Ants and Cats and Sealing Wax

[Kuzo]

Passenger Liner, The Light of Commenor - Hyperspace

Irajah breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, trying to unclench her teeth. It was hard when she was trying to track down all of the ants in their room. How were there ants on a star ship anyway? She had no idea. But of course they'd find their room. Because of course there had been a sticky bun hidden in one of [member="Boo Chiyo"]'s pockets- and forgotten about.

She was trying to understand. She really was. But she had no experience anything like what he had gone through. And she just didn't understand why he couldn't understand that she was going to keep making sure he got food- that he didn't have to worry about being hungry anymore.

Even after her own experiences, she couldn't understand. It wasn't possible. She had never had to fend for herself in the way he had. Where trust was a liability. She didn't understand why he couldn't trust her, at least a little, after the last week and a half- what she didn't even fathom, a thought that didn't even really occur to her, was that he didn't even understand the entire point of trusting her. Everything had been used as a weapon against him. And old habits died hard. Because he was eating regularly, the food had been easy to forget in the pocket. Not taking it in case he needed it later? It wasn't even an option.

No, she didn't understand. But she was trying.

Still shuffling through the laundry, carefully crushing each individual ant, Irajah sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry I raised my voice. I shouldn't have yelled. I just-"

Something about the way the quiet echoed made her look up. She wasn't talking to the blue-skinned boy. She was talking to an empty room. The door out to the hallway was slightly ajar.

"Chit."

​[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Sheesh.

At least the Sith Lords had the decency to just kill you and get it over with. The Irajah just kept talking and talking. And, then, when he thought it was over, she'd start talking again!

Okay, he'd made her upset. He got it. Could they just skip to the punishment and get this over with? You know, Force Choking, electrocution, maiming with a lightsaber... Getting punished was painful, if not lethal, but at least with the Sith it was also over quick.

He didn't see what the big deal was anyway. When he'd lived in the Undercity, he'd have been lucky to have ants. If you couldn't find anything else to eat...

When she'd started, he'd been sitting on the couch. As the lecture progressed, the boy was hanging off the side of the couch, then inverted so that he was upside down with his legs hanging over the back. Finally, though, he decided it was time to splits the shiz-ouse.

That was Mandalorian.

...or something, anyway.

In any case, the boy had lived with Sith Lords. One thing you never wanted to do was disturb one of those. So, he'd learned to be very quiet. Sliding off of the couch, the boy crept low to the ground as he all-but-slithered up to the door. Here's where things got a little trickier, since the door mechanism would make sounds if he used the controls as normal. It was a simple magnetic latch however, so he loosened the power cable and was satisfied when the door swung ajar.

She had still been talking when he'd slipped out of the cabin.

Walking through the ship, the boy had his arms back behind his head. There was something called an arcade, that had some games in it. He guessed he could go there for a bit.

There was no sense in checking on Azi. The transport had a strict pet policy, requiring all domesticated animals travel in crates. A complimentary pet walking service ensured they were let out of their cages for daily activity, though it had taken some impressive diplomacy on Irajah's part to convince the liner that an amphistaff was a domesticated pet. Which, you'd have thought that Azi would have missed them, but apparently had instead become fast friends with a Tooke named Hyperdrive. Last they'd seen those two, they'd been dragging a protocol droid-turned-pet walker through the atrium of the ship.

Bored, the young Pantoran drifted toward the arcade, absently looking for anything interesting to do.

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Ryn'Dhal"]​

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

As the vessel streaked through hyperspace, the Jedi had adopted a form he found significantly more comfortable for the duration. Given how long the trip was going to last, he had been confident that meditating straight on through would have been out of the question. So at present he had adopted his quadrupedal form. At present, in his private quarters, Ryn'Dhal lay, the massive feline form curled in a shape that most humanoids would cringe to imagine replicating.

Behind some crates, having elected for his cargo, some medical supplies and the like, to be stored with him, is where the feline form could be found, curled up asleep. A sight to behold, should one grow bold enough to investigate what in the universe could be making such a racket.

His tail flicked lightly, inches from his face, as a long, low snore echoed throughout the room. The volume of the noise carried even out of the room and into the hallway outside the door. Ears would occasionally twitch, as the large feline slipped deeper into his dreams. A gentle tremor pulsed through his body, starting just below the base of his skull, and coasting down his spine, the muscles rippling in response to 'visual' stimuli within the dreamscape.

All seemed well, in the room of the 'Dhal. Now if only that damned door would stay fully latched....

[member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Irajah Ven"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah moved through the corridor, regretting deeply her reaction. It was just some ants. She should have kept her temper better under control. Later, Cait would tell her that it was okay, that was a normal part of parenting- that they weren't always going to be patient and kind. But right now, she felt like total bantha dung for having yelled at [member="Boo Chiyo"]. Who yells at a kid for something like ants (it wasn't even like that was on purpose?) when they'd been through what he'd been through?

As she mentally castigated herself, she also tried to figure out where he might have gone. She could wait for him to come back. And maybe he would. But maybe not. What if he didn't? She felt protective, and afraid- while she wasn't entirely sure where those emotions were coming from, they were very, very real.

Would he go see Azi? Maybe. Irajah was charmed by the amphistaff's new friend, though she suspected Boo wasn't as impressed by the cute as she was. She'd check there first.

Her shoes clacked on the durasteel floor as she turned a corner, picking up speed once she'd decided on a destination. But she slowed down again, brow furrowing as she looked around.

Where was that *sound* coming from? That low, growling..... snore?

Coming to a stop in front of a door that was slightly ajar, Irajah peered inside.

"Karking Maw," she swore quietly, eyes widening. She needed to find Boo. Needed to report to someone on the staff that something had gotten out (in?) and might have EATEN the resident of that room.

Backing up slowly, she didn't see the mouse droid zipping along behind her. With an URK and a MEEP and an indignant BAP, she tripped over the little thing.

CRASH CLATTER BANG

Scrabble scrabble.

Chit.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

What did it mean, Must be accompanied by adult?

Apparently that meant: No Irajah, no service.

Ejected from out of the arcade, the young Pantoran found himself wandering the interior of the transport again. It seemed strange to him that people would be so concerned about where his parents were. Most of his life, he hadn't had any. Never had 'em. Didn't need 'em.

And suddenly everyone wanted to tell him he was wrong about that. Well, what had changed? Other than the Galactic Alliance evicting the Sith out of Coruscant. Boo had been just fine on his own. Plenty of people died on those streets every day, but he'd done what needed to be done to survive. And it wasn't because he had anyone holding his hand.

But he needed Irajah watching over him to play a video game?

Clearly, these people underestimated the independence of latchkey kids.

...or even feral ones, as might be the more apt description here.

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Ryn'Dhal"]​

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The crashing and banging, much like a rancor stampeding, roused the great beast. Lumbering into all fours, accompanying a great yawn, displaying those dagger-like fangs of his, the beast padded forward.

Peering out with an expression that could not be described as anything but polite confusion, the several-hundred pounds animal sat on its haunches, examining the fallen female with keen, intelligent golden eyes.

Had the woman not already been seated, she likely would have toppled over then when the great beast opened its maw and spoke to her.

"Why you.... on ground...?" The voice was low, gravelly, and held a level of bass within that the young woman could feel the words physically reverberating through her.

The large feline proceeded to look first left, the right, down the corridor, before looking to the woman curiously once more. "Comen.... Comen... nor....? We arr.... arrive....?" If it hadn't become painfully obvious at this early stage, the beast had incredible difficulty with multisyllabic statements. More that two at a time was right out.

While the woman gathered her wits, the great beast remained stationary, quietly regarding her. His only movements being the idle flick of his powerful, dexterous y'all, and the near constant shifting of his independently moving ears, one always oriented on her at any given moment.

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"]​

 

[Kuzo]

She was hallucinating.

Obviously she hadn't been paying enough attention to the virus in her body and either she had a ridiculously high fever, or the virus had made it to her brain and started eating away at the left superior temporal gyrus- no wait, then she wouldn't be able to talk-

She tried, but all that came out was a sort of

"A buh?"

This did nothing to comfort her. Especially because she couldn't actually remember what part of the brain did cause auditory hallucinations- obviously something was wrong.

Was the cat real? She looked away then looked back. Nothing changed except the location of the lashing tail and the swiveling of the ears- to be expected with a giant feline. Yup, cat was probably real.

Irajah had virtually no experience with felines. Reading it's body language? Yeah right. If she ran would it chase her? Seemed likely, that's what cats did, right? Very very slowly, she started to back up, scuttling across the floor like a crab.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] [member="Boo Chiyo"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The great beast shook it's mighty head, looking almost pained by her fear of it. "No.... harm.... friend....?" The beast made no move to pursue, though, unbeknownst to the woman, the Jedi in disguise was attempting to create an area of calm, willing the Force to help the woman settle down long enough to learn that the predator was sentient, and more importantly, civilized. He was not about to eat a fellow sentient.

Especially not a pretty humanoid.

The beast pause, cocking it's head to one side, before scoffing at itself for such an obscure thought. Looking back to the woman, before she could get up and attempt to run, he attempted to make a show of docility. The great beast carefully lowered itself to its belly, but before the posture could be misconstrued as a preparation for a pounce, the feline rolled onto its side.

Orienting those keen, intelligent, golden eyes on the woman, the beast spoke again. "See? No fear.... be friend...."

By the Force I hate trying to communicate like this!!

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"]​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

He had nothing better to do, so he headed back for their cabin on the transport.

Maybe, by now, the Irajah had stopped acting like... well, the Irajah.

So... not likely. At all.

Shuffling along through the interior of the ship, he'd almost crossed back to their cabin when he...

He...

...he wasn't really sure. He just had a feeling. Like how you barely remembered a dream, only he wasn't asleep. He just, for some reason, had the idea in his head that the Irajah wasn't in their quarters. And, without knowing how, he started running toward... well, he wasn't sure where he was running. He just had in his head that he knew where he was going, that the Irajah would be there.

And afraid.

The Irajah was afraid.

He could have said why he thought this, he just did. And with enough certainty as to break into a sprint without a moment's hesitation. He came across a door. He knew it would be ajar before he even got there. Throwing open the door, the Pantoran exploded into the room. "Master!"

Irajah. He'd meant to shout Irajah. But, oh well.

He looked at her. He looked at the cat. And then he started looking around for something to use as a weapon.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] | [member="Irajah Ven"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah blinked.

She didn't think she'd ever hallucinated before. So really, she didn't know what to expect in this situation. Unfortunately for [member="Ryn'Dhal"] , his particular words, while calming in certain circumstances, didn't really help when the person hearing them didn't actually believe they existed.

She was as surprised as anyone when she started talking back, though, her words were kind of rushed, bordering on frantic.

"Yes, I'm sure you are a very friendly giant, predatory cat- now that's a bit redundant, isn't it?- who is probably at any moment going to either vanish in to thin air or prove to me that you are very, VERY real even if your speech is not- and why am I talking to you anyway? I should be backing away and yet for some reason I am very clearly NOT and I have no explanation for that just as I have NO explanation for the giant talking cat besides that I have just as clearly lost my mind, because your words must be a figment of some part of my temporal lobe I cannot currently remember and I am blathering like quite an idiot aren't I but I'm not sure why I care becauseIcanonlyimaginethatifIdon'tmovesoonyouaregoingtoeatme-"

Her words got faster as he dropped as though about to pounce-

She blinked again.

Even if she were hallucinating the words themselves, the sudden flop on to his back was not a.... well, a predatory action.

Irajah had no idea what to do with this. She watched him, the bewilderment writ clear on her face. The sudden appearance of [member="Boo Chiyo"] however changed her from confusion to action.

"No! Wait!"

Whether she understood his intention and didn't want him to attack the feline, or whether she wanted him to stay back and safe was unclear to ALL of them.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The large feline quite literally rolled it's eyes in frustration. He'd sort the last several moments observing the woman's aura within the Force, seeking the path of least resistance before 'knocking on the door' to her mind, if you will...

The boy would have to wait, given the time it would take, he felt communicating with the woman he'd had time to observe would be most prudent. Maintaining eye-contact with her, he tapped into her mind, but only just enough to communicate, not enough to truly invade her privacy.

Please forgive my intrusion... but it's just so very difficult to vocalize in this state. And before you scream, or freak out further, yes, this is the big scary cat that's been trying to befriend you for a few minutes now...

When the woman would likely protest in disbelief, the feline would make a sound not unlike chuckling. Yes, because in a universe where children can move things with their minds, a giant talking feline is utterly preposterous....

What could only be interpreted as a smile was upon the feline face, before he looked to the youngling still hunting for a weapon. Perhaps you might talk your young friend out of his current course of action? I have had a chance to establish a basis of communication with him just yet....

Through all of this, the large animal remained laying docilely on his side, trail flicking idly, as he observed the youngling curiously with intelligent, golden eyes.

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"]​

 

[Kuzo]

"Um...... Boooooo?"

Irajah turned her head toward the boy, but didn't take her eyes off of [member="Ryn'Dhal"].

"Unless I suffered a head injury and neither of us noticed..... I think.... this cat.... is talking....to me....."

She paused, blinking for a moment and then-

"In my head."

That sounded completely bonkers to her. But maybe to a boy raised around the sith it would be a little less crazy sounding.

[member="Boo Chiyo"]