Private A Song of the Past

[Aoife Jones]

Twenty-eight years.

It had been so very long since Aoife had been able to see her darling baby brother. Since that day on Arkania, there had been a void in her heart that little Aaron used to fill. A void she could finally fill... At least if those gods forsaken guards hadn't sent her away. She was their boss' sister! Sure, he went by Darlyn Excron now, but he was still her brother! Stupid fething guards, can't even spot a family resemblance... Or Anam fashion! Had they never seen her mother before?!

"Now what to do..."

Aoife sighed as she sat down on a small boulder in the nearby park, not too far from the Commenori Palace. She had been denied entry, but surely someone would learn that a strangely dressed woman with pointed ears claimed to be the President's sister. Palace gossip spread like wildfire, especially when it involved the ruler of a planet. Aaron would hear about it soon enough, probably within the next few hours, so what could she do until then? The park was mostly empty of people...

Might as well sing to pass the time, right?

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Ironically, Darlyn wouldn't hear of a thing from the gossips among the guards or other staff in the Presidential Palace. People tended to quiet down around him, and he wasn't the type to just rip information from everyone's heads as he walked around. Ignoring the energy that'd cost him, it was just rude. Very rude. Instead, he just, happened to have a little time to spare... and decided to go for a walk. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Palace happened tobe far enough away from the majority of Chasin City that, truth be told, the Guards were more than willing to allow him to simply wander on his own. It wasn't like anything they could handle, he couldn't handle better without them. So there he was, walking about in his glorious, gloriously violet suit, with his personal blaster, his Father's, resting on his side. No surprises, if any staff or civilians saw the weapon, he was known to be a capable warrior in his own right after all.

What they might be a bit stunned to see, however, was a small little necklace he was wearing, a new addition provided by Auburn. He knew nothing of its meaning, only that she had insisted he wear it. And so he did, unaware any Anam might find it odd, because he felt just a little closer to her with it close to him.

His walk went by a near-ish park, where he heard a song. He recognized the language, sort of, and the tune itself... but couldn't place the words. The meanings. He unclipped the strap over his blaster, just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap (considering his clone) and began to follow the voice singing. Eventually, he couldn't help but sing softly as well, the words coming to him and keeping a slightly unsteady pace with whoever it was, until he got close enough to see them.

The song ended, and he looked at them intently. Red hair, tall, sharp pointed ears. Perhaps.... .... Déithe duit, stranger."

Aoife Jones

 

[Aoife Jones]

It did not take to long before Aoife heard someone trying to sing along with her. The bait had worked, it seemed. At least in the sense it had brought Darlyn Excron to her, but whether he would listen to her... Oh, he knew how to greet her!

"Déithe duit, Aaron. Do you remember me?"

Aoife turned her head to look at her baby brother, and gave him a hopeful smile. They both looked so different from when they were children, but maybe... Just maybe he would remember her. She looked him over, taking careful notice of the unclipped blaster. It was Father's, from Arkania... Aaron must have found a way into their old home and gotten it. Then, she noticed the necklace.

"Auburn must have given that necklace to you, didn't she?"

Slowly, carefully, Aoife stood from the boulder, and smoothed out her dress before turning her whole body to face Aaron. He was as tall as she was when he was six, she was so sure he'd be taller than her as adults... How cute.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Not at all. Sorry."

Straight and to the point, he wasn't leaving any room for Aoife Jones to be confused. He did recognize his old name, but not her face. She had similarities to Mother, so he was willing to wager a guess it was his sister, but...

Never too sure.

"She did, yes. Told me it could be a piece of home with me, or something to that effect. You seem to have me at a disadvantage here, knowing a name of mine but not offering your own." His hand lowered onto the blaster, not drawing it but just resting. He was skeptical of who the person was, lacking memory, and while they weren't a threat now...

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife's face and shoulders fell as Darlyn Excron confirmed her greatest fear. He had forgotten her. Forgotten all of their childhood, probably. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she nodded in understanding.

"Aoife Lynne Jones... I'm your older sister, though I imagine if our mother had never mentioned me before... You wouldn't have the slightest idea you have a sister. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, though."

Though her eyes didn't wander down, Aoife took careful notice of Darlyn resting his hand on his blaster. Not a good sign, really. She doubted he'd kill her, in the middle of the day in a park, but... Best take a small step backwards anyway. Putting more space between them on the off chance things went pear-shaped was never a bad idea, after all.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"She mentioned you. Sorry I don't remember being six, it's been a hot minute." He was doing his best to be non threatening as possible, but she was picking up his anxiousness. Natural enough, he could tell she spent a lot of time hunting in some fashion by how she moved.

Very deliberately.

"Well, Aoife, what makes you come all the way out here? Don't Anam like to stay on Domhanda? And you certainly look like you've taken up a lot more of that than I did." He was digging for information, half because he was insatably curious... and half to figure out who she was. Not literally, if she was Anam she sucked at lying. But more... how Aoife Jones was as a person in her behavior.

 

[Aoife Jones]

One corner of Aoife's mouth twitched upwards in amusement at her brother's use of slang. Cute. Shifting her weight to one side, Aoife tilted her head at Darlyn Excron in confusion. She was his sister, why wouldn't she come find him? Did mother not tell him what she did for a living? To find him?

"My darling baby brother... Why wouldn't I come out here to see you? I've spent the past two decades searching the galaxy for you. Doing small-time bounties, trying to find any information on where you had disappeared... Then come to find out when I return from a hunt that you had changed your name."

Aoife huffed in mild frustration, puffing her cheeks out. Truth be told, she couldn't be frustrated or annoyed with him, or even herself. Still hurt though.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn looked around the area a moment. Big, public, everyone knew him, his face plastered on election posters or newspapers... "Good job." A small nod to her, before he straightened himself up a bit. And re-clipped the cover of the holster over the weapon.

"Not like I appeared out of nowhere one day with no documents about my past in existence. Good Job." He chuckled a bit, before stepping forward. Finally, he held out a hand to her, to shake. She seemed trustworthy enough.

 

[Aoife Jones]

Okay. Maybe now Aoife could be annoyed with Darlyn Excron purely for him being a brat.

"Listen here, you little brat... You're lucky I love you."

Aoife's face softened into a smile, and the tension in her body fell away as Aaron clipped his blaster. There was a hint of sadness to her smile, when all he offered was a hand to shake, but she knew better than to cross boundaries. The galaxy did not favor the Anam way of life, after all. Taking his hand, she squeezed it softly.

"Mother cried when she first saw you, didn't she?"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"I tried to jump out a window. Anam glass is surprisingly strong." He shook her hand gently, returning the small squeeze. He had no memories of her he could pick out, or he might've actually hugged her. He remembered Mother... at least enough.

"But, yes she did. A lot. She's gotten used to it though, made me some noodles and cheese and all that fun stuff. Though she did threaten to shove my head in a sink to wash my hair... felt very familiar. Did she do that often?"

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife had to bite back a snort as Darlyn Excron regaled her with his reunion with their mother. Trying to jump out a window? How very "on brand" as the kids called it these days. Letting go of his hand, Aoife sat back down on the boulder, and listened. Now that the awkward, stressful, annoying part of their reunion was over with, she could relax.

"She did. Often times you would refuse a bath, and I'd have to help her wrangle you into the bathroom. Sometimes you would take a bath, but wouldn't wash your hair. One time you even put that washable bath paint in your hair, thinking it would dye your hair purple. Gods above... You were the unruliest child I've ever known."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Yeah that sounds like me. But then again what's life without a little spice like that in it?"

He was very quickly relaxing around her. He himself might not have recollections of her but, somewhere in his subconscious he had distinct memories of the feelings present now. A far off memory, a distamt dream, a sense of familiarity in the unfamiliar. All he knew is Aoife Jones was actively playing along with his persona here, which made it more fun to relax a bit.

"Would you like to come back to the palace for a drink or two with me? I've plenty of time today."

 

[Aoife Jones]

"A little spice? Little Aaron, you provided all the spice mother and I needed in our entire lives when you were little."

Aoife laughed quietly, and smiled fondly at her brother. Talking to him like this was bringing up all sorts of memories for her, and it didn't even matter to her that Darlyn Excron didn't remember. She could remind him, slowly. It would be bad for him if she overloaded him with childhood memories he no longer remembered, after all.

"If your guards don't refuse access to me again, sure. They wouldn't believe me when I said I was your sister! Goodness, we were practically identical as children, you know. You should see if those guards of yours got hit on the head too hard during one of their training sessions, if they can't see the family resemblance!"

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"You know you don't have to call me Little now. I'm not a kid, and it ain't my fault you inherited stilts for legs. That or you never skipped leg day once."

He smiled and nodded to her. Aoife Jones was fun, playing so well into the banter right off the bat. And she was doing so well not to try and push him to forcibly remember everything, which he very much appreciated. And now, he was going to share a drink or two with her to try and catch up again, something he admittedly was already sort of looking forward to. Since having found family again, he found himself unable to resist seeking out time with them, and grow close. It felt so.. wonderful. Being able to connect to people again...

It terrified him.

He motioned her to follow behind him, as he walked her back to the Palace. "You're with me now, so it should be fine. You have a preference of drink? Whiskey, maybe some Commenori Brandy? Or tea, I suppose I could make tea if you don't have a taste for those sorts of things." As he described, the guards would be letting them past, into the lovely Palace and up to his office.

 

[Aoife Jones]

"Wh- stilts for legs?! Listen here you little brat, I am average height for an Anam woman at best! I'm shorter than Mother! You're the one who drew the literal short stick."

Though Aoife was yelling at Darlyn Excron her tone was filled with mirth, and she had a smile on her face. It was so comfortable, falling into the banter. Like they had never been separated for almost thirty years, but had been able to grow up like they were supposed to. Talking like this, Aoife hoped they could be a family again one day. That Father could come home, and reconcile with Aaron.

Maybe one day.

But not today. Aoife could think about it another day, and pushed those ideas into the corner as she walked beside her brother. She smirked and stuck her tongue out at the guards as they passed, as a sort of "I told you so" gesture.

"I think I'll stick with tea for now. It's a bit early in the day for me to drink, personally. Though, I wouldn't mind trying the Brandy later? I'm not much of a drinker, but I'd heard good things about Commenori Brandy. I've always been curious about Mandalorian Tihaar, too."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"You aren't going to talk me into giving you my tihaar anytime soon. You know how hard it is to get it here? As for the Brandy, that certainly can be arrainged. I happen to have a few bottles I wouldn't mind giving up."

Once they got into his office, he reached out with the Force to get the tea started. Teapot on a heater? Check. Heater given a small spark to ignite? Check. He even brought a couple of teacups to the desk before sitting down, motioning for his sister to do the same.

"Well, you've been hunting yes? Still plan on that? I miss doing it myself."

 

[Aoife Jones]

"I'll talk you into it some day~!"

Aoife gave Darlyn Excron a cheeky grin as she watched him get the tea started. Interesting. She sat down, her grin softening into a slight smile as she got comfy in the chair. At Aaron's questions, Aoife paused. What was her plan? She only took up hunting to get information, and now that she didn't need it anymore...

"I... Don't know, actually. I don't need it anymore, now that I know you're safe and alive... It's been so long since I gave any thought to what I would do if- when you were found. Gods, I have to remember it's not 'if' anymore..."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Well it's been an 'if' for a long while. More than a few times I've almost died so really, if was a really possible reality you'd have never found me again. Then again I'm pretty good at not dying despite, probably not having a good reason not to. I mean heck, Concord Dawn almost ended up my grave if it weren't for a friend of mine there just so happening to have more than enough training to keep me alive."

Darlyn retrieved a flask of whiskey from inside his coat pocket and took a sip, watching the tea water heat as he continued to use the Force to prepare it. Why was he doing it this way? Maybe it was just his subconscious memories of Aoife Jones , but he wanted to show off. Maybe that 'little brother' thing was just getting under his skin. Either way, it was something of a grand display for sure, considering the minute forces at play.

"Well that sucks. I personally loved hunting, there's a thrill to tracking people and things down when they really don't want to be found. Guess that's not something we share. Still, I suppose that means you'll be needing a new job. You planning to find one back on Domhanda? Or would you miss being able to travel the galaxy?"

 

[Aoife Jones]

"Concord Dawn... I heard of what happened there... Gods, it was awful to see in the news, I can't imagine being in person..."

Aoife's smile faded, turning into a frown. She felt sick to her stomach watching the news report on it, was Darlyn Excron okay afterwards? He had Auburn, and mother would make sure to keep and eye on his mental state... She was so caught up in her internal worries, she barely paid attention to the finely tuned use of the Force to prepare tea.

She snapped back to attention when Aaron started talking again.

"Oh, I enjoyed the thrill of the hunt of course. Always have, after a hunting trip with... Mm... It's just... A life I didn't want for the rest of my life?"

Leaning back against the chair, Aoife tilted her head back, and stared at the ceiling. What did she want? Domhanda was her home, but there were so many more things she wanted to see...

"I... I don't know. Domhanda is... It's home, for me. It has been the moment I stepped foot on it, even if you weren't there at first... It felt like I belonged... But when I started hunting, I got to see so many new things, meet so many different kinds of people, experience new things..."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Eh, wasn't that bad. Could've glassed the place from orbit but they didn't, so really it was a pretty alright day."

The tea was finally ready, and Darlyn made sure it was poured carefully, before everything went to its proper resting place and the little fire heating the pot was snuffed out. The little flame shot back into Darlyn's hand, where it sort of just rested on the back of his hand as it slowly flickered and died. He was still a lot better at creating fire than killing it, and compounding that he was distracted with his sister.

"Well, if you can't think of a job back on Domhanda, I can try to pull some strings here. You'd have to have a background check, I'd need to introduce you to my apprentice, and all sorts of little hoops, but I could think of a few things you could do here. Little less traveling but, a fairly open ended type of thing."