OOM: AU Child! Ibani

[last_kallig]

The last few months have been even harder than usual, after the death of her mother figure. Perhaps grief made her weaker, more vulnerable to sickness, because she knows she's dangerously ill. She hadn't meant to wind up here, wherever here is, but it has shown up in the nick of time.

Ibani shivers against one of the walls of Milliways, her body wracked with fever and hunger both. She's somewhere between seven and ten, clothed in fabric with far too many holes in it, and wearing a slave shock collar around her neck. Her bones stand out too sharply against her skin, and her eyes are fever bright and darting around the room.

She's not sure if this is some dying hallucination, if she's gone mad, or if she truly HAS wound up somewhere utterly strange. Whatever this is, instinct and her body DEMAND food, fuel to fight the sickness that is killing her. Untrained in the Force, she's grasping on instinct for any energy it can give her.

Maybe, maybe if she gets close enough to one of the tables she can steal some food without anyone noticing. Yes, yes that's a good plan

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[last_kallig]

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.

[27_53]

Carefully, he brings his 'top' wing up to rest over her body - not entirely enclosing her, as he does not want to take away any 'escape route' should she desire it.

He also has...very little idea of what else to do in this situation. He has comforted many children before, in situations where it was required...but this is different. Much different. Those situations were not anywhere near this one, that he has found himself in.

(They will learn together, he supposes.)

Gently, he brings his hand up and brushes it across her forehead, stroking her hair softly, comforting. He may sleep a little bit, but the majority of his attention will be on her as she rests and heals.

"You are safe now," he whispers.

[last_kallig]

She snuggles into his embrace, his wing, as if she was meant to fit there. Her body seems a fragile vessel of skin and bone holding a heart and soul far more durable and full of Light.

For once, she sleeps without nightmares, soothed and comforted by his touch, his presence. (And perhaps too exhausted, too deeply in NEED of rest for dreams to trouble her much.)

[27_53]

Whatever combination of factors lead to her being able to sleep without nightmares, Skellig is grateful for them; once she has settled and is resting comfortably, he allows himself to do the same.

At some point in the early hours of the pre-dawn, he finds himself awake, and uses the opportunity to work on healing some of the lesser, finer troubles she has been carrying. It is brief, and she sleeps through it without any issue, so he is satisfied.

Later, there is the hint of light streaming in from the curtains that cover the sliding door to the balcony, but it is hazy and muted by the layers of fabric. He has been vaguely 'awake' for some time, but has not moved, as he does not want to disturb her as she rests - clearly her body is in need of it.

He is however, already contemplating breakfast ideas...

[last_kallig]

She begins to stir, the light prompting her body toward wakefulness.

She shifts slightly, mutters something unintelligible.

[27_53]

It is interesting, the way the energy around her stirs and shifts as she also does, as she begins to wake up. He is careful not to move too much - he does not want to startle her, even though with his senses keeping tabs on her heartbeat and breathing he can sense she is still quite relaxed.

Though he does bring a hand back up to stroke her hair again, as that seemed to bring her comfort before, and even with it being short and choppy - there is enough there to run his fingers through as she stirs.

[last_kallig]

Her energy seems to be connected to...everything. The connection to him, to other living things is stronger but the connection extends to things that are not alive at all The Force binds the universe together, connects all things, and it is strong with her.

Her gaze is a bit unfocused, fuzzy with sleep, as she opens her eyes.

[27_53]

As she blinks at him, he offers her a small smile as she works to focus.

"No nightmares," he says, encouragingly and quiet. "We both slept well."

[last_kallig]

"Skellig," she says, delight growing as she realizes that yesterday was REAL. "I, I don't hurt at all." Delight is mixed with puzzlement, as it's been a long time since she can remember being without pain.

[27_53]

It has also been a long since since Skellig himself can remember being without pain - even longer if you do not count the various methods of chemical & drug 'fixes' he has tried to ease his aches. So he knows that feeling, and can imagine the relief (and confusion) that comes with the absence of hurting.

"I am glad to see it worked," he says. "Sometimes with greater wounds, it can take a bit of extra time for everything to...settle."

[last_kallig]

"I, I can't thank you enough," she tells him. "Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?"

[27_53]

"Absolutely," he says. "I do not mind."

He shifts a little on the bed, moves his wing back so she can hug him easier.

"You are welcome, Ibani."

[last_kallig]

She hugs him tight, just clings for a while. "You saved me. I don't know how I got here, or why, or why it was just me, but you saved me," she whispers.

[27_53]

Skellig is not bothered by clinging; if anything, it gives him a better chance to allow his energy to lightly float across the surface of hers, mingle with the Force that surrounds her (it is still so very strange and interesting to him) and understand it a little bit.

"I do not know either, but I am glad that you found this place," he says. "And that I dropped that spring roll."

[last_kallig]

Ibani giggles at his comment about the spring roll. "I would have come closer even if you hadn't dropped it. You felt safer than the other people downstairs, and I was so very hungry."

Ibani's stomach decides to growl. "Shush, you were just fed!" she grumbles at her stomach. "Stop being silly."

[27_53]

"I have decided what I am making for breakfast," Skellig offers helpfully. "It is easy, it will not take me very long to cook it."

He pauses. "Do you know if you have any...allergies? Sensitivity?"

[last_kallig]

Given the uncomprehending stare when he asks the question about allergies and sensitives, the answer is probably no. "I....can't eat things that are poisonous to humans?" she offers at last.

"I've never seen cooking before, but Ma'Vena used to talk about it sometimes."

[27_53]

Nothing poisonous is a decent place to start, at least. He can work with that.

"I do not do it often here, it is easier to just order things from Bar," he admits. "But I feel as if your first meal should be made by a familiar hand."

He sits up slightly. "You can stay here in bed, or wander my space - our space - there is nothing here that would harm you." Nothing that is within her reach or ability to get to, anyways.

[last_kallig]

"I would like to watch you cook, to learn," she tells him. "Maybe one day I will make you breakfast, when I know how."

[27_53]

"I would like that," he says brightly.

Once they have gotten up from the bed (he neatens the sheets and blankets while she is in the bathroom; she fixes the pillows while he has his turn) eventually they find themselves in the kitchen. He has pulled over the stepstool also, so she can be tall enough to be beside him at the stove. He has eggs, milk (white, not blue), bread, and a bowl in front of him, along with a whisk.

"I have heard a few names for this," he explains as he starts to crack the eggs into the bowl. "Most commonly it is 'French Toast', here, but I am used to it as 'Eggy Bread'," he shrugs. "It is good for using up bread that has gone a bit stale."

He realizes the concept of 'stale' may be strange, for someone who has had to scour for lichen and moss for nutrition. "Older, bread. This is bread," he points at the slices he has sat out. "These are eggs. This is milk, you add the milk into the eggs and stir it up, make a sort of batter to cover the bread..."

He adds a hint of cinnamon, a little bit of vanilla, then puts butter onto a pan on the stove - it starts to sizzle as it warms. "...then we will dunk the bread into the mix and let it get a bit soft, before we put it on the pan."

[last_kallig]

Ibani has never seen ANY of these ingredients before, so she's fascinated! "Oooh, the batter smells good," she comments. "It makes the bread safe to eat?" She's thinking of 'stale' as a state of the bread going 'off'.

[27_53]

"It is still safe to eat, even if it is stale. Stale is...when it is older, it will start to dry out a bit, and some people don't like that. So they will use it like this to make it taste better."

Rather than simply throwing away perfectly good food.

With a few slices into the pan (he only drops one awkwardly on the transfer, causing a bit of a splatter) he will allow them to cook for a moment, getting brown.

"If you leave it for too long, it will start to grow mold, and that can make you sick," he adds. "But stale is still fine. Sometimes that is all I am able to find at home, when looking behind the bakery shops."

[last_kallig]

"Tasting better is good," Ibani allows, though she till looks a bit mystified by people not wanting food because it's drier.

"I'm good at finding things, I can help you," Ibani offers. "I can get into small places, make people not see me." Ibani has zero qualms about things like theft. She's presuming Skellig is stealing less desirable and therefore less guarded product from the Bakery shops.

[27_53]

Flipping the bread - the smell of the food is filling the kitchen, and it smells good - Skellig scrapes one slightly burnt edge of a piece with the spatula, ignoring it for now.

"To make people not see you...do you use your powers to do that, or is it just because you are small?" He asks, curious. "I can use mine to basically 'nudge' people to look another direction, find something more interesting to catch their attention..."

[last_kallig]

"Small helps, but it takes power to push people's minds, make them not see."

"Some people are harder to push than others, I don't know why," she continues, peering at the food.