Private Need A Hand?

[Eliz Krayt]

"Chit!"

The voice echoed through the hospital wing yet again, though this time it was accompanied by a loud crash as something was flung. Inside his room the Half Chiss stared at the robotic arm. His robotic arm. The replacement for the one he lost. All he had was.. Anger. How could he have been so careless? No, the why didn't matter. He turned his gaze towards the glass he had been working on picking up. Shattered completely. That was the problem with his.. Modifications. The serum he took to give him all that strength and super human reflexes made it that much harder to use the cybernetics. 'Just use it as a normal hand' they said. But for him, normal was holding back. Normal was keeping himself from squeezing too hard and breaking something by accident.

So that left him where he was. Unable to make a normal grip. He'd either squeeze too little and be unable to pick something up. Or squeeze too hard, like just now. With a frustrated sigh he sat back on his bed, idly flexing the metal fingers. He'd been hurt plenty over the years. But never like this.

He hated this.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai's ears flicked at the sound of something breaking and the very loud cussing as she walked through the hallways towards Eliz's room. That hunt was a roller coaster for her emotionally. Between everything that happened, what she did... and then meeting him again after a very long time. The last time she saw Eliz, he wasn't even a teen yet and she was barely a soldier in the Nite Owls. After a few moments she arrived at his room and stood in the doorway, silently watching him and his new arm.

"It's gonna take a while." She said after a very long silence. Without flashing lights and all-out battle around them, she could get a better look at him now. And without her armour or anything else, he would likewise see the scars and damage of her failures over the years. They were both still young in the days of the Union... and there they were now. A hardened soldier marked for the rest of her life with the scars of war and her failures... staring at exactly the same person. She didn't know what to say to him as she slowly walked closer to him, her bare beskar feet tapping against the floor beneath her as she came to a halt beside his bed. "Trust me when I tell you, it's not something you figure out overnight. Not for people like us." She continued further, watching his arm for a moment.

Her gaze finally shifted up to his own as she adjusted her tank top and sat down in a nearby seat. Her movements were still somewhat robotic as she walked, but every day it was getting better. "Practice makes perfect." Was a quote she spoke gently and also one that carried her through the last few months. "To think the last time I saw you, you were still learning The Ways with your dad and the clan... now here we are. After a reunion that required hunting a Sith Lord of all people." She gave a gentle chuckle as she stared off into a corner. Her smile faded for a moment.

"How have you been, Eliz?" She asked gently, her own cybernetic hand resting on his new arm with a gentle squeeze.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

He jumped.

Eliz hadn't been in a situation since he was a kid that someone could sneak up on him. He could hear even silent footsteps with the serum. His helmet had to block out extra sound so he wouldn't be overwhelmed. And yet, this feeling of despair. It caught him completely unaware as Shai Maji spoke up. Red eyes widened as he stared towards the Shistavanen, blinking rapidly.

"Shai." There was a relief in his voice. Almost like he was expecting someone else. In truth, he was horrified of how Gwyneira Vizsla would handle this new development. He kept his eyes on her, looking her over. What did she mean, like them? It took a moment to piece together, but.. His gaze softened as he saw it. The lines, the too perfect fur and skin. Just how much of her had she lost?

His gaze fell back to his arm as he nodded. Again he started to flex his fingers, idly opening and closing a fist to try and continue getting used to the change. "Buir was trying to learn a lot himself then, yeah. He still had a lot to learn before he.. Died." It wasn't that he was upset. Eliz had been dealing with this reality for a while now, years. But Shai actually knew his father. Did she know when he died? How? Eliz should of reached out so much sooner, but he hadn't. And now they were here.

"Honestly? A lot better recently, until.. This." He waved his arm. "Met a girl I can safely say I want to spend my whole life with. Brought her here, to be safe. She's.. The Empire is a brutal place."

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai said nothing as Eliz talked about his dad. She remembered him, though not as well... not at all, actually. She remembered a blue kriffer with Eliz running around the place, the details were completely gone to her. But he didn't need to know that, right now he needed emotional support and some advice on how to get better control of his new arm.

A smile formed when he mentioned things looking up. What she didn't expect was to be buried under new developments from him. The downside of not talking to someone for literal years. "Hey, hold up!" She spoke up quickly. "You got a girl? Hot damn, didn't think you'd have it in ya." she teased with a light slap to his new arm. "You need someone to kit her out with some sweet Iron or stuff, you know who to hit up." She offered with a wink as she pulled the chair closer to him.

"If you want, though." She spoke with a more serious note as she looked up at him with her scarred gaze. "I got contacts. One's a brilliant doctor, he's the one that... patched me up." An enormous understatement if she had to be honest. She secretly hoped that Eliz didn't ask about the new marks and scars that littered her body. "The other is another Mando. Both of them have enormous experience with cybernetics. If you feel like you need it, I can send their details your way." She offered him gently. "In the meantime, I'm here as well. It's been a while, kid. Dragons stick together, no matter what." She rose from her seat and offered him a hand to help him out of bed. "Wanna go for a walk?" She asked him with a smirk.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Eh?" Eliz stared blankly at Shai Maji for a moment, then full on angry blushed. "I was like, thirteen when we last met! Course I didn't seem like I had it in me." He pouted, looking away. Crossing his arms, or, well. Went to cross his arms in some kind of defiant attitude only for the metal one to creak and shift not in the way he had intended. His expression fell, immediately humbled to a sad sort of smile. Right. Shai was a smith. How could he forget that?

"Actually, I was thinkin' it's about time I get my armor smithed to my size as it is. Buir's doesn't fit all too well, and uh." He lifted the metallic arm. "Has gaps. N' if Gwyn decides she wants to be part of this life, I'd love it if ya smithed her some armor!" That he was a little too excited about, and he obviously realized it as he cleared his throat and glanced off. It was Gwyneira Vizsla 's choice if she wanted to be Vod, but it was obvious he really hoped she would.

He hopped up as Shai mentioned the walk. Would be good to get out and move. Though there was something she sad that made him feel.. Off. Dragons? Krayt, right. But.. He wasn't a Krayt, was he? ".. I haven't been a Krayt for a while. I dunno if that really applies to me."

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai snickered at his protest and sulking at her comment. "Yeah, fair enough. Though, sixteen is the golden age for makin' trouble, I'd say." She commented as she regarded him. He had a point. The last time they saw each other was a different time entirely. He also did a good job of making her feel old which she didn't appreciate. She wouldn't push it, though. There would be plenty of opportunities to get back at him for it.

He joined her for the walk in a heartbeat. It was hard not to smile at his enthusiasm as he went on about needing new armour and even getting a suit for his girl as well. "Gwyn, huh? Cool name. Hope I run into her sometime." She quipped, giving him a tap on the shoulder. "Yeah sure, kid. You let me know when you wanna come over, I'll measure you up an' stuff. Get the armour perfect for you, upgrade it, the whole shebang. Hell, you saw my armour, I'd like to think I got some skill with the forge." It was hard not to brag and it showed with the broad grin on her maw. The walk was a calming one to say the least. It felt good to talk with him again, and the heated interior of the hospital helped to relax Shai as they passed a window showing the snowy terrain far beneath the mountain city.

Her attention returned to Eliz at the mention of the clan. Shai stopped for a moment as she looked at the kid next to her. "Don't matter, kiddo. With how the clan is now, I don't care if someone carries the name or not. I'll still look out for 'em." She chuckled slightly as she continued to stroll through the halls with him. "Once a dragon, always a dragon." She quipped. "I'll be honest, I've been tryin' to build it up again. The clan. With the few still left, nobody wanted to take the mantle as Alor... so I went for it." She explained calmly, sparing another glance to see his reaction. "Already got a plan for it. I ain't gonna tie it down like the others did. I don't care if it's six people or six hundred, I'll fight to keep the clan alive and well." She was dancing around the question she actually wanted to ask him. It felt awkward to be in this position, to extend an offer like this. Her feelings were also irrelevant, she needed to stick with what she said.

"... You can come back if you'd like." She offered him finally, after a long silence. "It's a big offer, I understand that. But take it from me, you don't want to be alone. If you feel like you and Gwyn need someone in your corner... the door's open." She finished as she led him to the cafeteria in the hospital.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Sixteen was when I started causing trouble for the Maw, so I guess you're right in that at least." He chuckled a little, the pout all but fading as he nodded in agreement to Shai Maji 's words. Hell, everything they were talking about brought a smile to Eliz's lips. Seeing her excited to forge still, even after all the crap she must of gone through to look so.. Unnatural.

His eyes kept drifting back to the lines. It didn't help he could see them in far better detail than the average person. But he didn't ask about them. If she wanted to tell him what happened, she would. But.. The clan? The hybrid stopped walking, blinking in surprise. Krayt had fallen apart? He didn't feel any guilt over it. Even if he'd come back, he wouldn't of been able to stop a clan from falling apart. Not as he was.

Now though?

"The Krayt's were always good to me. My dad loved you guys. And.. I miss having a clan. A family. If you're really sure, I'd love to."

 

[Shai Maji]

With a gentle nod she smiled at the boy as he agreed to rejoin the clan. 'Dragons stick together' was something she hoped to keep up for as long as she could. Former members, new members, current... it didn't matter. She would look out for them no matter what. "Good to have you back, kiddo." She muttered as she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him towards her for a moment.

When she let go, she looked to him again. She had noticed it a few times already, his stares and glances at her body. She knew exactly what was going through his mind and, as much as she hated it, she could likely at least let him know what happened. "Alright kid, spit it out. You've been checking me out since I stepped into the room. If you wanna know what's up, just say so." She commented as they reached the cafeteria. Not wasting a moment, she ordered each of them a pie and juice before she sat down by a table.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

The hug was different. He couldn't ignore that fact. The lines he'd seen. The too perfect appearance. Yeah, it all clicked together. Regardless, Eliz was happy for the hug. Family. That's what he truly needed. All at once he suddenly missed Gwynn that much more. Course, Shai Maji noticed it too. He just about jumped out of his skin as she called him on it. He frowned, glancing off. Not wanting to seem anymore rude than he already had been.

"I.. Do. If you want to talk about it. This.. You got really hurt, didn't you?" Eliz took a seat with her, idly sipping at the juice she'd ordered for him. "Are you okay?"

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai slid her pie out from its packet and took a bite, thanking the Force that it wasn't steaming hot. She said nothing at his initial question as her cybernetic eyes were glued to him. With her second bite he asked the question she couldn't answer herself... or rather, she was too afraid to answer it herself. She looked away for a moment as she set the pie down and sat back in thought.

"I don't know, El." She answered softly.

She sipped at her drink and sat forward, idly studying her hands for a moment. "I was on Coruscant. Me and Aerith were busy with an arms deal when the Maw came down. The two of us. We touched down when the air got too thick with resistance... then we encountered Sith." She started slowly, her eyes on the pie in front of her as she tried to remember the details. "I... I can't remember everything. I remember we engaged. I killed two of him and his master's lackeys and a bunch of their escort troops. Kriffers kept trying to use the force and stuff on me, they get what's comin' for 'em. But after that... it's blank." She looked up to him with a solemn look in her eye.

"I remember dreaming. Like... I was in space and stuff. When I woke up, I couldn't see or feel anything. My body didn't respond. My friend, a master of a doctor on Denon, he patched me up. Told me I pretty much lost all my limbs, and what was left over had to be replaced. Fractured skull, broken ribs and spine too... and my eyes." Her hand rubbed at the scars around her sockets as she looked down again. "Doc said my visor shattered into my eyes, karked them up so bad he had to remove 'em. Organs too. The way he put it... it was nothing short of a miracle that I actually got out of there alive. I have Aerith's quick reactions and thinking to thank for that." She massaged her temples for a moment and cleared her throat. "I'm... I'm barely me anymore, El."

She looked at his cybernetic arm for a long while. "I don't know anymore. I don't know what I remember and what I forgot. I see that kriffer's face every time I go to sleep. I..." She gave a long sigh and, almost immediately, her mood shifted to that of shaking anger. With a violent swing of her arm her juice sailed through the air and burst open against a nearby pillar. With another heavy sigh she rubbed at her face for a long while to calm down. "And then I bump into you on a hunt of all places after five years and immediately you lose your arm." Her voice shuddered as she spoke. "You're not a failure, El. Just remember that. You're not a failure. And I swear, the next person who tries that with you, I'll tear apart personally. Nobody hurts my kiddies and gets away with it." She finally picked up her pie again and gently massaged her eyes, tears forming in the corners as she took a bite.

"I missed ya, kiddo. I really did. And meetin' you like... this..." She gestured to herself before the last of the pie disappeared into her maw. She looked at the mess her bottle of juice made and rose from her seat with a sigh. The bottle was tossed into a bin and a silent apology given to the servers with a wave as Shai sat down again. Luckily the place had droids to clean it up. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Things... they just haven't played out so nicely." She spoke up with a forced smile after a long silence.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

He took a couple quick bites of his pie. Or, was going to. Just to do something while he listened to what Shai Maji had to say. And yet.. He heard something he heard before. How many times had he heard a story like this? The Sith, the Maw. But.. For it to be Shai? He was genuinely upset. Angry. Not just on her behalf, but on the countless others he'd seen that suffered by their hands. Monsters. And yet his eyes couldn't pull away from the scars he saw. There was a crack as his metallic hand crushed the container his pie was in, startling him for a moment. Then her juice. His gaze immediately turned to it, blinking.

The scars weren't just on the outside.

"You're you."

The words came out quietly, practically interrupting Shai as she talked about how things didn't play out so nicely. Eliz didn't force a smile. Didn't try and fake anything for her sake. He just reached out, touching her hand with his own. She was family. Always had been family. "You're not a failure either." A genuine, sad smile was given as his faintly glowing eyes stayed on hers.

"We'll kill those demagolka together."

 

[Shai Maji]

Her forced smile faltered immediately at his kind words. Looking down at his hand as it rested on hers, a real smile formed for a change as she shifted her hand to grasp his. Thank the Force the Doc didn't spare any expense with the cybernetics. At least she could somewhat feel what she touched, far better than the previous arm she had on her right. Her gaze moved up again as she silently listened to him.

"Roaring fury." She muttered softly before she looked to the hallway where they came from. "Let's get you back to your room." Without another word she rose and led him back, not saying a word for the entire walk. Only when they reached his room and she made sure they were alone, did she wrap her arms around him in as tight an embrace as she could without crushing him under her mechanical strength. A sniff escaped her as she simply held onto him for a long moment without a word. "I've missed you, kiddo. I really did." She finally muttered with another sniff. "I ain't lettin' you outta my sight again. I ain't gonna lose my kiddies again." She finally released him as she cleared her throat and wiped her tears off.

"If you need anything, El, you tell me. Do you got a place to stay when you get released? I got a spare room on my freighter and there's plenty of space on the mothership, I'll send you the coordinates and access codes to get onboard. Whatever you need, El. Seriously. Hell I'll even come pick you up if you want." She offered with a gentle chuckle. A genuine one, with no baggage or heartache weighing her down. It was the first time in a long while she could feel like this again.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

He tilted his head. Roaring fury? Eliz wasn't entirely sure what Shai Maji was saying with that, but she didn't linger on it. Why would he? He nodded once as she got up, following in suit. He'd toss out his food and such, mostly to keep his mind continually busy. Better than thinking about his arm again, right? He followed in a similar silence, though the quieter it got the more he seemed to drift off in his own head. By the time they made it back to his room he was already staring at his arm again. Just.. Staring.

The hug pulled him out of it. He blinked once or twice, getting rid of any tears that might of been pooling in the corner of his eyes. Right. He wasn't alone. He returned the hug, his own embrace far too tight for a kid his size. All of his super human strength, desperate for familiar connection. Family. He'd hand her over a datapad he etched some notes on the location and the path to get inside without tripping any of the bombs of the safehouse Gwyn was hiding in. "R.. Right. I uh, gotta go back to Kaddak first. Gwyn's in a safe house there. But.. Yeah. I won't forget. I promise."