Ask Corellia Interconnected Roots

[Terra Lanris]

Terra started scrolling through the information on the datadrive, and the first thing that struck her was the child support payments. For years and years they had gone on and Terra, of course, never saw a dime of it. It all went into supporting her mom's drug habits. That was what had put Terra out on the street.

It was a shocking pill for her to swallow that her dad - who she had always been told had ditched, never helped, never cared - had apparently been doing things to support her all along. Even from a distance.

It almost knocked the air from her lungs. And then she settled on the name: Din. She frowned, staring ahead at the name and thinking back to those she had met.

I... I've met a couple of Dins, she said, though, of course, that could have just been coincidence. And then there was the Sith King down in the South. She kind of hoped she wasn't related to all those wizards. She'd always distrusted Force-users, and if she actually was related to one.

Unlikely, right?

Maybe I should reach out to one of them... she said, frowning and sitting back in her chair, having a hard time swallowing this.

I need a drink, she muttered, standing up and heading over to the minibar and grabbing the first thing that sounded good.

Or I guess there's probably contact information in there somewhere, she said. For him, I mean, she said.

@Arcangel

 

[Yvon]

A mixture of emotions crossed Terra's face as she absorbed the information. Yvon was surprised when Terra said that she had met a few. Small galaxy. Yvon gave Terra a moment to process everything, the woman finally settling on a drink to deal with it all. Something that appeared to be a common coping mechanism out in the wider galaxy.

Apparently caf just wasn't good enough.

Yvon left their caf on the desk and followed Terra to the minibar, eyeing the contents suspiciously. Dozens of small bottles lined the shelf, different names, colors, numbers. All meaningless to Yvon.

"An old contact, disconnected. I could dig up a new one for you." Yvon said absently as they read the different bottles one by one. They finally settled on one and opened it, taking a sniff before making a sour face. "Why do you drink this stuff?" They asked grimly.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra downed one of the mini bottles before popping another open. Two livers weren't the best for getting drunk... not that she was really trying to get drunk.

That'd be helpful, she said with a nod. Thanks, she said. Though she was paying for the services, right? Even so, it was an appreciated gesture.

She saw Yvon pluck out a drink and then proceed to ask why Terra was drinking it. Terra just laughed. Well, if you don't like it, then stop racking up my bill, she said with a smile.

It's an acquired taste, I guess. Helps me relax, she said. After all, her business was run out of a night club. Not that she hadn't been a drink-enjoyer before before the Afterlife.

How hard you think it'll be to track down a contact number? she asked.

@Arcangel

 

[Yvon]

Terra logically pointed out that Yvon shouldn't be drinking the stuff if they didn't like it, especially on Terra's dime. Yvon nodded slightly before glancing at the already opened bottle in her hand. Well, they had opened it.

Yvon pinched their nose and downed the bottle swiftly. "Blegh." Yvon coughed as the liquor burned their throat and they glared at the bottle as if insulted. Yuck. "How does someone acquire a liking for battery acid?" Yvon asked, comparing the drink to the closest thing they could think of. Yuck.

Yvon returned to their slicing rig, taking a swift gulp of caf to wash away the remaining taste before answering Terra. "Not hard. Unless there isn't one." Yvon said a little ominously as they started typing. There were plenty of reasons why someone might not have a way to be contacted, many of them not good.

"Luckily there are only so many Din in the galaxy." Yvon continued as they set up an algorithm to scour the holonet for anything related to contact info for Terra's father, as well as other similarly named individuals.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

You drink a lot of battery acid? Even I haven't done that, she said jokingly. She'd eaten all sorts of crap growing up on these streets, but never had been forced to down battery acid.

Guess I'll be eagerly awaiting the results, she said, opening a third bottle and pacing around the room. Her tail was flicking now more than it had been earlier.

Kriff, what if I am related to the King? she muttered. She was usually so in control of the situations she placed herself in or at least she knew how to handle being in them. But this felt like she was a fish out of water, and she didn't like it. She wondered if she should just back out now and pretend she'd never started on this path.

@Arcangel

 

[Yvon]

"Not on purpose." Yvon said back, a tone that might have been joking. Or serious. Who knew. They had accidentally tasted the stuff once or twice. Never a pleasant experience and not one they ever wanted to repeat.

The algorithm ran its course and Yvon finished their coffee, draining the last dregs from the cup as their rig dinged completion. "Wanna call him and ask if you are?" Yvon said, a joke, but one they could follow up on as they scrolled the directory of Din contact information they had pulled from the net. The information was downloaded onto another chip.

"Here you go. Your dad should be the first one listed." Yvon said as they handed Terra the chip. There were of course other numbers, addresses, switter profiles. Everything that could be compiled on the Din family in a first pass sweep of the net really.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra looked at the list of information that had been provided, and just kind of blinked and stared for a moment.

I... I'll send him a message. I don't know where he is or what time it is there, she said. It was five in the morning here, and if he was on Corellia that wasn't really the right time to call someone about... this.

I should get some sleep, anyway, she said. After all, it was probably better to do this when well rested, right?

Thanks for the help, Yvon, she said, transferring the remaining fee before turning and heading in the direction of the bedroom. She certainly still had a lot to think about.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon was glad for the caf, late as it was. That and their general insomniac habits meant that sleep wasn't likely around the corner. Terra of course had other ideas, like any sane person would after the stunt they had pulled.

"You're welcome." Yvon replied, the words ever more enthusiastic as the credits hit their bank account. They watched Terra go, the door to the bedroom shutting. And then they were alone again.

Yvon stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, before turning away and back to their makeshift slicing rig. They looked at that, the little thrown together thing and frowned. Nothing really worth keeping. Nothing worth leaving either. A few moments were spent disassembling the contraption, packing the parts into a bag and sweeping the table and room clean of any evidence. No reason to leave Terra to clean up the slicer's evidence and mess.

Once Yvon was satisfied that nothing more could link them back to the room, they turned towards the door to leave, before stopping for a moment. They glanced back at the bedroom door, then turned back, scrawling a note on a piece of paper to leave at the table and leaving another small data chip on top.

Spoiler: Note

"Looking forward to working with you in the future. Best of luck with your dad."

The data chip was mostly empty, only containing a net address through which Terra could drop a line if they needed to contact Yvon. With that taken care of, Yvon padded out of the room silently to disappear into the early morning. With luck, they would be off planet before the sun rose.

/end.

@Phoenix