Private Picking up the pieces

[Riley Reese]

The reasons why Laura became a doctor were understandable. Living through such experiences made empathizing with people who are suffering a little easier. Striving to help them was definitely a noble goal indeed.

Laura chose that moment to drop another revelation on Riley, one she had totally forgotten about. Their parents. All these years believing that their daughter was gone forever, swallowed up by an unforgiving galaxy. She could feel her stomach knot some just thinking about her parents. Pushing that aside for another day, she caught the tail end of Laura's question. "S..sorta. There was a lot that happened between when I was taken and that point. I've only done mercenary work for a couple years now."

Riley almost hesitated when her sister took hold of her hand and began studying the prosthetics all the way to where her real arm was. She slowly relaxed as her sister massaged her arm. "The day that I was kidnapped. I was taken to Nar Shaddaa along with a lot of other children. We...we're turned into soldiers as part of a private army for Arko the Hutt. The training was....difficult enough that not everyone made it. Once we were old enough, they began to surgeries for cybernetic and prosthetic enhancements. First was the eyes, then the limbs. Basically arms from the elbow down and legs from just above the knees down. After that,bone and joint reinforcements, spine reinforcements and other small stuff." Riley paused for a moment. Thinking back on everything that had happened to her wasn't...fun in the least. She gave a small smile to try and lighten the mood. "As for why I became a merc? Honestly, it was the only thing I knew how to do. Yeah, not as noble as a medic, but you were always the smarter twin."

Laura Reese

 

[Laura Reese]

Laura listened closely to her sister's story as she massaged her arm and studied the cybernetics connected to her flesh. Her words filled some details in on what happened on that day all those years ago. A Hutt attacked them for his own private army of cybernetic slaves... she wasn't one for anger, but she certainly felt it when she thought back on that day and what the schutta took from them. From her.

But it was fine now. She had her sister back and soon their little family would be whole again just like old times. Everything would be right again.

Her green eyes looked up at Riley's as a smile formed along her features. "I'd argue with you on that one." She chuckled softly as her fingers brushed over Riley's palm. It was surreal to feel the stark difference between her own hands and her sister's. Despite her comment, Laura struggled to think back on those days. She wasn't sure if it was because of her age, or because of her mind protecting her, but she couldn't remember much of those days, no matter how hard she tried. It was like a blast door kept her away from those memories... but that was fine with her. If only a little bit nearly bent her over in a stream of tears after meeting her sister, she didn't want to know the rest. They could stay buried.

"Luckily... none of that matters now." She muttered. "I got my sis back. The old memories can go crawl into a hole, we'll make new ones. And hopefully soon, you'll see mom and dad again." She squeezed Riley's hand before leaning forward to hug her again. "All will be right again."

When she pulled back, she pulled Riley along to the kitchen before starting with dinner for the both of them. "Now that I think about it... I'm gonna have to take a course in mechanics and cybernetics. Otherwise I won't be able to keep that cyberware of yours running the next time you go throwing yourself into gunfights." She teased, going through the stock in the cupboards to find some ingredients. "Okay, so... aside from the military stuff... what do you do for fun?" She asked as she turned to smile at her sister. "Any funky hobbies? Got a boy or someone waiting for you somewhere?" She smirked, fiddling with a packet of vacuum-sealed meat. After a few more attempts at trying to pry it open, she held it out to Riley. "Knife, please?"

Riley Reese

 

[Riley Reese]

Laura was right, what happened in the past didn't matter now. What mattered was the fact that the two had reunited and could move forward from there. She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about what her sister said, mostly about meeting her parents again, which was both frightening and exciting. When her sister stopped massaging her arms, she opened her eyes. The feeling had been nice, almost secure in a way, which was strange considering how self consciousness she was about her prosthetics sometimes, let alone be comfortable enough to let someone touch them. Maybe all those years lacking any real social bonds with people were catching up with her.

She returned her sister's hig, which felt familiar in an odd way, and then let herself be pulled back to the kitchen. Cooking was not her strong suit, so she stood clear of Laura as she started making them something to eat. "Oh? Expecting me to throw myself into even more firefights?" Well...honestly Riley kinda knew that was going to happen again. So her sister's concerns were pretty valid on that. "I can help teach you. Actually it would be nice for someone else's help with fixing them. Sorta gets difficult....most of the time."

Riley took the package of meat from Laura. "Hobbies? Well...not really." She extended the blade in her forearm and opened the package in one fluid motion before handing it back to her sister. "I've still been getting used to...freedom. Being my own person with the ability to do what I want." The next question made her shift uncomfortably a little. "S..someone waiting for me? No...well, kinda, but not like that. It's..it's not like I don't like it's just....who would want...." Riley stopped her rambling train of thought as her cheeks blushed a little. Her attention turned to Laura as she quickly reversed the question. "S..so what about you?"

Laura Reese

 

[Laura Reese]

Laura turned to give Riley one very smug look as she indicated to the outside of the ship. "You want me to answer that after what I saw back there?" She joked before continuing with their food. "I've been wanting to learn about cybernetics for some time now. As sad as it is to see, it's a reality I'll be facing as a doctor." She admitted as she turned to face Riley again.

It was a sad sight to see such a weapon emerge from her sister's arm, but the uses for it couldn't be denied for even a moment. She expected the answers Riley gave, though the blush wasn't something she expected. It certainly piqued her curiosity but Riley was quick to turn the question onto her. "Me? Uh... I... I did see someone not too long ago. But... didn't work out. I learned a lot, though. Nothing bad happened, it was actually nice to be with him... but we simply drifted apart." She admitted calmly as her cheeks turned a few shades darker as well. "As for hobbies... nothing as exciting as what you do. Reading, playing games, nothing big. I am trying to apply to an archeological group, though. Get out and see the the galaxy's history a bit." Stirring the meat, she added the spices and sauces before she sat down next to Riley. "Don't worry, you'll settle in eventually. Find something you enjoy doing, all that jazz. It'll just take some time." She nudged her twin with her shoulder as she smiled warmly at the girl.

The food was ready and she dished up for the two of them. "It's not as great as I'd like it to be, but then again... I don't think rations are meant to be turned into a feast." She quipped, studying her meal.

Riley Reese

 

[Riley Reese]

Did she really want her sister to answer the question? A part of her wanted to say yes just to see her reaction, but decided to leave it be....for now. Her expression became a little more grim when Laura mentioned why she wanted to learn about cybernetics. "Unfortunately that's how the galaxy is right now."

She listened as her sister told a little bit more about herself. Her few hobbies, the relationship she once had and some of her future plans. There was so much in between the lines that Riley didn't know, but wanted to. A million questions to ask, but she couldn't ask them all at once. So her and Laura would have to start with simple things and work from there. Riley took the food from Laura and began to eat. Honestly, it was a lot better than she was used to. "Tell you what. I'll teach you what little I know about cybernetics and you teach me how to cook. Deal?"

She took a few more bites of food before deciding to ask a burning question on her mind. "So...mom and dad, are they....I mean....what are they like?"

Laura Reese

 

[Laura Reese]

Laura smirked at her sister's remark about cooking, giving her a nod as she swallowed her food. "Deal. You already got the chopping action down so dicing should be a breeze for you." She joked as she took another mouthful of food. Though she nearly choked on her food at Riley's next question. "Mom and dad?" She repeated, blinking a few times in thought.

"Um... I'm not sure how to explain. Not exactly a question I ever expected." She admitted with a scratch of her neck as she sat back to think. "Mom and dad... they're quiet. Nothing wrong or something, we just... know each other. Of course we talk and poke fun at each other... but it's like we just know what's going on without talking. But they're both good people. I think they're still troubled by losing you, though. That might be why we're so quiet in the house. They both retired but they had good jobs so we get by. It's also how I managed to go to university... but they can be stern, though." A chuckle bubbled from her as a few fond memories popped into her head. "Like... first time I brought a boy home, dad was grilling him almost as hard as the meat on the barbeque."

She stared at her sister with a fond smile for a moment before she reached over to squeeze her hand. "Don't worry, though. You'll be seeing them again soon enough. And I can promise you that they will flip when you walk through that door." She reassured her sister. Sitting back, she continued with her meal and tidied up the table once they were both done.

The ship's systems were still fine, and there wasn't much else for them to do. Laura looked around for a moment as she tried to think of something for them to do. A number of ideas popped up to try and focus on Riley's interests... but in truth, she simply didn't know her sister that well yet. So another solution came up. "Hey, you uh... you wanna watch a movie?" She asked gently.

Riley Reese