Old Stomping Ground [Nallia]

[Syravari Elik]

Worried that she may injure herself worse, he noticed that any argument to letting her get up was fruitless, so wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up as they removed the comforter. "Hold on," he stated. "Let me get you something to put on first, then we'll get you up."

Rising, he quickly moved to the closet and found her robe, then brought it out. Helping her put it on, he tied it for her and then continued the painful rise to her feet, his right arm around her shoulders, left hand upon her left forearm. Taking it slow, he helped her from the master suite and through the ship, downstairs and eventually to the kitchen. As they approached the door, he knew the girls were going to skin him alive for this, but too late now. Opening the door for them, he let her in first as Bethany and the other females aboard ship all rose, surprised at what they saw.

"Sy," Rebecca exclaimed, moving to help Nallia, getting to her before Bethany did. "What in the world are you thinking?"

"She insisted," he defended.

[Nallia Oberon]

Nallia let Syra help her up, though noticed he wouldn't help her off with the bandages. As they went down the halls, the feel of the ship beneath her feet was soothing and she relaxed against him, willingly letting him help support her.

As they reached the kitchen, the onslaught began and she laughed as Brittany settled her into a seat. "He didn't have a choice, Brit, you know that. I would have come the first chance he left me alone." She laughed as she sat down, then coughed as her throat reminded her that this had probably been a bad idea. She was suddenly exhausted and her hand rubbed her throat a moment as she smiled again and headed heavily on her arms on the table.

"I just needed to get out of that bed. Something to eat and I promise I'll go right back. I'll be ok." She looked at the girls with a smile but their return looks made her realize she probably looked like a Death Knight from children's stories. Her skin was paler than usual from the exertion of walking to the kitchen. Her eyes were sunken and swollen from bruising, meds and prolonged sleep. And she looked overall worse than she had when first arriving as a half starved and beaten slave.

[Syravari Elik]

Bethany moved behind the island and began making something as Rebecca, Sabrina and Rihana all sat at the table with her. "Going to make you some soup," the head chef mentioned as she began grabbing all the ingredients. "Becca, grab her some water or something to drink."

"Okay," the auburn haired girl shot back up and headed to the refrigeration unit.

Syravari just sat down at the island, on a stool and watched amusedly. "Guess we didn't need any nurses after all, huh," he smirked, eyeing Nallia.

"Girls gotta take care of one another," Rihana replied, winking at Nallia. "No one else's gonna do it."

[Nallia Oberon]

Despite being tired and wrung out, Nallia smiled as the others started scurrying around to cater to her. She glanced up to see Syra watching the girls and her and she smiled at him. "Be nice to him, Rhi... He did pull Colin off me." She laughed as the others smiled.

After several minutes and some water, the silence fell that companions have after being together a long time.

When she started seeing the glances between the girls and Syra, she finally spoke up. "Who fired the shot?" She glanced to each to see their reactions. "I'm not so out of it to think I imagined the sound." She glanced at her lover. "And you haven't actually said I was hit, so I know I wasn't." She glanced at the others. "So who shot Colin?"

She sat there, shaking slightly from fatigue, as she waited to see who would answer.

[Syravari Elik]

Bethany glanced between Nallia and Syravari, then went back to cooking as Rebecca handed their patient her glass of water, leaving the explanation to the captain.

Eyeing her, he cleared his throat. "My mother shot him," he stated, though still not sure how he felt about it, even though the man was pummeling his girlfriend, which he definitely hated. "And basically let him die," he shrugged.

"Good," Rihana said without hesitation. "He deserved it."

Syravari had to agree.

"There were many of us that wished we had pulled the trigger, once we heard what he did, then saw you laying there in the medbay at the palace," Bethany added.

[Nallia Oberon]

Nallia was just about to scream for them to answer when Syra piped up. "Oh gods... Your mother..." Nallia suddenly felt sick to her stomach. "Syra... I'm sorry. Please... I have to tell her I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get him killed."

She looked down at the water glass between her hands, grateful she was sitting down. "It's my fault. He was walking away." She looked up at the girls because they hadn't heard, that she knew of. "He was saying Syra would dump me like he did all the others. Or he'd get me killed, like... her. He was walking away. But I just HAD to say something. Defend Syra, and myself. I didn't want him thinking I believed him." The story was rushing out of her now. " I told him Syra had come back for me, on Drifter's. That he loved me and wouldn't leave me. He said Syra had promised Sorcia the world then got her killed. I said it was his fault she died. Syra would have brought her the world if she'd believed in him and stayed put. He got so mad. I told him I didn't want the world. I already had everything I needed. That it was his greed..." She choked as her throat started to protest so much use all of a sudden. "I don't even remember the fight. I just remember he was choking me, then suddenly I was hitting him."

She stopped as she looked back down at her hands. The bacta tank had done its job and healed her body, but the stiffness would take a while to wear itself out with use. Bones were knit and set... But bruises tattled on the wound's locations. "I have to tell her I'm sorry..." she whispered and started to stand up. Her idea was to just go to the office and send a message. They'd go back soon and she'd say it again in person. "I have to..."

[Syravari Elik]

As she began apologizing, Syravari moved to her, kneeling at her side and placed his hand on her left forearm. "Hey, like I said earlier, this was going to happen eventually. This wasn't your fault at all. He was always looking for a fight and was going to get one that day, whether you replied to his goading or not. He lunged at me with a knife in his hand, that's why she shot him. It had nothing to do with you." Realizing he was this transparent in front of the other girls didn't occur to the pirate at all, only that Nallia was still feeling gulity.

Rihana, the gunsmith and ex-mercenary leaned across the table, "Had the queen not shot him, one of us would have. We're a family now," her eyes glanced between everyone in the room, then back. "All of us. We stick together and I'd defend you just like he would," she motioned to Syravari.

"As would we all," Bethany added. "Get used to it, sister," she grinned and winked.

[Nallia Oberon]

Nallia had been on the verge of tears as Syra knelt beside her. But when he mentioned Colin pulling a knife, her heart almost stopped. She tensed under his, more than gentle, touch and looked at him. "A knife?" Her eyes went from one to the other in the room.

As one woman after another affirmed Colin had it coming, for what they did to her, and what he tried on Syra, she nodded and sighed. "I'm sorry he's dead... But I'm not sorry he's gone." It was all she could see to say.

When then agreed she was family, it reminded her of the others. "And Brannoc and the rest? They're all ok? And they know? What happened, I mean?" It was Brannoc's teachings that had not just kept her alive but given her a chance. She looked around and settled her eyes on Syra once more. "I know you said you'd teach me about weapons and fighting when you thought I was ready. But Brannoc's been teaching me since before you were taken. Pretty much every night since the last time I was... hurt.." She let it drop there. She had promised herself Syravari would never have to rescue her again after the last time. Though it seemed she still had a lot to learn.

She glanced at the others to see their reactions. Brannoc and her had always done it in secret. He had been teaching her about altering manifests, cargo smuggling and other things as well. They had used those lesson times to spar in the far hold where no one would accidentally see. And she'd always made sure the occasional bruise she acquired wasn't seen. But in light of all this, her lover and the others had a right to know. "Please don't be mad at him, Syra," she looked at him with a gentle smile. "I kind of guilt tripped him into doing it. But I want to thank him, if that's ok."

She was settling down again. Colin was gone and it was finally over for Syra. She'd watch to make sure 'he' didn't feel guilty. But otherwise, it was time to move on.

[Syravari Elik]

The revelation of Brannoc's mentoring prompted a grin, "He mentioned that some time back and I was glad that he did. We both agreed that I may not be the best for that, since we're involved. He's not going to pull his punches, which I'm sure you know by now. I couldn't have done that, and that's not what you needed." The apology to Brannoc and the fact that she was moving around the ship also reminded him that she was only wearing a robe, which usually wouldn't have bothered him. Oddly, it mattered now.

"Get something to eat and relax for a minute, I'll call him to the kitchen here shortly, if you wanted."

After a long moment, Bethany carried the bowl of soup to the table and set it before Nallia, then rounded the table behind Syravari and sat to his left.

[Nallia Oberon]

Nisa smiled and nodded. "It doesn't surprise me he told you." A small laugh, nearly her old self, was added to the comment. "It explains you pretending not to notice the occasional bruise. I just hope you didn't come down too hard on him for them."

When the smell of the soup before her got her senses, her stomach growled. "Remind never to never complain about lack of sleep, again. I think several days is a bit of an overkill." She laughed once more, a small cough following it as she tucked into the soup, grateful for it's warmth as well as it's filling.

--
She changed the topic to the shopping trip the ladies had gone on, her eyes rolling as they regaled tales of getting things for themselves. She even gracefully accepted the announcement there were presents for her when she was ready.

She watched Syra out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. He was waiting for her to become too tired to stay up. His look of worry evident to her, if not to the others.

After a bit her eyes started to droop and when she shifted, the pain returned. "I think I need to get back. The pain killers, much as I hate them, call to me." She tried to laugh but this time it want even close. She stood up and held on to to table for a long moment to try and keep her legs from betraying her. "The soup was amazing, Brittany. Thank you. Just what I needed." She smiled to each of them in thanks. It was hard for her to imagine, growing up, that happy families existed. Now she couldn't imagine life without them.