fandomhighdorms | Chupacabra campfire: early Monday morning

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Chupacabra campfire: early Monday morning

Today was the first day of classes. Karal was quite pleased, because having nothing he needed to do felt rather odd.

Not, however, as odd as waking up to see the Valdemaran history he'd been reading nesting next to the bed. And clucking. And apparently quite determined to set on the balled up piece of paper it had found on the floor.

His inability to quite believe what he was seeing - and hearing - didn't seem to bother it.

Karal went into the common area to fetch a cup of tea and returned to find the book chicken had somehow incorporated his pillowcase into its nest. Which made it easy to scoop it up and carry it outside.

Settling it safely against a rock, he - after some fumbling - kindled a fire and sat down to watch it. "How in Vkandis' name are you making those noises? You're a book!"

[ooc: open!]

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"You don't keep a written history?"

"Yes, but as my country learned, written history can be lost over time. People rely on what they're told, without consulting the source material, a small change leads to a large change, and soon things are--" He stopped and shook his head. "Well, if history could be kept in such a way it could be seen, by everyone, maybe that wouldn't happen."

"Oh, I get it." Yeah, word of mouth did have a way of ending up wrong. "Holos are pretty good for recording history. Only thing is, sometimes they're destroyed and then we have nothing."

"So, both would be the wisest approach. Recordings and writings," he decided. "Do you mind if I ask what your world is like? Apart from out there in space somewhere."

"Tatooine's a desert planet," he said. "Very boring., I lived on a moisture farm. And yes, that's just as fun as it sounds. Coruscant, that's where I came from, is...huge. The New Republic just liberated it from Empire rule."

Karal nodded, smiling a little at moisture farm, but he sat up straight at the mention of the Empire. "Liberated from the Empire? Coruscant was under the rule of the Empire?"

It wasn't possible that it could be the same Empire, he knew that, but he had to be sure. "It wasn't the Eastern Empire, was it?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Imperial Empire. Imps."

Being relieved was foolish, but he was anyway. "Sorry, I, my world has an Empire, too," he explained. "What made you decide to leave the," he smiled, "fun of Tattoine?"

"Really? You have an Empire?" He blinked. He'd never thought someone else's galaxy would deal with an Empire. "And I joined Rogue Squadron."

"The Eastern Empire, it's currently threatening the countries of the Alliance. One of the reasons I was in Valdemar, not Karse, before I came here." Karal looked at Gavin for a bit before guessing, "The squadron has something to do with you flying through space?"

"Sounds like our Empire," Gavin said. "And yeah, it does. That's the overall name of the pilots I fly with."

Karal folded his hands over one knee and tried to put it together. A pilot was obviously someone who flew, and deliberately travelling to a place under the control of the Empire and joining a squadron, a description he'd only ever heard applied to the military..."Your Rogue Squadron is involved in fighting the Empire?"

"Yep," he said and stomped at the ground a little. "I've been with them for just under a year."

"That was an admirable thing to do, to go and fight to free a world not your own," he said, studying Gavin with mild concern. "It must have been difficult to leave."

"Leaving Tatooine?" He shook his head. "No, I wanted to leave. There was nothing there for me. I was stuck there."

"No, leaving the squadron to come here, is what I meant," he explained.

"Oh." He shook his head. "I didn't leave. I was ordered here. By my commanding officer. It wasn't voluntary."

Karal blinked in surprise. "That's also why I'm here. I was told that I would come here, and so I came. I was given no choice, and almost as little warning." He sighed. "It's not easy, is it?"

"No," he said, bowing his head a little. "And I want to go back. I don't know if that feeling's gonna go away anytime soon."

"It's hard to be in a strange place that you didn't choose, even harder if there's somewhere else you need to be. But it is easier to bear with good company," he said, smiling warmly at Gavin. "Who will listen if you need to talk. Plus, there are books that wake up and believe they are chickens."

The last part made him laugh and he felt a little better. "Thanks. I think, I just gotta hope that I'll be able to go back and it won't all be over."

Karal would be happy if he returned to find it was all over, as long as it was resolved for the best. He knew it wouldn't happen. "I guess, trust those who sent you here, and have faith that they will bring you back when it's time," he said. "Hope is never a bad thing. And classes start today, which will certainly give us both something else to think about it."

"Yeah, I got two," he said and looked a little fearful of that. "I haven't been to school in a long time."

"I also have two today, one on Stupid People and one on Treasure Hunting, and I have no idea why I'm taking either. But you'll be fine, Gavin," he assured him, responding to the look. "Truly you will. If you get lost or stuck, I'd be happy to help, but I'm sure you won't."

"Treasure Hunting?" He smiled at that. "I think I got that one too. And thanks."

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