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

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Coryth might not realise it, but she was gaining plenty of approval points from her daughter. It helped that she was cool with Elpsis bashing Jedi a lot. In the young redhead's opinion, almost all of the finger ponderers sucked and the world would be better off without them.


"Yeah, no kidding. You know what's funny? Jedi spent ages whining about people 'deserting' them and 'weakening the order', then because things got tough and that Lasedri woman pissed some bigwigs off, they run away. Yammered about justice, but it never seemed to bother 'em that the Republic had a clone slave army. Last I heard, the losers are sitting on some space station. Still call themselves the Jedi Order even though they're sucking from the Silvers' teats."


Occasionally, Elpsis watched the news. She also supported #CloneLivesMatter. She seemed to realise that she still had a sandwich and munched on it. Some mayonnaise ended up being smeared across her mouth and she licked it clean with her tongue. "Heard the Pyre was the chit once. Just a bunch of losers in power armour now. I'm glad Siobhan was there for you. She...cares about you a lot. Hell, I think she's got a fething crush on you."


Elpsis, that's not news. The subtext became obvious twenty threads ago. The odds of Elpsis asking embarrassing questions about her mother's sex life were totally negligible. She shuddered a bit when she thought about Kaeshana being destroyed. "Never visited Kaeshana. Saw it being wrecked on telly. That was...sad. All those dead people. But it's so cool you found their new planet. I get visions sometimes but they're mostly soddin' useless."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth shook her head. "Sounds about right. Nothing really surprises me with them. I'd only be surprised if they got off their arses and acted like one singular unit and order without all the bs and politics. Jedi were never supposed to be involved in those types of affairs."

She nodded, "Yeah, Lasedri was an interesting woman. I met her in a dream once, as strange as that sounds." Then of course there was the bit about the Jedi order taking what they pleased from the Silvers. "Honestly, they'd die without the Silvers. They already are dying. They just don't seem to understand that."

The redhead smiled, less interested in her food right then, "Once upon a time it was a good or organization. A good place for decent work that didn't involve dirty deeds and things that I generally couldn't be involved with. But alas you are right. Fools in power armor these days." A soft chuckle escaped her lips, "Yes, she does care and does have a bit of a crush. Well more than a crush its a type of love. However, we both understand it will never, ever work between us. So we remain close friends happy to see the other find joy in their lives, in whatever form that takes. Complicated but that's kind of how it goes when we've known each other as long as we have."

Coryth again nodded, her memories with Kaeshana's destruction were not pleasant. Such was the nature of being a prophetess and an empath. It was all still quite painful for her. "It was a horrific event. One I hope I never have to witness again. It's not fun being an empath and near something like that."

She sighed, understanding too well. "Visions aren't an easy thing to master. Even I don't have true control over them. They come and go as they will. I can't force them to come. But I've gotten better at clinging on when a vision begins and sorting through what it means and the message it's meant to convey. It takes practice and a lot of work to get to where they don't hurt you when they happen and to gain some small bit of control over them. It's not impossible. It can be done. It just takes time. And some part of it is being able to interpret symbols, since not all visions actually show you the event that's going to happen, they only give you signs and symbols of what it might be and its up to you to work it out. It can be a lifesaving gift. Especially if you learn a special subset skill of it, battle precog. The ability to see just a few seconds ahead in a fight. It can make all the difference."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Elpsis had long come to the conclusion that the Galaxy would probably be better off without Jedi since they tended to do a lot more harm than good. While strutting around in their brown robes and expecting everyone to be grateful for their 'protection'. The redhead might be a little bit biased.


She felt like enquiring more about the, in her eyes, peculiar relationship between her mother and Siobhan, but held her tongue. It sounded awfully complicated to her! She still was not sure where she stood regarding the Firemane matriarch. Or whether the woman even liked her.


She took a last bite from her sandwich, then put it down, having discovered that she wasn't feeling particularly hungry anymore. "So...you can help me control that vision stuff, mum? I'd like it to be usefu. Or at least stop being a fething pain all the time. Precog's saved my arse a few times. When I don't get overloaded with feedback."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Elpsis wasn't the only one that had come to that conclusion. With the way the order was, the Galaxy was better off without them. And Coryth for her part was grateful that Elpsis hadn't asked further about her relationship with Siobhan.

Coryth nodded gently, "I can help you with it, yes. I don't mind. I understand just how much of a pain it can be. As well as how horrific some of the visions can be. Control helps make things easier, but it doesn't stop them completely." The little woman nodded again, "I'm glad it has. For all of the burden that is it, it's occasionally worth it for the times it saves our lives."

She stood and quietly gathered up their plates, sensing the meal was done. "I can train you whenever you'd like. I don't mind." Smiling softly she sat back down after clearing away the table. "If you are ready, we can head out sailing now. Or we can go back into town, to my apartment and hang out there, or just walk the city. It's up to you."

"I would love to hear about your life, what you've been up to all these years. If you don't mind sharing that is. If you don't trust me enough yet, that's okay. We'll talk about something else, dear."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"We can go on a boat trip. Sounds fun." Maybe they'd run into sea monsters! Presumably they'd end up turning one into a pet. Elpsis would have gotten up to help her mother clear the plates away, but it seemed Coryth was already on top of things.


The redhead shrugged. "What about me? I like the girls, I'm good at shooting, setting things on fire, pazaak, I can drink seasoned pirates under the table and I ain't a half bad pilot. Aba and I got a big bounty on our heads on Nal Hutta. We're kinda famous," Well, that wasn't so bad! Her tone was not hostile or defensive, though more than a bit sarcastic.


"The folks who picked me up were boring squares who couldn't pop out a a kid 'naturally', so they adopted one to fix their marriage. Didn't work, didn't bother with me much. They were happy to ship me off to the Jedi when I started moving with my brain. I only set that one kid's hair on fire and he was being a bully. Jedi were, well, you know what they're like. Arrogant, pretentious dicks who think they're the Force's gift to the universe."


There was a pause before words left her lips again. "I, uh, met...him on a routine mission. One of the masters was taking the Younglings out for a trip. Everyone died...except me," she took a deep breath and clenched her fists when she felt the horrible memories flood her. She did not want to think about her father. "I don't want to talk about that part, ok? Can we skip it?" There was an almost pleading tone to her voice.


Slowly she relaxed and unclenched her hands. She had not intended to say more, but it seemed she could not stop the stream of words leaving her mouth. "Dumped the Jedi some time after I got rescued. They didn't understand. Failed by Paddy trials, got put in Agricorps, decided enough was enough. Ended up in a street gang on Coruscant. Deep down in the badlands where prissy Jedi are too scared to go because it might soil their robes. Or make them realise their 'guardians of peace and justice' shtick is bogus. I guess you know what it's like there. Started with dealin' spice...and other things. First man I killed was a cop tryin' to arrest me. It was an accident. Thought he was gonna shoot me...then he was on fire."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"Boat trip it is then," Coryth said as she got up and started to head up onto the deck of the ship, motioning for Elpsis to follow. She was quick to untie the boat from the dock and headed up to start the small engine to get them out of the marina before letting the sails out. The entire time listening to her daughter.

"Bounty, eh?" Coryth didn't say it but she found her own girl reminding her much of Cora, and well herself in her younger years. She sighed slightly hearing about the family who had adopted Elpsis, feeling a bit awful for once more leaving her in that situation. Not that she could have done too much better herself back then.

"Yes, that's fine Elpsis. We don't have to talk about that. I know too well what he was like." She shook her head, pushing away her own horrid memories of the man. Quickly wanting to move on from that subject she pointed out a small safety issue, "Watch your head out here, you're taller than me. While I don't have to worry about the boom hitting me, you do." She said pointing to the bottom part of the sail above them.

"I understand." She said of the Jedi, something she knew all too well given her own master and his blaming of her for her rape and so much more. "Almost, almost funny how we both did things slightly in reverse. I was out on the streets, couldn't have been older than seven when my mom passed on. Street gangs on Coruscant were the only way for someone like me to survive. They also almost got me killed which is how I ended up with the Jedi at fourteen. Long story that, short of it - stole from the wrong person for some coin to get food." She shrugged as she finally got them out into open waters.

Reaching up she let the sail out and wit care adjusted it to match with the winds to allow them to carry the ship further out to sea. "I did plenty of things I'm not proud of, back then as a kid. And when I was older on. Many mistakes including killing innocents." Coryth really didn't want to revisit that tale. "So, I understand - truly. Not going to judge you for it. Not when I've done just as bad if not worse along the way." That at least she hoped was some comfort to the redheaded teen.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


The process of Coryth gaining approval points continued. If she kept on track, she might have maxed out affection by the end of the thread. Despite her doubts, she clearly wasn't doing badly as a mother. For her part, Elpsis' expression was a cross between relieved and fearful. She glanced a bit nervously to the blue water while the wind blew the sail around, then looked back at her mother.


"Got kicked out of the gang after that. They were scared of me. Didn't want a 'crazy witch' around," she sighed. "I was afraid and alone on the streets. Stole, pickpocketed...and, well," she looked down on the floor. Her upper lip trembled and she took a deep breath. "Needed cash. Some of the dicks liked girls young. One was an upper class jackarse who liked to cruise around the shantytowns and pick girls up. He got...violent when I wanted to leave," slowly she raised her chin. There was a fire in her eyes.


"He wasn't able to hurt anyone by the time I was done. Burnt the pig's fancy villa down. Swore I'd never be anyone's fething toy after that. Learned how to protect myself and to be strong. Ended up hooking up with a smuggler gang. They were nice enough. Woman running them was kinda cool. Learned how to use a gun, pilot a freighter...boarded my mother's ship."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

This mother thing, Coryth still wasn't sure about. She certainly didn't feel like one after so much time had passed them by. Once everything was settled with the sails Coryth sat down on the deck of the boat crossing her legs and relaxing a bit. "I can understand that, albeit I was younger. And certainly not old enough to have much for street smarts." She sighed hearing about the man and the things Elpsis was forced to do. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine what that was like. I don't imagine I'd have done much differently though."

It was then she caught on to one last little line, one detail. "My ship? That woman? Oh my stars, you must be joking." Coryth couldn't believe it. There paths had crossed so closely and never had known. "Wow, just ... wow. Now I know the universe has a sense of humor and loves to screw with me. This is so proof of that. So proof." A light smile was on her lips, clearly not too mad about that.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Taizze T'keran had probably not been the best role model for a child. The Zabrak was very coarse, violent and had a hair-trigger temper. Contrary to what the holovids would have you believe, the average smuggler is neither a hero of the people nor a criminal with a heart of gold.


They do not take from the rich to give to the poor. Rather they steal food and medical supplies to sell them for overinflated prices. Or smuggle drugs and weapons for warlords. Sometimes they also smuggle people, though in all fairness Elpsis' gang had drawn the line at slavery. Probably because the captain had been a slave once. It had not stopped them from selling to people who did have slaves though.


Still, she'd probably been the first person to treat the young redhead with something like decency and gentleness. Coryth's reaction made Elpsis giggle girlishly. "Hahaha. That's so soddin' funny! Things were good for a while. Cap was the first person to give a damn about me. Kinda miss her sometimes. She was real badass. Busted her out of jail and broke an OP blockade once. Then she got killed on Ord Mantell. What was left of the crew didn't last longer together, I got a ship and did my own thing. Then I got sucked into the freakin' Netherworld."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"So not funny at the time." Coryth said with a shake of her head. "I'm glad she treated you well though. A shame about what happened to her, but I'm glad at least there was someone around for you." The redhead sighed, "Netherworld was a mess. I didn't get sucked over to the other side, but got stuck on this side leading OP briefly as an Exarch. Nearly died too on Sullust, just trying to check on the planet. And stars know there was plenty of other unpleasant things that happened. It was a most strange time. I'm sorry you were stuck there on your own."

Complicated was an understatement about the Netherworld and the things that Coryth had to do at the time. Running any part of a government was difficult in the best of times. During that, a mess described it well. Not that OP wasn't broken before that lovely event. "I did meet Kaida around then. Woman talked some sense into me and my foolish ways of running into danger without any form of backup or help. Good woman."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Taizze had also taught Elpsis how pleasurable her own sex could be. So much better than men. The Zabrak had had...lovely horns. The young redhead shrugged. "S'ok. Wasn't that bad after I got over the shock and the emo ghosts. Beating the crap out of 'Daddy' and blowing his brains out cheered me up. He turned into a freaking pussy without his fancy space magic. Falling through a portal and waking up with a major case of aggro on Alderaan was scary though. Stupid Vong. Stole a ship and went back to business. Y'know about Arkas and Rhen Var. Met Aba on Nal Hutta. We're all sorts of badass together."


She and [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] needed to return to Hutt planet and take care of a certain bounty. She grinned slightly and felt like steering the conversation to another topic: Back to her mother's love life! "Goldielocks treating you well?" One wondered how Kaida would react if she heard that nickname. Probably not well! "She looks cold and frosty all the time. Gotta say, she's got some nice tits though!"

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth shook her head. It was hard to imagine that monster without his powers. "I would imagine so. He wasn't the sort to ever do anything but rely on his powers to get his way. Him without them, well ... that would be worth seeing his weakness and how easy it is to crush him." Oh such thoughts. Perhaps not the thoughts a Jedi should think, but Coryth hardly cared at this point. She'd gotten rid of the silly order that cared about things like her thoughts, and less so her actions. "I'm only glad you are safe."

She nodded, "Yes, I do recall both a little too well. Things were quite the mess on Arkas. And Rhen Var, well .. yeah."

Coryth smiled a little, "Yeah, she does. I can't complain there. She's been good for me. Made me a better person. Makes me happy, so I can't complain in the least." Of course Elpsis had to mention her tits. "Elpsis!" She seemed more than a touch shocked, "My girlfriend, you don't get to talk about her breasts." Oh yes, Coryth could feel her skin flushing just a little. "And she's not cold and frosty, not to me at least. Love the woman." Coryth then realized that was one of the first times she'd said that word about another in that manner in a really long time. A thought that warmed her heart a good deal, and made her a little more apt to forget what Elpsis had said about Kaida.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Sweet Coryth was now experiencing one of the most awkward consequences of being a parent. Namely the fact that your child might poke you about your love life. It was just her bad luck that her daughter was rather nosy, lustful and lacked an internal censor.


"Hey, it's not my fault her tits are kinda...in your face. Bit hard not to see them." Well, in all fairness, they were not gravity-defying melons like Siobhan's. "So, she's an Angelii chick. Are they as dominant as folks say?" Elpsis, that's so not a question to ask your mother. However, then Coryth's last words seemed to resonate with her and she grinned. "Wait, you love her? When did that happen and does this mean I gotta Goldielocks stepmom now?"

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"Elpsis!" Again Coryth couldn't believe her ears. Her daughter, definitely embarrassing her, that was for sure. "I can't have this conversation with you, about her. I just can't." It was hard enough for her to just talk about sex with anyone much less her own daughter. That was just a touch too embarrassing and uncomfortable for her.

Coryth's lips twisted into a bit of a worried frown as Elpsis caught exactly what she had said about Kaida. "I ..." She bit at her lip, "I don't know." Coryth sounded so uncertain and unsure. Love always had been a complicated issue for her. And it was extremely hard to think she might be in love now. In some ways it felt so right, others it felt a little like betrayal to her late fiance. "I think I love her. It's just... It's complicated. Not something I want to talk about right now. Or even joke about." Coryth shrugged, and sighed heavily. Right then she felt awful for not wanting to talk about it. She should have been happy to realize it. Her past just made it a little painful, rough. And right then she only wanted to see Kaida, to talk to her about it. At the same time she was terrified to do so, because Coryth feared that Kaida didn't feel the same way she did.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Alas, poor Elpsis was very interested in her mother's sex life. Or rather she seemed to think it was a good topic to troll Coryth about. However, though she strongly desired to poke and prod more, she felt the abrupt shift in Coryth's mood.


After all, she was an empath, too. "Why? Is something wrong?" she asked, looking perplexed. Admittedly the elf seemed kind of dull to her, but she didn't understand the doubt and uncertainty that was leaking from her mother's aura. Feeling at a loss about what to do, she reached out to hug her mother. Little Elpsis still had much to learn.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth sighed painfully. With Elpsis hugging her, she wrapped her arms around the girl for a moment before releasing her. "Because I've only loved one person, in this kind of sense. And that was my fiance, who is gone because of me." She said sadly. "It's incredibly complicated. saying I love someone else, knowing I might feel that way, it doesn't feel right. It's a bit of a sore spot." The complexities of Coryth's love life, knew little bounds. "I don't want to talk about it, because it all still bothers me and still hurts. Some wounds don't ever heal and this one certainly never has." Didn't help she blamed herself for his death and the way their relationship went. After all, she in the end was the one who lived, while he perished. And she couldn't help but lay the blame at her own feet.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Elpsis was getting the impression that her mother's life had been extremely crappy until recently. It made her feel rather bad. Especially because not so long ago the teenager had thought rather ill of Coryth. "That's...messy." Well, yeah, stating the obvious there, girl. "I don't have a clue about love, but I figure if they loved you, they'd want you to be happy, right? I mean, Siobhan loved that elf woman, Adril something, and she's with Tegs now, but it didn't make what she once had mean any less." It was worded a bit awkwardly, but she was trying to help.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"Lil' bit." Coryth managed to reply, her eyes focused off in the distance. For the most part she was lost in thought, though still hearing Elpsis. "Yes, maybe. I don't know." The tiny woman sighed, and ran a slow hand through her hair, distracting herself with untangling a couple parts that had been tousled by the light winds whipping past the boat. "I would hope so. At the same time, it feels a little like betrayal. I've not exactly been able to let go of the past, or him. He still sits in my thoughts so often. I should have been able to let go by this point." She gave a shrug, "I worry, that I'll not be able to love her, or anyone the way I loved him. That there isn't enough room in my heart. As stupid as that may sound. It's, yeah. It's complicated." Understatement, for sure.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"We use complicated way too much," Elpsis commented. Hey, look on the bright side, girls, it's something for both of you to bond over! 'My life is a complicated mess. Mine is, too. Let's have a noncomplicated mother-daughter relationship!'


Anyhow, before this post went under in a flood of moderately irrelevant meta commentary, Elpsis decided to move on the plot. "Look, mum, I don't know frost elf - or your fiance for that matter - but it's not a betrayal to me, it's moving on. You gotta do that someday. Whoever you love, I'll support you." Unless it was a certain Dahomian!

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"We do." Coryth agreed with a sigh. Complicated, both their lives were extremely so, to say the least. At least for Coryth things were starting to calm down and settle a little bit.

For a long moment Coryth was silent after her daughter's words. Somehow she hadn't expected that level of maturity and understanding. Though it was obvious at this point, what Cory needed to do, moving on. Most folks knew it. And somewhere, some part of Coryth knew it too. It was just much harder to admit. "I suppose so." She said quietly, a certain sadness hanging in the air with her words. "I am glad or your support. I am." The last thing she wanted was to seem ungrateful. She was far from it. It was still a difficult matter. Saying it was one thing, doing it another. "I'm trying, to go. To move on." Trying, wasn't doing exactly. It was somewhere in between. "Letting go, isn't easy."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]