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Tesara visits Hadaza in Medbay
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara makes her way quickly to the medbay on the Gungnir. When she enters the first thing that she does is look around to see if handyman is there. He is in the middle of reviving Hadaza from the bacta tank. Tesara has seen them before but never had been inside one. Instantly she realizes that Astra is right to dislike them greatly. They look rather sinister. she waits for handyman to finish and for Hadaza to open her eyes. When she does, Tesara smiles. “Good morning.” Her hair is different, braided tighter than before.
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@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj blinks sleepily, wiping the goo from her face. When she moves the towel from her face, the first thing that Tesara notices is that her tell-tale tattoos are no longer on her skin, which is lighter than it appeared behind the oak-colored ink.
"Is it morning? I've lost track of time in that thing," she says with a smile. "Could you bring the hoverchair over? The bones haven't completely healed and I can't stand for long periods of time yet."
@Tesara Anerin
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Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara retrieves the chair with a playful grin. “Your hover throne, m’lady.”
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj laughs as she settles in. "Ow," she chuckles. "Don't make me laugh. I think some of my ribs are still cracked."
She finishes towelling off the rest of the bacta ooze from her skin and puts the towel to her hair. Tesara notices that there are now white streaks amongst the dark curls.
"New look? I like it. You appear to have ridden out the storm ok. How are you? When did you get back? Are the Princess and the Professor with you?" She is bright and abuzz with rapid fire questions.
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
“Rapid fire questions! “She grins. “You are feeling better.” She turns the chair and begins walking Hadaza towards the observation deck, the chair automatically moving alongside her. “Yes, I needed a change for my own hair. However I didn’t seem to think going out into the storm to get a different look was a good idea.” She chuckles. “But I do like the white streaks. I am fine, thank you for asking. Got back late last night with Astra. The professor is still in the village, ostensibly with Falynn. Durro and I will be returning to the Village with the girls today to check on him and to give them an outing. I thought you might like to get out of the med bay and away from that creepy tank.” She continues. “Are you upset about your tattoos?”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
"The streaks weren't my idea. The snake might have had something to do with that, though I would recommend him for a makeover. His price is a little high," she says sardonically.
She rubs her hand up and down her arms. "A little. I mean, I've only ever seen myself with them, so it's weird to think of myself without them. I haven't seen a mirror yet, so I really don't know. That said, they were likely ruined beyond repair. Being sanded down like a plank of wood will do that. And, in the long run, it's for the best. No telling who we might have run into that would have recognized them ... or what new and exciting drama might have been the result of that encounter. With them gone, we have one less thing to worry about."
She sighs, touching her face. The skin is less tender than it was 8 hours ago, for which she's grateful.
"You and Astra left Ben behind? With Falynn? For whatever reason?"
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara looks astonished. “A snake? I don’t think I heard about that part.” She Stops, opens a nearby closet, retrieves a soft blanket and wraps it around her. She pushes on again towards the observation deck. “Would you like me to find a mirror?”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
"I'm not surprised. Durro can be notorously tight-lipped when it comes to details," she says with a twinkle in her voice.
"Yes, I was bitten by some sort of large, and quite venemous, snake. But only after the raptor fell in the storm and broke," she looks down at her legs, "my hip at the very least. I think also my femur, but Handyman would know for sure. You'd have to ask him. Anyways, it pinned me in the sand - the raptor, not the snake, though that too, now that I think about it."
Haj is prattling like Tesara has never heard her. It's as though her normal physical energy needs some other outlet since her body is unable to accommodate it.
"I would have died out there, were it not for ... " she trails off with a smile and a blush. There is a glow now to her skin that doesn't come from the freshness of it.
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
“Durro.” Tesara smiles, placing the hover chair near the thick observation windows, even though there is nothing to see but desert. It’s private and away from the medbay. “Durro admitted he’s in love with you.” Her smile is warm. “I’m so happy for the both of you. And glad that this medical technology saved your life. I’d have been devastated if you had died.” She says quietly.
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
"I don't think it was the technology, Tesara," she says softly. "I should have died out there. My own arrogant, foolish, reckless ... " she trails off. "I was so riddled with guilt and shame. I thought if I could just do this one thing" She sighs. "And it almost got both me and Durro killed."
She sits back in her chair and pulls the blanket around herself. "I can't say I'm sad about the ultimate outcome, though I will be ridiculously glad to be moving under my own power sooner rather than later."
She takes a beat before she continues. "Durro found parts of himself out there. So did I. And we found each other, not that we hadn't known, but I don't think either of us was prepared for what we discovered. It almost makes the rest of it seem ... incidental somehow."
She looks out the window at the desert below. "Its funny, but I prayed to the All-Father while I was out there. I almost wonder if He wasn't listening."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
“The All-Father?” Tesara asks in confusion.
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj reaches for the pendant Tesara remembers seeing in Falynn's hut, the pendant which Handyman has not yet returned to her. Her eyes become unfocused as she speaks. "Yes, the All-Father. I think He's the god of this place. He and Frigg, his wife, the Great Mother Goddess that the Seer spoke to me about. His symbol is the 2 ravens that are on the pendant that she gave me. Their names are Huginn and Muninn - Thought and Memory."
Tesara can see whatever Haj is recalling is powerful and personal.
She shakes her head. "It seemed ... right ... somehow ... to ask for His help in those moments. And whatever blessing came from it is more than I ever could have imagined." The smile that accompanies her final words are one of surprise and delight
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara smiles warmly. “I would hug you but I believe it might hurt. And I’m happy for you that you seem to have found your place in this world. With us and beside us in this weird little family.”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
"I don't think it will, but we won't know til you try," she says brightly. "Moreover, I believe it will be healing regardless. Touch is important to me, as you must know, and there isn't a lot of it in the tank."
She opens her arms to invite Tesara into a hug
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara grins and hugs Haj as gently as possible. “I considered chastising you about running off into the storm but I know now there were reasons beyond the girls’ safety that you did it. I firmly believe you were following the Will of the Force without truly understanding it. After all, look at the amount of information that you’ve gained from doing so. In a way, you have been reborn.”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
As Haj disengages from Tesara's arms, she sits back in the chair. "I hadn't thought about it that way, though, now that you mention it, it echoes something that I dreamed while healing."
Tesara can see the familiar turn of Haj's thoughts as she searches for the words. "Will you take the journey? Or will you remain lost?” Tesara knows this is a recitation.
"Did you know that "Haj" means "One who Journeys"? I didn't, not until recently. Isn't it ironic, then, that I call myself that and ask others to as well?"
She looks up at Tesara. "I'm not lost any more, Tesara. Durro found me, twice now. He named me "One who is Lost", but I'm not. I'm on a journey, with him, with you, with you all. I'm no longer Hadaza," she says with a confidence that Tesara hasn't heard from her before, "I'm Haj."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara laughs gaily. “Of course I know what it means! It’s in my native tongue!“ She claps her hands in delight. “I have almost always called you Haj, so that change won’t affect me too badly. But forgive others if it takes them a while to give used to.” Her smile is bright. “I’m so proud of you. You’ve learned so much.”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj blinks up at her. "It is? I didn't know!" She laughs in surprise at the new level of irony in their interconnectedness.
"Ow. Ow. Oh ... that hurts." she says with a weak smile.
When she has returned her breathing to more shallow breaths, she says, "I want to ask a favor from you, Lærer, if you are willing."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
“Of course.“ She steps back and sits across from Haj.
Haj — 04/06/2022
"I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck in this thing," she says scowling at the chair. "And I have a feeling that it will be even longer before I am back at my full strength and skill proficiency once I'm out."
Her frown deepens. "I have never been good at meditation when I'm not in motion. It seems I have no choice but to get good at it, however. I'm asking for your help. I want to learn how to find peace in stillness, to ... to tend the flame so that it heats the home rather than destroys it. I want to increase my skills with the Force, but do it from a centered place rather than one that is all over the place."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara is obviously impressed. “Perhaps the ways that the Will of the force are playing out are still being revealed.” She smiles. “One of the biggest hurdles to get past in meditation is the physical body. To meditate is to take yourself away from the physical for a short time. You have to set your body aside briefly in order to achieve mental meditation. Then when you return to your body you have to wake yourself up from it. Pins and needles, right? So what better time to learn to meditate when you are forced to sit still? This may be the very thing that you need to learn what you need to learn. You have to get past the place where your body makes demands. Move past the physical into the spiritual.”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
"If I have to move into the realm of the spiritual, I think I prefer the blessings of the All-Father to the lessons of the Will of the Force," Haj grumbles.
She sighs again. "I know you're right. My flame is ill-tended, as was so indelicately pointed out to me recently. It puts everything at risk. But I won't say it feels natural to me to fly without actually being in flight."
She sits back in the chair and closes her eyes. "How do I start?"
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara looks at her commlink. “Although I wish I had time for a full meditative lesson alongside you right now, I did promise Durro that I would go with him and the girls to the village. However, I can alert handyman that you are here, which gives you this entire space all to yourself for at least an hour or more. My advice is to sit here, close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and as all of your physical issues come to mind acknowledge them and try and move past them. Seek what is on the other side of the discomfort.”
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj nods thoughtfully. "I make no promises of success, Lærer. But as my only other alternative is to return to the slimy coffin, I'll take advantage of the fresh air while I have it. Though," she looks up at Tesara with a wicked glint in her eyes, "if you can find it into your heart to accompany me to the Professor's library, I think Durro said something about romance novels being tucked among the stacks that he said he would read to me later. I'm sure that will give me plenty of things to think about while I'm trying to move past my physical issues."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara grins and shakes her head. “No. Because here there is nothing to draw your attention, nothing to distract you. The library is full of distractions. Here…”. She waves her hand around the nearly empty room, “There is nothing to focus on. It is the perfect environment for learning non moving meditation. I’ll be happy to bring you into the library when we return.” She watches, waiting for Haj‘s familiar scowl.
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
Tesara laughs brightly. “See you in a little while, Haj. I will let handyman know where you are in case he feels like you need to return to the med Bay or have something to eat or drink before we return.” She leans down and kisses Haj on the cheek. “I know you can do this.” She stands again and waits to see if Haj argues.
@Haj
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj smiles and bows her head. "Thank you, Master Anerin. You've never waivered in your faith of me. I'll do my best to continue to earn it. Have fun today and come home safe."
Suddenly Haj gets a chagrined look on her face. "I would ask one other thing before you go. Please seek out Naziel while you are there. Please tell her that I'm sorry about raptor. I don't know how I can replace it, especially given that I can't round one up for her in my current state. But I will make amends for its loss as best as I am able."
@Tesara Anerin
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
“I will do my best.” She says. She had not realized that the raptor belonged to Naziel. “I will let Durro know as well.”
She gently touches Haj’s shoulder and heads for the door.
Haj — 04/06/2022
Haj settles into the blanket that Tesara left her, closes her eyes, slows her breathing, and begins to focus on its rhythm to the exclusion of all else.
/end
Tesara Anerin — 04/06/2022
(((no, here’s a good place to end))). ?
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