Lifting Volume II [Phylis]

[Lief]

"What's 'Forciness'?" she asked, raising a brow in confusion. Either way she pattered across the carpet, loving the feeling of it between her toes, and took the clothes which had been offered to her. They felt very soft and welcoming in comparison to her others. "Where are my clothes?" They were the only possessions she had, after all. And for a child with nothing and no-one that made them important. When the woman hurried off she turned back to the room which had the lock on it and began to change.

When she ventured into the study her hair was still a little wet and unkempt but the look of bliss and comfort on her expression vastly made up for it. She sighed in content as she wandered over to the woman, staring up at the various data-records which lined shelves and other crevasses. "Wow... What are all of these things?"

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Saffia"]

Phylis had been doodling on a piece of flimsy whilst scrolling through a data record. Rhiari’s appearance surprised her, the Jedi Master seemingly having forgotten the girl’s presence.
“Oh, it’s you!” she said vaguely. “Hmm, well, these are all datacards which hold various bits of information. I’m a historian, archivist, archaeologist and general librarian,” she said proudly.

“At the moment I’m researching Serreno’s history, especially the part played by Count Dooku before he became a Sith. I’ve found some quite interesting…”
She paused. The girl probably had not understood a thing she’d said.
“Uhh, they’re like history books,” she said lamely.

 

[Lief]

She bit her lip when the woman hurried off without answering her questions. But it was fine, she was used to it by now. Her hair began to curl as she explored the study, marvelling at each and every thing in sight. A steady blue hue seemed to light up the room and she felt... Alive. Which was odd to pick up on, considering she was definitely not dead.

A smile plucked at the corners of her lips when the woman began to speak, stepping closer to where she stood. When she cut off mid point she frowned, and shook her head. "There's a man, out by the Citadel here in Saffia... He tells lots of stories!" Glancing up to the ceiling she mused thoughtfully to herself. "Did he get the stories from these? Because he spoke of, um... S-Sith? and our history."

Sometimes that old man was all that kept her company, he was the only constant reliable within her life. "What did you mean by 'Forciness'?" she inquired, pressing the question.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Saffia"]
Phylis paused, looking at the girl. “Well not these exact ones, but ones like them probably,” Phylis said with her usual pedantic literalness.
“I dare say he knows a thing or two, but the real devil is in the details. Anyone can recite a canned history, but only those with true insight can see beneath that!”

The girl’s next words finally came through to her. “Well, on Naboo it’s what my mother used to say. Well, not actually, she didn’t say things like that much,” she said thoughtfully. “I’m sure I heard it somewhere. Anyway! Hygiene and cleanliness is important.”

She became aware that she had to decide what to do now with Rhiari. It would be cruel to eject her onto the street again, but what would Phylis do with her? The girl would be bored in seconds, and Phylis had no idea how to talk to children; she treated them as slightly mentally deficient adults.

“So, Rhiari, what are we going to do with you? Did you have any family here? Did you want to come with me when I go back to Coruscant?”

 

[Lief]

The talk of history and details intrigued her, and truthfully she wanted to know more, but before she could ask the moment had passed and a question had been posed to her. Chewing on her lower lip she didn't really know how to react, no one had ever offered her anything before, much less to leave Serenno behind. "You... Don't need to do anything" she murmured, with a small shrug of her shoulders. All of a sudden she seemed to be feeling very awkward, her eyes set down to her feet. "But... Thank you for the bath and the food and the company..." Her voice was very quiet and sheepish, yet the words themselves were rushed.

"I don't have any family" she confessed when that question was posed, and the final question she skipped all together. She doubted the woman truly meant it, and she did not wish to be a burden. "But it's fine" she hastily added, realising what she had said and the implications it might have, "I'm fine, I'm still alive." Still the awkwardness radiated from her, and she even hastened to take a step back.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Saffia"]

Phylis paused, rubbing her chin. It probably wouldn’t look the best if a Jedi Master just took the girl with her…but then that was what Jedi did.
“I think you should come with me, dear. You’re fine on the streets here, I’m sure, but I can show you so much more. There is so much more that you can see and experience. And if you don’t want to stay with me once we reach Coruscant then I can find you a nice family somewhere to take you in.”
Phylis has sensed something about the girl. She had the Force in her, no doubt of that…but how strong was something she’d not know until she ran full tests at the temple.

“So, the offer’s there for you, Rhiari. I strongly suggest you come with me, but I can’t force you to do so if you really want to stay.”
Phylis didn’t understand children, as has been noted, but the decision was there now.

 

[Lief]

She tilted her head softly to one side, thoughtfully. Serenno hadn't been a very nice world to her, and she did feel as though she ought to be somewhere else. For a moment she seemed torn, before she shook her head - not to the kind Lady but instead to herself; her own fears and misconceptions, her own worries. "Okay, Miss!" she said, "if... if you're sure, that is." She did not want to be stepping on any toes, after all.

After a second she added; "If the journey is long, can you tell me more of the history you spoke of?" Her eyes wandered around at the numerous datacrons in the room, alight with wonder. "I'd like to learn more...."

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Saffia"]

"Sure? Of course I'm sure, I'd not have asked otherwise!" Phylis said primly.
But then she smiled. The girl was interested! Or at least she'd identified that this was the best way to get Phylis' attention!
"Of course I can!" she said indulgently. "I would love to explain more. But for now, help me gather things up. We're leaving tonight, and I need to be ready." She looked at the barely controlled chaos and frowned. "If possible!"

 

[Lief]

She had to look back to Phylis in order to catch the last few words of her initial statement, but she heard enough to understand the context. That made her relax some. "I suppose! Okay then, thank you, Miss!" It felt odd to have someone want to do good by their word.

"I can help you sort things out, Miss!" she really was eager to learn more, or perhaps just have a discussion with another. Company was something she'd rarely had and often craved. But Rhiari did not know where to begin, she'd never had any personal belongings before.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Saffia"]
Phylis looked at her. “Can you? That’s good!” she said, suddenly grinning.
“Right, well, let’s get started. You gather up all the data cards and put them into this box here. Try and stack them neatly. I’ll get all the books and other records into this box. Then, hmm, we need to look at packing up everything else.”
On the plus side the Jedi Master didn’t have a large selection of clothing. A selection of robes and undergarments and a second pair of boots was all she had with her. At least she never had to agonise over which colour to wear!

Phylis, as though it was all perfectly normal, held out her hand and the books started to float down and obediently take their places in the boxes! The Force had its uses.

 

[Lief]

She stepped across to the shelves containing the datacards and was about to take a selection off the shelf when [member="Phylis Alince"] caught her eye. Rhiari's gaze widened profoundly, mouth somewhat agape in amazement at what she was seeing. What's more, she felt a certain peace and serenity flood over the woman as the Ashlan energies flowed through her body. "Wow..."

But the child remembered her task and hurried to collect together the datacards, settling them somewhat neatly into the box. As more were placed she straightened them up, taking her time to ensure that they were straight, her face revealing her intense focus. "Are you a Jedi?" she suddenly blurted out, before she could stop herself. Just as quickly as she asked it both hands shot up to cover her mouth. Oops.

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]
Phylis peered at the girl, then down at her own brown robes and lightsabre. She seemed to be puzzling whether this was a trick question. It seemed not.
“Last time I checked,” Phylis said, frowning. “A Jedi Master…on the Council too!” she added, a hint of pride in her voice.

“Don’t worry, we’re not that bad. I’m not one of the warmongering ones. Hmmph, they never end well.”

 

[Lief]

She stared at [member="Phylis Alince"] for a moment longer, before simply nodding her head. "I'm glad" she confessed with a shrug of her shoulders, better that than a Sith... Although the stories of Dooku had fascinated her for years. "Are there lots of Jedi?" she asked, pottering around the apartment room to put the datacards into the box provided.

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]
“Hmm, yes, we get everywhere, like weevils! Well, I guess not really like weevils at all. I’ve not been making a nest in a bag of flour lately.”
Her mind seemed to drift for a moment, then snapped back.
“Ah, Rhiri, keen to leave I see! Good, good. Let’s get going, shall we? My ship should be ready!”

Managing to carry everything was something of a feat, but Phylis was stronger than she looked, and had the Force as her ally, so was able to carry the boxes of information as well as drag along her case. Amazingly there were no hilarious disasters on the way.

Finally they approached Phylis’ ship, a rather battered small freighter she used. Inside was enough room for four passengers, half a tonne of cargo or equipment, and a large data console holding records of the Jedi archives. It was lightly armed and armoured of course, as it was not intended to fight in many battles.

“Right, welcome aboard the Knowledge Ark. I didn’t name it that, by the way, I bought this from a travelling entertainer. I still find greasepaint in weird places. Anyway! Take a seat.”

The Jedi Master sat down and started working the controls to get things powered up.

 

[Lief]

"What's a weevil?" she asked, staring at the woman with a ludicrous expression. There must be so much out there in the Galaxy which she didn't know of or understand, and it worried her at times. Was she really ready to begin adjusting to a new world? "What is it like where we are going?" she asked, ensuring her gaze remained on Phylis, incase her hearing gave in on her again. It had a bad habit of doing so, and was only getting worse as time went by.

"Okay, Miss!" she grabbed one of the boxes, and although struggling she managed to bring it alongside Phylis. Her eyes widened when they reached the ship, in amazement and awe. "Wow.." Hurrying onboard she slipped into a seat and buckled up. Nerves began to set in but for the most part she tried to push them aside. The box was placed down at her feet, and her eyes settled upon the woman. "Thank you."

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]
Since this RP began before the fall of Coruscant, we shall assume that Phylis mentioned Tython. After all, it was the sort of confused thing she might slip up on.
"Weevil? Hmm, it's a small type of insect. Commonly found making nests in flour and such." She fired up the ship, locking in a course for Tython. "Where we're going...hmm...it's very natural. Trees and water everywhere. And flesh raiders too, very strange native life forms. Hmm...there's also some fascinating ruins there. It's very different from Serreno."

With practised hands Phylis worked the controls of her ugly (but useful) freighter, getting it into the air. She looked over at Rhia, and a broad grin came to her as she realised that this was the first time the girl had been on a space ship, probably the first time she'd ever flown. With this in mind she took the ship into a wide curve so Rhia could look down on her home from several thousand KM.
"That blob of lights there, that's your home, Rhia. I won't say we'll never come back, but the galaxy is so big that it may be a long time." With that she turned her ship for open space and activated the hyperdrive....