The Secrets You Keep

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

It had taken a lot of courage for Mirshko to even approach Mom and Da about her request. And rightfully so. She didn't blame either of them for wanting to keep her close to home after what had happened. Feth, she probably would have done the same thing in their place. And yet, they'd surprised her themselves. She frowned slightly as she looked over the controls of Mom's Bes'uliik. It was a custom model. And, there was one reason in particular that she'd asked to borrow it. And it was that very same reason which was probably why they'd said yes.

She wanted to go visit Aunt Sio. While not an aunt by blood, the woman didn't need to be. She was a close personal friend of Mom's. And that was enough in Mirshko's eyes. As far as she was concerned, that made the woman family. Much in the same sense that Anija considered other people family who were not of the same bloodline. She found that concept a bit.. strange. But at the same time, she liked it. It was like having a huge extended family with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins.

Shaking her head slightly, she tried to focus. Both Mom and Da had taught her how to fly the craft, both in simulator and a few times in trial flights. But this would be her first truly solo flight. And well... this was probably the best way to go about it. She didn't want to get caught in the same situation as she had with the pirates. The thought caused her to swallow and try to re-focus. It wasn't easy. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself and focus like Mom had taught her to do. It worked... mostly.

With a deep breath, she carefully worked her way through the preflight, watching carefully as the ready lights on the control console flickered from yellow to green. When they had, she lightly put some power to the thrusters and lifted the craft slowly from the tarmac. Well, it was more a cleared area of hard-packed earth. Or at least it looked that way from the outside. But she knew there was a sophisticated hangar system hidden below. A few moments of power to the thrusters and she kicked them in harder. The force of it pushed her back into her seat as she felt the gravity fighting the inertial dampners.

Angling the controls, she typed out a short message to Mom and Da, before she angled the craft upwards and towards open space. The cloak flickered, and in an instant, the craft was gone from sight. She knew as they did that the cloak was one of the main reasons why they'd allowed her to go on this trip. It wasn't that they didn't trust her. But they wanted her to be safe. Between the cloak... and Mom having installed a version of ANNE into MIrshko's new armor, she figured she was more than ok.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Light years away from Mandalore, the grand Firemane villa had been built deep in the mountains of northern Tygara. Overall, the climate on the planet was rather warm, and snow rarely fell in the lands where the Qadiri dwelt. However, in the lands that the Eldorai had claimed as their new home, temperatures could be lower. As such, on this day the mountains were steeped in snow. As such, this obviously also applied to the area where the Kerrigan-Alcori Clan lived. From the villa, you had a magnificient view of New Santaissa. By now the hills were covered in snow, snowflakes were still falling, creating a picturesque sight. Assuming you could deal with the cold and were appropriately clothed, it was a nice change from the sun and heat of Amikaron.


Draped in a thick and undoubtedly expensive furcoat, Siobhan was standing outside on the villa's landing platform, waiting for Mirshko's craft to appear. Little did the Countess know that it was a stealth craft, which would probably mean that it might surprise her when it landed!


By her estimation, Mirshko should be arriving soon, though. The precise coordinates had been sent so that the girl would have no trouble finding the villa. Siobhan pulled the coat tighter around her as she felt a cold chill over her body. Her cheeks were flushed with a slight rosy hue due to the cold winds. Drawing upon tapas, she used her power to increase her own body heat, making the coldness less of a queen to deal with. Her brown orbs were cast to the sky as she scanned the horizon for any sign of Mirshko's craft.


Though Siobhan had not interacted much with the girl, she was feeling rather protective of her, especially after the ordeal Mirshko had went through after being abducted by the Pirate Lord. Hopefully some with her auntie could help her move past this trauma. Auntie Sio, those two words filled her heart with warmth, as mushy as that sounded. After all, she really loved children. Hopefully the little girl had not run into trouble. Truth be told, it amazed Siobhan a bit that Mirshko's parents had allowed her to go on such a flight on her own. Not in a negative sense, it just surprised her. Then again, Siobhan was known to be a bit overprotective, so differences in parenting style were to be expected. Raising a gloved hand, she wiped some cold moisture from her face.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tygara - Kerrigan Villa
Landing Pad

Snow... and lots of it. It wasn't something Mirshko was overly familiar with, though she'd dealt with it growing up. But not like this. She was glad of her instruments because they snow was whipping past outside her pressurized canopy, and in spite of the efforts of the vessels air circulators, the inside of the canopy was beginning to fog slightly from the temperature difference. Carefully, she guided the bes'uliik down to a landing on the permacrete pad, being careful to give the waiting figure plenty of space.

How she even saw the figure... she didn't know. Maybe she more felt it than saw... She shrugged slightly at the thought. Not that it mattered really. She supposed it was something to ask aunt Sio about. Come to think of it.. .there were a lot of things she wanted to talk to her aunt about. Sighing softly, she sat for a moment and listened as the vessel ticked and cooled. As the landing gear had made contact with the permacrete, she'd killed the stygium cloak - not wanting to startle anyone too badly.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan had sensed a presence approaching through the Force. A familiar one, though she had not been able to trace it with pinpoint accuracy. She had never excelled at Force Sense and thus did not possess the 'omniscience' some Force Masters seemed to cultivate, or at least claim they possessed!


Thus it was quite accurate to say that she looked a bit startled when suddenly a starfighter popped up and touched down on her landing pad! However, to her credit she managed to regain her composure soon when she realised it was little Mirshko. It was a bit naughty of the kiddo to startle her auntie like that, but she was too adorable for Siobhan to get cross.


So without further ado, Siobhan quickly headed over the snow-covered, permacrete pad towards the fighter craft. Well, she walked over as quickly as you could if you had a bit of a limp. So she reached the fighter and gave the window a gentle knock. "Hey, sweetie. You surprised your auntie a bit. Your flight went well? Come on, it's not that cold!" Once Mirshko exited the craft Siobhan would give her a hug and all that. It really wasn't that cold!

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Mirshko couldn't help the slightly nervous giggle that bubbled up at Sio's comment. She tried. She really did. But, she found the situation amusing. Biting her lip for a moment, she reached up to release the crash harness and scramble out of the seat as she popped the fighter's canopy. As the tempered transparisteel separated from the body of the craft, Mirshko shivered slightly. 'Not too cold, my shebs...' she thought to herself for a moment. AN tried to be reassuring by displaying the current temperature on Mirshko's HUD. "It's really not that cold..." her voice sounded like a whisper in Mirshko's ear.

When the canopy had cleared enough, she hopped down onto the fuselage of the bes'uliik and was immediately greeted by a hug from Sio. She oofed slightly in surprise, and stiffened in reflex. But she did relax after a few moments. "Sorry, Ba'vodu..." she said, her voice muffled by the fur of Sio's coat. "I didn't mean to startle you..." she pulled back for a moment and looked up at the other woman. Her own face was obscured by the helmet from her armor, and she was dressed in her beskar'gam. That was one thing that Arrbi had helped her forge when she'd come home. Her original set had to be left behind, as well as the set which had been fashioned for her during her captivity.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan loosened her hold a bit on Mirshko when she felt the girl stiffen. For a moment she wondered whether she might've done something wrong, epecially in the light of the ordeal the little Betna had gone through recently, but then Mirshko seemed to relax.


As for her beskar'gam, well, it was Sio's opinion that Mirshko looked adorable in it. Hopefully it was not too heavy though! "No problem, sweetie. Armour looks nice on you. Come on in, it's warm inside, you can get that helmet off to let your auntie get a good look at you. Are your parents doing well?" Gently taking Mirshko's hand she began to lead her away from the landing pad. Though Siobhan walked with a pronounced limp, she seemed radiant and best of spirits. Ahead of them lay the magnificient Firemane villa. A casual wave of Sio's hand - literal handwavium! - opened the door. Inside there was warmth and plenty of luxury, so Mirshko would not be out in the cold for long!

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

As Sio spoke, Mirshko felt herself relaxing slightly. She didn't know the older woman all that well, but she did know that Mom trusted her very much, and she knew that she had helped to get Mirshko home after what had happened for that she was grateful. She certainly couldn't stop thanking Elpsis for her help, even though she knew it embarrassed the other girl. The suggestion of going inside was met with an enthusiastic nod on Mirshko's part. She really didn't like the cold!

With her fingers in Sio's, she gripped the older woman's hand firmly and let her lead the way inside. She'd never been here before, and it was reflex for her to scan any new place for danger. Even here, where she knew she was safe. It was a hard habit to break, and one that had helped to save her life on more than one occasion. As the stepped inside, Mirshko reached up to unseal her helmet and remove it. As she did so, her dark touseled hair spilled down around her shoulders, and she looked up at Sio with a shy smile. "Thanks for letting me come visit."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Inside the magnificient villa there was warmth and luxury. Rich, expensive looking carpets, tasteful tapestries and artwork. In other words, appropriately baroque for the clan of two aristocrats. "No problem, sweetie. I'm glad to have you stay over," Siobhan said warmly, smiling encouragingly and giving Mirshko's hand a soft squeeze.


A beautiful dark skinned servant girl, wearing a white dress, came over to take off Sio's furcoat off her shoulders and put it somewhere where it could dry. "Hello, Mirshko. I'm Harmony, one of Siobhan's servants. Welcome to our home. I hope you enjoy your stay." Tone was very warm and inviting, for a change she was not trolling. Sio's servants had all been ordered to be on their best behaviour. "If you need something, just call. We've got a room prepared for you."


"It's got a lovely view of the city," Siobhan added. Looking fondly at the little Betna, she wondered whether Mirshko would let her braid her hair. They could have such fun! "Dinner will be ready soon, Harmony?" she enquired from her attendant.


"Yep, just harassed the cooks. They will soon lay out the feast for your glorious ladyship." Ok, now she was definitely trolling. There, go ahead, Harmony, butter up Sio's ego even more. If it got any bigger it would probably blow up like a balloon.


"Great. Are you hungry, Mirshko? I can take you on a tour of the villa after dinner. And did you bring clothes with you? We've got some in your room that should fit you. I don't think beskar armour is that comfy!" In deference to the fact that Mirshko would be used to a different life style, Siobhan had restrained the urge to buy her lots of overly fancy clothes and stuck to more practical ones.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

A slow smile spread across Mirshko's face as she looked up at Sio, clutching her helmet in her arms. It was... comforting for her to do so. It was... a physical reminder of who she was. Not something she'd really had during her captivity. When Harmony approached, Mirrshko smiled shyly, and after a moment, she passed the girl her helmet as SIo had her coat. She hoped that it wouldn't be too cumbersome.

It was strange to her to have a servant again, and she had to bite down on the ingrained reflex from her time in captivity. Harmony seemed nice, and she couldn't sense anything that told her otherwise. So, she took a deep breath and tried to relax. She smiled slightly at the comments from both. "A view of the city, you say...?" she replied softly to Sio's comment. "I'd like that. It'll be a nice change from staring at all those trees at home..." she tried to joke.

"I am a bit hungry..." she admitted after a moment, her comment followed closely by her stomach announcing it's emptiness with a rather loud rumble. She giggled nervously. "I did bring some clothes, but only a change or two, since the cargo space in Mom's Bes'uliik is limited." She thought a moment, and took another deep breath to calm herself. "If you'll show me the room, I'd like to get changed and then eat something..." she said gratefully.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan's servant girls were a nice bunch, though they tended to be trollish nymphos. Needless to say they'd be behaving in the presence of the kiddo. Siobhan laughed slightly when Mirshko's stomach protested against being empty and not filled with food.


"Ok, sweetie. I'll take you there. It's all nice and comfy there." Squeezing Mirshko's hand reassuringly, Siobhan led her out of the reception room. The villa, perhaps unsurprisingly given who owned it, was grand and perhaps a bit ostentatious. Both Siobhan and her wife had risen from abject poverty to the top and were not shy about showing off their wealth.


"My room's a floor above yours, but there's a communicator in your bedroom. Just activate it if you need something and I'll be right there. Doesn't matter what the time is." Though she had several servants, Siobhan liked to be available and easily accessible for the kids she was looking after. While Mirshko was obviously not her daughter, she would treat her no less. The room chosen was very nice, without overwhelmning Mirshko with luxury she might be unused to.


A large, comfortable bed with fluffy pillows, table, chair, spacious wardrobe and, best of all, a washstand. Siobhan made a lazy gesture with her hand, and sudenly the silk curtains parted, revealing a magnificient view of the snow-covered hills and the city of New Santaissa that lay beneath them. It was less grand than the Eldorai's old and now thoroughly destroyed capital on Kaeshana since much of it was still under construction, but the white stone buildings and towers were still impressive. All the snow that permeated the city created a picturesque view, at least as long as you weren't outside in the cold!


"There we are, sweetie. Pick what you like. Your mum gave me your measurements, so I'm sure the clothes will fit." Siobhan pointed at the closet, which contained a selection of spare clothes. All of them were nice and of good quality, but nothing overly fancy. As long as her girls were comfortable and appropriately dressed, Siobhan was not fussy about their attire despite being an unrepentant fashionista. "There's a 'fresher down the hall if you need it. Oh, and I have a gift for you." To be precise, there was a small, gift-wrapped item lying on the bed. It even had a nice ribbon.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Nodding, she squeezed Sio's hand in return, and sighed softly. She'd only been home a few months, but seeing the villa, it reminded her a bit too much of how Kuryr had spoiled her. Biting her lip, She clutched at Sio's hand again. That was not a series of memories she wanted to relive. Not yet. Sure, he had spoiled her, but she'd remained a prisoner, both in fact, and in her own mind. Not something she ever wished on anyone.

As they made their way upstairs, Mirshko looked around, and didn't make any efforts to hide her curiosity. She still reflexively was checking the corners for danger, and she didn't much care if Sio saw or not. It was a habit that had saved her life on more than one occasion in the recent months. Some might think her paranoid, even given were she was. But she didn't care. Slowly, she stepped into the room with Sio, and her eyes widened. "Ba'vodu..." she gasped softly, and then turned to Sio with a grin. Sure, the sight of it did make her uncomfortable, but it was all hers. And she knew - hoped - that Sio wouldn't be watching her every move. Kuryr had done that, and it had gotten under her skin.

The room was more than she had been expecting, though she supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised, given what she'd seen of the rest of the villa. Barely holding back a soft exclamation of surprise, she cautiously approached the bed, and then turned, flopping backwards onto it with a giggle. Even so, she was watching Sio out of the corner of her eye purely out of habit. It was so hard for her to rationalize what was going on given her experiences over the past year.

She'd barely missed the wrapped gift as she did so, for it was sitting almost in the middle of the bed. Turning on her side, Mirshko gripped the small box in her hand and sat up carefully, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. The box wasn't overly large, but it did have a rather satisfying weight to it. The heft made her think briefly of the other gift Sio had given her almost a year ago, now. In fact, she still had it. Though, she was certain Kuryr would have taken it. He seemed to have figured out the rest of the gear she'd been captured with, for it had either been confiscated or had trackers implanted.

Shaking herself slightly to rid her mind of those thoughts, her left hand reached up to grip unconsciously at the small pendant which hung about her neck. But they both knew what it actually was. Turning the small box over in her hands for a moment, she then unwrapped it carefully, laying the paper aside after carefully removing the meticulously tied ribbon. With hesitant fingers, she carefully pried the lid off the box and set it aside. And then there was some crinkly tissue. Laughing softly at the lengths to which Sio had gone to wrap the gift, she carefully peeled back the tissue. When she saw what lay within, she swore softly, and her gaze lifted quickly to Sio's. "Ori'vore..." she whispered as she saw the hold out bolter nestled within the papers.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


"You're welcome, sweetie. I wasn't sure whether that pirate bastard took your gun. Besides, this one's shinier since it's got your name engraved," Siobhan said happily. Well, actually this writer had forgotten that the Countess had already given Mirshko one!


But there was nothing wrong with having a backup, and Mirshko's happiness proved contagious, causing Siobhan to smile. Walking over towards the bed, she picked up another gift-wrapped package. This was actually a new one, and quite a bit larger, though an equal amount of care had been taken to wrap it. There was even a nice little ribbon.


"Open it, dear. It's a sarix." As the little Betna would discover once she had opened the package, it contained a long, durasteel sword in a sheath. Elaborate Eldorai glyphs were carved into the blade, while the ornate hilt was ornamented and contained reliefs of the Goddess Ashira. Mirshko's name had been inscribed in both Eldarai and Mando'a. The hilt contained an emitter that, if pressed, would activate a containment field similar to a lightsabre.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

This writer tries to remember things... and well to this writer's knowledge Mirshko still has the original bolter around her neck, though not-functional. Regardless, another one was more than welcome! And, to have her name engraved on it too? That was pretty neat, Mirshko thought to herself as she turned the small weapon over in her fingers. Much like herr first one, it resembled not much more than a pendant of some sort.

That was after all, how she'd managed to keep it for as long as she had. At least until Kuryr had figured out it's true purpose and disabled it. That had made her so mad! At the memory, her fingers curled into a fist for a brief moment before she breathed out the remembered anger and frustration. Another deep breath, and she found herself calm again... or mostly so. With care, she unfurled the chain which had been carefully threaded through the end of the device and carefully placed the necklace around her neck before working the closure with her fingers.

When she looked up at Sio, her eyes were wide in surprise. She wasn't used to this whole gifting thing. And to be honest, it reminded her slightly of what Kuryr used to do. But! She knew Sio had no ulterior motive besides wanting her niece to be safe. And that was certainly something Mirshko wanted as well. She had learned to be very cautious since she'd come back from the shadowport. Not that caution was a bad thing in the last! It had saved her shebs on more than one occasion since.

Carefully, she worked loose the knot in the ribbon before pulling the ends apart and carefully unwrapping the long flat box. This one two had quite a bit of heft to it. Setting the paper aside, she enjoyed the crinkly sound it made as she crumpled it slightly. When she'd freed the box from the paper, she carefully slid a finger under the edge of the lid, working to separate the two. When she had, she carefully pulled them apart. The object inside had been wrapped carefully in tissue. Well, at least Auntie Sio was thorough in her wrapping!

When she'd carefully unwrapped the item within, and saw it laid against the tissue paper, she swore softly. "This... is for me....?" she said breathlessly, as she looked up at Sio. "Da has been teaching me a bit of sworrdwork using practice blades. This is mesh'la..." she whispered, lightly tracing her fingers over the carved hilt and scabbard. "These glyphs... what do they mean?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan gave Mirshko an encouraging smile. She would probably be doing a lot of that! "Yes, it's for you, dear. A sarix is the traditional blade of Eldorai elite soldiers, the Angelii. Built for Force-users, but normal people can use it just as easily," she spoke softly.


Tracing a finger across the blade, she indicated a glyph. "'With determination I shall win', that relief on the hilt is an image of the Eldorai Goddess Ashira and that script is your name in Mando'a and Eldarai." Taking ahold of the weapon so that she could demonstrate for Mirshko, she pressed a button under the hilt. The sword shimmered and a blue surface hovered over the edge, giving it a slight luminiscent sheen.


"The containment field enhances the blade's cutting power, giving it the ability to resist lightsabres and and block blaster bolts to a degree, though blocking several is very difficult. It's not a beskad, but should be a lot easier for you to use at this stage."

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Cautiously. MIrshko ran her fingers over the carved glyphs and the raised surfaces of the relief on the hilt. The metal was cool and smooth to the touch. The Inscription on the blade... when Sio translated it... Something resonated inside Mirshko's chest. It was hard to explain. But it was a feeling as if the blade belonged in her hands. As if it always had been. It wasn't a feeling she could remember having with any of the weapons that Kuryr had given her. And, the thought that it was hers alone was... both exhilarating and empowering. Taking another few moments to trace her fingers carefully over the hilt, she grinned up at Sio. "Thank you..." she whispered, her voice tinged with awe before wrapping her free arm around Sio's middle in a firm hug.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan happily returned the embrace, holding little Mirshko close. "You're welcome, my little angel. It's yours." She fondly stroked the girl's hair and planted a maternal kiss on her forehead, then stepped away, leaving the sarix for Mirshko.


"I suppose I'll go down and harass the cooks a bit. You can go get changed. Dining room is one floor below. If you have trouble finding your way, one of the maidens will help you." One would be doing rounds on this floor and able to point out directions if needed.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

For several moments, Mirshko found herself staring down at the Sarix, and carefully tracing her fingers over the engraved glyphs in the hilt. There was something about them that resonated within her. What that was, she couldn't quite put her finger on. As Sio moved away to head downstairs, Mirshko nodded and hopped off the bed. Setting the Sarix down for a moment, she moved towards the large closet. In front of it, there was a screen, and behind that, a chair. Piece by piece, she began carefully removing her Beskar'gam and set it neatly on the chair. By the time she was done, the pile was quite formidable.

She stared at it for a few seconds, rather in surprise before she stepped towards the closet. With a firm tug, she pulled open the door which separated her from the clothing contained within. And what she saw made her gasp in surprise. The selection of clothes was just... surprising. And if she was honest with herself, at first she gravitated towards some of the fancier outfits. But, she had to stop herself. For just seeing some of them brought out memories she didn't want to contemplate. So, instead, she selected an outfit that was rather plain. She wanted something comfortable, and there was plenty of that! Once she'd changed and brushed out her hair, she cautiously made her way out into the hall and began to look for the stairs.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


As chance would have it, sweet, little Mirshko would run into Harmony on the way. "Hey, Mirshko. Looking for the dining room? I can take you there, sweetie. Between you and me, I don't like the cold either!" Someone who was native to tropical Dahomey could not be expected to. So she gently took Mirshko by the hand and led her to the stairs.


Perhaps sensing that Mirshko was not used to life on top, Siobhan had elected a rather informal setting for the dinner. Wearing a red dress, she sat at one side of a long table, which was able to host ten people and made out of Kashyyyk hardwood. Dinner was being served by servant girls in waitress uniforms.


In deference to the fact Siobhan still did not know which fork to use, there was only one type! "Ah, Mirshko, dear. You look nice. Please sit down," Siobhan said chipperly once Harmony and the Mandalorian presumably entered the room. The Lady gestured to Mirshko to sit opposite her, so that they could be close.

 

[Mirshko Betna]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

The outfit she'd chosen was rather simple. A tunic and pants in a soft linen. A nice fabric, but not too fancy. The fabric was a medium teal color, which set off Mirshko's eyes rather nicely. She'd taken her hair and brushed it out carefully before braiding it down her back. Shivering slightly, Mirshko smiled shyly when she ran into Harmony in the hall. "Good... I don't know how you find your way around this place. I would get lost for weeks before I finally learned my way around!" she said softly, her tone wary as she followed the other girl down the stairs.

It didn't take long for the pair to reach the dining room, and as they entered, Mirshko stopped short in surprise. Sure, Aunt Sio had tried to keep it low key, but it still struck something inside Mirshko, and she froze in the doorway. Too many memories of her time on Syvris. Too many. Only Harmony's light touch on her shoulder kept her from bolting in pure fight or flight reflex. Her mind knew where she was... but the memories... for all she knew, she was back on Syvris.

Deep breath... you can do this... she told herself as she tried to maintain her grip on reality. She'd done well to keep the memories at bay during the year or so that she'd been home, but it wasn't an easy task. She'd not told Mom or Da the entire story either. Maybe she should. She didn't know. What she did know what that she never wanted to go through something like that ever again. Another deep breath, and she looked sideways at Harmony before she moved towards the empty chair across from Sio.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirshko Betna"]


Siobhan smiled encouragingly when Mirshko appeared in the doorway. However, she furrowed her brow when she saw the girl hesitate. She looked much like the proverbial deer caught in the headlight. Siobhan was about to get up and slowly walk towards her, but then Mirshko crossed the threshold and walked towards the empty chair across from where the Countess was sitting.


Unfortunately, Siobhan did not know much about what had transpired during Mirshko's captivity. It had been an ordeal, but she knew little. "Is something wrong, Mirshko? Is it too much?" she asked gently, voice filled with concern. Her tone could only be described as motherly.


"You know you can tell your Auntie anything. I won't tell anyone if you don't want to." Slowly she reached out with her hand to pat Mirshko's, assuming the girl let her. "You're safe here. No one's gonna hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you." For the time being dinner was forgotten as she focused solely on the young Betna.