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Knock-knock!
The sudden sound of a fist against a door rouses Yasha from her sleep. She hadn’t intended to be napping for this long, but working on the garden this morning took a lot more out of her than she thought. Perhaps she’s just getting old. Or rusty.
Either way, she hears the door being knocked on again. She grumbles as she gets off the couch she’d been napping on and tousles her hair, trying in vain to get rid of the bed head.
“I’m coming, I’m coming…” she groans loudly.
She reaches for the handle, turns it, and opens the door. She’d been expecting Beau to be back home from work, or Clara to be back from the market.
Instead, it’s TJ. And with him is another small child, their features hidden by a ratty cloak.
“Oh, hi TJ. Um… is this a friend of yours from school?”
The young Lionett shakes his head. “No. I, um… I found her just outside the cottage. She’s… She’s in a bad way, Yasha. Can we bring her inside?”
Not one to turn down someone in need, Yasha nods and allows the two children in their shared home. After a quick gander across the open fields, she closes the door behind her.
“So, does your new friend have a name? A place to call home?”
“Home…?”
The voice of the child is strained, raspy. It’s rather sad. And yet… there’s something about it that seems… familiar.
Yasha reaches for the cloak’s hood to get a better look at her face. What she gets in response is a hiss that sounds… cat-like?
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, Yasha can see yellow cat-like eyes poke out from within. A tabaxi child, presumably with dark fur.
The sight gives Yasha pause, bringing back distant memories of another dark-furred tabaxi. One that helped almost cause the end of the world, in fact.
“It’s okay,” TJ tells the child, holding her hand gently. “This is Yasha. She’s a friend, and someone close to my sister. They can both help you.”
The eyes blink in the darkness. And as they look upon Yasha, she utters another word.
“Love?”
Yasha is frozen. This is too familiar. Surely, there’s no way this is…
“Do you have a name?” TJ asks her.
“Name?” The tabaxi tilts her head and then shakes it softly. “I… I did… once.”
The more she speaks, the more Yasha comes to a realization. The voice is sounding even more familiar, even though it’s coming from a child.
“How… How did I…?” She continues to mutter. And then, all at once, she takes hold of her hood and pulls it back.
The instant her face comes into view, it’s all coming back to Yasha.
It is her.
And just as she realizes it, the child does as well. “You… It’s you… ”
TJ looks between the child and Yasha. “Um… you two know each other…?”
Yasha looks at TJ and shrugs. “We did… once upon a time. But… how is this possible?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I… I woke up here… and saw this boy hovering over me.” She then looks all over herself. “Huh… the Matron sure loves her jokes…”
“You realize that… that you were deceived, right?” Yasha tells her, still in shock over what she’s seeing and hearing. And what she hears next perpetuates the shock.
“Him… I never… I never knew…”
Yasha puts a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Honestly, I don’t know how this happened, nor do I care. What matters… is that you’re alive. And from the looks of it… you got a second chance.”
The tabaxi nods in response, and in silence.
Poor TJ is just confused. “Um…”
Yasha blinks and then turns her attention to TJ. “I’m sorry, I was just… overwhelmed. TJ Lionett, this is… well…” She turns back to look at the tabaxi. “Maybe you should do it.”
Showing a bit of reluctance, she sighs and nods. “So you are Beauregard Lionett’s brother. I can certainly see the family resemblance.” A smile appears on her face as she takes his hand and shakes it. “My name is Cree… and… I suppose I’m pleased to meet you.”
Cree then turns to Yasha. “Although… I’m not sure if your paramour will take this news well.”
Yasha just shrugs. “Considering what had occurred after you… you know, I don’t think she’ll be as shocked as you think.”
“Perhaps.”
This was certainly going to be an interesting night.