An Unusual Adoption, To Be Sure

[Ibby]

[member="The Shadow King"]

Location: Terra, Eclipstica, Shadow Empire

Gurmian Gallow was a heavyset human, though many would insist he was more of a Huttspawn. And indeed, the many would be right. Gallow was not fit by any means. His hair was thin, his lips fleshy, and his eyes watery and darting. A perpetual sheen of sweat was always on his brow, no matter how many times he swiped at it with his hankerchief. His personality was no better -- greedy, cowardly, and always looking for an opportunity to make himself come out on top.

One might wonder, then, how this revolting creature was able to earn anything.

Truth was, in the City of Sin, Gurmian Gallow ran a gambling centre. But it wasn't just any gambling centre; here, Gallow hosted all sorts of animal races, varying from womp rats to chitliks. He even bred a few for the house and for the gamblers, though of course the house ones were usually better.

The secret to successfully garner winnings from such an enterprise was to ensure the house had, theoretically, the best chance at winning against the other creature Gallow was selling. This meant keeping creatures which were the best of the best, and getting rid of the weak. Such as the runtling chitlik that was newly born to one of the females.


Gallow mopped his brow, peering into the cage that contained the newborns. Next to him was a Rodian who had been wanting to buy a chitlik for a future race. The two both stared at the runt, a female if Gallow was right, as she slept. Granted, a sleeping chitlik wasn't much to see, but it was the fact that she was sleeping outside of the pouch.

"Is that normal?" the Rodian asked. He was leaning slightly away from the owner, apparently not wanting to touch him. Gallow didn't notice, or if he did, he didn't care.

"Well, normally, the babies stay in the pouch longer than what this little one had, but everything seems to be functioning. So, I'd say she's an early bloomer, is all." Truth be told, all that Gallow learned about chitliks had come off of the Holonet and from his own observations of the creatures in his shop. But the human said it in a way that was supposed to sound convincing.

"I see," the Rodian said, not at all convinced. "Well, it's too small to race. What'll you do with it?"

"I--" Gallow was about to say he was going to toss it out with the trash, when another interesting thing happened.

The baby chitlik opened one of her eyes, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that her mother had kicked her out of her pouch and that two giants were staring at her, and sneezed. It wasn't a loud sneeze; in fact, it was almost too small to be heard. But it was still heard. And, arguably, it was the most adorable thing ever.

But that wasn't the strangest thing. The chitlik then opened both of her eyes, seeming to stare straight into Gallow's own. To him, it seemed like the little one was giving him a sad smile, as if she knew what he was going to do. Giving a little yawn, the chitlik then shut her eyes and went back to sleep.

Now, Gurmian Gallow was cowardly, self-serving, and greedy, but he wasn't heartless. Well, not completely. When the baby chitlik met his eyes, something changed in his brain. It was small, almost unperceptable, but there nonetheless.

Patting his brow with renewed vigor, the human spluttered, "Why, I'll give it to the king!"

"The King?!" The Rodian looked at Gallow as if he was nuts. "Are you nuts?!"

Gallow straightened up as much as he could manage. "They say that people who disdain sentients are hopeless against...ah....cute creatures. I'll trade her for a favour from the king! In fact, I'll do it right now!"

The Rodian, realizing there was nothing he could say, simply shook his head, picked out one of the other chitliks, and went on his way. Gallow, meanwhile, shut down his place, gathered up the runt and his things, and made his way to the home of the Shadow King.

 

[The Red of Sinner]

[member="Payiat"]


Romeo stood in the center of this throne room, with all his advisers, and other members of his council. In the center of the room, a table had been erected from underneath the floor. The black marble with red accents reflected the piercing, blood red eyes of the king as he listened to each member of his council.
"We should go full force, show the galaxy the brutality of your ships, sire." One said. Romeo nodded, then turned his head to look at the next member.
"The less casualties the better m'lord, being wise in your attacks, multiple plans of attacks are always best." Romeo held a hand up. "I have heard enough.." He stood up from his seat, and clasped his hands behind his back. "This will continue tomorrow at the earliest convenience for me. I have hearings of the people I must attend to. Thank you all who have spoken." He turned to walked away, the other men bowed as they stood, and walked away. The tabled hiding back under the red, and golden floors. Sitting down on his large black throne of wood, and marble, he leaned back and waited for the hearings to begin.

 

[Ibby]

[member="The Shadow King"]

Gallow pushed and shoved the other citizens out of the way, his meaty fingers gripping the small covered cage like it was his only lifeboat.

In a way, it was. The fat man, upon arriving to the king's palace, had had to suffer through three bouts of verbal abuse and a much lighter wallet before the guards would even consider letting him in. The memory itself caused the human to begin sweating more than he already was, and he paused to wipe his face with his handkerchief. The other beings, however, moved away from the smelly man -- his stench was almost overwhelming. Actually, a few members of the species with sensitive noses had already been taken away to the infirmary.

Not that Gallow cared. All he was worried about was his own maltreatment. Those guards! He cursed their names mentally, swiping at his neck and brow. Honestly, the way they treated me was utterly despisable! I'm going to raise a complaint to the King when I get in! Gurmian's own treatment of his racing animals, however, completely and utterly slipped his mind. This had better be worth it!

Now that he was the first one in line, the human peeked underneath the sheet on the cage. Inside, the little chitlik had created a mound of wood shavings, burrowing herself deep into its heart. This amount of movement, smell, and noise was unusual for the young creature, and she was scared out of her wits. But now that things seemed to have stilled, she tentatively poked her head out, eyes wide and nose quivering.

At the first whiff of her owner's perspiration, though, the creature began to sneeze and withdrew her head back in, curling into a small ball. Often, when she was under stress, the chitlik would curl up and sleep until she felt better -- and then she would just doze.

The man's fat upper lip curled slightly. "Sleeping all day. It's a good thing I'm gettin' rid of you, you lazy creature. I hope you're worth all of this!"

Suddenly, the man felt a tug on his arm, and he looked down to see a child holding her nose. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"What's in your cage?" she asked, seemingly unperturbed by Gurmian's behaviour.

The man scowled. "It's a Tatooinian flesh-eating sand worm, and if you don't leave me alone I'll turn it loose on you!"

The girl blinked. "Does it have a name?"

"What? No! It doesn't need a name. Now, go away!" Reviling child, he thought.

"You should name it Payiat," the girl said, as if he hadn't even spoken.

Gallow pulled back his lips to tell the girl off when the guards at the door to the throne room proclaimed, "The King will now be seeing his citizens!"

With a little inhale of excitement, the human sped off through the doors, intent upon carrying out his plan.

It it worthy to note that, while Gurmian might have dismissed the name, the little chitlik didn't. In fact, she had heard everything going on, and while she didn't quite understand Basic, the baby did recognize a few words here and there. And so, buried under a small mound of wood chips, the little chitlik was unconscious of her brain making the decision to adopt the name "Payiat" as her own.

Gallow waddled into the room, sweating profusely when he saw the King. As stated before, the heavyset man was a coward, and the sight of someone with more power than he could ever hope for almost sent him packing. Almost, but not quite -- the visions of what rewards he would receive for finding the perfect gift for the king caused his greed to override his cowardice.

Once again dabbing his brow, the human bowed as low as his girth would allow, proclaiming, "My King! I am Gurmian Gallow, owner of G.G.'s Racing Rodents, and I offer to you a gift which I am sure you will find most worthy of someone in your position!" To his credit, the human's voice barely trembled more than it usually did, though now he oozed charm as much as he oozed sweat. Not a very good combination, but Gallow was too used to his own slime to notice.

 

[The Red of Sinner]

[member="Payiat"]

The king sat on his throne, and watched the line of people come into his throne room. Romeo loved his people almost has much as he loved his family, and that was a lot of love. His only wish was to do everything he could to get their love back in return, make their lives easier, and give them a safe place to live, free of Sith, and Jedi. Curiously, the king watched a fat man who's forehead gleamed with the reflection of the fire. and various lights of the room. Thats a lot of sweat for one man. He though to himself while smiling to himself. As the man came closer, Romeo noticed the box in his hand, well at least the box shaped object. Reaching out with the force, Romeo could feel it was a little animal. Tilting his head to the side as the man spoke about a gift, and gave himself a name to which Romeo was all to familiar with.
"A gift? Why that is excellent!" He stood up from his throne, thinking about what he knew exactly about this man. He knew he did own a racing company of some sorts for animals. Digging deeper, he knew he raced these little rodents of sorts called Chitliks.
Further into the mind of Romeo, he dug up the fact that there was complaints about his treatment with animals, and how he treated others. By observing the looks others were giving the fat man, Romeo figured this to be true that this man was not someone he wanted to be associated with. He chuckled softly, and raised his hands as he walked down from his throne.
"Tell me, great Mr. Gallow, what do you bring as homage to me? Is it one of these great Chitliks I have been hearing so fondly about? Oh yes, some of my guards, on their off duty hours, go to watch the races you hold. It is quite a popular sport I hear." Dropping his hands, and then making a small motion with his hand, he used the force to take off the cloth to which hid the Chitlik, never having to touch it physically.
"MY! IT IS!"
He smiled as his eyes turned a bright red as he stared into the man;s own eyes. "Mr. Gallow, I hear much about you. Has this creature suffered the same treatment as the people of my kingdom have by you? Has it been abused like the rumors say you do to these animals of innocence?"

 

[Ibby]

[member="Romeo Sin"]

Gurmian's fleshy lips began to draw back in a smile at the king's exclamation. He knew the king would like a gift! The man's head was so bloated with smugness over the apparent success of his scheme, and how he was right and the Rodian was not, Gallow failed to process the fact that the king's merriment and apparant joy was merely a smokescreen. He failed to realise his demise might soon be near; anyone else in the human's position would have recognized the need to exercise caution. But his inflated ego and despicable character showed the world how foolish and pathetic he really was.

His handkerchief became damp as the King suddenly rose from his throne, approaching the human. A shudder rippled through the blobs of adipose tissue -- the first warning sign that things would not end the way Gallow hoped. But in his greed, he took no notice. "I bring as homage to you, my King, one of the finest specimens of my pets!" he cried. Or rather, tried to cry. In truth, he only got a few words in before the Shadow King continued to talk. Again, though, his voice had no tremor, no inkling that the man sensed his end nearing. In fact, the king's praises of his business masked any more warning bells that were going off.

But the basking didn't last long. As the King made the sheet fly off with nothing more than a gesture, and the subsequent smile, something clicked. Something, somewhere, in the back of Gurmian's mind, finally broke through the barriers of ignorance, something which finally caught his attention. Something was wrong here.

The man's smug look dropped immediately. His face paled, and perspiration began to soak his shirt even more. Ah, hah. The human finally realised he was in danger. He finally realised that whatever he said next would determine whether he lived, or died.

Gurmian wiped his brow in a failed attempt to dry it, eventually giving up when it did nothing. "M-my king!" he stuttered out. "Those are vile rumours spread by my business rivals! They are jealous of my success, and wish to bring my downfall! This creature h-has been given the finest care!" Those eyes; those red, terrifying eyes. It was like they were staring into his soul, bearing witness to every wrongdoing he'd ever done.


The air current created by the removal of the sheet caused Payiat's whiskers to quiver, and the chitlik opened one eye. Her delicate ears caught the sound of an unfamiliar noise. It sounded like speech, almost. Yawning, she slowly poked her head out of her little mound just in time to see a black-clad giant come close.

Head tilted curiously, the chitlik watched with disinterest as the black giant and the smelly giant exchanged words. Payiat sniffed the air, her little nose twitching. Even though she was not fully sentient, it wasn't hard to pick out that the smelly giant was scared. But, the chitlik did not react. Honestly, she'd learned that that particular giant gave off that scent at least five times a week. The chitlik was used to it.

Bored with the scene, and not understanding the significance of it all, she climbed all the way out and sat in front of the mound's opening, cleaning her face. The only indication that the tiny creature was even aware of the two giants was the occasional twitch of her tail as she worked.

 

[The Red of Sinner]

[member="Payiat"]

Romeo laughed, and stepped up to the man, placing a arm around his shoulders, and looking at the little creature. It was indeed cute, and Romeo felt some sense of compassion in his heart from it. "I joke, my friend, for rumors are not enough to sentence a man to death, or any other kind of punishment. You need evidence. There is none here, only a man wishing to give a gift, to which I am most grateful for." He pulled back from the man, and gently picked the box from his grasp, opened the cage, and held his hand in it.
"Come little one." He spoke telepathically to it through the force. He sent waves of comfort, and compassion to it, feelings of safety, and kindness as well. "It is okay. I am a friend to you." He smiled as he looked at it.

 

[Ibby]

[member="Romeo Sin"]

Gurmian tensed as the King placed his arm on his shoulders, but soon relaxed. And that Rodian thought I was stupid! Hah! We'll see who's laughing when I'm the one drowning in riches! Out loud, the man boomed, "My King, I always knew you were as gracious and understanding as they said!" He grinned broadly, cheesily, revealing his yellowed teeth. Gurmian was very fond of t'bacc, and contributed plentifully to the producers. "I am immensely pleased that you enjoy my--oh."

The human looked slightly perplexed as the King plucked the cage away from him. But, the expert social hound he was, Gallow soon recovered and bowed. Or rather, tried to bow. When one is a hefty human, there is very little flexibility when the torso is involved. Or the legs. Or the arms. Or anything else on the body.


Payiat stilled as the cage began to move again, not out of fear, but out of bemusement as to what was happening. In fact, if she were capable of forming clear, concise thoughts, she probably would have thought something along the lines of: What is happening? Why is my world moving? Where's my cheese?

Alright, so not all of them would be in line with the situation. But she was, after all, a chitlik.

Seconds after the motion began, it stopped. But that was not the end of it. Payiat's attention was soon captured by a gigantic hand reaching for the door of her cage and...opening it? No, not just opening it, but sticking his hand in!

On instinct, the chitlik scurried far from the hand. This was a game she and the smelly giant often played: he would reach in to grab her, and she would run away. It was fun, until the smelly giant shook her out of the cage. Then her tail was normally bruised.

But this giant didn't seem to want to play with her. Instead, the hand just sat there. The chitlik quivered her whiskers in what could have been interpreted as disappointment. She had been looking forward to playing the game that, if she were capable, she would have called "Dodge the Hand." The chitlik creeped forward, waiting for any sign that the giant was going to move his hand. None came, though suddenly she got the sense that this giant was okay. Not that it would have bothered her.

Flicking her tail, she hopped onto the giant's hand, sniffing the flesh. The scent was similar to the smelly giant, but less...stinky. There was also another scent, one which she'd never come across before. Intrigued, the chitlik continued to sniff the hand, her whiskers brushing gently against the flesh.