The Girl and The Robot

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili nodded just as she had so many times before. One could imagine her neck would be sore in the morning from all the nodding, but what did that matter? New friends were great and with a great smile on her lips she grabbed a hold of the loose panel and stuck it back onto Bait’s chassis. With a gentle tug at its edges she checked to see if there was any need to tighten it further but it all seemed to have worked out rather well in the end. Both hands by the droid’s side she grabbed a hold of him and knelt down in order to lower him as gently as she could towards the ground.

“I’d say avoid the sand but that’d be impossible when we get outside again.” Living on a world practically made out of beaches did have its downsides. Though, of course, there weren’t all that many. “Right then, let me just grab the keys and I will meet you outside.”

Kaili grabbed her tools and put them back in their rightful spots before reaching for a keycard in a nearby drawer. She approached the door and with a last look at her Dustopia she turned the lights off. Keycard swept through the lock mechanism she turned around to face the natural beauty of Borleias. The fresh air was welcome and so was the ever relaxing sound of waves crashing against the shore. Trees rustled, bushes whispered quietly in the winds the air smelled of sea salt. As was most common when someone lived by a beach.

“Never lacked for beauty this place.” Kaili snickered as she stepped onto the beach, beckoning Bait and Allyson to follow. “This beach was pretty much my childhood, you know.” Kaili pointed towards a big mansion in the distance. “It was far away, yet very close to home.”

She almost wanted to trail off into a daydream about being a kid, but a rapid shake of her head prevented that.

“Sorry, no point in bothering you with boring details like that.” Kaili shrugged. “If we grab a cab from here we should be able to head into town. Living on an island such as this has it’s... Downsides.” Such as always being a bit remote.That was problem number three with running a business here. “The day’s not over yet, could always just stay here and take it easy.”

“Actually, I will let you decide. Town, beach, neither? You lead, I follow.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson finally got a full view of what Kai had grown up with. Nodding her head, she knew she was spot on about the girl being well off. It was nice that she was humble enough though – she didn’t make Ally feel like the commoner she was. Hands on her hips, she adjusted the leather belt that hung on her hips keeping the just slightly too big pants up on her bottom. With the pants, the white shirt and the vest, not to mention a pair of goggles on her forehead – Ally had the Han Solo look down, with the personality to fit, maybe sort of. Eyes narrowed as she looked out towards the Ocean, reminded her of the beaches her mother took her too when she was younger.

“There’s beaches like this on Corell---well were beaches like this on Corellia. Aw man, the memories.” She smiled softly, there was no reason to dampen the mood. The beach was nice and Allyson wondered one, if there was food nearby on the island and two, she would eventually have to leave the island to go back to her hotel. Camping on the beach wasn’t her ideal thought especially with the sand getting everywhere.

“Hmm, it’s up to me?” That was a lot to think about, but she really didn’t want to head into town. A part of her felt that the hustle and bustle of the town wouldn’t give her time to get to know Kai. Though, if she was being forward like she was – the beach would be the most romantic setting. No, Kai was different so she stretched her arms above her head and nodded. “Let’s get a cab and head into town. Grab some food and check everything out! Tomorrow you can show me more of the Island – maybe we can hang out at the beach. It’s been forever since I’ve just sun bathed.” Of course, the prospect of being away from sand pleased Bait and he beeped happily. [member="Kaili Talith"]

“Can Henry come along and keep Bait company?”

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Alright, you got it.” Kaili nodded before turning towards her shed, took a deep breath and. “HENRY!” Her shrill voice beckoned her droid to scuttle out through the window. “Get out of there. We’re heading into town.”

If robots could roll their eyes Henry would have popped his sensors long ago. Instead, his entire chassis would rise up and down in an arch before he hurriedly ran up to his creator who knelt down to the ground, lowered her arm to allow him easier access to her shoulder. With a satisfied smile Kaili turned back to Allyson again and lead her two guests towards a nearby communications hub. The number for the transport services was dialed in and with an excited spin of her heel Kaili turned back to her new friend. Again.

“So, as far as I can remember the nearest town is maybe a little over ten minutes from here, but the view from the cab is amazing.” Kaili paued. “... If you like water, that is.”

< “I don’t.” > Henry muttered to himself.

“I know you don’t. But lucky for you, you don’t have to get in the water unless you really want to.” Kaili chuckled at Henry and looked to Bait. “That goes for you too, of course. No water unless you really want to.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson loved water. Though, Bait despised it and he knew what would happen if he set one little rotational body part of his in it. The little droid made several beeps of displeasure and in so many ways called Kaili crazy. Allyson looked down at the BB unit and gave him a look and he spun around both of them for a moment and then hung out at Allyson’s feet. They both watched as Henry crawled up Kai’s arm and sat upon her shoulder. It seemed Bait thought it was a good idea and he wanted to do it as well. As Allyson waited for Kai to make a few phone calls, Bait rolled against her leg a few times till she looked down. “What’s up Bait” Another series of beeps and Allyson nearly choked on her own air. “Dude, you’re heavy and not as small as Henry. Your ball like body is perfectly fine for travel…no I understand you’re kind of broken. You’re fine, chill”

Bait grunted. Allyson on the other hand was just happy that Kaili’s attention was back on her…and the others. Stepping in front of Bait, Allyson smiled. “Water is awesome, I’m as much of a fan as any Corellian. Though I don’t have a swim suit so we probably could only put our feet in if that’s alright” Allyson’s mind wandered as her eyes glanced from Kai’s feet slowly moving upward along her legs, her hips, her other curves and finally her face. Mental images of the girl in a bikini filled her head and if it was possible to feel light headed because of this, well she was starting to get light headed.

“Uh yeah when we get to town can we get uh something to eat. I’m feeling a bit in the clouds or whatever.” Ally laughed the best she could and did her best to erase the thoughts of Kai in a bikini from her mind. Seeing that it was a difficult task, she locked away her personal mental images for a later time.

“Lead the way, 10 minutes doesn’t sound too bad. If I remember right my hotel is in that town as well. Your shop was a bit hard to find you know.” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Great.” Kaili smiled as the cab approached them. “There should be something to eat around there, I mean it is a minor hub of commerce and all.”

The four of them got into the back of the cab. It was a weird construct. A form of cab that sported a clunky steel chassis and windshields like a big glass capsule or dome to truly allow the driver and passengers a great view of the Borleian scenery down below. Kaili let her eyes set on the mansion she had pointed to earlier only to find herself utterly surprised.

“That’s not my home.” She blinked as she stared out the window and down at the gigantic house. “I mean, it looks kind of just like it, but...” More blinking. “Wow. This is weird. Did they steal the? ... Hmm.”

“Anyway, yeah. It was the cheapest little shop I could find that wouldn’t force me to pay an outrageously huge sum in rent.” Kaili shrugged. “I like it though. I love cramped spaces.”

The ride would last for a while while Kaili and Allyson made the obligatory small talk and what-nots. Soon ten minutes had come to pass and the cab had arrived at the small trade port of Luceana. It wasn’t particularly big, but it still beat the capital any time of the week. Something about the smaller ports had that friendly vibe to them while maintaining that kind of air about it that spoke of some sort of multicultural hub.

It must have been the trading.

Kaili paid the cab driver and let Allyson and Bait exit the vehicle first. Taking a step of her own to the outside world, Kaili stretched her arms and legs. Cramped spaces did have its downside.

“Welcome to Luceana, again.” Kaili snickered. “This is where my products gets shipped from to extra-planetary customers.”

Obviously she had a HoloNet page. All respectable companies did. Duh.

“Last I checked we had Coruscanti Fast Foods down there,” Kaili pointed down the road behind them before turning around to point in the other direction. “Or we have local Borleian foods over there.” Then she pointed to the ground right in front of them. “Or we could go for the food cart right over there.”

“I’ll let you decide again.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson climbed out of the cab and stretched. The thought of more cramped spaces worried her especially for Kai’s odd fascination with them. Bait grumbled something again along the lines of that he should be carted away and not have to move around, but Allyson ignored him for the moment letting the droid complain then eventually give up the argument. Looking around at all the places that Kai had pointed out Allyson was left a bit lost and somewhat overwhelmed. She just wanted to eat, but there were too many choices.

“Eh, let’s do something quick so we can get to exploring a bit faster. Let’s hit up the fast food, they got bantha burgers?! Those are my absolute favorite!” Allyson deep down hoped there was a McYoda’s it was cheap, fast, and decent burgers along with other options. Happy beeps emitted from the droid next to her as he knew what she was thinking. The place had a play pen which Bait enjoyed terrorizing small children in. Chuckling, Allyson could almost read his mind about the last time they had gone to McYoda’s. With the food choice made, Allyson looked over at Kai curiously. “Uh why did you mention that the mansion that was on that island wasn’t your home?” Allyson of course picked up how familiar she was about the entire place – but she decided not to point that out.

“Oh my Force there’s a McYoda’s” Grabbing Kai’s hand absentmindedly, she dragged the girl along the street towards the Green Lightsaber arches. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“I thought it looked just like my home. Maybe I am just getting a bit stir cra- Woah!” Kaili never finished explaining why she pointed out the other house wasn’t her home. With her feet struggling to keep up with the surprise of getting tugged she quite simply found herself worrying about much more important things. Such as not planting her head in the pavement before they’d arrived at the most delightfully unhealthy little shack this side of Luceana. Kaili stood up and straightened the wrinkles of her shirt before getting a better look at the McYoda’s that they found themselves in front of.

“This must be new.” She mused mainly to herself. “Haven’t seen a McYoda’s anywhere outside of the capital.” Kaili shrugged it off. “Perhaps my favorite little spaceport is starting to grow into a couple of big boy pants? That’s what a McYoda’s would indicate right?” She laughed. “I’m game.”

The duo entered the fast food joint. Kaili let her attention shift around the locale as if she was running the most critical inspection of her life. Which in the end she really had no right to do, considering the state of her own little shop. That was circumstantial though, and all things considered not many had seen it in such a state of decay. Loske and Allyson were pretty much the exceptions that indicated there was a need for more rules. A checklist of hygiene, if you would.

Kaili approached the counter and looked at what was already cooked. The recent documentaries detailing the contents of the intergalactic favorites hadn’t left much for the imagination, yet nonetheless Kaili went for the daily special. After all, the documentary was funded by die-hard vegans. As much as Kaili wanted to say that didn’t factor into her perception of the documentary, it most certainly did. Taking it seriously would be like listening to your enemy for diplomatic advice with others. Or perhaps not, though it most certainly rang with a certain kind of bias that made the entire video feel like a Jebooshab’s Witness advert meant to convert people into following their teachings.

“You must really love this place.” Kaili perked her brow at Allyson as the kid waited for her food to be prepared. “Hand grab and drag means you are excited about something. I learned that one from my brother.” Kaili said before she smiled and crossed her arms again. Leaning on the counter she looked outside for a second at the busy streets. Seeing the droid maker get dragged down the sidewalk must have been quite a sight to see. At least to the few locals in the area that Kaili had come to know through the business. “So, do you drag people down the streets very often, Mrs. Locke?”

“The way you handled me like that has to make me wonder. I mean, you had a firm grip, the pull was strong enough to force me to stumble in your direction yet not fierce enough to cause me to fall over.” Kaili praised her friend before putting on a smirk fit to devour bantha spilling. “Are you certain that you aren't a bounty hunter?”

Obviously not, but hey, Kaili needed to have her fun at times. Even if it was somewhat at her new friend’s expense. And it was the initiation process. At least, you know, from now on. Did she play along or not? These were the questions that mattered.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The line wasn’t that long at McYoda’s it had seemed they made it into the restaurant at a good time. Allyson couldn’t contain herself as she nearly was bouncing on her feet. It had been so long since she had been to one, they really hadn’t expanded as far as their commercials on the holovid had claimed. Why would you have commercials for something, yet not have an open one on the planet? Businesses sometimes never made any sense. The hand hold had lingered after arriving, but Kaili pulled away and Allyson bit her lip for a moment. Small things like that, that was probably the best way to go with her new friend.

Glancing up at the menu, Allyson looked for one thing. Her favorite combo! Nearly hoping over the counter, she quickly ordered, “A number 5 with extra cheese, ketchup and Super Yoda me please!” Allyson had seen the same documentary, but she was one of the few that watched it and ended up just going to McYoda’s right after. She believed in moderation and since McYoda’s wasn’t everywhere there was a huge control on her McYoda’s diet. Handing over the money she waited with Kaili for the food to be made. The place was a lot more expensive then she had assumed since the last one she went to was on Coruscant. Shoving the receipt into her pocket she looked at Kai as she made a few comments about being a bounty hunter.

Nudging her slightly with her shoulder Allyson folded her arms in front of her and shrugged. “If you’re a bantha burger then yes I’m the most dangerous of all bounty hunters” She grinned. “Do you have a lot of siblings? You mentioned them when you were talking about their animal companions and how you’ve chosen the superior droid as yours” As she spoke, Ally put her hands on her hips and stuck her nose into the air. “Heathens they are choosing fuzzy creatures over the durasteel hull of a droid” Bait rolled up against Ally’s foot and beeped like he was laughing pompously. Then he beeped something towards Henry then sped off. The girl laughed and nudged Kai again. “Droids are better than animals though, to be honest I think they’re a bit smarter.”

A voice echoed behind them, calling out the orders. Allyson had ordered behind Kai so she assumed that the order called before hers was the Droid Makers. “Hey they called us.” Reaching out for Kai’s hand again, she stopped. There was no reason for her to hold the blonde’s hand, something subconscious had made her reach out for it, but logic outweighed it and she pulled her hand back and hid it quickly in her pocket. The food was on a tray and she headed towards the small open booth in the corner, hopefully with Kaili in tow. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“A brother and two sisters.” Kaili interjected before Allyson was able to go on about animals and droids. A good laugh was had. A lot of nudging too... “I never realised I sound like that when I talk.” Kaili laughed as Allyson got into the pompous pose. “Well, droids are smarter. Have you ever seen a nexu?” Kaili shook her head. “My sister Maleah has one. It’s cute, but the fella can barely keep himself... Clean around the house, so to speak.”

A quick look for Henry caught him off by the window with Bait looking at the passers by. It had been ages since she had heard him speak binary yet there he was, and by the sounds of it they were ridiculing people as they passed by. Kaili burrowed her face within the palm of her hand as the embarrassment seeped through her mind like a bad case of smoothies-too-fast. Except, without the brain pain. Of course.

“Hey they called us.”

“Oh, okay.” Kaili got up out of her seat, and much like Allyson had hoped, Kaili followed behind her. “I admit, I don’t eat at places like this very often. I always feel, like, bad when I do.”

“Daily?” The waitress asked.

“Yep, that’s me.” Kaili responded.

“Just prefer to cook my meals myself. It’s easier that way.” Kaili stepped aside for Allyson to grab her own order. “My brother keeps bringing me different kinds of meat every now and then. I mean, it was annoying at first but it has proven to be a good way to learn your way around the kitchen.”

“So, what about you? You cook, right? What's that like on a ship?”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Happily and quickly unwrapping her burger, Allyson shoved it into her mouth taking a large bite and chewing it. It had been some time since she had eaten last, mostly because she was wandering around looking for Kai’s shop until someone decided to give her a break and basically drop her off at the door. Dipping her fries into a blob of ketchup she devoured them as she listened to Kai speak. She liked to cook which was something Ally liked as well, also to have someone that cooks is on her list of ‘good qualities’. Musing about it, she finally was hit with a question. She swallowed the last bit of fry and then waved her hand in front of her.

“Its not much different than at home, sure some of the stuff is dehydrated and I have to hydrate it again before use, but usually when I’m in port and that’s most of the time I’m able to snag a few fresh things. Working with Rekali allows me short trips so most of my food is fresh and refrigerated.” There were screams of terrorized children and Allyson choked down a laugh. “Seems Bait and Henry have found their way into the kid’s play area.” Nodding towards the pair of droids that had found themselves into the ball pit. Henry had found himself on top of Bait’s head as Bait bobbed around the ballpit playing sounds of ferocious nexus and the song “Welcome to the Jungle”.

Personality, yeah Bait had it and it seemed like he was dragging Henry along for the ride. Looking back at Kaili she smiled softly. “I can cook, my mother taught me when I was younger. She was a bit old fashioned, learn to cook, clean and keep the house find a good husband to take care of you then have kids.” She played with the ketchup blob with the fry as she pulled at the memories of her childhood. “Of course my dad wasn’t going to have that, to him I was too smart for the simple life of housewife I guess. He would take me to work with him, he was one of the lead engineers for Ayden Cater. The Ayden Cater one of the best ship designers of all time.” Allyson fan girled for a moment, but then relaxed a bit.
“So yeah that’s where and when I got into ships, learned pilot came pretty easy for me. Met Ember found out its because I’m force sensitive and bam here I am.” She took another bite of the bantha burger and smiled softly. After chewing and swallowing, she wiped her mouth with the napkin. “I’d really like to try your cooking Kaili, I’m sure it's pretty divine.” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Children screaming in terror. Kaili froze for a second as her entire body seemed to freeze into a solid state. Memories of the ship crash flashed before her. The sounds and emotions of people in a state of total panic faded from a whisper to a roar in an instant. The shrieks of the engines giving way and the cracks of the hull as collision after collision impacted upon the cliffs and crevices. She could see the captain getting thrown out through the windshield and feel her own sense of desperate struggle to stay conscious after the ship had come to a full stop.

“-your cooking Kaili,” The kid twitched back into reality as if someone had just knocked all air out of her lungs. “I bet it’s pretty divine.”

“Y-yeah.” She gasped. “I tr-... I like to...”

Her heart was pounding way too hard, way too fast. The sudden realisation why she tended to stay at home most of the time dawned upon her. The kid swallowed a wide pocket of air and turned to face Allyson again.

“You could say that.” She panted. “Sorry, I just...”

Deep breath, slow exhale. Find your center. Don’t panic. Remember what your therapist said. Everything is fine, Kaili.

“I try to mix things up as best I can.” The kid finished once her nerves had settled down. “Wouldn’t want to make things far too... Boring. Mix things up a little, as best I can, you know.”

Kaili took the first bite of her burger.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

It didn’t take an empath to see that something was heavily bothering Kaili. Usually Allyson would have brushed it off, but this was different, far different from just being bothered by kids. She watched Kai as she spoke, there was a shake in her voice and it was obvious nothing was right here. Maybe staying in the restaurant was a bad idea. Looking towards Bait something triggered in the droid, he quickly shut down the noises and the music. He quickly rolled his way out of the ballpit and started to head towards them with happily little beeps. Her attention returned fully to Kaili and she rested her open hand towards the girl for a moment on the table.

“Hey is everything okay? We can take the rest of the food outside and eat on the small patio? Watch the speeders and people drive by. Its a lot better out there and there’s fresh air too.” Most of Ally’s food was finished, but she would be willing to wait for Kai to finish while they sat outside. She didn’t make a move to force the girl out there, but the offer was there. The two droids finally made it to the booth and waited for Kai to answer Allyson.

Her hand stayed open offering it to Kai for some sort of support if she needed it. Something triggered in the girl and she knew those eyes, mostly from herself. Allyson couldn’t handle debris or dead bodies - so something had to have happened to Kai to give her those eyes, Ally wondered if it was the children or if it was something more involved.

“You’re safe with me Kai.” [member="Kaili Talith"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili swallowed her food and nodded. She was still shaking, her hand landed on top of Allyson’s and with a gentle pat she signaled that she wanted to get outside. She rose up from the booth and grabbed her tray. Her hand still shook and shivered. The tray wasn’t staying still. Why wasn’t it staying still? Teeth gritted, annoyance turned into irritation. Kaili wasn’t going to let everyone see how bad in a state she could get. At least that was what she hoped. She staggered her way outside and took her seat at the first table that she could find.

“Thank you, Allyson.” She muttered in a barely audible whisper. “I appreciate it.”

The sun was still as warm as ever, the breezes as delightfully welcome as they always had been. Kaili let a shaky hand grab the once-bitten burger and held it up in front of her. She moved in for the bite, yet by the time it was right there in front of her she just couldn’t feel anything. She forced herself to take a bite in a desperate attempt to get over herself, yet it didn’t help. The contents of the burger just grew bigger and bigger for each chewing motion that Kaili circled through.

She once more forced herself to swallow before putting the burger back down. Kaili propped her elbows on the table, interlocked her fingers and let her eyes seek refuge within.

“I’m sorry.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson quickly followed behind Kaili, she still couldn't put her finger on what had triggered all of this, but she was happy that the girl was open to taking her suggestion by moving outside. The fresh air would help along with other noises to distract her from whatever triggered the episode that just happened. They sat down at one of the outside tables and Ally intently watched Kaili mostly to make sure that she was okay.

Alas, the move outside didn't do much to calm Kai from what she had noticed. The girl put her burger down and hid her face. Allyson felt bad, the day was going so well and now because of her choice to stay and eat here things were going down hill and Kai wasn't feeling happy anymore. She remembered when she felt this way, when everything felt against her and she was alone. Despite her words, she didn’t want to be alone, but there she was no one in the galaxy knew what she was going through. Remembering this, she knew what she had to do.

An arm wrapped around Kaili’s waist and pulled her close, she rested her head on the girl’s shoulder doing the best to hug her as they sat side by side. Allyson really didn’t know what to do with her other hand so she just rested it on Kai’s leg rubbing her lower thigh to hopefully comfort her the best she could. Something was wrong and this was all Ally knew what to do. “We can go back to the shop if you want, it’s not fair. I’m sorry for bringing you out here. We can go back.” The brunette wanted to ask what was going on, but felt it would only push Kaili deeper into her episode and cause a full blown mental break down. Seeing that Kaili had a reputation in the area, it would be bad for business so Allyson kept her mouth shut and just supported the girl. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

She hated this part. The part where her conscience was divided between a deep sense of guilt and whether or not she should look out for her own interests or not. She wanted to eat the burger that she had no appetite for, yet part of her really wanted to go home. Her hands slumped by her side and she leaned her head on Allyson’s shoulder much like a drowsy child. In this moment she very much felt like one. An eighteen year old crybaby leaning on a friend’s should during a moment of immense panic.

“I want to go home.” She said and felt as pathetic as she most likely looked. “I’m sorry.”

Kaili remained still. Her eyes closed and she let the other girl continue their attempts at calming her down before it was time to go. They got out of the booth and ventured down the street to where they had arrived with the cab before. Part of Kaili for bad for not talking, she should have, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. What was she supposed to say? Telling Allyson about the ship crash, no matter how nice she was, felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Instead all the youngest Talith did was dial in a destination and waited for their cab to arrive.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like this, Allyson. I truly am.” Kaili let out a shaky sigh. “Pathetic.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson smiled, there was nothing more she could do about it. There was a sense of relief washed through her as she felt Kaili rest her head against her. There was a sense of trust possibly and comfort that she could give to the other girl. Allyson wanted to be someone that she didn’t have when she was going through something similar. She felt guilty over her family, she wondered if things would have been different if she was with them or if she could have convinced them to leave Corellia for some reason. Thoughts like that consistently weighed on her mind and what made her feel worse was that she hadn’t visited their memorials in some time.

She tossed the garbage away and then followed Kai to the place where they had originally been dropped off by the cab. “Hey, its alright. Things happen and we can’t always control it. You’ll feel better once we get back to your shop” She smiled and when the cab arrived she helped her and the droids into the cab.

The ride was silent, but she left her hand out if Kai needed something to hold on to while they traveled back to the shop. She looked out the window and admired the scenery. Looking back towards Kai, she wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better somehow. Though Allyson knew that there wasn’t anything she could do or say to fix it right now. Still, she wanted to do something. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

It was nice to have someone understand. No questions or platitudes, just someone who was there. Someone who seemed to understand what it was that Kaili needed. Silence, as heavy as it was, always had a calming effect on Kaili. All she could hear was the hum of the speeder’s engine as it swept through the skies that blended ever so softly with her own muted whimpers. She shuffled closer to her friend. The hand that had been extended was firmly latched on to before Kaili latched on to the entirety of her friend’s arm.

“I will do it for free.” Kaili sobbed as she placed her head on Allyson’s shoulder. “The repairs. You deserve it after all this.”

“Not everyone gets to see their mechanic in tears.” Kaili tried her best to laugh. It didn’t really work. “Even fewer find them latched to their arm in a cab mere hours after meeting them.”

“You’re a good person, Allyson.” Kaili eased her grip on the woman’s arm. “Thank you.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson wasn’t surprised as Kaili took her hand tightly. Times like this you needed something stable to hold on to. Though she was surprised when the girl scooted over and wrapped herself around her arm. Ally didn’t move and let the girl take comfort in her, but then she spoke about the repairs and offered them for free. As much as Allyson wanted to decline the offer, she let it go for now. Arguing wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do at this time especially with Kai in this fragile state. Her free arm reached over and brushed some of the blonde’s hair from her face as she spoke. “I didn’t see my mechanic cry, I saw my friend hurting from something.” A soft and slightly awkward smile spread across the girl’s face.

Caring for another’s feelings was something beyond Allyson. The girl lost touch with that after the death of her parents, the world became something she needed to bend to her will. Yet, with Kaili she wanted nothing more than to fix what was hurting the girl. Another soft pet of the blonde hair and the cab stopped. The door opened and the droids bound out, Henry ridding and holding on to dear life as he was atop Bait. Taking her time, Allyson helped Kai out and if the girl still clung to her arm she would let her.

“I still want to spend time with you, I really enjoyed today.” Smiling, she started to think of how she was going to work this out. The hotel she was staying at was well over 20 mins from where the shop was and the last thing she wanted to do was leave Kai alone. Looking around the island she figured it was more private property than anything. “You know if that huge mansion place rents out the guest rooms? I know on planets like this people end up doing that while they’re not there or something.” If she had to, Allyson would sleep at the shop’s front door if need be. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

There she was. Clinging to the arm of someone who was a stranger earlier this very day. It felt cruel and unjust to even think on it, but in the end Allyson was more of a question mark than Kaili could remember in that moment. She was a new friend, there was no denying that, but she was still a big question mark. A big, Corellian question mark that she seemed to grow increasingly attached to. Both figuratively and literally.

The cab stopped and the quartet stepped out into the open again. First Henry and Bait, then Kaili and Allyson. The salty breezes, the lack of a busy city and the bustle that came with it brought further calm to the kid’s troubled mind. She took a deep breath and with it she let go of her friend’s arm. She didn’t need it anymore, not as much as before.

“People around here are uptight.” Kaili said, being rather blunt. She shook her head and started to make way towards her home and workshop. “Rich people with too much money than sense most of the time.”

All things considered, even Paradise had its fair bunch of troubles such as disparity, but that wasn’t a very important topic. At least not for the two women recovering from a bad hiccup. The duo got closer to the door and Kaili stuck her keycard in the slot for the lock mechanism. Living a few meters away from the cab station also had its ups and downs, but considering the infrequency of use when it came to the station and the nearby neighbors she had no real issue with it.

“I’ve got a couch.” She shrugged at Allyson before stepping inside the workshop again. “Not sure how comfortable it is though. Don’t you have belongings and stuff at your room, at the hotel?”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Frowning, Kai was probably right about the people who she neighbored with on the island. Though the more she thought about it the more she found it strange that she picked her shop to be on this island that was practically the backyard of the mansion she could see in the distance. There was more to Kaili than she was letting on, but they had just met you can’t dump everything on a person you just met. Allyson was lucky enough to catch glimpses of who Kai was, she’ll take that and be alright. “A couch sounds fine; the hotel I was staying at was a bit much anyways.” She brought up belongings and Ally shook her head.

“My belongings are in the pack I brought with me, I left it in the shop. Its not much just a few changes of clothes and my toothbrush.” Allyson chuckled. Most of her things were still on her ship, but with the port being so busy it would have been odd to stay on the ship. Also this was an excuse to try and get to know Kaili a little more, Allyson found herself constantly drawn to the girl the more she thought about it.

“Do you have a refresher in the shop as well? I mean if you don’t I guess I could figure out something with the beach. Place seems pretty private anyways, would just have to bath early in the morning.” Allyson forced a laugh as she thought about taking a bath in the water that surrounded the island, as much as she wants to stay clean – she really hoped that Kai had a refresher in the workshop. When they walked inside she looked around and found her pack. Doing her best she moved it out of the way so that if there were any other customers they wouldn’t trip on it. “So I’m assuming, since you have a couch you practically live in the shop?”

“Also, uh are you feeling better?” [member="Kaili Talith"]