Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 61 to 80 of 87

Thread: The T'nuah Boxes: A Xanatos and Teagan Mystery

  1. #61
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    With a rumbling acknowledgment that sounded from her throat, the young Lupine let her gait continue on lazily, choosing to remain at his side until they got to camp.

    And when they did, he was true to his word, leaving her in relative privacy to revert back into her other form. Her mother often called it the 'Second Form', and she couldn't help but agree with the unsaid notion that to be on all fours was the most freeing of her two bodies. And therefore, it was the First.

    The reversion was swift, as she was quick to pull her clothes back on. There was excitement, as she couldn't wait to see how far Xan had gotten in his task of cleaning and skinning their dinner.

    The sun was beginning to dip closer to the horizon, and Teagan slipped into the tent he'd vanished inside of.

    She didn't say anything at first, instead biting her lip as she tried to think of something to break the silence of his work.

    She settled on a single word.

    "Hey."

  2. #62
    When he got back to the library he would need to study up on how to field dress an animal. He had managed to get a small incision into the jakrab's back, surprised at how easily the skin began to slip away at first, the first few pulls and cuts after that had made it seem like an easy enough process, the pelt coming off easily through the torso - but once he had gotten to the extremities his own unfamiliarity with the process had began to get the better of him, causing him to stall on the limbs and head. He was focused so intently on trying to muddle his way through that he hadn't heard her come in, and wasn't aware of her presence until...

    "Hey."

    Xanatos turned his head to find Teagan, back in the form he had met his young friend in, standing nearby and looking over his work. He gave her an apologetic grin, aware of just how unskilled his work likely seemed - especially as she had admitted to being a frequent hunter before.

    "I fear I may be just a touch in over my head." He admitted with a defeated chuckle. "I don't suppose you could?" He motioned at his work, happy to have another, hopefully more experienced, hand involved.

  3. #63
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    With his invitation, Teagan was more than happy to step in somewhat. She took the skinning knife, giving the jakrab a quick once-over. He'd done a good job with the main stuff, and only seemed to trip up with the legs and head.

    "Well, I saw my mom do something like this once, so I'll try my best."

    Another few moments of study, and she finally reached out with her free hand to grab a back paw.

    "I do remember that she cut the skin around all the paws," the knife sliced through skin, cutting a ring around the leg of the paw she held. Then, she let go and grabbed a hold of the other, repeating the process. Once that was done, she let her free hand move upward to the forepaws and again cut around the leg.

    "Since we won't need to eat the feet, we don't have to worry about skinning the feet, and we can do the same thing around... " she shifted her hold to the neck, "... the neck."

    Looking back to Xan, Teagan offered a hopeful smile. She said nothing for a few moments, pursing her lips for a brief second before speaking again.

    "Thanks," she gave a slight sway, unsure of how to progress before just throwing herself into the moment.

    "... for not freaking out."

  4. #64
    Xanatos had followed along as she had finished dressing the jakrab, it was good information to know in case he ever found himself needing to fend for himself. So much had changed from his first days after leaving Mithos that uncertainty had become a fact of life in his existence. While he had a home, the necessities and peace for now, it wasn't guaranteed to him. Knowledge was the one thing you could be certain to hold on to, and he knew he would have to strive to learn as much as he could.

    Her thank you brought a small smile to his lips and he found himself giving a gentle shrug and distant chuckle, "Well... you certainly caught me off guard." he admitted, "But I told you I was going to do my best, and I didn't want to let you down."

    He paused between breaths, debating if he should say anything else before continuing, "Is it... alright if I ask what that was?"

  5. #65
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    "A vornskr."

    With a last jerk, she pulled the skin away from the body. It separated with a crisp yet wet sounding shlerp, and she held it aloft for a few moments, unsure of exactly where to set it. Eventually she settled on carefully holding it out for Xan to take.

    "That's the only thing I can change in to, though. I'm not like a Clawdite exactly, since I only have two bodies."

    Blinking then, the young Lupine gave a shy smile.

    "My mom always used to say that we were supposed to keep what we are a secret, but lately she's been ok with not keeping it secret anymore."

    Which, honestly, was something of its own thing. For as long as she could remember, her mother had insisted that she never tell anyone what they truly were. And it had always seemed so... strange. She wanted everyone to know what she was, that she could Change. There was a small part of her that understood though, as some people didn't like the notion that someone could change shapes and have a different body.

    "She used to tell me stories about how our people weren't really from the normal parts of the galaxy here, and that we were sometimes called... " she felt her shoulder sag slightly, "... nightmares."

  6. #66
    Xanatos took the offered jakrab and listened to the rest of Teagan's story. So the canine form, the vornskr, was her only other form. It still didn't answer his question as to how she could transform, but it seemed to be a thing her people simply could do, judging from the label her mother had apparently told her they'd been given. He would have pegged Teagan for human, though he should honestly know better. There were many human-like species in the galaxy that didn't quite match up with the expectation. He, himself, was Mithosian afterall. If not for the wider variety of natural hair colors, their longevity and a few less obvious traits, they themselves could easily be mistaken for human.

    The label itself though, felt familiar in a way that made him initially uncomfortable. He saw nothing monstrous or nightmarish about Teagan, but he knew her. He knew the kind soul she was, and had kept his calm through the surprise of her transformation by reminding himself of that. Others meeting with a similar experience may not have such a reaction - or worse, had encountered those who used that gift for dire purposes. Much like he had with the Force as a younger man. Much like the Inquistoriate had. He had spent many years thinking of himself as a monster, as a nightmare.

    He let out a soft sigh and leaned down just enough to be sure he and Teagan could speak as equals. "You're not a nightmare, Teagan. Neither are your people. Your people are just... people. Some of us make bad decisions and leave an unfortunate history to color people's perceptions of us, and those like us - but you're not responsible for their actions, and all you can do is keep being you, and trust that the people who matter, those close to you, will see you for who you are."

    He smiled at her reassuringly. "You're not a monster Teagan. You're you. You're my friend, and I trust you." He stood back up and held up the jakrab, 'And right now I can think of nothing better than the two of us getting started on some dinner."

  7. #67
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    He had come down to her eye level, and she was about to throw her arms around his neck in appreciation, but in the next moment he'd grabbed the jakrab with a smile, holding it aloft with desires of sharing a dinner with her. Oh, they would've shared dinner regardless, but now there was something more to their meal now, and Teagan couldn't help but match the expression on his face.

    His blue hair was like a shining, glittering mass of jewels in the waning sunlight, and she couldn't help but stare. It was mesmerizing.



    * * *

    The jakrab carcass was nearly done cooking, and the young Lupine reached out to poke at it as it rotated on the hastily-crafted spit.

    "I've had them raw, more than I've had them cooked," she admitted with a wry grin.

  8. #68
    He watched the lean animal cook slowly over the spit, drips of escaping juices falling every so often to sizzle and pop against the open flame. He looked up at her, with that sheepish grin, talking about her previous hunts.

    "Are they good that way?" He said with genuine curiosity.

  9. #69
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    "When you're a vornskr, they are," she laughed.

    "Otherwise, not so much."

    Raw jakrab was apealing, but the carcass currently sizzling over the open flame was much more so, and Teagan gave it another turn out of anticipation.

    The covered pot that sat in the coals also caught her eye, and she gestured to it.

    "How does the reconstituted tuber mash look?"

  10. #70
    Xanatos gave an appreciative nod to the information. He had a bit of a taste for his meat tartare from his days in the mansion. It was supposedly more refined and a symbol of his family's status and breeding that they could still enjoy uncooked meat with no consequences, so mother had been certain to flaunt that fact frequently to dinner guests. It was far less accepted, he had discovered, in the wider universe.

    He had heard that the Cizerak still prepared their food raw. It was something to consider for later if he had the opportunity to sample it.

    He glanced over at the pot at her question and fanned away some of the smoke and steam as he carefully reached for it's lid. It was hot, but thankfully not quite hot enough to burn him and he lifted it to inspect the contents within.

    "They look good, I'd say they're ready for whenever the jakrab is."

  11. #71
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    "Then dinnertime it is," she grinned wide, grabbing the crossbar of their makeshift spit and pulling it off of the fire to set it on a cleared-away rock that she'd made sure to put a small plasteel cutting board atop. The same knife that they had skinned their meal with had been washed, and she began to slice away bits of meat from the left haunch. It steamed, and the young Lupine craned her neck to smell the aroma as it drifted lazily up into the air.

    "Oh mannnn," was all she could momentarily say, eyes closing as the scent filled her nostrils.

    "It smells sooo good!"

  12. #72
    The smell of cooked Jakrab caused his stomach to rumble, a sharp pain of hunger helping him to realize that they had hiked all day before settling in to eat. As Teagan worked to cut into their dinner Xanatos spooned out generous portions of mashed tuber into plasteel bowls, careful to leave enough room for their jakrab entree to be added, before handing one after the other to Teagan to portion out the roasted jakrab.

    "It certainly smells better than anything I've had aboard the Whaladon..." He said with another stomach gurgle emphasizing his statement, "Tarkin sandwiches excluded."

  13. #73
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    She couldn't help but laugh.

    "Those Tarkin sandwiches are so good!"

    The smell of the jakrab, and the smell of the tuber mash was enough to sway her just a little bit though, and Teagan handed over a camping utensil to Xan.

    "... but, I have to admit that after hiking all day, this is looking like a dinner that would put that old Chiss to shame."

    It was strange, how such a simple meal could be the best she'd ever had, after time spent trekking through the wilds of Ossus. And truth be told, she wasn't too hesitant to admit that fact.

    Her own utensil was dug down deep into the mash, and it pulled out some of the jakrab with it. She held it aloft for a few seconds to watch the steam rise, and with a few quick blows to try and cool her forkful, the young Lupine brought it hungrily into her mouth. It was still hot, but the taste was still there, and it made her give a strange expression; something that was between pure enjoyment and 'gods above this is still hot'.

    "Haweeww," she breathed out, not ready to swallow lest her throat burned as well, "... haawwww... "

    She breathed out a steamy breath, heat clouds coming from her mouth as though she was one of the Krayt Dragons on Tatooine.

    "It'sss hhaawwt!"

    Another few seconds passed, and with a few forceful chomps to try to alleviate the heat, Teagan finally swallowed.

    "But oohhhh man it's good!"

  14. #74
    The blue-haired Mithosian hard been moments from biting into his own food when Teagan's reaction had tipped him off to just how searing their dinner was. He smiled a bit and stirred it, giving it a few more minutes to cool before he would enjoy it himself. He let a breath slip from his lips and thought more on Teagan's transformation. She'd mentioned her mother sharing stories of it with her, and wanting her to keep it secret, but hadn't mentioned Master Vymes at all. Family issues could be... tricky to discuss with others. He knew that from his own history, so he had to be careful how he approached the conversation.

    "So, your vornskr form." He started slowly, "Is that something everyone in your family can do?"

    He brought a fork full of tuber up and gave it a few sharp blows before taking it into his mouth and immediately wishing he had let it sit few minutes longer yet, tears welling in his eyes as he fought to keep his composure and slowly chewed to distribute the heat and help cool it down.

  15. #75
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    Her metal camping fork dredged through the tuber mash before spearing a shred of jakrab meat, and she held it aloft, giving a quick little blow to try and cool it off somewhat.

    "Yeah. My mother was always super strict about who we told, back when I was younger. My Uncle - well, not really Uncle, but to me he is - his people apparently hunt us. Or well, other Lupines. There's a whole huge history that goes back forever, and I haven't quite gotten the whole story. Mostly what I know is from him, and from the stuff I read in the old books I've 'borrowed' from my mom."

    Another blow, and she hesitated for only a few more moments before bringing her fork to her mouth.

    Chewing, she took a few moments to enjoy her mouthful before finally swallowing.

    "I think that now, 'cause we're on Ossus, she believes it's safe enough to not be as strict as she used to be."

  16. #76
    Xanatos listened with interest to the brief glimpses into her people, his years as an Intel Officer quickly picking up keywords and important details.

    Old history, an 'uncle' who is part of a people who hunt Teagan's race, Lupines. He wasn't certain he had ever heard the name before, and if he had it had been far above his paygrade as an Imperial officer. The conversation they had shared earlier of how her people had been viewed as monsters, this knowledge of people hunting them, and his own unfamiliarity with their existence painted a stark portrait. No wonder she had been so nervous about sharing her ability with him.

    He gave a small nod, chewing a bit more Jakrab before swallowing. "Ossus is... pretty special." He leaned forward. "Like a fresh start." He smiled at her, "To be more than our pasts." His own past still haunted him, though he was learning to let go of it, to trust himself to the Force and to the future.

  17. #77
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    A quick bit of the tuber mash, and she gave him a hopeful look as she chewed before swallowing quickly.

    "To the future of us both, then," was all she could think to offer in that moment, while hefting another forkful of mash and a shred of jakrab meat.

    But, she paused before lifting it to her mouth, and biting her lower lip, the young Lupine couldn't help but let her gaze flit up to his hair, then back to his face. He looked young still, but there was an age in his eyes that she couldn't quite place.

    "Where you're from... what's it like?"

  18. #78
    Xan prodded at the remains of his meal as he considered her question. Could he even recall? It had been so long since he'd actually been home. He let the air escape through his nose and knit his brow.

    "Green." He said simply at first, hoping more words would come to him after the first. "It's very... green. Fields, hills, forests. Even the rivers and streams seem to shimmer with a reflection of the plants around them." He sat back and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander to the breeze on the field, to the warm summers pulling at his skin. His face faltered into a frown and he leaned forward a bit, eyes reopening.

    "I miss it. I spent a very long time wanting to leave, to flee and discover what the rest of the galaxy had to offer, and now that I can no longer return... I realize how much I gave up." A flash of memory, of his mother... his sister. He caught his breath in his throat and began to repeat slowly to himself. "There is no emotion, there is peace..." until he could feel himself calm and his breathing steady.

    "It was nice." He finally said solemnly. "I think you'd like it."

  19. #79
    SW-Fans.Net Poster

    Tak fanG
    ...my daddy smells like wine

    Has been a member for 5 years or longer
    Teagan s'Ilancy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,104
    She watched him, her meal momentarily forgotten as he described his old home. In her mind's eye she could see the beauty that he spoke of, and the beauty that it all held in his memories. And then the admission came, of his inability to return. It made her wonder just how she would feel herself, if she could never return to Schwartzweld. The thought was too abstract though, and she refocused on Xan.

    "I'm sorry you can't go back," she managed to at least mumble out. It seemed such a tiny thing to say to such a big concept.

    Instead, she clung to his last words.

    "I'm pretty sure I'd love a place like that."

    A long pent-up breath was let out then, and she finished off the last of her meal without much fuss.

    "Did you ever think you would end up in a place like this?"

  20. #80
    He looked away wistful, lost in thought and nearly missing her conversation before managing to pull himself out of the prologue of his life and back into it's current chapter. "I think you'd like it to." He managed softly under his breath, setting his bowl down and finding his appetite gone.

    What a question. Did he ever think he'd be here? There was so much to unpack in such a seemingly simple query. The choices he'd made, the false starts, the wrong paths, the way it would have all ended on Zeltros if hadn't been for Master Vymes.

    "No is far too-simple an answer." He finally said softly, "But it's also the right one. I didn't think I'd be here, or anywhere like here. Honestly, the more i think of it, the more I find that it could only be the will of the Force that would have ever led me to this place." He smiled at her a bit with a soft nod, the ember light of the cooking fire casting across both their faces.

    "I wasn't a good person, Teagan." He looked back to the sky above them. "And this feels like a chance I've neither earned nor deserve, but the Force must have a place for me, for it's led me here all the same."

Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •