Babysitting Blues (Laina)

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


There it was. That peculiar sense of impending dread that made a cold shiver run down her spine, cooling the warmth her body was normally enveloped in. It made her significant tenses tingle.


Thus, to her credit, Elpsis did not waste time. "Got a hold-out and a sabre." The earlier conversation had probably spooked the redhead a good deal, but she could not shake off the feeling it would be the evil tribespeople knocking. So she quickly closed the door behind them, making sure it was secure. Thinking quickly, she walked over to the window and drew the expensive curtains shut.

 

[Laina Silvias]

"Good." Laina said frostily. Every muscle in her body had grown tense. Momma Bear had kicked in. You did not mess with her child. Mess with her all you wanted. But Laina's girl. No. There was a price to pay for even dreaming of it.

She walked to a closet, and pulled out a pair of bolters and tossed one to Elpsis. "I prefer something a little heavier than a hold-out." Her eyes flicked from the apartment door, to the window with the curtains now drawn. "Window or door, the two ways in. There's a reason Morri's room doesn't have one. Control where they come in, control the landscape of the fight and you control it all." That sense of dread was growing. At the very edges of her senses she could feel six quite familiar presences in the force.

She glanced to the hall towards her baby's room. "If you don't mind would you stand there. Front of the hall. Can't have them get down that hall to her." Laina looked nervously between the window and the door. "I do sense them now. Six women. So be ready. Any moment now they'll be here."

And then the window shattered as a smoke bomb was thrown through it, filling the space with smoke rapidly. Laina didn't so much see her sisters through the smoke, but felt them out. She got off a single shot with the weapon, hearing a scream follow, knew she'd gotten someone. The reaction was quick, slamming Laina against the wall with Telekinesis. It seemed as much as she could sense them, they just as easily could pick her out.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Boom. The bomb went off with a bang and plumes of acrid smoke filled the room, strongly reducing visibility for a brief time. Elpsis felt an invisible force grip her like vices to abruptly lift her into the air and slam her back into the ground. Ouch!


Then before she could react she was picked up again and tossed towards a table with probably absurd force. However, this time she was more prepared as she pulled out of her daze. Twisting her body in mid-air she she poured her will into breaking the invisible vices, hitting the ground and rolling hard. Landing on the floor still hurt. Having inhaled some of the smoke, she could not restrain a bout of coughing.


Oh, now she was definitely pissed off. The smoke made it difficult to see much, but her empathic senses flared up, meaning she could feel the intruders. Soon there was a loud bang indicating the door had been kicked down. Feeling rage build up inside her, she pushed smoke away, allowing her to see better. Through the dissipating smoke, blasterfire came her way.


This would've normally been the moment for her to whip out her lightsabre and dramatically deflect bolts, but Elpsis wasn't good at using the glowstick and, more importantly, blaster deflection didn't mean pinpoint accuracy. Her accidentally hitting Laina was quite possible given the enclosed quarters. A raised chair ate blaster bolts and got pulverised, what was left of it was sent flying towards hostiles, as she ducked for cover.


A bolt got past the hastily improvised defence and connected with her shoulder, causing waves of white hot pain to flood it, her gun dropped out of her hand. The bolt burnt through her t-shirt and shore into her skin, burning. Her skin felt like someone had barbequed it, but at the same time glowed brightly as she drew the heat inside herself and absorbed it. Her eyes turned crimson, seemingly ablaze, then a bright flash of light emanated from her hand.


"Look away," the empathic command would shoot into Laina's mind, then the intense, burning light manifested, effectively acting as a powerful flashbang to blind and burn attackers. Raising her newly acquired bolt pistol Elpsis emerged from cover, squeezed the trigger and fired. BAAAM and so on and so forth. Armour-piercing projectiles exited the hand cannon.

 

[Laina Silvias]

Laina heard her loud and clear in her mind and turned her head quickly, closing her eyes. The flash and burning light could be felt and seen even turned away, even with her eyes closed. She had little doubt the injuries that would cause to the tribal sisters around. Screams and cries were heard from a few.

Laina had been pinned to the wall until that point, and the telekinetic grip dropped away. Now with the smoke having somewhat cleared, she could get a feel on just who exactly they were facing. And one woman, who oddly had been hanging back a little she recognized. Aella. Crap. She didn't have the heart to kill her.

Her focus had been on Aella just a little too long. A blaster lifted and aimed for her. Or at least she thought it was aimed for her. Aella squeezed the trigger and the blaster bolt narrowly missed her shoulder, and the scream she heard from behind. Eyes wide, Laina seemed to understand what was happening. Turning she reached out with the force, and crushed the heart of the amazon that had been about to kill her moments before.

The odds seemed a little more even now, four left standing. Several were blind, stumbling and the pain echoed out in the force. Elpsis' shots hit their mark, brutally wounding two of the women standing. Wounds that Laina was certain were fatal or soon would be.

Aella was already moving for one of the blinded women, knife in hand as she quickly plunged it into the woman's chest. "Aella! You .... you, betrayed us. There is no greater sin...."

"It would have been a greater sin to betray her." She said before grabbing the woman's head and snapping her neck, ending her life.

Laina then felt it, the crushing pain as one of the tribal women still breathing wrapped the force tightly around her chest, trying to crush it. It took effort to push back, to prevent her ribs from being broken and her internal organs crushed. Still, she couldn't get the pressure off enough to take a breath. She couldn't breath, couldn't speak, couldn't cry out.

Aella's back had been turned focused on the woman she'd just killed. She couldn't see what was happening to Laina. There was enough pain and death in the air to hide Laina's distress from her.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"] (tagged because reasons)


Blinding light, the staccato of gun shots that punctuated the battle raging across the hall, then an unexpected face turn heel when an amazon called Aella suddenly plunged her knife into the chest of a shocked amazon.


Blood coated the blade, then there was a sickening snap when she snapped her comrade's neck. The body fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, spilling blood over the carpet. Power crunched down upon Laina, unleashing a crushing pain that was focused upon her chest. Power trying to crush her that was so strong it put the mama bear on the defensive.


The scent of death was so strong in the air that it was rank, even though the bodies were far from getting to the state of decomposition. There was so much pain swirling around that it had to be hell for any empath. It was a useful gift, but also a double-edged sword. The feelings of betrayal from the amazon when Aella turned on her, the agony the two wounded warriors were feeling, and Laina's suffering all bled into one, forming a massive maelstorm.


Ouch. Her head hurt. It felt like she was losing herself. The feeling made her angry. Normally when she was angry Elpsis lashed out. Given the pain Elpsis was being put through she had good reason. Her head hurt like hell and the empathic backlash had almost made Elpsis topple over, as if she was experiencing a portion of the pain herself.


Her eyes were a bright red, her body temperature extremely elevated. The hatred Laina's attacker felt was like a beacon. The sort of anger you could only feel for someone you cared about, been raised with and now saw as someone who'd betrayed you. In a twisted sort of way, the woman loved the exiled amazon. Her anger turned out to be contagious and so, to protect her new friend, she launched a boiling hot fireball at her attacker.


Agonised screams were heard when the already heavily injured amazon was set on fire. Clothes were burnt, flesh shorn and what was left behind was a charred husk. Then there was the crack of a gun shot. Elpsis felt a sharp pain inside her back and fell down.

 

[Laina Silvias]

Laina was still trying her best to just keep the Tribal Sister from crushing her chest. Her entire focus remained there, pushing back against her sister, still trying to get enough room to just be able to take a breath.

Aella had just finished ending the woman's life and finally turned back to the situation behind her. Laina in agony, clearly struggling for air, trying to keep the other amazon from killing her. She had been about to move to end the woman, when she had to shield her eyes from the bright fireball that soon engulfed her in flames. The screams were horrific for a moment before silence fell.

The sound of the shot deafening as both Laina and Aella looked to the last one standing and could only watch as Elpsis fell to the ground. Rage boiled up through both women, pissed might have been a wee bit of an understatement. There were rules of engagement with traitors and exiles. And a cardinal rule had just been broken. You didn't attempt to kill female outsiders, no matter how much they interfere. Disable, break a bone or two, knock unconscious, anything to discourage their interference but nothing ... Nothing was to be done to them that could be fatal.

Aella lunged at the same moment that Laina ripped the weapon from the woman's hand with a powerful telekinetic grip. Aella's hands wrapped firmly around the woman's neck using her own momentum to force her to the ground. "She was NOT involved in this! Just a girl, and you try to kill her? You know the price you must pay." She hissed. Her grip tightened as the wounded warrior struggled to pull Aella's hands away from her throat.

Laina now had the slugthrower in hand. Crossing to their sister, she sighed pressed the weapon to the woman's head and squeezed the trigger. Blood and grey matter splattered everywhere. Laina really didn't care in that particular moment.

And yet, she knew they still weren't done. "Get Elpsis, now. Get her out of here and do what you can to heal her." After all the apartment was a mess now with the bodies on the floor, and one still burning. Dangerous was the word. Laina could hear Morrigan crying and screaming. One couldn't blame her given all that had happened. Moving quickly she collected her daughter, a few needed supplies, and headed outside. "Shhh, shh ... Momma's here. Momma's here." Talking to her dear little girl, trying to get her to calm down a little bit.

"On it." Aella was livid as she walked over to the redhead. With ease she scooped up the injured redhead and carried her as gently and quickly to follow Laina. "Hope you got transport. I don't recommend staying here much longer."

"Yeah, speeder. I'll get it. You take care of her." Laina said, heading off to get their transportation. Anything to get them out of the area for the time being.

Aella nodded laying Elpsis down, for the moment. "It's going to be alright, sweetie. I promise." She said as she shifted the redhead slightly to get a look at her wound. "Now that, ain't nothing but a mosquito bite." Of course it was much worse, but Aella wasn't about to say that.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Ouch. Getting shot hurt a lot. Mind you, this wasn't the first time it had happened to Elpsis. At least not since Daddy Dearest decided it would be a jolly good time to have a family reunion. The streets and the gang life of Coruscant had not been gentle to her. The scars she bore were a testament to that.


Still, it fething hurt. She was dimly aware that the last hostile amazon in the game ate a bullet. Blood and grey matter splattered everywhere over the carpet and the walls, coating it nicely. One body was burning as the flames took their time with consuming flesh, frightened cries and screams were heard from the crib, where poor, little Morrigan had been woken up by all the commotion.


One could not blame the baby given what had transpired in the last couple minutes. Blood seeped out of Elpsis' wound, the young redhead was struggling to stay conscious. Too stubborn for her own good she tried to get up to her feet and failed, then crawled. The smoke in the air made her cough.


Then she was suddenly picked up by the darkhaired amazon who was apparently called Aella. She had nice, strong arms. The redhead felt a wave of nausea overcoming her, her pulse was racing. "Morri's safe?" she failed at suppressing a cry of pain when she was moved. Her spine felt terribly fractured.

 

[Laina Silvias]

"The baby's safe. Don't worry. Laina's got her." Aella said softly. The wound was nasty, and she couldn't help but sense the fractures in her spine. This wasn't good, but she'd dealt with wounds like this.

"I know it's not easy, but you've got to do all you can to stay awake sweetie." She said finally placing her hands on the redhead's wound to help her as much as she could. Closing her eyes she drew the force into her and helped to push that power into Elpsis. First constricting blood vessels around the wound, to stem the flow of blood. Next her attention when to any damaged organs trying to mend them as best she could.

Laina pulled the speeder up around that moment. Morrigan was safely tucked away in her own little seat beside Laina. So she stepped out, to help Aella. "Can we move her into the speeder?"

Aella glanced up, "We can. It's going to hurt, though. Go ahead and help me pick her up. Be careful her spine does have some fractures."

Laina nodded, "Alright, then." Reaching down carefully they both supported Elpsis as best they could to move her into the spacious backseat. Aella climbed into the backseat with her, and went straight back to doing all she could to heal her. The fractures were slowly healing, and the wound slowly closing.

Once Laina was sure everyone was tucked safely inside, she took off. Anywhere was better than where they were right then. If Aella could heal Elpsis all the way, then some kind of hotel or something would be where she'd head. Otherwise the healing temple would be her plan.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Stay awake, don't fall unconscious and potentially die. Right! That was easier said than done. She hadn't even gotten to first base with Laina yet! But at least the baby was safe. It meant she'd done something right. Feth you, Kerrigan, and the high horse you came on.

Some people who got shot and experienced serious injury suddenly experienced episodes of their life flashing through their mind. Such disturbances did not assault the redhead's mind though. It was perhaps one of the very few moments where her mind, which was so often bombarded with others' feelings, was relatively quiet.


As it was, she was in a bit of a daze. "Nice...tats," she muttered when Aella spoke to her, wincing at the pain. Struggling to stay awake, she felt the Force surge through her body when the amazon pushed her power into her. Elpsis was in no condition to assess what was happening from a medical perspective, but she felt like she wasn't about to die at any moment! That was good because, if her brief visit to the Netherworld was anything to go by, the afterlife kind of sucked.

 

[Laina Silvias]

Aella kept her focus on Elpsis. She was still pulling on the Force, and pushing it into the redhead. Slowly the wounds were closing, blood vessels mending and bones knitting. It was taking time and effort but so far it was working.

Laina kept the speeder moving. "How's it coming along?"

"Slowly." Aella replied curtly. "She's going to live. I should be able to close her wounds soon. She's going to need rest."

Laina nodded, and turned the speeder towards the nearest hotel to find them a place to stay for the time being. She figured she'd contact Siobhan and let her know what had happened once they were settled.

"Oh, you're such a sweetie." Aella said softly in reply to Elpsis.

"She is." Laina said, still sounding a bit stressed and understandably so. "You know, Aella you had me worried for a minute back there."

Aella's brow furrowed, "What, you thought I'd actually ever shoot you?"

"For a moment, I wondered. The thought did cross my mind."

Aella shook her head, "No, no meimei, I couldn't do that. Not to you."

"I cringed when I felt you. I knew I didn't have the heart to harm you. I feared you'd be my end. And I'm glad you weren't that. Glad you were there to save my ass."

"I kind of had figured on that. Bet on that keeping me alive long enough to help. Coming with them for you, was a test they told me. To test my loyalty. They didn't figure my loyalty to you would be the path I chose." The force was still flowing into Elpsis, and the wound finally finally sealed over and Aella slumped back against the wall of the speeder. "Where we headed?"

"A hotel, we'll be there shortly." Laina said quietly and soon pulled into the place. "Need help getting her out of the speeder?"

"No, I'll be fine. You get your kid and we'll go inside together." With that said, Laina gathered up Morrigan, and headed inside to work to get them a room. Aella gathered Elpsis up and easily lifted her up to carry her inside. She wasn't about to let her walk. "Just a little longer, little one, and you can rest child." The brunette spoke quietly, soothingly as she brought the girl inside. Soon enough they were all gathered in the hotel room and Aella laid the teenager down on the bed. "Easy now dear, you need rest. Don't get up. Don't be stubborn. Just rest. I'll get anything you need. Just ask me and I'll do it."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Slowly Elpsis was improving. The young redhead would not be completely aware of this since she was struggling to stay conscious, but she could gradually feel the pain receding. Wounds were closing, blood vessels mending and bones knitting.


She picked up bits and pieces of the conversation between Laina and Aella, though she blotted most of it out. Their interaction was kind of cute though. Even without hearing all the words, one could tell the two went way back. The empathic strands showed how connected they were. The power of the Force flowed from Aella into the girl, giving her strength and helping her along with the recovery process.


Meanwhile, the speeder had reached the hotel. It probably said a lot about society here that the Eldorai receptionist did not ask any awkward questions, though the exotic appearance of the two amazons raised an eyebrow. Maybe the elf thought all human monkeighs were just weird anyway. Elpsis held on tightly to Aella when she was picked up and carried to the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw little Morrigan being carried by Laina. Seeing the baby girl had the effect of soothing her anxieties, as it confirmed to her that the little one was really alright.


"Ain't no kid. Old enough to shoot things and get shot at," she opined. Totally didn't have a complex about that! But then she hadn't had what one would consider to be a regular childhood. Her grammar could some polish though.


Then she was gently deposited on the bed. "Anything I need, huh? Really?" she asked cheekily, batting her eyelashes at the amazon. Her come-ons weren't getting any better. "Thanks for saving me and all that. So, y'know Laina well?" Apparently Elpsis was not taking the instruction to lie down and rest to heart.

 

[Laina Silvias]

Aella shook her head, "At eight I was old enough to shoot things and get shot at, didn't make me less of a kid."

Laina joined in, "And it's more a term of affection and caring, dear. Don't take offense to it, none is meant."

And then the comment, "You are not rested or well enough for such activities, Elpsis. Another day, another time, and such possibilities are open. But not now." Aella said firmly. "Now, lay down. You need to rest, if you want your body to heal. You're quite lucky given the wound to still have feeling in your legs and able to walk. Don't chance re-injuring yourself right now, if you like the whole walking thing."

The brunette gave a shrug, "No problem. Kalya never should have shot you. Not when you weren't involved at all in our tribal squabble." And of course there was the question to answer, "Yeah, I do. We grew up together, born in the same year. Taken to the caves together, survived together. Killed me when the Matron gave orders to retrieve Laina to get her child, and end her life after. She didn't do anything wrong. All she did was fall in love with an outsider, and that shouldn't have been a crime. Love should never be a crime."

Laina had been quiet. Letting the two girls talk as she held Morrigan while feeding her, hoping to get her daughter to settle down to go to sleep soon. She had her covered with a light blanket, letting her nurse. But finally she decided to join in the conversation again, "Yeah, love shouldn't be. But to our Matron under the circumstances it was. Reasons he's dead, and I'm here." Laina seemed a little distant, tired. "I have to ask, how did you guys find me again? I thought moving that far across the galaxy, would have offered me protection."

"Blood trail, I'm afraid. Matron has one on you."

"Cute. So she pointed you this way."

"Afraid so. It's going to be risky for a while, meimei. You may not like this idea, but I think to prevent further harm to you, to your child, and to the other sisters you may need to take on the Matron yourself. It's not like things have gotten better under her rule since you left."

Laina frowned heavily. That certainly was an idea she hated. "I have a child to care for. How could I possibly take her on? Surely things haven't gotten that bad, that I'm needed to return to solve it." She wanted to hear another answer, anything else. Though she was unlikely to get it.

Aella didn't answer yet, her focus was on Elpsis. Well, and truthfully the answer was rather complex and painful. Aella wanted a bit of time to gather her thoughts before she answered Laina. She grabbed a blanket for Elpsis, and a cup of tea that she brewed quickly. "Rest, please. And at the least drink this." She said softly, offering the cup to the redhead before, spreading the blanket over her. "I'll find you something to eat shortly, okay?"

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Elpsis still didn't like being called child, but after the two amazons had explained themselves she stopped feeling annoyed about it. "I shot the queen and set one of her buddies on fire, so I was kinda involved," she pointed out. Clearly this was one of the tribal rules she didn't quite comprehend. Intercultural understanding was an important skill.


"Your Matron sounds like a sick psycho queen. Can we burn her alive?" This was her conclusion after listening to the dialogue between the two amazons. Sure, her childhood had sucked, but she'd at least gotten a couple years that were relatively normal. Her adoptive parents had been neglectful and disinterested in her, but still normal. That was before the Jedi, before Daddy Dearest made her life go to hell and the sanctimonious monks had nothing better to offer than tell her to trust in the Code. It sounded like the amazons' life had been fifty shades of thoroughly fethed-up.


For a moment she wondered how [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] was doing. Last time they'd talked it hadn't been on good terms. Her hands were a bit shaky, but she managed to grasp the offered cup of tea. Pulling it towards her lips, she took a sip, though she accidentally spilt some, which made her look a bit embarrassed. "Sorry."


The tea was quite hot and so she burnt her lips a bit as she drank too greedily, but she didn't particularly care at this point. Seeing how tired and upset Laina looked, Elpsis reached out to touch her hand. "Hey, you do what ya think's right for you and your kiddo. I'll be there to help and roast arseholes for you." Rather crude, but she was trying to be considerate!

 

[Laina Silvias]

Aella shook her head, "No, no ... You aren't a tribal member. You're not involved in the conflict that they were trying to end with Laina. We have certain rules of engagement when dealing with outsiders, and inter-tribal squabbles. First and foremost, we don't kill women outside our tribe, even if they interfere in our process. We are allowed to do what we must to disable them and remove them from the fight. That said, under no circumstances are we permitted to do something that could be ultimately fatal to the outside woman. It's a matter of respect and not getting outsiders involved in our problems."

Laina glanced to Elpsis, "She used to be a good woman, when she was younger. But power has gone to her head. And I can only assume that's gotten worse in the time I've been gone."

Aella stayed close, helping to steady Elpsis' hands. "It's alright dear, no worries. And yes, used to be a good woman. Just, I don't know. Something changed in her. She's exiled twenty-two sisters now. Had sixteen executed now. Unheard of numbers. Most of us fear for our lives now, never knowing when we'll offend her and be exiled or murdered."

"What?" The Amazon seemed floored. She didn't know how bad it had gotten. When Elpsis touched her hand, Laina sighed sadly. "I want to just be able to live my life in peace, with my daughter. But it's abundantly clear that the Matron isn't going to stop sending people after me. Which means, like it or not ... I have to deal with her at some point if I want it all to end. Not only that, but my sisters are my family. You don't give up on family. I just, I don't know if I can go back and end this all to help my sisters. And I worry it will be the end of me."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


Elpsis still found this rule weird. After all, she'd chosen to involve herself. However, she didn't argue the point. "Sounds like the queen is a bit like my dad. Except he was always a monster," she muttered to herself, before realising what she'd said. Talk about uncomfortable.


She sipped more of her tea, then tried to sit up. However, a stab of pain in her back convinced her otherwise, so she reluctantly gave up. But her hand gave Laina's a firm squeeze. Or rather as firm as she could manage at the moment in her weakened state. "If you wanna go back to your tribe and smack her down, I'll help you. No questions asked. I know a couple things about crappy families." The words left her tongue without prompting. Or much forethought. It simply felt right.

 

[Laina Silvias]

Laina had caught on to what Elpsis had said. "Perhaps someday, dear we can talk about him. I'd like to know what happened." It was genuine curiosity and a want to understand where Elpsis had come from. She shifted slightly as her little one finished eating. Wrapping the little girl in a blanket, she cradled her sweetly to try and rock her gently, to sleep.

"Peace, really isn't an option, hun. Things have gotten so out of control. Something has to be done." Aella hated to have to expose Laina to how bad things had really become. "You know as well as I do, you were being groomed by the Matron to one day replace her. People do respect you, even with what has happened."

Laina seemed to be staring off blankly. Her mind was running through all the possibilities.

"It's not like you are alone, Laina. There are the exiles that would love to come home, but can't under the current Matron. We can always seek them out."

Laina knew she had a point, there were twenty-two others just like her that were out there trying to stay alive. Her eyes drifted to Elpsis. "That may not be the best of ideas, Elpsis. If I do this, and put this together ... You're still an outsider right now, which gives you a little protection. If you stand with me, you're going to get caught somewhere between an outsider and a recognized tribal member, an interloper. If I lose the consequences for you would be grave at best. Deadly. I can't just risk your life needlessly like that."

"She could join, once you've gathered the exiles. There'd be enough sisters around for the ceremony. It'd allow her the protections of tribal law. There'd be consequences, but less severe. You, Laina would bear the heaviest burden of the consequences at that point. She'd be recognized by the Exiles, and well, it'd force the tribe at home to recognize her as well."

"I can't, we can't ask that of her." She felt a little bad, like she was talking as if Elpsis wasn't quite there in the room. "That's not a small decision."

"No, but it is Elpsis' choice in the end. Not yours. You are merely obligated to see her choice through."

Laina nodded, "That part, entirely up to you. No pressure. No pushing. Your choice. But I just need you to understand there are severe consequences either way."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


After almost an entire OOC year and almost four hundred posts, Elpsis had finally discovered a direction in her life - and it didn't involve Jedi, Firemane or the Coalition of the Willing. It would also allow her to indirectly stick it to her father. After all, he was an evil jackarse and probably wouldn't approve of a tribe of militant ultrafeminist amazons. She was not about to let that chance escape from her grasp.


"Hey, I am lying right here," she exclaimed a bit indignantly when the amazons talked about her like she wasn't there. Of course, they weren't doing it deliberately, but she could be a bit overly sensitive sometimes.


She seemed to realise that she was probably not being very mature and sighed. "Look, guys, I wanna help, ok? I get it won't be pretty if things go south, but I don't care. You two have....made me feel more welcome than anyone else. This is, like, the first time I feel like I've got an actual cause in my life instead of just another job to suvive another day. So, I wanna join." She had given the matter considerable thought. Well, actually she hadn't, but it felt right, so what the hell.

 

[Laina Silvias]

"Sorry, sweetie. Didn't mean to talk like you weren't here." Aella said quietly.

Laina sighed, not sure how to manage this situation. A part of her, didn't want to get Elpsis involved, to protect her from the consequences. At the same time, she knew it wasn't her choice. It was Elpsis' choice. Tribal rules dictated that they respect the decision.

"Elpsis, I don't want to seem like I do not respect you or your decision. I very much do. I just, I fear to drag you into this, and what will happen. I appreciate your willingness to help us out. I just want you to be absolutely sure that you want to be involved in this." Another stressed sigh fell from her lips. "It will be a while before we can perform the ceremony. We have to have enough sisters together for tribal recognition. Will you think about it until that time? There's no undoing joining the tribe, without being exiled or dying."

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laina Silvias"]


It was doubtful that Elpsis had given the question much thought. She was impulsive by nature and tended to think with her gut. Moreover, she was young. However, she was also terribly stubborn. Bit like her mother.


She felt like being more argumentative, then sighed. Maybe because she was quite tired. Her stomach rumbled most annoyingly, making its desire to be filled with something edible known. "I know I want to be involved," she insisted. There was a fire in her eyes, as if this were an ironclad certainty she had never manifested before. "But, alright, I'll respect your wishes and think about it till we gathered the exiles."

 

[Laina Silvias]

Laina nodded, and glanced down to her little girl who was finally asleep. She turned to Aella hearing Elpsis' stomach growl. "Aella, could you go get some food for Elpsis. A sandwich or something. I think we could all use something." Though she was too exhausted to really want to eat much of anything.

"Yes, meimei. Will you both be alright without me?" The dark haired woman seemed genuinely concerned about the both of them.

Again Laina nodded. "I have a feeling we are safe for now. So don't worry. Go on and we'll stay put." That said and Aella slowly got up to head out the door to get them all a meal.

"Thank you, darling." She said to Aella first. Then she gently squeezed Elpsis' hand, "I appreciate you taking the time to think about it Elpsis. I don't want you to make a choice you haven't at least had the time to think through and consider all sides of it. I truly care about you, hun or I wouldn't be concerned at all. I respect your choice right now. I respect your voice, and I hear you. You're a good woman. I only think that you need some training, and a good influence in your life, like myself. And maybe I can be that. Maybe Aella and the others will be that for you too. I don't know. But I hope so. I do want to help you, in whatever way I can. Funny that you remind me a lot of me when I was your age."

Then she carefully swaddled Morrigan up so she could lay her down on her bed to sleep. "I need to message Siobhan and let her know what happened. She'll want to know." She said quietly as she pulled out a datapad and wrote a quick message to the Firemane, alerting her to the situation and to what had transpired, with Aella, with Elpsis helping to save her and Morrigan.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]