What's a Zoo, Mommy? (Siobhan)

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

"Thank you." She spoke softly in return. This writer is left wondering what would happen the first time Galina decides to sneak out of the house on her own to go meet up with friends, or girlfriends! One suspects that it might be most interesting to see what results. Maybe Galina will end up grounded for the first time! Or Siobhan might be forced to lecture her little girl.

Galina reached out happily accepting the cone, licking at the sweet ice cream in a very child-like manner. After all the girl had missed out on so many of these moments. Hearing Sio call her, her daughter with the pride so evident to the redhead drew a bright smile from her. The conversation between the ice cream woman and Siobhan the young woman seemed not to pick up on so much. Though she smiled back at the Eldorai before stepping over to Siobhan, staying close to her side as she felt the brunette, her mother, was her guide in this very strange world.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


Presumably Siobhan would be extra stern if Galina snuck out to meet manlings. Especially manlings who did not know their place. Oh, and smoking was bad as well. Yes, Siobhan had been trying to quit again since she adopted Galina. She was turning into such a square. Well, little Galina had not discovered what happened in the special room yet...



In any case, for a few moments Siobhan's eyes were solely focused upon her daughter. Of course, eating an ice cream was not exactly fascinating, but that was not what she was focused on. Slowly but surely, Galina was blossoming into a remarkable, happy teenage girl after all the suffering and tribulations she had been through. Sure, she was still shy and the language barrier was often a stumbling block for her, but she was visibly improving. This was her little girl.


"Don't eat too fast, dear," Siobhan said softly, handing Galina a tissue in case she caused a mess. "Want to go see the Delphins? There's gonna be a show in a couple minutes."

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina nodded, taking in the advice her adopted mother gave her. Ice cream headaches after all were no fun. "I would like t-to. Yes." She was most curious about the animals and creatures the zoo had to offer and a Delphin show? No trip to the zoo would be complete without it.

Reaching out, she took Siobhan's hand, happy to let her mum lead her through the crowds to the arena area for the Delphin show. The whole place seemed so strange to her, there was nothing like this place on Sigma. But a world forever trapped in civil war, there simply wasn't money for lavish things like a Zoo. Entertainment and learning were the furthest thing from the minds of her people. War and survival came before anything else.

For a moment, she stared off thinking about Sigma, about her old home. About all of the war torn streets, burnt out buildings and the struggles of life. Now, everything seemed easier, simpler. She could take a moment and actually breathe, not needing to do everything just to live through the day again. And sure it was a simpler life to her, it was also far more lavish than she ever expected when she was rescued. Galina had figured that all worlds were like hers, the wars, the killing all the same. But nothing was. Nothing was quite like Sigma.

Sighing softly she returned to eating her ice cream content for the moment in her life. Simple seemed better than the struggle to survive. Something she could get used to.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


Little could either of them know that soon the storms of the Apocalypse would rage across the stars, leaving no planet untouched. War was already spreading to many worlds, leaving misery and destruction. Take Druckenwell, where hundreds of millions had perished because the CIS would rather raze its own planet then surrender. Or Alderaan, which had been twisted and mutated into a Vong paradise. Speaking of Alderaan, Siobhan thought that nuking it was a good idea.



The Galaxy was full of wonders, but also of dangers and the latter were on the rise. It was a dark world she hoped to shield her daughter from, even though in her heart of hearts she knew that even she had limits and that sooner or later Galina would want to spread her metaphorical wings. However, this would not stop Siobhan from trying to protect and guide her child. She had never understood what maternal pride meant, but now she thought she did.



Siobhan noticed that her daughter seemed deep in thought, though she did not pry. However, she could imagine what she was thinking of. Inevitably her thoughts would have to drift back to Sigma. After all, after being rescued by Adril Siobhan had often thought of Nar Shaddaa and the wretched life she had escaped. So she just gave Galina's hand a soft squeeze and flashed her a possibly encouraging smile as they walked through the crowds and into the arena area for the Delphin show. As they would find when they arrived, a large number of guests had already gathered but Siobhan had no difficulty finding a seat for them. Presumably being a noblewoman had its perks on Kaeshana. Along with the fact that she owned the zoo.


"Dear guests, welcome to today's Delphine show! Here at Firefarm Zoo we only offer you the very best. Please, a round of applause for our Delphins," an Eldorai woman who seemed to serve as an announcer of sorts beamed once everyone had sat down.


Before their eyes was a very large pool of water. One of the Eldorai minions working at the zoo tossed a ball into the pool. Suddenly, as if on cue, a delphin emerged from the deep, holding the aforementioned ball between its flippers, before leaping up into the air and diving back into the pool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8AvEstX_3E​

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Indeed, neither of them could have known what would be coming soon to their family and their world. It was a thought that hadn't really crossed the Wildling's mind. Though, there was a feeling of a storm brewing, that soon would be crashing in. But she couldn't quite connect that feeling to anything else. She'd felt a similar feeling not too long before the doomed and final flight of her biological family. It was something the redhead did her best to quash the feeling and push it aside. The last thing she wanted to think about were events like that. The girl couldn't bear the thought of another disaster befalling her and those around her.

A sigh came as she glanced back to her mother, she managed a smile. There was a question she wanted to ask Siobhan and Tegaea but the time was not now. For she wished to return to Sigma, to see the world once more and see if any of her distant family at all survived. It was natural curiosity to wonder, and want to know. To know the state of her home. She gently squeezed Sio's hand in return. It was a conversation for another time, another day. It wasn't now. Not to mention Galina wanted to be able to better communicate her desire to visit her homeworld, not stumble through the words and not articulate her meaning well and be reduced to writing it out for her parents to read.

Pulled from her thoughts by the noise of the crowd, and the splashing sounds of the large pool, she finally seemed to come back to reality once more. Sitting down, Galina scooted rather close to Siobhan, a little nervous to be in such a large crowd. That nervousness soon melted away as her eyes were drawn to the pool, curiously watching the Delphines as they leaped through the air, diving back into the waters.

A bright smile spread across her lips as she drew upon the energy of the creatures and the excitement of the crowd. She even clapped happily as she watched eager to see the next trick, the next splash of water, all of it quite exciting for the young woman.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


This one does not like Siobhan much - if at all - and thus finds the prospect of her shiny aristo life being wrecked incredibly amusing. It was just unfortunate that Galina and Tegaea would have to suffer as well. Naturally this one blames Siobhan for totally valid reasons.



Deep down Siobhan felt that was something...bad was coming. That a storm was brewing. But she could not quite place it. It was a cause of frustration, fear and anxiety for fear. She was not supposed to be afraid of elusive, phantom menaces that lurked in the dark...and yet she was. Perhaps it was nagging certainty that even she was only mortal. However, she clamped down on that feeling when the show began. Today they were supposed to enjoy themselves. She was supposed to give her adopted daughter happiness after all the suffering the poor girl had been through. Her wethennish fears and anxieties could wait. She had spent enough time being a whiner.


The joy her daughter was feeling when the show started was apparently contagious since Siobhan found herself smiling as well, though she kept herself from clapping. Splashes of water were heard as the delphins leaped through the air before diving back deeply into the waters. Among other things, one could see delphins leaping through rings that were hanging from a beam, with water splashing against where the guests were seated, which might have resulted in some of them getting wet! One could see delphins leap through the air and shoot through the waters at incredible speed. At one moment delphins would suddenly erupt from the depths of the large pool with balls held between their teeth and their flippers, then shoot them right into the crowd!


Who knew, maybe little Galina would catch one of them!