Private New Beginnings

[Kranak Vizsla]

S A F E H O U S E

Location: Kaddak, City Slums, Abandoned Apartment Complex, 104th Floor, Safehouse
Local Time: 12:12
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Assist Fellow Vod and His Companion
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (No Medical Backpack, Scatter Gun left behind on a couch. Paranaor Resting against the frame of the doorway opening into the living room.)
Tags: Eliz Krayt | Gwyneira Vizsla

The giant of a Mandalorian Ori’ramikad watched as the young lass stood up from the couch and shambled towards the Master Bedroom with the gear and belongings she carried on her. She seemed awfully tired, not something a few cups of caff could fix on the spot, no. The girl obviously was in dire need of some good rest, but it didn’t seem like some tiredness from a long trip from one planet to the other. No. He could see her mind was absent from here and now. It was safe to assume her thoughts dwelled on what had transpired in Lwhekk. He had read the reports Eliz included in his message, after all. She had played her part in the Empire’s atrocity, be it willingly or not.

The giant heaved a deep sigh with his brows furling into a slight frown as the girl disappeared down the corridor to the left and into the Master Bedroom. An aruetii girl her age shouldn’t be concerned with a war crime and the heavy consequences it brought with it at this stage in her young life. He could understand what she was going through, but the sheer magnitude of it? His heart sank as his thoughts dwelled on it. “Poor lass.” Kranak muttered softly under his breath.

Eliz’ voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The giant would look up from the ground and at the young Mandalorian remained seated at the couch. The lad’s eyes were closed shut. His head was still aching, but he was enduring the pain. If he didn’t want pain killers and chose to endure the pain, then he would respect that. It wasn’t anything life threatening, after all.

”I really appreciate this. All you’ve done. She needs all the help she can get, and there’s only so much I can do.”

The giant shot a hearty grin at the lad, even if he couldn’t see him at the time. “It’s the least I can do, son.” He cared for those brothers and sisters he came to know. He wasn’t the type of Mandalorian to deny a fellow vod his aid. If there’s anything he could do for them, he would do without question, or without expecting anything in return. He knew they would do the same for him if he was at some point the one in need of assistance. Knowing that alone was more than enough compensation. The bond between them was worth more than anything he could have gotten in return.

”Do you know how to help someone with that? The nightmares?”

The giant man let out a deep sigh. “Sadly no, lad.” The young girl would need professional help, though. “I can look into it, see if I can find a professional among our kind.” He was referring to someone that had the capability of healing mental wounds among Mandalorians. He wasn’t sure if there was one that specialized in such a line of work, but it would be worth a shot. If his search results were unsatisfactory, he would opt to finding an aruetii psychologist. He would help if he could, but he was better at patching up physical wounds.

But he doubted even professional help would make things better. There were some things you carried its weight on your shoulders until you were six feet under. Everyone had their own demons. He had seen, and done terrible things himself. Such is the life of a Mercenary, and a Mandalorian. Every Mandalorian had their own way of coping with such regrets and damnable actions, be it toying with a hobby or two, drinking, hunting, shooting… whatever it took to forget the pain.

The giant would ask after a long period of silence that had settled in the living room after he answered Eliz. “So, what’s your plan?” The Vizsla wondered what he had in mind for the girl. “Have you taken her in as one of your own yet?” Kranak wasn’t sure if she was Eliz’ Garkiryu -- Foundling -- or a simple aruetii. He hoped for the former as he waited patiently for the lad’s answer.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Yeah. Eliz was all too aware that these kinds of wounds weren't going to be the easiest to mend, if they ever could be. Still, he hoped Gwyneira Vizsla would eventually be able to at least sleep. His gaze drifted to where she was sleeping, hopefully, red eyes dimly glowing as he again opened his eyes. Concern was practically etched into his soul at this point. It took a moment for him to register Kranak Vizsla 's question, prompting him to blink.

"I.. Don't have much of a plan, I guess. It's her choice on if she wants to become Vod. And she wants to learn. Really know what it is before she commits herself instead of blindly doing so like she did with the Eternals." Though, should he be the one to adopt her? He scratched his cheek for a moment, pondering the thought.

"Is it normal to be sleeping with someone and then make them a Garkiryu?"

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

S A F E H O U S E

Location: Kaddak, City Slums, Abandoned Apartment Complex, 104th Floor, Safehouse
Local Time: 12:14
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Assist Fellow Vod and His Companion
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (No Medical Backpack, Scatter Gun left behind on a couch. Paranaor Resting against the frame of the doorway opening into the living room.)
Tags: Eliz Krayt | Gwyneira Vizsla

Seemingly feeling better after the glowrod that had flashed brightly at his glowing red eyes, the young lad opened his eye lids, blinking a couple of times as Eliz looked at the giant Ori’ramikad, visibly processing Kranak’s inquiry about Gwyneira before finally speaking his mind.

”I.. Don’t have much of a plan, I guess. It’s her choice on if she wants to become Vod. And she wants to learn. Really know what it is before she commits herself instead of blindly doing so like she did with the Eternals.”

The giant slowly nodded as he took a swig of hot caff from his mug; his mug was less than half full now. <Good,> he thought to himself. <She could use more people to trust.> That much was true. Hell, it would make her feel better if he chose to walk the path of the Mandalorian. Cin vhetin. A fresh start, a clean slate. The man or woman you once were forgotten, your past erased. What mattered was the man or woman you were going to be for your aliit and your vode. She would have a place she could feel accepted. It sounded like she needed that desperately, rightfully so. He was informed sufficiently enough by Eliz in his message, and from the files attached to it.

After scratching his cheek briefly, the young lad then asked a curious question at Kranak.

”Is it normal to be sleeping with someone and then make them a Garkiryu?”

There was no sudden reaction from the giant. It was fully apparent the two were in a relationship from the moment he saw the two of them together. The young lass kissing the young Mandalorian’s forehead as she gently massaged his temples hadn’t escaped the giant’s vigilant gaze. Even in her mentaly and physically exhausted state, she cared for the lad as best she could. The lad was also very interested in her safety and well being, obviously. His concerns for her safety and a better life prompted the lad to call Kranak, after all.

The Supercommando lowered the mug from his lips and set it onto his lap before he answered the lad’s question. “It is uncommon, but not unheard of, lad.” The concept of the Foundling had changed over the centuries. It was still commonly a title given to young ones, aging from five or six years of age and until the age of thirteen, where they undertook the challenge of Verd’goten posed to them. The young ones were trained from such an early age to be prepared for it by their aliit. But adults -- or young adults for that matter, such as Gwyneira herself -- could also be adopted by a Mandalorian, thus the title of Foundling would be bestowed upon them, until they could pass the Verd’goten. It was not as common as the traditional way, but it was still not unheard of.

The giant slowly shifted his gaze around the room after answering his question. He was scanning the room around him. He would speak after a short moment. “We will have to redecorate this… safehouse for your permanent residence,” Kranak said with a slight grin. He made do with what little he had, but the possessions in the safehouse perhaps would prove to be insufficient for Eliz and Gwyneira. “Until it is time for her to know about Kestri.”

He didn’t care for trivial things such as “expenses”. He had a lot of credits saved up over the years. He barely spent any credits aside from purchasing some ammunition, fuel for his gunship, food and replenishing spent medical supplies. His salary was far more than enough to cover these expenses.

There was a reason why he couldn’t take them to Kestri, or rather Gwyneira to be more specific. She was not a Mandalorian, not yet at least, and that was if she decided to become one. The task ahead of her would be an arduous one. But Kestri was a safe, secret haven for Mandalorians, and The Enclave’s actual capital. They used Hefi to draw any unwanted attention away from Kestri.

Kranak’s gaze would shift towards Eliz after he glanced at the living room around him. He now had different subjects in his mind, regarding Eliz and Gwyneira.. If this was going to be their permanent residence until they could resettle to Kestri, then there would be a few things they would have to sort out first. Firstly, starting Gwyneira’s training as soon as they could. The more they spent time out of Kestri, the more they would be in mild danger of the Empire presumably sending troops or specialized units after her to bring her to “justice” for her desertion.

Secondly, some house rules for all their safety, correlating with the first subject matter. “We’re going to have to establish ground rules, for the safety of us all,” Kranak said, in a serious tone. He would be discussing everything he was thinking of with the young lad while Gwyneira slept, addressing things that needed to be addressed as soon as possible for a little over an hour as they sat across from one another in the living room.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Not unheard of? Eliz nodded a bit, but he still obviously wasn't sure he should be the one to adopt Gwyneira Vizsla as a Foundling. There were things he was still learning, from Kranak Vizsla none the less. He'd help teach Gwyn everything he could, for sure. But would that be enough to truly help her be Vod? .. IF that's what she wanted. That was the most important part. She needed to choose it herself.

There was a lot to go over, though. And they were things far more important than deciding how to train her if she decided she wanted to become Mandalorian. She needed to be safe, first. Safe, alive. His whole demeanor changed as the topic changed to the ground rules. His head still hurt, but that mattered little in keeping her from harm. Every rule needed to be followed. Every rule needed to be understood.

This was the safest place she could be.

Time passed. Longer than the hour Gwyn had planned on sleeping if it meant she could get more sleep. She needed it, even with the terrible nightmares they brought. Every now and then he'd look the way to the room, worry again etched in his gaze. He'd seen first hand how bad some of them could get.

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

She peered out from inside the closet. Helpless. As a Sith barged into the room, lightsaber crimson and eyes amber, her mother looked up from the empty bottle she had been trying to drink out of.

"Just one drop! Before I-"

Too late, the Sith had so ruthlessly cut her down, and just as a Jedi with a blue lightsaber charged in and they started fighting. Gwyn winced in the closet, shrinking to the back of the closet as blue and light lights swirled from outside the crack in the door. Then, she heard it. She heard the familiar voice of the admiral she had served under in the Battle of Lwekk...

"You deserve this, for what you've done. What you let happen. You deserve her death."

The bottom of the closet flung open beneath her. The floor disappeared as hands reached up. Reptilian creatures screamed at her, cried to her, as countless bloody hands pulled her under. They pried at her upper and lower body, yanked her limbs, tugged her clothes, and stained her skin in red. She choked, feeling scaly fingers invading her mouth as the admiral spat.

"And you deserved your father disowning you."

Tears flooded her eyes as hands blocked her vision, but the words from the memory arose louder than the reptilian screaming and wailing surrounding her.

"I hope you die out here. Stay away from me."

~ ~ ~​

Gwyneira awoke with a small jolt. She gasped, panting wildly as she was greeted by her own sweat. The blankets were wildly thrown, tossed, and tangled up. The pillow was currently somewhere on the floor. She panted, waking up and leaping off the bed. Out. She needed out. She loathed sleeping.

Hair a mess, not wearing shoes or socks, she stumbled from the room into the dark, cold halls. She shambled, swaying from side to side. She found herself standing in the living room, facing her lover and the giant. Still half asleep, but pale and shaking and half awake, she shivered in her cold sweat.

Eliz Krayt Kranak Vizsla

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Gwyneira Vizsla was up before he knew it. His red eyes drifted over lazily to a source of movement, his headache still pounding in the back of his mind. It wasn't all consuming any more, just a faint reminder of how easy it was to disable him. His eyes widened for a moment, then he got up. Not in a hurry, not trying to coddle her. But he couldn't ignore the concern he had. He stopped halfway, glancing to Kranak Vizsla .

".. What do you have in the kitchen? I'll get something cooking. Breakfast."

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

S A F E H O U S E

Location: Kaddak, City Slums, Abandoned Apartment Complex, 104th Floor, Safehouse
Local Time: 13:16
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Assist Fellow Vod and His Companion
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (No Medical Backpack, Scatter Gun left behind on a couch. Paranaor Resting against the frame of the doorway opening into the living room.)
Tags: Eliz Krayt | Gwyneira Vizsla

The giant slowly sat on his chair right across the couch in the living room after getting his third refill of hot caff. They had finished talking about the house rules they had decided to set in place for all their sake during their stay on Kaddak, until they could move to Kestri and settle there.

Just as he was taking a big sip from his mug, sensing the sudden movement, Kranak’s gaze shifted towards the source of the movement coming from the corridor to his left. It was Gwyneira, but something didn’t feel right about her. She looked more exhausted than before she went inside to sleep for an hour. Her hair was a total mess. She shambled and swayed from left to right as she walked barefoot in the living room. She gave a glance at the young lad and the Supercommando; Her skin was deathly pale. She was shivering and barely awake. She looked like she was about to give way at her knees and collapse to the ground.

It must have been the nightmares Eliz had mentioned.
The young lad made a move to stand up, but halted halfway as he gave a glance at the Supercommando.

”.. What do you have in the kitchen? I’ll get something cooking. Breakfast.”

Kranak shifted his gaze from the lass towards Eliz as the lad spoke to him. “Check the fridge, there should be some food for a solid lor’vram.” The giant then turned his gaze at Gwyn back again. “Come and take a seat, lass.” the giant nodded towards the couch in front of him while he kept his gaze at Gwyneira. He put his caff mug beside him to his right, on the ground. He would stand up to pour some caff for her. It might not help Gwyn with her nightmares, sure, but it would at least help her wake up fully.

After handing her the mug filled to the brim with caff after she sat on the couch, the giant would sit on his chair right across from her and reach down for his own mug beside him. The giant would remain silent, his vigilant gaze scanning her from head to toe. He didn’t like poking and prodding at the things people didn’t want to talk about. He himself had things he did not want to discuss with anybody except those very few he trusted. He figured she wouldn’t want to talk about her nightmares, or the causes of it right now, but if she were, he would be all ears, listening to the young girl as she spoke. Discussing things could perhaps help her, make her feel better. It would be worth a try, but she would still need some professional help. He knew that much.

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira blindly plopped onto the couch and took the coffee, chugging it. Then, she got a second cup.

As Eliz went to cook food, she sighed. She reached and tried pushing her tangled hair out of her face. Oh, she was making such a good impression on this Mandalorian. She was slumped, sipping her second cup of caf with a dreary expression. She looked at the Mandalorian, wanting to focus more on the present than the sins over Lwekk. She blinked, curious. Who exactly was helping her, and what did he think about her? Gwyn was a tough person, a survivor, and a brilliant engineer. She did not look like any of that right now. She wanted to make good impressions. She wanted attention, she wanted praise. It was all she could ask for. The only person who truly cared about her was Eliz.

She jerked her head back, downing the rest of the coffee. Then, she started pouring a third cup.

"So," She placed the coffee pot down and brought the steaming black coffee to her lips, "What did Eliz tell you about me?"

Eliz Krayt Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

S A F E H O U S E

Location: Kaddak, City Slums, Abandoned Apartment Complex, 104th Floor, Safehouse
Local Time: 13:18
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Assist Fellow Vod and His Companion
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (No Medical Backpack, Scatter Gun left behind on a couch. Paranaor Resting against the frame of the doorway opening into the living room.)
Tags: Gwyneira Vizsla | Eliz Krayt

As Elis went to cook breakfast for Gwyneira, the young lass plopped onto the couch. She had accepted the giant’s offer for a mug of hot, jetblack caff. She finished the first one in almost record time in silence. She stood up and got a refill after the first one, bringing the caff pot with her. She let out a troubled sigh as she sat down after getting her refill, taking sips from her mug with a gloomy facial expression. She still seemed troubled with her nightmare.

Jerking her head back, the young girl finished his second cup of caff, and filled it the third time. The giant raised an eyebrow at the sight. <Well somebody’s addicted to caff.> the giant mused. He was going to run out of it at this rate, if she continued to chug it like this.

”So,”

The lass finally spoke as she brought down the caff pot and took a sip from her third cup of caff after she brought the mug to her lips.

”What did Eliz tell you about me?”

The giant smirked as he brought down his mug slowly, setting it on his lap before he spoke. “He said you’re considerably sassy, and that I shouldn’t judge you too harshly.” With a hearty chuckle, Kranak quipped at the young girl, trying his best to keep her mind off what she did in Lwhekk. He didn’t want her to talk about such a subject, not unless she opened up for discussing it on her own accord. He wasn’t a psychologist, but he knew all too well that forcing someone to talk about a scarring memory or an experience would yield negative results, even if you inquired with good intentions.

It was something she would have to open up to him about.

Assuming it would help her situation, The giant grasped his mug of caff and stood up. “He also told me you were a skilled engineer,” Kranak said as he walked past the couch and towards his workbench at the other side of the living room. With a soft thud, the giant put his mug of caff as he reached for a damaged internal circuitry of his battered and broken Verpine Shatter Battle Rifle.

“This is an integrated targeting computer of my Verpine Shatter Battle Rifle. It has the capability to link up with the heads-up display of its owner,” Kranak said as he turned around to look at the girl. “This is by far one of the most expensive pieces of this rifle.” Kranak said as he held the circuitry in his hand, on display for Gwyneira to see, and pick it up from the giant’s large hand if she wanted to take a closer look.

“I have tried to repair it for several days now, but it’s been frustrating, to say the least. I don’t want to buy a new circuitry, either,” The Vizsla tilted his head to his left, inviting her to give it a shot at repairing it. “What do you say, think you can repair it and save me from wasting a few thousand credits?”

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira sipped her coffee as she looked inquisitively at the damaged computer. The engineer's mind was hazy, and her emotions were haywire. Yet, she also found herself engaged in one of her most favorite things. It helped her to come out of the fog a bit.

She chugged the rest of her third cup. Then she set the cup between the couch cushions and took the device. With as careless as she was with dinnerware, the way she handled the computer was completely different. She had a surgeon's precision and the touch of a firm yet gentle craftsman. She had a look of understanding as she gazed at the computer, smiling a bit. She looked up to Kranak with a smirk.

"Sure thing."

With that, she stood up and walked over to the workbench. She gently set the device down and sat down herself. She glanced around the desk and got a feel for the tools and equipment. Yet, it was missing stuff, and her bag was in her room. She was tired, and she didn't want to go back to the master bedroom. She wasn't quite thinking about how all her stuff, save her clothes now, were still in there. It would make her an open book.

"Can you go get my engineering equipment please? It's the satchel in the bedroom."

Eliz Krayt Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

S A F E H O U S E

Location: Kaddak, City Slums, Abandoned Apartment Complex, 104th Floor, Safehouse
Local Time: 13:19
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Assist Fellow Vod and His Companion
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (No Medical Backpack, Scatter Gun left behind on a couch. Paranaor Resting against the frame of the doorway opening into the living room.)
Tags: Eliz Krayt | Gwyneira Vizsla

”Sure thing.”

Sipping her hot caff as she gazed at the damaged circuitry the giant held in his hands with great interest, Gwyn took the targeting computer from Kranak’s big hands to inspect it more closely after finishing up her third cup of caff. She carelessly left her mug at the couch, but was far more careful with the handling of the damaged circuitry. It seemed occupying the young girl with this to get her mind off the troubled thoughts and nightmares worked. The giant made a mental note of this as she walked over to the workbench and sat down on the metal foldable chair.

She sat the device on the workbench and began inspecting it, and the tools the giant had under his disposal he used to take care of his weapons and battle gear. Seeming unsatisfied with his tools, the tired young girl turned her head at the giant standing to his left before she spoke.

”Can you go get my engineering equipment please? It’s the satchel in the bedroom.”

The giant gave a curt nod of his head at Gwyn before he walked away from the bench and into the Master Bedroom down the corridor. With the flick of the light switch, the room was illuminated at a moment’s notice with the same white fluorescent lights that lit up the living room. It didn’t take him long to locate the satchel she was talking about. It was leaned up against the bed frame. The giant leaned towards the ground to get it and turned around to leave the room afterwards, but stopped halfway as he remembered the young lass was barefoot. “Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold now, would we?” the giant muttered to himself softly as he turned around and reached for her socks and boots tossed to the ground at the side of the bed.

The giant walked out of the room as he turned off the lights and went back into the living room with the satchel she asked for and her footwear. He gently put down the satchel on the workbench as he leaned down to put her boots on the ground. Her socks were tucked inside. The giant would then stand up straight and stay by her side with his arms crossed as he would closely observe her, wondering how different her tools would be, compared to his tools on the bench. More specialized, perhaps? He didn’t open the satchel in the room to look what was inside, nor did he mosey around in the room and went through her stuff. He wouldn’t do that, no. That wasn’t like him.

He was curious to see how she would solve this little problem, wondering what she would come up with to fix the targeting computer that he himself failed to come up with after working on it for a few days to fix it.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Alright, foods ready!" Eliz called out to Gwyneira Vizsla and Kranak Vizsla from the kitchen, setting down the last plate of food he'd set up. Something simple, eggs and meat. Seasoned perfectly. There was no chance the young Mandalorian was going to make anything less than perfect. This was the start of Gwyn's new life. Their new life.

Things could only get better from here.