Private Of Beginnings & Escapes

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

Rorie nodded. She was surprised Arra didn't have steak with her eggs, even though she'd come here before. If Rorie were Arra, she would have ordered steak as her first meal; it only made sense because Arra was so tall. Protein and the like would have been the only thing that could make her grow that tall. Rorie, on the other hand, was sad she didn't get that tall; both of the genetic makeups she was created with had tall as a trait… Rorie was neither.

A part of her wondered if that was on purpose, to keep her in a certain ideal. She wrinkled her nose, wondering how different she would have been if she'd been created naturally. Still, she hoped there was a bonded pair before her that made her; it would make her feel real.

At the mention of the burger, Rorie's ears flicked. She was suddenly excited again and focused on the food.

"A burger?!" She exclaimed, her eyes wandering the menu as she flipped it over to read the short passage about the item.

"100% all bantha beef patty, special burger sauce and fresh lettuce and tomato — topped with your choice of cheese." Rorie brought the menu to her nose as if she could already smell the burger through the picture.

She put the menu down the moment that Leeso wandered over to take their order. Rorie easily relished the waitress's compliments, having always been the one who received them out of all the children. So when others said them, Rorie accepted and enjoyed them. It reminded her of her past, but the enjoyable parts.

"Hiii," Rorie responded as she flipped the menu over, trying to find the steak and eggs.

"We're gonna have this, medium-rare and over-easy eggs, um… the Bantha Burger, medium, with whatever cheese is in the picture and everything on it… with fries too!" Rorie kept mulling over the list of things they had talked about.

"Oh! Arra likes the breakfast sampler, and um…" Rorie kept thinking of what else she wanted as her eyes quickly scanned the menu. There wasn't enough food for both of them, and she wanted to make sure there would be extra afterward.

"You know, let's do two of the steak and eggs — Arra seemed to really be into that, and she's never had eggs with her steak before. I think that's a good idea…" Rorie continued to ramble off a few more items, then ordered drinks for them.

She looked from Leeso back to Arra, who seemed to be struggling for some reason. Blinking a few times, Rorie reached under the table with her foot and nudged it gently along the inside of Arra's calf.

"You want anything else?" She asked nicely, hoping the comforting touch and soft question would make Arra feel better about ordering more food.

 

[Arra Thatch]

​

The touch against her leg yanked her out of the anxiety spiral she'd slipped into. Arra blinked and sat up.

"What? Oh, uh..." She looked at the pictures on the menu but she could feel Leeso's eyes boring down on her. She made the mistake of glancing up at the Rodian.

"This isn't another Dax situation, is it?" There was a hard edge to Leeso's tone that Arra had only heard once. And with good reason. The Dax situation wasn't one she really wanted to remember. Her heart was already pounding at just the mention of his name.

She shook her head. "No."

Leeso seemed to relax. "Good. You want anything else?"

Arra looked back at the menu, a little shaken. She'd blocked out that memory entirely although it had only happened a day or two ago. If she thought about it, she was going to break down. Arra pointed at a picture on the menu of something that looked like slices of bread.

"What's that?"

Lesso leaned over. "Ohhh that's our egg-fried toast, good choice. Comes with whipped blue cream and starberries. You're in luck. We still have starberries. I'll get that order in for you girls."

She swept up the menus and left the table, heading back to the kitchen window. Her stomach growled but the reminder of Dax had soured her appetite a little. Doubt started creeping in again. What if Rorie was a really good actor? She didn't have any of the tells Dax did, didn't approach her like Dax had, but she barely knew Rorie. This could be part of her gang's operation, finding desperate people and kidnapping them for slavers.

"Um, that— that was a lot of food," Arra said. "A-are you sure you've got it covered? I don't mind chipping in what I have."

Not that the creds she had would put much of a dent into the price. She'd noticed the prices listed were more expensive than even two days ago. Which, given the state of Abregado-rae and trying to get supplies down to the surface, tracked but still. It didn't bode well for her finances.

Tags:
Rorie​

 

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

Rorie smiled, seeing Arra back to normal… or what she had assumed was normal. Her eyes focused mostly on the menu, seeing if there was anything else she'd want to order. Credits today had no limit; she would spend as much as needed to make her new friend happy—and to fill her belly with leftovers!

While she was enthralled with the menu, the way Leeso mentioned a name caught Dax's attention. Almost instinctively, she felt the small hairs at the nape of her neck stand up. Hearing the tone, something twisted inside her; she didn't know Leeso, but Rorie wanted to make sure Arra was alright. As Rorie listened to the exchange, she picked up that the tone matched whatever had happened with Dax.

She tilted her head slightly as her ears stayed pressed against her head; she listened, trying to glean anything about what had caused both women to tense. Rorie didn't fully understand the situation or why they both said that name and felt this way. As quickly as the tension appeared, it faded, and Rorie sensed the mood lightening again.

Arra seemed to loosen up and even decided to look further into the menu and get something she wanted. Rorie watched, her eyes lighting up when she heard there was whipped blue milk. She had always seen it in pictures and on drinks—but never had any of it herself. The menus were gone, and Rorie continued to buzz at the expectation that led to eating. Her attention was everywhere as she felt her mouth salivating, thinking about everything they had ordered.

Arra spoke, concern lacing her words.

"Don't worry about it." Rorie smiled again. "I had a big payday leading up to this; I wanna treat my new friend to food."

There was a mix of it; she wasn't stupid and could tell Arra was struggling. She felt guilty knowing that she had been in that position before and wanted to help. But above all, Rorie was often alone. She knew people in the Shens; she liked to think her Bosses liked her company beyond her just being useful. But she really didn't know many people who would have wanted to eat with her—especially on a planet the Sith had just conquered.

She didn't want to think about that, or the devastation she could already smell in the air. Death lingered, but thankfully the smell of food let Rorie escape.

There was hope that Arra would want to hang out with her longer after eating. Rorie, of course, wouldn't mention any of that; she would just let things be as she waved her hand slightly. She needed something to distract Arra from the conversation about money; it was something Arra seemed stuck on.

"Is everything okay?" she leaned forward, asking quietly. Her eyes looked toward where Leeso had walked, wanting to make sure she was out of listening range. Rorie looked back at Arra, but it was clear her ear turned slightly, giving her a better vantage point for listening for Leeso.

"What did Leeso mean…um, by Dax? I don't know what that is."

 

[Arra Thatch]

​

She almost asked what Rorie did to get such a payday when Arra remembered: criminal syndicate. Contrary to the old saying, crime usually paid and paid well—up until it didn't. It always seemed like a high-risk, high-reward thing. Arra preferred her old mechanic shop and the simplicity of fixing vehicles and droids. It had been enough.

"O-okay, if, if you're sure," she said. Arra fell silent, unsure what to say next. She'd always been bad with small talk.

"Is everything okay?" she leaned forward, asking quietly. Her eyes looked toward where Leeso had walked, wanting to make sure she was out of listening range. Rorie looked back at Arra, but it was clear her ear turned slightly, giving her a better vantage point for listening for Leeso.

"What did Leeso mean…um, by Dax? I don't know what that is."

Rorie's ears moved. Rather, one ear moved independent of the other. For a brief moment, Arra could only stare. Then the questions registered and Arra looked away.

"Dax is a 'who,'" she said quietly, as if saying his name loudly would summon him. "He's a guy that works at the spaceport like I do. A couple days ago, or maybe even a few days, I don't remember, he just... sat himself down at my table. Starts ordering food and tells Leeso that I'm on his bill."

Arra crossed her arms and shrunk into herself a bit, staring at the cracked duraplast laminate. "Tried telling me I owed him because he was paying for my food. But... he didn't want credits. He wanted... something else. Something I didn't want to give."

She took a deep breath and sighed. "Leeso and the line cook found out and threw him out. I've... been avoiding him ever since."

Tags:
Rorie​

 

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

Rorie stayed quiet as she listened to Dax's story. He was someone. Someone who worked with Arra at the spaceport. They knew each other, which made the rest of the story confusing. Kindness was something Rorie understood, but what else did or could Arra owe him for food? Her nose wrinkled as she realized he wasn't being nice; he wasn't helping someone he knew. The concept didn't register what he wanted from Arra, her naivety surfacing as she leaned back in her seat.

She didn't say anything right away. It was a lot in a short time, and Rorie understood how her buying Arra food could be mistaken for the same thing. But she didn't know what he wanted besides credits. Maybe he wanted her to do his work? Rorie wasn't keen on how work worked in a spaceport, but she figured it was hard labor — only because Arra seemed tired.

Her eyes never left Arra, as Rorie tried to understand what she didn't want to give. It felt as if the information was on the tip of her tongue, but she had no concept of it. Finally, she looked away, towards the table. She wanted to ask; she wanted to understand — but remembered times when her questions weren't wanted. Too many questions; too many times she was called names for them.

Arra was different… right?

"I don't like Dax," she started, "but…" She shifted in her seat as she could feel the weight of anxiety smothering her. The last thing Rorie wanted was to upset Arra further; she had gotten lucky last time… but she couldn't bank on Arra's understanding every time.

She licked her lips, feeling her nerves start to pull at her mind. But she wanted to know; she wanted to fully understand the weight of the situation. Rorie liked Arra, and seeing her react this way to someone's supposed kindness bothered her.

It would be horrible… if this was a reaction Arra would have to her kindness.

"What did he want? Why didn't you want to give it to him?" Her voice was quiet, knowing that it was something problematic. The diner staff's reaction and Arra's body language said it all for her.

But her desire to understand… to try and empathize took center stage.

"Why is it bad?"

 

[Arra Thatch]

​

"I don't like Dax," she started, "but…"

The 'but' made her nervous. Rorie had said she didn't like Dax so what else was there to say 'but' about? Arra clasped her hands in front of her face, her good leg bouncing under the table.

"What did he want? Why didn't you want to give it to him?" Her voice was quiet, knowing that it was something problematic. "Why is it bad?"

Oh. Rorie didn't know about... So then, she'd need to explain what she had been dancing around saying. Arra rubbed her forehead with a hand. Okay, so she had the Talk with Suri; if Rorie really didn't know what she meant, she might not know anything about it which meant Rorie was really innocent. And Arra would have to explain because she didn't want Rorie to get hurt.

"Um, so, h-he wanted—" Gods, why was this so hard? "He wanted—"

"Sex, honey." Leeso approached the table and set down their drinks—a caf and a large glass of blue milk for Arra. "That's what he wanted, and if you're asking that question then this ain't a Dax situation. It's bad 'cause it's for adults who want it. Arra didn't want it. Or him. Either way. And he didn't want to take no for an answer and he tried to force Arra to say yes. Which still isn't Arra wanting it."

Leeso leaned a hand on the table, her large eyes fixed on Rorie. "You listen to me, honey. Do not, under any circumstances, let anyone tell you have to have do it with them for any reason if you don't want to. It ain't love at that point. Right, cuties, I'll be right back with your order."

Arra held her head in her hands, face and ears burning red. She should've been able to talk about this. She had talked about this with Suri and Rorie had been kind to her, even called her a friend. She should've been able to do what she could to protect her friend.

"Ah, yeah," Arra said shakily. "That's... yeah. He's always given me bad vibes. I didn't really... care about him before then but... I really don't like him now."

Tags:
Rorie​

 

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

Rorie waited, hanging on Arra's every word. Whatever Dax wanted, she didn't even want to talk about. Then Leeso came up; Rorie looked over at the woman as she interjected, taking the heat off Arra to explain.

Shifting slightly, Rorie quickly came to a small understanding. Dax wanted to be with Arra in that sense. The concept and the act were something Rorie had learned about. She understood its purpose, but using food to coax someone into it… that part was foreign.

The explanation didn't line up with what she knew of that act. She understood they needed to be of adult age, but maybe things were different outside of the laboratory. Pausing, Rorie remembered her education on the matter; it stopped after some time, especially after her designated partner was taken away. More and more, that part of her upbringing was silenced, and then she was scheduled to go away as well — there was no reason to keep her around, and without her counterpart, she was deemed useless.

Rorie smiled softly at Leeso's advice, but it was unnecessary. Rorie had no reason to worry about doing anything like that; there was no one to do it with. Instead, her focus remained on Arra. Dax seemed to think he could interfere with something that didn't include him.

Though now this made Rorie wonder why Arra was on her own. Another question for another time.

Arra buried her face in her hands. A gesture Rorie wasn't unsure of; maybe she was embarrassed by Dax's actions and his interference.

"I don't like him, and it's good he was told no." Rorie shook her head, reached for her drink, and sipped quietly.

"He obviously wasn't your assigned partner for that sort of thing; why is he being greedy or trying to go against the way things are supposed to be?" Her nose wrinkled as she spoke; Rorie was under the impression that things worked the way they did in the lab. Why would there be anything different?

Remembering again that thought she had about Arra being alone, she wondered if they were in the same boat. Both of them were without their supposed partner. So intercourse was something that neither of them needed to worry about. Rorie reached out, remembering that touch could be comforting, and patted Arra's forearm.

"It's okay, I'm sure he's learned his lesson. If he makes you uncomfortable, he needs to realize he should remain where he's supposed to be."

Another nod and a toothy smile to Arra.

"I won't let him break the rule again."

Her ears twitched again; the one closest to the kitchen flicked, then turned slightly. Her face brightened as she turned her head in that direction.

"I think they're talking about our order... It's almost ready!"

 

[Arra Thatch]

​

Rorie declared she didn't like him. Well, that was a relief. Arra would've left if she had even said she understood why he'd done it. But then Rorie continued, and the more she spoke, the more Arra got confused. Assigned partner? The way things were supposed to be? Wherever Rorie had grown up, whoever had taught her about this, they'd done a bad job preparing her for the wider galaxy. And Arra was only familiar with Abregado-rae.

The pat on her arm yanked Arra out of the ash-rabbit hole of thoughts. Rorie's hand was warm and the touch was kind. The smile the redhead gave inspired a small one from Arra. She'd keep him from breaking the rule again, huh? With any luck, Arra wouldn't see him again. They worked in different areas of the spaceport so even though her boss was his dad, she shouldn't run into him anytime soon.

Still, she felt she should inform Rorie about how most societies worked. At least so Rorie wouldn't be caught off-guard if someone else didn't follow the rules she was taught.

"Rorie—"

"I think they're talking about our order... It's almost ready!"

It was both funny and cute how excited Rorie seemed to get about food. Arra laughed a little then tried again.

"Rorie, uh, that's not, that's not how it works in most places," she said. Her eyes drifted to the kitchen to look and see if she could see if Rorie was right. "I don't kn-know how things were where you live, or lived, but most places, people choose their partners. My dad said it could look differently for everyone. A guy and a girl or two girls or two guys. Or more, if everyone agrees that's okay. As long as people loved each other."

She could see Leeso grabbing a large tray and load plates onto it. So Rorie was right. She had damn good hearing then.

"It's why what Dax did was wrong. I didn't choose him. And he didn't like that." Arra's stomach growled and she found herself watching the kitchen for Leeso and her tray. "Doesn't matter. I haven't seen him since and with any luck, I won't see him again before I get off this planet."

Tags:
Rorie​

 

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

"Choose?"

The concept was foreign. She met her bond when she was young; they were raised together, hoping they would connect the way their DNA mapped for them.

Unfortunately, they didn't; Rorie never latched on, while he often reached for her. Something was missing, and he fell behind developmentally because of it. She never remembered much more; one day he was there, and then the next he was removed from their shared room. She watched, and he was gone.

There was never another. She had seen others receive other bonds, but Rorie was special, according to Veyl. The thought remained with her, so she never felt alone when the others were all paired off.

The things Arra spoke of, though, didn't make sense. None of it made sense. Girl and Boy, Boy and Boy, Girl and Girl — then multiple bonds? Arra explained it was all because of love. Another word she had heard but never truly understood. Love wasn't a concept that was brought with the instruction of sex. It was an act necessary to carry on, to continue the experiment.

Rorie was left with more questions than answers.

But the food was on its way, and Rorie looked back to Arra.

"If you wouldn't choose Dax," She pondered, her head tilting slightly.

"Who would you choose? What would they look like? Be like?"

She could hear Leeso drawing closer with the mountain of food they had ordered. Her mouth watered, threatening to make her drool as her senses focused on the steak she had ordered. As much as she wanted to keep it to herself, she needed to share it with Arra.

Rorie forced herself to continue talking, to ask the burning questions that lingered in her mind from what Arra had explained. Again, none of it made sense, but if that was how the galaxy worked — Rorie needed to know. She couldn't be caught without this knowledge. It felt dangerous not knowing, especially with how Arra and Leeso had tried to indicate that Rorie needed to choose.

Now Rorie wondered who she would choose…

A thought drifted through her mind as she picked at Arra's words. The ones her father mentioned about what love looked like, what choice it allowed, and how it was the reason why different people chose each other.

Would Rorie get to experience that?

Would she know she was experiencing it?

"Arra?" Rorie questioned as she once again felt the weight of the question linger on her chest.

Why was this difficult? It was just a question.

"What would you want? A boy, a girl, both, neither?"

 

[Arra Thatch]

​

The question made Arra stop and really think. Who would she choose? Did she have a preference for looks? The last part of Rorie's question, Arra at least had a vague answer. She knew a little about what she wanted her future partner to be like.

"Arra?" Rorie questioned as she once again felt the weight of the question linger on her chest. "What would you want? A boy, a girl, both, neither?"

Arra opened her mouth to answer, thinking the answer on the tip of her tongue came easily. But then she second-guessed it. It had come too easy, like something she'd memorized to respond with. Boys had been what she always thought of when she thought of a future partner. Her dad had loved her mom, even after she left them. Arra had just assumed that's what her future would look like. There'd been that one boy she had crushed on when she was sixteen. He'd been her first kiss. But nothing ever came of it. And none of the little relationships that came after had ever made her feel special or excited.

"I—"

"Alright, here ya go!" Leeso arrived with the massive tray of food and started setting plates down on the table. "Two steak and eggs, medium rare and over-easy, a bantha burger with all the fixings, a breakfast sampler for you, and egg-fried toast with whipped blue cream and starberries. Here's some syrup for that. Y'all want any sauce for your steaks or fries?"

Arra gave a shake of her head and Leeso waited for Rorie's answer before heading off. The smell of the food on the table made her mouth water but she needed to answer Rorie first or she might forget during eating.

"I-I don't... really know," Arra said, quietly. "I know I want to feel safe with them. Like, the whole galaxy could be burning but as long as I'm with them, everything's fine, i-if that makes sense. I dunno, it's been a long time since I've thought about it. I've just been trying to keep me and Suri alive."

She picked up the utensils and stared at the food in front of her, suddenly paralyzed by the choices available to her.

Tags:
Rorie
Mentioned: Suri Thatch ​

 

[Rorie]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Attire //:

​

The stress of the questions quickly went out the door as soon as the food arrived. Rorie, while interested in Arra's answer, found relief in the steak that was set in front of her. Food was simple; it was there, and it gave sustenance. Rorie remembered the food she would get at the same time every day. Bland, but full of nutrients that kept her strong and fit. But the world outside of the lab was constantly changing, and for the first time Rorie understood what hunger was.

That's why she extended the invite to Arra; Arra was nice to her, too. Strangers being nice was always something rare.

As Arra bluescreened, Rorie quickly got to work, driving her fork into the succulent meat of the medium-rare steak. The yellow yolk popped and smothered the tender meat with the delicious umami goodness of the fatty yolk. Rorie barely chewed as she devoured the first half of the steak in a blink of an eye.

Rorie's gaze darted over the spread, hunting for her next victim. Then Arra spoke again, and Rorie turned her head at once. She stopped mid-chew, catching the uncertainty in those green eyes. A bead of egg yolk glistened at the corner of her mouth, unnoticed. Her hand settled beside her plate as she leaned a little closer to listen.

As Arra spoke, she said another name of someone the Lupo didn't know. Her eyes fell back towards the full table as she pondered her next words. She could ask again who this Suri was — it seemed this person had a positive relationship with Arra. But she already felt bad for making her uncomfortable with the previous series of questions.

Still, while Rorie's mind lingered on the name Suri… she took to heart the first thing Arra mentioned. Safety. Maybe that's why they didn't choose this Dax. Arra didn't feel safe with him. Her fingers rotated the fork back and forth as she thought quietly about everything. The question hung on the edge of her mind as she remained silent.

Again, another difficult, but not difficult, question was asked.

"Do you feel safe with me?"