Private An Unexpected Visit

[Miri Nimdok]

There was a knock against the underside of the Conestoga's ramp. Still in bed, Miri tried to ignore it, figuring it was just some solicitor. But then they knocked a second time, more insistently.

Grumbling, she got up and threw on some clothes. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she exclaimed irritably as she heard a third knock, grabbing one of her pistols, just in case. She was still rubbing sleep from her eyes as she staggered over to the ramp.

"Who is it?" she demanded.

"It's your mother. I want to talk to you."

Oh, great. Just great. Miri swallowed. Kyell was probably still in bed, so she sent a silent telepathic message to him: <Get dressed, my mother's here.> Her dread was likely apparent.

She had hoped in vain that this day would never come, and now here it was.

"What's so important that you have to show up unannounced at…" She checked her chrono. It was actually rather late; they had slept in. "…Er, why'd you show up unannounced?"

"Trust me, it's important. Now, little lady, are you going to let me in?"

Dawdling for as long as she could, both to give Kyell more time to prepare and to delay her own suffering, Miri finally took and deep breath and pressed the button to lower the boarding ramp.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

"I'm coming, I'm coming,"

<Hmmm? Whaaa?> Kyell tried to telepathically communicate with a very sleepy voice, as his eyes opened to see Miri scrambling out of bed. He watched her put on some clothes, but decided it was much more comfortable in bed, and rolled back around to satisfy his laziness today.

Sadly, less than a minute later, he could hear her voice echo in his mind.

<Get dressed, my mother's here.> Her dread was likely apparent.

Mother?!

As if someone had just thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him, Kyell jumped out of bed, frantically looked around, and snatched his clothing to make himself look presentable. When he rushed over towards the ramp, he was still fixing up his belt and buttoning up his shirt, and his hair looked like a complete mess. But at least he was wearing clothing...

<How did she find us? You got a tracker in you?> he tried to joke to lighten up the mood a little. But with the ramp lowering and her mother approaching, he straightened his posture and ran a hand up through his messy hair.

This was fine... right?

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri had never looked more uncomfortable than she did standing beside Kyell, waiting for the ramp to lower. He was still scrambling to get fully dressed and fix his disheveled hair. They both looked like they had just been dragged out of bed.

Kyell posed a good question. <She helped to refurbish this ship, so maybe she does have a tracker planted somewhere on it...>

There was so much more that needed to be said to prepare Kyell for what he was about to witness, but Miri didn’t have a chance. The ramp thumped against the floor of the hangar outside, and a stylishly dressed woman boarded the ship. She bore a strong physical resemblance to Miri in almost every way. The only real differences were her lack of any alien characteristics, and her height. She was quite tall, and with the addition of high heels she towered over Miri.

“Heya, sweetheart. Did I wake you up?” she asked. “It’s nearly noon. What are you doing sleeping in so late?”

“I have the day off,” Miri replied stiffly.

Her mother noticed Kyell then. “Well well, what do we have here?” Smiling, she extended her hand for him to shake. “I’m Bithia Grayson. And who might you be?”

“He’s mute,” Miri quickly interjected, trying to avoid any more awkwardness.

Bithia quickly rattled off some sign language, repeating roughly what she’d just said.

“I said he was mute, not deaf,” Miri muttered miserably.

“Oh!” Bithia laughed. “Well, at least he knows I can understand him.”

“I usually act as a translator...” Miri scratched her head, glancing in Kyell’s direction.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<She helped to refurbish this ship, so maybe she does have a tracker planted somewhere on it...>

<It'll be alright,> he tried to assure her, but in reality, he had no idea what to expect and there was no time for Miri to prepare him for this meeting in any way. The ramp touched the ground below the ship only seconds later, and he could hear the unmistakable sound of high heels tapping against the ground approaching them.

Miri's mother then appeared, drawing even his eyes up a little — she instantly reminded him of Miri, but the height difference, lack of pointy ears, and slanting eyebrows definitely stood out a little. She also carried herself with great confidence, making him believe she was quite an important woman somewhere in the Galaxy. But even with such a status, being in the presence of her daughter brought out a more motherly tone, as she wondered why Miri had only just rolled out of bed.

Kyell, of course, just remained quiet and watched. He already felt a little awkward, so he couldn't even begin to imagine how Miri must be feeling right now.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Smiling, she extended her hand for him to shake.

Kyell blinked and reached for the woman's hand to shake it firmly and did his best to offer a very polite smile. She asked him who he was, but before he could even try to explain his situation, Miri had him covered. The exchange that followed between her and her mother made Kyell feel a little weird, but he shrugged it off and decided to use sign language.

[My name is Kyell Laysel,] he began a little nervously. [I'm a Jedi Padawan and...]

His nervous gaze shifted to Miri for a moment, <Should we tell her about us? Does she already know?> Pls help. He had no clue, so he just stood there and hoped Miri would chime in before the sudden pause made him look like a complete fool.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Should we tell her about us? Does she already know?>

“He’s my boyfriend,” Miri said, looking straight at her mother as though daring her to disapprove.

“Ah, that explains it.” Bithia rested her hands on her hips, regarding Kyell with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Kyell.” To Miri she added, “He’s cuter than the last one.”

Miri started, then suppressed a scowl. “You said you had to talk to me about something important?” she prompted, attempting to move the conversation along.

“Yes, I did. Your Aunt Jaina has gone missing.”

Miri rolled her eyes. “Considering what she did, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“She made a terrible mistake, one that has haunted her ever since. I came here to see if you knew anything about her whereabouts—”

“I don’t.”

“... and to ask for your help finding her.”

“I’m busy.”

“Yes, very busy sleeping in late.” Bithia frowned. “I don’t think foul play was involved, but given the nature of her profession, if something did happen, no one in our family will be safe.” She glanced pointedly at Kyell. "Nor will anyone we associate with."

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

"He's my boyfriend,"

There was very obvious relief in Kyell's expression when she mentioned that part to her. They had never really talked about her mother before, so he was oblivious to their relationship, and what Miri was okay with her mother knowing. Now that he understood it better, he finally began to relax just a little.

Until his mother called him cute — he smiled very awkwardly for a second and felt like an item in a store that was being examined to see if it was worth it.

[A pleasure to meet you as well, ma'am,] he finally signed with a polite smile to hopefully make a good first impression. Even if Miri seemed bothered by her Mother's presence here, he wasn't going to make family life day dinner even more of a pain. Then her mother continued and made it clear why she was here, and all of a sudden he began to rethink it all.

Now he was in danger, too?

<Maybe we should look into it?> Kyell asked Miri with a nervous smile. <She's still your mother...>

He turned to Bithia and brought up his hands again, [I can help if I know more.] He kept the message simple, but it was clear that he had no clue what had happened exactly.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Maybe we should look into it? She's still your mother...>

<Yes, I’m aware,> Miri replied with a barely audible sigh. It wasn’t that she didn’t care… Well, actually, it sort of was that.

Jaina wasn’t really Miri’s “aunt”, for one. Even then, her relationship with her was practically nonexistent. She hadn’t seen or spoken to her in years. As far as she was concerned, Jaina was bad news, and she didn’t want anything more to do with her.

But as usual, the business of one member of the family became everybody’s business. Their enemies were nasty types who weren’t above targeting their nemesis’ relatives to get back at them.

Kyell asked Bithia for more information. “Jaina is a mercenary,” she said. “She’s part of my agency here on Coruscant, but she mainly does freelance work. Recently, she started taking jobs with more legal risk. Bounties, assassinations, and the like. Her last job was on Denon, where she was assigned to eliminate a crime boss. But she never returned.”

“You’re forgetting the part where she’s a highly advanced, illegally created vampiric biot who is resistant to the Force and has the ability to shapeshift,” Miri muttered.

“Yes, well, that’s a long story, and I don’t want to overload you with information,” Bithia replied with a sheepish smile. “The point is, she’s gone and I don’t know where she is. I came here mainly to warn you, just in case this does become more of a problem for the rest of us. You don’t have to get involved if you don’t want to.”

Miri mentally counted the seconds in her head until—

“But I would ask you to reconsider,” Bithia added. “You’re a very talented girl, Miri, and I’m sure you are quite capable as well, Kyell. We could use the extra help.”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<Yes, I'm aware,>

Kyell blinked and gave Miri a sidelong glance — she felt unusually agitated about this entire situation. He still didn't fully grasp what her relationship with her mother or this aunt was like to warrant it all, but the information that Bithia provided gave him a rough idea. Her family meant trouble, and by extension, they were now being dragged into it, whether they liked it or not.

"You're forgetting the part where she's a highly advanced, illegally created vampiric biot who is resistant to the Force and has the ability to shapeshift,"

She's a what now?

Kyell began to smile a little more nervously. If a mercenary like that somehow disappeared on a mission, it probably meant she ran into some serious trouble. The kind he really didn't like exposing himself and especially Miri to, when it felt like it wasn't even their business, to begin with.

But alas, they had no real choice.

[We can help,] he signed after a moment while he avoided eye contact to dodge a potential death glare from Miri. [We could start on Denon. Follow her steps,] he added before he finally turned to Miri and nudged her with a smile that begged her not to kill him right there. <Another adventure for us, yeah...?> He smiled sheepishly and looked back at her mother.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri looked at Kyell. Then she looked at her mother. Then back at Kyell, who was avoiding eye contact.

Finally, she sighed deeply.

“Fine. We’ll help.”

“Wonderful.” Bithia rubbed her hands together, smiling broadly. “I’ll meet you on Denon. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

“Right,” Miri muttered, waving goodbye as Bithia left the ship. Turning to Kyell, she said, <You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.>

She’d wind up breaking her word later that night, like she always did. But for now he no doubt had questions. Miri headed to the cockpit to input the coordinates to Denon in the navicomputer.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

"Fine. We'll help."

That should have made him feel relieved, but he knew her too well. She was not happy at all about doing this, and she likely didn't appreciate him encouraging her to help either. So when the comment about sleeping on the couch followed, he hardly looked surprised, but there was a sheepish smile nonetheless.

<I'll make up for this with a massage...> The couch was not comfortable for sleeping, so maybe he could persuade her with something like a proper massage? He really hoped it would work or his back was going to regret taking Bithia's side in this situation tomorrow morning.

Either way, he followed Miri into the ship and sat down in the co-pilot seat as they readied themselves to travel to Denon. Luckily, it wasn't too far from Coruscant, so the trip wasn't going to be very long. <I am a little worried about what caused your aunt to disappear. Your description made her seem like she's... not an easy one to take out.> He looked at Miri and gauged her reaction to that a little.

<Or do you think she may have gone silent intentionally?> He doubted it himself, but it would probably make the whole mission a lot easier.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<A massage?> Miri peeked around the corner at Kyell. <You probably still have kinks in your back left over from when that wannabe dominatrix tossed you around on New Alderaan. I should be the one giving you a massage.>

Taking control of the ship, she piloted it out of the hangar bay.

<First of all, Jaina is not really my aunt,> she said. <And second of all, you’re right. She was built to be a killing machine that only gets deadlier with age and experience. If someone managed to capture or destroy her, I’ve no doubt they’re extremely dangerous.>

His suggestion was a sound one, more than he likely realized. Miri eased the ship into hyperspace, watching the stars blur into white lines, then stood up.

<It’s possible. She’s not exactly well-adjusted.> She headed out of the cockpit. <What do you want for breakfast? Er, lunch?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<I'm fine,> he insisted, even though their fight on Ilum had actually been tough on his body. But it had mostly been his face that had taken some damage, and there was no massaging that would help relieve the pain from that. <You can just sit back and enjoy me spoiling you for once,> he offered with a smile while he relaxed into his seat and watched her take the ship out of the hangar and up into space to begin the hyperspace jump

<Great... why do we always have to deal with extremely dangerous?> he asked rhetorically. Kyell had always felt like a mediocre Jedi at best, yet somehow he also felt like he was always up against really dangerous foes. Or maybe they just appeared dangerous because of his own lack of strength? Either way, he didn't like the premise of this mission.

<I hope this just turns out to be some misunderstanding or something simple... but I doubt it,> he sighed and watched her rise. The mention of breakfast and lunch got his stomach to growl — they hadn't eaten anything since last night. <Something simple is fine. Maybe some eggs? I don't know what else we still got...>

He got up and followed her into the kitchen, where he stood in the doorway and watched her for a moment, <I'm sorry if my offer to help wasn't what you wanted,> he said to test the waters on that subject a little.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri seemed more resistant to the principle of being spoiled than the idea of a massage, but eventually she relented. <All right. You give me a massage, you don’t have to spend the night on the couch.> It would probably lead into other activities, but that was the norm for them anyway. She couldn’t even spar with him without the risk of it devolving into foreplay…

At his rhetorical question, she glanced over at him, her expression amused. <Probably because we’re Jedi.>

Eggs it was. She also managed to find some vegetables to go with the protein, and was munching on an apple while she cooked. Perk of telepathic communication: no one will complain about you talking with your mouth full.

<Don’t feel bad about it. I didn’t have much of a choice to begin with. You just saved us all a lot of time and effort in what would’ve been an embarrassing fight with my mother.> She sighed. <I’m sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable with some of her… comments. She’s not really all that human anymore, and it’s had a negative impact on her social skills.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<Deal,> he said with a slight smirk of victory he was careful not to show too much, just in case she'd change his mind. But he did really feel like he had scored a big win. Not only did he escape sleeping on the couch, but a massage was also more than likely going to lead to a lot more fun.

<Probably because we're Jedi.> she said in response to his rhetorical question, which he met with a blank stare <Yeah yeah, I know...> he grumbled a little and leaned with his side against the doorway while she prepared their meals and apologized for the way her mother had talked to him. He just chuckled and shook his head.

<It's alright, she meant well. It only gets frustrating when people treat me like I'm stupid, a child, or a weirdo," he shrugged his shoulders and stepped behind her to rest his chin on her shoulder and glance down at the eggs she was preparing. His stomach was growling again, so of course, he had to inspect their lunch. <Hmmm, that looks good,> he said, his eyes shifting to Miri's with a slightly playful shimmer to them.

<Maybe this mission together isn't all that bad, after all. Although I wonder what Master Yenna would think if she heard about all of this.>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<You aren’t stupid, and you aren’t a child… but you are a little bit weird. That’s a compliment in my world, though.>

Feeling his chin against her shoulder, she turned her head and kissed him, the taste of apple still on her lips.

<Master Yenna would say…> She switched to verbal speech in order to imitate the little goblin’s voice. “‘Very dangerous, this mission is. Get enough sleep, you must. Paid more attention in training, you should have. Two Padawans in love, why did I have to get?...’”

Placing the eggs on a plate, she handed it to Kyell. <I suppose we should send her a message so she at least knows where we are. On the other hand, I’d rather not risk her showing up on Denon and ruining all our fun…>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<A compliment, huh?> He was just smiling at her and turned his head as it rested on her shoulder to return the kiss she quickly stole from him. His hands settled on her waist and for just a few seconds, he enjoyed the moment with her. <Hmm, sweet,> he commented when he tasted the apple after finally pulling back.

But then her voice changed, and he listened to her impression of Yenna with widened eyes

Kyell burst out in laughter immediately and almost knocked some stuff off the kitchen counter in the process. Normally he'd have felt embarrassed, but he was too amused and his sides hurt way too much to really feel bad about anything, <In big trouble, you will be. If find out, she does,> he tried but it was hard to telepathically mimic the voice.

<But yeah, let's not send a message... we flew through a tunnel... in hyperspace?> He shrugged and took his plate of eggs with a smile before he kissed her on the cheek to show his gratitude.

<I have a feeling that dealing with your mother and 'aunt' will give us enough of a headache already.>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<At least if you’re weird, you get to be yourself. No matter what other people think of you, you don’t try to change anything in order to fit in.>

His reaction to her Yenna impression was… quite funny. She’d always found his silent laughter inexplicably hilarious, probably because half the time it looked like he was having some sort of fit.

She was less happy about him knocking stuff over, though. Quick reflexes allowed her to catch some of the more fragile items before they could fall, replacing them on the kitchen counter. <Boy, if you’re gonna trash my kitchen, that massage better rock my world…> she muttered as he kissed her on the cheek.

Flew through a hyperspace tunnel… <Yeah, and our comms system was taken out by a starweird.> She sighed, starting on her own eggs. <You don’t know the half of it, Kyell. I guess it’s a good thing that Mom was able to accept what happened to her, even thrive, but I just… Never mind.> She didn’t think he wanted to hear her vent about her family’s problems. Not while he was eating, at least.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

The way she talked his weirdness being a strength of his made him happy and smile... until he almost knocked over her stuff and felt her eyes burning him even if she was focused on catching what he had hit. <Oh, it'll rock your world alright, don't worry,> he said with a sheepish smile while he quickly grabbed something he knocked over and set it upright, hopefully before she'd notice.

<Yeah, and our comms system was taken out by a starweird.>

He nodded in agreement while he ate his eggs because it was totally the best plan. Of course, Yenna wouldn't actually hesitate for even a second to come to help them out, but he still wanted to prove he was growing as a Jedi, and some time alone with Miri was always great too.

<You don't know the half of it, Kyell. I guess it's a good thing that Mom was able to accept what happened to her, even thrive, but I just… Never mind.>

<Not never mind, you can tell me,> he said and tried to make it clear she had all of his attention, even if he was eating while he listened. Miri had listened to his telepathic rambling before, and more often than not, he was the one needing help and she was always there for him. He was there to listen to her vent too. <Might be good to talk about it, yaknow?>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

She glanced his way. Could you stop being the best boyfriend a girl could have for five minutes, please? she thought, but didn’t say.

<Well…> she began, poking at the eggs in the pan. <Remember how I told you I was abducted by the Sith when I was six, and he performed experiments on me? They did that to Mom too.>

<What she is now, is what they made her into. An amalgamation of organic and machine, designed to kill. We were able to remove her programming, so she can make her own choices again, but she’s not really human anymore. She doesn’t feel things the same way and can’t relate to other people the way she used to.>

Finished cooking, she carried her plate over to the table and sat down, watching the steam rise from her food. <She tried, for a little while. But she argued with my dad a lot, and I guess things didn’t really work out. Once they split up, she didn’t bother to visit unless prompted. I had to remind her that I still existed. It made me feel like she didn't care about me anymore. I still feel that way.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Miri's Ship
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell watched her closely and took note of a subtle shift within her. She seemed happy or perhaps relieved to be able to talk about this, but it was clearly not an easy subject. The bond between a mother and daughter was generally very strong and special, so for something as inherently awful as Sith experimentation to have also affected that just made it all so much worse.

Miri finished up her plate and continued explaining how she felt as she joined him at the table. He listened quietly, as he always did, and focused more on her than on his food. But when she finished talking, he found himself facing a tough decision. The easy response would be to tell her that her mother did care in some kind of attempt to make her feel better.

But honesty was something he felt would help her more in the end, <So when she knocked on your door this morning just because she needed you, not because you're her daughter but because of what you can do, it confirmed those feelings again?> he asked with a slightly more careful tone, but he genuinely wanted to understand it all better.

<That feeling that she doesn't really care about you?>