Kyp squirmed away from Siee's tickling. "Stop!"
he laughed.
She just
laughed and tickled harder.
"Siee!!!"
"Kyp!!!" she
replied in the same whining voice.
He
couldn't answer, he was gasping so hard through the laughter for breath
he didn't evne think to try using the Force to make her stop.
Her fingers
dug into his ribs. "You yield?" she asked, smiling./
"YES!"
She stopped
and kissed his nose.
He
panted and nodded his thanks.
"So, what
were we going to do now?" she asked.
"Eat?"
"No seafood."
"okay
okay no seafood," he sighed.
"Maybe in a
few months." She grinned.
"Lemme
guess, the kids?"
"Learn fast
you do," she joked.
He
sighed.
He
got out of the bed and headed for the 'fresher.
"Gods Kyp,
learn to laugh, please." She stated, kneeling in bed.
"I'm
taking a break!" he called back
"You're a
pouter!"
"I
love you!" he called as the shower turned on.
"EXCUSES!"
she grinned.
He
didn't answer her.
She sighed
and sat on the bed. She had to break that serious mode habit of his
real soon. He stayed in it far too much.
A
short time later he reappeared, in nothing but the towel he was drying
his hair with.
She was
sitting in a chair by the window, staring out, her hands folded below
her chin.
He
peeked out from under the towel, "Siee?"
"Yeah?"
"What's
wrong?"
trying to
figure out something."
He
moved to sit across from her, still working at getting the moisture
from his thick locks, "What's that?"
""How to get
you not to be so serious."
He
thought about it a few long moments, then shrugged, "You can't. That's
just the way I am."
"I know..."
she sighed and tiled her head so she could see him out the corner of
her eye. "I just wish you'd laugh more. Enjoy yourself."
"Well,
I laugh a whole lot more now than I have in almost my whole life. I
don't think I could stand any more change."
She sighed.
"But there is still more change going to happen, Kyp."
He
half smiled, "I know - but I was talking about in myself." He stood and
moved to walk past to go find some clothes.
"Kyp... are
you regretting this?"
"Nope,
not in the least," he told her honestly as he started rummaging through
their bag. He paused, and his voice seemed slightly strained, "are you?"
"No," she
answered seriously, her eyes on the water. "But part of me is really
scared we moved too fast."
"Shoulda,
woulda, coulda, but didn't.... There's nothing we can do to change
something we believe to be right, Siee," he found what he was looking
for and began dressing.
"We
can only move ahead and trust in the Force and each other."
She nodded.
He
finished dressing quickly, and barefoot he padded over to lean across
the back of the chair and hug her from behind.
"So where
are we going to have breakfast?"
"I
saw a cafe' on my way back yesterday, halfway between here and Ratlabig
way. I thought we might go there?"
"Sounds
good." She was already dressed, just needed her shoes.
"You're
wearing the same you did last night, you sure you don't want to change?"
She looked
at her clothing. "You don't mind waiting?"
"No."
"Ok." she
walked over to the dresser and grabbed something quickly and went into
the fresher to change.
He
considered on following her, but recanted, simply waiting as he leaned
against the back of the sofa.
She came
back out in a simple pair of khaki pants with a orange and red colored
top. Her hair was pulled back in her braids still. "Ready."
He
smiled and moved to kiss her gently, "Then let's go."
*
They had eaten their meals, Kyp dutifully
ordering non-seafoods for them both. He stopped in a shoppe on the way
and bought a bucket and scrub brush before heading down toward
Ratlarbig Way.
Siee walked
beside Kyp, taking in the sights as they walked. She hadn't gone this
path on her walkings the other day, so it was new sights.
The
houses, though worn with age, got a bit larger as they walked along,
with larger yards, and some houses bearing old-style turrets in one
corner. A house less than three stories was becoming more and more rare.
"Where are
we. Kyp? "
"Almost
to Ratlarbig Way, Siee," he half smiled to her.
"What's
there?"
His
eyes were sad, but slightly glad at the same time, as he watched their
path. "My old home."
he
answered softly.
"oh."
They
walked along a bit further, and then there it was. There was a mansion,
roughly four stories in height. Its grounds were overgrown, and a deep
red substance seemed smeared over the front. Boards were over the
windows, and a
skeleton
of some sort was on the porch.
In
the front was a sign staked into the ground, warning others that this
fate awaited those who spoke out against the Empire.
Kyp
stopped in shock as he looked on his old home.
Siee stared
at the house in awe. "wow..."
He'd
forgotten its size. With a frown he moved forward, dropping the bucket
and brush on the ground as he moved to the sign. With a growl, his
lightsabre sprung lit to his hand, and he hacked it to pieces.
"Overkill?"
she asked with a smile on her face.
He
kicked what was left of the sign over. "No." He flicked the lightsabre
off and stuck it back to his hip, then picked up the bucket and brush.
He
moved to, what looked like, a pond (whichw as actually a hole cut in
the raft city) and filled the bucket before heading toward the house.
He
plunged the brush into the bucket, then used the Force to get the
higher places to scrub the red stain from the fron t of the white
mansion. Doing all t his, he said nothing. It was almost like a mission
for him.
Siee knew
better and just stood back and watched.
This was his
battle.
After
fifteen minutes, it was down to a level with him, and he began manually
working at scrubbing the blood from his home. He was going to bring
things back the way they were - he owed that much to his parents... to
his brother.
A
small crowd began forming on the road, curious as to who this young man
was, and why was he washing the city's haunted house. One, a child of
about five, tugged on Siee's shirt.
"Lady?
What's he doin? Doens't he know the ghosts will get him?" the little
boy sounded frightened.
Siee looked at the boy and smiled. "You
know those ghosts? He's supposed to be one of them. But he's not
dead..."
His
eyes got very wide, as he looked at the young man scrubbing furiously,
then back at the lady," He's one of the ghosts!!!"
"Can you see
through him?"
"Uhm...
no? But.... " the child looked confused. "But momma says if i don't eat my
peas the ghosts'll come get me, and I gave 'em to the dawg last nite!"
he squealed and hid behind her as he remembered.
"He's not a
ghost, sweetie. It's a scary story, but it's not real."
"You
sure?" he looked up at her with huge violet eyes.
She nodded.
Very sure."
He
screwed up his face in thought, then, in childlike determination, he
ran headlong toward Kyp.
When
he got close, he poked kyp's leg, then ran back a few paces as Kyp
whirled around in surprise.
When
he saw the little boy there, he crouched down on the ground to regard
him, "Hi."
"H... Hi... Uhm, are
you a Durron Ghost?"
Kyp
smiled softly, "I am the last of the Durrons, but do I look like a
ghost?"
When
the child shook his head, kyp smiled, "See? There's nothing to be
afraid of."
The little boy
shuffed closer, and poked his shoulder again, just to make sure he was
really there. Then he grinned and ran back to the crowd. "He isnt a
ghost! He's a REAL Durron!"
Then he ran back to
Kyp, "Uhm... mister Durron?"
"Yes?"
Siee
chuckled through all this.
the little boy
beckoned him to lean down, and he did so. The child whispered, "Just
wanna make sure... you're not gonna get me if I don't eat my peas,
right?"
Kyp
chuckled and shook his head, "I don't like peas either," he responded
conspiratorily.
The
child grinned, then hugged him quick before running back.
Kyp
looked after the kid, then saw the crowd. He waved slightly to them
all, then turned and went back to scrubbing.
After
he fiinished, he took the bucket, and splashed it over the wall, it now
shone with a dull white colour. He stepped back and nodded
triumphantly, then set the bucket and brush on the porch.
As
the day wore on, most of the crowd changed, people came and people
went. Some watched him give the bones of his pet a burial into the
ocean beneath the city, others watched him scrub the decking.
Finally,
nearly three hours after they'd arrived, Kyp motioned to Siee.
