Log Date:
	4/2/97

Log Cast:
	Skeezix, Shenner, Jessalyn, Luke

Log Intro:
	Shenner has just spent what was arguably the most traumatic day of her
young life tracking down Paul Nighman, having heard that he was wounded in
a barfight caused by a group of aliens attacking Jessalyn. Following Paul's
trail to the local academy, Shenner discovers that he has been working with
a Dr. Molari Canto, a Calamari native... but that said professor is dealing
with a 'personal emergency'. Obtaining Dr. Canto's address, Shenner heads
there... only to discover that Dr. Canto is guarding Paul from unwanted
intruders. Only after a long and awkward conversation in which Shenner gets to
know Dr. Canto -- and admits to him that she'd told Paul she loves him --
does the old Calamari allow her to see Paul.
	That starts off well enough, though Paul is severely depressed over
what he sees as his having ruined Jessalyn's life. Shenner does her best to
comfort him, aghast at seeing him so downhearted, and she succeeds in lifting
his spirits enough that he not only cooks her up am impromptu dinner, but
even arranges a picnic out on the cliff behind Canto's house so that Shenner
can have a view of her first ocean sunset. The girl finds the entire thing
incredibly delightful... until Paul brings up the awkward questions of what
she plans to do with her life... and how she feels about what occurred
between them on the night they kissed and she professed to being in love with
him. Much to Shenner's dismay, Paul swears up and down that he does not
want to hurt her... but that he cannot tell her that he's in love with her,
or that her age is not a stumbling block to him. The talk ends badly, with
a shout from Paul causing Shenner to burst into tears.
	Distraught and guilty, Paul carries the girl into Canto's house and
struggles to comfort her even as he realizes that while he is not in
love with her per se, he _does_ love her. But this has little noticeable
effect on the troubled Shenner, and Paul finally has to settle her down
in Canto's spare bedroom to let her sleep.
	Now, the next morning, after Paul has awkwardly fed her a breakfast,
Shenner has come back to the NR base. She has barely managed to exchange
three words with Paul this morning, much less look at him, and her mood
has not much improved by the time she reaches the main ship bay of the
NR base....

----------
Skeezix stands near the Lady Luck, his eyes watching the activity quietly.

Long wide strides carrying her into the NR base's ship port -- the best 
  shortcut she knows to get into the base proper -- Shenner makes her way into 
  view, keeping out of the way of bustling personnel as she goes, but glancing 
  at the activity she passes, face glimmering a bit with interest.

His ever-present alertness strikes again -- General Calhoun looks over towards 
  Shenner and, with a wide grin, calls out, "Hey, kid, Shenner!"
Skeezix looks at you for a moment.

Skeezix
The man before you stands to about 5'11. He is bulky, agile and carries a 
  determined look in his vivid blue eyes. He is young, looking to be about 26, 
  his short brown hair just starting to show age. A gold wedding band is 
  always worn on his left hand ring finger.
He is currently dressed in a pair of extremely well pressed khaki pants and 
  shirt, each bearing an overwhelming sense of military perfection. The collar 
  of this man's uniform is snapped tightly around his thick neck and gives 
  yield to a beautiful, flowing green cape that falls down his back and lies 
  inches from the floor. Upon each shoulder he carries a shining silver star, 
  and farther up his left shoulder, a bright red New Republic flame burns. a 
  five-pip red insignia has been pinned upon his right breast, and five rows 
  of gleaming medals line up on his left. A jet black military belt is wrapped 
  around his waist and gives way to an old, worn out holster carrying some 
  type of pistol within. His military grade combat boots shine vividly, 
  reflecting the objects around him as if they were made of glass.

Hailed, Shen turns her head, and grins crookedly. She lifts a slender hand and 
  tosses off a wave.

Skeezix raises his right hand and, using two foremost fingers, waves off a 
  mock salute to the girl as he begins to walk over towards her. "Did you find 
  the guy you were lookin' for, kid?"

The girl halts to let herself be intercepted, and she grins a bit, again. 
  "Yeah. I found him. He's okay."

"Good to hear," Calhoun replies and asks, "Who is he, anyway? He's got a good 
  arm to him.. managed to take out one of those aliens that was trying to kill 
  Jessa."

Shenner seems torn for a moment, strangely distracted; you can see her grin as 
  if in admiration at the idea of Paul possessing fighting prowess, but her 
  answer's a shy one, as she tells the General, "Uhm, well. Short answer is... 
  he's a pilot... and an archaelogist... he flies around lookin' for stuff."

Skeezix perks an eyebrow and asks, "Kid? You sure thats -all- he is?" A slight 
  grin spreads over his face as he leans back, falling to a rather 
  'uncharacteristic' relaxed stance, though it is rather a stance that Shenner 
  rarely sees.

Maybe, _just_ maybe, Shenner might be seen to blush a bit. "You want a longer 
  story?" she says, a tad gruffly.

"Kid, I got all the time in the world right now," Skeezix replies. He gives 
  the kid a short grin and adds, "I've got nothing on the workplate until the 
  diplo ball."

Shenner blinks. "Ball?" she echoes, blankly.

Skeezix replies, "The party tommorow night." He then grins, "Nice try, kid, 
  but you can't get a General off the subject."

Shenner looks for something to lean against, trying for as casual an 
  expression as possible. Fnding nothing nearby her, she settles for jamming 
  her hands into her pockeets, and saying brightly, "Uhm, well, whaddya wanna 
  know?"

Skeezix shrugs, "Seems like he's more than a pilot.. he's a friend of yours?"

The girl chews her lower lip, and nods readily enough to that. "Yeah. A, uh, 
  friend."

Skeezix nods slightly and accentuates Shenner's uncertainty by repeating, "uh, 
  huh."

"He got me offa my homeworld, 'kay?" Shenner says, more gruffly now, looking 
  distinctly embarrassed. "Bumped back into him on Palanhi."

Skeezix raises an eyebrow and says, "Whoa, Shen, I never said this was an 
  interrogation.." He jerks his thumb towards the barracks and asks, "Care to 
  get outta the noise?"

Shenner blushes, mumbles an apology, and bobs her red head. "Yeah... yeah, 
  sure." She grins wanly, trying to broadcast 'It's okay, no big deal.'

Skeezix seems to accept Shenner's notion completely as he turns, his cape 
  billowing behind him as usual, and begins to walk towards the barracks.
Skeezix heads into the Barracks.
Skeezix has left.

You head into the Barracks.
NR Spare Barracks -- Calamari(#4222RnFJ)
Row upon row of meticulously made cots line in military precision down the 
  cold, off-white walls of this plain-looking room, each separated by a 
  barracks locker and side-table. This room is normally silent, the shadows 
  cast by the lights above harsh and stark against the bare floor. You can see 
  doorways leading off into private rooms and bathing rooms at the far end of 
  the hall.
                 -=-=-=-=-=-=<<Real Objects>>=-=-=-=-=-=-
=> Skeezix
=> Jessalyn

Shenner pads into the room in General Calhoun's wake, and, as she does, she 
  pipes, "Jess!"

At Shenner's blurt, Skeezix looks over towards Jessalyn and a grin spreads 
  across his face. "Jessalyn," he says, "Good to see you."

Jessalyn is stretched on her bunk, dozing, fully-clothed, with a datapad 
  resting against her chest. Her eyes dart open at the sound of her name and 
  she glances up at the two, sheepishly. "Oh.. hello..."

Shenner blinks apologetically. "Didn't mean to wake yah..." She moves to 
  Jessalyn's side, and crouches down, unsurely. "Sorry I didn't send a message 
  back yesterday, too... I didn't know you were gonna be let out of the 
  hospital yet!"

Skeezix follows Shenner with a slow yet wide gait and comes to rest as he 
  nears the corner of Jessa's bed.

Jessalyn reaches a hand to comfort Shenner, touching her shoulder, and smiles 
  down at her. "It's all right. Where ya been, huh?" She spares a glance up at 
  the general inquisitively.
Jessalyn looks at you for a moment.

Shenner observes sheepishly, "I found Paul."

Skeezix -appears- to be watching Shenner, yet he passes a brief 
  sidelong glance over towards Jessalyn. No expression can be read from his 
  dutiful face.

Jessalyn raises her brows, frowning slightly. "Oh." She pauses uncertainly, 
  then comments, "I didn't know he was missing. Again."

Blowing out a breath, Shenner says, "Uhm, well... General Calhoun here said 
  he, uh, got hurt in the fight.... so I went to go see if he was okay, see? 
  He gimme a card with an address on it, before he left, last time..."

Jessalyn nods slowly, tilting her head. "The academy?" she asks quietly, 
  concern in her voice and in the grim line of her mouth.

Skeezix averts his gaze and watches Shenner again.

"Sorta," Shenner allows. "I went there first. He's stayin' with a professor 
  friend of his, now.... hm... oh, I, uh, he gimme a note to give you." The 
  kid fishes into a pocket, and produces, of all things, a paper letter.

Jessalyn reaches for the envelops and looks at it for a moment. She swallows 
  hard and sits up straighter, looking uncertain. "A note," she repeats 
  softly, then glances up nervously at the others. "I see. I guess he didn't 
  want to talk to me.. in person."

Shenner sighs a little, then says meekly, "He's, uhm. He was scared, I 
  think..."

Skeezix furrows his eyebrows, a look of uncertainty briefly sneaking it's way 
  into his face as he eyes the letter, then Jessalyn, as if waiting for her to 
  open it or tell him to leave.

Jessalyn nods thoughtfully at Shenner, and gives her shoulder another squeeze, 
  before glancing up at the general, the other hand idly playing with the 
  crease in the paper envelope.

Skeezix's mouth drops open for a brief moment, and he averts his gaze, taking 
  a few steps away from the bed.

Shenner asks Jessalyn, "You, uh, wanna read it alone?"

Jessalyn frowns again, and shrugs, averting her gaze from both of them, and 
  tears open the envelope. She turns slightly away from them as she reads it, 
  her head bent, hair falling around her face to shield her expression as her 
  eyes scan the hand-written words.

Not quite sure how to take that, Shen settles down to sit on the floor, and 
  tries not to look straight at Jessalyn, for at least a modicum of privacy as 
  she reads her letter.

Jessalyn inhales a sharp breath, her body tensing as she finishes. Then she 
  re-reads it, more carefully this time, her lips moving silently as she 
  passes over the words. After letting her gaze linger on the signature, she 
  refolds the sheet of paper and places it very carefully back into its 
  envelope, her face pale as she finally looks back at the others near her.

Shenner does not like the look of this, and she returns Jessalyn's gaze 
  worriedly. "Uhm?"

Skeezix slowly backs away and, as quietly as possible for a General wearing 
  highly polished combat boots, makes his way towards the door, surely not 
  wishing to intrude.
Skeezix has left.

Shenner glances off as the General slips out, then returns her gaze to 
  Jessalyn, anxiously. "You, uh, okay?"

Jessalyn barely notices the general's departure, and she licks her lips 
  nervously. "Yeah," she says in a tremulous voice. "I ... I sort of expected 
  it." She fingers the envelope, then moves to place it inside her nearby bag, 
  amazed at the trembling of her hands.

"Ain't sure I wanna know, now," Shenner mumbles.

Jessalyn pushes her hair back from her face, lifting her eyes from shadow and 
  revealing the glistening of her watery eyes. "Neither did I, Shen." Suddenly 
  chilled, she wraps her arms around herself and stares blankly across the 
  room.

Shenner offers tinily, "You need a hug?"

Jessalyn looks over at her friend, looking nearly as young as her as she gives 
  a small nod, her lower lip trembling as she struggles to stop her feelings 
  this once.

Shenner takes that in, and promptly climbs up on the bunk beside Jess, 
  wrapping slender arms around the woman.

Jessalyn hugs Shenner tightly for a long moment, eyes squeezed shut, and 
  smiles at her as she finally draws away. "Well... I guess I'm on my own now, 
  huh."

Shenner swallows, and says huskily, "I'm here, ain't I?"

Jessalyn touches the youthful curve of Shenner's cheek, smiling. "You are a 
  good friend, Shen. I know you won't stay around me forever. I don't expect 
  you, too." She pauses, then looks away, shrugging. "If you can go be with 
  Paul... then, you should."

"But... but what about Yavin?" the girl blurts, clearly taken aback.

Jessalyn pats your hand comfortingly. "You're free to choose where you want to 
  go, Shenner."

"But... I want to be with you, Jessa...." Shenner frowns, looking visibly 
  dismayed. She doesn't voice the addendum of 'but I also want', but it's 
  quite clear in her face, and you can see her wrestling with it.

Jessalyn smiles reassurance. "You know you'll always have a welcome place with 
  me. I love you. You've taught me more than you know." She bites her lower 
  lip. "But I want you to be happy. It's your decision alone, and don't do 
  anything just because of what others expect of you."

Shenner blinks, three times, then, eyes getting teary, she abruptly and 
  fiercely hugs Jessalyn again.

Jessalyn chuckles softly as she returns the hug. "Hey.. you okay?" She pats 
  your back gently, her own body now trembling as well.

Shenner breathes, "I... think so.... I-I just wish you and Paul could be happy 
  too, you know?"

Jessalyn leans back to look down at you, her smile much fainter now. "I 
  suppose he's doing what he thinks will make him happy. And... I'll be all 
  right, too." She forces a certainty into her voice that she doesn't really 
  feel, regarding her younger friend with compassionate green eyes.

Shenner chews her lower lip uncertainly, and offers, "I think he's worried 
  about you bein' happy, too...."

Jessalyn shrugs and wipes a hand across her eyes. "Perhaps. But... he's more 
  afraid of working things out, I think." She purses her lips thoughtfully and 
  stares down at her hands as she folds them in her lap.

"Well, uhm.... he... kinda talked to me last night, maybe you can work things
  out with him, too?" Shenner asks, hopefully.

Jessalyn purses her lips, a struggle showing on her face as she picks her
  datapad back up and peers back down at it. "He knows where I am. I'm not
  going to go chasing after him to beg for forgiveness or anything." She
  punches a few keys, unwilling to look back at Shenner.

Shen scoots slightly away to give Jess room to fetch her pad, and wraps her
  arms around one of her knees. "Just a thought," she mumbles.

Skeezix walks into the barracks, a chilled wind following him.

Jessalyn blows a lock of hair away from her eyes and stares hard at the
  screen for a moment. Then she turns her head to regard Shenner thoughtfully.
  Her expression softening, she reaches to touch her arm. "Shen... He's made up
  his mind. I don't want to force him to talk to me if he doesn't want to."

Sheepishly, Shenner nods to Jessalyn, and offers her a wan grin, as if to
  assure that she won't argue. "'Kay..." The return of General Calhoun
  distracts the kid, then, as she glances over at the *shoosh* of the door.

Skeezix walks in and offers a slight smile to both, "Good evening."

Shenner ventures back, "Yo..."

Jessalyn glances at Skeezix from the corner of her eye, nodding, and then
  turns her attention back to Shenner. "Did he... talk to you last night?" she
  asks, vaguely.

Shenner blows out a breath, and fidgets with the toe of her boot. "Yeah," she
  mumbles.

Skeezix perks an eyebrow at Shenner's greeting, then moves over towards his
  cot, sitting down quietly.

Jessalyn tries to catch Shenner's gaze with her own, tilting her head. "How
  did it go," she asks quietly.

Shenner, it would seem, is quite fascinated by her own footwear. "He wanted
  to know what I'm gonna do, too..."

Jessalyn nods slowly, setting the datapad back down on the bed, and looking
  somewhat somber and pensive. "Have you decided?"

Skeezix looks over towards Shenner and Jessalyn, appearing a bit confused,
  perhaps even lost, at this moment.

"I... uh... not really," admits the girl. "It ain't like... I got a job or
  anything.... 'less I wanna try an' and see if I can get in a band or
  somethin'...."

Jessalyn rubs her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I know you need time to think
  about where... and with whom.. you'd like to be. But..." She hesitates, a
  warm smile crossing her face. "You know that whatever you decide, you'll
  always have a welcome place with me."

Shenner flicks a sheepish look over at Jessa, and grins wanly. "Thanks...
  only so long I can go moochin' off of anybody, anyway...." She waggles the
  foot she's got propped up on the bunk. "I gotta do... _somethin'_, I
  dunno..."

Skeezix chuckles slightly and asks, "What, you're actually gona find a place
  to settle down, kid?"

Jessalyn smiles at Shenner again, then sighs softly and crosses her legs in
  front of her on the bunk. She glances at Skeezix as he speaks, then averts
  her gaze again, lips pressed tightly together.

At the General's joining the conversation, the kid looks over, and smirks,
  but not unkindly. "Well, it's either get me a real job, busk till whatever
  city I'm in decides I'm the next galactic musical sensation" -- she delivers
  this with a snort -- "or start pickin' pockets again, and I'm given to
  understand that pickin' pockets is rude, crude, and socially unacceptable."

The General does manage to catch Jessalyn's glance and reaction, yet he seems
  to ignore it as he listens to Shenner's reply. "You know kid," he comments,
  "I'd hate to haul you in fer a misdemeanor." He then grins, "And don't
  forget, I'm always looking for good recruits." A slight wink follows, not
  playful, yet not threatening.

"What, you General of street bards, or somethin'?" Shenner asks blandly.

Skeezix smirks, "I've changed a few lives before."

Jessalyn glances at Shenner from the corner of her eyes before resting her
  chin in her hands, elbows on her knees, and staring distantly across the
  room.

Shenner quirks her head a little, eyeing Calhoun. "So what _are_ you General
  of?"

Skeezix replies, "Well, if you must know... the entire Republic Army." He
  leans forward and begins to untie his combat boots slowly as he adds, "Hell,
  kid, we could have you enlisted -as- our bandleader... you'd never have to go
  on a combat mission, and Jessalyn here would be your superior officer." He
  looks up after pulling his boots off with a grin.

Jessalyn looks between the two of them, and chuckles. "Sounds reasonable to
  me. I just want Shenner to be happy. And I'm not sure that... would be what
  she wanted..." She knits her brows as she lets her soft green gaze rest on
  Shenner's face, almost searchingly.

Shen's green eyes blink at Calhoun's casual declaration of his rank, and she
  spends the rest of his words with her mouth open, then shut when she
  remembers to close it. She then giggles a little, unsteadily. "Private
  Shenner. That'd be a hoot. I didn't even know the NR had a band..."

Skeezix chuckles lively, "We don't, kid. But hell, I'm sure it'd boost troop
  morale."

Shenner looks across the room at the General, as if a trifle dubious that she
  could manage to boost _anyone's_ morale -- perhaps because there's a hint
  about her as though her own morale isn't too incredibly high. "You're
  serious..."

Skeezix pulls his hands back behind his neck and begins to unclip his cape.
  "Well, with that attitude kid, I might not be -as- serious.."

Jessalyn gives Skeezix a stern look, then turns her gaze to Shenner. "Just do
  what you feel would make you happy. If being with Paul is what you want.. you
  should listen to that, if it's a possibility." She swallows hard, struggling
  to hide any emotoin from her yes.

Shenner's face suddenly falls, and she mumbles to Jessalyn, "Paul ain't an
  option, Jess."

Jessalyn touches her shoulder, nodding with understanding. "Then you know
  we'd love to have you with us."

Skeezix furrows an eyebrow and peers over towards Jessalyn. "I..." He cuts
  himself off with a slight scowl and begins to concentrate fully upon the task
  of folding his cape.

Shenner flicks a weak smile to Jessalyn, then, restlessly, gets up. To
  Calhoun, she says gruffly, "I... 'ppreciate the offer, General, even though
  I-I ain't exactly the army type, yah know? I-I gotta think about it..." Then,
  abruptly, she blurts out, "Y'all mind if I play?" There's just the slightest
  hint of desperation to the kid's voice.

Skeezix raises his eyebrows and replies, "Hey, I'd consider it an audition.."

Jessalyn smiles wanly at Shenner and folds her hands in her lap. "Please do."

Skeezix begins to change his clothes as he listens.

Shenner bobs her head mutely at both the older ones in the room, and digs her
  guitar case out from under her bunk. The guitar emerges shortly thereafter,
  and, her face white and her eyes suspiciously liquid, Shenner settles down to
  warm up, head bent slightly over her instrument.
The girl with the guitar doesn't utter another word. Perhaps the guitar
  speaks more clearly for her; the chords she hits are all minor ones, muted in
  volume, and when she finally begins playing a melody, it's slow and
  plaintive.

As Skeezix begins to pull his sweats on, he slows a bit as Shenner's music plays
  into his soul again, just like the first instance aboard the NRV 'Alderaan'.

Luke arrives from the corridor.
Luke has arrived.

Skeezix is currently sitting on his cot, his sweat pants pulled up only halfway
  towards his waist as he listens to Shenner, his eyes blinking slowly.

Shenner remains huddled over her guitar, playing it; her face is not lifted
  to the room. The instrument in her hands expresses itself in quite the
  sorrowful melody, slow trickles of notes plucked across minor chords.

Jessalyn is sitting with crossed-legs on the same bunk as Shenner, her elbows
  on her knees, and her chin in her hands as she listens without looking at
  Shenner.

Luke steps into the barracks allowing the door to woosh shut behind him. He
  tilts his head to the side as recognizable notes drift toward him. He takes a
  few steps inward, toward the sound.

Shenner's head does not lift at the sound of the door, not this time. She
  remains absolutely fixated on playing her guitar, strumming out some measures
  several times to get them right.

Catching himself, the General takes a moment to, at least, pull up his sweats
  before he continues watching and listening to the warm, yet saddening melody.

Luke pauses, half secluded behind a post near one of the cots, and only a few
  feet from the group. He leans against it, allowing his gaze to take in the
  situation.

Jessalyn sighs softly, aware somehow of the emotions behind Shenner's song,
  and stares down at the bunk with a furrowed brow , her face hidden behind her
  hair which spills forward with her slumped posture.

Luke waits for an appropriate moment during the song to interrupt, "Um..
  anyone seen Paul?"

Sighing, the General slowly lies back onto his bed. His eyes begin to loosen,
  eyelids falling as Shenner's music seems to pull out a not-so-ancient memory.
  He closes his eyes voluntarily as the memories themselves begin to bring
  wetness to his eyes.

If the guitar's voice is any indication, Shenner is, to say the least, deeply
  upset. And when Luke finally speaks, the guitar strings jangle under the
  kid's hands.

Luke gives Shenner a 'you alright?' look.

Jessalyn looks up at the sound of the voice, and nearly winces. She gives
  Shenner a quick sympathetic look, biting her lip.

A low grunt interuppts the room as well, coming from the General's cot. He
  slowly opens his eyes and looks over towards Shenner, the annoyance he feels
  not apparent in his eyes.

Shenner misses everyone's glances, since her head is still bowed over her
  instrument.
Shenner's shoulders start to tremble, as she sits there.

Luke frowns slightly, then glances at Jess searching for some explanation.

Skeezix, surprised out of his slight misery, swings his legs over the side of
  his cot and asks, "Kid, you okay?" as he stands up.

Jessalyn scoots across the bunk to slide her arm around Shenner's shoulder,
  and looks up at Luke helplessly. She whispers, barely able for him to hear,
  "I think it's about Paul," and returns his frown.

"Wh..where is he?" Luke murmurs, moving from the post to the cot across from
  Shenner and Jess, where he sits down. His expression somewhat confused. He
  continues softly, recognizing some tension here. "I, uh.. went looking for
  him.. couldn't find him anywhere."

Perhaps in answer to Skeez's query, Shenner starts to nod, then changes her
  mind, shaking her head tightly instead. Still not looking up at anyone, she
  mumbles more or less in Luke's direction, "He's at Dr. Molari Canto's
  house..." and she fishes mechanically into her right vest pocket, producing a
  business card with a scribbled note on the back. This she holds out to Luke.
  And her hand is shaking.

Skeezix shakes his head slowly as the others move in for the kill and leans
  back again, lying down on his cot.

Luke takes the card, eyes not leaving Shenner. He pauses while holding it in
  his hand, then looks.

Jessalyn tightens her arm about the girl's shoulder, frowning, and watches
  her face carefully.

Shenner's eyes have tightly pressed closed.

"Canto.." Luke ponders the name. "I don't know him." he flips the card over
  in his hands, the peers at Shenner, "What's going on huh?" he adds, glancing
  quickly to Jessalyn.

Jessalyn chews on her lower lip as she finally tears her gaze away from
  Shenner and looks at Luke. "They had a talk last night, it seems," she
  answers quietly, then gives an awkward shrug.

Raggedly, Shenner nods, clutching her guitar in tightened hands; her knuckles
  go white. She still doesn't look up.

Luke straightens in his seat and takes a breath as he regards Shenner, "Oh.."
  he says quietly. He gives Jess another look that obviously is asking for her
  to expound on what exactly has happened. He looks even more confused.

Skeezix doesn't appear confused. As a matter of fact, as he pulls his arms
  behind his head to form an extra pillow, the scowl on his face appears to be
  downright annoyed, stressed, even exhausted -- which is a definate bad sign
  when seen on this General's face.

Jessalyn blows out a frustrated breath, looking embarrassed. Looking at Luke
  pleadingly, she murmurs, "Luke, isn't it obvious?" She strokes Shenner's
  shoulder comfortingly. "Paul seems to have decided that we -- that Shenner --
  shouldn't be as ... " She seems to struggle for the right words, without
  being too blatant. "...important to him as he is to ... her."

Inadequately, Luke simply responds with a soft, "I'm sorry Shen."

With the explanation -finally- in the air, Skeezix seems to visibly relax,
  turning on his side until he watches Shenner quietly. "Kid.... that's bad
  news.."

"H-he... just don't wanna hurt me... " Shenner mumbles hoarsely, sounding as
  though her throat has closed up. "He don't wanna... I-I-I'm okay... I'm
  okay."

Luke is definitely out of his element here. He cringes in Jess's general
  direction.

Jessalyn scoffs, "Well he's failed at -that- miserably, it seems." She forces
  her composure into softer lines and looks back at Luke, eyes still shadowed
  somehow.

"I said I'm okay!" Shenner suddenly barks out. Her voice's volume goes up,
  but this only makes her attempted fierceness all the more clearly simply a
  cover for vivid anguish. "C-Can we talk about somethin' else? _Please_?!"

Luke turns to Skeezix, "Well I.. wanted to talk to him about Mandalore." he
  says offhand, and fully aware that his words are and will not be any
  consolation to the bard, "Then Skeezix and I were planning a trip to
  Kashyyyk." he winces yet again at Shenners outburst.

Skeezix looks over towards Luke and simply nods. "Yeah, that's the truth."

Jessalyn massages her temples with her free hand, shaking her head.

"Then y'all oughtta talk," Shenner mutters, much more softly, the fierceness
  draining out of her as quickly as it had flared, leaving her voice listless.
  "Don't mind me."

Jessalyn sighs again, straightening her shoulders, and looks at Luke with a
  fierce gleam in her green eyes. "Luke, can I see that card she gave you?"

Skeezix stands up and walks over towards Shenner. "Kid, we're gonna talk, but
  you aren't doing a damn good job of hiding the fact that -you- -aren't-
  okay."

Luke breaks his gaze away from Shenner, "Oh.. sure." he hands the card to
  Jess.

Jessalyn nods as she takes the card, then peers at it, memorizing the
  information on it. She pushes herself off the bunk and hands it back to Luke.
  "Thank you," she says to him as she turns to pick up her jacket where it
  hangs on the foot of the bed.

Shenner doesn't look up as Jessalyn stands; nor does she look at Calhoun as
  the General comes over to her. The kid does mumble in the man's general
  direction, "I'll be okay later then."

"Shenner," Skeezix says, "You haven't been okay for days now. I don't see you
  getting better any time in the near future, either." He kneels down on the
  floor and attempts to force his gaze into the kid's lowered head. "You hear
  me?"

Luke watches Jess distractedly, "Where are you going?" he half-whispers.

Jessalyn slides her arms into the sleeves and fastens the jacket around her
  waist. "To find Paul," she answers Luke, giving him a quick glance.

Shenner starts to answer the General, her face tightening sullenly, before
  Jessalyn startles her into looking up. "No!" she wails.

"I'll go with you." Luke says without hesitation as he stands.

Jessalyn gives Shenner a sympathetic glance. "This isn't about you, Shenner.
  Trust me." She hesitates, then nods at Luke. "All right."

Skeezix opens his mouth yet repleases an exasperated sigh. "Damnit," he
  mutters as he looks up towards Jessalyn for the briefest of moments. He then
  looks back to Shenner and says, "Hey! Kid..." He places a hand on her
  shoulder, "Let 'em go."

The distraught girl eyes Jessalyn uncertainly, as if ready to argue, but
  finally she just... wilts a little, and nods, dejectedly.

Luke steps beside Jess, "I um.. needed to ask you about something anyway. We
  can talk on the way." he glances back at Shenner, a hopeless look in his
  eyes. He then nods, "Let's go."

Jessalyn slides her hands into her pockets as she steps toward the door and
  presses the door pad, pausing to look over her shoulder as it slides open.

Luke follows Jessalyn out.

Skeezix slowly stands, leaving his hand on Shenner's shoulder a he moves to
  the other side of her, sitting down on the cot. With his hand now draped over
  her shoulder he asks, "Kid, I've known ya since you were on the Alderaan...
  you aren't okay."

Shenner is still hanging onto her guitar as Luke and Jessalyn depart, and she
  eyes the top of it dolefully, offering no protest as Calhoun settles down
  beside her. She doesn't offer an argument, either, saying only, "It was
  different on the _Alderaan_."

Luke has left.

Skeezix nods slightly, "Yeah. This Paul character wasn't there, thats what
  was different."

Jessalyn has left.

"Yeah," Shenner mumbles, dully.

The General looks over towards Shenner for a moment, almost as if the kid had
  eyes in the side of her head. "What happened?" he asks, his tones not dull,
  yet not -completely- convincing.

"Told Paul I love him," Shenner answers listlessly, still studying the top of
  her guitar. "He let me down easy."

Skeezix frowns slightly and says, "Shen, thats a touchy subject... you told him
  you -loved- him, and he what?"

Shenner says, "Doesn't wanna hurt my feelin's. Didn't wanna hurt 'em..."

Skeezix frowns slightly and says, "So he blew you off cuz he thought he was 
  going to end up hurting you?"

"H-he didn't... blow me off, it wasn't like that, he..." Shenner frowns, too, 
  as she stammers this out hoarsely, sounding uncertain of her own words.

Skeezix shakes his head and gives Shenner a reassuring squeeze to her 
  shoulder. "Yeah, right," he replies, almost as if he were speaking her own 
  street language.

"He's my f-friend, he just... he..." Her eyes becoming suspiciously wet, the 
  kid swallows hard, and trails off.

"Shen," Skeezix says quietly, "You can either tell me what he did, or go ahead 
  and cry it all out. Neither of us have anything to hide, and hell, I don't 
  care if you go bawling on me."

Shenner risks a look over at the General, warily, perhaps trying to figure out 
  how much she can let herself say to him. A flicker of embarrassment creeps 
  across her strained, white features, and she lifts a hand off the guitar to 
  scrub it across her eyes. "He wasn't mean or nothin'," she mumbles.

"Not directly," Skeezix replies, "Maybe not. But in the long run, whatever he 
  did has gotten you awfully depressed. Shenner, I can tell."

The kid with the guitar sniffles a litle. "He... just... ain't in love with 
  me, see?"

Skeezix nods, "Yeah, I thought that's what it was." He pats the kid 
  reassuringly and says, "This might be hard on you, kid... but in all 
  honesty, you should probably try to forget about him. If he doesn't love 
  you.... why love him..?"

Shenner mumbles, plucking a single note on her guitar, "Can't exactly just... 
  turn it off, Gen'ral..."

"I know, kiddo. Thats why I said it'd be hard on you."

Shenner bobs her head, dejectedly, plucking another couple of random notes at 
  the guitar. "I-I'll just... hafta... deal, I guess."

Skeezix grins slightly and says, "That's exactly what went through my head 
  when.." His grin dies for a moment, "Jenny died." He then gives Shenner a 
  thoughtful look and adds, "That I'd just have to cope."

Skeezix
The man before you stands to about 5'11. He is bulky, agile and carries a 
  determined look in his vivid blue eyes. He is young, looking to be about 26, 
  his short brown hair just starting to show age. A gold wedding band is 
  always worn on his left hand ring finger.
He currently wears a rather comfortable looking pair of grey sweatpants, the 
  cuffs shortened around a pair of white socks running down into old, worn out 
  climber's shoes. A tight yet relaxed fitting undershirt is worn over his 
  toned chest and broad shoulders, tucked into his sweatpants lazily.

Shenner, again, warily looks at the man sitting beside her, perhaps coaxed 
  into it by that admission. She doesn't offer a reply, but Calhoun has gained 
  more of her attention, that much is clear.

Skeezix pulls his hand back a bit so that it rests on the kid's shoulders 
  instead of actually gripping them. "It'll just take time, Shen.."

"Yeah... I-I guess..." Shenner scrubs a skinny hand across her face again, and 
  flicks her companion a one-sided not-quite-smile, just one brief upward curl 
  of the right end of her mouth.

Skeezix chuckles slightly, pulling his arm away. "How old are you, anyway, 
  kid?"

Shenner answers, after a pause, "Seventeen.... almost eighteen... I think."

Skeezix cracks a similar, one sided grin. "Just the right age for enlistment," 
  he says jokingly.

Shenner smirks a bit, in something like amusement. "You put out this much 
  effort for all your recruits?" she asks, a bit more life entering her 
  strained voice.

Skeezix grins slightly and offers a friendly wink, "Only the special ones, 
  kid." He leans back into a more relaxed position and glances away, peering 
  off into the dim light of the room. "After all... there's over a thousand. 
  That'd be humanly impossible."

The girl considers this, and finally, out of the blue, mumbles, "I... useta 
  wanna run off and join the Rebellion. When I was a kid. Guess I'm a little 
  late, but..." Shenner sounds rather bemused by the entire concept, and she 
  finishes awkwardly, "Can I... think about it?"

Skeezix looks back to Shenner and says, "Shenner, I waited four years before 
  Tand would fly me to Endor to join the rebels. Never's too late, now 
  isn't... you can think about it all you want. Just come talk to me when 
  you've made up yer mind."

Slowly, shyly, the kid nods. "Okay, General..."

For a long moment, Skeeizix watches Shenner. Finally he says, "Don't be shy of 
  it, kiddo. There ain't nothing wrong with being a rebel."

The girl sets down her guitar in its case; that motion, too, is slow. "Ain't a 
  matter o' wrong," she murmurs, distantly. "I...." All in all, she's starting 
  to look rather thunderstruck. She finally straightens and adds, plaintively, 
  "I think I better sleep on this, if you don't mind..."

Skeezix nods, "Yeah, I need to get some rest too. After all, there's some 
  diplomatic dance or party goin' on tommorow... if I don't show, there'll be 
  hell to pay."

The words clearly only half-registering with her, Shenner reaches down to tug 
  her boots off, nodding absently as she pads back to her bunk and burrows in 
  under the blanket and sheet without bothering to undress. "'Kay..."

Skeezix stands up and walks over towards his cot, lying down and pulling his 
  blanket over himself.

In moments, if the sound of her breathing is any indication, Shenner has 
  fallen asleep.

[End log.]