Room 529, Friday Afternoon

[weetuskenraider]

This was a conversation she'd been putting off for a while, but -- especially given that yesterday had been one of the bad days -- really needed to be had, so Tahiri had handwavily called a couple of people and then gone to see about getting some snacks. Because snacks always made awkward situations slightly less so, right?

There was . . . well, okay, there was a box of cookies, one of those tins with all the different-shaped butter cookies that all tasted the same except some of them had sugar crystals on them. And a couple of pints of ice cream. That part was a given, really.

A few weeks to mull over the idea that Riina had slipped out and done something to help someone hadn't made it any less weird; maybe knowing more about that would change things. Not to mention she did owe Tara an explanation for the whole "hi, I went crazy and kind of scary on you and then didn't remember any of it" thing.

. . . maybe she should have gotten more ice cream.

[OOC: For the boy, and for Tara, and specifics of conversation resoundingly NFB, please. :)]

Comments

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri nodded, glancing Ben's way for reassurance. "I thought it was just memories, the things they put in my head. It's more than that."

[momslilassassin]

Ben gripped her hand tightly. "You're doing fine," he said softly, sending a wave of reassurance toward her.

[life_inshadow]

"I'm sorry," Tara said, a little feebly. "She, you -- she helped me that day. If that helps you now."

[weetuskenraider]

"It does," Tahiri replied, raising her head to look at Tara, confused and tired but appreciative. She wondered, vaguely, if that static in her aura was stronger now than it had been. "It threw me, because I've never been able to think of them as doing anything good for people. They're not a nice culture at all."

She took a breath. "At least, not that I've seen. But I think this changes things."

[life_inshadow]

"She wasn't nice." Tara tucked her hair back, earnest. "She was, um, scary. But I think -- I think maybe some people need to be scared."

And some of those people were related to her.

"How does it change things, though?" She looked at Ben, to see if he might have an idea, to make sure it was okay for her to ask.

[momslilassassin]

"It's a bit like what your father told you," Ben said, squeezing Tahiri's hand. "Tahiri thought she had to live with someone who was completely alien in her head forever."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri gave him a grateful look and squeezed his hand back. "Only it's true. I do have to live with her. She won't just go away." Her smile was brief, and a little crooked. "But if she helped you, then . . ."

She was sixteen, and she was Luke Skywalker's student; the idea hadn't been beaten out of her yet. "There's a pretty good chance she can learn better."

[life_inshadow]

"Like, civilizing her?" Tara was clearly intrigued, though there was a flash of guilt. "Can you talk to her that way?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave a near imperceptible shrug and floated a cookie over to his free hand.

[weetuskenraider]

"It's not like there's any protocol for this," Tahiri said wryly. "And the only way to fix it is, well . . ."

She glanced at Ben, almost guilty, then back at Tara. "It'd mean I'm stuck with her."

[life_inshadow]

"Forever?" Tara lowered her head to hide her wince. It just sounded awful.

She thought back again. "I think what set her off was that it was my f-family doing it to me," she said. "She kept saying family was sacred. So maybe that's -- some kind of key?"

[momslilassassin]

For a second, Ben's eyes flashed. "That's something she and I have in common," he said. "Family shouldn't do that to you."

Ah, hello, issues.

[weetuskenraider]

It was Tahiri's turn to project reassurance toward him, knowing exactly what he meant. "It is sacred, to them, and she still took your side. And I would've done the same thing," she told Tara. "Which I guess means -- I'm not sure what, yet, but I don't think it's a bad thing."

[life_inshadow]

"It means maybe she's a little like you?" Tara tried hopefully. "That way, anyhow."

[momslilassassin]

"Is that better or worse?" Ben asked Tahiri softly.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri thought the question over for a few breaths, glancing between the two of them, and finally ventured, "Better, I think. I've never heard of them doing anything to help someone out before if it didn't fit their own agenda. Even Vua Rapuung only helped Anakin rescue me because he wanted revenge on Mezhan Kwaad. This was almost a Jedi thing to do."

Beat.

"In a weird way, but . . ."

[life_inshadow]

"... a weird Jedi is till a Jedi?" Tara guessed. "I -- I don't really know how that works."

[momslilassassin]

"There's not a lot that we have in common with the Yuuzhan Vong," Ben explained, "other than breathing oxygen. They don't even feel the Force, or radiate a presence in it. For a Jedi--" he shook his head. "We have more of a chance of understanding a black hole."

[weetuskenraider]

"So any kind of common ground at all," Tahiri picked up, "means I've got something to work from. I know this all probably sounds completely insane."

[life_inshadow]

"Well, it's a part of you," Tara said, and drew her knees up to her chest. "It would be totally insane not to want to work with her, right? If th-there's no way to get rid of her."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded, still not looking entirely happy.

[weetuskenraider]

"Yeah." Tahiri glanced at Ben and suppressed the urge to sigh. "Look. I'm sorry she scared you, Tara. But thanks for telling me about it. I know it probably wasn't the most fun thing to talk about."

[life_inshadow]

Tara blinked a bit at that. "She did me a huge, huge favor. I don't care that much that she, um, wasn't all that nice. Just -- made me really not want to get on your bad side."

[momslilassassin]

"Did she hurt anyone?" Ben asked softly.

[life_inshadow]

Tara shook her head, vigorously. "G-God no. She implied she'd do bad things. But she didn't raise a hand."