The Basics of Life (Phylis)

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy sighed, "I'm not like other kids." Her rather poor attempt at a protest.

The girl fidgeted with her hands nervously for a moment. "I .. It only has happened when I'e been scared or in trouble. Weird things, glass breaking. Things tossed from no where." She gave a quick shrug, not entirely understanding those events. If anything they only frightened her at the time. "Sometimes know someone is there, without looking. Just feeling them. I don't know. It's odd. But I don't think I can just make it happen."

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
Phylis nodded. “It only happens when you are sad or angry or scared,” she said. “That is how it begun with me. That is what training will do for you, Izzy. It will make you able to control and direct these abilities more closely. Very well, whilst we are en route to Laekia I will see whether I think you are capable of being trained. Be warned though; this is a lonely life, not one for a child. It will be just you and me most of the time, not much entertainment and certainly no other children. Once you commit to being a Jedi it’s not something you can just give up on a whim. It’s a big decision. If you want to join the orphanage I will not blame you, but if you stay with me it will not be easy, but I feel in time it will be rewarding.”

Of course Phylis was treating the child like an adult, asking her to make a big decision she was probably not equipped to make.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy looked up curiously at the Jedi. "It happened to you too?" That much was a relief to the young girl. Anything to not be the only one that was like this in the galaxy. She gave a small nod andtried her best to take in what Phylis was saying. Her only desire was to avoid the orphanage. This gift she had, was something that still frightened her a little. Such fears she was going to quickly have to get over if she had any hope of avoiding her fate on Laekia.

"My life already is lonely, without fun, or other kids, and it's not been easy. That much I'm used to. Having a family again, another family ..." The little girl shook her head, "That I don't want. And I'm sure with a book or two, I'll be fine." She gave a slight shrug, "I understand what you've said." Though, she had little idea what exactly she was about to get into. But little Izzy was certainly about to find out.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
Phylis frowned, thought for a long moment. She looked around her ship, at its Spartan simplicity and cold metal. She sighed.
“Alright, I will see if you have the potential, Izzy. If you do, I will take you as my Padawan. If I feel you cannot do this I will have to take you to the orphanage. I am obligated to do as much. It’s in your best interest after all,” she added.

“But for now I want you to relax a while whilst I get the ship in flight, I’ll get you some food, then we can start your training.”

 

[Izzy Aureth]

"Okay." Izzy said quietly. "Thank you." While she let Phylis get the ship ready, the young girl took her new clothing to the fresher to try and clean up at least a little bit. It had been sometime since she'd last been able to do so in safety and relative comfort. She took her time but eventually wandered back out into the ship to locate Phylis.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
When Izzy located Phylis, she was having a discussion with an unseen target.
“Now, be sensible about this. There’s no reason we can’t work this out like sensible beings. That doesn’t belong to you, it’s mine, don’t you agree?”
Silence.
“So…I’m just going to take…hey come back!” Phylis said, flailing.
A small greenish lizard skittered up the wall. In its mouth was a pretty green gemstone.
“Oh…poot,” Phylis said crossly. “Hmmph, I don’t want to hurt you, Greenie, but that’s a highly valuable item, it is not for your nest.”
Extending her hand towards the thieving lizard she gestured, and the small stone shot from between the lizard’s jaws and into her hand. Greenie looked most surprised and sullen at losing his shiny.
“Don’t give me that look. It’s mine, and you knew it!” Phylis said.

Turning, she saw Izzy and looked perhaps a little embarrassed. “Oh hi, Izzy! Back already, I see?” she asked, pocketing the green gem. “Don’t mind Greenie, he’s a bit of a magpie when it comes to shiny things.”
She perhaps realised how odd the previous scene might of looked. “Anyway…how are you now?” she asked to change the subject.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy couldn't help but lift an eyebrow and look curiously at what Phylis was doing, and who she was talking to. She did manage amazingly enough not to absolutely laugh at Phylis, but Izzy was beaming brightly. Clearly the young lady was quite amused at the scene but she didn't voice a word about it. A part of her didn't want to further fluster the Jedi Master.

"Yes, yes. I went and bathed and changed." Izzy paused and gave herself a look down to her clothes seemingly in a better mood on that alone. "Thank you for the clothing."

She gave a nod, "Better now. I feel much better, cleaner. Less nervous."

The little girl gave a glance to the lizard. "The lizard is cute." Clearly this writer was going to have one more character that liked animals a lot. "It seems sweet. Aside from the taking things part."

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

“Hmmph, don’t let their cuteness deceive you. They are dastardly and cunning!”
Greenie looked serenely down from where he was basking near the heat vent. He looked anything but dastardly or cunning.

“Anyway, good to hear, Izzy my girl. So, hmm, you sure you want to stick around with me? I’m afraid Nibbles tends to eat things he shouldn’t and I sometimes get a little distracted by things.”
Understatement of the decade there.

“Still, I’d be happy to try and teach you a few things, see if you’ve got the right stuff.”

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy just looked up to the lizard curiously. It seemed an interesting little creature to her. "I'll take your word for it. I've never really had pets, so I don't know much about the creatures. I still think it's cute."

The young girl listened to Phylis carefully. "Yes, I'm sure. You're the only one that ever stopped. Ever cared. Ever wanted to help. And you know about these ... these strange things that happen around me." She gave a soft sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "If you get distracted, that's okay. I'm good at taking care of myself. I wouldn't have lasted this long if I couldn't. So, don't worry about me there. Plus, I like to read. I'm sure I can find something to keep occupied with. I won't be a bother, I promise. Just don't send me to the orphanage, please." The girl pleaded. That was the last thing she wanted. Izzy would do anything to stay. Anything to not be forced to an orphanage and to a family she didn't want.

The girl gave an eager nod as she fidgeted with her hands. "I want to learn. Please, show me." Izzy was desperate to please Phylis. Though she was also super eager to learn. It was a challenge and that she looked forward to, even if it made her nervous. After all, it had been a long time since her young mind had been challenged at all.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
“Hmm, hmm, good,” Phylis said, nodding. “I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want me too. Not unless there is no other choice. Still, if you like to read that’s good! Reading and writing are the only proper ways to engage the mind. Come with me.”

She led the girl down to the bottom deck, and there to a neat collection of data chips. “The index is here in the first slot. Each one of these chips holds a lot of works, so borrow the one you need and return it when you’re done,” she said with a nod.

“I have a copy of the entire Jedi archives here…or at least electronic copies. You could read one work a minute for a hundred years and still not even scratch the surface. I’m not sure if there’s anything for children, but I believe that chip 609 has a collection of Curious Gorge the Ewok stories. Hmm, not entirely sure why.”

She was starting to ramble a little so closed the door to the archive room and headed back upstairs.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy nodded and followed along with Phylis. "I understand. That makes sense, I think."

Coming to the bottom deck, Izzy couldn't help but stare a little wide eyed at all the data chips that were there. Curiousity was flaring up within the young girl, curious about the things thee various chips contained and what knowledge they might hold. Izzy smiled, "It's okay if there isn't much for kids here. I don't mind. I also found adult book and advanced topics more interesting anyway."

Izzy was quick to follow Phylis out of the archive room and back upstairs. "My parents were engineers. So, there was always talk of physics and such in the house. I rather liked that, that they didn't treat me just like any child. And I like to learn, about almost anything." She said quietly. Who knew, maybe Phylis had found a padawan learner who was at least as interested in scholarly pursuits as she was. Though, only time would tell.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
“Hmm, good to hear,” she said, nodding. Then the next question came to mind.
“Might I ask what happened to your family? How did you end up on the streets like you did?”

She led the girl up to the meditation room and they sat opposite each other.

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy sighed as she took a seat. "I don't really know." The tiny girl gave a shrug and fidgeted with her hands for a moment, before she finally settled down. "It was strange. Things in the house seemed tense for a few days. My mom was upset a lot. Dad worried." Izzy's eyes drifted to the floor. "I don't know what was bothering them. They didn't tell me." Another shrug. "I went to sleep, I remember them tucking me in."

Izzy frowned, "There was some noises that night. But I didn't leave my room. In the morning, it was quiet, too quiet. The front door was open. I checked the whole house, no one was there. But my parent's office was all messed up." Again she shrugged, trying to brush it off.

"I stayed for a while. Alone. I don't have other family. No one to go to. I thought they'd come back. But they never came back. When the food ran out, and the power was shut off ... I had to do something. I couldn't stay there anymore. So I ended up on the street."

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
“Terrible…terrible,” Phylis said, shaking her head. “Did the police not investigate? Did no one try and see to your welfare?” the Jedi asked, a bit outraged. It had been a dark time for Fondor though, so perhaps things had been more disordered then.

“Did you want to find what happened to your parents? To find those responsible? When you’ve been trained we can try and follow the cold trail.”

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy shook her head sadly, "No, they never did. And no, no one even bothered with me. I was just another kid on the streets. No one really cared." The little girl shrugged trying still, to brush off the harsh realities of her life in the last year. "Things were crazy on Fondor. Some crisis. I just wasn't important."

Izzy nodded quickly, "I do want to know what happened." In fact it was something she wasn't entirely sure she could let go. "I would really like that. I think it will always bother me, if I don't at least try." A faint smile formed on her lips, "Thank you." Stepping forward, she reached out and hugged Phylis, grateful for what the Jedi Master had done for her so far.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

Phylis shook her head slowly, tutting.
“Terrible, just terrible dear. You have my word that when we have done some training and gotten you back to health we will try and investigate. Hmm, I will see what I can find in the Jedi databanks about your family.”

The hug surprised her, but she patted Izzy on the head in a vaguely friendly way.
“It’s alright dear, I’ll never abandon you. Hmm, not until you’re a Jedi Knight anyway,” she added. She was never one for overblown pronouncements!

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy nodded. "That means a lot to me." It was at least hope for trying to find out what happened to her parents. Even if it would have to wait until she was a little more healthy and better trained.

"It's nice to know that someone won't abandon me." The young girl did hope Phylis would keep her word on that. After all, she hadn't had much luck in that department. Izzy pulled away from Phylis, seeming at least to be adjusting to this new environment. "You said something about food earlier?" She asked as her stomach rumbled.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

“Hmm? Oh yes, of course, Six-Nine bring us dinner!”
A distant complaining warble sounded, but a few moments later the droid rolled in. In one metal hand it carried a tray with some food on it.
“I’m not, hmm, much of a gourmet chef. It’s mostly pre-packaged and rations for me.” The droid beeped something, and Phylis sniffed. “You’ll never let me forget that, will you? How was I to know that it would catch fire like that!”

Turning back to Izzy she offered her a bowl of soup, some bread and some random pieces of fruit. Clearly she thought fruit was a vital part of everyone’s diet!

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy glanced in the direction of the sound, seeming rather excited for the prospect of a proper meal. She couldn't help it. It'd been a long time since she had anything that even remotely resembled a meal. "I don't mind, truly." The little girl replied. Though, she did giggle just a little at Phylis' words about catching something on fire. "I've learned not to be picky over the last year, so it's not a worry."

Reaching out, she took the soup, bread and fruit from Phylis. Izzy was quick to chow down on the fruit first. It was just too good to pass up. That and well just about an fruit was something she loved.

[member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Izzy Aureth"]
Phylis smiled indulgently as her young charge ripped into the food. “Well, Six-Nine, it looks like you’ve got a fan of your cooking!”
The droid beeped something rude, but came over to Izzy and beeped much more pleasant.
“He says you can have as much as you want. And…no, she’s too young to drink!” Phylis said sternly.

The droid rolled off, eventually returning with a small cake on a tray.
“I thought we had run out of the seedcake!” she exclaimed. “Hmmph, he says he was saving it for someone special,” she translated sulkily.