Tenel Ka drops Jacen off at the Coruscant Univeristy's exobiology department, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek she bids her farewell as she launches the speeder, going towards the Hapan Embassy.
Jacen stands on the deck for a moment, watching her a moment, glad that he doesn't have to attend the boring state function, yet strangely sad that his friend has to. His eyes glaze slightly as he wonders when she'll realize that she must take up her birthright and become the Queen Mother of Hapes.
The Mogwai in the box he holds, rumbles slightly distracting Jacen from his thoughts, and he turns and walks into the building, looking for the correct room. Finding it he knocks and can barely hear a soft voice from inside the room telling him to enter.
He walks in and sees a beautiful blonde woman, just a few years older than himself. Her bright smile is infectious, and he happily returns it. She holds out her hand, towards him as she introduces herself. "Hi, I'm Doctor Danni Quee, you can call me Danni."
Jacen fumbles as he shakes her hand, and stutters his name. "I'm Jacen."
Once more she blesses him with that bright smile. "So Tenel Ka tells me that you have an odd animal that you'd like me to look over."
Jacen nods his head a couple of times. "Yes I do, and I can't thank you enough for doing this for me."
Danni laughs. "I'm not quite that altruistic Jacen, Tenel Ka helped me acquire Hapan funding for the Ex-Gal society, and my own efforts at studying extra-galactic life forms."
"Oh."
"But first we're going to figure out just what you've brought me."
Jacen sets the box on the table, and runs over to the wall to dim the lights slightly. As he returns he opens the box, and almost laughs as the scientist beside him goes "awww."
Realizing what she had done, she turns away from Jacen, but not before he can see the slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "So where did you get this thing, and what do you know about it?"
Jacen turns away from the girl, and once more looks into the box. "My dad got it for my naming day, and they're called Mogwai. What I know is that they have some form of sentience, they dislike bright lights, dad said sunlight can kill them, and you shouldn't feed them after midnight." As he is speaking he walks over to a tap, and wets a towel slightly. "Then there is this reaction."
He arrives back at the Mogwai, as Danni turns to look into the box again. Jacen holds the towel out over the furry animal. "This is what happens when they get wet." He squeezes out a single drop of water and the two watch as it falls and lands on the Mogwai's upturned face.
The reaction is instantaneous as the Mogwai falls to its stomach and begins making the same weird humming noise that Jacen remembers from when Gizmo got wet. After a moment, it begins kicking its feet and pounding its hands on the box, wailing in pain.
Then with a loud popping noise, a small ball of fur flies up and hits the ceiling, landing on the table next to the box. Danni's eyes are wide with amazement as she pushes Jacen out of the way and watches the small ball of fur quickly grow larger, and once it gained its full growth, slowly unfurls to reveal yet another Mogwai.
As the new Mogwai hesitantly stands and begins looking around, Danni lets out a breathless "Wow."
Jacen smiles at the scientist, and then turns his attention back to the Mogwai, as the new one walks over to the box holding the older one, and they both begin knocking on the sides of the box, jabbering away to one another in Mogwai-speak.
Danni watches the two Mogwai for a moment, and then turns towards Jacen. "Just how big of a vocabulary do they have?"
"I've heard about a dozen or so words in Basic, and the various noises that they make to one another, is very complex, and the original one I was given, even enjoys making music."
She smiles up at him, and bats her eyes. "Do you think I could keep one of these for a few days to run a couple of tests?"
"Uhm, sure."
"Thanks!" She squeezes his shoulder, before turning her attention back to the two Mogwai on the table, and Jacen starts watching her. He notes the differences between this scientist and Tenel Ka. While both are beautiful women, Danni appears friendlier and more open with her emotions. Smiling slightly, he wonders if she would like to hear a joke?
Finally deciding that he has nothing to lose, he asks "Do you want to hear a joke?"
She looks up from the Mogwai, a confused look flashing in her eyes before she responds. "Sure."
Jacen beams as he begins his joke. "Why did the germ cross the microscope?"
Danni shakes her head slightly, not exactly sure on how to respond. Jacen's face lights up even more as he provides the other part of the joke. "To get to the other slide!"
Danni rolls her eyes, and turns back to the Mogwai. "Okay."
Jacen laughs aloud at his own joke, but Danni's attention is drawn to the two Mogwai who have joined in the laughter with Jacen. She frowns slightly. "They even have a sense of humor, or something."
"Oh yeah, the first one laughed at my jokes as well."
This startles the young scientist slightly, and she looks up from the Mogwai towards Jacen again. "It did?"
Jacen ignores the look on her face, and just admires the bright green of her eyes. "Yes it did."
As Jacen lips begin to form a smile for the young scientist, Tenel Ka's voice cuts through the air. "Are you about ready friend Jacen?"
Jacen jumps, and turns towards Tenel Ka, a grin stretching his features. "Oh yeah, sure thing."
Danni performs a half-bow for Tenel Ka. "Your highness."
Tenel Ka does not react at all to her, but continues to stare at Jacen, who picks up the Mogwai in the box and slowly walks towards her. As he reaches her side, he turns back to Danni. "I'll come back in a few days to see what you've found out. You have my com number if you need anything before then right?"
Danni graces him with one more of her bright smiles. "I'll be here, and if anything important happens I'll comm you."