harla and he smiled meekly. "I..." His gaze meandered, from her to the sandwich and back. "I don't know. I don't know what it would involve."

​"You wouldn't need to do anything." Gabe stated, folding his arms over his broad chest. Maalik looked on as the mans eyes moved to Harla. "As for your question. Just because you can't feel him with the force, doesn't mean that he can't be touched by it. A picture develops in form and in negative... " He actually wasn't sure that metaphor would land all too well, considering how archaic photo development was compared to contemporary technologies. "Uhh... " He lift a hand to his beard, scratching. "Some Jedi are capable of harnessing the power of plants. They can command them to grow or wilt through application of the force. This is similar, but different. The Yuuzhan Vong were cut off from the force but through proximity to the power, they have developed along a parallel line."

​"But you don't command me..."

​"Correct. But I can command the various creatures that live within you. Biots, simple to influence."

​"It's a terrible feeling."

​Gabe looked on, his brow furrowing at the response. "I'm sorry Maalik. I wouldn't have done that if I had a choice on the matter."

​Maalik didn't agree with him but he also didn't really disagree. He would have cut this man down if given the opportunity, that much he knew was true. Looking towards Harla​, he moved fingers above hers, gripping the back side of her hand. "One less thing controlling me. If you are here, I think I want to be rid of the Yammosk."

​[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

She frowned. Controlling someone else seemed like an abomination. And the thought that someone NOT like Gabe with good intentions controlling Maalik made her stomach churn. Eyes panned down to the blue digits over green. She'd performed shatter point before. But never on something living. And even that seemed like a step beyond the light. It was the only thing that came to mind that seemed somewhat similar, though in a completely different vein.

How complicated had her life gotten?

She never thought she'd be able to care about someone so quickly. It was terrifying. And the unknown of what killing this thing off in Maalik would bring was terrifying as well.

Myrtle ellipses lifted to find those twin suns. He'd made his decision and she'd support it. "Okay. I'll be here." She could take some leave from the GA for a little while. "Gabe, that's okay if Maalik stays here for awhile?" It seemed like an unnecessary question but she wanted to ask it. There were others to consider at the homestead: the children, Ava, Spark, the caretakers, etc. maybe she'd be able to show him her favorite hikes. The break in the woods where the small stream met the field of wild flowers. The tree that seemed endless to climb.

"And what else will change? Will he still have control of things like the amphistaff?"

 

[Gabriel Sionoma]

Gabe watched, slightly amused at the irony of an empath not being able to hide her emotions. Between the flare of the resentment towards Maalik’s past to this, anger once more forming towards something that was long in the past. But that changed into something different, funneled into a desire to offer comfort.

Pouring a cup of mead, he filled another halfway full before lifting his to his mouth. A necessary thing, to hide what might be the closest thing he’s known to fatherly pride - at least, in a very long time. Of course, he had had moments such as those with Destin and Maud. But those were hidden away as well, more closely resembling bewilderment towards Destin and like mindedness towards Maud. One felt like the pessimistic nephew, always looking for the bad in things, while the other felt like a young man that would make for a very good friend.

“Mmm…” He stated with an almost hum, nodding. “Of course. He can stay as long as he needs. And…” He lifted his eyebrows, not necessarily certain. But he thought about it and landed somewhere that seemed logical. “You learn to do a math problem. Then you’re told to do it a different way. But you still know the solution. That’s how it will be for Maalik.” He pointed the cup towards the blue figure. “He knows who he’ll be, just needs to figure out a way to get there himself.”

“I can’t lean on the shaping for my faults…”

Gabe smiled and nodded. “That’s right. And they can’t be to blame for all the good you do, either.”

“Okay…” Maalik stated, looking towards the woman that stood by him and next to him. Taking a deep breath, he moved away from her and towards the man who resembled his maker. Maalik reached over and grabbed the half cup of mead, lifting it to his lips. He reminded him of home and he, for the first time, could muster hate towards it. True and utter resentment, as if the conversation alone was enough to change him in some way. “Do it.”

Gabe took a breath in and shook his head. “The Yammosk wasn’t meant to be rejected. Once you were made aware of it...you’re body was made aware of it as well. Like a virus…” Gabe reached forward and clinked his glass against Maalik’s. “Congratulations. You’ve untethered yourself. Even as you speak, your body is responding. Give it a day, maybe two. You’ll start to notice the difference.”

Maalik stood, slack jawed, as he looked towards mead. “But you...you didn’t do anything.”

“Eh, yeah that’s probably true in most circumstances.” Gabe chuckled as he took a sip of his mead.

[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

Deep green orbs widened, shafts of sunlight filtering through the flower-framed windows pulling out lighter flecks like spring fields and darker hints of olive and fern. They narrowed slightly on Gabe, though purple lips twitched upwards. Slipping free from the stool, she took her plate and finished off the cup of water, walking toward the sink to start the dishes.

"Get used to it," she muttered to Maalik, water cascading over green palms and a greasy dish. "He's been teaching me lessons like that for AGES now." She shot her master a look over her shoulder. "You'd think I'd know better by now. I would like to ask how you would've reacted, my dear master, if Maalik had chosen not to go through with it. Hm?"

A sassy question.

She hadn't even had any mead.

 

[Gabriel Sionoma]

“If Maalik had chosen to not go through with it…” He repeatedly slowly, taking another swig of the mead. He realized that he hadn't planned for that. Despite the time or distance, Gabe knew Maalik. He knew of his dreams and aspirations. It was, after all, a desire to be free that brought him crashing to the Selvaris surface. But that wasn't the answer he would give.

Shaking his head, he smiled as he set the empty cup down. “Why Taheera, we haven’t yet gone over the training for hypothetical manipulation. Maybe we will get to that one, one day…” He shrugged as he padded off and out of the kitchen. “Maybe not. Another hypothetical…another day.” His voice trailed off as he disappeared into his workshop.

Maalik blinked as he watched the exchange, in silence. This was customary and traditional, according to Harla. But it felt like it was a cruel attempt at forcing independence. Maybe the wound of such tricks would mend as freedom coursed over him in the coming days.

Taking a sip of the mead, he looked towards Harla with the ghost of a smile. “This mead is very good.”

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Gabriel Sionoma"]

Boots kicked up little clouds of dust as they continued down the canyon path. Tall, warm colored walls stretched above, with clay colors of reds, oranges, coppers, and browns. Green fingers curled around the straps of her pack as they dug into her shoulders. A thin layer of sweat dripped down her temple. Chestnut strands of hair were pulled back into a tight bun, though a few wisps clung against the green skin of her face, having broken free from their tie. Stubborn, much like the mirialan herself.

"I think we're getting close," she breathed to Maalik, trying not to let her gaze linger on the man who had very much stolen much of her heart. And the man who had stolen and churned much current worry. This would be the worst part as Gabe had warned. She'd decided it might be a little better to take a few nights away from the homestead. Explore and sleep under the stars.

Maybe try and keep Maalik distracted as he tried to rediscover himself.

She was hoping the tap tree could do that. Shrugging her shoulders, she eased her pack off. "I need some water. How're you doing?" A question beyond the present circumstances.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

It was the memories that started to come back first, a burst of recollection marked by throbbing headaches. He convinced himself that it was simply a matter of dehydration, quickly cured by a large glass of water. But where he took in water, he simply needed time.

The first few nights since speaking with Gabe were spent in thought, eyes pried open with mental wandering. His first memories spanned back to his mother and father, laughing as he played in the fresh snow on Csilla. But these memories were fragmented and the repairs were akin to looking through a kaleidoscope, waiting for the frames to rotate and conjoin.

With a deep sigh and contemplation towards saying no, he allowed Harla to convince him to go on a hike. It was better than being cooped up in the homestead, he thought, as he packed a few cursory items for what he assumed would be a short trudge through the woods. But then those woods gave way to large vertical canyons, wide in girth but quickly narrowing around them.

The foot path was marked with thin blades of verdant green rushes, baltering and waving in the nearly stagnant Sulon wind. Even the breath of a gust felt hot, but that was evidently a component of a moon world that orbited a molten body.

He carried a light rucksack of canvas, wearing cargo pants and a thin stretchy shirt that was donated from one of the young men at the homestead. It felt used, just like he had been so long ago, and he did his utmost to refrain from lingering on those thoughts. But all roads led to Barons Hed.

A sheen of sweat formed glistening layer on his forehead as he wiped it clean with the back of his hand. Molten orbs, more sunken than normal, looked towards Harla as she spoke. “I'm doing fine…” He trailed off, scratching the scars formed from a former life across his chest. “Just thinking a lot about my mom. I don't really know what happened to her but without all my hate…I mourn her absence.”

[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Atham'aali'kema"]

Finishing off a healthy swig of water, she put it back in her pack before shouldering the weight again on a shirt that clung to her body from the dry heat. The ache of not having parents and just suddenly...being, seemed to be felt more so lately than usual. Unlike Maalik, she'd had many friends to process through those events on her life and mourning the loss of things she'd never had. It's what enabled her to keep her attention on the chiss hybrid. And for a moment, it was as if the empath could actually sense his pain through the force.

Distracted gaze flickered to his light pack. She'd told him they were camping out, right?

Too late to go back now.

Attention quickly shifted back to what was important. "What was she like?" Green fingers adjusted the straps along her shoulders as she set out on a leisurely pace, falling in step with Maalik. The path was wide enough that they would walk shoulder to shoulder. Taking a curve in the path, the canyon walls opened up to the first glimpses of the tap tree.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

Wrapping his thumbs around the straps of his light rucksack, a pale tone of olive in the high sun, he looked up. “I’ve only got bits and pieces of her...like watching a video, translated into picture. There are still frames that persist, awkward gaps that don’t explain or connect one picture to the next.”

He looked over to her as he fell in line with her step, sandwiched between two tall cliff faces of shear rock and the occasional stone that dropped from the erosion of wind and heat. It was a soft whisper, born from exposed regolith, that seemed to give the canyon life.

“I recall a vivid memory of my early childhood. I was just starting school and I wanted nothing more than to see the stars…” The very same desire that eventually got him into trouble. Like looking for treasure, across a sea of green. “My father wanted the same for me because it was the occupation of captaining ships that interested him. But my mother…” He smiled as he shook his head, looking forward. A show of white teeth, lips pulled back into a faint smile. “She just wanted me to find something I loved...”

Up ahead, the canyon opened up into a subtle floodplain that was barren with the exception of a few gnarled trees of iron wood. Tufts of grass blew softly in the wind that peeled down from above and descended across the open field. The bowl came to a close far to the South, where the Tap Tree stood as anchor between adjoining walls of red and orange rock. While there were no leaves that Maalik could see from this distance, he could very well gauge its size. As tall as he could imagine, the twisting branches extended so far into the sky, that they disappeared beneath the veil of grey condensation clouds. “That’s a big tree…”

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Atham'aali'kema"]

"Did you ever find it? What you loved? I mean, before the Vong?" She cringed slightly, hoping the topic wouldn't be too raw for Maalik. His mother sounded like an admirable woman, concerned for her son's desires. A small pang worked its way in the back of her throat as her thoughts turned briefly inward.

Myrtle-ellipses lifted from the ground toward the sight of the tree.

A moment of silent awe struck her as words left her tongue. Lips parted slightly. "That's...amazing. I've only seen glimpses when taking shuttles off-world. But up close." Voice trialed off in appreciation. Even from this distance away, chin had to tip up slightly to try and get a glimpse of the behemoth's upper branches. "We should be able to find a spot to camp along its roots. They're said to be up to twelve feet wide."

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

He shook his head, nuanced as the gesture might have been, as he stepped in pace with her. “No...I never had the chance. It was...taken from me.” He spoke heavy words with a smile, realizing that he had the chance to change that.

Gabe had given that to him. And so had Harla.

And in the hole where his inner world once lived, it stretched and grew with every breath in the passing days. But she was there, to help fill it. With a flash of chestnut and verdurous glow.

“The Tap Tree…” He paused, unsure if he was right on the name of the tree. It had been stated in passing but he was rather new to the moon, unattuned to the inherent importance that the vegetation had on the stability of the ecosystem. “It is something, alright.” He had seen many things in his life. Some worth remembering, some worth forgetting.

Lambent fields of orange strobes, pulsating beneath the gait of the harvesters - click clacking in sentry as they kicked up clods of fresh dirt. The sky turned technicolor, favoring the reds and purples, as the gaping wound from the mouth of the great Gramutek split open the horizon and pulled blood from the wound. This Tap Tree, it nearly mocked the size of those Gramutek and held far more grace than the dancing spiders of the killing fields.

Shaking off something he thought he heard, he looked towards Harla with the mild burn of molten orbs. “Camping?”

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Atham'aali'kema"]

"I'm sorry about before. All you went through," she murmured quietly. It was as if the empath could feel his pain, a bond formed breaking walls between jedi and vong separation. Really, it was just her becoming personally more in-tune with Maalik's mannerisms. Greens that shifted intensity with the light locked onto those twin suns set upon a deep blue canvas.

The tree slowly recaptured her attention. Small shapes moved beneath the branches. The waters around the tree would be populated with various life, though, she wasn't particularly worried about predators. Nothing like the snowbeasts, at least.

Tattooed-face turned sharply back to Maalik. Warm brows rose upon green skin. "Yeah. Remember? I said to pack your camping gear," toe caught on the path of dirt and rocks and she stumbled forward, clearly distracted.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

For him, the events of the past were a confusing subject. He had once been so sure of himself, so certain that he simply was the person that he was. He couldn't change who he turned into so why bother worrying? But now, he couldn't help but think on the what ifs. In the very same breath, he was brought back to the reality of the circumstance. That if it were not for torturous life of dread and misery, he would be a different person. He would be in a different place. And he wouldn't be here, facing the Tap Tree with Harla. For all the stormy clouds that currently surrounded him, he needed to grasp at the silver lining. And it wasn't quite as difficult as he was making out.

Smiling, he shook his head. "No, I don't recall. But that is fine, I have you with me. I shouldn't need for much more."

Striding forward, he looked up towards the monstrous roots of the Tap Tree. The tips that plunged into the earthen shelves were approaching fire, with a crescendo upwards that ran the gamut - from lime green and then into caramel that ascended towards the trunk. For each root he looked at, several meters across, additional smaller roots jutted out and waved in the soft wind of water lapping. Branching, filigree of wood, that webbed across the area in front of them and above. The shelf of stone dropped off at their feet, nearly a two meter fall, that led into rippling pools of spectacular blue. Maalik knelt, hand extended outward.

The shimmer of the sun and Sullust was distorted against the waters surface, moving and dancing with dripping droplets of water along the lower roots. From afar, there was no acoustic character. But now that he stood so close, it sounded like a soft rain and the every persistent hint of flow.

"Do you think it would be okay to swim?"

[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Atham'aali'kema"]

"OH, so you think I'm going to share my bedroll and sleeping bag with you? Hm?" A spark of mischief danced across orbs of jungle green. Corners of purple lips twitched. Shrugging off the pack, it dropped and stayed, resting stationary at her feet. Feet transitioned to the lip of the stone shelf and she gazed down at the azure pools below.

Eyes flitted to Maalik, seeing how much he leaned over that edge and the positioning of his bodyweight.

"Probably," she spoke noncommittally, turning back to her pack. She'd look up once, to make sure Maalik was still peering over the edge before popping to her feet and rushing him, green palms pushing flat against his back in an attempt to push him over and in. "Only one way to find out!"

Of course she knew it was perfectly safe. And plenty deep. Or, she'd never attempt to do what she'd just done.

If he tried to tug her in as well, if her push had actually moved his solid blue form, well, she hadn't thought that ahead.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

He let out a grunt as green hands hit against his back. Had he had some form of balance, something his current position didn't allow, he might have been able to keep from falling in. Instead, blue hands flailed as he plummeted the five feet downward into the pool of blue water.

Making quite the splash, he plunged deep before setting feet against the floor below. It wasn't very deep, but deep enough for full submersion and then some. It brought to light memories he had of the One Sith. Of a swim he had taken, down into the depths of a bay off the coast of Muunilist. It was a story about John and Mary, one he had repeated and recreated for every lightyear he spent traveling away from that place.

John and Mary shared a love that was forbidden. Perhaps because their parents hated one another or thought lower of the family lineage. Around her neck, Mary carried a locket that professed their shared love and carried the image of each other. On one side, a women of pale skin and blond thick curls. On the other side, a man of dark skin and close cropped hair. Both with smiles that drew him in. Their meeting spot was a deep cavern, nestled under water beneath a stack plateau that was eroded by the lapping waters. When Mary dove down to their meeting spot, she clung the locket to the outerwall so that when John looked down, he could see the gleam. But it was crudely placed and with a slipstream, the locket fell too deep to see. And as she crested the interior of the cave, her ankle was caught and it snapped. Making it into the cavern, she waited for John - wounded and unable to swim back on her own. But he never came. And she died, knowing that he loved her more than anything else.

Maalik thought about their life, what it would have been like, when he discovered their sad story. A life of kids, a small yard of fire grass, a fence that was cursory because where they lived, they hardly needed it.

Pushing up off the floor, he propelled his dense vong shaped body upwards to breach and wade. Letting out a huff of air, he let his pack loose as it floated away. Swimming towards the edge, holding the shelf, he began to pull his shoes off. One by one, he tossed them up towards Harla. "Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, I suppose."

He smiled up at the woman as he reeled back, splashing a hefty amount of water up towards her.

[member="Taheera Sollo"]​

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Atham'aali'kema"]

She laughed, face and clothing catching a bit of the rogue water splashed up from Maalik. "Well, yes I suppose. I was worried I'd have to jump in after to save you. Probably should've asked to make sure you could swim, first."

Her own boots were peeled off and set down next to Maalik's soggy ones. The sun would dry them soon enough. It was a warm day - as it often was on Sulon. Myrtle ellipses swept the area. They seemed to be alone, for the moment, besides the animals moving about in the distance.

This was an excellent watering hole.

Green fingers dropped and began stripping off her shirt and pants. Unlike Maalik, she had the luxury of preparation before plunging into the pool's cooler depths. Stepping to the ledge, toes curled around the edge, clad only in black panties and bra, along with the ink that wound its way around her green skin. "Don't look in case I belly flop," she called out to the chiss hybrid, then proceeded to step off.

 

[Atham'aali'kema]

The pitter patter of rain drops from the rusted roots of the Tap Tree were interrupted. By the back and forth of conversation, the slight smile and laugh, and the eventual splash of the Mirialan as she entered the water with him. He waded back, blue fingers moving deftly against the anticipation of waves, as he did exactly what she told him not to. He watched, brandishing a smile of his own as his hand lifted to keep the water from his eyes.

"Belly flop in here huh? After a five foot fall? That would be impressive." The maneuvering alone, beneath the canopy of the Tap Tree, would have required an array of acrobatics.

Rubbing water from the bridge of his nose, his clothes clung to him as he moved forward to grab onto one of the underlying branches. A dulled spike, cutting through the earthen shelf, to nearly reach the watering hole below.

"It takes a lot of energy to swim with the changes that were made..." He admitted as she came up for air. "The Yuuzhan Vong are naturally heavy beings - which is why they aren't often seen swimming."

Or really doing anything that didn't involve pain or war in some format. He had steered clear of it since Selvaris and he hoped to keep the trend going.

[member="Taheera Sollo"]​