Private Hand-Me-Downs

[Ragdoll]

| LOCATION: Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

The sunlight bled through what little crevices it could within the alleyways of Coruscant, obstructed by buildings en-masse that shrouded the sun's rays. To many, Coruscant was a planet of community, which is - perhaps - why its empty halls felt all the colder. Juxtaposed by busy streets and constant chatter, the paths that stretched to the quieter side of things felt entirely disconnected. The scenery hardly helped.

A busy planet was a booming one, which meant more trash. Piled up, stacked, slumped up against rusting waste containers. Cardboard littered the area, having gone unchecked that some even inconvenienced any passers-by, seeping onto the pathway from point A to point B. A smaller piece, roughly the size of a standard shoebox, was no different, scattered onto the concrete flooring.

It rustled, something stirring inside it. A struggle was had, its lid bobbing up and down before a force finally threw it back. From within, a diminuitive plush doll peeked into the fresh air, limp little arms resting along the box's rim. The view was hardly surprising -- ever since her abandonment, Ragdoll had been passed from warehourse to warehouse, finally ending with a trip to the trash.

Footsteps rang out nearby, though they were paid no mind. Ragdoll had quickly noticed how cluttered Coruscant's streets could get, so the thought that - maybe, just maybe - a child would stumble across her was nothing more than a pipedream. As she always did, Ragdoll simply stared, without the energy to carry herself out of what had essentially served as her prison.

Gravity had a different say in the matter, however, as her leaning had slowly inched the box forward, until enough weight had topped the thing entirely as it fell flat to the floor, spewing Ragdoll out of its confines and onto the cold of Coruscant's ground.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

"Aurra-"

Valery's eyes widened with surprise when the most timid of the triplets suddenly ran off into a Coruscant alley. Aeryn and Adam looked at each other as well, equally as confused. Aurra always stayed close to her parents. Busy streets and crowded places were intimidating, so even a shopping trip on Coruscant meant she always stayed close to her family. But on the way back to the shuttle, with several bags of goodies, clothes, and toys, Aurra had seen something that caught her attention.

A plush doll.

Valery hadn't seen it, and still didn't notice the doll as she hurried up after her daughter — she was too focused on keeping Aeryn and Adam with her while chasing the little blonde.

"Aurra, you know you can't run off like that. It's not safe," Valery said with a sigh of relief when she finally approached her little girl from behind. But Aurra, crouched down near the doll, didn't respond and gently picked her up. A little smile tugged on the corners of her lips and she began to pet her new friend. Slow and softly, to make sure it wouldn't hurt.

"Aurra?" Valery perked a brow.

Aurra finally stood up and turned around with the doll in her hands, "Look Mommy," she said as she held it out with a pleading look in her eyes. "Can I keep her?"

Valery blinked and looked at the toys and plushies they had just gotten, "Sweetie, you just got a new plushie and maybe that one belongs to someone else. You should put her back."

Aurra frowned, clearly not happy with that answer. She hugged the doll to her chest and looked at her Mom with teary eyes and trembling lips, "But I want this one."

Ragdoll ​

 

[Ragdoll]

| LOCATION: Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Her vision had been a blur, head shaking itself clear as button eyes readjusted. The floor was - unsurprisingly - filthy, and so Ragdoll pushed at the concrete in front of her to heave her body back. The doll hadn't had the time nor motivation to experiment with her newly granted animation, resulting in rather awkward motions that paint a visible struggle of a once still object learning to move for the first time. Arms weak, Ragdoll struggled to retain balance, as even when the plush had gotten up to her feet, inexperience had brought her all the way back down again.

Ragdoll had been so preoccupied that the approaching set of footsteps went unnoticed, back facing the new arrivals and their voices halfway tuned out. There was naught as much as a struggle, offering not a single twitch as dainty hands scooped her up. Her assailant raised her skyward, and only then were the words that met the air finally acknowledged by cotton-stuffed ears.

Something at her core pulsed, a feeling long forgotten. It was a child that had claimed her, arms outstretched as to show their new discovery to their mother and presumed siblings. A family . . .

How long had it been? Years, surely, but the specifics were lost on her, having waned with the hands of the time that saw her previous owner play with her less and less. Her sentience had been a relatively new development, and yet as the plush was held, clutched so firmly to the child's chest, Ragdoll could feel — oh so viscerally — that this was right. That life had finally made sense again.

The young girl, whose name she believed was Aurra, clung to the toy in ways that gave Ragdoll purpose. It was as though gray skies lit up with colors, with vibrant hues that beamed with palpable warmth. Within seconds, the Force boomed from the doll, radiant and brimming with a positive energy so genuine that it bordered on tangible to any Force sensitives.

Ragdoll fidgeted, a newfound urge becoming of her. The doll's hands clutched equally as tight around Aurra's, with the plush's head slowly pulling its gaze away from the floor to briefly meet Valery's. The woman was sized up, a brief pause granted; she wasn't all too sure of how to process adults, but children? It wasn't long at all before her focus had drifted to Aurra, peering up from beneath with the tilting of her head. Velvety arms rising, they palmed at either side of the girl's face, still vaguely stuck in disbelief that this was real.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

"Sweetie..." Valery said while her heart melted on the spot. When her kids cried or showed great care for something like this, Valery always felt herself getting emotional. She just couldn't look her little girl in the eyes and tell her to put the doll back, even if there was a chance that it belonged to someone else. Out here, in some Coruscant alley, it was more likely that someone had put the doll away never to be seen again.

Whoever had owned the doll didn't care for it, but little Aurra did care.

"Please, Mommy?" she asked again.

"Alright, but maybe we should patch her up when we get home, hm?" Valery had noticed that the doll wasn't just a little dirty from being on the ground, but it had taken some damage, likely from kids playing with it.

But Aurra shook her head, "Only if she wants to." She held up her doll again to ask the question. But as she did, her little cotton head popped up and looked at her Mom. Valery blinked, and both Aeryn and Adam jumped up a little. The plushie could move?! They weren't sure what to think, but Aurra just smiled.

"Mommy!" She exclaimed excitedly, as Ragdoll moved her little stuffed paws up to cup her cheeks. "She's hugging me!"

"Aurra..." Valery took a few steps closer, wary of a doll suddenly coming to life. But Aurra turned her body away and shielded the doll. She wasn't going to let anybody take her away. Not even Mom. "She's not mean," Aurra insisted before looking back at her new friend.

"What's your name?"

Ragdoll ​

 

[Ragdoll]

| LOCATION: Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Ragdoll was certainly ... antique, to say the least. Wear and tear had seized her over the years, with stuffing seeping through splits in fabric, bits and bobs of patchwork having had its stitches plucked by the hands of time. She was ever the popular toy in her prime, but ever since her previous owner had reached adulthood, her state had only worsened. No longer was she lovingly sewn back together, but left to fall apart as she collected dust. Despite the apparent damages, however, Ragdoll herself seemed plenty operational, seemingly unfazed.

The second Valery drew closer, the doll visibly tensed. The negative light that her cautious tone cast upon Ragdoll was intimidating, and as Aurra grew defensive, so too did her new plush. Despite the very clear difference in stature between kitty and Jedi, Ragdoll had thrown her arms out, held steady ever so protectively. The little toy hadn't quite deciphered the complexities of social cues yet, and so Valery's advances were perceived with a touch more ire than they merited.

The woman's goldenrod eyes were met with itty beady blacks, Coruscant's light glistening against them. Ragdoll's lips couldn't quite twitch, so the perpetual frown they wore was all Valery had to go off of. It's only when Aurra calls for her name that the plush's arms relent, hesitantly lowering before returning their perch atop the little girl's hands.

With another tilt of her head, Ragdoll paused, glancing back around to face the child. Stubby paws fidget at the collar she wore, tugging and twisting it around ever so slightly to better show the velvety bow attached to it. Her digits wander to one of the bow's folds, pushing it out to expose the inner-most side that goes often obscured.

Along its surface was the plaster of the logo her line belonged to, and just beneath it was the much more personalized writing that said, 'Ragdoll Kitty.'

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

"Kitty!" Aurra chirped happily, "That's her name, Mommy." Aurra turned back to look at Valery with that innocent smile that made a mother's heart melt. The Galaxy was full of mystery and strange things, so a doll that came to life perhaps shouldn't startle her as much. It only had because her little girl was involved, but seeing Aurra this happy convinced her that she couldn't tell her to put the doll back down.

"Alright," Valery said, her voice much warmer as she crouched down right in front of Aurra. Valery then reached out with a gentle hand and brushed along Ragdoll's head with her thumb.

"She is very cute, isn't she?" Valery asked her daughter.

"Mhm!" Aurra hummed.

Aeryn and Adam were finally drawing closer as well, curious about their sibling's new friend. Aurra kept an eye on them though, suspicious that they might try to take the doll from her. Not to bully, but to play with her. Aurra wasn't quite ready to share her new favorite doll just yet.

"Kitty," Valery then said. "Aurra here is very important to me. She will protect and love you, but will you promise me that you'll care for her the same?" Valery offered her finger, hoping the doll could reach out with her paw to shake it. Perhaps it was a silly gesture to make as an adult, but she could see how much it meant to Aurra, and nothing mattered more to her.

Maybe, it also mattered to Kitty.

Ragdoll ​

 

[Ragdoll]

| LOCATION: Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


Were she to be blessed with lungs, they'd have expanded with a sigh of relief. While Ragdoll hadn't familiarized herself with adults all too much, she knew that plenty were ... far from enthusiastic about their toys than children were. She had changed nothing regarding how she expressed love to her previous child, and yet as he grew up, he simply stopped caring about her. Something changed, something made him different; the newly imbued mystic energy coursing inside her knew that much, which had gotten her plenty wary of Valery's intentions.

Thankfully, the Jedi seemed willing to at least entertain Ragdoll's presence. The doll looked beyond her, beady eyes spotting two other kids creeping closer, their eyes drawn to her. Instinct told the kitty to reach out and dote on them, but a piece of her being somehow knew that doing so would upset Aurra. The Force blossomed inside the plush, subconsciously intertwining itself with the child's palpable emotions.

"Kitty,"

It got her attention, itty head returning its focus to brilliant amber eyes. Kitty was not what her prior owner had referred to her as, but the concept of a name was hardly something she paid much mind to. Ragdoll served to make children happy, after all, so any name was fine by her.

"Aurra here is very important to me. She will protect and love you, but will you promise me that you'll care for her the same?"

A pregnant pause, those words left to linger. Ragdoll is a tad taken back by the woman's sincerity, unsure of how trusting she ought to be. The Force stirs, swimming within her core, and a part of her thrums when she inches closer to Valery. The sensation is warm and inviting, yet unsettling all the same — her abilities, or whatever they ought to be called, are still new to her.

Whether she's deceived or not, however, is ultimately irrelevant. Ragdoll exists to protect children as all good stuffed animals should, so protect them she shall — with or without permission. With something of a bubbling respect for the Jedi, Ragdoll outstretches her arms, two felt hands taking a gentle hold on the offered finger. It's promptly shook, with Ragdoll nodding her head with unwavering resolve.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Aurra quietly watched Ragdoll's paws reaching out to take her mother's finger. They shook, made their deal and Aurra couldn't be any happier. Tears of joy formed in the corners of her eyes and she practically jumped into her Mother's arms for a hug, "Thank you, Mommy," she said with a trembling voice and little arms that tightened around her Mom.

"Oh sweetie," Valery said and chuckled, as she returned the hug. "I love you." Valery placed a kiss atop Aurra's head, then looked at the other triplets. Aurra had made a new friend, but she didn't want her siblings to feel left out. Every Noble was treated equally, so if one was given a new doll or toy, they would get something as well.

"Before we head home, we'll have to make another stop at the toy store, hm? You can both pick something you like." She reached out to ruffle their hair and turned back to look at Aurra and Kitty.

"If Kitty wants a toy or anything, she can also pick out something she likes. Then we'll bring her home, get her cleaned up and you can bring her to your room."

Aurra squealed, bounced, and hugged Ragdoll a little tighter against herself again, "Okay!"

Ragdoll ​

 

[Ragdoll]

| LOCATION: Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |


She wasn't all too certain on what the future entailed, but for once, there existed a spark of joy that anticipated it rather than ran from it. The Nobles hadn't the foggiest idea as to what they'd just done, having instilled a long forgotten hope within the little kitty's proverbial heart, but Ragdoll appreciated them immensely for it. Aurra was her child now, as were Aeryn and Adam. This was her family, and she would fight tooth and nail to keep that. That sense of unconditional loyalty is all a plush toy could ever know . . .

——————————————————————————————————————————————————​

The trip to the toy store was an unassuming one, as quaint as something like that could be. For Ragdoll, it meant the world - clutched tightly to Aurra's chest, the doll had finally been given the opportunity to actually soak in Coruscant's sights from a vantage point outside of disposable cardboard boxes. People seemed much bigger than what she remembered, the sun brighter, the traffic louder. She remained ever quiet on the way to their destination, utterly awestruck at the life she'd been longing for.

The bell rang as the door opened, the Nobles entering with varying degrees of excitement. Ragdoll herself had little in mind — it's not as though material possessions were something she quite understood nor cared for. Still, she was willing to go wherever her family went, so as Aurra roamed the store's isles, the least Ragdoll could do was spare a few glances of curiosity. Shelves were stocked with toys and gadgets galore, ranging from mock, plastic lightsabers to trinkets fashioned after the galaxy's most notorious figureheads.

What caught Ragdoll's attention the most, though, was a plush kitty hanging from a shelf a few feet in front of her. It wasn't a slack doll like her, but rather a bulky foam plush, colored a creamy beige with hot pink spots. Ragdoll stared, the black of her beady eyes meeting the plush's buttons. She tilted her head, and yet it didn't follow. Its gaze was empty, soulless; not a single twitch arose from its body. Is that what she looked like, before she woke up with a thrumming in her stuffing?

Was she alive now? Could she . . . feel? Should she? Was her heartache real, or merely an artificial by-product of a transaction forced upon her? Could she truly love these people, or is she just following instinct? Were they interchangeable? Was she real?

Ragdoll didn't want to look at the plush anymore. She'd zoned out, and it was an experience she wasn't all too keen on. She redirects her gaze back up to Aurra, an idle check-up to make sure the girl was still okay, before wandering her attention elsewhere. Perched on a stand were a series of sunglasses, light reflecting off of their lens. Curious, itty bitty kitty arms reach out, slowly yoinking a pair.

The rim is a bright crimson, dotted with little hearts. Ragdoll fidgets with the sunglasses, a tad too big for her, but she's interested in them all the same, not knowing entirely what they are.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

As soon as the doors of the toy store opened, Aeryn and Adam took off. They already knew what they wanted, so they were running to the sections where they could find it. Only Aurra didn't run and stayed close to her Mom. The store was busy, crowded even, and terribly loud with children yelling and adults being forced to chase after them. It was her least favorite part about coming here, but the choice of toys made up for it.

Aurra, however, had already made her choice and didn't want anything else.

Kitty had a choice to pick something though, so Aurra walked over to the kid's toys and first decided to roam the plushie section. Maybe she'd like to get a fluffy friend? At first, that seemed to be the case — Aurra noticed Kitty staring at another plush doll. The little Noble stopped and gave her friend a chance to look, but somehow, Aurra felt something change.

She looked down, meeting the beady eyes of her new best friend, and gave just a gentle squeeze. A hug to let Kitty know that everything's okay.

Kitty then spotted something that did interest her. The sunglasses were colorful and fun, and Aurra couldn't help but giggle when Kitty tried to put them on, "They look nice!" she chirped. "Do you want these? Maybe Mommy can get smaller ones too." It would be Kitty's choice.

Ragdoll ​