On The Island of Misfit Toys (Siobhan)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Galina"]


"You're welcome, dear. Dig in. There's plenty of food if you need more," Siobhan said warmly as lunch began. It was such a sweet family scene. As much as one is capable of associating the Butcher of Roche with anything like domestic family life.


Siobhan had been chewing on a steak when suddenly the delightful little furball called Grrbyrr showed up. Truth be told, she should have expected that because the Jester was a bottomless pit and was never far away when there was food. Hearing his telepathic demand, she quickly bent down and scooped him up.


"You're always hungry."


<< Starving! Please. You nice! >>

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

It was about that time in the peaceful lunch that something came up to Galina and licked her toe! This most unexpected action, and for a girl who'd never kept a pet before, needless to say was more frightening than it should have been. She'd been so focused on her food that she'd not seen the creature come in, and the lick against her skin drew a scream as the girl jumped, dropping her food, and quickly curled up in her chair, getting her feet off the floor!

She glanced from the furry monster to Siobhan as she scooped it up and spoke rather panicked in her native language. "It talks! It tried to eat my toe!" She exclaimed! Hopefully Chesna would be able to translate for the poor girl or calm her down. Either way, the creature certainly had not gotten off on the right foot with her!

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Galina"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Grrbyrr looked indignant, even offended. <You loud!> he accused. <Wanted food. Starving! Not eat you.>

Tegaea sighed and set down her fork. “Chesna….”

The probable demi-goddess came to place a hand on Galina’s shoulder. “It’s called a Jester. They’re friendly things, but they’re always very hungry. This one is named Grrbyrr. He was just trying to get some table scraps out of you.”

Grrbyrr, by now famished and dying of hunger (or so he claimed), tried to eat Siobhan’s sleeve.

<Yucky!> he declared…but kept trying to eat it anyway!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


The scene was almost amusing and under other circumstances Siobhan would have burst out into laughter. The thought of little Grrrbyrr being a threat to anything except your larder was just hilarious. However, she could see how frightened her little girl was. After all, the only animals who had so far made polite contact with her feet would have tried to eat her!


And, of course, the little furball was trying to eat her sleeve. Bad pet!


"No, Grrbyrr, that's not to eat," she said as sternly as she could as she pulled him away from her sleeve, but those beady eyes looked at her with such innocence that she just could not be cross with him for long. He was just too cute!


<< Me hungry! You nice! >> Apparently the Jester had decided that playing on his Mistress' well-known affections for him would be a more efficient tactic.


Siobhan relented and passed a banana over, which he promptly swallowed wholesale. However, she gently but firmly prevented him from jumping onto the dining table so that he would eat her stake.


"That's not yours either. I'll put some scraps for you in the pen," she said and got up, intending to carry him away. "Grrbyrr's harmless, dear. He just wants scraps...and can talk. I wouldn't let anything in the house that could hurt you," she spoke to Galina in a soothing tone, affectionately petting the furball.



<< Grrbyrr no hurt! Red-mane nice? >>

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina glanced to Chesna, still rather upset. After a couple deep breaths she started to calm herself. "Friendly?" She wasn't so sure about that as she looked back to the furball. "Pet?" She asked, trying to get a grasp on what the thing was exactly.

"I guess, it doesn't look so dangerous." She replied in her native language as she looked to Siobhan, letting Chesna translate between them. Siobhan's and Chesna's words both a comfort to the skittish girl. "He won't hurt me? Promise?" Stability and assurances were what the poor redhead needed most. Her life had been so touch and go thus far.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Galina"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

“The only thing he’s dangerous to is a buffet,” Tegaea said dourly.

Grrbyrr stuck his tongue out at her. <You mean!>

Chesna tried to get things back on track. “Siobhan keeps him as a pet, a friend,” she explained. She comforted Galina, using a bit of her power to soothe the wildling. “Go on, pet him…he won’t bite…will you Grrbyrr?” she said sternly.

<Me good. Like new redmane!> Grrbyrr said loyally and waited for pats.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina was slowly starting to relax a little bit. Chesna's skills helped to nudge her back to a much calmer state, her fear slipping away completely. She nodded slowly, seemingly finally understanding that the furball was a house pet. Something that was perfectly safe. Not something that would eat her in her sleep!

"Oh, I see." She said quietly, notably calmer. Reaching out cautiously she petted the Jester slowly. "It's so soft." A smile spreading across her lips. "And cute! G-grr-byrr," She stumbled over his name before switching right back into her language. "Adorable." It seemed she just might be okay with the little Jester now. Pets were a strange thing to her, but it was an idea she could get used to.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Galina"]


Grrbyrr, who liked being petted almost as much as being fed, purred happily. << You nice! Like you >> And here Galina would be introduced to another interesting aspect of the Jesters. See, they could not just communicate via telepathy, but could also transmit their feelings. Since at the moment Grrbyrr was happy about the attention, this emotion would bleed over into Galina.


"He is adorable, dear. Just keep him away from your sandwiches!" Siobhan said happily. It was good to see her little girl getting on with her pet. It was a cause of sorrow for her that for some reason Grrrbyrr and Tegaea did not get on.


"Don't be so glum, dear. You know you're my biggest love ever," she said to Tegaea in her mushiest tone, but fortunately wifey liked her corny lines, and gave her a shoulder a gentle squeeze before kissing her on the cheek, though Grrbyrr started whining because he was not being her centre of attention.


<< Me hungry! >> he declared and expectantly licked Galina's hand. The new redmane seemed nicer than the other one, so maybe she would give him treats.


"I'll give you some. You can play with him more when dinner's over, Galina. Best not to have him close while there's food on the table!" Siobhan stated and carried Grrbyrr over to his pen, despite his complaints, along with an apple and a couple biscuits. Then she would return to the dining table and take her seat again. A few moments later she would pass a note over to Tegaea under the table. As is well-known, Siobhan never went to high school and so she had to act like a naughty schoolgirl sometimes.


The following words had been written on the note, in her usual messy handwriting that only her wife could read: Do you wanna talk to her alone for a bit? I can give you some space. Love you. (heart) Yes, there was an actual heart at the end because Siobhan was in a terribly corny and mushy mood.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Galina"]

Fortunately, Tegaea found the sappy mushiness rather endearing, so she just smiled as she read the note.
“Good idea,” she said.

“Galina, I was hoping we could talk for a moment. I’d like to get to know you a bit better,” she said, motioning for Chesna to translate.

“The Great Mistress Tegaea would like to talk with you,” Chesna translated, rolling her eyes and muttering about a payrise.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina's smile brightened a bit more as the happiness of the Jester spread to her. Even she wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from, but she felt it alright! She just kept smiling a bit more, petting the creature for a moment or two longer. She did however jump slightly as it licked her hand, not quite expecting that. She glanced to Siobhan, and Chesna and back to the little Jester as things were translated for her.

"Alright," She said softly, returning to her meal, and taking a few quiet bits as Sio passed the note under the table. An action that went completely unnoticed by her.

When Tegaea spoke again, Galina looked up and watched the woman, expecting that Chesna was going to translate for her. After all, her parents had drilled it into her to look at those who were speaking to her. At least the wildling retained a few manners! "Oh, okay...." The young redhead spoke with a faint but nervous smile upon her lips. Tegaea, she hadn't gotten the chance to know very well. So a little bit of nerves were to be expected from the young woman. "Y-yes... Te-gae-a." She said, trying out basic a little more. At least she wasn't butchering names, as horribly as she had been, getting used to the names of the people around her now.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Galina"]



"It's ok, dear. There's nothing to be nervous about," Siobhan said softly, giving Galina's shoulder a soft squeeze after finishing her meal and getting up from her chair. "I'll be running a few couple errands. Back soon. You're getting better at Basic. I'm proud of you." Yes, apparently her mummy mode was there to stay. She gave Galina and Tegaea fond looks as she departed from the dining room.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Galina"]

Soon the three of them; Galina, Tegaea and Chesna, were left alone. For a moment Tegaea gazed across the table at Galina. It seemed that she was going to be her daughter now.
She still had her doubts about how the wildling would settle in, but she kept that hidden.
“So, Galina, can you tell me a bit about yourself?” Tegaea asked politely, through Chesna. “Did you want to come and live here with Siobhan and myself? It’s no trouble if you do. It will take a bit to get used to things again for you, but we’ll do everything we can to help.”

She frowned, not sure how to say the next point without sounding condescending. She hated people who did that to her, but there was no way around it.
“Did you go to school? Can you read and write?” she asked. “We can help you there!” she added quickly. “Well…maybe not Siobhan with the writing,” she said as an aside. The scribble that Siobhan called handwriting had improved. Now it was classified as ‘obscure dialect’ by the protocol droids.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Galina gave a slow nod to Siobhan as she squeezed her shoulder, frowning a little, knowing the woman was leaving for a time at least. There was little else to be said, as she watched the brunette take her leave from the table, and head out of the room. Part of her didn't want her to leave, but she couldn't cling to her forever.

And then there were three.

The redhead focused her attention on Tegaea only occasionally glancing to Chesna as the woman translated between them. Slowly she used her fingers, counting something up it seemed. "Eighteen, I'm eighteen years old." She said quietly, taking a moment or two more to figure out roughly how long she'd been on the planet thus far. "I .. I think I've been here for eight years." She couldn't be sure as years always translated differently on different planets, and nothing she'd seen so far was like Sigma nine five seven.

"Where I came from, Sigma, has been stuck in wars for a very long time." It had been the reason her parents had packed her up and left so quickly. Trying to save their daughters future. "Mom and Dad ... didn't want that for me. We left." The expression of terrible sadness could not be missed in her eyes as they glistened with tears, but the girl quickly brushed them away.

With a sigh, she pressed on to the next question. "I did not think I'd ever get off that island alive." In truth, she shouldn't have survived as long as she had. But by miracles of miracles she had somehow managed to stay alive, day after day, year after year, all alone. Another sigh from the girl as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair, "I did not know what was going to happen to me when Siobhan and T-tempest came, but I'd like to stay. Very much." It was the only option that felt any bit safe to her right now. Siobhan and Tempest had saved her from certain death and brought her back to civilization. There was a certain measure of trust that had been built between her and Siobhan now, and Galina didn't want to let go of that easily.

The next question was harder. She had gone to school, for a time anyway. "Yes, five years." She confirmed after counting it up upon her fingers. It wasn't long at all in the scope of education, that much was certain. Even she knew that back on Sigma, her education wasn't close to considered done. Unfortunately she'd missed out on a fair few years. "I can read and write my language. And I read, and write Basic better than I can speak it." Galina managed with the tiniest hints of a smile. Her answers may have seemed shorter, more brief than they should have been for someone of her age, but Galina was still stuck with a certain childlike quality despite all she'd been though.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Though she departed from the dining room and thus gave the three there some space, Siobhan did not completely leave right away. Rather she lingered outside within earshot, hearing the first words that were spoken between Tegaea and Galina. As should have become obvious by now, in a short span of time Siobhan had become very attached to the wildling she had found on the godsforsaken island. Hopefully Tegaea would come to accept and like her as well.


Otherwise things might get a bit awkward. So is she your adopted daughter now, Sio? Yeah....yeah...I guess she is. There, she admitted it at last. A lot sooner than this writer had expected. The birds and bees talk was bound to be...awkward. Then she departed and went about her business, since she apparently had errands to run. Such as...buying groceries. Wait, did Siobhan even buy those on her own or did she delegate such tasks to servant girls? Or maybe she was sexing up one of her 'secretaries' or buying shoes. Or take the trash out. Ah, well, whatever.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Galina"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tegaea nodded. This was something of a relief. The girl was not entirely a savage, just forced to survive as one by years of solitude and isolation.
Seeing the girl crying she went to her and gave her a hug.
"We'll take good care of you, Galina. You can think of Siobhan and I as your mothers now," she said soothingly.

"The first thing we'll do is have Chesna and Tempest help you learn Basic properly. That's important. Then, if you like, we can continue your education so you won't have missed out on anything. Finally, we can give you things to do to help us. Siobhan and I run a very successful business, and I know just where you'd be perfect when the time comes. Welcome to the family, Galina," Tegaea said warmly and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Galina sniffled as Tegaea came to hug her. Timidly she wrapped her arms around the woman and pulled tight against her. The words translated to her, gave her hope that her life could get better, would get better and these women were the ones who were going to do it. "Thank you..." She replied quietly, wiping away the last trace of tears.

All that time in the wilderness, Galina had never imagined she'd have anything close to a family again. But here it was, right in front of her. It wasn't the type of family she expected, or knew. It was a start, and a new beginning for her, even if the young redhead didn't know it yet.

"Yes... Need Basic." The girl nodded in agreement. Basic was required here. There would be no getting around her learning it now. "I want to learn more. I'd like that very much." Galina always had been a curious little thing, and even after all the years in the wild, that had not changed. "Family..." Galina was smiling quite brightly and happy tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. "Never thought I'd have family again." SA warm smile formed after Tegaea kissed her cheek. The young woman drew the other redhead into another hug, squeezing the woman tightly for a moment before letting go. "Thank you, T-Tegaea."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


It was at this moment that Siobhan returned from...whatever she had been doing. Maybe she had done something useful like look for a Basic dictionary for Galina or something like that. Anyhow, she took a moment to just stand outside in the doorway and just look at the shiny and happy scene before her eyes before it was too sweet to interrupt.


Then she finally walked over to give Tegaea a loving kiss and likewise envelope both her and Galina in a tight hug. She embraced the daughter she had never wanted, but now that she had her did not want to let her go for anything in the world. "Welcome to the family, Galina. We can't make the hell you went through go away, but we'll take good care of you, dear." This writer concludes that Siobhan is too shiny and happy. Thus something bad needs to happen to her. Perhaps Darth Shadow can help out in that department!

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Galina's ears perked a little hearing footsteps and wondered for a moment if Siobhan had returned, but she didn't pull away to check.

For the first time in a long time, things felt like they might actually turn out well. Smiling brightly, probably as bright as she had since she'd been with Siobhan. As she was pulled into the hug with both her mothers, the young woman pulled tighter, clinging to them both. She didn't want to let go. They'd saved her from a fate unknown. In Galina's eyes, saved her life for a second time.

"Thank you ... Siobhan." She managed to finally say her new mom's name, without stuttering it this time. This writer wonders if Tegs and Sio would prefer the proper titles of mommy or perhaps mother. "Thank you..." Whispered softly, in her language still.

Words, could never express her gratitude for the two of them, taking her in and giving her a new life. It was doubtful that she'd ever be able to repay them for such kindness, at least not in this lifetime. Reluctantly she finally let go, and pulled back. With tears of joy running down her cheeks, the girl did her best to wipe them away, quickly.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


This writer suspects Siobhan would get terribly flustered and mushy if Galina addressed her as mummy. "There, there. That's my...girl. Our brave girl," Siobhan said feelingly as she reached out to wipe away what stray tears of joy Galina might have missed. Or rather Galina Kerrigan-Alcori! This was presumably not the way either of the women, who had apparently just become mothers now, had expected their name to continue, what with neither of them having any surviving family left.


"Never thought this would happen, but I'm so glad to have you, dear." And so for a change things were shiny and happy. After years spent being abandoned in the wilderness and fighting for survival, Galina had found a new home. Probably one that was terribly unconventional in a number of ways, but a loving home nonetheless! Woe to whichever boy or girl ever broke her heart...since one of her mums could be terribly scary.