trans_9 | There's No Place Like [Open]

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There's No Place Like [Open]

This house was strange thing, stranger than any dwelling in Teyr. But it was livable, if overfull of humanity with their strange comings and goings.

She had the feeling that some of them did not trust her, and she found that logical, she didn't trust any of them entirely yet either.

Kali had found herself a quiet corner on the porch, tucked away from everyone else. It was strange, only a little while ago her biggest worry had been that Yana might knock another one of Brevo's teeth out in a brawl, and now...

Now there was a bronze dragon, and so many humans she barely knew, and no siblings. Strange how much they had irritated her at times, and yet now, bereft of their presence, she felt so much more alone than she would have otherwise on this giant ship far from home. She missed them, and there was no shame in that. She missed her mother and her father.

She would like very much to go home. And yet she was here, and her father would return, until then she must do her best to be brave. She must attempt to follow the instructions she had been given and make her father proud of her. That was her only option.

She looked out over the city, left hand resting against her right wrist, wondering if Eva would notice or care if she slipped away to climb one of those impressively tall buildings and if her father would consider that following the rules.

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"Hello Cassie, it is your home, I can hardly order you to leave me alone, can I?" She smiled, quietly shifting to gaze at the human. She knew this human was not much older than herself, but she carried herself as though she was. It was very strange.

"Was there something you needed? Or were you seeking to admire the view?" Her wings tightened very slightly against her back, she still was not sure how to deal with humans by herself. Without her parents there to act as guides.

Cassie returned the smile as she settled next to Krisi. Although she appeared to be gazing off into the distance, she kept her gaze on Krisi out of the corner of her eye, debating her next move. From what little she'd seen of her, the draconian seemed quiet and proud. A direct question would be the easiest approach, but she doubted that it would give her the answers that she sought. It might be better to try to draw her out if she could.

"You can always ask me to leave you alone, Krisi. Always," she said in a quiet yet insistent voice, finally looking back at her companion. "My house or not, you live here now too and you have every right to ask for privacy if you want it. I only hope that you're finding everything to your liking. I'm not sure what you're used to back in your own world. Is there anything that I might be able to do to make it more comfortable for you?"

Cassie shook her head. "I just wanted some air. It's all been a lot to take in at once, hasn't it? I can hardly believe it. I keep thinking that maybe this is all a dream."

"Of course, Miss Cassie." She smiled, just as polite as she had been from the moment the human stepped onto the porch, shrugging faintly. "It is different from what I am accustomed to, but it is much better than it could be. I thank you for your welcome, but I think there is little to be done but await my Uncle's return."

She nodded, looking out over the city. "It is very strange, such a vast place and all held within a single ship. Pieces of countless worlds, buildings higher than I have ever seen before. But I do not think it is a dream, or else one of my brothers would have woken me by now."

Cassie couldn't help but note the sudden use of "Miss" before her name. She hadn't expected the increase in formality. Clearly, convincing Krisi to open up to her would be more difficult then she'd anticipated.

Covering up her concern with a smile, she continued. "Oh, please don't call me 'miss'. It makes me feel strange. And, if there is ever anything that I can do, please let me know." Cassie tilted her head at the mention of Krisi's uncle. "I look forward to meeting your uncle. Given how fond both you and Eva seem to be of him, he must wonderful." She chose not to mention the tension that she'd noticed from Marco every time Kang's name came up. She didn't know the cause behind the tension and bringing that up now wouldn't help the current situation. "What's he like?"

"You're right. This isn't a dream, even if it still feels kind of unreal to me. If this were a dream, then either my parents or my alarm would have woken me already. I always tended to wake up very early in the morning." She didn't mention why because it hurt to think about the animals that she'd cared for back on Earth. She hated thinking about their fate.

"How many brothers do you have? What are they like? I've been an only child all my life, but I always wanted a brother or sister."

(OOC: I'm sorry to repost. I misread your post, so I wanted to fix my own to be a more appropriate response.)

"Of course, as you like. I will make certain to tell you." She smiled, unintentionally amused. How to explain her father? "I think my uncle really defies explanation, it is better to meet him and form your own opinions than to listen to my praise."

She paused. "But he is a good teacher, and a good listener. I miss him a great deal. I hope that all goes well on this mission he is on."

She nodded, quiet and playing with one of the bangles on her arm, letting the clink of metal sooth her. "I have two brothers and two sisters. They are a very large part of my life and I care for them a great deal. Even if they are often pests, they are my pests. I would gladly die for them, and they for me, should it come to that."

Cassie smiled back at Krisi, pleased at the smile and that she seemed willing to, at least, open up some about her family. It wasn't a win, but it was a step in the right direction, as far as Cassie was concerned. "I can't wait until he returns. You'll have to introduce me when you can. I'm anxious to meet him."

One good turn... If Krisi was willing to reach out to her even that much, perhaps she should meet her halfway. "That reminds me a bit of my relationship with my friends. The ones who live with me in this house. We've been through so much together and we might not always agree, but they all mean so much to me. I know that I'd do anything for them. Maybe it's not the same, but..." Cassie's voice trailed off as grief managed to find its way into it. She hadn't intended for that to happen. But talking about the relationship that she had with her friends had reminded her of something that she'd lost when the war ended. She loved them all, but many of those precious bonds that she'd cherished had vanished or seriously weakened when the war had drawn to a close. She had been grateful for the war's end, but she hadn't been prepared for what had followed. Not even a little.

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to banish her thoughts to the back of her mind. She'd have to deal with them some day, but now was not a good time. She was here now, not there. Not there... And that road led to a whole new layer that she wasn't ready to deal with yet.

She forced herself to continue the conversation. "It is nice to have people who are so close to you. What kind of things do you like to do? Maybe we can figure out a way to include it aboard the ship. You know, make this place feel a bit more like home."

(OOC: Made a couple of minor grammar errors that were bothering me. Sorry!)

Edited 2011-07-08 12:42 (UTC)

"I will, I am equally anxious for him to return." She was very much still a child, though she might remain composed and collected at the prospect of being left alone on a giant alien spaceship, she really had little desire for anything, other than for her father to return. "I have never been alone before." The words were quiet, a tiny hint of uncertainty breaking the otherwise perfect illusion.

"Were you at war?" The words were curious, her own observation of how the humans had collected themselves together, despite them having no relation to each other, told here that they must be a group of some sort. But she could not tell exactly what, merely that she was the outsider and caused trouble by being there.

"Ah, I think it may be difficult to replicate within the environments of the ship. Mostly, we trained, or we hunted, or we simply kept ourselves busy." As often as he life had been full of direction, it had an equal amount of time where Yana and Brevo fought and she and Grosk avoided getting dragged into their latest squabble. "But thank you for the attempt, I am sure I will manage."

Cassie hadn't missed the small break in the young draconian's demeanor. In that moment, she felt surprisingly close to the girl. Krisi was a child caught up in something that was well over her head, which was a situation that Cassie was intimately familiar with sadly. She missed the days when she had still been able to consider herself a child, but what was done was done. Cassie could only hope that Krisi's own childhood would be preserved better then her own had during the upcoming conflict. At least, Krisi would have her uncle there to help her through it and, if she allowed it, then Cassie would be happy to help her as well.

Her face twisted uncertainly at Krisi's question, quickly thinking back over what she had said. The draconian was more perceptive then she'd realized and it threw her off balance momentarily. Cassie hadn't necessarily intended to give that fact away, but, on reflection, did it matter that Krisi knew? She hadn't really been keeping the fact that she had fought a secret and she wanted to let Krisi know that she trusted her so that the draconian youth might decide to do the same.

She wouldn't lie now. It would only undo all that they had already built. "Yes, I was," Cassie spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, suddenly no longer able to meet Krisi's gaze. The war was still too fresh in her mind and the losses still hurt too much for Cassie to really be able to speak of it with the same confidence that she might use for other topics. "It's over now." The last part had become her new mantra since the war had ended. In the end though, it was little more then a comforting lie. The war might have ended, but nothing was over. Not for Cassie at least and not for her friends as far as she could tell. The pain, the sadness, and the terrible uncertainty remained. She could only hope that it would fade in time.

"Perhaps you should try visiting the Sensoriums some time? I haven't been there yet myself, but I've heard that they have impressive holographic equipment that make the images seem almost real. I've been meaning to visit, but I haven't had the opportunity yet." Cassie shrugged, offering Krisi another smile. "I don't know if it would do you any good, but it might be worth a try."

Kali had spent her entire life around warriors, to be thrust into the midst of a unit of soldiers was almost normal. Though most had been more willing to accept her, and her father had been there.

This was somewhat different.

"What were you fighting, Miss Cassie? Why did you go to war?"

She curled her hand against the rail, watching Cassie curiously. If the human would answer her, she might gain further insight to the situation. If she would not, well, there was little to be lost in the attempt.

"A holograph? An illusion of some sort?" That sounded like something a dragon would enjoy, she would do well to avoid it for as long as possible.

Cassie hesitated at Krisi's question. But, Krisi was a friend, wasn't she? Marco's mother had introduced her as a relative of a good friend of hers, so certainly there could be no danger there. Plus, the war had been won. Well, in her own time at least. What if that was changed when (She could only think about it in terms of "when". Imagining any other scenario was too difficult for her to bear.) their universe was returned to normal?

Still, she couldn't bring herself to lie. Could there really be any harm in telling Krisi a bit of what happened?

"A race of aliens called the Yeerks invaded our planet," Cassie answered finally, deciding to put her faith in her new friend. "Some of them were determined to make us into slaves, but we fought them. It... was hard. They weren't all bad, you know. Some of them acted cruelly, but many of them thought that they had no choice. That this was the only way that they could live." Cassie paused, blinking back tears as the memories hit her all at once. "But we had to fight. We couldn't let... We had to..." It was almost a plea as though she was asking someone to confirm that they had done what needed to be done. That they had made the right decisions. That she had made the right decisions.

Krisi couldn't give her that confirmation though and, mentally, Cassie knew that was true. Emotionally though, it was a different issue.

"I believe so," Cassie nodded, not realizing that she hadn't scored any points with Krisi for that suggestion. "As I said, I haven't been there yet, but I've heard that it's pretty impressive."

"Can you tell me a bit more of yourself? Of your world?" Cassie asked curiously.

Edited 2011-07-12 21:43 (UTC)

The look Kali gave her was one of quiet respect, young though she was she had spent her entire life hearing stories of battle and how hard her race had fought to establish themselves.

A warrior was a creature to be respected, a female warrior human even more so, she had spent her life surrounded by them. By allies and friends of her father's.

She reached out, resting a tiny clawed hand on Cassie's wrist. "In war, there are many opinions. By my understanding, you did what you had to do to protect your race, there is honor and courage in that. You should not be ashamed or sad, Miss Cassie. To fight against a creature wishing to enslave you is very honorable and right to do, no matter their reasons. Invaders, slave-masters, always have good reasons. Reasons that make sense to them."

She made a little disintrested noise at the place of illusions, she would not be going there. Not when such a place could easily be home to many things she had no great want to meet.

"What is there to tell? I have no context for telling you anything, I could tell you the color of our sky and you might think I was odd. I have two brothers and two sisters, my mother has recently become gravid again." A liberal mix of truth and lies. "I have been trained with the bow as well as in hand to hand fighting. I am ten."

Cassie nodded, still not convinced. No amount of reassurance from others would ever make up for what had happened and for all the things that she had done. Acceptance and forgiveness would have to come from within. She only hoped that it would come in time. For now, it was still outside of her grasp.

Still, she smiled gratefully at the young draconian. She was thankful that Krisi had tried, even if she was also a bit embarrassed that her concerns had been so easy to read. "Thank you. You're right." Except when she wondered how many of the Yeerks who had died had been like Aftran, caught up in a war for which they could see no way out. Then she was not right at all and things were not so simple.

While she listened, she noticed the increased formality again. Respect? Discomfort? Concern? Purposefully distancing herself? That last thought caused Cassie to frown. She hoped that wasn't the reason for it.

This time though she noticed the disinterest and possibly even discomfort with the mention of the Sensoriums, so she left that topic alone. It no longer served a purpose.

And Cassie would take whatever information she could get. Jumping on the new pieces of the puzzle, she looked with interest at Krisi. "You are very accomplished to be able to fight with a bow as well as hand to hand at such a young age. How long have you been training? Is that common in your culture?" Contemplating the rest of the conversation, she also cautiously asked, "You've mentioned your mother and siblings, but not your father. Would it be too invasive for me to ask about him?" She hesitated again, worried that she might have offended Krisi.

After a moment's pause, she continued with further caution, "I hope that my question did not offend you. I'm just curious. I'd... like for us to be friends, but I won't force you into any situation that makes you uncomfortable." Cassie shrugged and smiled hopefully at Krisi, her eyes filled with patience and understanding.

Edited 2011-07-17 03:18 (UTC)

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There's No Place Like [Open]

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