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█▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ chapter sixty-two:the great and the terrible █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█
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INDIRA HAS ACQUIRED A SHADOW. She sees her sometimes out of the corner of her eye. A small, fleeting little thing that would be easy to miss. The child — one of Wesley's rescues — can't be older than six years-old and she follows Indira around constantly, peeking around corners to watch when she thinks Indira isn't looking and scampering away when she gets caught. She never talks, this shadow of hers; just watches with wide, curious eyes as Indira goes about her daily routine.
Indira doesn't mind. All the kids have slowly started to warm to their group while they bide their time, waiting for the rest of the Resistance to join them on Batuu.
Finn is the favorite by far and rightfully so. He takes the time to memorize their names and join in their games. Most of the time, he does it with a smile on his face, but every so often Indira sees his expression grow pained and he has to take a step away; undoubtedly haunted by memories of his own time as a child soldier. Rose is second favorite, but still much loved thanks to her impressive story-telling skills. Then there's Stefan, who is reserved by nature, yet well-liked. More often than not, he can be found with at least one child hanging from his back and two others giggling as they cling to his legs.
And then there is Indira, who spends most of her spare time doing minor repairs on their ship. She has Elsi, her shadow.
At first it had unsettled her to have this quiet little person keeping track of her every move, but she's grown used to it. She'd tried to make friends with Elsi, but that had only sent her running scared into Wesley's arms. Wesley — they'd taken to calling him Wes for short — later explained that Elsi had been mistreated more than some of the other kids. It made her skittish and she rarely spoke, even to him. He said she would come to Indira when she was ready, but till then it was best to leave her to her own devices.
So, Indira does as he suggests, but not without making sure that Elsi has a partner in crime. She tells EV-1 to keep her company since Elsi seemed to take a liking to the droid and the two of them are fast friends. Indira also notices how Elsi seems to like watching her do repairs and — after securing Wes's permission — she starts to leave a few of her child-proof tools out for Elsi to find, giving her something to tinker with while the other kids play together.
