Un-Ape-Ceptable! [Sio]

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Snowflake"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Siobhan’s areas of interest aligned with Tegaea academically. Tegs likewise not much of a scholar, but did enjoy greatly having books about military topics handy. She especially loved the “D’yanes Fighting Ships” series of the current era, they had maps and pictures and everything! She was slightly miffed though at the space given to the ‘Skyfall’, which she had always considered a silly ship.

As Siobhan walked she noticed her discomfit and discretely offered her a hand if she wanted it. She knew her wife was proud about not showing her pain, but she’d be wrong not to offer.

In the library were a large selection of data card and audio recordings. There were some Eldorai texts too in parchment or paper as they had not entirely embraced digitisation yet.

“We’ve got an index of everything somewhere,” Tegaea said, looking for the necessary data card.

 

[Lief]

"Physics?" she inquired, with a curious raising of the brow. Jyn hadn't had the best of educations growing up before being thrown to the wolves... Well, the Sith at least. And they clearly had other interests in mind than teaching the girl about trivial laws of space and time and... Well, whatever else. Safe to say she hadn't really stumbled across that subject matter much before. "I wouldn't even know where to begin" she confessed, with a shrug. While Jyn was somewhat intelligent for her age, perhaps one of the very few things she had going for her, she was far from academically minded.

Watching as the woman rose and tried to hide her struggle, which was somewhat redundant in the eyes of a very precise Empath - of course, Siobhan did not know that... At least as far as Jyn was aware - she could not help but frown. Wanting to help, yet not wanting to draw any attention to the difficulties she was facing in terms of injuries, Jyn instead opted to feign ignorance. Best she not let on too much, anyway.

As they ventured into the women's personal archives, Jyn's eyes lit up. She had not seen so much knowledge since fleeing the Sith with Tirdarius! "Wow..." Her eyes scanned the entire room, drawn to the datacards, holocrons, datacrons... But more so to the physical texts. It was so rare to see such things!

[member='Siobhan Kerrigan'] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Snowflake"]


Personally Siobhan believed that a ship called the 'Starfall' just had to be slly. And as it turned out, it had fallen from the stars!


She saw the hand Tegaea offered her and looked grateful, but declined it, though she smiled at her wife to let her know that she appreciated the gesture. Sometimes she was just too stubborn and prideful for her own good. Fortunately she managed to reach the library well enough. Sometimes her injuries were barely noticeable, at other times they made themselves known rather painfully. The latter often happened when she was feeling stressed.


Then again, all the maimings had forced her to settle down, so maybe there had been a benefit. However, she could not contain the broad smile upon her face when she saw the way Jyn responded to their personal archives. The girl looked like a kid in a candy store. Or Chesna when they had shown her the new Iron Maiden.


She could not keep herself from chuckling a bit. "Take your time and have a look, dear," she said warmly, looking around a bit before she found the index, which she passed over to Jyn. Neither Siobhan nor Tegaea were scholarly types who spent time debating philosophy, but the archives were well-stocked. Recently they had been expanded a bit since Siobhan had ordered several books from Wisdom Tree Knowledge, Phylis' company, in order to help Galina further her education.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Snowflake"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

It had to be said that Jyn’s enthusiasm was touching. Tegaea didn’t get that excited about literacy…well unless one counted the ‘book club’, but perhaps that was slightly different.

“If there’s anything you’re looking for especially we can usually find a digital version of it pretty quickly, but I think we have enough here to get started with!”

 

[Lief]

Jyn marveled about the room and took a few tentative steps away from her hosts. Her gaze lingered over a large selection of datacrons and the like, before instinctively traveling to the more tangible forms of knowledge - that is, the tomes and scrolls aforementioned.

Curiosity intensified, the girl wandered over to them and cast her gaze over the craftmanship gone into binding the books, gaze soaking in each and every detail. She did not try to reach out to them, not knowing their age or how well they might be handled.

"They are beautiful" she breathed, it was rare that one got to see the more raw application of knowledge in the Galaxy, everything tended to be in data form.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Snowflake"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan was, all things considered, not a scholar. Books were just books to her, same with datacrons. However, she could not help find Jyn's enthusiasm very touching and adorable. "She's as geeky as Galina," she muttered in an aside to Tegaea, tone fond.


Maybe she was getting a tad attached. "Don't be shy, dear. The books will hold if you touch them," she said encouragingly. "There's a table and chair if you want to sit down." Stepping forward she looked around a bit on one of the shelves, before removing a tome that was a history of the Eldorai and their Queens. It was one of the books Siobhan had actually taken the time to read, as the notes she had occasionally written in the margins showed!

 

[Lief]

At the woman's encouragement, Jyn gently took up the tome she had been looking at and felt its weight within her grasp. Considerably heavier than a datacron, yet likely holding much less comprehensive knowledge, the child could not help but smile. She had never thought she would ever actually get to read from a book, of all things! The cover was leather, included Aurebesh but also a language she was unfamiliar with. "Is this Eldorai?" she inquired, running her finger gently over the lettering. She didn't even know if that was the correct term for the space elf language!

Slowly she turned the cover and stared down at the first inked leaf. The smell of the book was enough to make her toes curl, there was nothing quite like it! So long had it been since the child could relax and really enjoy something... She was so used to being on high alert as of late, that it actually felt rather alien to her. "Thank you" she whispered to both Sio and Tegs; she was beginning to regret the fact that she would have to leave in the morning.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Jyn Sol"]
“They call it Middle Eladarai. There’s a more formal script and dialect used mainly for law and such, but no one speaks it. There’s also Gutter Eldarai which is more of a slang version. There’s other dialects and regional versions, but this is the ‘official’ language of the Matriarchy.”

“It’s quite a story that one. A bit exaggerated in places, but sound for the most part. It’s the ‘official’ version of the history, you understand.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Jyn Sol"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"And thus has the official spin on it. You can imagine that every civilisation has dirty laundry they don't want aired," Siobhan said, sharing a look with Tegaea. After all, both of them knew a lot about the secrets of the Eldorai. One of their courtesans just happened to be a 'demigoddess' and the 'daughter' of Ashira.


It's a...long story! "But it's a good start to learn about them. Covers all the Queens from Tassaria the First to Anya Venari. Or Tirathana the Seventh as she's formally known. She's a very good friend of ours," she spoke with genuine fondness in her tone. Alas, ever since becoming Queen Anya was not jumping into bed with her anymore.

 

[Lief]

Three languages, or at least dialects, for one species? Jyn was impressed - although that likely made it a pain to learn. One day perhaps she would have the chance to do so. She didn't really know any languages, though she had stumbled upon a little Mando'a while reading Master Seren's notes. The translation .. well, she definitely had to work on that!

"I do like to hear how a people got to where they are" she said, with a soft shrug of her shoulders. "May I borrow this for the evening?" Force knew Jyn was going to have a difficult time sleeping, she always did - more often than not she ran on adrenaline alone. It would be interesting to read a little on something she knew absolutely nothing about. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes was handy!

Jyn was beginning to feel rather tired, however; it had been quite an odd day. She would not admit as much to her hosts, though, that would be rude! Instead she did her best to hide a yawn and turned to glance through the rest of the archive. It was quite a magnificent room!

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Jyn Sol"]

The Eldorai seemed to have a greater ratio of dirty secrets to centuries than most other species. Perhaps that was always the way with xenophobic theocracies?

“Of course you can! Borrow it as long as you’re here,” Tegaea said.

She saw their guest was getting a bit sleepy. “We’ve prepared a room for you if you want to sleep. You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Jyn Sol"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Or maybe their writers liked dirty little secrets and conspiracies a lot! Siobhan still loved the Eldorai and believed their social system was admirable.


Seeing that Jyn was getting sleepy, Siobhan took her hand. "Come with me, dear. I can take you to your room. You can take the book with you and, really, you don't have to leave tomorrow if you want to stay longer. You're welcome here," she said warmly. She had that 'I want to keep her' look on her face. "I have a gift for you in your room."

 

[Lief]

Jyn held the book gently in both hands; she might have placed it into her satchel, if Fuz did not have the habit of believing everything that entered his domain was fair game. She did not want the beautiful piece of art to be destroyed by a curious monkey and his remarkably sharp teeth! There was no doubting he could bite through the leather hide of its cover.

Glancing between both woman, Jyn could not help but frown. She could tell that Siobhan did not want her to leave, and truth be told Jyn did not wish to go either, but if she went back on what she said then Jyn would be no better than the rest of the Galaxy. Best she leave in the morning as planned, figure out her next move. "Thank you" she said again, how many times had she spoken those words this evening?

Not wanting to disappoint them so soon, she simply smiled to their offer. "I'll think on it" she said, beginning to follow them from the room as Siobhan continued to speak. "I'd like to sleep." The question was, could she sleep on a normal bed? For months she had lain against a hard bunker floor, or within the undergrowth of Teth's forests. The past week she had slept on a hard bunk. Would it prove uncomfortable to sleep in, well, comfort?

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Jyn Sol"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

“Come this way, dear,” Tegaea said. They were used to the occasional waif and stray coming to stay with them every so often. As a result there were a couple of bedrooms permanently prepared for visitors.
However, since one could never be too careful these guest rooms were monitored from the outside by cameras. Just in case any of the guests chose to ‘borrow’ some of the furnishings.

The room chosen though was very nice and simple. There was a bed, table, chair, small wardrobe and best of all, a small washstand.
“There’s a ‘fresher down the hall if you need it. If you need anything call 69 on the communicator.” Tegaea frowned. Chesna had programmed that one early on and they’d not been able to change it….

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Jyn Sol"]


Siobhan frowned slightly when they led Jyn to her room. Perhaps she picked up on the fact that the girl would definitely leave tomorrow...but she clearly did not like it! However, she seemed to have enough sense not to push things. As for 69, Siobhan did not see what was wrong with that number. It was a good position!


In any case she walked towards the table and picked up a small device...on first sight it looked like a pendant. "This is for you, dear. Looks like a pendant, but it's a hold-out bolter. Fires buckshot, slugs and explosive bolts at point-blank range. One-shot weapon, but my wife killed a Sith Assassin with it. I can show you how to load and use it tomorrow," she said.

 

[Lief]

Jyn said nothing until they came upon the guest quarters; the room was, to the young girl, practically a palace in its own right. Her eyes widened a little, before she turned to her hosts. She could definitely do with freshening up a little, it had been a while since she had access to such facilities. No doubt she looked quite a mess, and out of place in this clean environment! "69" she said, painfully oblivious to the... connotations. "Got it!"

Turning her attention to Siobhan for a moment she glanced over the hold-out and could barely hide the smile. Jyn relied upon a blaster of her own for protection, but that was difficult to break out in an every day situation. Having something far smaller, even if it was single-shot, could definitely get her out of dangerous predicaments! "Can it be worn like a pendant?" she asked.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Jyn Sol"]
"It can, yes." Tegaea opened a button on her shirt to show where an identical device hung around her neck. Without the Force to call on, it made sense to have a weapon always on hand without making it obvious.
"Just be careful with it...once it's ready to fire it goes off on a hair trigger!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Jyn Sol"]


"Can wear it as a pendant, make it look like a tube of lipstick or a communicator or hide it in a handbag. Pendant is the easiest and most practical though. Just be careful, as Tegs, said. There's a mechanism to prime the weapon so it doesn't go off prematurely," she held up the hold-out and demonstrated how the tiny gun was loaded and then primed. One had to perform a complex series of rotations before the firing stud appeared.


"Stud appears once it's primed. Reloading the weapon takes a bit, as you can see, so unless you're very lucky you'll really only have one shot. Ammo types each have their pros and cons. Buckshot is nasty at close range against unarmoured targets, slugs are the most silent. Unlike with the traditional bolter, here the explosive bolts expend their explosive energy right in front of a target rather than exploding in a cloud of shrapnel since that would be impractical given the short range!"

 

[Lief]

Jyn glanced across to [member="Tegaea Alcori"] as she revealed her own hold-out which was hidden as a pendant, and smiled slightly. Well, it did seem like the most convenient place to have it, better than fumbling about in pockets and the like. Besides, if it was as easy to trigger as they said it was, that could be dangerous! Now, Jyn presently had nothing to make a necklace out of, but that wouldn't be too difficult to sort out.

Turning her attention across to [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] the girl watched as she showed and explained the device. "I have a blaster" she quietly stated, reaching to the back of her trousers to pull it from her belt - the weapon having been under her shirt throughout. "So this would work perfectly as a last resort." Jyn knew how quickly the tables could turn out there, especially where danger was concerned. Just because she started out with a blaster did not give her an upper edge. It could be just as quickly taken from her.

Immediately the girl replaced the weapon back to her belt, not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable by her waving it around. She was still a child after all. Still, she was quite the shot!

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Jyn Sol"]

Tegaea nodded as she saw the blaster. As someone who’d grown up with them from an early age she had no problem with the girl packing one.
“That’s all I can hope for then,” she said with a smile. “Though I daresay you won’t need it around this place it’s always good to keep with you.”

“Sleep well, Jyn. See you in the morning.” She made to leave. She was unsure, but hopeful, that Jyn would be there in the morning.