last_kallig | OOM: AU Child! Ibani

Ibani is in there for quite a while, and changes the water more than once because she's filthy. She hadn't realized HOW filthy, had no real basis for comparison. She scrubs everywhere, even her hair. She cleans the tub out after she's done, leaves it as close to the condition she found it in as she can.

She's pink from scrubbing when she comes out wearing the pajamas, the green fabric so soft it feels unreal. "I hadn't realized..." she begins, then trails off, flushing. "I will learn how to fit in, here."

The things that he has arranged out on the table fall into a few categories - a small pile of wound salves, bandages, and other 'medical' type things (which he will not truly need, because as soon as Ibani sits down next to him he plans on taking care of the rest of her injuries 'his way', now that she has cleaned up) available. There is another pile which includes the basic outfit she saw earlier, along with a pair of slippers (and a note saying if she prefers or desires something else, just send a note via the room service tube system) and some various sundries - toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb for her hair, etc. And then there is a pile of small treats and goodies, a 'sample pack' if you will, of things that Skellig does not recognize all of (some might be from Ibani's universe, he isn't sure) and some that he does.

(Even with the Bar ensuring that the pajamas would fit well, she looks so small when she steps back out of the bathroom that it breaks his heart.)

"You look as if you feel better," he says, encouragingly. "Bar packed up some soup for us, and it has kept warm well. Though I would like to finish healing your neck first, if you'd allow me to?" He motions for her to join him on the couch. "I want to get those wounds closed. It will not take me more than a few minutes."

She IS small, really, drastically underweight for her age. She's in slightly better shape than she 'should' be, thanks to the Force. (Someone TRAINED in the Force can theoretically sustain themselves without food or water for years, subsisting on the Force alone. Ibani has only managed to slightly blunt the effects of malnutrition.)

"I do feel better," she says, smiling. "And it would be good to have my neck fixed."

She peers curiously at the things on the table. "I have heard of soup, but never had it." She smiles wryly. "Before today I don't think I ever had anything that wasn't ration bars or whatever lichen or mushrooms I could forage for in the mines."

"It has...I think it is chicken," he sniffs slightly in the direction of the sealed containers. "Potatoes. Maybe a few other vegetables. I did not ask, she merely said it would be good for healing."

Once she is beside him on the couch, he carefully reaches over to the worst spot of remaining blisters and raw skin on her neck, placing his fingertips gingerly on the 'good' skin beside it and allowing his energy to work to heal the damage.

"And easy on the system," he adds. "We do not want to overwhelm your body."

She nods. "It feels awful when that happens, and I don't want you to have to fix more things."

"Does it, does it COST you somehow, to heal me?" she asks, as the thought suddenly occurs to her.

"I fix things," he shrugs casually. "It is my calling. It is not a problem to do so."

While he is tempted to say 'no', to alleviate any concerns she may have about the process - Skellig is not a fan of lying to children. So he shakes his head lightly.

"And not in any substantial way," he says. "I do grow weary, if I must heal a lot in a short timespan. But my energy is replenished quickly enough by simply being around those who are happy, who are positive. This place is full of Light, so I am in good shape, currently."

The wounds on her neck are closing nicely, and he is pleased. He allows his reach to 'work' slightly deeper, heal other spots or issues that may be lurking beneath the surface that are of a more immediate concern - but there are not many of those.

She is relieved by his answer, relaxes.

"I can't heal people," she says, "but I've made things...happen. And I sense what people feel, sometimes I hear their thoughts. I KNOW things, and I can't explain why."

"I thought I was like you, but I don't have wings." She sighs.

"I can sense emotions too," he says. "But I cannot hear thoughts."

Once he is 'satisfied' with his work, he shifts slightly and fetches the bowls of soup - they are easy to handle 'to-go' style, and he offers her up a spoon, though would not object if she just chose to drink it straight from the vessel itself.

"I do not know of any others like me." He settles back onto the couch a bit. "At least, I have not come across any in my travels."

"I had to learn to keep thoughts out, they make it hard to function. People are so LOUD," she grumbles.

"I think I am less likely to make a mess if I drink from the bowl," she says softly. She does just that.The soup is good, really good, but she's careful to sip slowly!

"I'm sorry you haven't found people like you," she tells him. "It's hard, being the only one." Feeling like a freak, an oddity.

"It is hard, but I have learned to adjust."

Skellig also chooses to drink straight from the bowl - he will use the spoon once the broth is gone, to get the last of the 'bits' from the bottom if he has to.

"You do not have to worry about making a mess," he adds. "This is...this is all new to you, is it not?" He uses one hand to motion around the room. "You are learning. If something happens, a spill, a mistake...it is fine. You will learn from it and we will learn together."

She nods. "Everything is new, strange."

"I, mistakes have always been...dangerous, for me." She has set the bowl down for a moment, and one hand unconsciously goes to her neck, where the shock collar used to be. "They resulted in punishment." In pain, in suffering.

Given the severity of the marks on her neck (and other places on her body) this is not something that he is truly surprised by - but it does not make hearing it, or seeing her reaction, any less painful.

"I understand that, and I know it will take time for you to adjust. But I promise...there will be no punishment here for you. No one will harm you again."

She laughs, the sound half hope and half grief. "I would not have dared imagine anything like this, this morning. Part of me keeps expecting to wake up, find that this was all a dream."

"I do not blame you for that," he says honestly. "The first time I found myself here, I was quite badly wounded, and I was hallucinating. I did not believe it for some time. I will help as I am able."

Speaking of sleep...he glances to the bed, then to her.

"I would give you the bed, if you would prefer it. I do not mind to sleep here on the couch." He shrugs a shoulder. "Or if you would rather not be alone, we could share it easily. Whatever is most comfortable for you. I do not know your habits."

"The ground," she replies. "I've never seen a bed before."

"I, I used to curl up with Ma'Vena, before she was killed in an accident," she explains, voice trembling a little. "She took care of me, as much as she could. I thought of her as my mother."

When her voice trembles the way it does, Skellig cannot help the lump that rises in the back of his throat, the wave of sadness that floods his system at just how broken she sounds as she speaks of her 'mother'.

"Then I would have you curl up with me," he says softly, his voice slightly rough at the edges. "I feel it may aid both of us?"

She nods rapidly, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. It's only partly sadness, negative emotions, she's just feeling so MUCH.

She looks at the items on the table, trying to get their minds on another topic. "I, I don't know what all of those things are for."

Weakness makes a person vulnerable. Opens them up to attack. Deflection, redirection, subject change - Skellig recognizes it all easily, understands what it is she is doing (at least he thinks he understands - he knows there is a lot about this child that is still unknown to him, her powers being one of the big things) to control her emotions.

"Some of them are unimportant," he says, leaning forward to reach for the table. He pushes aside slightly the pile of medical supplies, focuses on the other things. "Bar sent me with some things you might find useful." He grabs hold of a small pouch with a cord on it, hands it over to her. "Maybe for us to hold your crystal, to keep it safe?"

He will have to get her a chest, for her things, as they start to add to them - he makes a mental note to ask Bar about that the next time he gets a chance.

"These are for..." he studies a small toiletry pack, there is a note stuck to it in Bar's handwriting: for the fresher. "The fresher? I guess that means the bathroom? There is a comb," he glances at her hair. "To untangle your hair, though both you and I don't need much help with that at the moment. A toothbrush...paste...you use that after you eat, to clean your teeth off." There are other various things, but he doesn't go through all of them. It is clearly overwhelming.

"...and those," he points at the table. "Are snacks, to eat later." Some things she...might recognize? There are what looks like ration bars, as well as some other things that can be used between meals or as a treat.

The crystal glows, gives off light and LIGHT again when she touches it to place it in the pouch.

"Fresher is the same thing as bathroom, must be," Ibani agrees. "I will clean my teeth after we eat with the brush and the paste. Can't taste worse than the tooth fungus I had to use before." She makes a face at the memory.

"Oh, the red ration bars, those are the good ones!" 'Good' is relative. The red ones have a taste that might be called fruit adjacent if one is being very generous. "I think I've heard the others talk about some of these, but I've never had them."

Edited 2024-07-21 14:13 (UTC)

Tooth fungus...just sounds awful. Skellig makes a slight face to match her own when she mentions it but it fades when she recognizes the 'good' ration bars, shifting to reflect the relief that she at least has something vaguely familiar.

(Though part of him wonders, does she WANT to remember any of where she came from?)

"If you are still hungry, there is more soup," he says. "Or we could try some of the other things. The ration bars? There is also more juice," he adds, nodding towards the fridge in the kitchen. "I put it away to stay cold. Or if you would rather sleep, I do not mind. I know...I know all of this has been a lot for you today."

While she is also quite overwhelmed, a part of him is also - because this morning he certainly did NOT except to wander into Milliways and then have a child thrust into his life in such a manner.

Ibani ponders this. "I should clean my teeth, then sleep." Thankfully, brushing her teeth is easy enough to figure out.

She comes back from the fresher. "I, I have nightmares," she admits, slightly nervous. "I will try not to wake you."

"I am a very light sleeper," he says, shaking his head as he tries to reassure her. "I wake often, so if it happens to be because of a nightmare of yours, do not worry. Sometimes I wake for no reason at all."

Shrugging his shoulders (and his wings) as he stands up from the couch, he nods towards the bed as he walks to the bathroom himself. "I will just be a minute. If you want to climb on there, go ahead."

The bed itself is a comfortable thing - there are a couple pillows (different shapes and types - sometimes his neck prefers one over the other so he's collected several options) and the mattress is a supportive foam type (Bar told him it would help with his hips and his back), sheets and blankets. It is not the most plush or opulent setup for a 'nest' by any means, but it is certainly softer than the ground.

Ibani is not expecting the bed to give as much as it does, and is VERY glad Skellig isn't there to see her face-plant into the mattress!

She's not sure what to do with the pillows, so she leaves them alone for now. She curls up on the bed in the fetal position, one that protects her squishy middle from errant or intentional kicks..

Skellig changes into his own pajamas while he is in the bathroom - takes a mental note that she has cleaned up the tub after using it, which he neglected to tell her was not necessary, either he would have done it or had the Loompas handle it later - and when he sees her curled up on the bed when he walks out, another part of his heart breaks at how fragile she looks.

Quickly he puts away anything still-perishable into the fridge, before he joins her on the bed carefully, facing her. He pulls a pillow down and tucks it under his head, on his side.

She is looking at him, with those wide eyes that are still wild and a bit anxious...

"C'mere," he says softly, opening his arm to her. There is a space against his chest where she would easily fit curled up, could sleep safe and protected. "If you want to."

Her body is fragile, but that can be fixed with time and care.

She smiles soft, shy, when he invites her close. She shifts carefully, curls up against his chest. "So soft," she murmurs, sleepily.

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