Chapter Three
Unexpected Meeting
Ahsoka leapt onto a high tree branch and listened closely for any sign of the puffs, as well as Donnie, Eliza, or Darwin. "Hm, still nothing. How far did they all go?" Ahsoka asked herself as she continued moving through the trees. She could sense Bubbles nearby, but every time she tried to close in on her, Bubbles would move further away. Whether she was intentionally avoiding Ahsoka or just following her sisters was anyone's guess.
Ahsoka leapt onto another branch, but when she landed she suddenly felt very strange. She felt off balance and had to hug the trunk for support. "Okay, that's probably not a good sign." Ahsoka said as she rubbed her head. "Maybe I'm dehydrated, I should've drank something before coming out here." Ahsoka said to herself as she looked for another branch to leap to.
Ahsoka spotted another branch that was several feet in front of her, as well as a good ten feet higher; but it would be an easy jump to make with a boost from the force. Ahsoka leapt into the air and landed gently on the branch, however, what she didn't realize was that though the outside looked sturdy, the inside of the branch was rotten and weak. There was a loud snapping sound, and before Ahsoka could blink, the branch broke off the rest of the tree and she quickly found herself falling with it. There was a terrible pain in her head, then everything went black.
"Aaaaand cut. Nice job Nigel, now why don't we head back to camp, Usagi and the others should already be there." Marianne suggested as she turned the camera off.
"Smashing idea, they'll love this footage. Who wouldn't want to see a pair of boobies? Especially during their mating dance." Nigel said with a laugh.
"Let's maybe not use the layman's term around everyone, I can just imagine the jokes." Marianne suggested as she put her camera away.
"Yes, I suppose we'd best use the proper term. The sula nebouxii, as the scientific community calls it. A majestic species of bird that comes in several varieties, such as the one we found, the blue footed booby." Nigel replied as he started leading Marianne back to camp.
"I wonder what this new friend of theirs is going to be like?" Marianne wondered aloud.
"As do I dearest, Buttercup said that she didn't want to spoil the surprise, but she did say that this young woman had, and I quote, an out of this world personality. She sounds quite interesting." Nigel replied with a smile.
"Well if she's friends with the guardians then she must be a nice person. I hope she's getting along with everyone alright, specifically Debbie." Marianne said with a straight face.
"Oh I'm sure the girls are just fine, they know how to... Guuuu! Good gracious! Marianne, quickly, the camera." Nigel whispered with a gasp.
"What? What is it Nigel?!" Marianne asked as she quickly grabbed the camera.
"I have no idea, but it's magnificent. Such beautiful colors, white, orange, and blue. I've never seen anything like it before." Nigel quietly said as he peered at the odd creature through some bushes. Marianne quickly moved the camera into position and started filming the odd creature, unaware that the odd creature was actually their surprise guest.
"Yay, Ahsoka nakey. No more itchy suit." Ahsoka said to herself as she bounced around nude in the grass.
"Did you hear that? It spoke." Nigel gasped as he watched Ahsoka bounce in the grass.
"Huh?" Ahsoka asked as she titled her head and looked in Nigel's direction.
"Nigel." Marianne whispered as she pulled Nigel down so he'd be hidden by the tall vegetation. Marianne continued filming Ahsoka, who had brushed off the sound and was now sniffing some kind of fruit growing on a bush.
"Oo, Ahsoka find num num." Ahsoka said to herself as she pulled the fruit from the bush and bit into it. "Blech! Taste's like icky green things mama makes me eat." Ahsoka said with a disgusted expression before throwing the fruit.
"Whatever that thing is, it's not very adapted to this environment. It has discarded of one of the most common fruits eaten by the wildlife here." Nigel informed as he continued watching Ahsoka.
"Nigel, look at its appendages, they look human in every way except for its orange and white skin." Marianne pointed out as she zoomed in on Ahsoka.
"You're right, absolutely incredible. Perhaps this creature is actually a member of some kind of lost tribe, how smashing that would be." Nigel replied in a giddy tone.
"That thing is definitely not human, look at the weird horn things on its head." Marianne replied as she gestured to Ahsoka's montrals.
"Oh my God! Could it be, perhaps this creature is what human kind has been seeking for the past century! Could that creature possibly be the missing link?!" Nigel asked as he stared in awe at Ahsoka.
"Nigel, that thing is orange and covered in white markings. I don't think it's any kind of link to humanity." Marianne replied in a dismissive tone.
"But remember dearest, should Darwin's theory be correct, we started out as apes covered in thick fur; gradually evolving over millions of years." Nigel replied as he continued staring at Ahsoka.
"Nigel, I'd sooner believe that thing is an alien than believe it's the missing link." Marianne replied as she continued filming Ahsoka.
"Huh?" Ahsoka asked as she stopped and looked around a little bit. Nigel and Marianne held their breath, thinking it was them that Ahsoka had been distracted by. Ahsoka let out a low growl before turning towards them.
"Nigel, I think it knows that we're here." Marianne whispered as she continued filming Ahsoka.
"What a peculiar creature, it growled like a cat, giving off a warning to stay away. Fascinating." Nigel replied as he stared at Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka go up." Ahsoka said before digging her claws into a nearby tree and climbing it.
"It even climbs like a cat, perhaps it's some kind of undiscovered species of feline." Nigel suggested as he stared up at Ahsoka.
"That thing talks and has a human like figure, I mean look at it, it even has breasts like a human woman. Its figure, its movements, its speech, what if you're right and it really is a human; maybe they've been infected by some kind of new disease or something." Marianne suggested in a worried tone.
"You a disease! Meanies over there gossip about Ahsoka!" Ahsoka shouted from the tree.
"Y-you can understand us?!" Marianne asked in a shocked tone as she slowly stood up.
"More than that, you could hear us from that far away?" Nigel asked as he slowly stood up as well.
"Yes, Ahsoka have good hearing. Ahsoka hear friends back at camp even, Ahsoka feel sad, no one come look for Ahsoka after she no come back." Ahsoka replied as she stared down at Marianne.
"Back at camp? Wait a minute, do you know a woman named Usagi?!" Marianne asked in a curious tone.
"Yes, Usagi good friend, Ahsoka friends with all of Usagi's friends and family. Especially Bubbly one." Ahsoka answered in a happy tone.
"Do you mean Bubbles?" Nigel asked in a curious tone.
"Yes, Bubbly one. Bubbly one and sisters very nice to Ahsoka, Ahsoka wanna go back now." Ahsoka answered as she slowly climbed out of the tree, stumbling a bit as she landed. "Uh, Ahsoka head still feel funny." Ahsoka groaned as she pawed at one of her montrals.
"Did you hurt your head?" Marianne asked as she looked at Ahsoka.
"Yes, Ahsoka fall out of tree and land on head. Now Ahsoka no feel good, Ahsoka need upas." Ahsoka said as she held her arms out to Nigel.
"You're not going to do it, are you Nigel?" Marianne asked as she stared at Nigel.
"Why not? If she's friends with Usagi's group then she must be nice. Come on Ahsoka, up you go." Nigel said as he picked Ahsoka up. Ahsoka rubbed her cheek against Nigel's before gently nipping his nose. "Incredible, you even nip to show affection and gratitude, you really are cat like in your behavior. Fascinating." Nigel said with a smile as he started walking towards camp with Ahsoka.
"She's probably just tasting you." Marianne said with a smirk as she followed Nigel. A few minutes later Nigel and Marianne exited the jungle with Ahsoka.
"Hello lovelies, is anyone missing a friend?" Nigel asked as he showed Ahsoka off to everyone.
"Ahsoka! Thank God you're alright, we couldn't find you anywhere! Where have you been?!" Usagi asked as she rushed over to Ahsoka and Nigel.
"Ahsoka slip when jumping through trees, then wake up on ground with headache. Ahsoka still have headache." Ahsoka explained as she pawed at her throbbing head.
"Heads up y'all, Ahsoka's gone feral again." Sarah warned as she sat down by Kaede.
"Could you check her out please Kaede, just to make sure that she doesn't have any severe head trauma or any kind of slow bleeding?" Usagi asked as she knelt down by Ahsoka.
"Sure Usagi. First things first though, where are your clothes, Ahsoka?" Kaede asked as she looked at Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka get hot, so Ahsoka get nakey to cool off." Ahsoka answered with an innocent smile.
"I'll go look for her clothes, they can't be too far." Naru informed as she stood up.
"I'll go with yas, Kaede's busy with Ahsoka anyways." Sarah replied as she started walking with Naru.
"Alright Ahsoka, hold still for a moment." Kaede instructed as she took her guardian form.
"Ahsoka no like Kaede transforming, too bright." Ahsoka said as she covered her eyes.
"You're sensitive to the light?" Europa asked as she turned her visor on and examined Ahsoka.
"Yes, bright light hurt Ashoka's head and eyes." Ahsoka answered as she rubbed her eyes a little.
"How's she look?" Usagi asked as she knelt by Europa.
"Well, I don't see any bleeding, but her brain's slightly swollen. But it's minimal and likely to go down in a few hours, though I'll keep an eye on it." Europa answered as she turned her visor off.
"She said that the light hurt her head and eyes, it sounds like she might have a mild concussion." Ami pointed out as she looked at Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, do you feel anything else? Any kind of pain or anything that's not normal?" Europa asked in a kind tone.
"Ahsoka see some pretty dots floating around, Ahsoka wanna catch them." Ahsoka answered as she grabbed at the air.
"You my dear, have a concussion. I want you to go lay down and rest, I'm sure there's a quiet and dark place you can sleep for a bit." Europa instructed as she let down her transformation.
"Hold on Kaede, she probably shouldn't be sleeping right now if she does actually have a concussion. That could be dangerous." Ami pointed out with a little concern.
"True, but I figured with all of us here she'd be okay since we can regularly check on her." Kaede replied as she carefully picked Ahsoka up.
"Here, you can lay her on my bed, the room's pretty dark when the shades are drawn." Debbie informed as she lead Kaede into the ComVee.
"Thanks Debbie." Kaede thanked as she carried Ashoka inside, then followed Debbie to her room.
"Careful on the ladder." Debbie warned as she climbed down a ladder to a lower section of the ComVee.
"Wow, I never knew this thing had a lower level." Kaede said with a smile as she laid Ahsoka in a cot in the back of the room.
"Oh yeah, this thing has everything. There's even a submarine stored in the floor below this one." Debbie replied with a grin.
"That's awesome, maybe we can take that thing out for a spin one of these days. I'm sure everyone would love it." Kaede said with a smile as she covered Ahsoka with a blanket.
"Yeah right, mom and dad would sooner retire than let us go joy riding in the bathysphere." Debbie giggled as she lead Kaede back outside.
"How is she?" Usagi asked in a worried tone.
"Tired, but relatively okay." Kaede answered with a smile.
"Hey y'all, we found her clothes." Sarah informed as she and Naru walked into camp with Ahsoka's swimsuit.
"That's good, she'd probably be pretty sad if she'd lost her suit." Rei replied as she took the suit from Sarah.
"Something tells me that she wouldn't care too much about that." Minako said with a chuckle.
"I don't know Mina, Ahsoka can be pretty self-conscious sometimes." Ami replied as she sat down by Mako.
"Not when she's feral, nothing gets to her when she's in that state." Minako said with a giggle.
"I'm sorry, but I'm extremely confused right now. Is that creature the new friend you wanted us to meet?" Marianne asked in a confused tone.
"Yes, her name is Ahsoka Tano, she's an alien species called a togruta. She's really friendly, but sometimes she shifts into what we call a feral state. This can be brought on by physical or psychological trauma, when she's in that state she lacks a lot of her higher cognitive abilities, and her instincts are her main driving force. However, when she's not in a feral state her intelligence and behavior is just like a human." Ami explained with a smile.
"Really? That's interesting, so she devolved into this feral state due to some kind of head trauma?" Marianne asked in an intrigued tone.
"That seems to be the most likely scenario based on what she said." Kaede replied in a calm tone.
"So what happens now, do you treat it, or will it just go away on its own?" Marianne asked with a straight face.
"It'll go away on its own, how long it takes can vary greatly though, anywhere from minutes to days. It depends on the extent of both the physical and psychological trauma. Since both are minimal, I'd guess that she'll be better by tomorrow at the latest." Kaede explained with a smile.
"That's good to hear, we wouldn't want her to miss out on all the fun to be had. The Galapagos is a beautiful place, so many wonderful creatures roaming about, like the giant Galapagos tortoise. They're magnificent creatures, some of which can live for nearly two-hundred years, and grow up to six feet in length." Nigel replied with a smile.
"We already got to meet some, they were so cool!" Bubbles informed with a giggle.
"Really?! How splendid, did they say anything interesting; you can talk to animals if I remember correctly, just like Eliza. Oh, how astounding it's been being able to have her interpret the sounds of so many different animals for us." Nigel said with a smile as he looked at Eliza, who smiled back at him.
"Let me think, one of them was strangely excited to be able to give Donnie and Buttercup a ride on its shell. I think he was lonely, so having Donnie and Buttercup around to hangout with was pretty fun for him. Oh, and then there was this one funny tortoise who kept repeating itself, Eliza and I think its shell was on a little too tight." Bubbles answered with a giggle.
"That sounds like fun, did you all do anything else?" Marianne asked in an intrigued tone.
"Yeah, we went diving and Eliza gut stung by a lion fish. So Ahsoka ended up finding and taking care of her, Ahsoka's really sweet once you get to know her." Debbie answered with a smile.
"You got stung by a lion fish?!" Marianne shouted as she stared at Eliza.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. Ahsoka gave me some medicine and helped me out of the cave I'd taken shelter in. She did a really good job too, look, you can barely even tell that it happened." Eliza replied as she held her hand out to Marianne, showing her the small dot that had been left by the spine of the lion fish.
"Thank goodness she was there to help you, those things can be dangerous; it's a good thing that you're not allergic to the venom." Marianne replied as she hugged Eliza.
"Quite lucky indeed, and even luckier that you were only pricked by a single spine. Getting stung with multiple spines would've delivered a much more painful sting, as well as an increased chance of changes in heart rate, abdominal pain, or even a loss of consciousness." Nigel added in a calm tone.
"Speaking of Ahsoka, I'm gonna go and check on her, see how she's doing." Eliza replied before running into the ComVee. Eliza quietly snuck into the room that Ahsoka was resting in.
"Eliza, what are you doing here?" Debbie asked as she watched Eliza climb up the ladder to the upper level.
"I came to check on Ahsoka, what are you doing here? You were just outside with the rest of us?" Eliza asked in a confused tone.
"I snuck away while mom and dad were freaking out over your sting." Debbie replied as she looked down at Ahsoka.
"Nice, thanks for sticking around." Eliza said with a grin.
"Like you always stick around?" Debbie asked with a smirk.
"Well, you got me there I suppose." Eliza replied with a giggle as she walked over to Debbie. "So, why are you watching her sleep? It's a little creepy, don't you think?" Eliza asked as she looked at Debbie.
"I didn't plan on watching her sleep, but as I was leaving I heard her say something; I turned around to ask her what was up, but when I did I saw that she was still asleep. I was about to shrug it off when she said something else, it turns out that she talks in her sleep. I don't know who Merida is, but Ahsoka says some really odd things about her. She really likes it when Merida rubs her, whatever that means." Debbie explained with a shrug.
"Maybe she likes getting a massage?" Eliza suggested with a smile.
"I was thinking the same thing, who doesn't love a massage." Debbie replied with a smile of her own. Eliza and Debbie both fell silent as Ahsoka suddenly began breathing heavily.
"Please, no more. Please Barriss, please stop, this isn't you. Barriss." Ahsoka quietly spoke as she lightly tossed and turned.
"Who's Barriss?" Eliza asked in a confused tone.
"No idea, this is the first time she's said a name other than Merida." Debbie answered with a shrug.
"No. No. I wanna go home, please Barriss, I'm sorry we left you there." Ahsoka quietly cried as she curled into a ball.
"Okay, this is just weird. Maybe we should go and tell the others what's going on." Debbie suggested as she stood up.
"That's probably a good idea." Eliza replied as she started heading down the ladder, followed by Debbie, then they casually stepped outside.
"Hello girls, how's Ahsoka doing, still asleep?" Nigel asked with a smile.
"Yeah, and she's talking in her sleep, she keeps asking someone named Barriss to stop something." Debbie answered in a confused tone.
"Barriss? Master Tano's talking about someone named Barriss?" Bubbles asked as she floated over to Debbie.
"Yeah, do any of you know who she's talking about?" Debbie asked in a curious tone.
"Unfortunately yes. Do you remember the story we told you about the various traumas Ahsoka went through, specifically her most recent one?" Usagi asked with a sad expression.
"Yeah, you said that she was kidnapped and tortured by someone named Vader." Debbie answered in a sad tone.
"Yes, but Vader was just her kidnapper's Sith name, her actual name was Barriss Offee, a Jedi gone rogue. She used to be Ahsoka's best friend, until she became jealous and possessive of Ahsoka. She tried to kill Ahsoka a few times, but she was presumed dead after a ship crash; however, she turned up a few months later, and she was hell bent on making Ahsoka suffer. She hired someone to abduct Ahsoka right out of her bed and take her to another planet, Barriss tortured Ahsoka in ways that you couldn't even imagine. Though she turned back to the light after some time, even giving her life to save Ahsoka's, but the trauma of what happened during her captivity still haunts Ahsoka." Usagi explained in a sad tone.
"Wow, that's... I don't know what to say. I feel even more sad for Ahsoka now, her own friend did that to her? I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard, to know that a person could turn on their friend like that, that they could do those awful things to their friend. Poor Ahsoka, it's no wonder her brain is trying to protect itself with that feral state, she must be struggling so much with all of this." Debbie replied in a sad tone.
"She is, but she gets a little better each day; especially since she has such a strong support group, which you're now a part of." Usagi replied with a smile.
"I'm glad that I get to be part of Ahsoka's support system, she's a really good person, and I'm happy that you introduced her to us." Debbie replied with a smile. "I'm going back inside to sit with her, I'll see you all in a bit." Debbie informed as she walked back into the ComVee. Debbie walked towards the ladder to sit with Ahsoka, but she stopped when she noticed a faint blue light coming from the top of it. "Ahsoka?" Debbie asked as she stared up at the light. Debbie decided to investigate after Ahsoka didn't answer. "Ahsoka?" Debbie asked again as she climbed up the ladder, gasping aloud when she saw someone, or something, sitting next to Ahsoka.
"Oh, hello there." The figure said with a smile as it looked at Debbie.
"Get away from her!" Debbie shouted as she ran over to Ahsoka.
"It's alright, I'm not trying to hurt her." The figure informed as it casually stepped aside to let Debbie past.
"Who are you, and how did you get in here?!" Debbie shouted as she stared at the figure.
"I go where I want, I am not bound by any limitations of the mortal realm. For I am one with the force now." The figure replied with a smile. Debbie stared at the figure for a moment, then she took a deep breath.
"BUBBLES!" Debbie screamed at the top of her lungs, as she grabbed Ahsoka and held her. A blue streak dashed into the room before Ahsoka even opened her eyes.
"What?! What's wrong, is master Tano okay?!" Bubbles asked as she dashed into the room.
"Oh, hello Bubbles, it's good to see you again." The figure said with a smile as Bubbles flew between Debbie and it.
"What's going on, why are you shouting?!" Ahsoka asked as her eyes shot open, having been startled awake by Debbie's shout.
"Because your old friend gave her a scare." Bubbles giggled as she moved aside so Ahsoka could see the figure in front of her.
"Barriss." Ahsoka quietly said as she stared at the force ghost of her old friend.
"Hello Ahsoka, I'm sorry to have startled your new friend there, please forgive me madam." Barriss apologized as she bowed to Debbie.
"Wait, Barriss?! As in the crazy lady that kidnapped you, I thought she was dead!" Debbie yelled as she stared at Barriss.
"I am dead. I am one with the force now, but I've returned as a force ghost. I'm sorry that I startled you, I just wanted to check on Ahsoka to see how she's doing. I felt her fear from her nightmare, a nightmare that my actions were responsible for; so I came to try and comfort her, and help her release those traumas into the force." Barriss explained with a small smile.
"Wait, you can just push your pain into this force thing and make it go away? That's pretty sweet." Debbie said with a grin as ahe looked at Ahsoka.
"Unfortunately it's not that simple, at least not for me. Barriss has a very different set of skills than I do, she's much more gifted in various types of force healing than I am. My force strengths lie in its combat applications, while her force strengths lie in its ability to heal and balance one's self." Ahsoka explained with a straight face.
"That is true, but with a little guidance, you can at least start to find balance again." Barriss replied with a smile. Ahsoka stared at Barriss for a moment, then she let out a sigh before speaking again.
"Could you two give us some privacy please? Barriss and I have a lot to talk about." Ahsoka calmly asked as she looked at Bubbles and Debbie.
"Of course master." Bubbles answered before slowly floating downstairs.
"Alright, but yell if you need us." Debbie replied before following Bubbles. Ahsoka smiled as she watched Debbie leave, but her smile vanished the second she heard the ComVee's door close.
"I don't blame you for feeling uneasy around me, Ahsoka. I did terrible and unforgivable things to you, and I know that nothing I say will ever truly make up for what I did; none the less, I'll say my piece anyways. I'm sorry for hurting you, for lusting after you, for trying to hurt Merida. I'm sorry for all that and more, more than I could possibly put into words. I broke you in that cave on Geonosis, and I reveled in your pain and suffering, something only a monster would do. I deserve your hatred, Ahsoka; I deserve every bit of it." Barriss quietly said with a sad sigh.
Ahsoka stood there for a moment, staring at Barriss with cold and angry eyes. "I know I shouldn't hate you, hate is not the Jedi way. But still, you were my best friend. I trusted you, I trusted you with my life; and you tried to kill the woman I love! You kidnapped and tortured me just because you wanted me to suffer! I was already struggling with so many other things, then you took me from my home and my family when I needed them the most! You chained me up like an animal and beat me! I've never been tortured in such a barbaric way before, and I've been captured by both the separatists and pirates at least twice each. I have scars from what you did to me in that cave, and not just the ones on my body, they're in here. They're in my head, Barriss, and I can't fix them! Nothing is working! I'm not recovering like everyone thinks I am, I'm just learning to hide it better! I'm so torn apart inside that for the first time since my struggle with anorexia I think I'm gonna puke, and not intentionally, but just from the emotional strain that I'm under! The fear and pain that I'm constantly trying to keep under control is so debilitating at times that I just wanna curl into a ball and scream, or cry! It's not right to say it but... I hate you, Barriss! I hate you for what you did to me! You were my best friend, I trusted you! We went through so much together over the years, and you turned around and tried to kill Merida! Then you tried to kill me! Why?! Why did you do it?!" Ahsoka screamed as she broke down in tears.
Barriss watched as Ahsoka slowly fell to the ground, sobbing as she curled into a ball; then Barriss let out a soft breath before sitting next to Ahsoka and putting an arm around her. "I'm so sorry Ahsoka. I'm sorry that I hurt you so badly, as for the reason why, it's because I was selfish and possessive. I treated you like property, thinking I could have you and do whatever I wanted with you. In my lust for you though, I forgot that you were my friend; I should've been happy for you and Merida, I'm sorry Ahsoka. I will never ask for your forgiveness, all I ask is that you not let my actions destroy the good person you are. It's time for you to let go of the past, time for you to let me go. Let everything about me go. Your memories of my cruelty, of my selfishness, and even the memories of our friendship. I am not worth holding onto in anyway, you must let everything go so that you can heal." Barriss quietly said as she placed her hand on Ahsoka's heart. "Let it go." Barriss whispered as she placed her other hand on Ahsoka's forehead.
Ahsoka felt a warmth begin to flow through her body, and in that moment, all of her pain and fear began to vanish. Barriss was nearly done removing Ahsoka's pain with the force, but Ahsoka suddenly moved her head back and held her hand up. "No, I can't loose those memories. As painful as they are and as much as I just want them to go away, I can't just throw them out. I can't change the past, and you won't always be here to remove my pain; I have to learn to cope with it. All of my friends, my padawan, all of them have been through significant pain and suffering before; it wouldn't be fair to them if I just made my pain magically vanish while they suffered and learned to cope with theirs. Besides, sometimes pain can be a positive thing, it helps to mold us into the people we are. I've learned a lot from my pain, and it even helped me find love. The only reson I ever met Merida was because my pain induced a feral breakdown, that's how I met Merida, by coping with my pain in a way that only I could." Ahsoka explained with a small smile and some tears.
Barriss smiled back at her before nodding. "Okay, I'll let you recover in your own way; and I'll always be here if you need me. Goodbye Ahsoka." Barriss said with a smile before she vanished.
"Goodbye Barriss, I'll see you again eventually." Ahsoka quietly replied as she watched Barriss vanish. Ahsoka let out a soft sigh before heading towards the stairs.
"Relax Debbie, master Tano's just fine up there with Barriss." Bubbles encouraged as she watched Debbie pace in front of the ComVee door.
"I can't help it Bubbles, after hearing about what happened to her because of that Barriss woman, I just can't stop worrying for some reason. Maybe I'm being selfish when I say this, but she's the only cool person I've had a chance to spend time with in months. I don't want her to be miserable while you're all here, I want her to have fun, I want all of us to have fun together." Debbie explained as she continued to pace.
Bubbles giggled before floating in front of Debbie, forcing her to stop her obsessive pacing. "Relax Debbie, if something was wrong I'd sense it; master Tano and Barriss are doing just fine up there. In fact, I think everything's all better now." Bubbles informed with a smile as she looked towards the ComVee. Debbie stared at Bubbles for a second before looking towards the ComVee door, relieved when Ahsoka stepped outside.
"Ahsoka, thank goodness. Are you okay? She didn't upset you or anything, did she?" Debbie asked as she rushed over to Ahsoka. Ahsoka giggled before replying.
"No Debbie, Barriss and I had a much needed talk, I feel a lot better now. Thank you for the concern though, it makes me happy that you care so much." Ahsoka replied as she hugged Debbie. Debbie smiled as she hugged Ahsoka back.
"Of course I care, you're my friend." Debbie said with a smile as she tightened her grip on Ahsoka. Ahsoka giggled as she did the same thing.
"Awe, ain't that the cutest thang ya've ever seen? Enemies ta friends in just a couple hours, how adorable." Sarah said with a giggle.
"Quite a lovely sight, and speaking of lovely sights, the sunset looks rather spectacular right now. Such magnificent colors, and the way they mix with the clear water and rainbow coral is beyond gorgeous." Nigel said with a smile as he looked towards the horizon at the setting sun.
"Oh Nigel, it's beautiful. I wish we could get a view from above for the foundation." Marianne replied as she hugged Nigel.
"I'll do it! The professor gave me a camera to take all sorts of pictures for him, hold on." Blossom informed as she flew into the air, then dashed away. Everyone watched the streak of pink light she left behind fade away, then they just relaxed and watched the sunset until she returned a few minutes later. "I'm back! What do you think?" Blossom asked as she handed her camera to Nigel, who slowly looked through the photographs.
"I say Blossom, these are magnificent! Better than anything we could've gotten on our own! Oh I must buy them from you." Nigel said as he handed Blossom her camera.
"You don't need to buy them Mister Thornberry, you can just have them." Blossom replied with a smile.
"Absolutely not, talent that good deserves a little something. So what would you say to two dollars per picture, sound resonable?" Nigel asked as he dug his wallet out of one of his jacket pockets.
"Take it Blossom, take it while you can!" Buttercup yelled with a grin.
"Yahoo! Money! Money! Money!" Donnie cheered as he bounced excitedly.
"Alright Mister Thornberry, if you insist, though I'd accept even just a dollar for all of them if you insist on paying." Blossom replied with a small blush.
"What a kind young lady you are, but two dollars per picture is my minimum. So, two dollars times twenty pictures, that's foutry dollars. There you are my dear." Nigel said as he handed the cash to Blossom, who in turn handed him her camera so he could download the pictrues.
"Thank you Mister Thornberry, this is the most money I've ever held that I didn't take back from a criminal." Blossom said with a smile.
"That was very kind of Mister Thornberry, you should put that in your bag so you don't loose it." Ami suggested as she walked over to Blossom.
"Good idea, thanks Ami mommy." Blossom replied as she flew into the ComVee to put her money into her bag. "Hi Darwin." Blossom greeted as she flew passed Darwin, who was digging through a cupboard for a bag of cheese munchies.
"Please don't fly in the ComVee, Blossom." Darwin said as he headed towards the door.
"You know that she can't understand you like Bubbles and I can, right Dar?" Eliza asked with a giggle.
"What does it matter, none of you listen to me anyways." Darwin replied as he dumped a bunch of cheese munchies into his mouth.
"Ah! Darwin, what are you doing with my cheese munchies?! Those are my munchies!" Debbie yelled as she ran over to Darwin.
"Ah? Oo oo ah oo ah ah oo!" Darwin replied as he shook the bag at Debbie.
"What did he just say to me?!" Debbie asked as she looked at Eliza.
"Really? I don't see your name on them." Eliza translated with a giggle.
"Did you even look, monkey brains? Because it definitely is!" Debbie shouted as she snatched the bag from Darwin and pointed to her name, which was written in black marker on the front of the bag.
"Oo." Darwin quietly said as he backed away slightly.
"Great! Just great, we won't get another shipment from home for the next three months, and I have no munchies until then!" Debbie shouted before storming away.
"Don't worry about it Dar, she'll get over it." Eliza encouraged as she walked past Darwin and into the ComVee.
"I doubt it, no one holds a grudge quite like Debbie." Darwin replied as he followed Eliza.
"Hey Bubbles, Debbie's been so nice to me since Usagi talked to her, maybe I can repay her for that; I'd need your help though." Ahsoka said with a smile as she looked at Bubbles.
"Of course master, what did you have in mind?" Bubbles asked with a smile.
"Here, this republic credit should be more than enough to get a bag of those munchy things for Debbie. If it's okay with your parents, could you fly to her home and buy however many that credit will get you please?" Ahsoka asked with a smile.
"Of course master." Bubbles replied as she took the gold credit, then flew over to Ami and Mako. "Mommies, can I go buy Debbie some cheese munchies for Master Tano please?" Bubbles asked with a smile.
"That's very kind of you and Ahsoka; of course you can, but bring Blossom or Buttercup with you." Ami instructed with a smile.
"Yay! Thank you mommies!" Bubbles replied before flying over to Buttercup. "Buttercup, will you come with me to England please? Master Tano wants me to buy more cheese munchies for everyone." Bubbles asked in a hopeful tone.
"Sure Bubs. Hey, do you think we'll meet the queen?" Buttercup asked as she and Bubbles started flying away.
"Oh, I hope they don't meet the queen. I don't even wanna think about how that interaction would go down." Ami said with a shudder.
"Oh come on Ami, the girls are kind, polite, and disciplined; how bad would it be if they did meet the queen?" Mako asked with a smile.
"Should I calculate the probability of something going horribly wrong if they did meet her?" Ami asked with a straight face.
"Very funny dear. Seriously though, try not to worry so much. They'll be fine." Mako encouraged as she put her arm around Ami.
"You're right, I'm just overreacting again. Thanks Mako." Ami thanked as she kissed Mako's cheek.