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RP: The Wayward A Bond Forms (Aside 2.0.1)

SmokeEmpress

Inactive Member
On top of the Anbruch

Ana had climbed up to the top of the ship with the help of the droids and Nan. She was a bit nervous to be working with another...that wasn't a slave. She couldn't help but glance at the Minkan, not quite sure what to make of him.

Nan went about his business surprisingly calm for the moment. This was his first real time spent with a new crew mate, and it also happened to be a fairly skittish one from what he had seen. He moved slowly and surely, using his gravitational control to ensure his balance. Sure to his personality however it wasn't long until his sociability surfaced.

Looking over to Analiese every few moments he eventually blurted, "So what do you think of this mission? What a strange planet huh? That is one crazy bear thingy down there. I wonder what happened to the ship and why we crashed. That pilot seems to know what he is doing though. Do you like music? What kinds?" The questions and statements seemed to blur together as Nan barely paused between sentences.

Analiese paused in her work, not used to being bombarded with someone so...talkative. When she worked before, she was either all by herself...or the only other person with her was a slave like herself or one of the ones who were hired to watch over her. Conversation wasn't ever done.

She tried her best to focus on the questions and so tailored her answers, though short, to what he asked. "I think it odd. Yes, it's strange. I don't think the bear is crazy. The ship was damaged more on the outside, though why even I don't know. I like music, but I don't know what the different kinds are called." She was still working on piecing together things with her tools. Her voice trailed off as she ended, glancing at him as she admitted her lack of knowledge. She wasn't sure how he would react to it.

Nan tilted his head as she listed off her short answers to his stream of questions. At first he couldn't figure out why she was saying all the answers together until it dawned on him that he had asked the questions without allowing her time to respond individually. He chuckled quickly at what she might be thinking. "Sorry sister, sometimes my mouth moves as fast as my brain without thinking about it," Nan explained with his usual broad smile. "Well, you didn't miss a question so, gold star to you. Though I'm fresh out, I'll get you one when we hit civilization again."

Ana frowned a bit as she looked confused. "Gold star? What is that? Is it useful?"

Nan was caught off guard by the innocent question, though it actually spoke volumes to the young Minkan. "It umm, well you...see its a, umm, really? You know what? Forget it, it's nothing. So Ana tell me," Nan paused in his sentence as he grabbed and tugged hard at a bent piece of metal paneling. The metal groaned and popped off making Nan stumble back slightly and he continued, "What's a nice girl like you doing out and about in the recesses of space?"

Looking down when he told her to forget it, she looked a bit dejected. At his question, she shrugged and said softly, "I...It's a bit of a story." She moved to another part that needed wiring put back together and took a breath before saying softly, "You see...I was born a slave."

"Sorry, I thought you just said slave," Nan said as he moved to put the bent piece off to the side for MARI to come and bend back into the original semblance. Though just as he turned around he stiffened in realization and dropped the panel onto the ship top He slowly turned around and faced Analiese with a sad shocked face. "I'm, uhh, I'm sorry Analiese. I, umm, I don't know what to say. You were a slave?" Nan approached Ana, his work momentarily forgotten. He didn't get too close as to make her uncomfortable. It was obviously a universally touchy subject and Nan knew that what she needed wasn't sympathy or pity. Just understanding.

Nodded as she continued to work. She knew he was coming closer, but she could work and talk at the same time. "My mother was taken before I was born. I don't know much outside of it, though mama did make sure that I could at least read and write well enough."

"So, your free now. How long? How long have you not seen your mom," Nan asked cautiously. His respect for her talents already high but now, Nan could see that one would have to be pretty brave to successfully get out of slavery.

"Free. Yes. Just...recently. It's been two years since I last saw my mother, though." Ana's voice cracked even more than usual as she thought of the last time she had seen her mother. She shook her head and held back the tears as she finished what she was working on and got up to move to another spot. She sniffs a bit and kneels down once more, inspecting another area.

Nan sat crossed legged on the deck, as he listened to Analiese speak. He calmly listened and watched. "Two years? Well sister, it's a long shot but you know, if you don't mind giving me information, I could...well I could try and find her."

Ana stopped working and slowly sat up, looking directly at Nan. "No. You can't. No one can. I know where she is."

"Well, I mean if your sure, then ok. I just, I'm sorry if I made you feel bad," Nan said embarrassingly.

Ana nodded emphatically. She shrugged off his apology and got back to work.

Nan listlessly did the same, he went back to fix up some wiring that was hanging, stripped where he had just took out the paneling. He thought over and over how he could change this subject. It totally didn't go as he would have liked. He wasn't sure if it would be in bad taste but he decided to play some music. It was a fairly upbeat and catchy K-pop song, perhaps it will smooth things out.

Ana listened to the music for a bit and then said just loud enough, "Thank you, though." She looked up and added shyly, "For offering. It...I appreciate it."

"Well listen, We are peers now. Your not a slave any more. You get to officially do whatever you want. You and me, we got style over these old folks we are shipping around with. We gotta look out for each other," Nan said as he adopted again his infectious smile.

Ana tentatively smiled back and shrugged, "Maybe. It...I'm trying. I still can't believe I am free, some times. How I got free...wasn't exactly easy." She finished what she was doing and got up to go near him this time, sitting down to tell him more of her story. "You see...I was also taken...by some men who...well...they were doing things against my owner. I happened to see it. They saw me and took me. When we got to a space station, Quinn was there, too. He got it to where I could run and hide...and so now...here I am."

"Well great! Cranky doctor man came in handy. I kid, he is a good guy. I'm glad, he did you a favor and dare I say, us all a favor," Nan sincerely said.

Ana smiled a bit more and even gave a small chuckle, "He's cranky because he is hurt and worries about all of us being hurt as well."

Nan was grooving to the music as he listened and went back to the wiring. "So, what is it YOU want to do? Try and think of it like that. It's nice cause you always say was, which says to me you see yourself out. And girl, when we hit another station we are getting you some sweet threads."

Ana watched him for a moment, not overlooking what he was doing, just giving herself something to focus on a she thought about what he had said. Slowly, she responded. "I don't know. I still haven't really thought of it. I keep saying 'was' because...if I don't...I'll not believe it's real." She frowned some as she heard another phrase she wasn't used to. "What are 'sweet threads'? How can thread be sweet?"

"Oh, it's the sugar that they dip the thread into before they weave it, see it crystallizes and then they make the clothes from that. Have you never heard the expression, 'Eating your own shirt'? That's where it comes from," Nan said with an, obviously fake, serious face. "No really, it means some duds, some clothes. Something that you want to wear that wasn't necessarily given to you."

Ana looked down when he teased her. She still wasn't used to such treatment and so wasn't sure to take it personally or not for a moment. She said softly, "Oh. Umm...okay. I guess."

Nan chuckled, "Don't worry sister, I'm playing with you cause I like you. We will be alright."

Ana peeked up at him, "I'm almost afraid to know how you'd be if you didn't...like me." She hesitated a bit before adding, "Wh-why do you call me 'sister'?"

Gave a lopsided grin to Analiese as he tilted his head, "Cause, from the moment I met you, I knew you. Ya know? Like, sure, I didn't know you know. I just knew you were like me. Though in a different way. Hmm, I'm not making much sense. We are both out here, out crash landing on planets, fighting off death wolves and spending time with robots. That means you and me, we're kin."

Ana frowned in thought on that, "But...you chose to be here. I kinda...fell into it."

"You may think that but honestly, your not seeing the big picture. Yeah, you fell into it, yeah your falling back to what you know best like engineering but really, and I think you know this, you could get off the roller coaster whenever or wherever you'd like. Until then, you're my sister in space," Nan said enthusiastically.

"So that would make you my brother..." Ana smiled a little at this as she went back to work and they finished up the patching of the outside of the ship.
 
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