Wearing:
Interceptor Gear
Armed With:
Nathan's Lightsaber
Nathan calmly poured a ladle of vegetable soup into a bowl and handed it to the scrawny old Twi'lek man covered in hand me down clothes, huddled under the free blanket, one of many he had brought with him on his ship to distribute to the homeless.
He had been here three hours in the Underworks, doing nothing but running a soup kitchen. Others were off celebrating.
Nathan didn't understand modern society and it's constant needs for festivities. There was work to be done, invasions to prepare for, and bases to fortify.
Or, in this case, suffering to ease.
He looked incredibly out of place, with his white chef's hat and apron, bowls of soup going constantly to waiting, hungry hands. His grim expression never left his face, and he said nothing to anyone he doled the soup out to. He simply continued until he was completely out, and then, without a word, packed up his equipment and flew his Bellhop Freighter out of the Underworks, the interior dark and silent.
Nathan was never off duty. Not really, there were simply moments where even he needed a little rest. But it was only a prelude to the next assignment.
Even now he somewhere else to be. That was how he preferred it. Never still.
He had lost track of Lynda since Ukatis, but the Force told him the simplest solution as to where she would be was the easiest and so he had piloted to where he knew her apartment was, a skyscraper on the upper levels. He tried hailing, but no response.
He landed on a dock pad attached to the bronze colored building went to the back and got two large cases with holes in them. He had been taking care of them since purchasing them. He carried them with him to her apartment number, aggressively ignoring all signs of celebration and merriment, his very presence seeming to generate an aura of
buzz kill.
He knocked on the door, and he heard someone approach from behind and was not expecting the new face behind the door when it opened.
"L--Lynda?" He asked carefully of the Android known as
Westenra Mina
.
"Nathan...I...I didn't expect you..." The Android spoke, wearing a deep blue gown that exposed her neck and shoulders.
"Come in."
"Your eyes...they aren't bloodshot..." Nathan remarked as he stepped in.
"Yes... about that..." The Android trailed as she closed and locked the door behind him.
"I freaked out drinking your thoughts at Ukatis. It...it did something to me...it caused some sort of reboot to my systems..." Lynda explained.
"Oh?" Nathan asked setting the boxes down.
She sighed. "I was in that form too long. My neural pathways suffered from memory loops. Programming got corrupted from psychological trauma. I'm...I'm still dealing with that..." Lynda spoke. "Whatever eating your thoughts did...I was forced out of that form. I've cordoned it off in my databases until I can figure out how to fix the errors associated with it."
She took a seat. "I'm afraid it may be a while before The Demon of Jedha shows again."
"Do you still hate Syd Celsius?" He asked.
Lynda glowered. "Always."
"Eh, you're not that broken." he muttered.
The Android fixed on his boxes. "What are those."
"I brought you a gift."
Lynda looked at him like he was insane.
"Are...are you feeling alright, Nate?" Nathan Bloodscrawl giving someone a gift seemed so outside his nature, she couldn't help but wonder if he was having some sort of episode.
"To the extent I am still
capable of feeling anything, yes." he replied stoically, grim expression unchanged.
He opened the boxes and pulled out a small brown, baby rabbit and small baby turtle.
The Android paused, felt a lump in her throat.
She went over to the two creatures, soft hands caressing both pets.
"I..." she trailed, a bloody red tear sliding down her face, only to be reabsorbed by her skin.
She stood up, placing both pets in the transparent pens her old, long dead ones had used. She had always cleaned and maintained them, but had never summoned the will to get new pets on her own initiative. It would have been too painful for her to try.
"If only I had met
you before meeting your daughter..." she lamented quietly to Nathan. "You... you're what I thought
she was."
Her hand softly caressed the baby turtle's shell.
"If only I had been a better sister to her. If only...if
only..." she said in an even quieter voice, more haunted by her failures as a person than ever.
She turned to him.
"You have my thanks..." she said sincerely.
Nathan shrugged. "I have to go. I just had to stop by and drop them off. Happy New Year."
"Wait..." she said, catching him by the arm. "Won't you reconsider and stay awhile? I...I could tell you about her. About Laertia. From my perspective."
"Talking about her is as painful for me as it is for you." he replied. "I have to go. Somewhere..."
Nathan began to head for the exit.
"...
there is a crime happening..." he said as he opened the door and left. (For a Dollar: 700 XP)
Lynda was left with her new pets, and her memories, and her regret at being unable to help Nathan with his pain. She threw herself into the work of giving both food and water...