Private A New Beginning

[Aurelion Nova]

Taanab

Along the Perlemian Trade Route


To say that Aurelion was more anxious than normal was a drastic understatement. His lessons under Taozi Fuyuan had not exactly gone... well.... the last time he was here. However, the Mandolarian woman had shown, at least, some care and concern over Aurelion's mental state. This concern, combined with the fact that Aurelion personally enjoyed the idea of healing others, lead him back to the hospital of the leader of Clan Tal. Aurelion nervously shuffled from foot to foot as he stood outside her office, rain pelting down rather mercilessly against the window, and glanced down at V1-T1 who, to the little droid's credit, seemed rather impassive about the downpour that was currently causing Aurelion to jump whenever a particularly loud thunder crash boomed over the hospital.

Reaching up a slender, pale arm Aurelion gave a few tiny, quiet taps on the door. Noises barely worthy of note in the downpour currently falling all around him. V1 swiveled their head to look at Aurelion in something betwen disbelief and exasperation as the little droid gave a low "Wooo...." that could honestly be interpreted as a sigh as they chirped.

"Aurelion+Wet=Not Good!"

"Aurelion+Cold=Sick...."


Aurelion sighed at this and nodded, before reaching up to knock again, only for the boisterous little droid to surge forward on it's treads and bodily ram itself LOUDLY into the door with a metallic clang. This made Aurelion wince and his pointed ears droop as he kneeled down to check on V1. "A-Are you alright? You didn't have to do that ya know?" V1 gave a series of low, garbling static noises that Aurelion vaguely interpreted as 'mumbling' from his companion. It was at this moment that the door would open, Aurelion's eye would widen, and he wold look up at what was no-doubt an incredibly exasperated and/or angry Taozi. "Errmm.... H-Hello Miss Taozi... umm..." Aurelion would jolt to his feet and, bowing to the 'Alor, would choke on his words. "I-I was.... I mean I w-was hoping..... uhh...." V1's head would swivel as the little droid reassuringly nudged Aurelion's leg and looked up it's dimly glowing search light up at Taozi as the little droid beeped.

"Aurelion+Medicine= Want!"

"Aurelion+Learn= Good!"

"Taozi+Home=Yes?"

"Aurelion+Taozi=Respect"

The droid roughly translated what it was Aurelion was trying to ask for. Hoping Taozi understood, at least, a rough idea of the request between Aurelion being too nervous to speak properly and V1 being limited to just binary.​

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

When Aurelion Nova arrived at the hospital, asking for Taozi of all people, the receptionist directed him to her office on the 6th floor. Unfortunately for the padawan, Taozi was going through paperwork. Eventually, Taozi did finish and made herself a cup of tea, before deciding to do her rounds in the Tertiary center. As the door opened, pink eyes stared in surprise to see the rain-drenched padawan standing in front of her office.

"Aurelion, wasn't it? Wait. Why are you dripping wet? Did you walk her without an umbrella? By the ancestors, you're almost as bad as the ones I taught biology."

Though her face had a small amount of exasperation, her voice was kept neutral as she gestured for Aurelion to follow her. She took him up to the seventh floor, suite 704, and waved at the receptionists as she led Aurelion into her exam room.

"Have a seat in that chair, please. I'll be back in just a minute."

Taozi waved the padawan towards a chair next to the exam bed, and let the astromech inside the room as well before closing the door on the two. After a few minutes, she came back with a few towels, and some plain, dry, clothes for him to change into. Setting them on the counter, she turned to the padawan and gave him a concerned once-over.

"Dry yourself off as best you can, and then change into those. I'll be just outside, give a few knocks when you're done."

She gave a small, barely noticeable smile before stepping outside the room, closing the door behind her.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

Aurelion hardly had time to see how the older Mandalorian woman reacted to what T1 said as she seemingly didn't. Instead she addressed Aurelion as if nothing happened and the little droid sat there in it's own version of stunned, offended silence. If the little astromech had a mouth.... no doubt it would be hanging open in offense to her outright ignoring him. Aurelion, meanwhile, could only wince and droop his long, pointed ears as he was chastised by her. It struck a chord... a negative chord... with the young Padawan and he fell into step behind Taozi primarily out of ingrained obedience. His bretahe quickening slightly as bad, repressed memories and thoughts began to cause the edge of his vision to haze. His eyes staring blankly ahead at Taozi's back as he lost track of exactly where he was going.

Meanwhile T1 garbled and whistled in a low way that could vaguely be interpreted as 'grumbling' as they follow Taozi up to her exam room. It took Aurelion a moment to properly process what Taozi had instructed him to do but after blinking his eye a few times and shaking his head, he shakily wandered over and sat down in the chair. T1 giving a low 'whhooo' at he settled into place beside Aurelion. Still 'grumbling' his soft string of binary as Aurelion fidgeted in place uneasily.

Aurelion was more than a little surprise when Taozi procured him some clothes and, after numbly nodding to her instructions, was even more surprised to find that they were exactly his size? He blinked as he dried himself. Unable to help finding that a bit odd as he vaguely wondered whether or not he had been expected for some reason? But that didn't make sense. Shaking his head Aurelion decided to toss the thoughts aside and knock softly on the door once he was dressed in the warm clothing. His hair still slightly damp and pointed ears occasionally dripping water as he sat back down.

When Taozi entered the room however, T1 would roll forward and purposely bump into her leg, demanding in slow binary.

"You+Aurelion=Safe?"

"You+Harm=No?"

Taozi Fuyuan​

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Taozi entered the exam room a moment or two after Aurelion Nova knocked on the door, to give him time to back away. When she felt the droid bumped into her, however, her gaze turned down and she narrowed her eyes at it.

"I don't speak binary, little droid, but if you keep me from checking on Aurelion's health I will send you to Clan Gred for scrap. Getting drenched in rain, and then standing in front of a doctor's office for who knows how long isn't healthy, now move. Out. Of. My. Way."

Stepping around the astromech, Taozi closed the door to the exam room and washed her hands in the nearby sink. Drying them off, she turned her now softened gaze at Aurelion. She felt his anxiety from before, and began to send waves of calmness through the force throughout the room as she grabbed the touchless thermometer and walked over to the padawan. Holding it up to scan his forehead her eyes focused on the meter as she spoke.

"So, what has brought you to here? Padawans do not often come to my hospital of their own volition outside of requiring teaching."

 

[Aurelion Nova]

As Taozi glanced down at the little astromech her venom was met with a defiant wiggle from the little droid and Aurelion winced in fear at her words. Starting to physically shake he was only kept from having a panic attack due to Taozi's unnatural influence over him through the Force, but even just knowing and sensing she was influencing him made the effect of that radiating calmness.... minimal at best. After all, seeing a grown woman so angry didn't exactly strike the best chord with Aurelion.

As Taozi approached him and raised the touch-less thermometer to his forehead he recoiled, rather violently, and began to pant. His eye clenching shut as his thin chest began to spasm and his fingers curled into tight balls atop the medical table. He was now unable to help feeling like coming here had been nothing but a mistake. His elongated ears drooped down in an expression much like a wounded, abused animal and T1 only roared more vicious beeps at Taozi. Moving his stubby little mechanical body between her and Aurelion.

"Look+You=Did!"

"Aurelion+You=Terrified!"

"You+Attitude=Mean!"

Aurelion swallowed thickly, though he could understand T1's words he wasn't exactly in a good position to say anything in response to them. The moment Taozi had snapped at the little droid and then raised the thermometer towards him Aurelion had seen flashes of distant memories, of a different angry, vengeful woman lifting objects not quite so harmless at him. In nowhere near as harmless a fashion. He... began to tremble..... and moved a hand up to his face to shield himself from Taozi looking directly at him. His voice hitching and halting, struggling and gasping to form words. "I-I am s-s-s-sorry..... I.... m-made a mistake... c-coming here....."

Taozi Fuyuan​

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Taozi was thankful the thermometer took over a few seconds, as Aurelion Nova 's mental state rapidly declined. She stepped back immediately, and wrote down the padawan's temperature for later, before kneeling down to speak, almost whispering, to the roaring droid.

"Shhhh, you're being too loud. If Aurelion's attacks are anything like my friend's daughter's, your loud beeping isn't going to help. I have something that might help him, okay?"

Still kneeling, Taozi turned her gaze up to look at Aurelion. She hummed quietly, and pulled back on the intensity of the Force Calm, before standing back up and opening a cabinet quietly. Pink eyes scanned the shelves, before finding what she was looking for. Pulling out the bottle of honey gold gummy bears, Taozi opened it, pulled one out, then closed the bottle once more and put it back on the shelf.

"You know, I made these to help with the Infernal's anxiety, and to help a small child with her nightmares."

A frown tugged at the doctor's lips as she closed the cabinet, and turned to look at Aurelion.

"I know not your traumas, but clearly I've triggered something for you, and for that I deeply apologize."

Taking slow, quiet steps towards Aurelion, Taozi placed the gummy bear next to Aurelion on the table, before stepping back and walking to the door.

"The gummy bear I put near your hand will help you calm down. You'll feel a little drowsy, but it won't make you fall asleep unless you want to fall asleep. You made no mistakes coming here, the only one who has made a mistake was me, and I'm more than willing to leave the room if you want or need me to."

 

[Aurelion Nova]

OBJECTIVE - Calm Down
As Aurelion sat there, body shaking and eye closed in desperation, T1 went silent as Taozi whispered back at the little droid. T1 could only dejectedly swivel his head when Taozi mentioned having something that might help Aurelion. The little astromech giving a very soft, quiet 'whooo' of worry as Taozi seemed to retrieve some sort of medication for him. Aurelion shakily grasped the object and, mind reeling on the edge of even being able to understand her words, downed the gummy bear without even looking at it and before Taozi even finished explaining anything about it.

As his consciousness dulled and dimmed, drug-induced calm and drowsiness making his limbs feeling leaden and his mind fill with a sleepy, disorienting haze. When Taozi offered to leave the room Aurelion staggered to his feet and shook his head, walking toward Taozi on very unsteady feet. T1's urgently sounding beeps and boops going unheard as he staggered directly into Taozi. His pale, clammy hands desperately clutching at her coat as his face was buries into her shoulder. His breathing deep and labored as he mumbles. "P-Please don't... go....." Aurelion then passed out, snoring softly as T1 lightly roll into Taozi's leg again. Looking up at her and beeping in tiny little sounds.

"Aurelion+Taozi=Respect"

"Aurelion+Hope=Home?"

"Aurelion+Home=Want"

"Home+Aurelion=None!"

The little droid knew she didn't know binary but was at least hopeful she could pick up on the somber tone that they were trying to convey.......

Taozi Fuyuan

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Taozi frowned when Aurelion Nova ate the gummy bear without even thinking, and grew increasingly concerned when he staggered up to her and clutched her coat. Her heart clenched when he begged her not to go, and she gently held him up, and looked down at the little droid. She sighed, understanding that something was seriously wrong.

"He's been dealt a terrible hand, hasn't he, little droid?"

Carefully, Taozi picked Aurelion up bridal style, and walked over to lay him on the exam table. Worry gnawed at her bones as she sent an alert for assistance over a pager, and she pressed her fingers against the padawan's inner wrist, counting. It didn't take long for a medical droid to arrive with a gurney for Aurelion, and within short order had him set up in a room upstairs.

Whenever Aurelion woke up, he would see Taozi standing over a machine, monitoring his vitals.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

OBJECTIVE - Awaken
T1 could only give a small, affirmative 'nod' of his head and a quiet "Whooo" in response to Taozi's question. The little droid following along behind Taozi and swiveling his head in frantic worry for Aurelion. Following her and the medical droid along as they brought Aurelion upstairs, refusing to be far from the Padawan's side. As Aurelion was monitored by the machinery with Taozi and T1 both close-by, as the little droid would NOT leave him regardless of medical procedure, his mind's eye dropped him once more into one of those distant, powerful memory that had claws sunk deep into his spirit and mind.

On the bed/table Aurelion would begin to squirm and fidget, his heart rate increasing and eye furrowing in pain and distress. The beeping of the machines growing faster and more frantic as he began to sweat and pant profusely. A wave of Force energy repulsing from his form as he jerked in fear and pain, sending small implements and objects flying from their perch and scooting some of the machinery, including T1, roughly a foot across the floor. His back arched and he opened his mouth in a silent scream, tears rolling from his uncovered eye as his hands dug desperately into the support beneath him.

He would begin to sob in his sleep, quietly, and T1 would roll forward. Beeping at Taozi desperately in what amounted to a garbled nonsense of binary as the little droid was thoroughly distressed AND knew she wouldn't understand him anyways. The astromech's head swiveling and whirring as he bumped Taozi's leg to try and spurr the doctor to DO something.

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

When the wave of Force energy erupted from Aurelion Nova , Taozi had to grab onto the machine to stay in place. The high-paced beeping of his heart rate screamed in her ears, and she ran through solutions in her mind. What would work? What wouldn't work? Taozi bit down on her lip, before quickly grabbing one of Aurelion's hands, and squeezing it.

Instead of sending a wave through the room, Taozi would send calmness directly to Aurelion.

It's okay. I'm here. You're safe. I'll protect you.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

OBJECTIVE - Feel
As Aurelion stood there, drowning in his darkness, in his dreams.... his body contorting and thrashing in pain.... a light would appear. A small and untrained thing, twinkling and sputtering among the darkness like a single star in the night sky. Aurelion, choking and straining in that sea of darkness, reached desperately for that twinkling light. Taozi would feel a hand of cold and sorrow latch onto her consciousness in the same moment Aurelion would feel a pulsating, reassuring warmth, and in the next moment Aurelion would pull that light to him. Huddling it to his chest as he, and Taozi, were dragged down.... down into the darkness of his subconscious... to live a nightmare together.

In the next moment, before her eyes, Taozi would be able to see an opulent, resplendent palace decorated in traditional Hapan livery. Everything spotless and festive, decorations adorning the halls and walls while the sound of this all-too-vivid memory began to clarify for her. A lull, rumbling mumble came from somewhere nearby and in the next moment, as the memory achieves full clarity for her a loud, pained cry would sound out from nearby. There, near a servant's entrance, was a young Aurelion dressed in what appears to be servant's attire, a waiter or a butler perhaps, and a beautiful woman of obviously Hapan origin kneels before him. He is young, VERY young, and being held up by his throat and a tight, taloned grip on his clothes. Pinned against the locked door that, from the sound, leads out to some sort of social gathering.

Despite the distance, Taozi is able to hear the woman's voice as if it were hissing in her very own ear. "I TOLD YOU to NEVER refer to me like that in public. Do you understand!?" The young Aurelion sobs, a choked and feeble thing, his small legs kicking the air and his head banging off the door behind him as the woman pulls him forward, only to slam him back into it forcefully. Demanding in a louder, yet still hissing voice "DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" The young Aurelion gasps desperately and, as Taozi watches this, in the blink of an eye she would find herself choking, find herself hauled off her feet, as she stared into the face of this woman through Aurelion's single eye. Through a world half-blind.

As Taozi is brought into the body of Aurelion for this memory, she would understand just how hazy his consciousness is, just how out of breathe and desperate he is as he gasps and sputters in his grasp. His mind identifying the woman before Taozi as 'Mother' even as Aurelion nods to not, what Taozi would now know as his mistake, call her this in public ever again. In her eyes is an anger a parent should never direct at their child, a seething, inhuman anger that causes her to hold the choking grasp for just a moment longer before she carries them, Aurelion and Taozi both, towards a nearby table, before dragging him across it's surface and tossing him back against a small, hidden corner of the room behind the table. The woman huffing and puffing in inhuman fury as she fixes her hair and adjusts her dress, Aurelion curling up... alone there.... as she growls "Now.... stay here and don't you DARE move until I return and remember, don't EVER call me that in public again."

Without another word the woman walks off, the vision growing faint and blurring, as they curl up there.... all alone... forgotten. Taozi Fuyuan

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Taozi had to stop herself from pulling back from Aurelion Nova when she felt sorrow grasp at her mind. The coldness of it consumed her, until she saw what she could only assume was a young Aurelion, being choked and held up by a woman. She felt utter rage at this, and utter sorrow for the boy. Her heart ached to stop this, to shove the woman away from him, and hold him close.

And then she was sharing the memory, looking through Aurelion's single eye.

An eye she assumed was left from the woman choking them both now.

Rage ate at her as they were dragged across the table, and thrown against a corner of the room. This woman was no mother. As their vision blurred, Taozi knew she had to calm down. She had to get Aurelion to wake up. Thinking quickly, she didn't know if anything would work, but she had to try.

I'm sorry. You don't deserve this. I'm here now, and I'll protect you, I promise. You have to wake up. Aurelion, you have to wake up.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

OBJECTIVE - A REAL Mom?
As they curled there, cold and alone on the floor, Aurelion knees were brought up to his stomach and his arms curled protectively into his chest, his breathe catching and hitching as the beginnings of a bruise formed on his throat, Aurelion's eye widened as he heard a voice that was both foreign and familiar. Comforting yet terrifying as this voice was he knew one thing above all else.... he wanted to listen to it. He wanted to go to it, to embrace it, to climb into that tiny light he had clutched from the depths of darkness as if he were nestling into a star itself. So... he did. Reaching out with everything he had Aurelion cast his consciousness toward that light, embracing it's burning, intense but caring surface and refusing to let go. His eye shut tight in concentration and effort as the walls of that Hapan palace began to crumble to dust around him. Leaving him floating in the void with nothing but that little pink star he hugged so desperately.

When next his eye opened a tear slid down his cheek and Aurelion felt.... skin? Against his face. As Aurelion and Taozi;s nightmare ended Aurelion found himself hugging her tightly around the neck, his face buried into the crook of her shoulder, his thin arms shaking from the exertion as his slim chest heaved, panted and strained to properly inhale. He... drew back... slowly. His eyes downcast as his ears hung limply at the sides of his head. His hands shaking as they stayed lightly clawed into Taozi's back and he struggled to swallow. Glancing briefly up at the proud Alor like he was a scared, tiny animal. Murmuring in a soft, tiny voice full of desperation and fear. "I-I don't.... w-want to go back....." He sniffled, staring at Taozi without really seeing her, his singular eye spilling thick, heavy tears as his lip quivered and he sobbed softly. "I-I never want to go back.... I-I... want to help people... l-like you do..... I-I want to.... be a good p-person n-not.... not a... m-mistake...."

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

As the Hapan walls crumbled around Aurelion Nova , Taozi's vision was engulfed in darkness.

Pink eyes opened with a gasp as Taozi awoke to Aurelion clutching to her like a lifeline, his body shaking like a leaf in the wind as he buried his face against her. Her hands hovered above him, unsure of how to comfort him. She looked at him, eyes fulls of concern as he pulled away, and her heart broke at the words he spoke.

"You don't have to. I promise you, you'll never have to go back."

Taozi smiled faintly as she pulled Aurelion in for a gentle hug, one hand on his back, and the other holding his head softly.

"You're not a mistake. I can help you start a new life, if you want. As part of my Clan. I'll adopt you into Clan Tal, and you'll never have to go back to that place ever again. You can have a home here, on Taanab."

 

[Aurelion Nova]

OBJECTIVE - Hug my Mom
Aurelion clings to her like a kitten in a snowstorm, his teeth digging into his lip desperately as he shook against her violently, his body spasming out of control as he clenched his eye shut once more. Her words took his breathe away and his shoulders hunched, breathe hitched, and fingers dug desperately into her back as he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. Sniffling and hiccuping as he completely lost control of himself, coughing and wheezing into her as her words broke his heart in return.

V1-T1 timidly slid forward and lightly pressed into Aurelion's leg, giving a tiny little 'whoo' of concern and affection for him as the little droid did it's best imitation of a 'hug' it could. It takes a long time, at least, what feels like forever to Aurelion as he clings to Taozi as if his life depended on it. His breathing slowly stopping it's hitching and spasming, his shoulders slowly relaxing as he sniffles more and more softly. Her words about adopting him settling a numb, dull weight over his frantic mind as his eye droops shut. The mental and emotional exhaustion too much for him as he falls asleep again in her embrace. A tiny, weak nod leaving the newest member of Clan Tal.... and Taozi's new son.

 

[Taozi Fuyuan]

Taozi combed her fingers through Aurelion Nova 's hair as he fell apart in her arms. Quiet shushing noises came from her as she tried to soothe him, and she looked down at the little droid as Aurelion seemed to calm down. She felt him nod against her shoulder, and held him tighter as a nurse came in.

"Alor? Is everything all right?"

"Yes... Just... Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad, Aurelion."

"Alor..."

"Sh, let him sleep."

Gently maneuvering him, Taozi managed to get Aurelion lying down on the bed. After making sure he was comfortable, Taozi sat down in a nearby chair, and waited.

Aurelion would not wake up alone.