"Happy happy, tasty snacky! Happy happy, come to lepi! Lepi Snacky! Happiest and snackiest!"

She catches sight of her shoes; splattered with the wed mud she's been dragging them through. The glow of a holo-ad reflected in yet another puddle blocking her path, briefly lighting the features of a young child as she runs across a street that's mostly blanketed in shadow. She knows she's going to have to get rid of them soon. After all, the child is far too clever to hold on to a pair of shoes that could buy her at least half a spaceship. She knows without knowing; all it takes is the wrong set of eyes catching a glimpse of them. Or the rest of her clothes.

It'd be easy to figure out who she is.

She runs and runs. Not knowing where it is she's going. All she knows is it's dark here, and darker still up ahead.

And darkness feels safe.

---

The girl watched them all from her hiding spot. She was not supposed to, of course. Father's face had been oh so very serious when he had told her to stay in her room. But she knew it was important. Knew she had to be there. So she had snuck aboard the shuttle, and followed them when it had landed again. She watched them enter the room, along with the others. Some she knew, some she didn't. She watched as strangers walked in. Armored men in white. And one whose armor was blacker than the darkest shadow she'd ever seen. She tried to listen to the words that passed between them, but caught only a few.

"The rest of the Galaxy suffered, so now will Serenno. The houses will be cleansed by blood."

---

"Again," he said as he once more adopted an opening stance.

"But it hurts."

"And it will hurt again," he replied, "and again. And again, until you learn."

"Bu--"

"But why, the young Demici scion asks. I could say it's because your father has agreed to let me train you. Even though we are peers and had no choice but to accept, he did so gladly, for it is a great honor and privilege for you to be trained in this manner. But that is not the reason why. It is merely the how of why you came to be here now."

"Then..."

He struck before she could finish asking the question; a blow she only barely managed to parry.

"Your purpose is yet to reveal itself to me. But it might be something greater than you can yet imagine. *If* you can focus on your studies, instead of your *complaints*."

Another strike, followed by another and another still. The hum of red-hued training sabers clashing over and over.

---

She wakes again; here and now in the Rebyk Motel on Bellionas. The faint echoes of her screams still lingering in the room; loud enough to have woken some of the neigbours for sure. This might be becoming a regular occurance for them; it didn't happen yesterday; but this was not the first time her nightmares have induced screams loud enough wake people on her floor.

For Tyllia, this nightmare this time felt different...

...it felt provoked.

Zim had no idea what the dream was about - she would have no way of knowing, after all. But she heard a scream, just as she woke up, and she felt...

Fear? Wariness? Confusion?

She wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but there was definitely an emotion coming from somewhere in the same floor. She finished getting ready as quickly as possible, then walked outside. Was someone in danger?

There didn't seem to be any sounds of fighting or anything else that felt like an immediate menace... so where did that come from?

Pulling herself up out of bed was almost a gargantuan task; but one she managed anyway. While others were rushing through the task of getting ready so they could investigate the screaming; Tyllia made her way to the absurdly tiny bathroom attached to the room and took one quick look in the mirror before it shattered, accompanied by the loud kind of sound you'd associate with such destruction...

...her fist was not a mighty implement of force, but it was enough to do the trick. Probably also enough for others, to narrow down the room from which the disturbance had come.

She hadn't intended to break the mirror. It was a reflex; the lingering effects of nightmares and poor quality sleep.

There were cuts on her hand now, of course. Blood spilling into the sink. A quick wash, and it was still bleeding; just not as heavily.

There was a sigh...

...her eyes glazed over for a moment...

...and the Force started infusing her body; concentrating itself in her hand.

[For narrative purposes; hitting mirror causes 1 wound; Healing Trance activated and Force committed to heal the wound at the end of the scene.]

The noise of the shattering noise was indeed enough to pinpoint where the screaming had likely come from. Her tendrils moving about fast due to the loud sounds and her concern, she stopped before the room where she believed the sounds has come from, took a deep breath to calm herself, then rapped at the door.

"Morning", she said in a voice that made an effory to keep calm and to be reassuring. "Is everything alright there? Do you need any help?"

Neighbours. The whole point of a place like this was that nobody was supposed to *care* about what the neighbours got up to. Don't ask, don't tell.

She could've expected, of course, that her screaming and mirror-breaking would elicit some banging on the walls, an angry 'what's wrong with you!?' even, perhaps. But actual concern? That indicated the kind of person who wouldn't take being ignored as a hint.

There was another sigh from her as she could feel the cuts on her hand slowly knitting themselves together. It'd still take a bit of time, but it was so much faster than the natural way. Casting one last look at the broken mirror, she turned from the tiny bathroom and headed to the door of her room. She'd slept in her clothes; like any good fugitive did; so while she wasn't as presentable as *could be*, she was at least not in a state of undress.

The door was opened, and a baggy-eyed Tyllia stared at some alien women she didn't know; though there might've been the vague sense of familiarity.

"I'm fine," she said.

Zimrzala had a kind smile on her face when the woman opened the door and said she was ok. The Mikkian gave her a slow nod and spoke in a low voice. "Good! I... didn't want to disturb. Just thought you might have been in trouble, is all."

After some time looking at the woman's face, she seems to feel some sense of familiarity as well. "Ah... I think I've seen you in... " she stops herself. Speaking about the rebellion here wouldn't be a good idea. "Down in the lower city, maybe?"

She shook her head, then nodded to her with a weaker, apologetic smile. "Ah... sorry. Name's Zimrzala. As I said, don't want to disturb you", she says, then takes a step back. "Will be down for breakfast in a bit. If you want to join. Otherwise... well, I'm in room 16." She knew the girl's room now, so sharing hers sounded just fair.

She gave the woman a blank and somewhat unsettling stare; it was hard to focus on pleasantries this early in the morning, especially when she needed to concentrate on focusing the Force. After a few moments though, she looked down the hall in both directions before turning back to Zimrzala.

"...Right. Breakfast would be good."

The Mikkian nodded, her smile broadening a small bit again. She... did feel that the woman was unsettled, and she did think that might have more to do with her interfering than with... whatever had happened.

But she had agreed to get breakfast together, so that was something.

"Need to get ready? I can go on and fetch us a place to sit", she offered.

She nodded, simply, and closed the door again without a word. Getting ready for the day didn't take *too* long, but still longer than it should've given that she was already dressed. Eventually though, she emerged downstairs; looking for that fabled breakfast that had been promised/suggested.

Zimrzala had managed to find them a proper place in one of the few tables in the lobby, alright. The breakfast she had managed to get close by wasn't much, but it would make a more pleasant start to a day than just the motel's caf.

"Oi there", she says waving a hand at the girl when she gets downstairs. "Got a Bellionas goat cheese and a Badlander lax bagel, and green tea or caf", she says, showing two paper-wrapper packages and two paper cups. "Make your choice", she adds with a friendly, if weak smile.

She took a bagel and caf, took a bite even before sitting down, then offered up a tired sounding "...thanks."

What was it about this place and do-gooders offering her breakfast?

The cuts on her hand; now presumably visible; looked recent... but perhaps not so recent as five or ten minutes ago when the mirror had shattered; the Force was making sure of that.

"...sorry if I woke you."

It's likely Zim saw the cuts, but if she did she makes no comment on them. The girl's problems are not for her to prod into - all she can do is offer help.

"It's no problem, really. And you didn't - I was getting ready to get down when I heard... whatever happened." Seeing the girl get the caf, Zim took the cup with the tea, opened the lid and took a sip. "And I don't mind the company", she says with a faint smile. "Been having breakfast alone for a few days already."

She starts opening the package with the other bagel, letting them both fall into what might be some comfortable silence for a while.

"You must have missed the old man bringing in free breakfast for everyone the other day, then," she said with a small smile of her own.

Small-talk was easy, and excruciating. A kindness repaid, distracting torment. That nightmare; the memories rather; still swirled right beneath the surface of her features, dark thoughts far blacker than the kaf and the complete antithesis of the smile she had given.

Tyllia Demici wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 6:41 pm

"You must have missed the old man bringing in free breakfast for everyone the other day, then," she said with a small smile of her own.

Small-talk was easy, and excruciating. A kindness repaid, distracting torment. That nightmare; the memories rather; still swirled right beneath the surface of her features, dark thoughts far blacker than the kaf and the complete antithesis of the smile she had given.

"Oh, I must have", the Mikkian says simply. She... imagined the girl must be facing problems of her own - and she didn't seem much the talkative type, so she just let them enjoy their silence. Another sip of tea, a quiet smile. A bite of the cheese bagel.

The sounds of a video transmission in the background.

She raised her eyes to the girl, another weak smile. Did she felt any better?, Zim wondered.

"Don't meet many Mikkians," she said in between bites. "From what I know, your culture is quite religious."

It was probably more than most people knew about them; Mikkians were, despite their honest nature, paradoxically secretive. Or perhaps insular was a better word to describe them? Whatever the case might be, Tyllia knew a *few* things. Stuff she had read in dusty tomes, perhaps.

Tyllia Demici wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 7:17 pm

"Don't meet many Mikkians," she said in between bites. "From what I know, your culture is quite religious."

It was probably more than most people knew about them; Mikkians were, despite their honest nature, paradoxically secretive. Or perhaps insular was a better word to describe them? Whatever the case might be, Tyllia knew a *few* things. Stuff she had read in dusty tomes, perhaps.

Zim have the woman another small smile as she took another sip of her tea. "They are, aren't they?"

She blinked right after that, "I mean... We, of course", she corrects herself with a silent chuckle. "Dad used to be, I think. Mom too, I guess. At first. Probably faded a bit when we moved" She seems thoughtful as she speaks. "She valued... some of the ideas in mainstream Cosmic Balance then. Maybe even more than I did? But I guess it was harder then..."

She looks at Tyllia, then, with another smile. "What about where you come from..." She then noticed she never asked her name. "Sorry, I don't think I got your name, friend?"

"Tyllia Mantero," she said.

The lie came easy when it was a symbol for the truth.

She heard the words; Cosmic Balance. Not a faith of the Mikkian people, as far as she knew. Neither was it an old faith. It was not something Tyllia had any particular interest in; merely came across mention of it here and there when going over war records. A curiosity and little more, though she had at the time wondered just how much of its philosophy had been nurtured by her old master.

"Do you hate the Jedi?" She asked as if requesting someone pass the salt.

Tyllia Demici wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 9:07 pm

"Tyllia Mantero," she said.

The lie came easy when it was a symbol for the truth.

She heard the words; Cosmic Balance. Not a faith of the Mikkian people, as far as she knew. Neither was it an old faith. It was not something Tyllia had any particular interest in; merely came across mention of it here and there when going over war records. A curiosity and little more, though she had at the time wondered just how much of its philosophy had been nurtured by her old master.

"Do you hate the Jedi?" She asked as if requesting someone pass the salt.

A nod at the girl's name - it sounded as true as any other name, after all. Another sip of tea at a moment of silence... and then that question. The Mikkian's eyebrow raised as she still had the paper cup on her lips, letting some of the surprisingly still-hot steam of the tea into her eye. Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes made for an awkward moment, of course... but also gave her some time to think.

Hate the Jedi?

"Ah...", she exclaimed, apparently with at least some understanding after getting her eyes more or less back to normal. "You've heard of some of the mainstream Cosmic Balance beliefs then, I guess?" A lopsided smile. "Well... I couldn't say I do."

She thought for some time. She didn't feel she even knew the Jedi well enough to have a clear picture of them. She knew sensitives. She knew they were hunted. She knew 'the Force', although that name wasn't the one she had been trained to think about the links between all things.

But she remembered it was the word her Father used. He was a sensitive, and she remembered it was a Jedi's death that led them to flee. Was he a Jedi himself?

She wasn't sure. Didn't know she ever would. But she remembered the hardships those who blamed the Jedi for her new home's problems brought to her family...

She shakes her head again - focus on the present, she had learnt. It wasn't always easy. "But then... I don't think I know too much about them." That... and processing hate to overcome it was actually something else she had striven to learn.

"Do you hate them?", she asked after another sip of tea.

"I believe the core of your philosophy is..." she glossed over the question that had been asked of her, "...that for everything that happens, there is an equal and opposite reaction somewhere else, right? An act of generosity results in suffering elsewhere. Inflicting suffering causes empathy to rise elsewhere. It's an interesting, if flawed idea. I can see why some who follow such a faith would think poorly of the Jedi. Their very nature would cause pain elsewhere, after all."

She took a sip from her drink.

Tyllia Demici wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 3:49 pm

"I believe the core of your philosophy is..." she glossed over the question that had been asked of her, "...that for everything that happens, there is an equal and opposite reaction somewhere else, right? An act of generosity results in suffering elsewhere. Inflicting suffering causes empathy to rise elsewhere. It's an interesting, if flawed idea. I can see why some who follow such a faith would think poorly of the Jedi. Their very nature would cause pain elsewhere, after all."

She took a sip from her drink.

The answer brought another lopsided smile to the Mikkian's face. "That is one of the main ideas of the mainstream sect, yes. And... it does lead to some interesting questions. In a way, it... assumes balance just is. No matter what one does. But then... should one just stop acting, whatsoever?"

She takes a sip herself. "Thankfully, not all followers see the Balance just like that. To just accept that all is always balanced easily leads down the path of absolute conformity. Violence, squalor, torture, even. Should one accept all that, believing one is doing good elsewhere?"

Some time of silence. Another sip. "But you're right", she then finally says, raising her eyes to Tyllia's again. "The idea does lead to blaming the Jedi for much misery. Although... I suppose something in their doctrine may have made it easy for others to believe their villainy as well, eh?", she says with a weak smile again. "As you can see... I'm not a devout of mainstream Cosmic Balance, per se. Although some of it has shaped me." A slightly changed version of the faith's symbol with holes on each side dangling from one of her tendrils is proof of that. But there's also another ornament around her neck - a small version of h'kig chimes. "But what about you, Tyllia? If I may ask, of course. Were you raised with any strong beliefs? Religious, or about the Jedi, or others? You... weren't raised in Bakura as well, were you?"