Private I Can Fix That Too

[Cali Ziiva]

Time: 854 ABY (-4 Years)
Location: Denon
Tag: Millu Lee

A soft hum radiated from amidst the shelves, crates, and chains that hung from the ceiling. If one peered into the shop through the open bay door, they would quite clearly see a pink maned, pink skinned humanoid creature swaying side to side while working on something between her hands. With a few more twists of the screwdriver, the humming ceased and she thrust a small cylindrical object into the air overhead. "Another one ready," she cried.

She pulled it back down, tossed the tool onto a nearby workbench, and then bounced over to a nearby droid that stood nearby.

With more care than was truly needed, the object was slid inside of the inert chassis. A few clicks later and the droid's eyes started to glow. The Zeltron scooted back a step and clasped her hands together.

A giggle followed the droid's robotic voice inquiring as to its present circumstances. "Don't worry, they'll be along to pick you up shortly."

"Oh. Then shall I remain here until that time?"

A toothy grin followed before Cali swept away and back toward her bench. "Of course, silly. I'm not going to put you outside to get stolen. Look at all these things I need to fix," she gestured at a few droids, a hovercraft, and a swoop bike. "I can't go running off trying to steal you back."

"You are quite right, Miss...?"

"Cali." The Zeltron plucked a circuit board off the bench and started to examine it in the spotlight over the bench. "And of course I'm right, cause I'm not wrong. Don't worry, I have plenty of room." There was still a way to walk through all of the equipment, so there was still room. Not like she needed to run laps or something; everything was quite stationary in the shop.

"Yes, I see, Miss Cali."

The local maintenance workshop wasn't owned by the Zeltron that happened to work there, but it paid well. At least, she thought it did. Maybe not enough for what she did, but Cali didn't mind doing more. Fixing things was kind of fun. Bit weird though. Something of a natural aptitude despite being a fun-loving pink girl. Besides, it wasn't like she let it cut into her party time.

 

[Millu Lee]

Time: 854 ABY (-4 years)
Location: Denon

She ran. The twelve-year old couldn't think of anything as she ran inbetween the passerbys in the streets. It had been exactly one week from that fatidic day where the girl ran away from her former neighbors, and three days since she had last eaten anything other than the scraps the restaurant owners would give her in exchange for doing the dishes.

Dirty, hungry and on the last of her clothes she had packed, Millu didn't really have a plan for what she was to do beyond that point. She was just a kid in the middle of the galaxy, all alone. After all, the whole running away thing was done on an impulse. She was lucky it had worked. But she couldn't go back now, even if she wanted to - which she didn't. The girl just hoped she could find something better to do than washing dishes in restaurants, whatever it was, and work her way up from there.

Sometimes, the memories came back to her mind, and Millu would shut them away before the tears came to her eyes. She had to be stronger than that. It would do her no good to be crying like a child. Her life from now on would have to be lived by herself. And her dumb brain had to accept that. But there were moments when she couldn't control herself, and the waterworks just came pouring out. When that happened, Millu always made sure that no one was around to see her fall apart.

It was one of those times, unfortunately. So circumstances found the small girl curled up in an alley beside a repair shop, trying her best to contain her sobs as the onslaught of memories of her mother and father back when they were a happy family, attacked her relentlessly.

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

The Zeltron had gone back to humming and swaying in time with the tune in her head. So much to do, but she knew what needed to be done. Kind of weird, but that's why the hired her -- the ping woman just looked at something and knew how to fix it. What shop wouldn't want someone like that? So there was lots of fun rigging up the fixes knowing there'd be a happy owner on the other side.

After a few moments, however, the pink one went still and turned her head aside. A blink or two and Cali's head tipped a bit to the right. "My Snuggle Senses are tingling..."

"Snuggle Senses? I am unfamiliar with such a thing."

Cali finished turning about when her bright eyes landed on the droid. "Yeah, Snuggle Senses. It's totally a Zeltron thing. Haven't figured out how to make a module for it yet, but I'll let you know when I do, 'kay?"

"Miss Cali, wait," the droid shuffled in place to track the pink woman as she made for the open bay doors street-side.

Head turned to the left. Head turned to the right. Cali's tipped her head back as she felt the movement of emotion in the air. Almost immediately Cali bounded off to the side and stopped beside the shop to peer into an alleyway. Lo and behold there crumpled a wee thing making sad noises.

"Hey," Cali slowly moved closer while lowering herself toward the ground, "are you alright?" The Zeltron tried to get closer, but wasn't trying to jump on the poor, distraught thing. "Why don't you come inside? It's, uh, warmer at least. And I'm better company than the bugs." A smile spread across her dark pink lips as she tried to gently lighten the mood and present herself as the cute and warm creature she was. If you ever found a cold Zeltron they were surely dead.

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

The girl was sobbing when she heard a voice coming from beside her. Oh great, someone found me. She thought, exasperated. Millu surely wasn't expecting to see a pink-skinned, pink-haired Zeltron kneeling beside her when she looked up,her eyes red from crying and her cheeks wet with tears mixed with the dirt that was all over her. The girl sniffed a little and rubbed her cheeks, trying to look at least a little more presentable for the other being beside her.

"I-I'm sorry but you shouldn't have seen me cry" She whimpered, afraid that she was being a nuisance. That was when the Zeltron beside her invited her to come inside the shop, and opened a big smile. Millu was a little calmer now, and so she realized that that would probably be the wisest course of action.

"I'll go with you" the girl said while standing up and brushing her hands all over herself, trying to get rid of the dust.

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

Shouldn't have seen her cry? That was quite the admission. In front of a pink woman no less -- the bleeding hearts of the galaxy.

Cali held out a hand for the little one to take as she continued to smile. "I bet I have something to eat and drink inside the shop too. My name's Cali, by the way. Cali Ziiva. Mechanic, bestest friend and winggal, and party girl supreme," she cried gently so as not to startle the young girl. "You'll like it inside, even if it isn't super colorful like me." The Zeltron gave Millu a wink.

Not the least bit concerned about purloining fingers, the Zeltron led the little one right around the corner and back into the shop. The droid she'd repaired did a little dance as it turned to follow them with its optical sensors. Cali didn't bother explaining before quickly pulling out a clean cloth tarp; bundled up into a chair it'd make for a comfortable seat and mobile fortress is Millu like.

"So, what's your favorite drink?" Bright eyes gazed upon Millu as Cali eagerly awaited her response.

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

The sparkle and shine almost radiating from the Zeltron calmed Millu a little. She rubbed at her eyes a little more and followed the pink girl called Cali when she led her by the hand to the inside of the shop.

Millu was a little bit surprised that Cali hadn't cared about the dirt all over her, normally, over this week she spent on the streets, people had been treating her like she was the dirt itself. But it was good, at least someone saw her.

As she sat in the made up chair the pink Zeltron had made for her, Millu replied the question Cali had asked her. "I like hot chocolate! I haven't drank it in a while though..." Her face fell a little when her brain reminded her of the last time she had drank hot chocolate, when her mom was still alive.

The little girl's gaze searched around the room, trying to understand what the Zeltron was working on when her eyes fell on a recently repaired droid.

"Do you fix droids?" She asked.

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

"Hot chocolate?" Cali blinked with a big grin parting her lips. "Like, that's super delish." Obviously the young girl had sophistocated tastes. Okay, Cali didn't actually believe that, but they were definitely good tastes. Long as it was actually hot chocolate and not some artificial flavoring nonsense. A Zeltron knew these things. You couldn't pass fake chocolate as the real thing with one of them around. Cali, specifically.

The pink one bounced up and scurried over to a few metal cabinets, which she opened and closed quickly until finding the right one. Hey, it was a workshop. Who had time to organize the cabinets? It was enough she remembered where she left each tool. Usually. Anyway, the Zeltron proceeded to whip up some hot dairy product, and top it with a dose of tiny sugary delights -- because who didn't like sugar with their chocolate?

As she neared completion of the concoction, Cali's wide eyes turned back in Millu's direction. Seemed the sprite had a curious question for her humoring host. "Yep. Droids, vehicles, speeders, racers... Pretty much anything mechanical or electronic."

With a temperature-dampening pad placed beneath it, Cali carefully strode back over to offer the brew to Millu. "Here you go. One hot chocolate. Made from the good stuff, not insta-water mix." After the Zeltron made sure the small one had a good hold on it, she'd slip aside to scoot over a tall box to act as a side table if Millu wanted to set the mug down for a bit.

"I like fixing things. Tinkering with them. I've even made a few small things here or there. Someday I might even have enough parts to make something big," the Zeltron explained excitedly. "Have you tried fixing something before?"

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

The girl was very impressed with her host. The Zeltron seemed to go out of her way to make Millu feel welcomed, and that was nice. "Thank you!" she mumbled as she took the hot chocolate from Cali, a little embarassed of having someone else do things for her. It had been about a month and a half since she had last been cared for, and Millu was kind of un-used to it by now.

It's very good! The girl thought as she slurped down the drink as though she was very hungry- which she was, but it also had to do with how much hot chocolate calmed her. Millu had just come back from her daydreams when she noticed then that the pink woman in front of her was asking her a question. "I tried once, my dad was fixing my neighbor's speeder bike and he taught me how to screw the bolts in place.. I don't know how to fix droids, though. I also have no idea how to make stuff."

The girl had just finished her hot chocolate and was now hunched over her cup, her elbows on the table, mindlessly circling the border of the cup with a finger, she sometimes sent small glances in her host's direction.

A crazy idea popped inside Millu's brain then. It would probably not work, but it couldn't hurt to ask. "Could you teach me a few things about this fixing stuff thing? I need to get a better job than washing dishes."

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

A face scrunched up with delight followed the little one's gratitude. Only crazy people didn't like warm, soothing, liquid chocolate. Made a girl feel all tingly. "You're welcome." Caring for people was what Zeltron did best. So many different ways to make people feel happy, and when they were happy the pink people were happy. Who didn't want to be happy?

Seemed the small one was a tad famished. Not too surprising. Young tykes like her weren't curled up in a dirty alleyway when they were well cared for. Posed a bit of a problem. Well, maybe not that problematic. Just not something Cali had given any thought to before. Course she might be able to find a reliable, caring soul to help Millu...

A soft chuckle followed Millu's reply. "It takes time. The more often you do it, with the more diversity, the faster you'll build up your skills. It's a big galaxy out there full of opportunities. Think of all the things people use every day on the street, and then imagine how many of them break daily."

With that said, Cali stood up to her full height and drifted over to her bench again to tidy up a bit. Hadn't planned on company. Place was a bit of a mess, but there was a lot of work to be done. Still, wasn't the sort of impression she wanted to leave the young woman with. It wasn't long after the Zeltron had set to work that Millu posed a curious question.

Washing dishes? While it was good to hear Millu had a way to buy food, it seemed odd someone so young would have a job. Or be thinking about a better job. Quite a forward thinker. Actually that kind of mindset would help her when it came to repair work. Cali turned around to look at the young woman for a few moments; her bright eyes wide as a smile spread across her face.

"Okay. I mean, the more you know, the less you'll have some unscrupulous mechanic charging you ten times what a job's worth. Plus you certainly can make good money," as evidence by the fact you could get away charging someone ten times what the work was worth. Tightening a bolt wasn't worth a hundred credits, but there you'd find a mechanic talking up a job like it took them three hours to do five minutes of work.

Cali looked over at the speeder for a second then looked at a washing machine over in the corner. With a shrug, the pink mechanic strode across the room to wheel the machine out so there'd be more room to work. "So, you don't have to start small, but you said you're washing dishes. Here's a washer. They tend to break down and aren't super complicated. You'll probably have plenty of opportunities to help yourself and those around you with this one, which will help you get comfortable with the job. What do you think?"

Like, she didn't know how she was supposed to teach someone, but Cali was willing to give it a try. Bit of a secret gave the Zeltron an edge that had bypassed formal training. Still, she was a talker. Now it was all about talking of things she knew well.

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

The young girl straightened slightly when she heard the Zeltron's response. It seemed she might get a few lessons on mechanics after all! That was so exciting!

"I wouldn't charge anyone ten times what my job's worth! That isn't right!" Millu sparked up, kind of outraged. Did people really do things like that? That was robbery!

She got up from her chair and followed Cali to a washer. The pink woman said she would teach her how to fix a washer. That was good! "Maybe now I can ask to fix the washers when they break and they will pay me more credits!"

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

Cali laughed lightly at the little one's outrage. "You're right. You have to charge enough to cover your expenses and earn enough when things don't work out," the Zeltron replied with a little business primer, "but there's a line between what's necessary and what's just greedy." Millu was a little young to get a full break down on small business and enterprise, however.

"Right?" Seemed like Millu caught on quickly, which would help her in the future.

Soon the pink woman went over some of the basic tools and what they were for, some of the common issues that happened to washers, and to become acquainted with the necessary parts plus how easily they can be acquired. Nothing extremely detailed so the young woman was overwhelmed, but enough to get started. Then Cali started working on cracking the beastie open. She described how to access the interior of this one and some more common ones with slight differences, and then began by pointing out the various components inside of it.

"The important thing is to make sure they pay you for your work. Like, not your usual wage either. You won't earn the same as a contractor working on your own stuff, but if they try exploiting you, let me know. I might be able to find you a position somewhere else, 'kay?"

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

Millu nodded her head as the pink woman explained to her that she shouldn't expect to be paid her usual salary, and that if her employers mistreated her, she should find a way out. "I know! They don't treat me badly, they just pay me what one would pay for someone who washes dishes, which is what I do right now. And, well, I've only been on this life for a week, so I don't really know how to bargain and stuff..."

The small girl was happy to learn all these fixing tips and Millu really really hoped that as time went on, she'd be able to be good at it, it seemed like a really great job to have! And it was certainly more interesting than her current one.

"Thank you for being nice to me, Cali... I think I needed that." Said the girl, smiling while she rubbed her arm embarrassedly.

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

The Zeltron giggled before she lightly touched the tip of Millu's nose. "If you ever find yourself in need of a friend, you can always count on a Zeltron. Really," Cali paused for a brief smile, "we love meeting new people." Of course they weren't everywhere like the Humans were, but it was pretty hard to miss the pink people. Alright, somewhere a light shade of red, violet, or even a rare sky blue. Color didn't matter. What mattered was every Zeltron wanted to feel good -- and that meant making everyone around them feel good too.

"Hey, why don't you let me know where you work right now, huh? We could keep in touch. Otherwise, you know where to find me," Cali giggled once more. Millu certainly knew where the pink woman worked; that was no secret. Of course, she would be prone to relocating in the not too distant future, not that she was currently aware of that. New opportunities in improving her own skill in the trade. Well, that and the elusive Jedi Master out there somewhere in need of his glowstick. Maybe she'd find him someday. That'd been the plan, anyway.

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

The girl shook her head and squinted her eyes when Cali booped her nose. She gave her new friend a big smile. "I work in a restaurant about two blocks from here. If you really want to, I can take you there..."

Millu didn't tell the Zeltron where she was living, and hoped Cali didn't ask for it. She had a feeling the pink woman wouldn't be in the least happy to know that Millu had spent the last week sleeping in a mat in the restaurant's hardwood floor. Yeah. Best not to tell.

She decided to change the subject away from her, and back to Cali. "Have you ever traveled to the other planets? Where is your favorite place to go to?"

Cali Ziiva

 

[Cali Ziiva]

A flop of her messy, pink hair was accompanied by a smile. Two blocks? That was pretty close. Wouldn't be hard at all to keep in touch regularly; you know, make sure Millu was doing all right. She'd been mighty upset earlier. Didn't seem like one chat and some hot chocolate -- good as it was -- would fix all of the young one's troubles. That was okay though. Cali had spent years working on a Jedi Master once.

"Zeltros," the Zeltron responded promptly. "Best place in the galaxy. Seriously. Booking travel can be tricky though; lots of people like going there." Also sometimes expensive. Not that Zeltrons wanted to keep people away, but parties required credits. The more people, the more festivities, the more credits. Plus some transportation companies did overcharge. They were admonished when found, but finding them was the hard part and, well, Zeltrons weren't super keen about work. Not like the rest of the galaxy anyway where some worked their lives away -- super sad.

A soft hum followed. "Oh, I went to Naboo once. Very pretty place. Nice people too. They have parties, but they're far more, uh, organized about how they do things unlike Zeltros. I'd recommend there second. Actually," Cali's eyes rolled up a bit to the right, "might think about getting a place there someday. Really would be a nice home away from home deal." It wouldn't be much longer in the Zeltron's future when that would be just the case. After she came into quite a few more credits than she had presently.

"How about you...?" A blink, a stare, and then Cali's head tilted the other way. "Wait a second," now a giggle, "you got me talking so much I haven't even asked your name yet! What should I call you? 'Cutey' and 'Creampuff' work, but I'll let you pick a name." A wink followed the prompting to have something other than a nondescript means of identification to call out whenever Cali saw Millu next.

Tag: Millu Lee

 

[Millu Lee]

Cali Ziiva

"I never left Denon! I've heard about a lot of planets from my parents' neighbors that traveled a lot, but I've never actually gone anywhere..."

It was nice to have an actual conversation for once. Also, Millu hadn't gone to many parties before, except carnivals and city festivals when she was smaller... The girl wanted to know more about that. It seemed like something interesting.

She liked parties, or at least the ones she had gone to before. People were happy and there was food and dance. And back then her mom was still alive and- stop it! You'll start crying again!

Cali's questioning thankfully brought Millu from her musing. "Oh, that's true." She said with a smile. "My name is Millu, but you can call me whatever you want!"

 

[Cali Ziiva]

"Millu!" Cali flashed a grin. "I like it. Might still call you Cutey now and then though."

"Hey, you know, if we get the chance we should totally go to Naboo. It's all green and blue there, I hear. Pink girl like me would like it better than all these tall buildings and fast cars. Not that they're bad, but sometimes there isn't time to just kick back." Naturally the Zeltron present was in favor of kicking back, having fun, and not staring at static buildings all day. Where was the whisper of wind or the lap of the sea?

With a light flop of her pink hair, Cali watched Millu. "Course, until then, we could chat. You know, whenever you'd like company. I'm usually here unless I'm at a club, or back at my place. Someday maybe you could come over! We'll drink, laugh, and not do anything." A giggle fit followed the delightful scene envisioned.

Tag: Millu Lee