The Girl and The Robot

[Kaili Talith]

“Couch it is then.” Kaili nodded and crossed the workshop towards a small unremarkable door. She dug through her pockets and withdrew yet another keycard. “There we go.”

She inserted the keycard into a nearly invisible slot in the wall and with it the sound of machinery emanated from the wall. One of the walls slid aside with a metallic whine only to expose a very clean living environment. It wasn’t particularly big, but after taking the first step inside it would almost make you forget all about the dust-ridden workshop. There was no dust here, in fact it seemed almost meticulously cleaned.

“I’m feeling better, by the way.” Kaili grinned as she stepped inside her home. “It’s not much, but it’s home. I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”

The place Allyson entered was like a whole other world. Maybe a bit too compact, but that was the point.

“Like I said, comfortably cramped.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Upon entering the apartment that was attached to the workshop, Ally had her breath taken away. Kaili was right about the place being cramped, but what surprised and took Ally’s breath away was how clean and immaculate the place was. It was a huge contrast to how the workshop was and it made the girl beside her even more interesting. Rubbing her chin she took a good look at the small apartment, the more Ally took it in the more she realized she hadn't’ stayed in a place that didn't’ fly in almost 3 years.

“Its really amazing in here Kaili. It's actually not as cramped as I thought it was going to be.” Getting a bit of a tour, Ally was able to find where the couch was and she set down her things. She was curious as to why the couch was in the sleeping quarters with the bed, but it wasn’t her home, maybe Kaili liked it that way. “So this is where the notorious Droid Maker lives? Very nice indeed. Those rich snobs that live in that house you pointed at have nothing on your place for sure.” Ally was honest, as much fun as it would be to live in a mansion, she always preferred apartments. They felt like home. The thought of home made her nose wrinkle as she fought back memories.

“I’m glad you're feeling better. You have anything to drink? We’ve had a long day we should relax - what do you say?” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

It was what it was. While Kaili had no real reason to keep the shop clean, she still found herself actually living within this small compartment that she called home. What Allyson most likely wouldn’t know was that by all means they were in a trailer home right now. Detachable from the workshop and able to be moved if Kaili so desired. Which at one point or another she was more than likely to. Just not now. The proximity to the great mansion was part of the reason she decided to go here. It was a good reminder of where she came from, and a good reminder of that meant of where she came from meant that she could appreciate what it was she had made for herself.

Less is more, or whatever it was that philosophers said.

“Yeah, there’s a bottle of Corellian Whiskey in the fridge.” Kaili ponted towards the little kitchen. “Or well, blue milk and all other sorts of fanciful cooking... Things.”

She might have been a good chef, but that did not mean she had to know what she did half of the time. It just worked, wasn’t that all that mattered? She set her eyes on Allyson and followed her as she walked around the little ‘sanctum’ that the kid Talith called her home.

“I find that my shop and home are the best places to calm down.” Kaili shrugged as she leaned against the wall. “Sorry about before, again. It’s a long story. And one that I don't like to think on too much. Sorry.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Corellian Whiskey!? I knew I liked you for a reason. Care to bartend?” A grin spread across Ally’s face as she became excited at the sound of Corellian Whiskey. Just like any Corellian, she was proud of where she came from even after the disaster that occurred on the planet. She was surprised that the whiskey was still available. Most likely though it was made in the style of Corellian Whiskey and not the same as the iconic drink. Still, anything close to Corellia meant that home wasn’t forever lost.

The apology came again and Allyson shrugged and waved her hand slightly. “We all have our issues and if you do want to talk about them I’m here, but if you don’t want to then I’m not going to push you to tell me.” Ally ran a hand through her brunette hair as she sighed softly. She had her own demons to fight and to figure out, it would be hypocritical of her to press Kaili to reveal hers. Ally’s other hand pulled at the stripes on the side of her pants as she thought about what to do next. Why was Kaili constantly apologizing for what happened? Sure it did kind of sour the mood of the morning, but in the end it was okay.

As long as she was feeling better. “Kaili, as long as you’re starting to feel better there’s nothing to be sorry about. Really, I promise.” Putting a smile on her face she looked towards the blonde. “So how about that Corellian Whiskey?” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili snickered. Corellians who liked Corellian things, who would ever have figured that one? There were still some very small distilleries available on Corellia. Most of the planet was gone yet in the midst of the chaos some of the most foolhardy Corellians kept the tradition going. The price of the particular bottle that Kaili withdrew from her fridge wasn’t something she talked about very often, but there was without a doubt a reason that she chose this particular make. The smokiness of it. It really added to cooking in the most wonderful of ways. Sauces made with whiskey was one of the greatest pleasures. It was only fair that the ingredients lived up to the full potential of said condiment.

She grabbed two glasses, put them on the table and then paused for a second. Was it two fingers vertical or two fingers horizontal? Horizontal made sense, but for the person who pretty much never ever used the stuff for personal consumption.

She took a wild guess at the measure being horizontal and went with it.

She put the bottle back in the fridge again and waltzed over to Allyson again with one glass in each hand.

“Here you are.” She handed the woman her drink. “I usually reserve it for cooking, but what the hell, right?”

“It’s local.” Kaili focused herself on the force. All things considered she was drinking a poison and she had no real intentions of not neutralizing it before it sent her entire system roaring into a state of tears again. “Corellian, I mean. I had a client who was able to get me into contact with a friend of his who is just as stubbornly as ever keeping the business alive.”

“Gotta admire that Corellian willpower.” Kaili put her glass down on the table. “So, you know, gotta use it sparingly.”

That’s what the price tag said.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Local Corellian? Oh this is the good stuff.” Allyson of course being a typical Corellian held the glass with respect and cherished it for a moment. Giving a silent send off for all the Corellian’s lost on the mother planet, then as she sipped she inhaled taking in the smoky essence of the whiskey. Unlike Kai, Allyson had no idea that the Force could neutralize the drunken stupor that could occur when having too much whiskey. “Well I don’t want to drink your supply, that stuff is really hard to get – I remember I did a shipment run for them once. Paid a pretty penny.” Allyson disappeared into the room where her backpack was located. Rummaging through it she snagged her own half used bottle of Corellian Whiskey. It was nowhere near the price range of what Kai kept in her fridge.

Returning to the kitchen area, she placed the bottle on the counter and smiled. Returning to the drink she finished it and sighed softly. “Corellian anything reminds any Corellian of home. It’s been some time since I went home for a day or two.” The effort to recreate what was lost was something everyone had to pitch in for. Ally did her part and that was how she earned the rank two Corellian Bloodstripes, she wore them proud despite no one really knowing what they meant. A Corellian knew and that’s all that mattered at times.

Once her glass was empty, she unscrewed the whiskey and poured herself a little more. She slid the bottle between them and smiled at Kai. “You’ve had a rough day, relax a little and put your feet up. You’re smart, your work and Bait are going to be there tomorrow. Give yourself some time to just chill.” Musing at the area and the conversation about barbeque sauce, Ally quickly interjected before taking a sip of the whiskey she had poured. “So you make your own sauces too? That’s pretty cool – do I get to try some of your cooking since I’m bumming on your couch?” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Those Corellian stripes. Kaili had read about them a long while ago but didn’t think much about it all that much. In a sense Allyson would be right in assuming that not many would know what it was all about other than her fellow Corellians. There was a small awareness that Allyson would have done something, but to what degree or even what it was that kind of thing it was that she had done was not at all known to Kaili.

“Trust me, I get worse when drunk.” Kaili snickered. “I really shouldn’t.”

“Uh, sure.” Kaili was taken aback for a second. She had completely forgot dinner. “I might have something in there, but uhm, not sure what.”

She took another sip of her whiskey and looked over at the bottle that Allyson had brought with her. It seemed as equally wrong that the bottle they enjoyed was the one that she had set on the table rather than the one in Kaili’s fridge. It was after all the hostess who was in charge of such things, not her guests.

“Are you sure we should be drinking that?” Kaili looked at Allyson. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to regret it later or something like that.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

There was a happy little grin on Allyson’s face when Kaili agreed to cooking food. The one thing that made Allyson happy was food, any kind of food. She enjoyed it. She was feeling down, she ate, she was hungry, she ate, she was bored, she ate. Any moment she could she’d eat, but this wasn’t without the time in the gym or just running. Her life motto was workout to eat and that exactly was what she did. Another sip of the whiskey she looked at the bottle, it was from Corellia, but it was also from a distillery that was heavily damaged in the chaos. Ember had helped her snag the last floating cases and they had a home in her ship.

“Regret? I won’t regret anything – I have a few more cases in the ship this bottle should be shared with friends.” Allyson became stuck with the comment of regret. She regretted a lot of things, the boy she slept with, who she eventually stole a job from. She regretted not being home when her father went missing and when her mother and brother became trapped in the apartment building. She regretted never calling them and telling them that she loved them. Allyson Locke had a normal childhood and life up until that day. Thinking about it made her take another sip of the whiskey. The smooth burn on the back of her throat broke her from her thoughts.

“I’m surprised you’re not hungry, you didn’t eat much at lunch. Maybe we can throw something together uh together? If you want me to help of course.” That silly little grin stayed on Allyson’s face. The alcohol was slowly starting to affect her and despite her emotions about her regrets, they stayed buried for the time being. For now, the alcohol was doing its job and suppressing anything horrible and negative in her life. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

There would be no regret, and the bottle was just one of a few others. As much as the indication of there being ‘a few more cases’ in the woman’s ship, Kaili couldn’t help letting her own sense of frugality kick in. It was a valuable commodity from a place that was nothing but a shadow of its former self. If these last few bottles were to be consumed then it would all just... Be gone. But alas, the Corellian lady had made her mind and Kaili dropped the matter.

“Good.” She smiled at Allyson. “Regret is just about the last thing I’d want my customers to experience.” Kaili blew a half-hearted raspberry at Allyson before looking to the kitchen. “Let me just slide on over there and see what we have.”

And much like the kid said, she would slide on out of her seat and take a step into the kitchen. She knelt down in front of the refrigerator and with her hand on the door handle she gently pulled it open.

“Uncut nerf, ‘matoes, bell peppers, aaaaand,” The kid shuffled a few of the things inside of her refrigerator around. “Fresh-ish pasta.”

Head over her shoulder she looked to Allyson.

“Give you any ideas?”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Having her nose in the glass as she thought, Ally sipped the whiskey and sighed refreshed. It wasn’t a lot of ingredients, but it was enough. “Hmm we could have nerf pasta with tomato pepper sauce. All we gotta do is dice up the peppers sweat em down, cook the tomatoes and mash them up into a sauce. Trim the nerf, cook the pasta.” Thinking she tried to figure out something to do with the nerf, “Oh! If you have flour you can lighty bread em and pan fry em. That would be so good. Oh man so good.”

Ally was known to watch several cooking shows on the holonet, it was something she did to pass the time. Was it mentioned that she loved food? She loved food and was probably the closest thing to a foodie in this galaxy. Sliding off her chair, she wandered over to where Kai was in the fridge. She knelt down to her level and peeped into the fridge. “Could always add a little bit of your whiskey to the sauce give it a good smoky tone if you want.” Looking at Kai and being a bit more loose because of the whiskey, she patted the girl’s shoulder and ruffled her hair slightly.

“I think that sounds good unless you had another idea?” Remembering something that Kaili had said a few moments ago, Allyson stood up and frowned slightly. Crossing her arms, she looked at the girl and sighed. "When do I stop being the customer and actually being your friend?" [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili couldn’t find the words. When was Allyson going to move from customer to friend? Her mouth opened and it seemed like she was trying to speak, but nothing would come out. Instead her attention set to the floor in shame mixed with a mild sensation of defeat. All things considered Allyson had been solid today. Done a lot more than Kaili would have expected from a stranger. Or rather, from such a recent friend. But there was that small hint of fear. She was afraid of... Something. It was irrational, illogical, but what if something happened to Allyson because of Kaili? Would she be able to live with that?

No.

“You are, I just-” Kaili tried to breathe. Failed at it. “I don’t make friends.”

“I do, I just- It’s hard. I can’t-...”

“You’re my friend. I am just...” Kaili grabbed the ingredients and placed them on the countertop. She needed another topic. “I liked your idea. We should do that.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

“I understand.”

Maybe it was unfair of Allyson to expect things to change so quickly, but she needed something to hold on to, something to ground her. Maybe Kaili wasn’t that something. Nodding, Allyson didn’t press the issue any more it was obvious there was nothing more to press about it. Her face returned to the glass and she took another sip. She would, like all of her relationships ride the tide and enjoy it while it lasted. At least this one had a longer time limit than most. Setting her glass on the counter top, she rolled up her sleeves and smiled.

Smiling was something she had to do, if she didn’t it would sour the days she had left with Kaili and that was the last thing she wanted to do. If this was going to be short lived then, she was going to enjoy every last minute of it. Maybe there was hope and she could possibly change the blonde’s mind into wanting to be her friend. There was hope and she would hold on to it till the end. It was really all she had left.

Looking at the ingredients she wiggled her hands trying to keep pace with Kaili and her desire to change the subject. Pressing matters that were unnecessary dampened the mood. “So what can I do the help the Chef today?” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Yeah, Kaili felt bad. She did want to call Allyson a friend but there was just that one barrier at the back of her mind. There was the hope that perhaps cooking together would change that. Not that cooking would change a whole lot, they were practically just slicing and dicing their way through vegetables and a piece of meat, but perhaps it was as good of a start as any.

“I’ll do the vegetables if you get started on the nerf.” Kaili tried to smile and handed Allyson the hunk of meat. “I’ll get started on the vegetables.”

It felt like an awkward silence fell between the two. The weight of Allyson not knowing made itself felt. If Kaili would only tell her then she would understand. Yet even that felt difficult. There were no words that she could use to accurately describe exactly what had happened.

Deep shaky breath.

“The last person who tried to become friends with me bled out in my arms.” It wasn’t one of those things to be so incredibly blunt about, yet it had to be said. Allyson deserved to understand. “And I couldn’t do anything to help her.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson started to trim the meat, cutting the unnecessary fat off the protein and tossing it aside. She ran her fingers through it to make sure nothing membrane like was still clinging to it. After she had fully cleaned it, she went to looking about it making sure she cut it against the grain as she portioned out the steaks. Since it was just the two of them, she left the remaining hunk of meat whole and wrapped it back up for Kai when she decided to use it again.

The silence was thick and she could feel something from the girl near her, something weighed on her mind. Allyson didn’t want to press it and continued to season and flour each thin steak of the nerf meat. Suddenly as she finished dredging the last steak piece, Kaili dropped the bomb on her and she paused looking at the girl. What was she supposed to say? What was someone supposed to say in a matter like this? Allyson just stood there and stared at Kaili.

She remembered when she found her mother and her brother mangled underneath the building and how she felt and how all she wanted was someone to understand. Putting the meat down she wiped her hands clean of the flour. Walking behind Kaili at the right moment where she wouldn’t accidentally cut herself, she slowly wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Her face resting against the blonde’s mess of hair and her shoulder. Muffled words choked back any of her own emotion as she remembered the feeling and understood them. “I understand exactly how you feel Kaili, I really do...thank you.” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili gently put the knife down and let her friend embrace her. She didn’t want to say anything more about what happened. She didn’t need to say anything more about what had happened. Allyson understood. Something about that just felt obvious, it felt real. Kaili spun around in her friend’s arms and returned it with a hug of her own. She knew now, and she understood. It seemed like it didn’t matter how many times Kaili repeated that particular thought, it just felt good.

“No. Thank you.” Kaili whispered back. There was little else she could do. She didn’t ask about why Allyson understood, nor did she ask why she was so interested in being friends with her. Both questions were certainly burning at the back of her cranium, but it wasn’t the time to ask. The only thing that was needed right now was the closeness of their hug and what it meant for the two of them.

Kaili had a friend, and that scared her senseless almost.

“Today’s been weird.” Kaili sobbed into the shoulder of her friend. “Just... Weird.”

“World upside-down weird.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The hug lingered for a few moments, it seemed both girls needed it for the most part. Pulling away Allyson kept her stupid slightly intoxicated grin spread across her face. It seems there was hope and hope was all that Ally could hold on to. It was a relief that she wasn’t the reason why Kaili didn’t want to automatically be friends, but even then Ally’s expectations for friends was a bit skewed. Either way, it seemed things were starting to look better. The awkward silence faded as Allyson began to cook the meat and the sauce was put on the stove.

It didn't’ take long for the meal to be put together and because of the Food shows, Allyson did her best to impress her new friend with her Chef like plating skills. Of course pictures were taken and uploaded, then it was time to eat. Idle chit chat was shared between her and Kaili, but mostly they ate. Allyson made sure that she offered seconds to the blonde knowing that she had gone without lunch and possibly breakfast. Dinner finished and leftovers were packed up, dishes were cleaned and the early evening turned into late evening.

Yawning slightly Allyson looked towards Kaili. The whiskey was starting to make her sleepy along with the heavy meal in her stomach. “The sauce you made was amazing, I’ve never had anything like it, Force it went perfect with the meat and uhhh just everything. Droid maker by day, Chef by night - haha if you ever get bored you could always open a small restaurant.” Allyson could eat like that for the rest of her life and she patted her stomach in approval. “So what does the Chef Droid Maker Kaili do in her spare time?” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Though the awkward silence had drifted on for a short while it soon faded to a far more friend-like atmosphere. Laughter, as weird as it felt, started to fill the small compartmentalized space that Kaili liked to call her home. By the time the sauce was cooking up it was gone. They had taken their seats in the booth, they had eaten with and shared the small-talk that people tended to do over dinner. In the end what they had shared was mainly empty statements and idle ponderings. Perhaps that was all that was all she really needed to make a friend.

Or at least another friend. For a brief moment, when nobody was talking, a small shot of worry went slivering through the young Taliths body as she thought about the person who before now had been her only friend. Mara didn’t have it easy, but Kaili was there for her. Much like Kaili would be there for Allyson from now on. Maybe not to the same degree, at least not at first, there was still a distinct difference between having known each other your entire life and having only just befriended someone. But they would get there eventually.

With her elbow propped on the table, Kaili leaned into her hand and looked at Allyson.

“Well, chef-droid-makers certainly don’t start restaurants.” She softly murmured as she realised just exactly how heavy her eyelids had grown. “Books.” She yawned and closed her eyes for a few seconds before shaking herself awake again. “I read books.”

“Non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy fiction... Fiction fiction...” Kaili shrugged. “You name it. Picked it up from my sister. She’s a nerd. A Jedi Marshall nerd, but also a bookworm nerd. Her name is Aela. She’s super into the Galactic Alliance. A Galactic Nerd, if you will.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Reading, that was something Allyson really didn’t do - ever. Books were hard to come by with how much she traveled, when she did get her hands on something she tried to read it as fast as she could. Books were nothing she had time for, but if Kaili liked them, maybe she could give them another try. Chewing on the end of her thumb Ally’s ears perked up at the mention of the Galactic Alliance. “Oh I know them, I was going to see if they needed fighter pilots at one point, but working with the Undergro---errrr the Rekali clan seemed to have a better off as being a freighter pilot.

The Underground from her knowledge was supposed to be a secret, but Kaili had shared some stuff with her, so it seemed only fair to release some vital information about herself as well. Her hands found their way into her lap, she was about to share some details about herself, but noticed that Kaili was starting to doze off as she had just rambled on about book genres. Rubbing the back of her neck, Ally made the suggestion. “How about we call it a night? Its been a long day and tomorrow Bait’s part should come in!”

Standing, she stretched and then offered her hand to help the sleepy Kaili to her bed. “Come on now sleepy droid chef maker. We can talk about your nerdy sister and the galactic alliance tomorrow morning” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili softly snickered.

“The Underground.” She tried to perk her brows but failed at that. “If you see Styr, tell him Kaili Talith says Hello.”

Because Kaili had met him during her visit to Mara on Kilia IV. He did not like her last name, not one bit. But also because of him having fought against the Talith ancestors, with the Underground no less, Kaili would forgive Styr for being naturally wary of her. She most likely would have been wary of herself if she was him and herself as well.

That thought made more sense to her when she first thought it than it did when she contemplated it.

“Tomorrow, we will get the droid going at a hundred percent.” Kaili rambled on as she grabbed Allyson’s hand and walked over towards the bedroom area. Eventually they came to a stop. “Refresher and bathroom to your left,” Kaili pointed to the fancy little closet that housed all those amenities before jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the nearby wall. “My bed over there.”

“Any last minute requests, or are we calling it now?”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson was showed where she could wash up before bed, though it seems there wasn’t going to be a mad rush for it since Kai seemed like she was about to pass out where she stood. Of course, her comment about her bed being over where she pointed made her smile and she couldn’t resist to make a joke. Chuckling, Ally looked towards the bed and nodded. “I thought I was sleeping on the couch, is that an invitation?” Allyson was a flirt and she made that obvious as she smiled towards the blonde and began to gather her things for the refresher.

“Well, the same goes to you since I’ll be in the refresher first.” Allyson couldn’t help but laugh slightly as she slung the small towel over her shoulder and carried the small plastic bag with her shampoo and other things towards the refresher. She lingered long enough to hear any reaction from Kaili, but after words she would smirk and then head into the bathroom. [member="Kaili Talith"]