Private A Day Late And A Credit Short

[Amani Serys]

Coruscant​

Arlo Renard had a storied and unenviable journey up to this point. The life of a Sithspawn Jedi was never going to be an easy road, but of all the branching paths, Amani never quite imagined it culminating in a prison stint for the excommunicated padawan. What he did was wrong, no question, but he had since done the time. Served his sentence. And from what Amani understood, he was making a genuine effort to turn his life around for the better.

After all, he was now her husband's bonafide bodyguard.

One of Amani's most bothersome regrets of late had been not making the time to actually visit Kai more while he was in prison. Thankfully, Alicio continued to carry that torch himself, but it was an unsatisfactory excuse for not doing the same. To make matters worse, with all the wedding planning to be done, opportunities only remained scarce.

But the wedding was done now. The newlyweds had returned from their honeymoon. There was time now. Especially since Kai had literally moved next door for his duties. The least she could do was pop in to say hello. After a bit more procrastination (and after getting over some of the awkwardness she felt regarding a former student now living right next door to her), Amani stepped out into the hall. She tapped her knuckles gently against the apartment door, and cleared her throat, "Ehm… Kai? It's Amani. You home?"

 

[Arlo Renard]

Frantically scrolling through contacts on his datapad, Kai didn’t so much as bat an eye when he felt Amani approaching. Her presence was familiar to him, especially now that they lived as neighbors, but despite their proximity she had never visited his apartment before. He was by now used to her comings and goings, which were frequent and could occur even at odd hours. (But enough about the Organas' sex lives. Seriously, they needed to invest in soundproofing.)

This time, however, there was a knock at the door.

"Ehm… Kai? It's Amani. You home?"

Eyebrows rising, Kai glanced over at Sophie. “Do you think she’d want one?” he whispered.

The Warghest growled half-heartedly in answer.

Standing up, he walked over to the door, opening it a crack and peering down at Amani. “Hey,” he said. Since she was the one who had come to see him, maybe he had better figure out why she was here first. “What’s up?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Hey," Amani blinked and looked up, feeling needlessly awkward about not having a more practical excuse for dropping by, "O-oh, nothing, really. I just… figured I'd say come and say hello. We haven't really caught up, or anything, in a while."

She unintentionally stole a glance through the cracked doorway, getting a limited view of his space, before fixing her sights back on him, "...You busy?"

Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Oh." Kai blinked, scratching his neck. He had figured this might happen eventually. But as time had passed with her not stopping by, he had concluded that she might not care enough to bother. That had suited him just fine… but if it wasn't the case, and she did care…

"Thanks," he said, smiling faintly.

Her attempt at getting a glimpse inside his apartment was met with resistance. Kai adjusted his position, blocking her view with his taller, broader body. "Yeah," he answered. "Well, actually… You wouldn't happen to want any pets, would you? Or know anyone else who might be looking for a pet?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani smiled back, only to affix her eyes to the floor shamefully, as he caught her accidental peek. Just as quickly, Kai's question turned her mild embarrassment into confusion, "Umm… No? Not really. I mean— I wish, but— We kinda just got a bird from the reception. So, I'm not sure getting another new pet is a responsible decision…" She loved animals. But birds didn't typically make for a good match with other kinds of pets.

"...Why?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Right." He remembered the bird. "From the Chancellor."

Of course, she had questions. Glancing down either end of the hall to see if anyone else was in earshot, he tried to dodge them. "No reason. Just, uh…"

He sighed. "Sophie had pups. Sophie is my dog. I mean, she's a Warghest, but she basically acts like a really big, really scary dog—anyway, the landlord didn't want me to have her here, but Alicio helped to talk him down. I don't think he's going to accept seven puppies, though. So I need to find homes for them."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Mmmhmm," Amani hummed. Archie was small, intelligent, and low maintenance. Though she typically found deeper companionship in the fuzzier creatures of the world, the little phoenix was a largely stress-free addition to a cramped apartment. Unfortunately, a dog would feel unaccommodated in their home.

"A… Warghest?" Amani asked, not realizing the full truth of its nature. Regardless, eight big and scary dogs would indeed be hard to talk even the most lenient landlord into. "She had pups?" The mirialan repeated, her tone turning more exasperated, "You never had her spayed?" Not to mention the fact that she even found another of her kind to propagate with.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"A… Warghest?"

"A type of Sithspawn, though they aren't tainted the way I am." Kai pushed the door open, giving Amani a full view of Sophie. She was lying on the living room carpet, curled up beside her litter. The pups were quite big, though had yet to open their eyes.

"You never had her spayed?"

Kai gave Amani a look which said it all. "No. It never even crossed my asexual mind, unfortunately." He gestured vaguely. "I first found her wandering around the underworld after Coruscant was attacked by the Maw. Others of her kind must've survived down in the lower levels since then. I let her go out alone because I thought she was hunting. Now I feel like a complete idiot, but at least they're cute."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Uh huh…" Her expression turned disconcerted, only to immediately light back up at the sight of Sophie's puppies.

"Aww," Amani cooed, nearly compelled to step in uninvited. But she stayed put, forcing herself to listen to Kai instead, "They are cute…" She admitted, "But letting a dog like that out completely on her own sounds like a recipe for trouble. She or someone else could get hurt," Unsolicited criticism perhaps, but also worth giving. Sophie was a large, bestial predator species. Even if she didn't do something dangerous herself, a bystander might suspect her too.

Regardless, it was a complicated situation. There weren't exactly a lot of places equipped to handle Sithspawn puppies for adoption. "What if you can't find anyone to take them?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

The puppies were bigger than a dog's. Their chonky bodies were covered in dark fur. Some had brown patches, or little tufts of white. Their ears were floppy, though they would eventually start to stick up.

"Sophie is fine," Kai countered. "Gentle giant. Besides, we live on Coruscant. There are sentient aliens here that look a lot scarier than her."

"What if you can't find anyone to take them?"

"I take them to a remote sanctuary I built on another planet and leave them there," he replied. "Which isn't perfect, because I already have a lot of other Sithspawn there, and this is seven more." He held the door open, gesturing for her to come inside. “So do you want one or not?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani raised an eyebrow in silent disagreement. A regular dog shouldn't be trusted to freely roam in such a manner, let alone a massive sithspawn dog. "Most people on Coruscant aren't used to wild animals in their street."

She stepped inside and frowned at the litter of puppies. It wasn't their fault they were thrust into such a messy situation. Amani sighed, and shrugged, "I already told you we don't have the space or resources. It's not responsible. Besides, that's not the kind of decision I'm going to make without Alicio's input anyway."

"…Do you have any other prospective owners in mind?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai didn't say anything more on the subject. He wasn't in the mood for a lecture. It certainly wouldn't solve anything.

"You said you weren't sure if it was responsible," he said with a thin smile. "But now that you are sure that you can't have an adorable puppy, don't take it out on me."

He shrugged. "Starlin Rand wants one for his apprentice. I haven't really told anyone else about them. If you want, you can ask around... provided you don't mention that they're Sithspawn. I'd rather not have to fight any more Jedi looking to 'cleanse' the Dark."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Well the first time you asked, you hadn't told me was a giant sithspawn wolf baby. So yeah, now I'm pretty sure," Amani ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back behind her shoulder. This wasn't a hurdle she was expecting to run into when she came to say hello. Why couldn't solutions ever be easy?

Kai's remark about the more overzealous members of the Jedi managed to get a wry chuckle out of the mirialan, "Don't remind me," Ever since growing out of her hyper-traditionalist views, Amani had been quite hesitant to accept any opinions bound by black-and-white dogmatism. Especially when she had seen proof that indicated other possibilities. "I'll try and ask around where I can. I'll ask Alicio too, see if he might know anyone on Alderaan who might be willing." Or maybe he'd just decide to pay for and construct a shelter for them himself. Who knew.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"If you mention it to Alicio, he'll probably pay for and construct a shelter for them himself," Kai said, not so much reading her mind as having the exact same thought. "I'd appreciate it, though. I dunno if your healing skills extend to animals, but if you want, you can check them out medically."

Then he remembered why she was actually here, and that he wasn't exactly being all that hospitable. "Oh, uh, how are you and Alicio doing, by the way? Can I get you anything to drink or...?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled as they both came to the same conclusion, "Yeah. Probably…" If they couldn't find enough people to take them before it became an issue, then that wouldn't be a bad alternative. "I'll see who I can find," Just because she couldn't take one for herself didn't mean she was just going to hang them out to dry. Whatever she could do to make sure they grew up safe and healthy was worth it to her. Like, as Kai suggested, giving them a bit of a check-up, "I'm no veterinarian, but the Force doesn't really discriminate in this context," Magical healing didn't exactly ask you to input the genome sequence for your patient before magically stitching up their wounds. Not to mention, part of being an effective medic was understanding the intricacies of xenobiology. There were countless races in the galaxy, with different requirements, complications, and a few near-universal similarities (bones and blood are generally preferred to stay on the inside). And in a galaxy as diverse as this, it wasn't difficult to find sentient species who shared qualities with more 'animalistic' kin.

All to say, more knowledge was transferable than one might expect.

Amani stepped in closer to Sophie and her litter, slowly and gently kneeling down and offering her hand for the mother to familiarize with her scent, if desired, "Hey there…" She murmured, eventually reaching down to pick up one of the pups and check for any noticeable issues, be they observed or divined through the Force, "I'm fine. Thank you though," The healer smiled, "We're doing great. The honeymoon was lovely," Naboo had been an excellent choice, after all, "…How are you, Kai?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

“Thanks.”

Sophie lifted her head to sniff Amani’s hand, watching warily as she picked up a puppy. The pup whined upon being removed from the litter, but there was nothing wrong with it.

With nothing to fetch for Amani, Kai sat down on the floor beside Sophie and stroked her behind the ears. “You went to Naboo, right?” he asked. Of course, he knew they had gone to Naboo—he had gone with them, albeit in disguise, to safeguard the couple.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Better than I’ve been in a long time. Being gainfully employed is nice. I like my job and my boss.” He was a little lonely, perhaps, with no friends left to socialize with, but his kind were solitary creatures by nature. “I’m learning the Force traditions of my homeworld—the Chaldean Order of Mystics. A lady comes by to give me lessons every evening, after Alicio comes home from work.”

“By the way, your apartment could use some soundproofing.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani worked her way through the pups, taking a few extra seconds to give them pets and cuddles each time. "Thaaat's right," She confirmed, with a knowing lilt that seemed to indicate she at least suspected Kai was more aware of that than he acted. It's not as if she was oblivious to his job, or the applications his shapeshifting powers would lend themself to in such a position.

"Well, that's always a plus," Amani smirked. It was good to know Kai was at least having a better go of things than before. Granted, it's hard to get more dour than jail time, but he had reintegrated quickly. "Really? Is that something you've studied before?" She asked curiously. It certainly wasn't well known to her, but it seemed a fitting continuation of his training.

To his final comment Amani simply echoed, "Soundproofing…?" Repeating the word without really taking the time to process if she might regret asking for clarification.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Really? Is that something you've studied before?"

Kai shook his head. "The lady, Sister Persis, sought me out. She's a seer. Her visions told her to teach me." Among other things.

Amani didn't quite seem to understand what he was getting at. With a sigh, Kai decided to be as blunt and clinical as possible. "I can hear you guys loud and clear from here, whether I want to listen or not. Some kind of soundproofing would give you privacy and ensure that I don't have to know the details of every argument, what shows you're watching on the holo, and how good Alicio feels. Also, you should probably nail down your bed or put some kind of cushion behind the headboard, otherwise you're going to wind up putting a hole in your wall."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

If Amani had taken just one more second to register the implications of Kai's complaint, she would have shut up and taken it quietly. But the question was already out, and it was too late. Her face turned a dark shade of green, and she seemed to shrink, especially in response to his last few points. The mirialan cringed for a few moments of awkward quiet, before sighing, "Um… Right. Sorry. We'll get on that," Frankly, they needed to upsize a bit anyway. So knowing those unfortunate details was just more incentive to find a new place. Preferably one that was more insulated. That was suddenly a top priority, "Let's uh… Justtalkaboutsomethingelse, hm?"

"Howwwww is your training going?" Amani quickly asked, eager to switch subjects.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Um… Right. Sorry. We'll get on that."

"Thanks," Kai said. He enjoyed talking about it even less than Amani did. It was especially weird because Alicio was his boss. Picking out one of the pups that was noticeably smaller than his siblings, he held it out to Amani. "This one's the runt of the litter."

"Howwwww is your training going?"

"Good. It's not as complicated as Jedi training, but it's not easier either. Mystics limit themselves to suppressing the Force connection of others. They call it 'rebuking the powerful'. I'm not sure how I feel about limiting myself to only a handful of abilities, but it is useful to know how to cut somebody off from the Force."

Amani Serys​