Meet the Family

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Elpsis shifted a little awkwardly. In her defence, the maid had been very alluring! "Purity, relax. We'll still be on time to sees stuff," she tried to be reassuring. "Real sorry for keeping you waiting. I'll make it up to you. We'll...get you something nice." She had no idea how to though. If Purity wasn't Tempest's cousin, she'd offer her a lay. But was obviously a no-no. Presumably the same applied to booking a courtesan for her. Maybe she'd like a Jester or a necklace.

Purity knitted her brow together. "Well, come on then. And don't think you're getting off the hook that easily. I want a B12246-24DX."

"Uh, ok, sure, no problem," Elpsis looked rather dumbfounded and glanced to Tempest. "Eh, babe...what is that?"

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Jesters were a girl’s best friend after all, or was that diamonds? Either way, Jesters were good for dieters because they tended to consume the food their owners hoarded.

“Uhh, I think she means that new speeder-bike we are releasing. I don’t even know how she knows about it.”
Purity gave her a pitying look. “I know more about Firemane’s products than you do, Tempy. I can tell you the release schedule for the next eighteen months.”
Tempest twitched a little at ‘Tempy’ but she realised she deserved it, so said instead, “Well that’s pretty pricy.”
“I’ll buy it, silly, but get me one to buy! They probably won’t get released on this backward rock for months!”
“Fine, I’ll have one shipped in, but you better pay for it.”
“You think I can’t? Well I’ll show you!” Purity said with a very Phylis-like ‘hmmph’.

Turning back to Elpsis, she was all smiles. “Well, thank you, Elpsis. Let’s go or we will be late!”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Clearly Weightwatchers should make use of Jesters!


Anyhow, the banter caused Elpsis to giggle. "Oh, I like your cousin, Tempest," she declared enthusiastically. "C'mon, girls." And so the three finally made their way towards the safari. Tempest got to drive the speeder. This would give Elpsis time to bond with her lover's cousin. And maybe embarrass Tempest together.


"So, Purity, you're real smart with tech and stuff, what do you wanna do when you're done with school?" she asked casually while the speeder shot across the plains. Elpsis did not really know what job prospects were like in Abomey. Hopefully the girl would not ask her what she intended to do with her life. Or ask about space magic babies.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Tempest drove, leaving the pair to converse in the back. She checked the mirror every so often just to make sure that was all they were doing. She knew that Elpsis had a way of using her visual impairment to make necessary a sense of ‘touch’.

“Oh, well, after I’ve graduated I would love to become an engineer or a pilot. I’ve been approached by a couple of companies, including Firemane of course. I mean, I have gotten ‘okay’ grades,” she said modestly. ‘Okay’ for her probably meant a 95% average.

“But what I really want to do is design and make things. I like taking machines to pieces and making them work better.”

“How about you, Elpsis? Are you at college still or have you graduated already?” she asked with genuine innocence.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"Oh, that's good. I'm sure Firemane could use someone like you and you'd get to be close to Tempest," Elpsis agreed enthusiastically. She did not enquire about what Purity considered to be okay grades. She had the feeling that Purity's 'okay' would be way better than her 'good'.


"And there's plenty of people there you can work with who are into tinkering with machines and stuff." Purity's innocent question caused her to flush slightly. "Uh, I...never went to college or high school, to be honest. You could say I took a detour and went to the school of hard knocks. I work for Firemane now," she said awkwardly. In her defence, her adoptive parents had taken her out of school and sent her to the Jedi.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

“Oh,” Purity said, seemingly at a lost. It was not vindictive, but genuine surprise, like she’d never considered that someone wouldn’t have done that.
“I never went to college either, or high school,” Tempest said pointedly.
“Oh, yes, of course. I’m sorry, Elpsis, you just seemed so smart I assumed.”
Tempest snorted. “People can be smart without that,” she said a tad defensively.
“Yes, of course, apologies. Never mind, tell me about your job, Elpsis,” Purity said, changing subjects rapidly.

They would soon be coming up on the nature reserve. From there they would take a special vehicle which could become a wheeled engine, a speeder or a boat depending on the situation.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"She didn't mean anything by it, sugar," Elpsis spoke calmly, giving Tempest a pat on the shoulder. "It's ok, sweetie. Nice of you to say I'm smart. There are different kind of smarts, I guess. I was a little kid when I got sent to the Jedi, so yeah," she gave the girl a reassuring smile. Unless they really upset her, Elpsis could not stay annoyed with someone for long.


"My job, well, I go places to beat up bad guys. I also use my gifts to heal the sick and wounded. And I'm kind of an explorer, exploring remote worlds. That's the gist of it," she explained modestly. She neglected to mention that she was technically a Mistress of the Order. Unless prodded, she rarely did. Naturally she made no mention of her other job. Tempest would probably be cross with her if she did.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Tempest would indeed get cross if the other job got mentioned. Especially to Purity, who at least lived up to her name.
“That sounds terribly dangerous…and exciting,” Purity said with a little awe. “I know about Firemane’s liberation there, I was only a child when it happened so I don’t remember much. I know Cousin Tempest was involved there too.”
Tempest grunted. “And now I feel old,” she said.

Waiting at the safari was a grizzled man in khaki. He smiled and held out a hand. “Name’s Ransom. Don’t ask,” he added to Elpsis. Clearly he was used to offworlders being curious.
“So ladies, if you want to step aboard we can get started. Ms Tempest said you’re all capable of defending yourself, but don’t worry, I’ll keep us away from getting snacked on.”

Purity looked a little uncertain. She probably couldn’t defend herself from a rampaging Kardok or Cylix. Regardless, maybe Elpsis would be her white knight?

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Elpsis patted Tempest on the shoulder. "You know what they say about good wine, sugar. It gets better as it ages," she joked. Elpsis had clear preferences. She had a weakness for ladies who were a good deal older than her. Often old enough to be her mothers. Anyhow, they reached the safari. A grizzled older man told her not to ask about his name.


Elpsis was tactful enough not to make jokes about him holding them for ransom. Would wonders never cease. "Ok, no questions. Sounds fun!" she said enthusiastically. However, some of Purity's anxiousness bled over to her and she took the girl's hand. "Hey, it'll be fine, sweetie. I'll keep you safe," she said gallantly.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Purity smiled and took Elpsis’ hand willingly. Tempest let out a Phylis-like ‘hmmph’ from the front seat beside Ransom.

They headed off into the swamps. The boat was quiet, the trees provided a pleasant canopy.
“On the left there you will see one of Dahomey’s most dangerous organisms, the Swamp Crawler,” Ransom said.
Said crawler looked like an armadillo with more legs. It didn’t look dangerous, it looked rather sweet.
“It’s skin and saliva are coated in a deadly toxin,” Ransom continued. “We used to use it as a poison on weapons, but it is now protected from hunting.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Elpsis' gave Purity's hand an encouraging squeeze. Elpsis' own hands were callused from fighting and holding guns. They were also warmer to touch than that of the average person because being a pyromancer gave her an increased body temperature.


They took off into the swamps. The boat barely made a sound. Elpsis was sadly unable to see the beautiful canopy. In a way she saw both more and less than her companions. For what was denied to her naked sight, she felt through her gift. The swamps teemed with life. She felt it. Breathed it. Heard it. Viscerally. To her Force sight the place was cast in vivid colours.


"Adorable...and deadly," she said, sounding almost admiring when she beheld the little crawler. "Tempest, can I have one?" she asked innocently. "That was a joke," she added after a moment, chuckling a bit. "How many of them are on the planet?" she asked, wondering whether they might be endangered since they'd been put under protection from hunting.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
“Not as many as there used to be,” Ransom said. “They used to get hunted for the poison, now they get hunted because offworlder animals attack them and die. Easer to kill the critter than keep a pet on the leash,” he added sourly.

They moved on. There were several birds of unusual design. The oddest had four wings and a long body. Tempest pointed it out.
“That’s what we call in Basic a Longbird. Not very original I know. They can get very protective of their chicks, and those wings can knock a person out with a blow if they hit.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

Elpsis gave Tempest a look. "Sounds like someone we know," she chuckled slightly. As she said this, there was a flutter of wings and an exotic looking bird flew over and landed on her shoulder. Both its body and beak were rather long. Its wings spread wide to help the bird keep its balance and its claws gripped her tightly. The talons looked sharp, but the creature did not seem hostile. The empath remained still, not wanting to disturb or frighten the large bird that was now resting on her shoulder and partly her arm. "Hiya, big girl," Elpsis greeted the creature cheerfully. "Uh, what's a suitable treat for her?" she wondered aloud.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Purity looked petrified of the bird as its beady eyes rested on her. “I’m not edible!” she claimed, though Elpsis might joke otherwise!

Ransom turned, grinned. “Oh, she likes you! They’re usually pretty skittish. Here you go, girl!” he said, taking a large grub from a box. It vanished down the beak instantly.
“Probably out foraging for its chicks,” he added, his good mood restored.

Tempest smiled at the scene. She knew Elpsis was good with animals, but it was hard to remember how good and how instinctive it was.
“Can’t take this one home either, Elpsis,” she added warningly. “Her chicks would miss her a lot…and we can’t have a whole family of them with us.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"I disagree, Purity. You're very edible. There must be a swarm of chicks who want to eat you up," Elpsis joked, giggling a bit. The grub offered by Ransom vanished down the bird's beak within the blink of an eye. Reaching out, Elpsis stroked the creature's stomach gently before offering it some grub. She sighed theatrically. "Why does everyone think I want to take every pretty animal I meet home?" she asked rhetorically. "She is adorable though, but yeah," she added.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
“That’s because you do want to take them all home,” Tempest replied with a sigh. Elpsis had a small but potent menagerie already!

Purity meanwhile looked confused. “Oh my, I’ll stay clear of them then,” she said earnestly.

Eventually the bird cawed loudly and took flight. They moved on through the bayou. At first they saw little of note, but then they noted a ripple by an island.

“I think there’s one by the fallen log there,” Ransom said. Elpsis ironically would see it most clearly, a large and powerful Kardok concealed in the water, only its eyes and nose emerged from the water.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"Are you sure, Purity? Having a bunch of cute chicks eating out of your hand can be so much fun," Elpsis could not resist trolling. She wondered how far she could push things before Tempest got cross. But she could not help it. Purity was so adorable and innocent.


"Bye, big girl," she said warmly when the bird flew away, its wings fluttering in the wind. The boat proceedrd to drift through the bayou. The marshes teemed with life, often concealed by the environment. Elpsis perceived a presence close by. "I see it. It's huge croc. Almost completely submerged in the water," she sounded excited.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Purity looked bewildered. “I’ve never really been around any baby birds.”
Tempest huffed slightly. “Don’t tease her,” she said warningly.
Purity finally seemed to realise that there was some double meanings here and looked at Elpsis. “I’m sorry, I don’t know all your fancy new words for things,” she said, a little down.

Fortunately there was a big croc to divert attention! The Kardok watched them, gazing from the water.
However, a slight sound, and a warning in the Force made Tempest turn to see behind them. Ransom gunned the boat’s engine and they shot forward just seconds before a second Kardok emerged from the jungle behind them.
The beast raised itself on two legs and bellowed before slinking back into the water to join its friend.

“Classic move. Distract you with one, come from the other side,” Ransom said, grinning.
“They’re intelligent, given long enough they might even become sentient,” Tempest added.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Feeling a bit bad about upsetting the girl, Elpsis gave her hand a squeeze. "Sorry, Purity. I didn't want to make fun of you. You're a very nice, smart girl." Even though she was sadly forbidden fruit! As everyone knew, that kind tasted the sweetest. However, then a big croc showed up!


Luckily, their guide kicked the boat's engines into gear just before the second Kardok could eat them. The boat drove so fast that the passengers were splashed with water. Elpsis laughed. "Smart buggers," she remarked. "Shame we can't feed some space nazis to them," she added to Tempest.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
Purity smiled and patted Elpsis’ hand to show she wasn’t upset.
“We used to feed slavers to them,” Tempest said.
“Yeah, told them they were free if they crossed the swamp, we’d find bits of them under logs,” Ransom said with a grim laugh.
“But we don’t do that anymore. We don’t want them getting a taste for people,” Tempest commented.
They cruised on until they reached a large, open lake surrounded by trees.
“Look into the water, but keep your hands out,” Ransom warned. “You’ll see them in the water; Quippers. They’re pretty, but they can take a finger off with ease, and they come in shoals of 20. You fall in the water, there won’t be much left in an hour.”