Catching Up, Slowing Down

[Ghorua the Shark]

BAKURA​

THE CABIN​

​

Ghorua, for the first time in a while, truly felt at peace.

Many of his troubles had vanished as of late. Irajah Ven was recently revealed to be alive, something that greatly uplifted Ghorua's mood, even if the revelation added it's own set of problems. That all would come later.

Minna had a life-changing experience with a Jedi Master on Coruscant, and that alleviated plenty of his stress about her, and her future training. The young Balin was a competent warrior, even at the young age of five and a half. That was due to him, and to her own talents in the Force. It put his mind at ease to know she was powerful enough to defend herself, even at that young age.

What had been the most relieving, however, was his reconnection with Kay.

It was late at night. Minna had fallen asleep next to Ghorua, resting her head on his massive lap. They had been watching old holovids together after a tough day of Teräs Käsi training. He'd let Minna decide, and she picked out what she always did. Ghorua could never remember the name, but it was about a Jedi that went on to save the galaxy from one tyranny or another.

A bit naive, maybe. Idealistic, perhaps. But the Shark figured it was good for Minna to aspire to something so pure, especially with the abilities she possessed.

Letting her down quietly, the Herglic stood, retrieving his datapad. He had a rather important message to send. Old wounds to mend.

//TO: Lady Kay
FROM: Shark

How has that saber been treating you? Hopefully, you're making progress on recovering your memories, but either way, I figured you could use some time away from Commenor. Minna grows tired of my excuses for not seeing you, and I grow tired of making them.

I'm sending coordinates. Stop by if/when you get the time. Minna and I would love to have you.//

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was at her desk in her office, working as always. She was busy trying to make sure that the Senate Charter was written well before submitting it to the rest of the Senate. Apparently common sense had to be spelled out as well. So she had to go through it all with a fine toothed comb so that there'll be less of a chance of arguing. She wanted the Senate to move as smoothly as possible for it's own sake.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] 's message came through as she was going over the Charter for the seventh time. A break? Oh yes that was needed. Especially for her mind. There was only so much legal mumbo jumbo that a person can take. Sure her life seemed to be run by politics, but it was through her want to help people, other than a love of laws and regulations.

Without further ado, she whipped up a reply;

~Shark,

A break for a couple of days would be lovely, thank you. It'll be nice to catch up some more. Once I adjust my schedule, I'll be on my way.

Just look for the Free Lady.

Kay~

She didn't use any of her titles. There was no need to do so with him.

Hours later Kay was well on her way to Bakura on board the Free Lady. Her old (and older) friend Terrac agreed to take her on this venture. They needed the time together to reconnect, and the long trip to Bakura gave them perfect opportunity to do so.

A day after Ghorua had sent his message, The Free Lady was making it's final descent to the co-ordinates that the Shark had given her.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The Free Lady would touch down in a clearing that seemed strangely familiar.

Tall pine trees jutted from the ground like bark-infused spires, casting shadows over the calm forest floor. These shadows danced in the morning light, the high bows shaking with a brisk dawn breeze. The breeze stirred the pine needles, kicking up lines of sharp greenery.

The shadows played over the cabin as well, the beautiful ochres of the bark a warming sight. The building had a large doorframe, and high ceiling, as one might expect. A porch jutted out the front of the cabin, on which rested a magnificent sight: A Shark preparing for the day.

Ghorua sat on a large plush rocking chair, watching vigilantly as Kay's ship came down. Even he had to admit buying an overized rocking chair to match his cabin was a bit on the nose, but there was nothing Ghorua liked more than a bad joke. He wore his casual clothes, and the Herglic's demeanor seemed to match. He was at ease, resting as his friend came for a visit.

It would make Minna's entrance all the more grand.

As the Free Lady went to dispense it's passenger, Ghorua would stand, a mysterious merriment in the crinkle of his eye.

The reason?

A Balin family secret.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stepped down the ramp of the Free Lady as soon as the bottom touched the grown. One would almost think that she was eager. The first thing that she saw was the cabin. It brought a big smile on her face. But what made it all the better was the sight of her dearest friend [member="Ghorua the Shark"] sitting in an oversized chair on the porch. She couldn't help but chuckle.

As she stepped closer, her pace quickened all the more until finally she was at level with the Herglic. Kay wrapped her arms around him as well as she could, almost falling into him as she did so. "Thank you. Thank you for helping me." If it wasn't for him giving her back her lightsaber, she might never of regained all of her memories. Or so she believed. "I owe you so much and I'm so very sorry for hurting you. I was just...so scared. Of everyone, and everything." She was a shell of herself at the time. Her spirit beaten down and hidden away through unending torture. She'll never fully get over that. But maybe one day she'll forgive herself for it.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua watched Kay approach with a grin, staying seated until Kay was directly ahead of him. He stood slowly, expecting the hug that came after. Even though he saw it coming, something about the contact surprised him. It was nice.

"Hello, old friend." It felt good to call Kay his friend, after all this time.

Ghorua broke the contact first, resting an enormous hand on her shoulder. He looked into Kay's eyes, searching for recognition among the dark shades in her irises. "I'm glad you could find this place. It's hidden away pretty well. Bakura is First Order space now, y'know, and the Order and I don't get along all that well." He chuckled deeply, thinking back to a few choice encounters on Bespin.

The Herglic reclined back into his rocking chair, eyes ever attentive. "What do you remember?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay met his gaze. There was recognition in hers and something else too. In a way she was two people at once, her old self and the newer one meshed together. It was strange and a bit hard to fathom, but it was something that she had no choice but to live with. Hopefully others could accept it like Veiere did.

She smirked a little as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] mentioned Bakura being in First Order space now. Their territory had grown so much since she was last here, it easily dwarfed her own. Although it wasn't as though she was trying to match them. "Well, it's a good thing that I'm on good terms with the First Order then, otherwise I may run out of my Sapir tea supplies." Bakura was her top supplier for it afterall.

Kay tilted her head to the side a bit as he asked her what she remembered. "All of it...I think. It's hard to say. There's a lot of missing pieces that have to be put in order, but some could be dreams. Did you chase me in some ruins?" He was in a frenzy, she knew that much. But it seemed odd that he would've gone after her.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua chuckled as Kay recounted her memories of him, having almost forgotten their botched training session amid the Commenor ruin. So she had regained her memories, if not from the crystal, something else. Whatever it was, he had it to thank for his friend back.

"Ah, yeah." Ghorua massaged his hairless head, growing a sheepish smile. "That was real. Long story."

Which reminds me...

"Well, we'll see how much you remember," he said with a wink and a grin. Then, he stood up, his height alone imposing and intimidating.

Then, his voice boomed out, his trademark theatric flair intoxicating.

"You have quite the bounty on your head, Mrs. Kay!" He was practically beaming. "Alas, it would be a shame if the infamous Bounty Hunter Minna Balin were to find and capture you..."

A sudden, awkward silence. Ghorua paused, as if waiting.

"I said, it would be a shame if..."

"Attack!!"

Minna dropped down from a low-hanging tree branch, beads in her hair whipping around her in a mane of childish fury. She moved lithely, like a jungle cat, and rushing up to the Lady...

...Enveloped her in a giant hug.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay blinked, raising a brow as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] got to his feet and winked at her. It was obvious that he was up to something. That grin told her as much too. Once he started his theatrics, she did her best to try to look scared, but really she wanted to burst out laughing. Was it Bones that he was going to call forth? The two had sort of reconciled if her memory served her correctly.

But then he said her name. Minna Balin. Minna. While Ghorua had paused in his little speech, it struck Kay as to who Minna was. A sweet little Commenori girl that her friend had adopted.

And then it happened. Minna came out from the trees, moving with such stealthy grace that seemed to defy one of her age. Kay was pounced on then in a big hug. Playing along with the theatrics, she fell back to the ground, letting Minna lay on top of her while she squirmed underneath. "Ack! No! Not Minna Balin! She's the most ruthless hunter in all the Galaxy! Please, have mercy! Spare me!" She giggled then and wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug.

"I didn't realize how much I missed you both."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Hi, Your Majesty!" Minna was older than Kay would remember, although still obviously a young child. The awkwardness of youth was quickly being replaced with a measured purpose in her movements. This was due to Minna's own ambitions, coupled with Ghorua's influence on her. She wanted to be just like him, which was equally pride-inducing and terrifying.

"It's been such a long time! But you're here now!" Minna broke away, content on holding Kay's hand.

"Sorry about the show," Ghorua said, grinning from ear to ear. "Minna wanted to show off her training."

"Yeah! You didn't even see me coming, did ya?" She was even beginning to pick up Ghorua's lower-Coruscanti drawl.

"Minnow, I'm sure Kay would like to come inside." Ghorua gestured into the doorway, smiling. One thing she definitely hadn't lost was her energy. She beamed, letting go of Kay's hand, and running through the wooden door.

Ghorua made sure his daughter was a fair distance away before looking back at Kay, a curiosity in his eyes. "Do you recognize this place?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sat up once Minna had let her. She kept hold of her hand as she studied the girl, geeting to her feet to acknowledge her height. "I'm sorry that I've been away for so long. But you've gotten quite grown up and your skills are very impressive."

She smiled as Minna ran off into the house. Kay walked up the steps, looking to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] . She was proud of him. Fatherhood suited him. Her eyes darted to the cabin, peering inside through the windows. "I'm not...entirely certain. I may have it all back, but it's still a bit jumbled up. I get mixed up with dreams and two realities. Did we meet here to create our life debt?" The two had saved eachother many times since then. Hopefully things will ease up for them so that they wouldn't have to.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Right on the nose, Mi'lady."

Ghorua ducked through the doorframe, coming up on a rather rustic scene. Wooden walls, marred with natural growths and knobs of logs. A shiny holoprojector sat in the center of the room, a large couch on either side of it. The kitchen was a room away, as were the bedrooms, all having the same primitive design.

Everything was so different from the duracrete jungle Ghorua grew up in, and that's what he liked about it.

Minna was just inside the door, waiting to take Kay's hand. The Herglic could tell she was bursting at the seams with things she wanted to tell the Lady, but was just keeping it all in. Ghorua held a similar energy- time had passed since they had been friends. A lot had happened in the months away.

Not just months. A year and a half.

"We have a bit of a storied past. Some of it, I wish I could forget." The large hunter chuckled deeply, eyes flashing down. "Do you need anything? I've got some tea in the kettle," Ghorua looked knowingly at Kay.

He lived on Bakura. Of course he had Sapir tea.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled, glad that she had guessed correctly. Inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief as at times she'd been a bit confused. Hopefully such confusion wouldn't last long. Hopefully she'd be fully back to her old self in time. Sooner rather than later would be best.

She took Minna's offered hand and allowed herself to be nearly dragged into the cabin. Kay had forgotten how much she had liked the place, rustic or not. She wasn't raised in palaces. There was even some times when she had to live in caves. The quiet life was something that she had missed but could no longer have. But at least being busy kept her from being lonely. It would be quite different if she lived a quiet life and had to endure all of those weeks at a time without Veiere. Thankfully she had things to do, as stressful as they may be.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you. I could never turn that down." Kay let Minna take her over to the couch and sat down with her. "So what have the two of you been up to? Besides training, that is."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua found his way into the kitchen, trusting Minna alone with the Lady, praying that she wouldn't embarrass him. To her credit, she didn't embarrass him immediately.

Minna sat down on the couch lightly, ready to spring up at a moment's notice. Even though she was young, the muscles in her arms were already beginning to show themselves, and her skin was radiantly tan.

"Besides train?" Minna seemed slightly crestfallen for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. "Well, Daddy and I go on walks to the city sometimes. We go camping... Ooh, we watch holovids! Those are fun!" Minna absentmindedly twisted her beads together, thinking hard.

"But I like to train. A lot. I'm big and fast and strong. Stronger than the other kids at the orphanage now, I think." Minna smiled, pride welling in her chest. "I could probably beat them up."

"Whoa, Minna."

Ghorua plodded in, carrying two large steins of tea. It would be a bit awkward for Kay to drink from it, but it would do.

Note to self; buy smaller cups.

He passed her the drink, and gave a small sippy cup of water to Minna, who happily began to guzzle it. Ghorua gave her a sideways glance, before taking a sip of his own drink. The smooth flavor slipped down his throat easily, despite the angry eyes flashed his way by his daughter.

"What? I could. I didn't say I was gonna."

"Still not a nice thing to say," Ghorua flashed apologetic eyes to Kay, silently asking for help.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just smiled as she listened to Minna explain what other things that she and [member="Ghorua the Shark"] would do together besides training. It was a joy to see the excitement in her. If she remembered correctly, she recalled the unique personality that set Minna above the others at the orphanage. So much enthusiasm and fearlessness. It made her the perfect fit for the Herglic and his massiff, Bones.

Speaking of which, she glanced around for Bones. More than likely she was exploring the property around the cabin, or maybe she was napping under the kitchen table. Regardless, Kay didn't quite see eye to eye with her anyways, so it might not be too bad that she wasn't here for the reunion.

Ghorua soon returned with...well certainly not a tea cup. Still, it had tea in it. Kay smiled. "Just the right size to fullfil my addiction, thank you." She took the stein and had a sip, all the while looking between the two while they interacted. She was glad that nothing had changed between them. "Beating people up should only be in self defence. That's the only time that I do it, which is rare. Sometimes the best way out of a situation is by talking. And besides, if you go around beating people up, then they'll know to expect you and will always be on the lookout for you. That won't do well for hunting."

Kay leaned back in the couch, tucking her feet up beside her as she held the stein in both of her hands while she had another sip. "Shall I tell you my news?" Oh yes, she certainly had news to tell them.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua smiled as he saw Kay's persuasive prowess curb the thinking of Minna. It was difficult to make a child see reason, so she turned it into something Minna wanted to see; how to be a better hunter. Not exactly a Jedi-like answer.

Subtle, yet effective. Ghorua approved.

"Oh..." Minna leaned back into a cushion, sinking into the fabric. "Then I won't beat too many people up. Just the ones that need it." She pounded her fist into her palm to make a point, taking another swig from her sippy cup.

The Shark nodded appreciatively to the Lady, taking a sip as she did. He noted her darting eyes, and grinned. He'd made sure to keep Bones away from their meeting for now. He knew how uncomfortable the Lady was around her, and decided that at least for now, with Kay in such a strange place in her life, it would be best to keep stresses as far away as possible.

Then Kay gave Ghorua pause. She had news? Ghorua ran through his research on Commenor current events, coming up with nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the muscles under her face, her tone of voice, her body language. He breathed in through his blowhole, detecting the scent of...

Oh. How did I not smell that before?

Ghorua's inquisitive expression morphed into a wide smile, showing off all of his teeth.

"What? What is it?" Minna turned her head, obviously not coming to the same conclusion Ghorua did.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as Minna did her best to act all tough. Although it might not be entirely an act. It was hard to say at the moment. "The trick is in figuring out who deserves it and who doesn't. Hunters are best at observing, aren't they? And being patient? They don't jump to conclusions easily. And that means, no rushing to beat someone up." She was sure that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] had already told Minna about that, but not every child listened to their parents. Yet if another adult said something, then it would surely be listened too. Maybe.

She looked to Ghorua as he gave her such a big grin. Did he know already? But how? Kay and [member="Veiere Arenais"] hadn't made it public yet, wanting to wait until they were sure that everything was okay. She looked to Minna and gave her a smile that wasn't quite as big as Ghorua's. "Well, I'm in the early stages of being with child. Veiere and I are going to have a youngling of our own. So Minna...you'll have a cousin to look after and protect. Do you think that you could do that for me?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua metally kicked himself for not noticing the change earlier. He smelled it too late. Perhaps he was getting rusty.

He had been out of the business a long time. He was getting lazy.

Still, he smiled widely as Minna's face went to absolute shock and delight. She laughed, jumping up from the bed and jogging around the room before careening back into the cushions. She sidled up to Kay, looking at her belly in awe. "You have a baby inside you? That's weird!" Still, she was fascinated with it, staring with her wide brown eyes, mouth agape.

Ghorua raised his eyebrow at Kay when she called the unborn child Minna's cousin. That meant the Herglic was Kay's brother, at least in name. Ghorua leaned back contentedly, silently wondering if that made him a prince, as Minna smiled.

"Protect the baby?" Minna looked to Ghorua with determined eyes, and nodded to both of the adults. "I can do that."

Ghorua scooted closer to the Lady, holding his hands out in congratulations. "That's wonderful news." Ghorua laughed soflty, taking a drink of his tea. "How soon are you expecting?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay laughed as she watched Minna jump from the couch and run around the place before rushing back over and staring at her tummy. It was kind of odd to have someone do that. But that was something that she'd have to get used to, most especially when she gets bigger. There'll be a lot for her to get used to. This was probably the easiest part of it. "It's weird to me too."

She smiled as Minna agreed to protect her cousin. Maybe at some point they'd grow up together. It was hard to say. Regardless, Kay was determined to make sure that they would know eachother well.

Her attention was brought to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] as he asked her when the inevitable will happen, the day that will forever change the lives of [member="Veiere Arenais"] and herself. "Over half a standard year. Still plenty of time for me to do things and travel before I am forced to stay in bed and away from dangerous situations." Kay wasn't looking forward to that. Being confined to her chambers wasn't a nice sounding idea. Yet it was a small price to pay in the long run.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua smiled warmly at his friend, glancing at Minna. A kid between Kay and Veiere would be strong in the Force, maybe even stronger than the parents. That caused plenty of problems, but also has promise. The child could change the galaxy.

Or ruin it.

"I'll protect them, too. We'll protect you." Ghorua smirked, imagining Kay confined to bed. She could barely stay in her office, let alone her chambers.

"The greatest Bounty Hunting pair in the galaxy." Ghorua turned his eye sideways, while Minna piped up.

"Ghorua the Shark, and Minna the Fish!" Minna struck a pose on the couch, sidling up next to her father. It was a game they played often, mostly at Minna's behest.

Ghorua sipped his tea wistfully. "The son or daughter of the leader of a planet, and a Jedi Grandmaster. That'll be a force to be reckoned with." He grinned.

"Pun intended."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Again she laughed, watching the two of them with such admiration and care. They were quite the pair and she was glad to have been a part of getting them together. It made her wonder what her own child would be like.

Kay smiled and sipped her tea, looking to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] as he joked on the prospects of what her child could become. "Knowing my luck, they'll be a magnet for trouble just like me. I just hope that they don't get into too much." There was always the chance that the child might not be Force Sensitive, but that was a slim one. She knew that. She could feel it.

"I'm going to say sorry ahead of time, if I get...you know...moody. I hear that happens."