The broadly grinning Doctor was unable to, or just plain choosing not to read the room.
Or maybe he did catch that little flash of excitement in Suu's eyes when she knew exactly what that little blob on the screen was before the big announcement. Her pregnancy now confirmed, Suu's eyes watered up as a wobbly smile slowly appeared, mixed with pure delight and excitement but tainted with unsurety.
And then came the fear when the doctor squinted up at the screen. "Hold on a second."
Heart feeling like it skipped a beat, Suu hoped there was nothing wrong with the baby! And the mechanism sliding against her stomach to the right doing nothing to help with her stomach fluttering with fearful butterflies.
"Well, would you look at that?" Baffled, he pointed to ANOTHER tiny blob fully visible, it being partially hidden behind the original.
Time screeched to a halt.
Heart rate dangerously spiking, Suu wanted to jump up and get as close to the screen as possible, but frustratingly had to stay where she was for the doctor to maintain a visual.
So breathlessly she could only ask, "Is that another -?"
"Yes, you're having twins!"
It was a good thing Talla had a high pain tolerance, because when Suu's hand seized around hers, several of her bones definitely cracked from the pressure. Even so, she was too dumbfounded to register the pain signals from her limp hand.
Clearly seeing the two distinct blobs floating on the blue tinted, staticky screen perched on the cart next to the doctors chair: "Oh my Maker." The Agent breathed alongside Suu.
Meeting a crazy deserter and being on his protective wife's hit list; being stalked by their child and finding out Hunter reciprocated her feelings; being on child patrol for half a day and getting her butt whipped in the process; forgiving that deserter because of finding out how hard it is to be a parent and finding out the protective wife, now her friend, WAS PREGNANT WITH TWINS-?!
This was not how Talla was expecting this trip to go.
"Looks like Baby #2 was hiding behind Baby #1." Dr. Bozeli chuckled, highly inappropriate during a solemn time such as this.
Ripping her gaze away from the screen Talla hesitantly asked, "... There's not anymore hiding in there, right?"
He chuckled again, clicking off the machine since the data had been successfully recorded. "Nope, just the two."
"'Just the two?'" Talla mocked, wanting to wring his neck because his cheerfulness was in this moment highly inappropriate, for Suu was visibly upset.
But the Agent didn't because, well, Suu was upset.
There was a charged silence, slack-faced Suu's whirling mind making it difficult to actually comprehend and process the news.
She came in fully expecting to be told she was going to have baby.
She did not come in expecting to be told she was going to have TWO babies.
Slowly, Suu had to turn her head away from the doctor and the screen, releasing Talla's crushed hand, the tips of the Agents fingers red from the ungodly pressure.
Slowly, Suu draped her arms over her face to block out reality.
Slowly, Suu deeply inhaled through her nose to try easing her constricting lungs, nostrils burning from the fragrant gel coating her stomach and the reek of antiseptic covering everything...
But her exhale was broken up by tremors shuddering through Suu's cold body when reality couldn't be escaped.
She was having twins.
Talla needed to ask again, to be sure this was all real, that this was really happening, because this was not only shocking news... but apparently shocking BAD news.
Haphazardly motioning in the general direction of Suu, who's choppy breathing and visible chin trembled signaled she was fighting a good cry, woozy Talla could barely sputter out, "So i-it's confirmed she's - and they - t-this means she's going to have not one but TWO babies... at the same time?!"
Glancing backwards from the cart of dirty supplies Bozeli shot her a deadpanned look. "That's generally what having twins means, yes."
Talla may not have ever been pregnant, never had a living, breathing, helpless little soul that depended on her 24/7 for every little thing, let alone TWO, but ever the empath, as close as to sympathy fatigue for Suu made Talla slump back into her chair, bruising hand clutched over her dangerously palpitating heart. Eyes glazing over, she tried imagining TWO little crotch goblins constantly demanding the attention of their mother, requiring to be occupied at all times, constantly fed and watered and cleaned, and creating a natural disaster wherever they lurked.
"Huh." She breathed, already EXHAUSTED from just trying to imagine it with her limited knowledge and experience.
Mrs. and Mr. Lawquane would definitely have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.
Staring at the strangely dumbfounded woman for a moment, the doctor shook his head and decided against engaging with this level of strange mental confusion, pushing the cart out of the cramped room into the expecting hands of another nurse.
Maybe her parents never bothered to explain reproduction to her, maybe skipping out on health class in school too?
Maybe she'd drank or smoked a little something special earlier and was now incoherent?
But it was near Bozeli's breaktime, so these two train wrecks were now the other on call doctors' problem.
In autopilot mode while cleaning her abdominal area of the ultrasound gel, being given the time frame she'd have to make the decision whether or not to go forward with the pregnancy, how to care for herself until then, receiving the datachip with the sonogram, and checking herself out at the front desk... was all a blur for Suu, who was fighting a flurry of emotions from opposite ends of the spectrum, tearing apart her poor mush for brains.
Suu's autopilot mode failed her when with a gasp Talla yanked her back onto the sidewalk, almost walking into moving traffic and not only killing herself, but her two unborn children by way of being hit with a speeding vehicle.
Talla practically carried her to the nearest bench, which Suu collapsed onto and buried her face in her hands, finally letting some of those tears silently fall with the occasional sniffle.
Gripping her backpack straps to prevent hair picking, Talla was not sure what part to play: the listening ear or the problem solver, the optimist or to be in despair right alongside Suu.
This was uncharted waters, Talla's usual benefactors of her attempt at comforting being the boys, or Ahsoka and she'd offered it to Fives but he wanted to cope on his own, and the Tiima's had their resources, having a life outside the war.
Suu and she had not spoken a sincere kind word to each other until three hours ago. What was considered 'not stepping over the boundaries' in this early stage of a new friendship?
What was even worse was that Crosshair had indeed corrupted Talla, because the urge to make a sarcastic, pessimistic comment was strong, something like 'Oh goody, two crotch-goblins, twice the diaper changes' or something more evilly clever but her brain circuits were fried too.
And sadly, sweet Wrecker's influence of lightening the mood made her want to crack a bad joke, about Suu's unexpected, '2-for-1' deal she just scored!
Chewing on her dry lip, turning her head this way and that, Talla stalled by taking in the underwhelming sights of the dim and dingy downtown district, bouncing on her heels, going so far as to watch two Tooka's fight in a puddle over disgusting morsels leftover in a damp and dirty takeout box, then with her nose wrinkling noticed a rat scurry across a cable strung over the street.
Eventually, Talla figured the obvious question had to be asked first, to get the dialogue going and see what the tone of the conversation would be, IF there was even going to be one.
Her dry throat was cleared. "Soooooo..."
No reply.
Apprehensively, she went and lowered herself in the empty seat two spaces away from the stooped mother-to-be. Letting out a silent breath to steady herself and wiping her sweaty palms over her thighs, the clone could sense the whirring emotions through Suu's forced control on her erratic breathing, and her elevated pulse and raised body temperature, which for her particular race when in true terror rose even more than it already was.
"H-how are you feeling?" Talla finally sputtered out, "Now that it's confirmed?" Taking care not to touch Suu's shoulder in case she was one who didn't prefer being touched when in the middle of a freak out - learned that the hard way from Crosshair.
A sniffle was the only reply Talla thought she was going to get, but just as slowly as earlier Suu's face emerged from underneath her hands sliding downwards, effectively wiping away most of the fallen tears from her blotchy face. "I don't know how to process this." Was her hoarse admittance partially into her hands, damp and reddened eyes blankly staring ahead.
Tapping her fingers against the backpack straps she reattached her grip on, the Agent struggled to find the right words to say. Were there right words to say?
Relationships, pregnancy, anything Talla labeled as these real world, 'normal civilian' life stuff had continued to remain a strange subject for her to be openly discussing. Growing up, these sorts of things were treated as a rather taboo subject, Nala Se obviously not wanting her to get any ideas and as such only gave her the direct warnings if SAC-1 did anything outside what was expected of her, dreading the very thing Talla had already halfway become with next to no knowledge of the real world at all: a deviant menace to the GAR.
Chest tightening and not just because of the muggy air, Talla murmured, "I'm sorry that you're..."
Force, what do you say in situations like this?!
"I'm sorry that... That this is something you don't want?" She more asked than empathized.
"It's not like that." Suu said with a mournful shake of her head, "Cut and I had been trying to have a baby of our own, we did want this but -"
Talla waited patiently.
Folding her arms, Suu supported her elbows on her knees and focused down on her scuffed boots. "But a few weeks ago, a nexu did get past the broken fence and destroyed our feed crop all baled, stacked and ready to be stored safely in the barn, leaving us with next to nothing to sustain our livestock with."
"What?!" Talla gasped.
"That's the farm life for you." Suu lamented, "But we didn't have much money stored away to begin with, and except for the small amount I have on me, all of it went to buying feed for our animals. We don't have extra funds to purchase the supplies we'll need for when the baby - babies, arrive." She paused, "If we sold some of our livestock, perhaps I might have been able to make do but then next year we might have to face the same issue -" Sharply groaning, she touched her forehead beginning to throb, "My brain feels like it's been broken."
Talla made sure to say first, since it was clear this was, in a way, a wanted occurrence, "You know, you don't have to cook a big ol' feast for us, Suu - I can speak for the boys, we'd much rather you not waste your money on a meal that's going to be devoured within ten minutes flat, we'd rather you buy stuff you'll need for the babies well-being."
Surprisingly, Suu lifted her tear-stained face and brushed Talla's concern away with her free hand, "Don't fret about that," But her smile shadowed by her hand trying to massage the headache away did come across as more like a grimace. "I just need find a few spices."
Massaging not doing anything, Suu just set her chin atop her clasped hands and Talla intently listened to her verbal thinking process. "Last year we did very well and our harvest was plentiful, so you're right in saying we have a lot of provisions stored away." She half-shrugged, "I just want to add something a little more light and refreshing to go along with the meal, possibly find some fresh fruit for a pie too, and we had agreed to buy some new clothes for the children because they've grown," She breathed a short laugh, sheepishly admitting, "And this meal isn't just for your team, it's for me too - everything I'm making is something I've been viciously craving, more or less."
But just as fast as that lightheartedness came it was gone in a flash, her lip trembling again from the fear of the unknown.
"I just don't know how we're going to do it, how Cut will react or even feel about this now - I don't even know how I feel about it now." Shaking her head mournfully, Suu's entire frame slumped with that sigh. She was on an emotional roller-coaster.
So Talla soberly asked a question she'd heard Nik say to Blair once: "Are you looking for reassurance, solutions, do you just need to vent, or do I need to find something for you to punch or break?"
Here came another mirthless laugh that barely shook Suu's tense shoulders. "I tend to more cry when I'm upset, and I'd say I've exhausted the second to last option... Do you even have anything for the other two?" Instead of this sounding wry, sniffling Suu peeked Talla's way hopefully. If there was one thing soldiers were good at, the Bad Batch specifically, it was creating a successful game plan with whatever pitiful pieces were laid at their feet.
She just hoped there'd be no explosions, figuratively or literally.
Honored with her vulnerability and trust in her input, Talla tucked a leg under her to shift and face her new friend more, raising her hands to emphasize as she spoke, unloading a lot of the knowledge she'd accumulated since leaving Kamino. "Well... I'm not sure if you should make a big decision like this when you're emotionally distraught - I once accidentally dyed my hair neon green because I was having a mental crisis, bought cheap hair dye from a convenience store, and tried to do it myself without consulting anyone or the HoloNet or even the package directions."
This was in no way was such a heavy problem as Suu's - Talla just wanted to lighten the mood a little with a funny story from her experience making any decisions with distraught.
And it earned her a sincere touch of a smile and breathy, genuinely amused laugh and shake of the head from the expecting mother because that definitely sounded like something this colorful Agent Talla would do.
Her uplifting spirits bolstered Talla's, who felt confident enough to go on with, "And... You won't know how Cut feels unless you do talk to him -"
-very hypocritical of her, yes she was completely aware-
To emphasize this next one that the others has proven to her time and time again, Talla curled a fist, "You guys need each other to face this because families band together when things are rough."
Finally, Talla cautiously laid that hand on Suu's shoulder, whose deep lines on her forehead were noticeably relaxing more and more, "And me and the boys, one thing we've learned from the Tiima's is that with a little imagination there are an infinite of -" A halfway gesture was made with her free hand, "MOSTLY legal possibilities on how to make quick, easy, money, and while we're here we will definitely help in any way we can, if you'd be open to that anyways."
"Did any of that get through the crazy going through your mind?" Talla concluded with an unsure squint at thoughtful, half-lidded eyed Suu.
Whose corners of her lips upturned once more, causing much of the weight on Talla's chest to lift. "It did, actually."
And she laid a grateful hand over Talla's on her shoulder. "And for someone who is 'fresh out of the tube' as Cut likes to say, you are very wise and intuitive, and you shouldn't sell yourself so short."
How she knew Talla was so insecure, the younger woman didn't know - maybe it was a mom thing? - and a finger was raised by the Agent in a very Tech-like fashion to diffuse her uneasiness with a joke. "'Wise beyond my years,' some might say... Literally, because I'm only four years old." Fixating her eyes to her boots before she saw Suu's reaction she expected to be an unamused raise of the brow, embarrassed Talla curled up on herself, sitting on her hands and went, "Sorry, that was bad."
Oh Cut made even worse jokes, so Suu was not put off. "You put a smile back onto my face - it's a start, and I know a way you could be even more helpful," Reaching into her shirt pocket she pulled out the datachip, holding it out to the Agent whose lips parted in disbelief. "Would you keep this hidden for me, until I find the right time to tell Cut about the babies? Our house is small, so if I try hiding it in the house, he'd easily find it."
Honored to be trusted with this, with a confident nod Talla stowed away the secret chip into the data pad at her belt, and to try cheering herself up Suu added a joke of her own, "What better way to start a friendship than a giant, life-altering secret?"
When Hunter wanted to take an antihistamine that Tech always made sure to have handy for him and Talla, Cut made sure everyone came back to the Marauder with them because the father had thoroughly learned his lesson on how trustworthy the other three uncles were at baby-sitting without supervision. Plus, Wrecker said there was a big pod-racing tournament being broadcasted from Malastre, and the kids were now major fanatics of the sport, and to be honest the kids technology and society deprived father really wanted to watch it too.
"Talla isn't gonna be happy you watched this without 'er." Hunter warned Wrecker when he switched on the holoprojector.
"Ey, it's not my fault she decided to go shoppin'!" He boldly claimed, flopping back down on the couch with the two kids scrambling into his arms, excitedly spewing forth question after question about the race.
But waiting for the event to kick off, that didn't stop the nosy busy body from happily following his rigidly marching victim into the medbay, who sent a peeved glance over his shoulder at noticing his chipper shadow.
Cut may have raised a lot of valid points earlier... Didn't mean Hunter liked it. Now, he was faced with, well, having to face the situation between him and Talla with no more excuses, and he was not confident in a happy ending.
He liked her, she liked him, but it was not as simple as that.
Plus, he was still peeved that Cut even suggested something between Talla and Crosshair, and he was not seething in jealousy on how the two of 'em could go back and forth in playful banter for HOURS, and the Sarge could not even manage a simple compliment.
Thankfully, the other guys didn't catch on to what was happening, and making sure the door shut behind them and he'd successfully cornered his little brother yet again, Cut was so kind as to let annoyed Hunter treat his allergies before unloading more questions about his brother's little crush since he did in fact open up about it in the barn earlier, albeit by force.
As a result the Sergeant was excruciatingly slow in taking those pills, adding an anti-inflammatory to the treatment process for the injured thumb, postponing the inevitable for as long as possible yet again.
Then leaning against the cabinet next to the one Hunter was soon on his knees and rummaging through to look for a bandage, curious Cut finally wondered out loud, "Is this Agent Talla a Jedi?"
Head inside the cabinet Hunter just furrowed his eyebrows, and pushed aside an empty bandage wrap container with a frustrated sigh because they were out.
Persistent Cut pressed when silence was his unsatisfactory answer: "What's her purpose?"
"We told you already." Hunter replied shortly, for he did find a stray bandage fallen behind the container but the fact they'd need to restock soon at the base soured his mood further.
Cut 'patiently' waited for Hunter to elaborate further.
Cut was forced to silently stand there when Hunter silently rose from his crouch with his medical supplies, dumped onto the counter and cabinet shut with a bump from his knee.
Cut was forced to silently stand there when with his good hand holding it up Hunter used his teeth to aid in tearing open the package of the bacta patch.
Cut was forced to silently stand there when Hunter still didn't spare him another abashed glance and treated his purple and bruised thumb-
"Yes, but why would the Kaminoans need to create one singular clone with all the enhancements if you four already have one a piece and are the best squadron in the entire Grand Army?" Bursting at the seams Cut pushed, feeling he was strung out long enough! It wasn't even a question about the two lovebirds, just one about her specifically! He was intrigued, and wanted to know more about her.
With a slight wince applying the patch around his angry flesh Hunter was forced to tersely guess, "To prove they're the best scientists in the galaxy?" Tightening the cloth to secure it in place he grunted at the wave of pain, "We already had pre-existing genetic differences and they enhanced them, so I suppose they kept at it until they could create these enhancements themselves."
Cut tilted his head, eyebrows lowering in doubt with a doubtful hum. "Seems redundant, don't you think?"
Hunter grunted again, half in evasiveness, half for another pain wave when wrapping a cloth bandage around the loose patch to make sure it stayed in place and was protected. He also mentally cussed out stupid Cut and his stupid plan to corner him earlier and causing his stupid bruised thumb.
None of this fazed curious Cut, and he continued while Hunter finished up his treatment. "Since the war started, they've already been labeled the best scientists in the galaxy for the 'glorious clone army,'" He mocked with a wave of his hand, "But with the secrecy beforehand, why all the flair to be in the spotlight now?"
Oh please, not again.
Lolling his head sideways, Hunter sent Cut a deadpanned frown. "Don't you start, too." He moodily huffed, "I already had to deal with the conspiracy theories from Crosshair."
Once again, Cut raised his palms innocently, "Hey, don't jump on me, brother - I'm not out to get ya, remember?"
Pressing his mouth into a regretful grim line - Force, he hated getting so easily riled up these days - Hunter let out a sharp breath through his nose and down turning his head quietly mumbled an apology, finishing his treatment.
"I'm just wondering what her purpose is, that's all." Cut clarified, being so kind as to scoop up the discarded packaging for the patient, "The Kaminoans don't create without a purpose, so what's hers?" Crumbling it into a tight ball, he tossed it across the room and made the shot into the trash bin by the hospital bed.
Not particularly wanting to go back into the common area filled with screaming children, their boisterous uncle and cranked up holovids, Hunter had no choice but to mimic Cuts relaxed position against the counters edge, crossing his arms self-consciously and await further interrogation.
It was just so frustrating to him, how people just kept assuming something sinister was behind Talla's creation.
"I know her better than anyone - she's not out to get us" He eventually claimed about Talla with unshakeable faith, making the corners of Cuts mouth lift, "And as for her true purpose -"
...
Huh.
You know, now that he thought about it -
Eyebrows pulling together, he admitted, "I know she's meant to go undercover, but we don't get very many covert missions, so we've never seen her in action." Yet allowing a smirk, Hunter admiringly added, "I'm sure she's amazing at it though."
"I'm sure." The farmer concurred with a teasing lilt, and Hunter rolled his eyes and made sure to clear his throat, scratch his chin and erase whatever admiration he let slip through his impassive facade.
And there was a first time for everything - Cut let him off the hook, asking another question from his enormous stockpile. "And do my eyes deceive me, or did I see a lightsaber hanging off her belt?"
"A retractable vibrosword." Hunter corrected, understanding the confusion as the farmer had not been the first to ask this.
"Is that right?" Cut incredously breathed, "All the bells and whistles?"
"Electrical shock features and everything."
After whistling Cut went, "Fancy." For that was a rather spectacular weapon of choice for a clone soldier. But the use of vibro technology is probably yet another thing that brought these two lovebirds together.
"She wouldn't have it any other way." Hunter chuckled.
And Cut seeing him know his (hopefully) future gal, he returned the chuckle. "I gathered that."
And, oh, what progress Hunter had made since he himself was deployed from Kamino - someone so crazy yet so amazing like her practically falls into his lap, a real treasure, just as Cut believed, and being so paralyzed in uncharacteristic fear the Sarge felt he couldn't do anything about it.
Maybe it was just with everything that had happened the last few days, or the hormones talking, but Suu having to buy larger clothes for her children brought on a wave of emotions ranging from denial Jek and Shaeeah were growing up so fast to nostalgia about when they were younger. And she fluctuated between these two extremes at an alarming rate of frequency.
Talla got a front row seat to how she herself must act on her period, and heard a bunch of stories about the early days with baby Shaeeah, then baby Jek. Almost got whiplash with the frequent mood swings, but the Agent handled them like a champ and Suu did warn her beforehand that she had been a tad more emotional lately.
"As time wears on, I usually become a lot less confrontational and a bit more understanding with the people who crash land on our doorstep." Suu laughed, though the Agent contradicted that, telling Suu to not invalidate her response to Talla holding her husband at gunpoint.
At one point in time, Talla hated the idea of Crosshair killing anyone or himself to protect the family. But a bit of time had passed since then, and the Agent believed she'd go to similar extremes if faced with that life-or-death situation.
One good thing about this excursion though was that spacey Suu realized the babies wouldn't be lacking too much in the clothing department - with the humble lifestyle the Lawquane family lead, it was normal to save things such as clothing for younger siblings to wear if it was in decent enough condition. The mother of two had not expected to have more children, but did have a crate stashed away, filled with used clothing because she always carried the hope to have more one day if circumstances ever allowed it.
"See, there's one hurdle overcome already!" Positive Talla encouraged, "I just know you and Cut will be able to work this out!" Parents were basically superheroes, she'd learned.
And apprehensive Suu appreciated this support, showing it in the first genuine, broad smile she'd worn since leaving the clinic.
Returning to combing through the colorful children's clothing this market stall provided, Talla helped pick out stuff for Shaeeah and Jek but was kinda having fun with it because children's and baby's clothing were tiny and ADORABLE. There the socks were so kriffing tiny, AND THE LITTLE HATS WITH EARS WERE SO CUTE SHE COULDN"T HANDLE IT-
Talla wanted to buy it all, and she didn't even have kids nor even thought about the possibility of having any.
But Suu did, and Talla definitely caught her longing looks at the adorable garments and sharp exhale through her nostrils while touching the money pouch attached to her hip, making sure the measly amount was safe.
An idea popping into her head, Talla raised her finger, "You know, Tech and I could take a look at some of the local junkyards, even go into the desert and find a wreckage to salvage some decent parts to resell."
"I couldn't ask you to do that." Suu immediately rejected in a momentary bout of pride.
And with a faux deadpanned look Talla shot back with, "You're not asking, I'm offering - it would be fun for us, actually! We could even take the kids on a little field trip if you want, so you could tell Cut about the babies and have privacy to talk things over." Plus, she could show Shaeeah some different starships - having knowledge of a variety of models would greatly benefit her as a future pilot.
And despite the child exhausting her... Talla found it pleasant and refreshing to be the teacher instead of the student for once in her life. Strangely, it came naturally to her.
Almost felt familiar.
Anyways, she was going to try spending time with the kids again, and on the other end of the stall Suu was wholeheartedly touched at this offer from this person she'd just met two days ago, though supposed it was in Talla's nature to help those in need no matter who they were.
But-
"Are you sure you'd be able to handle that?" Knowing Suu had to chuckle, lifting and inspecting a pair of boys trousers. It was hard to suppress another laugh when recalling the image of Talla waking up this afternoon, looking and feeling exactly how Suu did when the each of her babies were born and especially when they became mobile.
Finding a nice green shirt Suu nodded in approval for, lifting her chin Talla confidently predicted, "With the five of us, I'm sure we could manage without too much destruction of private property." With absolutely no data to compare it to. "It'll be a blue milk run!"
Both ladies ignored the completely weirded out look from the stall holder, especially when it turned out to be Talla who got the conversation about more sensitive subjects going.
Sifting through the stalls selection of baby's clothing just for fun, Talla came across a tiny navy-blue newborn onesie with a pattern of cute little white BD Explorer Droids.
Curiously holding it up to observe for the heck of it, when Suu approached up from behind and made a comment on how cute it was, the Agent hesitated... Then shyly asked over her shoulder, "Does it feel weird?"
Suu hummed down in question, asking what she meant, and Talla tilted her head back at the onesie, "Having a creature floating around in a sack of amniotic fluid and rearranging your insides?"
Also thinking while pondering the size of the onesie, 'Dear lord, how could someone carry something this big inside her uterus, even with the stomach muscles stretching to accommodate for the little bundle of supposed joy?'
And then becoming horrified also thought, 'AND THEN BIRTH IT THROUGH AN AREA I AM CERTAIN ISN'T VERY ACCOMMODATING FOR POPPING OUT A CREATURE THAT SIZE!'
'AND SUU WOULD HAVE TO DO IT TWICE!'
Yes, she had briefly researched the actual birthing process, but that only made her feel all the woozier and almost pass out in the middle of Dex's Diner.
Aware of Talla's horrified eyes bulging, Suu plucked the garment out of her seized hands because she didn't want to pay for damaged products, happily but off-puttingly explaining, "At first, it can feel like butterflies, but later on in the pregnancy it can feel like the baby is pushing the ribs right out of your body."
Suu calmly folded the onesie, but Talla not-so-calmly asked, "And you like that?!"
Putting the tiny garment back on the pile Suu grimaced, "I don't particularly like that part, no -" For the first time since the appointment, she placed an unsure hand over her flat belly that would soon make her unable to see her own two feet no doubt, eyes momentarily glazing over, "And I have no idea if it'll be more uncomfortable with the twins."
That was the first time she'd said that out loud too - By the Five Moons of Ryloth, it sounds so strange.
Feeling that nausea creep up, Talla's mouth twisted downwards in a grimace, "Sounds like there'll be wrestling matches."
On her period, she certainly felt like the claws of a nexu were scraping down her uterus walls.
Guess later on if they visited Saleucami again, Talla would ask which turned out to be a more unpleasant sensation - wrestling match or nexu claws.
Another mood swing taking place, Suu took a moment to sincerely beam and say an excited 'Thank you!' to the shopkeeper's husband, who overheard part of her and Talla's conversation and congratulated the mother-to-be on the twins! And of course, ever the salesman, kindly offered to sell her two onesies for the price of one. Suu definitely looked like she wanted to take the good deal to but politely declined for lack of funds, to which Talla made a mental note of.
But hid her intentions behind a fake shudder that was at the same time also for real. "Geez, maybe this is one thing Nala Sithspawn and I can agree on."
Always getting an awful prickling sensation cursing through her body when anything about the long-necks was discussed, Suu arched a suspicious brow at her, "Do you mind me asking what you mean?"
Suu had a terrible feeling she was about to learn a whole new level of low those monsters reached.
Looking fleetingly over her shoulder Talla flatly recited, "She told me getting pregnant and having a baby would be 'exceedingly uncomfortable' and 'not worth the aggravation of destroying my body over.'"
As a parent, Suu occasionally thought there was seldom anything that could shock her anymore. Indeed, it took a great deal to shock her these days, having two energetic, curious and impulsive kids and being married to a former clone soldier of the Republic who had many demons from his past.
But every single time she was oh so sadly wrong.
"That's how she described pregnancy to you?" Suu had to dumbly ask, hoping she'd be wrong because just when she thought the Kaminoans couldn't get any EVILER-
"Yeah, and it makes sense." Was the nonchalant response, and smiling Talla held up a green vest for inspection.
They made this poor girl believe such utter bantha crap.
Smile faltering, Talla was not oblivious to Suu's spike in heart rate, and recognized the sign that she was not going to receive a soft look of understanding nor a scoff of solidarity, just an awkward gape or blink that was sometimes exchanged by ones in the room, or in Suu's case just that same slack-jawed look of horror.
Once again, there Talla was talking about something she thought was logical or funny and it turned out to be another moment that contributed to how messed up this little Clone Agent was.
The nosy shopkeeper even couldn't hide his unsettled frown, so wishing the floor would crack open and swallow her up to save her from embarrassment, head downwards Talla sidled up to Suu by the adjacent table and finished up her statement that this experienced civilian would predictably negate with some cold, harsh truth.
"I'm uh, a big investment for the Kaminoans," She murmured reluctantly, clutching the vest close for major self-conscious reasons, running her thumb over the soft fabric to use one of the five senses to keep herself grounded because her scalp and neck underneath her helmet prickled from the severe embarrassment. "And she made it clear to me from a very young age that getting pregnant wouldn't be ideal and would have... Consequences."
From a logical standpoint, Talla did think this made sense.
But lately she'd been realizing she'd been going back and forth like this. Thinking her time in the lab was hell, then thinking 'Eh, it could've been worse,' researching this trauma phenomenon and going back to halfway thinking none of that was in any way justified-
With this subject at least, Talla knew that not being informed of the entire reproduction process was wrong and didn't prepare her for what she suffered last month... but the pregnancy thing Talla saw the logic behind it: she was a soldier, an Agent for the Republic sworn to put that above all else, so she couldn't risk what carrying and birthing a child would do, and clearly had not the lifestyle to properly care for one, nor the energy to keep up with it, nor would Nala Se want to pay for treatment to fix her changed appearance from the changes pregnancy brought.
Ever the compassionate mother, Suu reached out and squeezed the sullen younger woman's shoulder who, lips curled into a bitter frown with her lack lustered eyes trained downwards, seemed to have gotten lost in her own dark mind it looked. "Talla, that's not how pregnancy should be described to a young and impressionable mind." Suu informed her softly.
"Oh." Distracted Talla breathed, finding out something else from her past was not ideal.
Figures. She mentally huffed, face, ears, neck burning up and not from the harsh sunlight peeking through the cracks of the crude wooden roof.
"It should have been more practically explained, and I really hope in time and with extensive research, thinking and a tad more life experience, you'll develop your own mindset on this."
There was a pause before the Agent declared a simple, dazed: "Okay." Whirling jumbled brain on a complete overload, making her dizzy and nauseous and confused and Talla desperately wanted to curl up in her dark room and just be miserable now, but they still had shopping to do.
Probably a good thing, actually, to keep moving and be busy. She didn't like feeling any of this at all, period.
But remembering her promise to Cut, Suu built on this discussion, "I take it that Doctor explained a lot of other things about life this way - vaguely and negatively?" Because if she didn't end up talking to Talla about the subject, Cut would ask why and then she'd have to either tell him about the baby news right away or blatantly lie with a believable excuse, and neither sounded appealing.
Folding instead of wearing down the fabric of tunic, with a forced calm hand (didn't want to tear the garment with jerky movements) Talla flatly recited, "To the Kaminoans, clones only need to learn things that'll help them on the battlefield, and any other scenario we're not trained to think about because we're not expected to live long enough to experience such things as 'normal civilian life.'" Smoothing her hands over the vest placed back on the pile, her voice was small in admitting her own cold, harsh truth, "Most of us won't live to see the end of the war."
That hadn't really bothered her till now. Now, she knew so much more about the wide galaxy, and had begun treacherously wanting to see more, do more, experience more than this blaster-'happy' lifestyle.
Jerking her head to clear it, Suu's hand was abruptly shrugged off and Talla left this stall to peruse the next one, saying over her shoulder with finality, "We're not meant to be anything else than expendable meat droids, don't even dare to dream about anything else."
Taken aback, it was here that Suu realized that only Cut could truly understand what she's going through, and only Cut could give Talla some insight she'd find worth considering because he'd been there once. Everything the Agent was experiencing, the former clone trooper most likely experienced himself and still did. It was why Suu was not hurt when being shoved off and left behind.
Making a jog to catch up, Suu overtly offered anyways, "Well, I'd like you to know that me, and Cut too, we're more than happy to help you out, answer any questions or concerns you have without any worry to be embarrassed - believe me, for Cut it's possible he's asked me every single one you have."
A terrible but freeing thought occurred to her.
Gripping her own upper arm with the opposite hand, Suu concluded, "But, I suppose you already have friends helping you out with all this civilian life things the Kaminoans didn't teach you?"
Raising her unusually guarded face, Talla's eyebrows were knitted.
"The Tiima's?" Suu clarified, "Wrecker tells us you spend a lot of time with them."
"Oh... yeah we do, and they are great resources to have, but -" Memories from her period she'd been furiously trying to repress caused another shudder from lingering feelings of post-reproduction-talk mortification, "They don't exactly mince words, so certain things I just research on the HoloNet to cut out any unnecessary embarrassment, something I experience WAY too much of as it is, as you can tell." Gently bumping Suu's arm with her shoulder so she'd go along with her sidestepping left to avoid an incoming dewback-pulled cart, Talla continued, "It's that or holovids, though Tech constantly reminds me that not everything is entirely accurate in those shows so -" *shrug* "It's whatever, I've been pluggin' along the best I can." Which isn't saying much.
"Did you not know what any of this was before being deployed?" Suu asked incredulously and angrily, "Don't those Kaminoans teach you anything?"
Talla only got a brief moment of respite from the desert heat with the wind from that passing cart, but the dust irritated her eyes and she found herself pulling down her goggles to protect the extra sensitive orbs. "Tch, I thought I knew what it was, but it turns out I really didn't, I was basically told the same thing other clones are." And Suu was very well aware of what those crude Kaminoans warned about, and spared cringing Talla by not asking her to confirm it.
She just asked something else entirely that completely threw Talla off guard, and truthfully Suu had some reservations about this too - she was not nosy like her husband, or so vocal with her thoughts, especially to someone she barely knew.
It was Talla's kindness that drove her to push forward - they didn't know each other that well, but she'd offered so much practical help for the family. Kindness like that should be repaid, and Suu wanted her to find her own form of happiness to help cope with the war, and if that meant being with Hunter, she'd try to help in any way she could.
Instead of grabbing her shoulders and interrogating her like she knew Cut was doing right about now undoubtedly, Suu took a more non-threatening approach, wiped all frustration out of her tone and adopted a more conversational one, eyes window shopping on the stalls they passed to look for deals. "So... do you have anyone you're comfortable with confiding in for, say, the budding romance between you and Hunter?"
Head snapping upwards so fast Talla got doubly woozy, this was the second time today the pair completely stopped in the middle of the dusty and busy road. "I don't -"
'Don't know what you're talking about!' Talla wanted to shout from the rooftops. 'Hunter and I are just FRIENDS!'
But a knowing tilt of the head from Suu, a soft smile not bearing any hints of mockery or teasing or ill intentions at all, it caused the denial to die on Talla's dried tongue.
Oh dear karking kriffing FORCE DAMMIT-
Reaching up to grip the bun at the base of her damp neck, Talla couldn't look her in the eye while disconcertingly demanding, "How the blazes did you figure that out? Not even the other boys have picked up on it!"
Suu was quick to grasp the limp hand at Talla's side and pull her into the clothing stall she'd spotted before this all hit the fan. "When you're a parent, you have to have eyes on the back of your head at all times."
Oh, wait-
"Did you see us on the porch?" Talla correctly guessed on the first try, 'cause that very window above the sink was how she had noticed Shaeeah dropping down from her bedroom window to the porch - the color draining from her already pale face made her red stained cheeks look blotchy and herself look in general need of immediate medical attention, "Oh blast it, did any of the others see?!"
Her pink hand shifting up to Talla's shoulder Suu quickly reassured, "No, not that I'm aware of, it was just me and - !" Her mouth snapped shut, but the damage was already done.
"And?" Talla breathlessly pressed.
Gaping, Suu reluctantly disclosed, "And... well... my husband."
Instantaneously, all the pieces of the weird puzzle for today clicked together.
"Oh, that son of a mudscuffer is talking to Hunter, isn't he, like you tried with me just now?!" Suu's mouth pressing into a thin line, it was Talla's turn to bury her distraught face behind her shaking hands, "Oh my gosh, I'm NEVER gonna be able to look Hunter in the eye again!"
This is NOT how I wanted this to go! Suu agreed, unsure what to do now, just kept her hand where it was and hoped the Agent would be able to collect herself, for she thoroughly pushed a boundary that didn't want to be crossed.
There had never been such turmoil whirling within Talla. It was one thing to have the Glam Squad hit her over the head with all these controversial subjects - well, controversial to a sheltered and conditioned clone like Talla - but to have a complete stranger try and give her a speech remarkably close to sounding like the 'birds and the bees' talk as Nik once described it, Holy Mother of banthas NO-
At Suu's beckoning Talla did uncover her face but she could not look at her straight. Instead, turning her head this way and that she desperately wanted to find something, ANYTHING, to either change the subject or at the very least make it easier to talk about this, the shopkeeper here very much weirded out too, as was a rodian shopper.
A local cantina to have a stiff drink at would be a preferable escape to, but with Suu being pregnant it might not be good to risk such a rowdy place to have this discussion, and with a fleeting glance by the looks of it the mother-to-be was distressed enough over this uncomfortable situation, which Talla could only assume wasn't good for the babies.
Her ears picked up on a loud THUNK! across the street, followed by a humanoids shouting and distressed droid honks.
Despite being across the road, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the marketplace and Suu trying to verbally regrab her attention, steely-eyed Talla easily picked out a red-faced teenage human boy in front of a droid shop, cussing out a GNK-series power droid in Antarian and taking his anger so far as to furiously kick it with his metal coated boot front, the droid's wounded honks so loud it drew the attention of anyone passing nearby.
Talla was a soldier of the Republic, sworn to protect the helpless no matter what she was feeling inside, and that is what made her rush across the street to interfere, Suu shouting after her in confusion.
Having to weave through tons of people, dive and roll under a cart of hay and even hop over someone crouching to tighten a loose boot strap, by the time Talla reached the scuffle the droid had resorted to powering down to protect itself, only infuriating the boy even more, who whipped out his blaster and aimed it at the droids' sensors-
"Wait!" Talla cried out from a couple of feet away, and he snapped his head towards her with unrelenting fury. "What did this walking trashbin ever do to you?" She had met a couple salty, non-seppie droids in her short time since deployment, but for what they lacked in respect for their masters they usually made up for in skills. A GNK-series power supply could be a lifesaver out in space.
Scoffing as if she'd just told a poor joke, he swept his blaster at the hunkered down gonk, "This 'poor droid' is a complete waste of space!" The blaster was next jerked in the direction of the shop next to him, "The owner who sold him to me yesterday said he needed a simple fix, so I bought him thinking I could flip the fixed droid for a profit, but he lied!" He drew his booted foot back and-
THUNK!
Flinching, Talla's eyes then narrowed into slits at the sizeable dent now driving the price of the poor hunk o' junk even lower.
"This kriffing droid is a defective unit, and I tried returning him today but apparently there's a 'no return policy,' so I'm out thirty kriffing credits!"
Jutting out a hip that she put a hand on, Talla snarked. "You could have just told me he's a defective unit, I didn't need your whole life story, kid."
"Tch." He haughtily huffed, glaring vibros down at the trash bin for a droid.
He was definitely different from Suu and Cut's comparably well-behaved kids, and she was having none of it, keeping herself tense and ready to dodge a blaster bolt if it came down to it.
"What's it's issue exactly?" Talla questioned, not letting him in on her sympathy felt for the droid, knowing it'd affect the bargaining routine she was planning on executing to save it.
"His power unit doesn't fully charge." He spat. "The very reason he was built for."
"That is a simple fix." Talla flatly said.
"No duh!" The boy retorted.
Frown deepening, Talla's steely eyes flicked to the droid who let out a little whine when it dared to power up and behold its potential and only rescuer.
Gesturing to his brilliant self with the blaster the boy smugly lifted his chin and continued, "No one knows their way around a droids circuit better than me, but I've tried everything and this kriffing piece of junk just won't charge!" Clicking the safety off his blaster, he re-aimed it at the sensors and the droid to let out a pleading honk-
With lightning quick reflexes Talla seized his wrist, squeezed just enough he cried out at the momentary pain and dropped the blaster into her expecting hand.
"Hey!" He lunged to snatch it back, but latching onto his arm again she used his momentum against him and with a whirl he landed on his bum and Talla was between him and the droid, blaster aimed at the boys' head more to keep him from trying to jump her again than an actual threat.
Eyes half-lidded in fake boredom, she made sure, "You said you paid thirty credits for him?"
This now wide-eyed kid was horrified at being at the business end of the gun for the first time in his life, scrambling backwards as far away as he could only for his back to hit a fuel pod, which could blow him to bits if she chose a more fun way to dispose of him and any evidence.
Talla wouldn't ever hurt a kid. But he didn't need to know that. Only minimal guilt was felt for this bratty kid.
"I'll fully reimburse you for your troubles and take him off your hands." She offered, clicking the safety on the blaster flipped it into her left hand so she was gripping the barrel, a clear sign she wasn't gonna shoot him or blow him to bits with the fuel pod.
Overwhelmed from the perceived near-death experience, turns out the boy wasn't the only one with fried circuits for brains. "Huh?" He blinked, shuffling more upright against the pod to regain some of his dignity.
"Thirty credits for the droid." Talla repeated, reaching into a belt pouch on her side and taking out that amount, holding it out on her nonthreatening gloved palm.
Gleaming eyes flicked from the credits to her bored expression, then the blaster in her hand.
She had to be crazy for wanting a walking trashcan, Talla knew he was thinking. And Suu too, who out of breath and very much dizzy had FINALLY caught up, pregnancy doing a number on her own agility by way of debilitating nausea and dizziness.
And like all sleemo junk dealers both women knew the boy would try to weasel more money out of her.
Squinting mistrustfully, while Suu was supporting herself on the fuel pod he hit the boy predictably countered with, "Sixty."
Out of habit, Talla narrowed her own eyes, curling her money hand into a fist that once again disapprovingly rested on her hip. "Thirty." She repeated with a touch of clenched jaw, glaring him down in irritation, and almost successfully into submission.
"... Forty-five." He still stupidly tried.
Then she wondered why she was even bothering - this kid WASN'T a shady junk dealer with gang connections, he was just a boy she could easily take down if need be!
So flicking her bangs out of her steely eyes Talla's final offer was: "Fifteen."
And the boy finally realized that he was haggling with the wrong person. "Okay okay, twenty-five!" He tried backtracking, scrambling from the dusty ground to his feet.
"Too late, you tested my patience." Talla chucked the fifteen, and he clumsily caught them to his deflated chest, checking on doubled over Suu at the fuel pod, clutching her aching side and huffing 'n puffing.
The droid who thankfully could understand Galactic Basic gonked like there was no tomorrow when he could understand he was freed of his cruel master, exceedingly thankful at this act of gratuity and fully powering up, waddled over and happily bumped Talla's hip, making her go 'Oh!' and giggle and fall in love with it instantly.
Even if he couldn't be fixed, he was adorable! Maybe a droid pet would soothe these strange feelings that awakened in her since spending time with the kids, something that Suu labeled as 'Maternal Instincts.'
"Come along, droid." Mistress Talla instructed, stowing away the remaining credits and linking exhausted Suu's arm with her blaster free one, and the droid happily gonked, wiggled, and clanged after them both.
"Hey, what about my blaster?!" The boy shouted after her, red-faced more in shame then anger now.
Briefly letting go of Suu to swap hands with the blaster, it was tossed back into his waiting hands, and the merry band of shoppers turned their backs on him once and for all.
Of course, Talla was not one to take unnecessary risks.
Admittedly, she was surprised when the boy did in fact take the safety off and aimed it back at the droid, hell-bent on not being the only one who got the raw end of the deal-
Only to hear a click instead of a Pew!
A quick once over of the blaster revealed that she had swiped his very last power pak when he thought she changed hands to throw with her more reliable dominant right hand.
Nope, Talla was technically a leftie, but trained to efficiently use both hands in combat.
Holding her head high and smirking when hearing him cuss her out in Antarian - which Talla suspected were the only words he knew in that language - he stomped off in the opposite direction.
Talla had Suu be seated on a bench in front of a drink stand, which Talla briefly was a patron of to order a bubbly beverage for Suu so her nausea would settle.
"Why would you buy a defective droid?" Suu dazedly wondered, then took a sip from her straw and sighed at the slight sugary, tangy, bubbly goodness.
The power pak was tossed into a nearby waste bin with a wistful upturn of Talla's lips, "I guess I have a special place in my heart for defective units," Gripping her packs shoulder handles, she scuffed the toe of her boot into the dusty ground, "Which you have found out." She bashfully added, looked down at the droid in between them. "And I don't know, me and Tech are the smartest individuals in the galaxy," Shrugging, an affectionate pat was given on one of his power sockets which made him wiggle in delight, "Maybe we can fix him." She giggled again when he bumped her side to reciprocate all the love.
Too bad nobody can fix me.
It was difficult to maintain the smile after that.
"I'm sorry I bolted." Talla murmured, peering regretfully at Suu.
Who recovered could now manage a sympathetic smile back. "I'm sorry I sprung all that on you," With some hesitation, she patted the seat next to her, beckoning Talla to sit and she slowly plopped down with her cheeks puffing out in a flustered exhale. "I just wanted to let you know if you need to talk, I'm willing to listen."
Talla's nose scrunched, "Because Cut told you too?"
"Because you two looked so adorable, and we were both scared you might be holding back because of the Kaminoans."
It was hard to shake the insecurity that Suu only invited her along today because of wanting the juicy details of their forbidden romance, but Talla merely sighed for the first part of Suu's spiel, "It's okay." And biting the inside of her cheek, her fingers tapped in a messy tune of her own creation against the warm, weathered woof the bench she gripped the edge of, taking a pause to find the right words to express how she felt.
Though she decided in the end it wouldn't matter, not with a 'normal civilian' like Suu.
Pushing up her goggles and swiping away the sheen of sweat, squinting Talla started with, "I don't mind talking, I like getting it all out instead of letting the thoughts run rampant through my head." Eyes seeming to be focused on a particular spec of dirt on the droids top but in reality glazing over as she was, once again, stuck in her own mind. "And it is true the Tiima's are good resources when I don't understand, say, why someone was offended when I said something a certain way that was unintentionally hurtful or disrespectful, but -" Sharply exhaling, she felt that spark inside that could quickly turn into a raging forest fire of fury if not kept in check, "I feel like - like they don't quite understand where I come from with a lot of my weird reactions to 'normal' things, my thought process and opinions that everyone tells me I was conditioned to believe."
Tossing Suu a fearful gape, Talla also disclosed while tugging at her shirts collar, "Plus, I get the feeling if I say something to Skylar, I'll be getting some payback because of how embarrassed I made her feel when I blurted out that she liked Wrecker in front of everyone, even though they are now totally happy and sappy and stuff because of me," Slicing a hand through the air she quickly got back on subject, "But anyways the point is they do listen, and offer advice if they think it's appropriate or they can sort of relate, but a lot of the times I just don't feel heard, you know?"
Suu actually did, in a way, and nodding in encouragement she took another sip of her soda.
Reaching up to take off the stifling helmet, Talla went back to tapping a unique tune against the plastoid, going from anger to self-loathing, "I just kinda feel more stupid and crazy afterwards instead of better, but at least they're kind though, because not everyone so nice about this... But if they can't understand me, how can they really help me?"
God, Talla hated how easily she could be brought to tears, she was such a wimp and she clamped down on her lip to stop the trembling, and Suu wisely kept quiet and let her get it all out the best she could, coming to the conclusion that Cut was, in a way, very wrong about this situation. It wasn't that Talla was afraid or hadn't a clue what was going on.
The real reason was this:
"Hunter hears me, and he understands me like no one else, but I just couldn't talk to him about this, and that makes me sad because liking someone this way, it's such a normal, real-world part of life, right?" She halfway laughed, with no humor to back it up, face falling again and eyes becoming glassy despite her choking the emotions down, "But - but every time I let myself think about a potential us, I see her." She choked, and Suu immediately knew who 'HER' was, frown deepening, "And I hear her opinions on it -" Talla placed a hand over her aching heart, "On me, and then it all gets ruined so I've been distracting myself in every way possible so I just don't think about it because I don't believe it can work out if I'm months out from my deployment and she's still lives inside my head." Her shoulders jerked upwards in a shrug, "Maybe I'm never gonna get better, so why should Hunter have to put up with crazy, temperamental, insecure, completely stupid and incompetent ol' me?"
He shouldn't, that was the answer.
He could do so much better, that was the other answer.
But just like that, with a clear of her throat Talla snapped from frowny to grinny before Suu could try interjecting with reassurances the Agent wouldn't believe.
"So let's shut up about it, okay?" Talla jested with a light elbow to Suu's side, not wanting to harm the babies, "Don't we have more pressing matters to attend to, like shopping for tonight's dinner and hiding the news from Cut - Oh!" Shrugging the pack off and diving in, Talla used it as cover to subtlety wipe her eyes free from any evidence of her weakness, "By the way - I know it's in here somewhere - Aha!" A soft bundle was held under Suu's nose. "For you!"
For her new friend who was expecting twins: TWO little onesies. One navy blue one with the explorer droids, and another mossy green one with R2 astromechs, because Talla wanted the twins to know from the get-go they were two completely different individuals.
"Oh, Talla, you didn't have to." Humble Suu started off with once she could find her voice, one hand setting aside her drink and the other over her palpitating, aching heart, tears smarting her eyes.
"I know." Mouth wanting to twitch downwards involuntarily, Talla fought with everything she had left to not ruin the moment by insecurity. "But that's the point of a gift - I didn't have to, but I, the giver and you, the recipient, feel giddy about the exchange because it is an expression of appreciation for the friendship, right?"
Talla held back with giving gifts till now because she second guessed what people would like, even though the Bad Batch boys, the Tiima's and others were her closest friends and only family.
This, she definitely knew firsthand Suu would love it AND use it, and hopefully it'd continue to break the ice between them.
With a trembling lip, taking the bundle neatly tied together with a piece of twine she must've asked for, it was here Suu learned why Hunter had taken a shine to Talla and why Suu didn't try to change the subject back even though she felt bad on how this whole excursion turned out.
Amidst the severity of her problems, mental emotional and physical, with the demons of her past haunting and confusing her, Talla thought of others. The Agent was on the verge of tears just now, yet Talla wanted to make sure her shopping buddy felt okay.
Talla had such a big heart.
Briefly clutching the precious bundle to her chest, Suu mouthed a wholehearted and grateful 'Thank you' to Talla, and made sure to not crush the crude bow tied at the top when gently tucking it back in Talla's pack, where it'd be safely hidden until the expecting mother could inform her husband he was an expecting father.
And seeing Suu now so moved and happy amidst this thought to be crummy situation, confirming she'd done something good again, it was enough for Talla to survive the rest of the errand running.
With the little clinic detour cutting a lot of their time short, Talla and Suu speedily combed through the rest of the market for clothes and shoes, did end picking up a few fresh ingredients for dinner, then rushed home at record speed, returning to home base just as the dimming sun was about to be obscured from the distant desert plateaus and bringing that sweet lick of cool air that made Talla happily shiver when hopping off her bike, preferring the cold over the heat, though did prefer having more than a thin poncho protecting her.
Thankfully, Cut holding down the fort while Suu was away, he was yes exceedingly worried when day became evening and the wife hadn't returned, but instead of giving into the urge of going after the shopping duo, he washed up and started on dinner, only pretending to be completely aloof when they barged through the front door with bags galore (ended up being mostly Talla's heh.)
Though Cut did swipe up a dishrag to clean his hands of the herbs he was chopping, and swept his lady up into a big bear hug which made her drop her bags, and he planted a relieved peck on her reddening cheek at the open display of affection but returned it with a fervent kiss of her own for reasons he did not know yet, making Talla avert her goggled gaze and busy herself with dropping her bags by the door.
And when curiously asked what kept them out so late-
"Totally my fault!" Talla smoothly lied with a little sheepish laugh, pushing her goggles up with her helmet, "I tend to get sidetracked when exploring new places, so much so that Hunter always threatens to put me on a leash." Him curiously appearing in her line of sight, she was quick to pat the bandana hopefully covering her terrible case of sweaty helmet head, though did reach up, take out her hairband and shake out her ruined, straggly bun.
From her unexpected fib, Suu hid her surprised expression by nuzzling her husband's neck again, which he responded to by pulling her close without a second thought, and the other curious souls circled around the venturers who returned from their glorious quest into the land of people.
"TALLA!"
Said spectacle of delight had a split second to turn, drop her helmet and catch the girl who leapt into her arms. "Woah, hey kid!" Talla chuckled from being knocked back a few steps. Apparently, she was cool enough to be missed?
Nice.
As much as she wanted to scare Shaeeah off earlier, now Talla wanted to keep up this whole 'being a teacher' thing, for as acknowledged earlier it was a breath of fresh air, something she desperately needed while on this smelly farm for the foreseeable future.
"What is that?" Crosshair with the scrunched nose asked, at what the tooka dragged in appearing in the open doorway.
The dirty, dented and scraped up gonk droid had managed to clang up the stairs and greet the other new masters Talla told him about during one of Suu's refresher breaks.
"Cool droid!" Both kids cheered, one barreling across the room and the other hopping out of their favorite person's arms.
Who might've pouted a little but masked it with a proud swoosh of her hair when turning towards her confusedly frowning business partner, "I got him for fifteen credits."
Said score gave his umpteenth happy gonk and wiggle of the day as the kids gushed over him.
With an adjustment of his goggles to make sure he was seeing this unimpressive hunk of metal properly, Tech stated, "GNK-series power droids cost one hundred credits new, and sixty credits used, so there must be something irreparably wrong with him which is the obvious theory due to his condition, or whoever sold this gonk droid to you was completely incompetent as a salesperson."
"The little punk said this droid is a defective unit because his power unit doesn't fully charge, but I figured two people with exceptional minds could fix him right up." Talla explained, affectionately patting the head of the new droid pet who came up to honk another thanks up at her. "So we'll have an emergency power source for the ship."
This turning out it be his week of making sure the living area was spotless, and absolutely not wanting to be pick up tools and parts from sunup till sundown, behind her Crosshair shutting the cold out with the door exasperatingly asked, "Don't you two have enough projects?"
"Don't you have enough toothpicks?" Talla fired back with another sassy flick of her hair.
"You should call him Gonky!" Shaeeah excitedly decided, giggling when 'Gonky' honked approvingly at the name.
"How original." Crosshair drawled, rolling his eyes.
To which, after a momentary pout, the girl paid him back with a wicked grin that made his Sniper Senses tingle, predicting danger.
And catching some impressive air she ran the three steps to close the distance and jumped up into his arms, clutching onto his long torso for dear life so she shouldn't fall and burying her face into his chest while squeezing the living daylights outta him in a big bear hug Shaeeah knew and didn't care that he absolutely hated.
Forcing Crosshair to dramatically sigh with a tired grimace, hook his hands under her arms and toss her over his shoulder, carrying her back into the living room.
And dumping the wiggling and giggling sack of potatoes on the nearest armchair with a booming 'STAY!' as if she was an obedient hound.
Talla might not have been able to meet Hunter's also flighty gaze but when everyone filed out of the entryway - parents to the kitchen, uncles to the living room with the kids and droid pet - she did pick up on a distinct new feature about the Sarge: his thumb twice its size.
Which he failed to hide in the crook of his arms when self-consciously crossing them, so instinctively thrusting her hands out to the bandage bundle Talla fretted, "What happened to your -?!"
But he sprung away. "Nothing."
Cut couldn't help it, seeing sadness and hurt droop her jolly facial features at seeing Crosshair be miserable, and while passing behind him the farmer clapped Hunter's shoulders and not-so-subtlety murmuring, "Your Sergeant is not very good at farm labor." Leaving behind a flustered non-couple couple who were in for a very emotionally taxing evening after believing they were off the hook and left to their own devices.
... for now.
But neither of them, as per usual, were expecting the emotional roller-coaster they were forced to be on to have a big ol', more topsy turvey second part of the track, having a major drop which would make them feel a momentary, unbelievable thrill only to feel like they were gonna puke their guts out and die when they came back down to earth.