Gift from a New Generation

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Takes place before the Urns thread.

It was unusually quiet aboard Layla. No one seemed to have much energy to play, and that included the little ones as well. The grownups were all busy; Sanis and Cirr were down in the engine room doing something, Dama was reading in the Cat, and Ssem was lying on the cot he'd placed in a corner of the hold. Daani was nowhere to be found either; maybe she was with Sanis and Cirr?

Standing forlornly on the threshold of the shuttle's hatchway, Tak stared at her feet for a moment. She turned to look at Dama. The elder Lupine was busy with her writing and books.

It'd been fun for the first ten minutes, looking through her own picture books, but for a seven year old girl that had far more energy and curiosity than most her age, it was not enough. And so she'd scrambled up to head for the door of the Cat. Wasn't there anything else to do?

She stood quietly observing the quiet goins on around her, hands up on the middle railing of the catwalk. It was then that her eye had caught sight of Ssem's form, unmoving on his cot. A final look to Dama's back, and the little girl was off quietly, making her way down the steps leading to the hold's deck.

Bare feet tiptoed over the metalwork. It would be best to not make any sound that would startle the older man. The was a small amount of nervousness as she came closer to the cot and its' occupant, but if what Dama always said about him was true, than he wouldn't be too mad if she watched him. Dama had told her stories of him, and said that he was a patient, sweet man. But looking at him now, Tak wasn't all too sure if he was still the same. He looked so old now, much different than the few pictures and drawings that Dama had showed her.

Stopping at the Cot, she was extra mindful not to make any noise. He was facing the bulkhead, his back to her. Watching his body rise and fall in a steady rhythm, the little Lupine placed small hands on the edge of the makeshift bed and leaned forward just a little bit.

His hair was a wild mess, that was for sure, and Tak reached out carefully to pat down a wild strand that stuck off to the side.

[Zem Vymes]

One eye opened slowly, and turned to look at Tak.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Frozen at the sight of his open eye, Tak stopped smoothing his hair down.

Suddenly wondering if it had been a good idea, the little girl looked to the deck, had hands clasped.

"I was fixing your hair," she whispered.

[Zem Vymes]

I spoke, a sleep-heavy gruff voice.

"Straightening out a birds nest, huh?"

After a few seconds, I sighed, and sat up on the cot.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She watched him sit up, looking at his face. He was just so old! His question was met with another drop in her gaze, and she stared at her bare feet.

Maybe his hair was so tangled because Dama hadn't had a chance to trim it like she used to?

"Dama hasn't been able to comb your hair in a long time," she said with a slight stammer, "I thought I would do it for her."

[Zem Vymes]

"I used to have much longer hair than this."

I ran my hands through it for a bit, and caught a few tangles.

"A beard too."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

A beard? She stared at him, trying to imagine what he would look like now with a beard. She'd seen the few pictures her mother had, but looking at him now she found it hard to do. She scrambled up to sit beside him. It was warm on the spot he'd sat up from, and she idly rubbed the mussed blankets with the palm of her hand.

Wide eyes were cast upward to his, though not the blue that her mother's was. The questions came tumbling out then.

"Where did it go? Dama told me lots about you, and that you liked having a beard." Her voice dropped to a low whisper, "She said it tickled though."

[Zem Vymes]

"Well, I shaved it a while ago."

I unconciously rubbed my face.

"I really only wore it when I was with your Dama."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Wandering hands picked at a string that had sprouted from one of the blankets, and Tak pulled at it. Presently the little girl made herself more comfortable, pulling her legs up under her (much like her own mother often did).

"Oh."

A cautious look was sent to the doorway of the Cat, but Dama was too busy writing. She wouldn't be coming out to shoo her away from Ssem anytime soon. Her eyes went back to him, and she stared for short while.

"You should have stayed with Dama so I could see what it looks like."

[Zem Vymes]

That innocent comment got me thinking all far away, and I took on a wistful expression, before reaching down and mussing the little kid's hair.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She smiled wide, then reached up to smooth down the errant locks that had sprung up from his touch.

"I know."

Scooting a little closer to him, she let out a short sigh. "Why did you leave?"

[Zem Vymes]

That was a question that I wasn't ready to answer, even to myself. I made something up that would serve as a placeholder.

"I needed to spend some time alone."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Well now you're back."

She said it matter-of-factly, and gave his cheek a tiny poke with an outstretched finger as if to emphasize it even more.

"And you have Dama now too, right?"

[Zem Vymes]

"Yeah, I'm back now."

I allowed a cracked smile as I wrapped a big hand over her little finger.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

His hand was warm and rough, and Tak used the moment to crawl the rest of the way into his lap.

"I heard Dama crying the night after you got back," her voice had gone to a whisper once more. The little girl looked thoughtful for a moment as she remembered the soft sounds of her mother sobbing next to her. She was supposed to have been asleep, and had apparently done a good enough job at pretending that Dama hadn't known.

A worried look came to her face then.

"You didn't leave because of me, did you?"

[Zem Vymes]

"No, it wasn't anything like that."

I gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"It was many years before. There were a lot of bad guys, and we spent years fighting them."

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

"Oh."

The thought that she had been the cause of him leaving Dama - after all of the stories she'd been told - had been something she was afraid to ask. But he said she wasn't, and so that made her feel better.

A sudden thought caused her to squirm in his hold then.

"Dama wrote something about you!"

With a little bit of wriggling, she slid from his lap and onto the deck. She'd seen Dama write something and wrap it up in a box that she'd said had some of his things in it... she could give them back!

"Ma'khehr a'da mi'ek," she spoke hurriedly before turning to head once more back to the Cat.

[Zem Vymes]

I took the hint, remembering my ill-used Bast'yr like I was learning to ride a speeder all over. She wanted me to wait up. I dutifully obeyed, wondering what in the core she could be rummaging through.

It was adorable, but still I had some trepidation about digging into a past that was certainly painful.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Bursting in through the open hatchway of the Cat, Tak stopped for a few seconds to regain her breath. Dama was still writing, but she looked up at her sudden appearance.

The little girl gave as innocent smile as she could. It was hard, since Dama seemed to always know everything that she was doing.

<"Are you and Daani staying out of trouble?">

A large sigh and her whole body seemed to shrug. <"Yesssss.">

Dama smiled, setting her pen down and turning slightly to watch as the little girl came the rest of the way in. A hand reached out and pulled her down into a loose hug.

<"Is that so."> Fingers tickled at her side, and Tak grinned wide. Dama thought she'd been playing with Daani!

she giggled out. <"I'm getting stuff for us.">

Dama let her go, putting her back up on her bare feet.

Released, Tak innocently rummaged through her own chest of books and toys, keeping an eye on her mother until the elder Lupine turned her attentions once more to her own writing. Taking that as her cue, the little girl easily shifted her searchings to the underside of the bed, and soon enough her fingers wrapped around a small rectangular box. It'd been wrapped in soft linen, and pulling it out, Tak made sure Dama was still writing before tucking it under her arm. She'd fooled Dama for sure!

She was out of the shuttle as fast as her legs could carry her, and very nearly skipping down the steps, she smiled wide at Ssem.

He was still sitting on the cot, waiting for her.

[Zem Vymes]

I gave the little straw-haired scamp a funny look.

"What do you got there?"

It looked like a wooden box, wrapped up in cloth, and from the yellowing at the fringe, probably a good few years old.