Childhood Memories

[Kaili Talith]

There was only really so much Kaili could do before this day would arrive. Nuts and bolts had been sorted away, all grime and dust had been meticulously swept away for the inspection. Fingers dragged themselves across all surfaces of the little shop to check for any leftovers and with a quick exhale Kaili would allow herself a brief moment of relief. Today was the day, the big day, the day her father finally came around to visit. As much as she wanted to say her father would have been okay with seeing the shop in a state of minor stagnation, he was still one of the key investors in this particular venture.

The key investor, come to think of it.

She had put her only real product on the workbench for him to see, highlighted by a lamp shining straight at it for reasons that she wasn’t quite sure of. Perhaps to gain her father’s approval beyond that which she already had. Which admittedly was most likely already a lot. Live up to her name, now that was most likely the real reason. All of the kids had managed something great within their very short lifespans, yet Kaili still felt like the one who didn’t live that one out to the fullest of extents. Aela was a Jedi Marshall within the Galactic Alliance and Micah was out and about the galaxy more often than he was home it seemed.

Then there was Kaili who moved house a couple of islands away and opened her own shop. It didn’t really sound as cool or awesome in comparison to her other two siblings, but she wouldn’t really complain. It kept mind off of things.

An ever familiar presence grew closer. Kaili did a last minute check that everything was in order.

Yep. Everything was greenlit. [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] could arrive when ever he wanted to.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Soliael had four children, four wonderfully complex, wonderfully intelligent, and wonderfully determined children.

All of them had their own strengths, all of them had their own weaknesses, and Soliael loved each of them equally. Aela had her steadfastness, her belief in the cause of the good and justice, the idea that the Light would always eventually burn through the dark. Micah had his optimism, his ability to see paths where there were normally none, his twin had a drive to explore, to see the galaxy and map it within her own mind, to watch as beasts and creatures alike came to her. Kaili, Kaili had his own gifts.

She was the only one of the four that had truly studied under Soliael, who had learned to manipulate the ethos of technology. It was a gift that was exceedingly rare even among force users, something that no one really bothered to learn anymore. It was that fact that endeared him to his youngest daughter, perhaps more so than to the others. She had followed in his path, not exactly, she was no false God of course, but she was a techno-path, or whatever they called themselves.

That was why he was proud of her little endeavor on Borleias, why he had come to see it today.

He smiled slightly as he wandered up to the door, his knuckled pressing against the heavy wooden door three times in solid knock.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Closer, ever closer, all they way up to the door and... Knock, knock, knock. The kid rushed her way through the shop. Now was the moment of truth. Kaili’s hand touched the handle to the door and with it she threw herself around her father.

“Father!” The kid exclaimed in excitement. “Missed you!”

By all means it would seem that Kaili was doing better. The ship crash was still weighing on her mind like the rock that it was, but she had learned how to deal with it. Not entirely, but she was most certainly doing better than she was a few months ago. She smiled, ate, moved and worked without keeping everything as reticent as she usually did. All things considered she had stepped back into the world of normal people again without letting the trauma get the better of her.

Micah had, after all, told her to stop fearing life. She’d lie if she said it hadn’t worked at least a little bit.

“Come inside, I’ve cleaned up around the shop as best I could.” Kaili eagerly nodded as she ushered her father through the door. The meticulous levels of cleanliness would be evident in the near-sterile environment she had turned the place into. The shop was still as homey as ever, but something made it all just seem... Perhaps a little too clean.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"You didn't have to do that." Soliael said with a smile as he gently squeezed her in return of her embrace.

The ancient Master looked around the shop for a moment, perking an eyebrow when he saw just how spotless the place was. He was reminded of when Kaili's mother cleaned for company, going over every single bit of the house with a feather duster, wet wipes, and pretty much every other cleaning tool that was known within the sentient Galaxy. Generally when Kira got that way Soliael had to leave the house, simply being titled as 'in the way' because of his refusal to capitulate to her insane cleaning standard.

Apparently Kaili had inherited that trait.

"You know I saw your room growing up, right?" Soliael said to his daughter with a smirk. "Place was a mess twenty four seven."

Oh he understood the gesture that she was trying to show, attempting to impress her father, but it was unnecessary. Soliael hardly cared about what his daughter's workshop looked like, he would've simply been happy to see how she worked and where she did it. He didn't need any special treatment, nor would he have judged her for keeping the place a complete mess. He himself hardly ever cleaned, probably why Kaile's mother threw him out when she went on her sprees.

He smiled slightly at her. "Don't think you could do any worse now."

 

[Kaili Talith]

Cleanliness was pretty important in her business, or so she was told by other workshop owners. It seemed like every time she had entered other workshops around town they’d have spent half their budgets on cleaning alone. Sterile white walls and floors that sparkled like the insides of a geode, no thank you. Still, Kaili was deep under the illusion that was what her father would have expected to see. Only her walls were a far more steely brown-gray mess and her floors just as equally drab. It felt more like a throwback to the old apartments from almost eight-hundred years ago. Big and clunky, but robust and timeless.

“I know, I know, but this is what people would expect.” Kaili shrugged. “My room growing up is a good reminder of what a workplace shouldn’t look like.”

All things considered, Kaili had managed to clean her act up since then...

... At the cost of becoming more and more like her mother without ever realising it.

“I have been pretty busy lately.” The kid took her spot behind the counter and let her attention follow her father around. “Though most of it is droid repairs. The droid creation business isn’t as active as I’d have hoped, sadly.”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"Repairs huh?" That didn't really surprise Soliael all that much. Most of the time when people wanted new droids they tended to go to the mass manufacturers of the galaxy, the tried and tested places that had produced thousands, if not millions of droids. It also didn't help that Kaile wasn't exactly located on a planet that was known for its manufacturing capabilities. Borleias was...well at it's central it was a paradise worlds, known for its beaches and wide open oceans, a place to take a vacation.

Not buy droids.

It would make sense that his daughter was tasked with repairing droids instead of building them, mostly because the surrounding villages and towns on Borleias would likely want her repairing all of their old machines. Most people who lived here couldn't actually afford to buy new things, they had to make due with repairing the old. Soliael knew that well enough, having represented this world within the Republics Senate for nearly two years.

He knew the demographic, knew what they liked and how they lived.

It didn't translate well to allowing Kaili's business to survive and thrive. "Maybe we should take out some advertising for you."

"Something with the SSB." Soliael said the words with a smile. It would likely cost quite a bit, but then again money was never really an issue for them. "Get your name out there."

He wandered around the shop for a moment more, picking up the severed head of a droid and looking into it's photoreceptors. The ancient protocol droid was a deep silver color, wires hanging from it's neck and one of it's servos clearly missing.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Wasn’t that the truth. Droid repairs was profitable by it’s own rights, but hardly what she would have wanted to sign up for. She still played a very important part of the island chain’s precious little ecosystem, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t allowed to be just a little dissatisfied about it. Taking out advertising was a thought that had crossed her mind, but she hadn’t really acted on it. Was she ready for that influx in customers? What if it became too much? Or was she perhaps placing a bit too great of an expectation on what an advert actually did?

Questions.

“I could do that.” The kid shrugged as she took a seat on the counter. “I mean, speaking of the SSB, I still have some of the credits I earned from the Arceneau-Kuhn wedding left. Though it’s not a lot.”

Kaili valued her independence, her father would know that. Making something out of herself and shaping something of her own was important to her. This business was a reality very much thanks to her father, but she liked to think she was bound to end up in a state of complete economic independence sooner or later. Though that wasn’t the reality of it, at least not at the moment but maybe soon.

Maybe.

“So, how would we do that? Do we just... Call them? Orrr, send them a letter?”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Soliael smiled slightly. "I think I have Mrs. Arceneaus' number still."

The False Gods of Moross had once done business with Danger Arceneau, a long time ago of course, but generally when something like that happened, when something of that magnitude occurred the people involved tended to keep track of one another, even long after business was concluded. Miss Arceneau was not the type of person that one tended to forget, though she'd never really been Soliael's type. He smiled for a moment, then stepped over to his daughter.

His hand ruffled her hair for a moment.

"Why don't you let your mother and I pay for the advertisement." Kaili was independent, all of his children were, but this wasn't something that would be cheap, and the money that she had made should be her own. It wasn't like this would be a financial strain for Soliael and Kira...nothing really was, and he would like to see his daughter succeed in this, especially since she took after him the most out of any of the kids. Well...as much as any of them could. "Consider it a birthday present, or Life-day, whichever you prefer."

The former False God winked at her, then slowly began to look around the shop for a holo-station, something that he could use to contact one [member="Danger Arceneau"]. "Or, consider it an investment."

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili grunted and scrunched her nose as her father messed her hair up much like Micah would have. Difference being that she wouldn’t get angry at her father as a result, of course. There was that distinct difference between when a brother did it and a father did it. Mainly the intention of it. Soliael doing it was a sign of care or endearment, Micah doing it was mainly because he knew she disliked it immensely. The scrunch went back to a full-blown smile in no time and with it Kaili started to follow her father around the shop.

“You can pay, if you want to.” Kaili reached up to scratch the back of her neck. “I think I still have her number from the wedding.”

The kid approached the shop counter and opened one of the drawers. Shuffling items from side to side she eventually found it. The small piece of flimsiplast seemed to weigh ever so gently in her hands as a reminder of her first success. Because if filming the wedding of two trade giants wasn’t a success, then quite frankly Kaili didn’t know what was.

The business card was handed over to her father and she helped lead him towards a holo-station in a remote corner of the shop.

“I think I will take it as a gift.” Kaili grinned as she leaned herself against the nearby wall. “A very wonderful birthday present that I will try to one-up some day.”

And then she decided to do it. Break the uptight come-and-go propriety-and-title-using rule. Just this once.

“... Thanks, dad.”

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

Soliael followed along with his daughter, eventually slipping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her close into a hug. He squeezed her tightly for a moment, offering her a small smile as his bright orange eyes wandered around the room and towards the terminal that Kaili had pointed out. He embraced his daughter for a moment more, eventually releasing her to let her breath. The former False God wandered over to the small terminal flicking the card against the table before glancing at the number upon it.

"Don't worry about it." It really wasn't anything big considering just how much money the family actually had. He'd never quite shared the whole sum of it with his kids of course, never needed to, but he knew that they likely suspected it was enough. They owned an island, a house on another world, had enough influence for Soliael to become Senator of Borleias, and had never really wanted for anything. His children weren't stupid, they would know just how well off Soliael and Kira actually were.

"Now..." He trailed off slightly as he began to key in the number. "Come here."

Soliael motioned for his daughter to join them. This wasn't exactly a favor, [member="Danger Arceneau"] would understand that, it was a business advertisement. Many corporations used SSB for that, though they were far bigger. This...this was simply a small business trying to get ahead. The terminal rang for a moment, eventually an image of a young woman appeared, a Twi'lek. "Hello, This is Soliael Devin Talith, former Senator of Borleias, I was wondering if I could speak to Mrs. Arceneau."

He assumed that she still used her maiden name.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

It would be quite the interesting visage to greet the former Aesir. One that was reminiscent of the Queen of Eshan herself.

[ Namaste, former Senator Talith. ]

Feathered blonde hair would fall in soft pleasing waves down the side of Saffron’s face. She wore a cordial smile.

[ My deepest apologies. Mrs. Arceneau is currently indisposed on her honeymoon. ]

There was an apologetic timbre to her explanation, followed by a pleasant widening of her smile.

[ I am happy to assist with any needs. ]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili kept herself occupied elsewhere. As much as she would like to say she had valuable input with the topics being discussed between her father and the SSB representative, she really didn’t have any other than maybe greeting her. Which in the end, wasn’t really all that important either. Her attention set on a nearby pack of droid parts instead and she started sifting through each bolt and nut that she could find. Carefully sorting them away into different boxes and compartment Kaili looked over her shoulder to keep an ear out in case he or the lady on the other side of the holocall decided to call her name.

Instead she found out Danger was still on her honeymoon. Go figure, those could probably take a while. Then again, Kaili would lie if she said she hadn’t lost track of time. It came with locking yourself up in a workshop.

The kid picked up a screw and held it in front of her. Last time she sifted through a pile of parts like this was because the entire tool box had fallen to the floor because of that one droid gone crazy with Henry. It was a one-off occurrence, but it still stood out from what normally happened around here.

Perhaps a testament in itself of exactly how boring it could be to just stay cooped up like Kaili was. Sure, she often swung by her parents’ place for a good measure and to check in every now and then, but other than that -- or rather, until recently -- she didn’t do much except sit around at home.

Well, that time was coming to an end.

Hopefully an ad on the SSB was a good way to make sure of that.

[member="Saffron"] // [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]​

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Saffron"]

Soliael watched his daughter for a moment, then slowly snapped back into the real world as he heard the womans voice over the comm-link. "Oh, how nice."

Alric Kuhn was the man that Danger Arceneau had married, a business man of some sort that had worked for the SIth not too long ago. Soliael had never met the man, and unlike many others he felt no envy towards the catch he had somehow managed to find. A small smile pulled at his lips however, remembering the 'honeymoon' that he and Kira had shared. The title had never really fit for them, since their marriage had basically been a honeymoon in it of itself for its entire span.

"I wish her all the best." The sentiment was genuine. "As for business, well.."

Soliael reached out and grabbed his daughter, gently tugging at her sleeve and pulling her into the view of the Camera. A broad smile split Soliael's face, pride beaming from him as he began to speak. "My daughter has a small robotics business, repair and the construction of new droids. The latter part hasn't seen much activity however, and we were hoping that through SSB she might be able to expand that facet of her business."

He grinned, genuine warmth pulling through his features.

 

[Saffron]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"] | [member="Kaili Talith"]

Saffron would shine them both a cordial smile.

[ We are aware of Miss Talith's talents. ]

A small incline of her head went towards the younger blonde's direction in greeting.

[ Mrs. Arceneau was very well pleased with the holo-video documentary and holo-pictures provided of the wedding, Miss Talith.]

Proper gratefulness was due.

[ I am sure that Mrs. Arcenaeu would be pleased to invite Miss Talith into the Southern Systems Business Bazaar Directory. ]

As the major port for vending throughout the galaxy, it would certainly put Kaili's name out there.

[ What sort of expansion were you desiring?]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili was caught off-guard by the tug at her sleeve. A surprised look went out to her father before she softened up and stepped into view with the camera. She felt a bit like she was in that spot she tended to be in when it came to her parents, her father in particular. He was showing her off again with nothing but pride, as was evident in the grin running from cheek to cheek. Kaili too smiled as the representative spoke of the footage Kaili had provided from the wedding. She had been thorough with that assignment in particular, fully understanding the weight of her responsibilities with it.

“Thank you.” Kaili too nodded her head in appreciation. Only the smile quickly faded right quick as she found herself dumbstruck by the question posed to her. What kind of expansion did Kaili want? How was she even supposed to know or phrase that? Making it known that she did not know was just about the first thing she could do. And as a result...

“As my father said I work on droids, and although I offer repairs I have been hoping to expand my customer base. Reach those who want a tailor-made droid. Something created to help with everyday life.” The kid shrugged. “I guess all I need at the moment is more customers. Something to make the credits roll in and such. Perhaps expand, once I’ve gotten somewhere, but that’s almost getting a bit too far ahead of myself.”

Was that a rambling mess? Because it felt like a rambling mess.

“So, erm, yeah. I just need to be seen for now.”

[member="Saffron"] // [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]