Private Baby Day

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

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Outfit: Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Little Eryx blinked and flailed his arms and legs at Mom. Usually when Dad picked him up, Mom would also come over to give him attention and vice versa. But Mom was focused on someone else — on this woman. Without having any idea about what was happening, he glared his famous death glare and squealed.

That's my baby, Valery thought as she heard it behind her.

"Love? Can you text Colette to make dinner for the others. We're coming home late." She wasn't going to fight without her husband and baby watching, so no going home for him either. Together, they made it out of the building with Elena right behind them, her eyes focused on Valery with pure disdain

"Is she going to fight like a witch?" Elena asked Kahlil to provoke both Nobles. "Or will she use muscle and 'Epicanthix heart' to prove she's worthy?" Even Elena knew that the Force gave her an advantage, so she laid out a challenge to put herself at a more even battleground.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I've already let them know."

Not that he thought this would take long at all. His expression turned to a frown this time though as he looked to the woman, finally. Once again she was addressing him as if Valery didn't exist.

"If you were wise, you would give her all your focus. Only the weak speak where their fists should be talking. Stop lowering yourself so far, it brings disgrace on us all."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

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Outfit: Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"You brought disgrace to us by bringing her here," she snapped back. While most vocal, there were others who did feel the same. Every civilization had purists or extremists, and the Epicanthix were no exception. Their more recent history complicated things further. One of Adonis' worries from the inception of Niv Hani had been the thought of supporters of the Dark Lord being among his people.

Followers in the shadows, looking to overthrow what they had built here.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." Valery stepped into the center of the arena and reached up to make sure her ponytail was properly tied up. She then rolled her shoulders and flashed a wink to her husband and baby.

Mama had this.

"Bring it," Valery said, and Elena answered by stepping into the ring with her. Others gathered around the perimeter to watch, but one stepped up to stand besides Kahlil. A man around his own age, though he looked older than Kahlil.

"What if she loses?" He asked, referring to his wife.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil just let out an exhausted sigh. This level of bigotry was a far extreme from what he'd seen of his people growing up. His father's many wives were all from different walks of life. Different species, even, all to strengthen the Zambrano blood line and by extension the Epicanthix. It was only strength that mattered, not a person's lineage. It was the very core of their society as a people.

Warrior cultures that they conquered were assimilated and appreciated, not suppressed and wiped out. This line of thought spat in everything the Epicanthix had stood for for centuries, long before the Zambrano had taken control.

But he hadn't seen outside those palace walls. Jealousy must've been far greater than he'd imagined. Hate not because they thought outsiders weaker, but because it was yet another sign of an Epicanthix just not being good enough. All those wives of Carnifex not being Epicanthix must've stung the pride of those like Elena. And with Panatha destroyed and so many abandoned, yet another as influential as Kahlil was despite his desire to not be had a wife not of natural Epicanthix birth.

Fear of being erased, turned to unjustified hate.

Kahlil glanced briefly to the man standing beside him before he chuckled. "It is our way to teach those we bring into our lives how to be Epicanthix. She won't loose, because she is the strongest of our people here. It will be a good reminder to those watching just who we are even after we lost everything." His eyes fell on the two before them again, his smile calm as he held Eryx up so he could watch easily. Then he spoke, louder so all here could hear him.

"And just as we teach those we bring into our lives how to be Epicanthix, we learn from them who they are and what makes them, them. And from that, the Epicanthix will always grow stronger. So watch, and remember who we are."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Wedding Ring

"Is that so?" The man seemed surprised that Kahlil was so confident in his wife. Valery wasn't a short woman by most of the Galaxy's standards, but she was here. Elena stood a foot taller and was built like a warrior too. In terms of weight and natural body strength, it didn't seem like a fair fight at all. Of course, he knew the Nobles were renowned warriors throughout the Galaxy with unmatched accomplishments.

But not having seen any of it for himself, how could this ever look like an even fight? Let alone one in Valery's favor.

Still, there was something about what Kahlil said when he addressed everybody, that had the man smile and watch with newfound curiosity. The others gathered around felt much the same, and even little Eryx seemed excited.

"Daa!" He squealed when Mom made her challenge.

Elena took it without hesitation and approached with practiced skill in her movements. Her guard was excellent, her footwork was nigh perfect, and she took advantage of her height, and therefore her advantage in reach. From outside Valery's striking arc, she threw a jab to keep the Jedi Master at bay and followed up with several powerful strikes.

Valery, however, was much faster.

She slipped underneath the hook meant for her face, and landed a nasty uppercut straight into Elena's gut. It folded her over, but a swing of her arm kept Valery from exploiting her moment of weakness. The fight was on, and with just that one move, people began to realize just who this little woman was.

But even with this revelation, there was an odd tension in the Force.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Well, only a fool judges combat ability by a difference in size."

By appearances, perhaps Valery was the weaker one. But she was a warrior of many wars now. Far more than most Epicanthix saw naturally. Experience would always make the superior warrior. Kahlil watched in relative silence after that, not just for the fight, though. After the problems with the other Epicanthix just the other week targeting their family, he was paying attention to everything else around them.

Valery's fight would be uninterrupted.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Wedding Ring

"Da! Da!" Eryx squealed each time Mom dealt a blow against her opponent, whether it was blocked or not. It all looked the same to him, and he was completely enthralled watching it happen. Valery was putting on quite a show too, and she very clearly held back on how much she allowed the Force to strengthen her. She was going to win this fight, but she wanted to keep it somewhat interesting for herself.

Until a sudden, surprising burst of speed caught her off-guard. Elena's fist clipped against her brow, sending her head back with a bleeding cut. Eryx whined and kicked around but even in what had been an inevitable hit, Valery was still in control. She used her momentum and spun around while one leg came off the ground. Elena had hoped to catch Valery while she was hit, but instead walked right into a whirlwind of a kick. A devastating blow struck the side of her head, and the woman went down.

And stayed down, her body at an awkward angle and twitching.

Gasps and flashes of shock passed through the crowd, and Valery stood with her eyes wide for a moment while a little drop of blood ran down her face.

Fighting had its risks, but she had never expected this.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You're mother's the strongest woman I know."

He spoke to Eryx as they watched, a faint smile on his face. Even as she was clipped, he didn't stop smiling. Even as she was bleeding he hadn't stopped smiling. Epicanthix fought with the intent to win. That was their heritage. Even a bleeding wound wouldn't stop them. Shouldn't stop them. And it didn't stop Valery in the slightest.

One solid kick, and the fight was over.

He didn't move from where he stood, instead just watching the two. More waiting to ensure the fight was actually over. This was Valery's show, after all.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Eryx turned his head to look at his father. With his mouth open a little and those relatively big, green eyes focused on him, it seemed as if Eryx understood what he was being told. Deep down, perhaps he did to some extent. His parents were his everything, and he spent a lot of his time around Mom. Not being with her or Dad was the worst.

He liked having them close.

His Mother, meanwhile, stood in the center of the training ring. The blood that ran down her face didn't even register, but the seemingly lifeless body of her opponent certainly did. People were frozen, but finally, someone sprinted into the fighting arena to offer her aid.

"Is she dead?" someone whispered.

"You killed her!" someone else called out from the crowd.

Eryx looked back at his Mom, and it was as if he could feel that something was amiss. He stretched out his little arms and began to softly whine.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You're mother's far better than that, little Eryx. Don't listen to the others. Just watch her."

He waited for her to turn, to meet his gaze, then simply gave her a nod of his head. He didn't feel death in the Force. There was no sprits waiting to cross over. Whatever had happened wounded the woman for certain, but she was alive.

"No one is dead. Rather than shout inconclusive information, fetch the doctor."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Eryx sniffled a little but he seemed to calm down. Not because he understood that Mom was alright and that nothing bad had happened, but because Dad was just as comforting. His deeper voice was soothing, and in close proximity, the little Noble could find peace in his father's gentle heartbeat against his own body.

"Daa," he squeaked softly, before looking at Mom again.

He still wanted her to get back.

"She's still breathing," the man said who was crouched down beside Elena. "Let's get her to a doctor." He looked up at Valery for a brief moment, nodded, and then began to help take Elena away.

Valery just... stood still. She felt a lot of eyes on her, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. Attention wasn't something uncommon for her, but never really in this way. For the first time, whether warranted or not, she felt like an outsider.

Her eyes slowly turned to her husband, hoping to find some comfort there. She still had blood on her face and she was a little shaken by nearly having killed the woman, but she managed just a faint smile when she saw him with their baby. He was such a beautiful little thing.

"Daa!" Eryx exclaimed even louder when he caught his Mom's gaze.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

There were a couple of quiet murmurs through the crowd, but nothing on her being feared or excluded. The Epicanthix were warriors first and foremost. They were powerful, strong, ad prideful. And they respected the strength of others. Especially those who could win. Even with all the goading and negative attitude of Elena, they didn't see someone who'd done something wrong.

They saw the victor.

Kahlil stepped over, stilly carrying Eryx in one hand, before reaching up to trace a rune on her cut. Just to stop the bleeding, though as usual it wouldn't actually heal anything.

"Good job, love."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

It was all in her head.

The Epicanthix were warriors and with every honorable fight, there were still risks involved. People could and would get hurt at times, but modern medicine was more than capable of preventing serious, lasting injuries. Even Elena would be just fine after some time spent in the Bacta tank. Valery, meanwhile, was recognized as victor.

Not a problem.

Valery walked over to her husband with a smile that made her seem more at ease. She stopped in front of him and stood still like a child whose mother wiped away leftovers from their cheek. With a simple rune, the cut stopped bleeding and Valery finally threw her arms around him for a hug.

"I don't know why I was worried there. I really didn't put in lethal force. I used what you taught me to show off for you..." she looked up and into his eyes. Eryx, meanwhile, flailed his little arms towards Mom.

She was just out of reach.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You've been around too many Jedi."

Kahlil snickered before he brought Eryx closer to her. He wasn't going to deny their son his mommy time, at least not at the moment. Even if he totally didn't get jealous he wasn't that hard of heart to deny him after seeing her kick ass.

"You did a good job, though. You should be proud."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

"I even married one," Valery said with a grin before she looked down at their baby. He wouldn't stop flailing and it was likely he'd cry if he didn't get attention, so it made sense that Kahlil offered him up. Though, as he did, Valery could feel that he wanted some attention himself. In an instant, her grin widened and she gave him a hip bump just to tell him one little thing.

I know.

"Did you like watching Mommy fight?" Valery then asked little Eryx, who cooed and giggled happily now that Mom was hugging him gently against her chest. Valery planted several soft kisses against his head and started to sway back-and-forth, just to keep him calm and content. "Our little fighter, hm?" She looked up at Kahlil and nodded.

"You know, he won't bite if you claim a hug or a kiss. If he does, he doesn't have teeth yet, so..." She smirked and waggled her eyebrows.

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Oh I know, but he's been very eager for your attention after you won." He chuckled a little as he did lean over to steal away a kiss. A brief one, at that. He didn't want to anger their little one too much, especially with so many still around.

"What to head back to that play place?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

"He's always eager for my attention," Valery said with an amused little giggle, "But yours too, you know." She never wanted Kahlil to feel as if he wasn't loved just as much as she was. Sure, babies could sometimes be drawn more to one parent over the other for a little while. But deep down, little Eryx needed his dad around just the same.

"That said, Momma wants your attention too," she said after Kahlil stole a kiss. "And I do have something I want to talk to you about." Her tone was a little more serious, but not in a bad way.

Just a conversation they needed to have.

"We can go back and let Eryx play while we talk?"

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Then let's head in."

Whatever it was she wanted to talk about, it was something he did to. Totally not to avoid the fact that she was onto him and his not jealous demeanor over their son. Once they made their way back inside he got Eryx down to once more play with the others, sat with Valery, and smiled just a little. "So.. What's up?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Wedding Ring

She knew.

This time, she wasn't going to call it out, but she had finally seen it. That was all that really mattered to her — not teasing him, but knowing he loved her attention so much. In this case, it made him a little jelly of their son, of all people, so it was cute and not something serious to poke at him for.

Soon enough, with Eryx in her arms, they entered the little shop again. People gave her some looks for having left earlier to fight, but more out of respect than anything else.

"This feels... odd," Valery said while she put Eryx down so he could go play. Her eyes shifted back as she sat down and leaned forward onto her elbows.

"I wanted to talk about Thurion. He visited recently and gave me these..." she reached into her purse and produced two rings with a familiar symbol on them. "He gave them and made quite the request that I'd like to discuss with you."

Kahlil Noble​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That's what it means for us as Epicanthix, love. It'll feel normal eventually."

He chuckled just a little as they settled down, though he raised a brow right up as Valery presented the pair of rings. He recognized them immediately, of course. Thurion Heavenshield was one of his father's greatest foes, and one of the Noble's closest friends. "What was the request?"

Valery Noble