Lesson 2: We never forget

[Arla Ordo]

Arla was on Mandalore, coming in from Ordo where she had gone back to oversee the construction of the biodomes on Ordo. Ordo needed habitable areas the biodomes, would provide not only a place for the Clan to live, but it would also provide much needed land for farming. If there was anything her buir knew better than most it was farming.

It would seem she may have found him in his element when she was home, her buirs seem to do this best create a place called home for the Clan. Ordo, the planet offered them privacy to train. As well as facilities on Alderaan, and Alpha Mae Clan Ordo it seemed was doing well enough that they could soon be able to reach out and help the others.

Today however was a two fold excursion, she had asked [member="Cole Dagos"] to join her so that she could show him around Mandalore, just as had been done for her, she would do for him. She had not really seen him since the Omega. He..well had nearly gotten himself killed. So what was there to teach him today, she had started teaching him language, and the importance of family. Family he really needed no lesson in that he and his sister all that was left, yes they knew there was nothing more important than family. She hoped he understood that if he were to join any of the clans that they would be family, they would see no difference.

No reason to go over raising ones children to be warriors and understand the commitment of being a Mandalorian, Eschani did this already generations, father teaching sons, no they had that in common.

Armor...he had asked about it, and he had some armor, but she being mandalorian of course kept thinking there was nothing better than beskar.

She would show him places here, and perhaps if he was up to it, they could do some training. She needed to remain sharp, and it would always help her to fight those whose style she was not familiar with.

 

[Kenrath]

Cole was healing............almost completely healed to be exact. He was finally able to go without the shoulder sling. The wound in his shoulder finally edging towards a scar. The limp from the leg wound now also a scar was barely noticeable. His ankle was in a soft brace which was a lot easier to move around on than the hard cast it had been in. Things were look up for Cole.

When Arla asked him to meet her Cole dressed in some plain slacks and a shirt. Still a little stiff he was working on regaining range of motion which was best done outside of armor. Cole chuckled to himself knowing the doctors were glad to be rid of such a stubborn patient.

Seeing Arla up a head Cole started walking a little quicker.

"Where you been hiding?"

Cole winked at her with a smirk.

"Have I mentioned I hate doctors."

Cole slowly rotated the injured shoulder giving barely a wince while doing so.

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

[member="Cole Dagos"]

"Hiding me? I was taking care of Clan business, we are rebuilding on Ordo and I'm making runs to get supplies in, and trade my services for goods, and materials. Where have you been? And hows your sister doing?" Arla was dressed well..brown boots to the knees, light brown pants, her holster around her hip with her pistol secure, white shirt, open at the throat, this was casual for her. She had purchased a few dresses on her shopping spree a year earlier but so far had not worn them out.

The idea of showing her legs in those tiny shoes she just wasn't ready to have anyone see her.

She caught the wink and the smirk she laughed she couldn't help it. "No you didn't mention it, but it seems they patched you back together real well. No...permanent damage done?"

 

[Kenrath]

Cole chuckled.

"Not to the parts that matter anyway."

Cole looked around the immediate area before turning back to Arla.

"So I imagine you didn't bring me here for my looks....................you are too overdressed for it to be that."

Cole smirked.

"So what's on your mind Alor Balor?" "Did I piss some body off already?" "I would apologize but there is a very good chance I would be telling a lie."

Cole paused and shrugged.

"Don't know................Kaia is off doing what Kaia does." "After our mother............well my mother kicked her out Kaia has been on her own." "She will pop back up when she feels like it."

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

"Good to know that all parts are still in working order" She smiled. Her green eyes swept over him with deep appreciation.

Anyhow.

"There are a couple of sayings on Mandalore that I thought I would share and explaon." She motioned for him to walk,"yeah I'm dressed because the people I deal with get real anxious about Not seeing my face"

"If I tell you some saying. It will give you something to fall back on. And provide deeper understanding of us"

"There is one goes we are more than our armor. Sounds pretty self explanatory. Yes?"

[member="Cole Dagos"]

 

[Kenrath]

Cole began walking beside her where ever they were headed.

"Sure makes sense............it why Echani initial training is with armor.............well clothes but same thing."

Cole paused for a moment.

"Why only cover these sayings in just Basic?" "You do remember my command of your language is practically non existent." "Somebody says it in your language and odds are it is not going to makes sense to me." "Doesn't that defeat purpose of teaching these phrases?"

Cole resumed walking beside Arla glancing at her boots before looking back up.

"Semi unrelated comment.............have you considered how delicious you would look in only those boots?"

Cole looked at her with a smirk and inappropriately devious look in his eyes.

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

[member="Cole Dagos"]

"Yes your last lesson ended at dawn" a single night that neither expected anything of other than company.

She have him a mischievous grin,"well if you do your lessons well maybe a reward will be seeing how they look all by themselves " Arla in just a pair of boots with her hair hanging down, she could do that.

"Yes mand'oa you need to hear, say, and understand. So. If you say Verd ori'shya beskar'gam , that is A mandalorian is more than his armor"

Arla pointed towards the center of Keldabe City, "cancerous Ordo. He in my eyes fits this saying"

She talked too much sometimes.

 

[Kenrath]

Cole smirked.

"You say that like your heart didn't race with anticipation the moment i said it." "Didn't someone say they wanted to be on top next time."

Cole looked over at her.

"Oh did you think I forgot that little comment?"

He looked towards the city.

"Cancerous?..............................Did somebody really name there child after a some times fatal medical condition?"

There was no humor laced in his question for Cole really found the name tragic.

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

OMG she said Cancerous she laughed well they may have thought of him as a cancer. "Feth" she spat it word out her cheeks a bit red from embarassment, "His name is Canderous, I don't know what I was thinking Cancerous...well...unbelieveable..."She sighed and shook her head.

"Can't remember the last time I fudged that, course maybe I fudged it because I was thinking about boots and being on top...it's a sight for the minds eye for certain, AND no I don't expect that you forget very much Col'ika, so tell me...is that a trait of the Eschani or just for you?"

She smiled yes they had an easy friendship and it helped her a lot to know there was someone who had a sense of humor around.

[member="Cole Dagos"]

 

[Kenrath]

Cole laughed.

"Ah that makes more sense............sort of." "Don't worry I won't tell any one." "Your secret is safe with me."

Cole shrugged at her question.

"I am sure all Echani share certain characteristics." "As far as memory I would like to think it has more to do with being a guy with a very healthy appreciation for the female form." "With only slightly opportunistic tendencies." "Just don't expect me to remember your birthday."

Cole smirked.

"Anyway who or what is a Col'ika...............please tell me we are not at the pet name stage of our relationship?"


[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

[member="Cole Dagos"]

"Oh I'm not worried about my birthday, why would I want you to remember that?" No one had ever remembered her birthday, so..she was confused why he would say that? Was there something people did on their birthday..come to think of it....she didn't know when her birthday was.

hmmm...

"It's not a pet name no, its like an endearment..it's not cyar'ika which is beloved Col'ika is just an informal way of saying your name. I would think...we could be a bit informal considering all things" She gave him a bit of a grin. "it's not like saying ad'ika, which is a child, if someone calls you ad'ika they may be insulting you in some way...they could call you a'den which merciless."

She studied him for a moment, "if they say ner vod, that's my brother or sister, ner is my...gar is your - so gar taab - your foot, ner taab my foot."

"I can have weapons issued to your from our armory to help in case you end up in battle again..we have things for...evaar'la verd - new warriors" "is that something you would like to have?"

 

[Kenrath]

Cole kind of looked at Arla for a moment with her birthday comment but just shook his head.

"Never mind."

He nodded as they continued to walk talking about different words and what they meant. To Cole it still sounds like a pet name and he didn't understand why she just couldn't call him by his name. However Cole didn't say anything he just listened and nodded.

"So does a lot of these name things end the same...............ika...................?" "What does that part mean?"

When she mentioned weapons Cole chuckled.

"A couple of people fro Clan Meran offered to help make me a blaster.............something light weight that could get passed scanners undetected." "I suppose it would not hurt to have multiple options to chose from." "At least until I can acquire something on my own."

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

[member="Cole Dagos"]

She looked at him oddly, "Did I do something wrong? Or say something wrong?" Yes when it came to personal relations she had a few things to learn and to understand. She came from Tatooine to Mandalore and was immediately thrown into training to be a mandalorian. She never had personal relationship until Verz and even then it had come from training.

Course Verz was mandalorian and she the student and they never talked about this, they talked about history so if she was doing sometthing wrong, she had no idea. She was more soldier than girl. Maybe she needed to tell Cole that.

She had to think about the ika part,"its just the suffix for making your name informal in the way I'm using it. Its only when used in the form ad'ika it means child, or little one. Which the thing about our language, how twe use it. The very slight difference between an insult and a compliment."i

"Options are always good"

She clenched her hands into a ball and then released them, "I have a son"

 

[Kenrath]

Cole shook his head.

"I was teasing you but you didn't get the joke.............it's ok."

He listened to her explain on the one hand it made since but on the other it didn't. The Mandalorians seemed to be big on family but the way the seem to speak to each other was not only informal...but detached. It puzzled him so he asked.

"Curious though it seems to go beyond informal and into the idea of detachment." "Which contradicts what seems to be a big focus of family." "I mean it is one thing to go from calling you Alor Balor.......................or even just Alor to calling you Arla." "But to go so far as to make up a name to avoid calling someone by their name."

Cole shrugged.

"Just seems off."

When she seemed to just blurt out she had a son Cole was not phased at all.

"What's his name.................your son?"

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

"Will you explain it to me so that I do understand?" It was like his culture did something her didn't so she wanted to learn this to be aware so that if she heard it again somewhere she would understand.

Arla had to think about what Cole was saying, did it seem detached? To her it seemed to be closer to insinuate a relationship a connection ..it was clear he did not understand. And she wasn't sure how else to explain it, unless it was more like he didn't like to be called that...

"Just the opposite Cole it shows a closeness among us, to be familiar enough with one another to call upon one another. No one outside of the clans would call you this because they don't know the custom. You certainly wouldn't call Alor unless we were in a meeting with other clans, but just us you can call me Arl'ika or if to odd for you Arla." Crossing cultures was going to be a bit more difficult than she envisioned. "Do you prefer not to be called so?"

She knew she was going to have to talk to someone about this, all of her clansmen, she didn't know. It was only mildly frustrating she laughed, who said it would be easy.

She smiled, "Avrum, he's sweet...." she paused, she was going to say Col'ika but....she had a feeling that he felt insulted by it.

"Anyhow I thought it was something for you to know if we are to be friends. Anyhow, outside of Keldabe City is the impact area from when the Sith came many lives were lost. It is also a popular spot for challenges, which I haven't figured out why yet..perhaps because of it's importance. But you may hear others talking about it."

[member="Cole Dagos"]

 

[Kenrath]

Cole looked at her and chuckled.

"Is that what we are...................................friends?"

He looked towards the direction she was.

"I guess it depends on the nature of the Challenge..............maybe?"

Cole shrugged.

"So what's next?" "Where is the next stop of the Alor Balor tour of Mandalorian attractions?"

Cole smiled teasing her just slightly.

 

[Arla Ordo]

She laughed back, "I'd say we are friends, and bit more I'm sure there's a term for it but it escapes me right now." She had the self-confident sound to her voice. She could find it when it mattered most and it mattered to her how Cole thought of her.

"Maybe." She wrinkled her nose slightly, "maybe they think that something of such importance needs to be won in a place where so much was lost." She shook her head, "I have to admit some things just go beyond my idea and understanding." She shrugged her shoulders, "anyhow."

"The Arla Balor tour of Keldabe City should include a trip to MandalTech where ships, and armor are made, one of the companies that can do so. Also a trip to one of the Cantina's here, seems it is famous among Mandalorians, there is the training grounds, used for whatever is necessary. There is a small museum here too houses artifacts, and one taung skeleton."

She smiled broadly at him, something perhaps up her sleeve or perhaps a witty remark, "Though you already knew about mandalorian attraction" She was trying to make a pun about an attraction between them. You know he's Eschani, she's Mandalorian...mandalorian attraction.


[member="Cole Dagos"]

 

[Kenrath]

Cole nodded holding a hand out in a semi random direction.

"Then after you Alor Balor.............I shall trust your experience to guide us to our next attraction."

Cole would wait for Arla to resume walking and follow in only a step or two behind her. It had sounded to him like she had a long day planned out and he was eager to get started. It's not that Cole was much of a sight serer but every little bit, every little peace would slowly give him a better understanding of the culture.

[member="Arla Balor"]

 

[Arla Ordo]

[member="Cole Dagos"]


"Oh come now Cole you won't let me call you in Mandalorian, and now you want to go all official. Really? We are warriors we live today for not knowing about tomorrow for it may never come. We could die on the battle field" She smiled, trying to break through to him.

"Let me tell you about Mandalorian memories. Mandalorians never forget, we have long memories because we tell the stories and hand them down through generations. We try not to make the same mistakes twice, course, we fail at it at times too. What is life truly without making your blood run hot or cold, without feeling a passion deep in your core that bubbles out and extends into an action...we need to live, not just exist like so many others."

She shook her head only slightly smiling the whole time, "bu'nas'a Cole gar ganar haa'taylir ni vene" Course she just spoke in a language that he would not understand, she made a face forgetting sometimes that all of this was new to him and he was learning just as she had. "You can be informal...you've...well seen me in my weakness condition, and" now she thought she would turn it a bit lighter, "well not run screaming from the room"

Spoiler

damn Cole you have seen me naked

 

[Kenrath]

Cole stopped dead in his tracks and turned and looked at Arla.

"Let's get two things straight right now Alor."

He paused taking a breath.

"First I never said you could or could not call me anything." "I simply stated an opinion based on interpretation..............my interpretation of your lessons." "I am not a warrior Alor Balor I am a Soldier." "To me...................to people like me calling some by anything other than their rank is as informal as it gets."

Cole paused for a moment again.

"Second since you won't let it drop...............friends..................friends?" "I supposed that means you sleep with you friends?" "Just something you do for kicks that has no meaning?" "And I suppose you told me about your son because we are just friends right.............. and not maybe because there was something more there and you didn't want me finding out about him by accident for fear it may ruin what we have................sorry had."

Cole took a breath again.

"Some things once said can't be unsaid."

Cole out of pure instinct than anything snapped to attention and saluted the senior Mandalorian.

"Good evening Alor."

With that Cole walked away back in the direction they came. His stride one that gave the impression trying to stop him would be a mistake.

[member="Arla Balor"]