Hi, Mum. Long time no see! (Coryth)

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


The surface port of New Santaissa was abuzz with activity when Elpsis finally made her way to it after having been dropped off by a skybus. Tygara was a world of vast oceans and lakes. Indeed, it was probably easier to travel by boat than by speeder or aerial transport. As long as you managed to avoid the manifold sea creatures that lurked in the deep waters and occasionally decided to fill their bellies by consuming careless travellers.


The harbour was filled with various ships docking and offloading goods and people. Modern yachts and patrol boats intermingled with more primitive sail ships that were crewed and manned by Qadiri, one of the three elf races native to Tygara. There was great noise and the air was filled with the smell of the sea and various exotic scents. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze was blowing over the sky-blue sea.


However, as picturesque as the harbour was, Elpsis was not here for sightseeing. Or to buy souvenirs from one of the many vendours that populated the port, despite their best attempts to sell her various trinkets, talismans and good luck charms. No, she was here to meet her mother.


They'd arranged for a meeting on the day before and so here Elpsis was, making her way to one of the less populated areas of the port in search of her mother's boat. Hopefully this time there wouldn't be any sea serpents! Her mother's strong Force presence was like a beacon of Light, inexorably guiding the teenager towards her. Elpsis clamped down on her nerves, hoping very much that things would go well.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth was a bit on the anxious side herself. Today was the day her daughter had arranged to meet her to chat. She had little clue to what exactly they would talk about. And she wondered if any answer or explanation she had would be good enough to keep the girl from rejecting and leaving her. So many worried and painful thoughts of what could be and might happen raced through her head.

The brightly colored sailboat stood out among the others around it in the port. It was simplistic and small, well small enough just to comfortably house three, maybe four people. The living space itself was tight, a small galley and a tiny table with two bench seats on either side that would just barely fit two people. There was a small living room, with a couch, and a holotv, with a few cabinets for storage.

The place was clean, for a change. Though one shouldn't look in the drawers. Coryth had been in a huge rush to make sure the place looked clean and great for her daughter. She didn't want Elpsis to get the wrong idea about her. She finally wandered up to the deck and out onto the wooden dock to wait for Elpsis to arrive. She could feel the girl's presence now, a bit dark and different, yet so familiar.

She offered a kind smile as Elpsis got closer. "Hello, dear. It's good to see you." The redhead was more than a touch nervous but she was going a decent job of masking it well. Still she wasn't sure if she should hug the girl or wait. She sighed quietly and finally figured maybe she should just ask. "Would you mind if I gave you a hug? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable if you don't and I did so anyway." Her words were a bit uncertain, her anxiety showing through, just a tiny bit.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Presumably this thread took place before Elpsis tagged along with the Coalition to beat up pirates on Boz Pity and get shot in the abdomen. Thusly, so far she'd only been shot in the back. The wound had largely healed thanks to Aella and for the most part she could walk properly.


Now that these timeline issues are out of the way, we shall move on with the plot. Elpsis easily found the brightly coloured sailing boat. Sand and dust crunched under her army surplus boots, then she faced her mother! Under other circumstances, this might've been the moment for the redhead to make a lame joke about the fact that the older woman was kind of tiny compared to her, but she was too nervous.


As a matter of fact, she was fidgeting. Oh, for feth's sake, come on, girl, she told herself. "You can. I'd like that," she said after a moment's hesitation, taking a deep breath. "It's good to see you, too," she finally admitted, smiling shyly.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth managed a sweet but a little awkward smile, and leaned forward to wrap her arms around her daughter. She pulled back and just looked over the young woman, "I'm glad you called." She said quietly.

With a slightly brighter smile, she motioned for Elpsis to follow her. "Come on, let's get on board. I can find us something for lunch I'm sure. Then we can head out and take a little trip out into the ocean if you'd like. Or we can just stay here and chat. It's all up to you. If that's too much, let me know. I'm not exactly sure where the boundaries are between us yet. But we'll figure it out, I'm sure." She was rambling a bit. Like she could sometimes do when nervous.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Elpsis froze when Coryth embraced her, not knowing what to do. It took her a moment or two before she bent down and returned the hug. Very awkwardly, but it was a start. A step in the right direction. "I'm, uh, sorry for not calling earlier. I had stuff to figure out," she said awkwardly, fidgeting slightly.


She followed Coryth onto the boat, looking around. Her mother was rambling. It was kind of cute. "We can go on a boat trip if you want. Sounds fun," she spoke at last, trying to be encouraging. "If there's sea monsters, we can charm 'em into not eating us." There, she'd said 'we'.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth nodded, acknowledging the apology. "It's okay, truly. I didn't want to pressure you into something you didn't want, so I waited. I wanted the choice to be yours, as I long ago gave up any rights I had to you long ago. So, everything is on your terms. And it will always be that way until you decide otherwise. I leave that all in your hands, Elpsis. Hate me, want to get to know me, want to run from me, that's all up to you." The redhead was trying her best, but damned if she didn't know how to deal with this in the least.

She sighed as she stepped onto the boat and headed down below deck to get things settled before they headed out. "As long as you don't mind. I've found the creatures out there to be rather understanding if only you can speak to them on their terms." She shrugged a small bit.

"Hungry?" She asked, as she walked into the tiny galley, looking to offer Elpsis something for lunch. "I don't have a lot beyond some fish, a few veggies and stuff for sandwiches." She shook her head, somewhat smiling, "I don't entertain often, as you can tell."

Her thoughts then returned to the call. "I am curious though, what made you decide to call now? No judgement. I'm just wondering if something happened that made you decide to reach out."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Her mother was rambling. It was kind of cute. At least it meant Elpsis wasn't the only one feeling nervous! "You don't entertain often? No candlelights and wild monkey sex with goldielocks on the boat while the sun sets?" she could not resist trolling Coryth. After all, it was obviously in her job description.


"Sandwich works for me." However, Coryth's last question seemed to give her pause. She wasn't sure how to approach it. She stuck her hands into her jeans pockets, shifting nervously. For a short interval, her eyes seemed focused on her boots before she looked up and opened her mouth.


"Went on a trip with the Kerrigans. Felt...weird. They were all happy family and I, well, guess it reminded me what I didn't have. Siobhan and I, um, talked. She was a queen and I stormed off...but I guess what she said got me thinking. Felt childish to ignore you all the time. Had to see at least whether you wanted me."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth's cheeks flushed slightly, "Not here. And well, not really at my place. I go to Kaida's for that sort of thing. Her place is a little more spacious than here on the boat. Or in my tiny apartment." She said with a soft smile.

Coryth nodded, and reached into the tiny fridge and started to pull out various things for sandwiches, cheeses, meats, veggies and that sort of thing. "I really don't know what you like or not, so please, feel free to make yourself what you'd like." The redhead said as she motioned to a spot beside her where Elpsis could make her own.

Slowly Coryth worked through and made her own, but waited to sit down until Elpsis had made her own. She pulled out two bottles of water from the fridge and set them on the small table while she listened to Elpsis. "Happy family ..." She nodded, and sighed a little. "Even I never had such a thing." She whispered quietly. Coryth nodded again, "I understand, I think."

For a long moment she was quiet as she sat down at the table, now that Elpsis presumably had made her sandwich. "It's not that I don't want you, or that I didn't want you. You didn't pick the circumstances in which you came into this world. I was still horrifically ill, and my wounds," She motioned to the still very visible scars along her arms, "Were still oozing and bleeding from the poison. I couldn't care for a child. I couldn't then. And letting you go was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. But I had to. I couldn't give you the care you needed, I couldn't even hold you and risk you be poisoned too. And I wouldn't heal for well over a year, my wounds closing over."

Coryth sighed, knowing she was rambling again, "Look, Elpsis, I would like to know you. I never wanted to let you go. But I didn't have a whole lot of option at the time. Your best chance at a decent life, seemed to be one far away from me and the horrors that followed me. I just wanted to protect you, and see you cared for. I did want you, but I just," She sniffled slightly, "I just couldn't then. There was so much going on then. So much pain. It's so complicated, Elpsis."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Awkward City. Presently it had two inhabitants. This made it a rather manageable town!


Elpsis felt so nervous she didn't even make embarrassing innuendo about Coryth's sex life. She sat down at the table and started helping herself to a sandwich. For a long moment she didn't know what to say. "I'm...sorry," she finally said, unsure how to respond. Truth be told, she felt a bit selfish. Perhaps also ashamed for having thought so poorly of her mother. "I get what you did. We can't go straight to being happy family. I can't see you as my mum just now. But I'd like us to be friends." Hesitantly, she reached out and took Coryth's small hand.


"That is, if you can accept me. I've killed, I've stolen, dealt spice, ran with gangs," she took a deep breath, her lip trembled slightly, "sold my body on the streets." Perhaps this confession was cathartic in a way, even as fears and anxieties swelled up inside her. The girl bit back tears.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

The sadness in Coryth's eyes was unmistakable. "It's okay. It's not your fault what happened or how it ended up. Best of intentions, and it still didn't work out the way either of us would have wanted to." It took a lot for Coryth not to tear up herself. She had so many hopes that Elpsis' life would have been better than hers, and would have been safer far from her. she hoped it would have been with loving parents, and she'd have been protected from her father.

"I don't expect to go to being a happy family. I never expected that. We're strangers to one another, and neither of us has much clue about the other. It takes time to form a relationship or any kind of bond. And that, I don't expect to happen overnight." Coryth gently squeezed Elpsis' hand in return, still trying to keep her own tears from falling. However, even she couldn't mask her empathy in this moment. And it was filled with so much regret, pain and sorrow, and an urge to go back in time and make a different choice, no matter how disastrous that would have been. "Friends, is a good place to start if there's to be any chance between us."

Coryth sighed and nodded. she understood too well about the kind of life Elpsis had. It made her heart ache for the girl. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. Without family and without help and something to ground you."

Another heavy sigh fell from her lips, her own life hadn't been all that easy. "I have no room to judge you, Elpsis dear." She reached out and gently cupped the redhead's cheek to try and comfort her.

One more sigh and Coryth finally decided to tell Elpsis a little of her own story. "Elpsis, my life wasn't easy either." Reaching up she ran a nervous hand through her hair, trying to calm her own nerves. "I was born into slavery, my mom escaped with me and she died when I was maybe seven years old. My father, I never knew until much later in life. I spent seven years as a child on the streets before a Jedi found me. And even after that, life wasn't all shiny and happy. And I've killed too, not for some righteous cause, because I wanted to. Because a rage overcame me. Anyway it's been rough, horrible, and traumatic. I'm not sure you want to know the details, but I don't mind sharing if you do want to know. Back to my point, I've got no right to judge you. We've all done wrongs. All of us." Once more she sighed, "I'm not going to turn you away for it. And i would very much like to know you."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


On the bright side, both mother and daughter could bond over having lived rather horrible lives! They could exchange stories about Jedi incompetence, stupidity and downright cruelty. Well, that was perhaps not the best thing to bond over, but it was common ground!


Truth be told, Elpsis had expected to be rejected. So Coryth's reaction was...a big surprise for her. In a good way. However, the fact that her mother's life had clearly been awful made her heart ache. Perhaps she also felt a bit ashamed about having thought so poorly of her. Especially after Coryth admitted that she'd killed, too. Not for a just cause, but out of sheer rage.


Overcome by emotion, Elpsis impulsively hugged her mother. "I...always thought you were the Jedi's golden girl. I...had no idea. I'm sorry." At this stage she'd officially lost the battle to fight back tears. She was back to being the little girl who just wanted her mother to hold her.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth just wrapped her arms around Elpsis and held her for a moment. When she pulled back, she sighed heavily. "Golden girl? No. That I never was. I was just a toy to them, a tool to be used and stars know they used me in some of the worst ways for who I am and my skills. My master sure didn't help anything. Especially when he blamed me for the rape and all of that." Reaching over she squeezed the girl's hand gently. "But it's fine. It's the past. And its a past I rarely talk to anyone about, so it's not something most folks have much idea about."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Elpsis trembled slightly but returned the embrace when her mother hugged her. Suffice to say many of her illusions and misconceptions were being shattered. An expression of shok crossed her features when Coryth said the Jedi had blamed her for getting raped. "He...did what? He fething blamed you for getting raped? What kind of freaking arsehole is that? That's the same monster who left you alone in lava?" Suffice to say plenty of anger was spilling over from Elpsis. She'd never been good at controlling her temper. Redhead rage in 3...2...1!

 

[Coryth Elaris]

To Coryth this was old history, old news. It was horrible. It was painful. That was the key, was. It was not something that bothered her too much these days. "Yes, he laid the blame solely at my own feet. It was my fault because I'd fallen in love, chosen to get engaged, plan a life for myself with another. In his eyes it was this love that had brought this on me, the torture, the pain, the rape, the pregnancy, all my fault. It never seemed to cross his mind that it was the acts of a sociopath that thrived on the pain and suffering of others. And yes, that would be the very same monster." Coryth shrugged slightly, her own anger over these things had mostly been released a long while ago. It was part of why she'd fallen away to the darkside. "There are reasons I want nothing to do with the Jedi order. There are reasons I live alone, somewhere between a boat, a spartan apartment, and wandering the galaxy helping who I can."

She sighed again, "I came back to no support and so much blame laid upon my shoulders. I was a teenager, just eighteen myself. Hell if I knew how to handle any of it. I tried to do what I thought would give you your best chance. I didn't think that was with a broken teenager who couldn't hold you, nurse you or care for you. All, all of it broke me." Coryth admitted sadly, the first traces of tears showing in her eyes as she tried to desperately keep her feelings held back. "And I'm sorry. That I couldn't be there, or be who you needed me to be."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


To Coryth this was old history. Very painful stuff, but still old news and not something that haunted her. However, Elpsis was still very young. The wounds that had been cut into her flesh were still raw. A wrong step, the wrong touch, and it could feel like salt was being rubbed into them. Moreover, she'd never been good at controlling her temper. Truth be told, she probably could not be blamed since she hadn't had the best role models.


"I...," she began, pausing briefly. It was clearly not easy for her to say this. "I...forgive you." There, she'd said it. Three simple words. They'd been a long time coming. Eighteen years in the making. "Always thought you didn't want me. No one ever did, so how could you? Thought I was dumped because I was inconvenient. I cried for you, or anyone, to come when...he hurt me. Couldn't imagine your life was hell. But...I was wrong. The universe's treated us both like complete crap." She reached out tentatively to stroke Coryth's cheek and brush tears away in case they spilled down. "I'm...sorry, mother."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth seemed a little shocked to hear those three simple words. They weren't what she'd expected to hear in the least. And for a moment the tiny redhead seemed a bit speechless. Coryth sighed softly, "Truth be told, I didn't when I first learned I was pregnant. I was angry, hurt and so afraid. I didn't know what to do. However I had nine months to work things out and come to terms with what happened, and that you like me didn't choose this life or how we came to where we are. In the end, giving you away was one of the hardest things I ever did. I just knew, I couldn't be what you needed then. It wasn't for lack of love, or care, or want at that point. It came down to what gave you the best chance."

Coryth let Elpsis wipe the few tears that had fallen away. "You were never inconvenient. Never that. Never." She then reached out to squeeze the girl's hand. "I'm sorry he found you. I'm sorry for what happened, that I wasn't there. I so thought you'd be safer with a new family, away from the pain and horrors I was going through. I never dreamed he'd get to you." Another sigh, "You're right. We've both had hellish lives of our own."

She gave a small nod, "You had every right to think that way. I can understand your side and understand where you are coming from on that. Because it would seem that way at first glance. Just scratch the surface and things come into perspective."

Coryth managed a soft sad smile, "You've nothing to be sorry for, dear. Not a thing. I can't in the least blame you for the way you thought about me and the situation." The word mother, felt so strange to her. She'd never imagined herself being a mother in any way, to anyone. That was going to take some getting used to.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Elpsis brushed a few tears from her eyes as she tried to get control over her emotions before they spilled all over in a massive flood. The empathic backlash was already giving her a bit of a headache. "The arsehole's dead. I met him in hell and beat him to a bloody pulp. He's not comin' back, right?" There was an undercurrent of fear in her voice, though she tried not to make it apparent. Though he might be gone, her father's spectre still haunted and scared her. Of course, there was no chance of him returning from the dead, abducting and tormenting her. None at all! Girl Scout's honour!


"So...we wanna do a fresh start now? Cause I'd like that," she said shyly, trying to banish the dark thoughts from her mind. "Spent enough time being held back by all that crap I had to deal with and I do want to get to know you." Get to know her mother. That would take some getting used to, but not in an unpleasant way. "Siobhan said you left the holier than thou Jedi Brigade."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth nodded, "He is. Siobhan saw to it. She was most unkind to him, and would have ensured he suffered even more, had we had the time. We didn't back then. I was, on deaths door, unfortunately." She sighed, and ran a slow hand through her own hair, trying to even out her emotions, to keep Elpsis from having to feel hers too. "No, he's not coming back. He's got nothing left to come back in. He's got no more clones. And by all rights is trapped now, somewhere on the other side." She gently ran her thumb over the back of her daughter's hand, to offer some comfort. Even she had that worry, fear even that he wasn't fully gone. That he might attempt a return someday.

A faint smile formed on her lips, "I'd like that as well, truly." As nervous as it made her, a fresh start had been all she wanted and to not be rejected. "I'm glad to hear that. I wasn't sure you wanted to know me at all. And I never wanted to force it. Warms my heart to know that now."

And of course the topic was bound to come up. "I did. Left them behind some time ago. Truthfully, I never fit in there. And they never seemed to know what to do with me. Also, probably didn't help matters that I didn't exactly take things sitting down and was fully willing to tell the council where to stick it. A healer's place isn't in dark temples, hunting down terrible items of power. Nor is it to lead soldiers into battle. And don't get me started on my old Master. He certainly didn't make things better or easier by any means." Again, she sighed, "It's unfortunate the way things went. And all of it, well, it could have been avoided, if they had any common sense. But that is a skill that seems to be rather uncommon among Jedi." Understatement of the century, no doubt.

"My only regret, was not leaving them sooner. But I foolishly hoped that the problems would work themselves out. That things would get better with new leadership." She rubbed at her forehead, a bit frustrated, "It just never happened. And things only seemed to get worse as time went on. So, leaving was inevitable."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"Hey, don't sweat it. Chit happens. I ditched the jerks in robes after I failed my trials and they put me in AgriCorps. Silly trials. Why the feth is reciting six lines of purple poetry and writing an essay about them important? No wonder most Jedi can't sodding cope in the real world. The woman teaching me was a complete robot. I got tortured by a psycho, and they told me to freaking meditate because 'there is no emotion, there is peace'. First big thing I did was steal one of their fighters. Poorly designed piece of crap, by the way. Made a killin' on Nar Shaddaa though," Elpsis shook her head. Most Jedi tended to irritate her.


Since she didn't count her mother as a Jedi, the only one she really liked was [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] since she was all sorts of cool. Moreover, her robes were less silly. "So whaddaya do now? Hang out with the hot space elves and heal folks? How'd you end up here? How long have you known Siobhan?" She was a bit curious because Firemane was sort of Dark Jedi Central. Bizarrely, they seemed a lot nicer and more moral than many Jedi she'd met.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth sighed and nodded. Chit happened, far too often for her tastes. "Well, I think you were far braver than I, in leaving them. I let far too many walk on me for far too long before I found a voice to say 'No, this ends here and now.' Stars know that code, didn't do me much good either. So many things I simply had to work out on my own, without a lick of help. I understand with that. I really do. And they, well with very few exceptions, truly can't cope with the outside world. And I think, the galaxy is starting to realize that as well." That was the unfortunate state of the Order and the Republic. Crap like that happened when you let some silly finger ponder more or less become the reigning government - since it seems that their senate and prime minister were more than happy to bow to the the Jedi and kiss their feet these days. They'd lost any back bone they might have once had. It seems people forgot how the republic was supposed to operate - and that force users were in a small minority. Hell, most of the time it was the Jedi stuck being persecuted or even put on trial and exiled. Alas, those days were long gone.

Coryth chuckled a little. So many questions all at once. Not that she minded. "Well, I am a surgeon. So, I still perform those duties for whoever needs it. I have a tiny aid company that I am working on. And honestly, relaxing and yes hanging out with the elves. Things have been so terrible for me, for so long, that when I got here I just wanted a small break. Something that would allow me time to take a look at my life, figure out the problematic parts that led me into trouble so often and try to avoid that. I'm not exactly as young as I once was."

She sighed a little, "Well how I ended up here ... My life used to be entirely on Corellia and I was part of the Omega Pyre - back when it actually held purpose and mattered in the galaxy. I ran into Siobhan when I sought training one evening." For now, she decided not to mention the whole kidnapping thing and being taken into Unknown space.

A soft smile spread across her lips, contently enjoying the memory of what she and Siobhan did for a second. "We trashed a training room and then some between the two of us. Anyway, things changed in the Pyre and I found myself no longer fitting there." She shrugged, "It was time for me to move on. And with as good a friend as Siobhan had become, it was only natural for me to go to Kaeshana where she was and take up work with her. Of course I wandered a bit before I finally settled down there."

"Now, Tygara, coming here was a whole different thing. I saw the place in a vision. Helped the Eldorai with that knowledge I got in that single vision to find Arkas and the cousins of the Eldorai that were enslaved there. With a bit more work we finally found Tygara before Kaeshana was nearly destroyed by the Asteroid. Not much is left of it but rock and radiation I imagine now." She sighed quietly, and looked up to her daughter. "That's the short of it really."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]