Long overdue...

[mosaic_archive]

Spider's missed this place... but sometimes absences just can't be helped. Stuff comes up, things happen... stubborn kids want to go out to lunch armed like they're going to raid the place...

They'd all needed some adjustment time.

But here he is, after about four months. And unlike most times, this time he's not alone. He usually picks a nice seat where he can see the view and orders the same grilled strawberry cream sandwich and hot cocoa... but this time he'll look around for a spot with enough room to accommodate the seven kids with him.

Comments

[random_xtras]

"Ah. Yeah. Palpatine's a long ways in my future. You ever hear of Darth Revan?" Canderous turns and barks irritably at a tall wookie and an orange twi'lek man who are scuffling between the tables, then turns back to Spider as the wookie barks right back and the twi'lek laughs.

And Uzulee gives the girls a curious glance as she goes to serve Alora and Carth's table, which is now full and ringing with soft conversation and laughter.

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The girls have recovered from the brief surprise they sensed from the tribble... especially since the silly thing is now purring happily at being used to polish the bar. And are completely distracted mid-sip of ice cream float by what Canderous says. "We've heard..." Elsae starts. "... a few things," Eldewn finishes. If one wasn't looking it would be hard to tell they'd split the sentence between them.

The clone kids nod after a moment, it dawning on them that the name that had been mentioned might not be a case of 'named after'.

"Still playing catch-up on history myself," Spider says. "I'm not native to that universe."

Seth also doesn't know, but figures he'll find out at this point by listening as he sips on his coconut milk.

[random_xtras]

Canderous nods. "Blue's got history files, if you feel like reading." He eyes the tribble for a moment, but then snorts and looks to the girls. "I've got a set of grandsons that talk like that. Their dads were mentally conjoined identical twins."

And back at the table, Alora just mushed cake on her laughing husband's face. "Carth Onasi, I'm too tired for mush right now. Let me eat my lunch in peace."

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"I might have a look later," Spider says, "but stuff doesn't always match up from one timeline to the next."

The girls exchange a look again, before Eldewn says, "Be careful. Stuff like that can get Jedi attention." She says 'Jedi' in the same tone some people would say 'cockroach'.

[random_xtras]

"She's got them for a lot of timelines. She's an Archavist..." He pauses then and looks down at the girls with a frown as he picks up on Eldewn's tone.

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The girls promptly clam up and turn their attention to their ice cream float.

"You could call them an example of what happens when Jedi babysnatching goes even more wrong than usual," Spider explains. "They ended up on the streets for about five years. Then somebody actually put a bounty on em. I had to check that one out... you don't see too many bounties on kids."

Eldewn and Elsae don't mind Spider mentioning this. As far as they're concerned, the score has been mostly settled... But they still think they'll never trust a Jedi, if there are any left in their own universe. Not that that's even their universe any more.

[random_xtras]

"Still," says Canderous quietly. "Judging all Jedi because of the idiocy of the ones in one reality isn't exactly the best way to do things. Some of the ones in my family are batha shebs crazy, but they're still good people and fine soldiers."

Then he looks at the girls again, this time without the frown. "Try looking at Alora."

If they do happen to do so, they may notice her surrounded by a bright light not visible to normal vision. One that is quite clearly alive and very different from the force.

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"They're still new to the whole nexus thing," says Spider, "but they're bright kids. They'll catch on to things." He thinks they just need time to adjust.

"If they're part of a family, they're not Jedi," says Eldewn. "Not like the ones we know of," adds Elsae. The girls will cautiously glance that way, very briefly, but they seem to think they've already attracted too much attention to themselves.

They don't even realize how much the instinct to conceal themselves is acting up until Trouble gives Elsae a careful nudge and whispers, "Disappear and you'll miss the food."

It wasn't that they could actually disappear, but willing themselves to be ignored could come close in the right crowd. They'll try to stifle the habit of doing that.