This book from Thomas turned out to be fairly decent. It wasn't so foreign feeling to have a story about an animal. In a way Illya enjoyed hearing a story about a dog, a big one. Animals were a large part of the Chippequoti myths and tales. The next few days were filled with the days of study and his growing curiosity about this woman that he was agreed with. There wasn't so much that he didn't know, it was just the fact that every memory he had was confirmed in one way or another. So much of it made her a more curious person than before. How had such a tiny little woman accomplished so much? As they finished the last chapter of the book Illya grinned at Kalizda. "Ets good story. I tink maybe someday we make translation of book so dat more Chippequoti can read et." Hearing it in his own language had been relaxing and actually quite nice. Sometimes he almost fell asleep to the sound of a story in Quoti.
Setting the book aside on the night stand beside the bed, Illya flicked the switch for the bedroom light off. It was actually quite ingenious to have a light switch near each side table and at the doorway. Once they were in bed there was no question of who had to get out of bed last time to turn the lights off. Not that Illya would argue too long or hard, but he hated to get up after he just got comfy.
With the lights just turned off Illya knew that her eyes weren't adjusted to the dark since his weren't either. "How's yah night vision?" At first she seemed to be confused and he chuckled before he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight to himself. When he leaned down to give her a kiss he found her ear and he chuckled. "Mine's nut dat good yet, maybe en a few minutes ets better and we kiss some more eh?" All the while he let one hand roam along her back and find her long strands of hair to play with. "Tomorrow we get to dah port on fringe." Kissing her again he smirked a little. It was too dark to see her face, but he had a few plans for the evening.
Again the next morning returned to routine and nothing special was going on. It was just the day that they were going to land and then they would continue on toward the next planet. The next planet was of course the final destination that they had in mind and he wasn't even too sure that it would be a good place. So far his research on it seemed to reveal that the inhabitants were not the most welcoming or friendly group of people. After breakfast Illya cleaned up and got the two smaller ones to the play room until Kalizda was done with the morning check on the ship before he lurked off to his study.
It was a quiet afternoon in the office when Illya felt the ship start to slow and he lifted his gaze from the pages of research he had out. They weren't at a port. What was wrong? Sliding the door open he gazed one way and then the next in the hall before he started to sneak his way through the ship. There was no telling what was going on. It could be Federation, Cirrelants, or any other number of issues. Was it a mechanical error, a leak of sorts or an invasion? While he worked his way through the hall and checking each room he finally came to the living area to see that Kalizda was standing with the kids watching a scene pass just outside the observatory section. His shoulders slacked a bit and a sigh of relief escaped as Illya made his way over to peer out the window with them. This was the first time he'd seen anything like this and he wondered what the compound was that could make it look so pretty.
"Maybe I find out what dis es made of and put little nebula in jar." There had to be a way to do it and more than likely if he found out the compound and the ratio of each ingredient it would be possible. Then they could look at a little nebula to remember their travels. "We find out how tah make one." Winking at Cypher he watched the boy's eyes go wide. Of course the little boy was excited by the thought, but it would take a while to figure it out.
Since he had seen what all the fuss was about Illya returned to his office. He could see the nebula fade as they were passing it and then they would be jumping back to hyper drive. It felt like Illya had barely returned to his work and little Rose was waltzing through the door with a giant grin on her face. That particular smile meant that she was going to ask him to do something special for her. Closing his notebook he turned in his seat and met her gaze. "Yes?"
Rose placed her elbows on Wolf's desk and leaned close to his face. She wanted to be sure that he knew exactly what she wanted. "You know, I'm almost grown up." She'd heard enough about the Chippequoti and training their children at the age of 13 to be adults for when they turned 17. "I want to go with you and Papa Thomas into town. I can listen and Kalizda said I could if you'd let me." Leaning a little closer she gave him a toothy grin, "Please. I need to look at new places for my book so I can get ideas and then get published." Relating things to work should be a good idea too.
"We take Cin and yah walk wit meh or dah bear." Rose nodded enthusiastically and then dashed for the doorway. As soon as she slid the door shut behind her he shook his head and chuckled a little to himself. By now they were getting close enough to landing that he knew there was hardly any point in trying to get started back on his work again. Instead Illya put it away and started to pull out his list of things that had been used. He really thought about Priscilla for a moment and then decided that he would try to find her something special from Terra while they were at the port. The poor woman didn't say much if anything at all and he hated to think that she could feel neglected. Additionally there was the fact that his little girl, Rose was very close to start her training to be a woman and he wanted to be sure and have a little father daughter talk with her.
When it was time to head outside Illya gave Kalizda a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back in a bit eh?" Nodding to Rose he held a hand out to her and made sure she got onto the gang plank alright. Cin waited with an anxious gaze. He wanted to come with and as soon as he was called the bear trundled toward the doorway with glee. The four of them wandered down the streets till they found Thomas's shop for his clothing. While he was busily selecting clothes to try on in a few different sizes Illya tapped in a search on his pad. It appeared that there was a very large market for pets and there were some dogs for sale. That was going to be one of their stops for sure.
Rose sat on the bench next to Illya and waited impatiently for Papa Thomas to finish. He was taking soo long and she was anxious to see more. Somehow she thought that Wolf did more fun things than this. Peering over arm she looked at the pad and then her eyes widened. "Are we going to get a dog?"
"Hmm?" Illya looked at her and then he grinned before he shut the pad down. "Yah jes have tah wait and see. I tink yah come wit meh tahday because dere es someting I need tah talk wit yah about." It looked like Rose was slightly disappointed at first and she settled in with a somewhat worried look on her face. "Yah nut in trouble. Dis es important. Et's someting about yah growing up and becoming woman." They were about to get started on the talk and Thomas returned with his purchases. Illya nodded to them both and Rose stepped out the door to walk with Cin again. Illya caught sight of the jewelers shop just across the street. "We jes go dere first eh?"
Once they were across the street Cin wandered the sidewalk while peering into the store window at Illya, Thomas and Rose. Every now and then the bear would let out a low cry and then nuzzle the doorway and chortle. Inside the shop Illya took Rose to the counter with the rings and pointed to them. "Yah almost woman now. Someday yah have a man or yah wait, but ets important dat yah have ring. I want tah buy yah first ring for yah. Jes so yah know dat no matter what happens yah can always come back home and I'll take care of yah."
The girl looked up at Wolf with her wide eyes. She hadn't expected this to be the talk, but it made sense nodding carefully she blinked a few times and then stared back into the case. "Which ring?" She didn't know what ring he was going to get for her, but she knew what it meant. Wolf loved her and he would always have a home for her no matter what. She could stay with him and Kalizda till they were old if she wanted to. Rose wanted to grow up and get married, but at the same time she was a little afraid of the idea.
"Yah pick any ring dat yah want. Jes remember dat dah ring es reminder of meh promise." Illya watched as the girl scanned the case and then pointed to a beautiful ring. The jeweler glanced at Illya and then reached inside after she received the nod of approval. It only took a moment to get the ring adjusted so it would fit the prosthetic hand. Rose looked at her
ring and blinked a few more times almost in disbelief.
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After the ring shopping Illya walked further down the street toward the pet shop. It resembled more of a giant warehouse with dozens of cages inside. There were birds, cats, tigers, lions, bears, dogs, fish, snakes, lizards, and many strange creatures that Illya had never seen before. He walked through with Cin planted near his side at all times until he decided that he'd better look for a worker. Someone had to know where the animals were that Illya was looking for. When he finally found a man Illya stopped him. "Yah show meh where yah have dogs. I want dis eh...Shepherd dog." He couldn't remember the first part and thankfully it was enough.
Only a few minutes later he found himself looking at whole litters of puppies and Illya looked to Thomas. "Which one es kind yah talk about earlier?" Upon hearing the name of German Shepherd Illya nodded to the man. "Dose are dah kind I want." Immediately they were taken down a line of puppies until the man stopped in front of a large crate with nearly a dozen of the puppies. Illya reached inside and picked one up. They were cute, fuzzy, and seemed to be sweet. It was too hard to resist getting one for himself too. "I want seven of dem." Rose was already plucking a puppy from the crate and she held it up to him as if asking if it could be hers. "Dat one es one of dem. She picked her own dog." Now that he had a crate of puppies he needed to get supplies for them, food and toys, collars, leashes, and some other little things. While he sat down and waited for the worker to get the puppies packed up and ready to go he ordered their supplies as well and a small box of good for Priscilla. She needed a little something extra. Sometimes after what felt like a long time people forgot that it could be still difficult to live without your agreed. The woman was getting close to the point that she was at that stage. It was important to remind her that there were still some comforts and good things.
At long last the man in the store had the puppies ready to go and the bag with their collars that Illya had ordered and paid for. The rest of it would have to be delivered to the ship the same as the other supplies. Picking the box of puppies up off the floor Illya nodded to Thomas and Rose and the trio started back toward the ship.
Illya had Thomas knock at the door of the ship. For now the Chip's arms were full with the massive box that was full of the whining and crying pups. They were frightened of course, but in a few days or week they would be comfortable on the ship. Because of the puppies he had to ask that the supplies for the dogs be delivered to the ship and have the supplies delivered as well. Rose was beaming as well and she held her own puppy in her arms while proudly looking at the ring from her father. As soon as the gang plank lowered and they were ready to step inside Rose held her hand up for Kalizda to see. "Look, Wolf got a ring for me!" Then she held up the puppy for Kalizda to see too. "He got a dog for me and..." Before she could say anything Illya cut in. "I got dogs for everyone."
The knock on the hatch door wasn't unexpected as Illya had informed them he was on the way back. She walked over to the hatch and pressed the lock mechanism, allowing the door to open and the ramp to extend downward to greet them. When the door finally opened enough for her to see them, she saw that Illya was carrying a single box which was wiggling suspiciously in his arms. Surely, he hadn't brought home more 'fresh' meat? Rose marched right up the gang plank with a fuzzy critter tucked under her real arm and the metal one thrust out in front of her proudly, making an announcement that she now had a beautiful ring and a puppy to go along with it before Illya interrupted her. They all had dogs? Her eyes flitted from Rose, to her father who wore a knowing grin, and then to Illya who was waiting to see what she would say. "I suppose you really liked Call of the Wild," she chuckled as a broad smile crept to her lips, "Everyone? Can I see?" She had always wanted a dog and judging by the sounds coming from the box, there was an entire pack of them.
It was good to see that Kalizda seemed curious and pleased at the same time. Illya nodded and kept right on walking. "First we make sure dat Lohgan gets one tah protect her and we find gentle puppy for her first and den Cypher gets one and den yah and Priscilla pick a puppy and Thomas and I will take dah last ones." He didn't want to open the box until they were in the living room and everyone was ready to get their dog. Rose got hers first because she happened to pick her puppy up in the pet shop and that was the end of the choices. Once they were all seated Illya had Kalizda lay Lohgan down in one of the chairs while he sat on the floor with the box. Opening the box he let her peer inside at the rumbling and tumbling mess of puppies. "I tink yah take one out and let et sit wit Lohgan. Ef dah puppy likes tah jes lay gentle wit her den et wears dah green collar wit sunflowers."
Putting an animal near Lohgan did raise Calysta nerves a little, mostly because she didn't want her girl to get hurt and animals on Kaereal weren't the friendliest. It was second nature to be on guard with them around sometimes. She trusted Illya though, and if he said that's what they needed to do, she would do it. Calysta got Lohgan out of her play pen and made sure that her arms and legs were covered to avoid any scratches,then sat beside her as Illya opened up the box. The puppies were a rowdy bunch, rolling over each other with whines and tiny barks of nervous excitement. They were also absolutely adorable. Calysta sat on the edge of her seat, peering inside at the fluffy baby dogs with wet noses and couldn't help a giddy sort of grin. Where in the Wilds were they going to put them all? She had no idea but after seeing them, there was no way she could protest. As Illya instructed she watched them, and found one that wasn't so active as the others. He or she was standing on their hind legs, tail wagging and nose sniffing at Illya's hand before giving it a timid lick. "Aye...what about that one?" She reached in and plucked the puppy up by it's under arms as she gave it a look. It's broad pink tongue was lapping in the desire to give kisses and she chuckled before cautiously putting the puppy next to Loghan to see what would happen.
Just seeing the grin on Kalizda's face was enough. Her excitement with the puppies was almost palpable and she pointed to one before reaching into the box. Apparently when an animal was small and a baby she wasn't afraid of them. Illya wondered if she would be afraid of the dogs when they grew up. The puppy seemed to be the mild one of the bunch and it was a good choice to start with. When he was set near Lohgan the puppy sniffed cautiously at the baby and then when Lohgan squealed and reached for it the puppy scittered back and then cautiously moved forward and licked at the girl's finger tips before moving in closer and gently nudging her to play. Whenever Lohgan would reach for the puppy it would duck and bob and weave playfully and gently. "Put dah green collar on et wit dah sunflowers. I tink dey good match." Before he could say that it was Cypher's turn their boy dug right in and grabbed a puppy. "Monster!" Apparently the dog already had a name too. Illya took the puppy from Cypher and slipped a blue collar with brown stripes on it over the dog's head before gently tightening it. "Yah be gentle wit Monster. He's only a baby. We teach him tah play wit yah eh?" Cypher nodded happily and started to run away from his puppy which gleefully gave chase. Illya glanced to Kalizda and Priscilla for the moment. "Yah each pick yah dogs."
As Cypher was picking out his puppy, she took Logan's pup into her lap and fished out the daisy dog collar from the bag Thomas held open for her. The puppy wiggled making it difficult to get the collar on until finally she managed to clasping around its neck gently, then put it back for her little girl to play with. Her son seems more than happy with his selection which took all of 2 seconds before he was off playing. When Ilya stated it was their turn she cast a glance at Priscilla whose eyes were misting over. It reminded her of the dog she had left behind on Terra. " I think you should pick first," Calysta said, noting the woman's face. Wiping at her eyes, she reached into the box and pulled out the runt of the litter then looked up to Illya with a smile. "He's perfect. Thank you for thinking of me." The little runt plopped into her lap and rolled to his back as he chewed on her hand playfully. That left the bigger ones only and Calysta peered into the box trying to decide. How big would this breed get? She had no idea what kind they were but judging by their paws they were going to get fairly large. There was one who was jumping at the corner of the box and trying to escape to play with the others. "I like your pluck," she smiled as she picked up the hefty pup. It looked like a boy and his tell never stopped wagging as he grinned at her expectantly, then started to lick her chin. She giggled and scatched behind his ears, trying to escape the kisses. "Okay...okay..Aymos. I'll call you Aymos."
The collar for Kalizda's puppy was grey with green lightening across it. Illya had bought collars for each person to put on their dog so he knew which puppy he was looking at. There were only 7 of them. Since there were two left the Chip glanced at Thomas. "Youngest tah oldest. Yah pick next." Almost as soon as he'd said it he felt awkward. A lot of people knew he was older than Kalizda by a ways, but somehow pointing out the fact that he was even older than her father was strange. "Aaaah....Yah know dat book was good. I liked et." There was just hardly a way to escape that little detail and the longer it seemed to linger the more strange it got until Illya started to laugh. "I jes tink we ignore dah youngest tah oldest rule from here on out eh?"
Priscilla's eyes went from Thomas's gray haired head to the generals young face and then back again as she thought about the fact that the older looking of the two was in fact younger. Thomas gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head and chuckled. Sure, he looked older, aging as his kind did, but for the first time in a long time he felt younger that he actually looked. A slow smirk spread across his bearded face and he nodded. "Aye, perhaps it should be age before beauty."
Of course Thomas wasn't going to let it go and he started a little sparring match. Illya couldn't help chuckling a little. "Age before beauty eh?" A whole new look of mischief came to Illya's face and he shrugged. "I guess." It was so hard to hold back the one very sharp comment that was lurking in the back of his mind. He really wanted to just blurt that Thomas got the butt end of that deal, but it would have been even worse than it already was. Having to pretend defeat was in this case the better choice. Carefully Illya pet each of the puppies and then moved his hand to the other side of the box. The puppy that followed was the one that Illya plucked out from it. "Den I guess dis one es meh dog. I call dis one Elijah."
His son-in-law didn't take too well to the ribbing and he earned a bit of a look from his daughter, but he was feeling 20 years younger between the growing pains. Illya reached into the box and took the one he liked, leaving the one with the floppy ears for Thomas. "Elijah, huh?" Thomas asked with a raised brow, "Good name." He wasn't about to joke about it being prophetic because Calysta was already flashing him looks again. Instead, he reached into the box and pulled out his new dog with a jovial grin. "Let's see. Looks like you're a girl...hmm...we'll just call you Lady." He had no doubts that it would become a well trained and loyal dog just like Hatchet. Once Calysta got the green and grey collar on Aymos, she looked up to Illya with cheeks pink in excitement. He knew more about these animals than she did and she wanted to know his secret. "Can you show me how to train them?"
Since they all had their dogs Illya winked at Kalizda. She wanted him to show her how to train her puppy. "Mmhmm. I tink first ting we teach dem es nut tah bite. Yah learn nut tah be afraid of dem. Animals dun like et when yah afraid of dem. Dey smell fear and den dey know dat yah fight dem or run. So dah animal knows dat dey must fight yah or run away and ef yah in dere territory dey fight yah." That was the best way to explain it that he knew how. Animal's as babies were fairly basic, but they would learn little bits at a time.
Animals could smell fear? Not being a little nervous was easier said than done, and yet is cheeky wink made her smile. She would simply have to learn to get used to them and teaching them not to bite sounded like a good place to start. It would make her feel better about the puppies being around the children. The subject to training brought up a very important question. They would be spending copious amounts of time in a ship or there was no place to potty train them. She loved the dogs but they would have to be trained on that too. "I didn't know that," she admitted, "We'll have to teach them where to use the bathroom too. We could put a small pen in the cargo hold, yeah?"
"We make area for dem tah go to dah batroom." That was something Illya had been cleaning at each stop. His chickens, Cin and Keysha all made their little messes and big messes in the animal cargo hold. "Dah puppies learn when yah watch dem and teach dem tah go only dat area, but dey can't be alone too much. Dey need tah be wit us or dey nut like yah so much."
"Oh, I think I'll be keeping mine close," Calysta grinned as Aymos wallowed in her lap playfully. An idea was starting to form in her mind. She would have to see if it were possible and make a few measurements in the animal cargo hold to see if it was possible. It would be a nice little surprise for Illya and the animals if it worked. Lohgan's puppy had taken to licking at the girl's tiny toes, making her giggle hystrically. Hearing that joyful laugh and seeing her daughter interact with the nameless puppy reminded her of something important. Her eyes snapped up to Illya as she titled her head. "Did this count as Lohgan's middle name?"
Just about time that things seemed to settle out Kalizda suddenly asked if this was their daughter's middle name. Illya thought for a long moment and then he grinned. "Yeah. Et's Lohgan Brown Shepherd Pente 7 of Julius." That was her full name and it sounded satisfying. It was good that at least one of his children carried a good Chippequoti name. In a way it was satisfying that she was the one. His last child and his first daughter from Kalizda was named as she should be.
Her daughter's name would be 'Brown Shepherd'. It sounded odd to her and she wasn't sure it was altogether pretty sounding. She had promised though, and Illya sounded so proud to say her fully Chippeqouti name. At least it wasn't 'orange cat'. Her father was giving her a look of surprise, as if he couldn't believe that she had agreed to such a name. "Lohgan Brown Shepherd it is," she chuckled. She'd leave the naming of Lohgan's puppy to Illya too since she was too small to do it. She leaned over and kissed Illya's cheek. "You know you're always full of ideas and this was a wonderful one."
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A single day of rest and relaxation at the last stop before Demos had gone quickly enough and they were already in space again by that evening. Illya made sure his, Kalizda's, Cypher's, and Lohgan's puppies got to go potty before bed and then he returned them to their rooms and spaces. Rose was old enough to take her own dog to the bathroom. Once they were in bed Illya was almost ready to fall asleep and his puppy started to whine. Having puppies was like having babies. Every two hours or so he had to get up and take all the puppies to go to the bathroom and half the time they thought it was playtime. The next morning he wasn't feeling like his idea was such a great one, but he knew he would have to live with his choice now.
Illya was tired and he worked very slowly on everything. Eventually he got to his office time and his dog, Elijah trotted along with him. As soon as he opened the door the puppy trotted in and seated itself. Flopping into his office chair Illya thought for a long while. Sometimes he wasn't sure if he thought about anything at all, but he knew he would have to make up his mind sooner rather than later about Kalizda and he knew which way he was going to head with it, but it still felt like a big move in some ways. Other ways it wasn't so drastic feeling and it was a far more natural response. Turning in a slow circle his eyes came to rest on the white box that had been sitting on his desk.
The box sat on Illya's desk over night and he stared at it for a long moment. He'd told himself he would take it to Priscilla before lunch and it was getting to be within an hour or two of that. Finally he sighed and gathered all his guts and brains as best he could and snatched the box off the desk before walking back down the corridor to Priscilla's room. Tapping gently on the door he waited for her to answer. It was hard to tell if it was the sound of her feet thumping against the floor or his heart about ready to pump itself out his eardrums.
Priscilla heard the gentle tap on her door and sat her puppy, Yujin, into the floor from her lap. The littlest pup wagged his tail and chased her feet as she made her way to door and opened it. Yujin skittered back when she saw the big shadow in the door way at first, but then came back out of curiosity. "General," Priscilla said with a small smile, "Is there something I can help with?" There had to be a reason he was standing in her door way looking nervous with a box in his hand.
While the woman grabbed the tea and talked a little Illya stepped to the side to make room for her. Her puppy seemed to have bonded quite well with her and it trailed along after her. Illya's puppy was napping in the office and that was alright for now. When they reached the kitchen the woman turned her attention toward the subject of home and Illya sat down at the table and sighed. "Nut much dere tah miss right now. Jes red sands, hot sun and empty houses. I still miss et." There was a brief moment of brutal honesty. He missed the red sands and the heat. It wasn't so bad since his family was with him here, but sometimes he still wanted to go back to the desert. "I liked Nuen, et had better memories."
Priscilla gazed at him a little confused as he shook his head and offered over the box in his hands. A gift? She took it slowly from his hands then pushed open the lid to find a soft robe with a flower pattern woven in, thick towels made of fine fibers, and a flower printed mug with a sample set of teas from Terra. Her painted finger tips brushed over the items, inspecting each one of them, then she looked up to meet the General's gaze again. He and his family and been so kind to her, even when she had come to them as such a surprise and Harry was long gone. They weren't just being nice because she had been the First Lady, but because they were good people too. Harry had known it from the start, despite her doubts, and that had always been something she'd loved about him. Being reminded of Harry made her throat tighten. She swallowed hard, determined not to cry, and nodded. "Yes, it's hard and I miss home sometimes. I miss Harry most of all. But this is so kind of you. It reminds me of home, that and my puppy." Priscilla let out a watery chuckle, glancing to Yujin before looking back to the General's eyes. "I imagine you're no stranger to loss, General, but I know you like tea. There are a few Terran flavors in here that are good, my favorite is Earl Grey." She pointed to the little satchel in the box, and then smiled, "Would you like to try some?"
Suddenly it felt a bit awkward when the woman appeared like she might be near tears, but he remained calm and listened to her. When she mentioned the teas a sheepish grin came to his face. He'd went ahead and bought her tea because he liked tea and it was lucky there was one that she liked in the box. "Oh, I suppose I could try one. I uh, guess ets lucky dat dere was tea yah liked in dere. Sometimes I forget dat nut everyone likes tea."
Priscilla smiled and sat the box down so she could remove the tea and the mug. "It depends on Terra, really. Some love tea and others prefer coffee." With the gifts in hand, she slipped through the door and invited him toward the kitchen. "As for me, I like tea best. A habit of living in Japan for so long, I suppose." Yujin followed after them as they went into the galley and she started some hot water for the tea. "You must miss home too. It's Qouti, right?"
While the woman grabbed the tea and talked a little Illya stepped to the side to make room for her. Her puppy seemed to have bonded quite well with her and it trailed along after her. Illya's puppy was napping in the office and that was alright for now. When they reached the kitchen the woman turned her attention toward the subject of home and Illya sat down at the table and sighed. "Nut much dere tah miss right now. Jes red sands, hot sun and empty houses. I still miss et." There was a brief moment of brutal honesty. He missed the red sands and the heat. It wasn't so bad since his family was with him here, but sometimes he still wanted to go back to the desert. "I liked Nuen, et had better memories."
"I saw pictures of the Nuen settlement once, " she admitted as she pulled down a mug for Illya, "It looked lovely the way everyone had built it up. I wish I could have visited before the Federation took it." Pouring a few spoonfuls of sugar into each mug, she prepared the tea and then waited for the water to grow hot. "Maybe you will get to go back someday when it's safe, hm? I'm not sure I'll ever go back to Terra."
Priscilla was an odd woman for sure. Thinking she might not ever go back to Terra. There were a lot of things people thought they would or would not ever do and ended up doing it in the end. "Maybe I go back someday. Yah might find reason tah go back tah Terra again someday too. Time changes lots of tings. We all worry about many tings, but et dun do much good." When she slid a cup toward him Illya held his hands around it and felt the warmth before he breathed the scent in. "I dun tink I ever tell yah dat I never expect tah find anoter woman, certainly nut Kalizda. She shot meh first time we met.'
She held her own cup to her lips as she listened. Blowing on the liquid to cool it down just enough that she ventured taking sip of the fragrant tea. When he mentioned how he met Kalizda she choked a little and glanced up to the man with wide eyes. "She shot you?" It was hard to believe his tiny and loving wife would do that. She had some fight in her, but she loved the man too much to shoot him. "Why on earth did she shoot you?"
The woman seemed to be completely shocked by it and Illya chuckled. "Oh, et might have been dat she crashed on Quoti nut knowing about et. Maybe et was dah fact dat I help mehself onto her ship, or et could have been dat I told her I owned dah, ship and her so I could fly."
Just when that seemed like major news, his explanation as to why she shot him was even more shocking. "You didn't!" She whispered. She was sure that he had, but she had to ask. The look on his face told her that it was the truth. "You're lucky all she did was shoot you! How is it you managed to marry her instead?" She would have never guessed that the two of them had started out in such a way.
Lifting the cup to his lips Illya took a small sip of the tea. It was good, but very strange tasting. Priscilla seemed very curious how the whole marriage thing came about and Illya shrugged. Even after regaining his memories he wasn't sure how that happened. "I'm nut really sure. She liked looking at meh and I liked tah joke at her for et. I gave her dah cat by accident. Got in her bed drunk one night and den she stole dah cat and....I dun know what I was tinking when I got up hungover and bought her a red dress and silver necklace. Hid dem on dah ship and jes kept going."
The explanation was so jumbled as to be a little sad and yet struck her as strangely funny. He'd crawled into her bed drunk among other things? She raised a thin brow at him as she leaned against the counter top. "You gave a Kaerelean woman a red dress," she chuckled, "No wonder she liked you. You don't remember why it is you married her though." The footage of the general being shot in the head was something she had seen as well. Anybody would have memory issues after that. "It must have been hard after what happened."
"Oh, no no. I remember why I agree wit her. I jes dun know how I get from her shooting meh tah her deciding dat she like meh." There was no clear moment in time that he could recall just suddenly deciding that he liked her or that she liked him. "After what happened?" Illya was entirely lost on what hard thing the woman was talking about. "Meh first agreed was already dead over a year when I agree wit Kalizda."
Somehow he hadn't understood she was talking about his shot to the head and ended up spilling about how he had been married to another woman. She hadn't realized that he had been married before, or that his wife had died. He had moved on so quickly! At this point she couldn't imagine moving on from Harry. She could still see his face in her mind on the night that he told her that she needed to leave. A part of her wish she hadn't left him all alone. In fact on some days, Priscilla wished that she would have been riding along with him when that car had blown up. "Oh." She grew quiet for a moment and sipped on her tea before looking back up to the general, curious to see what he would say. "Your first wife... er...agreed. She passed away. Do you ever feel...guilty for still living?" It was an odd question, but it was something she truly wanted to know.
It got strangely quiet and Illya figured he probably blurted the wrong thing. Then the question came and it was a very odd one. "Mmm, no. Et was different kind of sad den dah uh..." He couldn't think of the word he was looking for so he had to substitute it for something less accurate. "Uh et was different den dah sadness wit war. I know she was dying for long time. Et was harder tah watch et for many years, but I know dat dere was still many tings left tah do. When Kalizda came wit her ship and et was still good enough tah fly I know dat I have duty. Et was meh duty tah get meh people off Quoti before I died too."
Priscilla sat there sipping on her tea in silence for a long moment as she listened to the general. In some ways she understood what it was like to see someone you love die slowly, and it wasn't anything she would wish upon anyone. Still she had to admire him continuing to help his people after his wife had died. "Well, you succeeded. I think the Kaereleans rather liked the Chips after awhile now that I think about it. I see why Calytsa started to really like you."
A chuckle sounded from Illya. "Et wasn't for meh charm." He knew his charm wasn't that great, but he liked to pretend it was. "Dere's always reason tah keep on going. Someting dat I learn from great man. He tell meh when I was young dat yah sometines tink dere esn't much left, but yah never really run out of reason tah keep fighting. So long as some of yah people live den yah have reason tah live and fight wit dem."
"She wouldn't love you so much if it was for your charm and looks alone," Priscilla replied. She'd done her reading on the woman's background before meeting with her the first time and all of her actions to that point were very much geared toward the safety and well being of her people. When he mentioned someone telling him there always a reason to keep going, Priscilla nodded. "There's very little I can do right now for my people, but it doesnt do Harry any honor to give up either. This great man sounds like a very wise man. One of your elders?"
Illya was about to tell Priscilla that her time would come that she could do something for her people, but she went right on to ask who told him that. "No, et was meh fater." A smirk slid across Illya's face. "Ef dere was a man dat knew how tah get yah flaming mad en 10 seconds et was him. He came to meh house a few times jes tah get meh mad enough tah get up and show him I could still fight. I tink he knew someday Chippequoti would have dere chance tah move. Dun worry, I won't get yah mad, but yah chance will come tah do someting for yah people."
Priscilla chuckled as she cupped the mug in her hands. "He sounds like he was a good father. Maybe he did know it. I always knew Harry would serve his people well, though I never thought that I would be able to do quite as well as he did. I do hope I get my chance, General. It's what I have left."
"Yah Harry was good man. I tink yah have good example and yah get yah chance. Right now yah have time tah study and prepare for yah chance." Illya knew that sometimes it was hard to move past grief, but to be able to direct the energies toward something else was helpful. It got away from the wallowing and instead helped a person become proud of accomplishments and find more fond memories of those they lost.
The more she thought about, it the more she realized he was right. Harry wouldn't have wanted her to sit around and mope. He would have wanted her to live and work toward the goal that he didn't get to complete. It was time to move on, but she couldn't stay in limbo forever. Nodding slowly, she finished her tea and put the cup in the sink. "Harry sent me away so that I could live and that's what I intend on doing. If I can help, General, I will. I don't have the same ability now that I no longer work in the government, but I will try."
It was a gentle nudge and Illya hadn't been sure if Priscilla would respond in a positive or negative manner. The silence would either end with her walking out and being angry with him, or she would do something about it. When she finally spoke he nodded slowly. "Yah have plenty of ability. Yah know yah people and dose dat support yah and Harry. Many of dose people are still alive and yah know what will motivate dem tah help take Terra back from dah Federation. Dah Alliance maybe looks like et's done, but dah people still want dere home back."
"From what I understand, my people have never been truly free of the Federation. We won't be taking it back. We'll be getting it for the first time and my people need that. It makes me wonder if our admittedly turbulent history hasn't been because of that. When the time comes, I want to step up for them, like Harry did, and clear Terra for good," she said quietly, "I have hope that some of my friends escape and I know they will help as well."
Finishing the last of the tea Illya nodded a little. "Et was good tea, tank yah." He thought for a moment longer about what she said and he grinned. "Yah still have meh tah help ef yah tink of plans dat will work. I like disrupting Federation plans."
"Oh, I think I could have a few ways if I thought about it," she smiled quietly, "If I can think of something, I will. May I ask you something? Do you know if the man named Yuri is still alive? I never met him but I know he was a contact of Harry's and a good one. He would be a good place to start."
Priscilla was perking right up with something to do and Illya grinned at her question. "Aye, he's still floating around and stirring up dah Terrans."
***********************************************
After training that night Illya put an arm over Kalizda's shoulders. "I want yah tah jes sit on dah mat wit meh for a few minutes eh?" It was a little more private for a conversation in the cargo bay/training section than it was to be in their room. If they were in their room it wasn't likely that anyone could hear them, but here in the cargo bay it felt more private because no one had business to come to this part of the ship in the evenings.
"I spend a lot of meh time in dah office jes researching and remembering." Taking a deep breath he held a hand out to her and gently held onto the hand that she placed in his. "Most of dah work was secret because I was making sure dat meh memories of us are correct. Kalizda, I dun know how tah find words for dis. Yah more beautiful den I know. After all dat yah did for Chippequoti and yah risk yah life for meh more den once. Den I come home and I dun know yah for long time, but yah still faitful woman and yah still love meh." Raising her hand to his lips he kissed it gently. "I know meh memories are true now and I know dat I can trust yah." Cautiously he wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her so that she was sitting on his legs before he kissed her lips.
She had been through so much for him and the Chippequoti. This was a fight that didn't originally belong to her, but she was the reason that they had been able to escape Quoti and the reason that they had gained allies and safety for the first time. Pausing for a moment he gazed into her eyes. He didn't even know what to say at this point. Illya loved her and he had a duty to her before this, but this was different. Now that he knew what he did before it was more than love and a pretty face. Kissing her again he momentarily lost his thoughts and nearly drowned the moment. In a kiss drunken fashion he grinned at her. "When I know dah woman behind dese beautiful eyes I know what et es..." He was losing the words and he grinned. "Et's hard tah say all dese tings like et's en meh head."
Finishing another kiss and a moment to try and sort out his mind he switched to Quoti. It was much easier to say what he wanted. Sometimes he didn't know the words in Terran or Kaerelean. "I love the woman that I agreed with. To know my memories are correct makes me proud. You're a warrior. I love you and now that I know who you are again it makes my heart burn with passion. It is honor to be agreed with such a woman." A slight tinge of pink came to his cheeks as he prepared to continue. "Maybe I stay here longer because I have someting jes for yah."
It looked like Kalizda would wait and so he started out softly
singing the song he had worked so hard to learn in Kaerelean. For a short while it had been put away, but the memories and the problems with his logic had come clashing and he researched till he knew the answer. He'd been wrong about a few things and he'd asked for her forgiveness already, but she still needed to know that he loved her. A few of the words were slightly slurred with his accent, but it still came out right from what he could tell. There was no mistaking the words since there weren't too many of them to learn and he knew she loved it when he tried to use Kaerelean to talk to her. So far as Illya knew there wasn't a better way to show how much he loved her.
