Nomi, Rhen, and Sekar Mirah

Introductions to Sekar Mirah are hastily done when everyone first comes aboard, but there is a scramble to get Somi Amersu into the Bacta tank and for Vic Dantor and Beepo to apply medical care. Then everyone is too exhausted and goes off to be alone with the fallout, so it takes a little while for Nomi Amersu to finally come around to welcome Sekar Mirah - but she does, in her usual Nomi style, carrying her Dotaesivar strapped to her back.

Nomi arrives at Rhen's quarters carrying a plate of little savory Rylothian cakes. This time they have onion and an orange tuber in them causing them to be flecked with little orange speckles. There is also some kind of bluish, creamy dip.

Nomi knocks. "Hey Rhen, its Nomi. If you guys are feeling up to it, I'd love to meet your friend for real. Also, I brought food. Not sure if you're hungry, but yeah..." she says through the door.

Rhen answers the door immediately, looking happy and a little dazed. "Nomi! Please, come in, come in."

"Mirah, you remember I was telling you about Nomi? She was the first among the crew to tell me I belonged here. And she took me to the arboretum." Rhen takes the plate of Rylothian cakes from Nomi and places it on the small table by the bed while gesturing Nomi toward the chair. Rhen then sits on the lower bunk next to Sekar Mirah and starts lightly rubbing her back in small circles. She appears much less dangerous than Nomi has ever seen, as if, here in this room, she's lowered a shield she usually carries.

Rhen smiles at Nomi. "I'm so happy you came to visit. I was just telling Mirah about you, and the rest of the crew. How are you and Somi?" Rhen pauses and her smile falters. "I mean, has that storm blown past?"

Nomi enters the small space a bit shyly and puts her instrument down by the chair and she sits. She gives Sekar Mirah a warm smile. "It's very nice to meet you. While Rhen was reticent to give details, I did gather that you are the most important person in her life. And now I understand. I am very glad that you are safe. Well, relatively. No dark force users hanging out with us anyway." Nomi shuts up with a small hum and rubs the back of her neck. She turns to Rhen, "Did you tell her that when I am not being a spy I am a complete social train-wreck? You should have told her that," she says disarmingly. Nomi is one big bruise on her left side. Her arm and any parts that can be seen, even her face are a deep blue/black. Her Lek on that side seems to have avoided the damage, however.

"Somi and I are a lot better, I think." She watches the two of them with a wistful smile.

"I don't think I have ever seen her happy," she says in a mock whisper to Sekar Mirah. "Did you give her something? Is she drunk?" She winks.

Sits back. "Okay, in all seriousness. As Captain of this mighty ship I welcome you aboard. Any "best friend" of my new family is a best friend of mine. Can I get you guys anything?"

Rhen gives a low, single laugh at Nomi's claim of being a social train wreck. "I did not tell her that, no. I'm not sure if I believe it."

When Nomi turns and Rhen sees her huge bruise she pauses and leans forward, then quickly resumes rubbing Sekar Mirah's back in slow circles even as she focuses in on Nomi. "What happened to you!? Did that happen on the ship? Did someone do that to you?"

Nomi waves her hand dismissively. "It looks much worse than it is. You were a bit distracted fighting Castus. My armor hauled me to the magnet in the ceiling during the fight and the fall was nasty. But I'll be fine. It's not like I got hit by a lightsaber or... Some paralyzing death grip..." The unspoken "green goo" weighs heavily in the space.

She looks directly at Sekar Mirah. "All this must be pretty strange for you, huh? And what's more you can't get a word in even if you wanted to." She mimics zipping and locking her lips together, places get hands in her lap and waits for one of the others to speak.

Sekar Mirah smiles at Nomi. Though she doesn't have obvious physical wounds, Nomi gets the sense that she's still coming to grips with the mental and emotional aspects of everything she's endured, and the sudden shift in her circumstances. "None of this is what I expected," she admits. "When I told Rhen what was happening to me and asked for her help, I knew she would not be able to do it alone. I expected mercenaries...hired guns. Not so many friends.

"Before all of this, the Nightsisters rarely left Dathomir. It is - was - the source of our power. For many of us, to rely on outsiders is...difficult. We fear they will not understand or accept our ways and all too often, we are proven right. I am grateful such a thing did not happen here. I thank you for coming to find me, but more than that, I thank you for being there for Rhen too.

"There is nothing I need right now that you have not already given me. I can see that your ship is...not large. I do not wish to burden it with my presence any more than I must. Like all my sisters, I travel lightly, but there is only so far this can go when traveling between the stars."

Nomi rubs her knuckles on her jacket in mock ego. "She'd have had to find some pretty special mercenaries to match the prowess of our crew. In truth, I think it would have cost a lot to hire a small army to get into the Citadel. I'm glad we were here with her to do it."

"Did Rhen tell you we stopped on Dathomir? Your planet is very... Red." Nomi smiles. "And you are welcome, both for coming to get yourself and for helping Rhen. That street has gone both ways. She can keep a level head, you know? I'm more excitable."

She frowns at the thought of their ship not having room for Sekar Mirah in the long term. "I wish we had a greater capacity. Our mechanic and I can keep things running a while and Rhen had the presence of mind to pack extra provisions, but that only temporary."

Nomi pauses and looks at Rhen. "What... I mean, have you thought about what you will do? I am assuming you will not be leaving Sekar Mirah behind somewhere. I would not, were I in the same position."

Rhen looks levelly at Nomi, her expression reminding her of the calmness Rhen displayed when she removed the head from the clone trooper who was between her and the door that fateful day at the Jedi temple. "I will not be leaving Sekar Mirah behind. I know there are challenges with the systems, but I am sure they can be overcome."

Rhen turns to look at Sekar Mirah and her expression softens. "It is time for the two of us to face life's challenges together, I think." After a pause, she turns back to Nomi. "With friends, of course. I think we all have a...challenge or two left ahead of us."

Nomi puts up her hands and leans away from Rhen. "Whoa. I was not suggesting you leave her behind. Not at all. I was just not sure if you wanted to stay on or not. Maybe you two wanted to settle down and make some Nightsister babies or something. I don't know how these things work."

She rubs the back of her neck and holds up a finger. "No, I do know it doesn't work like that and I don't need a lecture on the birds and the bees. I have had a smuggler boyfriend remember and now..." she blushes. "Now that I know that you want to stay on the ship, I'm going to have to have a serious talk with Vic about if there is a way to make that happen or if we are going to have to upgrade somehow. Turn in Rouge Ronto for an actual Rogue Ronto. Somehow. Maybe with Nawah's magic number crunching.  But then Vic would have to build a whole new Methane chamber..." She sighs. "I hope there is a way to upgrade the systems to allow for more people aboard. That sounds the easiest. "

"What about tea? Do you like tea? I could get you some of that. I brought you cakes that I made from my sister's recipe if you want to try them. I promise, no spiders." Nomi takes a breath and presses her lips together again, willing herself to shut the hell up.

Rhen shakes her head in amusement. "It's a little hard to believe that you are the same person who took my hand and marched me through Corellia to gaze at flowers in silence for half the night."

"Sekar and I are quite happy to be safe among friends, for now. And I have no plans to settle down, for many reasons. Other plans may come later, but moving feels like safety, for now at least."

Rhen reaches over and takes two of the cakes Nomi offered, handing one to Sekar Mirah with a smile. The smiles changes into a more playful expression when Rhen turns to regard Nomi. "So what makes you so very full of energy today, Nomi? Something to do with Efnir?"

Nomi grins. "It's what you needed right then. Me too. Needs change and so do moods. Though, I brought my Dotaesivar. I remember how you found it soothing and I thought," she turns to Sekar Mirah, "if you'd like, I will be happy to play for you. Music can be good for healing the not-body parts. And I swear, days the weird and I can be quieter and calmer, really." She smiles, but bounces her leg, still full of a bit of nervous energy.

When Rhen brings up Efnir, Nomi stills, her lips part a fraction as she breathes through her mouth and she blushes, furiously. "He DID say he was going to ask your advice. Did he ask your advice or is this just some amazing Nightsister insight I didn't know about?"

Sekar Mirah has been content to listen to the back and forth between Nomi and Rhen, but at the mention of Efnir, she chimes in, "Rhen and I spoke with Efnir not long ago. He seemed very eager to learn everything he could about the Nightsisters' ways of doing things. And he also seemed very eager to be sure you were doing well, under the present circumstances."

She sits up and accepts the cake that Rhen hands her, biting into it thoughtfully. She nods slightly as she chews, seeming to enjoy the taste, and reaches for another after she finished it off.

"Rhen has only shared a little about your crew's visit to Dathomir. I fear you did not get to see our homeworld at its best, before all of this...upheaval...began. I understand you helped another sister of Mother Lampir's clan, and that this sister and her child are now on Zoph with your other allies? I had wanted to go there to meet her until Rhen explained the dangers going to Zoph might pose. I hope I can still do that some day, be it on Zoph or Dathomir or somewhere else entirely. There are so few Nightsisters left. I owe it to those who fell to try to preserve some of what they fought for."

She turns to Rhen, a slight and pained smile on her face. "Once I believed preserving the Nightsisters meant doing as our mothers would have done - or doing what they said, no matter what the risk or the cost. I don't believe that any more. Efnir spoke to us of wanting to keep the things his Jedi Order did well, while leaving behind the things that weakened them, and that they had grown beyond. So it must be with our people too.

"Whatever form the future will take, I want to stay with Rhen, and to help her and her allies if I can. If your crew will have me as a part of it, I am honored to lend my aid. And yes. A cup of tea would be delicious."

Nomi nods in agreement with Sekar Mirah. "Yes, Efnir is very interested in learning all that he can about all the different aspects and ways of looking at the Force. I think that it's smart. He wants to help Somi, my sister, and Vesper too. They are the two other lightsaber, or Jedi-force people around here."

She frowns sadly. "I am not sure that Zoph is the safe haven it once was and if it can be managed, I think that they should move from there. Master Zernvik thought he was stuck though, so I am not sure what he is going to do."

"I'll go get that tea." Nomi lets herself out, leaving the cakes and her instrument behind. She's gone for about 10 minutes before she returns with a thermos of hot tea and three mugs from the mess. "I hope you like it plain. I didn't have enough hands to carry milk or sugar." She hands each of the other women a mug and pours tea for them, then for herself and settles back on the chair she had occupied.

Sekar Mirah takes a sip of the tea and says, "It's perfect. Sugar is not common on Dathomir. All the sweet flavors there came from berries or fruits. I have not had many chances to sample many delicacies from other worlds, but the few I have tried were often a bit overwhelming. This is just right."

Nomi smiles. "I have to confess: I have a sweet tooth. Twi'leks have two stomachs and we can eat practically anything that has some nutrients in it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it all." She glances down at her own slender waist. "Don't ask me where it is or how two fit in there," she jokes.

Nomi crosses her legs. "So, how did you two meet?"

"We first met each other when our covens attended a council, back when we were both teenagers. Well, I say met, but I'm not sure Sekar will remember me. She was too busy kicking ass." Rhen's smile transforms her normally serious face. "I didn't see who started it, but I will never forget how Sekar defeated her three attackers, all of them bigger and older. Their leader came over to her, and it was obvious he planned to challenge her. But when he came up face to face, she just stared him down." Rhen sighs. "She was glorious."

Rhen pauses, looking thoughtful. "I suppose that's when I realized there wouldn't be any Nightbrothers in my future. Hah.

"We properly met a few years later. Mother Lampir, the leader of my coven, went to meet Mother Talzin, the leader of Sekar's coven. This was after the Clone Wars had been raging for some time. Their discussions took them long into the night. Things were tense, and at first I didn't even see Sekar. But as it got later, I think everyone but the Mothers was asked to leave. I'd been worried that maybe something had happened to her, but of course Sekar had been in the meeting the whole time, as she had gone on to be Mother Talzin's right hand since I'd last seen her.

"She looked really frustrated, and I didn't dare approach her at first. But I couldn't look away. Eventually she noticed me, and I managed to smile and walk over. She didn't seem as angry when I got closer, and... Well, I guess the short story is she said yes." Rhen smiles again.

"Of course I remember you." Sekar Mirah has been open and friendly enough with Nomi up until this point, but it's not until now that Nomi sees her really relax. Before she'd been on her guard, cautious in her politeness - but now Nomi can sense her moving into much more familiar ground. "Why do you think I went out of my way to talk to you that night?"

She turns to Nomi and explains, "You must understand that I was very hot-headed in my youth. I don't even remember what I said to those boys to make them want to fight me, but I know the challenge was not unprovoked. My own coven had long ago decided I would be left to my own devices when I did such things. I would learn to control myself, or learn to defeat anyone who might oppose me. Either outcome was useful to Mother Talzin. But Rhen, you were different. You cared about what happened to me, not just about how strong I might become. I had never experienced that from my own coven."

Nomi grins. "So, it was love at first fight." She takes a sip of her tea, smothering her smile with the edge of her cup. "It's really nice to see you so happy, Rhen."

"Sekar Mirah, do you like music? You may be curious to know Rhen's new favorite song. Or at least, since I kept subjecting her to my music, the one she likes the best. I have yet to move her to dance, however."

Rhen smiles deeply at Sekar Mirah's words. At Nomi's pun she turns, her smile becoming wry. "I suppose you could say that...if you really wanted to. I would say it was more about her spirit."

When Nomi mentions music, Rhen turns back. "Sekar, you should listen! Nomi's music is really good. Nothing like 3-D6's music that you heard yesterday."

Rhen turns back to Nomi. "I do like your music...but dancing?" She shakes her head. "It calms me. I don't think one needs to move through space to appreciate music. I learned a kind of dance with blades, and that's... Well, not for relaxing."

"What about you, Nomi? Do you dance?"

Nomi rolls her eyes. "You are harder to tease than Efnir," she accused Rhen.

In response to Rhen's question she shakes her head. "I never dance. To me, dancing as a Twi'lek is a reminder and representation of oppression and slavery of my people. Even if we as a culture started and helped perpetuate the atrocities. 'Twi'lek dancer' is always synonymous to 'slave' to me. Doesn't mean that I can't appreciate others who like to express themselves through dance. It can be quite joyful, or sensual, or just expressive. It was quite impressive watching actors cook and dance at the same time in the Hapan Opera."

"I would love to hear your music, Nomi," Sekar Mirah says. "It sounds as if I am the only one of us who really enjoys dancing. But under the circumstances, yes, something peaceful would be best. My body is recovering quickly under the care of your medical droid but I shouldn't rush the process."

Nomi grins and picks up her Dotaesivar, taking a moment to tune it's many strings. She starts by playing Rhen's favorite and then plays until they've satisfied their musical needs - both performing and listening. Expressing again how happy she is to have Sekar Mirah there, with Rhen, Nomi takes her leave to let them both continue with their recovery.