Things That Go Bump In The Night

"Falcon. I request your assistance in the kitchen."

The dark-haired boy wasn't quite sure which of the many, many senshi had called his name. Of course, he knew it was a woman with incredibly long, green-tipped black hair, but he couldn't remember he name off the top of your head. "Coming!"

"What did you want?" he asked, glancing around the kitchen.

The woman turned her space-black eyes on him and studied him for a long time. She noticed a resemblance behind Falcon's eyes. His Force-persona seemed like another's... it took the Force-witch a moment to realize who he was. "I would like you to taste these cookies to see if they are acceptable."

"Sure... uh, what was your name again?"

"Nom Da'Gara," the warrior answered, turning back to her cookie sheet.

Since she wasn't looking, Falcon felt safe in making a face at the cookies. They weren't the best he'd ever tasted.

Nom sensed what he was thinking and turned on him, spatula in hand. "What?"

"They aren't that great, actually," Falcon said. When Nom spitted him with her blacker than night eyes, the boy remembered where he'd heard her name before. When he was bad - and younger - his mother had told him stories of the great warrior Nom Da'Gara... of course, now that he was older he realized that most of the stories had to be made up. Besides, this couldn't be the same woman who beat three Gotals in sabacc, then killed all of them because they were trying to cheat her. And no one could beat his mom up. "I like my mom's better."

Chakra and Aisu had already proclaimed the cookies wonderful; Nom had only called Falcon into the kitchen to talk to him alone. However, his unfair insult to her cooking angered her. Placing her emotions secondary to the acquisition of information, Nom asked him a question. "You enjoy Priire's cooking above my own?"

Falcon blanched. He'd let his mouth run in front of his mind again. With a casual wave of his hand, he said, "Nothing. I didn't say anything." He didn't stop to consider the other stories his mother had told him, because he only half believed them, anyway.

After seeing Nom very deliberately move the cookies to the counter, Falcon found himself pinned against the wall. "Wha...!"

Very softly, Nom spoke to the boy. "Never, ever try to play your little mind games with me. And above all, you are never to insult my cooking."

All Falcon could see reflected in the eerie blackness of Nom's eyes was his doom. Because Nom was cutting off most of his air supply, Falcon's words were lost. All he managed was a frightened squeak.

"Now you will tell me why you were attempting to distort my thoughts." When Falcon attempted to answer negatively, Nom leaned on him harder. "Or I will kill you." After holding him a moment longer to enforce her point, Nom gave the boy enough space to speak.

"Can't... tell... you..." he gasped.

Nom raised one black eyebrow and stared at him.

"She... can't... know..." Falcon tried to explain. "Ruin... future..."

Releasing Falcon and letting him fall to the ground, Nom considered this. "Who must not know?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

Remembering all the stories his mother had told him comparing the Dathomrii warrior to a shadow-walker, Falcon felt he didn't have any choice but answering. And, if some of the other stories were true, the warrior and his mother were friends; she would keep the secret. "Priire."

Nom pinned him to the wall again. "You should not give away your secrets that easily," she warned him. "Especially when they could destroy the future as we know it."

"But...!"

"No excuses!" Nom informed him. "There is no excuse for endangering the destiny of a universe."

Falcon was finally able to register his protest. "But you were going to kill me!"

Once again Nom raised her eyebrow. "Oh yes. I shall continue that now."

The green-eyed boy's eyes went wide and he moved as fast as he could from the kitchen and from Nom.

You now know that boy
Should not be here,
So you must also guard his secret
And guard it dear.

Nom nodded slowly in response to Zarathustra's pronouncement. "I understand. And I will be here for both of them when the time comes."

The pegasus narrowed his blue eyes at her, wondering if she sensed something the Force had not even revealed to him.

Shaking it off, he trotted away.

"Falcon! What's wrong? You look like you've just been attacked..." The chibi tried to think of the worst thing to be attacked by that she could. "...by Nom!"

Still maintaining a vague look of terror, Falcon gulped, "I was!"

"Uh oh," the chibi declared. "That's bad. You should hide."

Falcon looked around for a good hiding place. All he could find was the broom closet. He got in just before Nom came out of the kitchen.

Unfortunately for him, Nom was able to easily pick out his hiding place. She slowly opened the door. "The pain stick or blaster?"

Falcon plastered himself against the wall and screamed again.