Posted June 4, 2023, 11:42 a.m. by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) (Jennifer Ward)
Posted by Civilian Lai Kitrian (Independent Operator) in Deku’s Grocer- Isn’t Life Peachy?
Posted by Civilian Ragna Idun McKenzie (Future Citizen) in Deku’s Grocer- Isn’t Life Peachy?
Posted by Civilian Lai Kitrian (Independent Operator) in Deku’s Grocer- Isn’t Life Peachy?
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snip)
Ragna seemed to relax slightly. “Where I come from, we share everything we have with our clan. I know what a blessing that is, but sometimes I forget how strange or uncomfortable that can be to others. I am still trying to adjust to everything.” Ragna berrated herself for forgetting she had already noticed Lai was uneasy. She needed to be more careful. She took the box from her basket and handed it to her. Ragna gave her a warm smile, “Yes, of course it is. I do hope you enjoy them, but if not it should be an interesting experience.”
Ragna
As her fingers slipped around the side of the box, Lai felt something shift. It was tiny, but it was there. What it was, was hard to define though. “Thank you,” she said as she set the box in her basket. As she wandered, she let herself be open. It was hard, but something about this place told her she could be who she was here. The Amagray had no power. “You spoke of a clan. That is a group of people, yes?” Tyrellians once had tribes, a long time ago, but those were back in the ages before they found themselves truly as a people and claimed their birthright.
~Lai Kitrian
Ragna spotted some kind of fruit turnover looking thing. She didn’t recognize the fruit, but took two for her and Seamus to try. “It is. We are made up of hundreds of families, linked by shared ancestry, location, beliefs, and community.” She paused, “Well probably near a thousand different families now. I need to do a census. My sister married the head of another clan and we’ve grown exponentially. It’s really wonderful to see everyone come together.”
Ragna
A thousand different families! Lai’s mind staggered at the thought of such a large group of people, and yet, was it so different than a village on Tyrellia? Perhaps not. Sadness seeped into her gold-ringed eyes for a moment before she smiled. “I think I understand. It’s bene a long time since I’ve felt kinship with others in that way. But it is a good feeling, that much I do know. My mother’s people-” Lai froze for a moment as she realized her mistake. But it wasn’t a mistake, not in this Universe. The war waged inside her and she forced herself to breathe, knowing full well Ragna was standing there. “I’m sorry,” Lai breathed. How to explain. Should she even? She she just keep her identity a secret to be on the safe side? She knew Akem felt overly cautious and the both had good reason to be so, but at what point did they just stop and breathe and remember they had a chance here? As she stood in this food shop, Lai suddenly burst into laughter. “It’s all so ridiculous!” she exclaimed, feeling like everything had just turned around and flipped upside down. Flee. Run! That was the instinct. But her feet felt stuck to the floor.
~Lai Kitrian
Ragna subtly shifted her stance, giving Lai a bit more room, but also blocking her from view of others. “Don’t apologize. Your story is your own, Lai. It is yours to tell or not as you choose.” She’d seen it before, and Revna was really the better person to deal with this. Ragna stood calmly though. Revna wasn’t here, she was, and she would do what she could. She gave Lai an understanding smile. She’d felt the same way after everything with Argyle. Ragna wondered what Revna would say about Lai’s statement. Revna would probably understand and know immediately what to say. Ragna wasn’t sure she should ask or comment. She didn’t want Lai to feel she had to tell Ragna anything, but she didn’t want Lai to think she didn’t care either. Ragna shook her head slightly and said mostly to herself, “Life makes such unexpected changes.”
Ragna
She stood there in the store and everything felt strange. Lai gazed down at her basket and it all seemed so weird. Not that long ago, her and Akem had been going from place to place to place. Nowhere was safe. Was this place safe? No. Well, not yet. But it was better than before and that was something better than she had known in years. It was all chance too. She should have died on the station, but she didn’t. In a way she would have welcomed the release from her endless fight, but this colony too was a release.
Lai could only trust her instincts. Her korsiolo pulsed deeply within her. As she looked at Ragna again, she was simply bewildered, but she strangely trusted this woman. It was a skill she would need to put into use if they were to make a life for themselves in this new universe. “My mother’s people have deep traditions, things that ground me in my being. But I feel so lost here and yet, for the first time in a long time I am safe. I don’t think I will see my family again, and I’ve only just realized it. I thought I understood it a long time ago but I held out hope. Now… it is not possible. And yet, we found ourselves here on this colony. It’s not home, but I lost my home, Ragna, so maybe this can be home now. And I’m standing in a food shop with a basket of items rambling at a perfect stranger and all I want to do is laugh. Ridiculousness, all of it.”
~Lai Kitrian
“Traditions are so important. They give me a sense of who I am, where I am going and where I come from. They connect me to my family, to my clan. My sisters traveled a lot for many years. They said that a place doesn’t matter in the tradition, it’s the people and what is in your heart that does. This is the first time I have ever left home,” Ragna sighed, “so I am trying to learn. I have been told Oed is a good place to start over, or simply to begin. I truly hope so, for both of us. Family doesn’t really leave us though. I believe that completely. Sometimes their memory is enough to guide and comfort us.”
Ragna
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