Private Children of Shiraya: A Day In The Life

[Teyla Sal-Soren]

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There was no place in the entire Galaxy, quite like Naboo. Throughout all of her travels, she’d never seen a planet with so much green, nor so much beauty, as her home world. It was encased in verdant canopies of leaves, awash with beautiful lakes, rivers, falls, and endless stretches of vineyards. It was what she dreamed of whenever her Jedi responsibilities called her away, overcome with that intangible emotion felt when you know you’ve finally come home.

Teyla had been looking forward to sharing all of this with the triplets, determined to see her children reach adulthood with their characters strong, firm, honest, their family ties to one another solid, and a strong sense of pride and love for their home world instilled, early on.

Being from a prominent family, however, meant that ‘getting away’ could at times prove to be difficult. Especially with a significant other who worked for the Queen herself - making it nearly impossible to escape without at least a few stray details needing to be sorted out at the very last minute.

Fortunately, they’d been able to make it to Lake Country that morning, without too much hassle.

Two of the children were racing around the fields like wild things, Briana and Brandyn beside themselves with excitement since the start of this adventure, while Blaire sat completely still and peaceful next to Baros, with little white blossoms that had blown through the air to find rest amongst her dark curls.

“They never slow down, do they?” she remarked with a soft smile, shifting from her spot and breathing in a fragrant breath of air, soaking it all in. The day was off to a good start, they needed this.

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Tag: Baros Sal-Soren , Brandyn Sal-Soren , Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

What he wouldn't give to truly be away from the pressures of the Queen's inner circle. Even though he was gone, it was still playing in hi smind like a constant stream full of considerations, proposals, queries, counter-proposals and efficiency reviews. Baros watched as Brandyn and Briana ran freely across the wide-open, long-grass covered fields. Briana seemed to have found something in the grass and was encouraging Brandyn to come and look at it. His shake of the head, and her angry stomp of her foot and pointing towards the ground spoke volumes about their relationship. He had been burned by her curiousity enough to not fully trust and she still wanted him to trust her no matter what had happened in the past.

Baros smiled. They would grow in time. It was the little girl to his side that concerned him most. She clung to his arm, not out of timidity but out of a feeling of having only Baros that understood her feeling of being out of the 'loop'. Teyla didn't understand it, not fully, even in spite of his attempts to explain how Teyla, Briana and Brandyn's special connection through the Force meant a special distance for he and Blaire.

"No. They seem to have taken all of my energy for themselves," he said with a rueful smile. His sleep had not been great, but he had not burdened Teyla with this knowledge, trying to keep his times up and out of their bed a quiet, unspoken bother.

Plucking one of the small flowers from Blaire's head, he held it out for her to see. "Here you go my darling," he whispered, "those petals are so beautiful aren't they."

Blaire acknowledged the flower, but was quickly back to looking out over the fields as if Baros had not even spoken. He responded not with reproof but with an understanding patting of her head.

"This is going to be a good few days. It feels like too long since we were all together and just able to be...family," he said looking over to Teyla. Again, he was amazed by her beauty and grace. He had once thought monogomy to be a fool's errand, but now he saw the unfolding beauty of a woman truly worth any sacrifice.

| Teyla Sal-Soren |​

 

[Teyla Sal-Soren]

Teyla watched the interaction between Blaire and Baros, her heart sinking inside her chest. Out of all her children, Blaire was the least like any of her other siblings, and the one she struggled to understand the most. Try as she might, she did not fully grasp the disconnect she and Baros felt from their inability to use the Force, and resigned in herself that she never truly would. The separation bothered her to a small degree, but she endeavored to treat Blaire the same as her other children, hoping that with enough love and gentle encouragement, it would close that ever widening gap that seemed to be forming. There was not much else she could do.

"This is going to be a good few days. It feels like too long since we were all together and just able to be...family.”

She hummed thoughtfully, and smiled, basking in the moment of it all. Baros himself looked semi-distracted, but at the same time seemed at ease, in a way that she had not seen in quite a while. No doubt a result of not having to slog through another bureaucratic report. "It has been, and I’m counting my blessings for every second of it. Also, I was thinking that if we get the chance, we should try and make a small detour to Moeina on the way to the Lakehouse, the spring festival should be in full swing right about n-"

“No! I don’t want to, Bre!” the disgruntled voice of Brandyn was growing with intensity, drawing her maternal gaze to keep an eye on the unfolding exchange, hanging back to watch and see if an intervention would be needed.

“I’m not listening to another one of your dumb ideas!”

Briana’s brows furrowed in mild annoyance, giving Brandyn a dirty look. “Just do it! Stop acting like such a scaredy Loth Cat and help me grab it before it gets away! Nothing’s going to happen...I think.”

“I said no!” he shouted, the situation quickly shifting into what could become crisis mode.

"Guess we better go see what they've found, and what all the fuss is about, hm?"

Baros Sal-Soren

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

"The famous spring festival you have told me so much about..."

It was with some bemusement that Baros looked across at the two rambunctious little Sal-Sorens. Brandyn was trying to pretend that he wasn't interested in whatever it was that Briana and he had found, but was failing miserably. His curiousity was piqued, but he was not being suckered into picking it up on Briana's behalf.

"This ought to be interesting," Baros said as he turned to walk towards the two arguing children, he glanced down at Blaire, "come on little one. Let's go see what they found."

"I'm probably not going to care," she said, little eyes pleading not to have to be put through this again.

"Come along now," Baros said without a hint of firmness, but a generous amount of gentleness in his tone, little Blaire reluctanly acquiesced.

Wandering over the grassy plain, Baros caught sight of a small beaked creature bobbing up and down as it tried to run away from Briana and Brandyn who were doing the darnedest to corale the critter. His pace hurried when he noticed it, just to get a better view to insure it was safe, and not some creature that would lash out if it got desperate. He almost opened his mouth before he saw the tiny blue Tima properly, but upon seeing it found his nerves settling quickly.

"Ah...I see...I see," he said with a wry grin forming, "Briana...give it ago, see if you can pick it up. Just pick it up from the back...so the beak doesn't peck you."

Briana's face went white. "Nah uh, papa! I'm not picking it up!" She protested with a little stomp of her foot.

Baros frowned. Looking to Brandyn, Blaire and then back to little Briana and her determined furrow in her brow. "Then surely you wouldn't be asking someone to do something that you aren't willing to do?" He said, matching her frown and casting a glance at Teyla, "that's not what's happening here is it my love?"

Briana had sunken a little within herself, and lost focus on the Tima altogether which dashed past her and away into the field.

"Bre...you let it get away!" Called Brandyn while he chased after the little blue speedster.

"Is this a lesson or somethin'...I mean...something?" Came the precocious little response from Briana. She looked more upset about her father trying to teach her something than she had with Brandyn for not doing what she had asked.

"You need it," Blaire dared to comment.

Briana simply made a mockery of Blaire's words by mouthing them back to her in an over the top way. This drew the scornful expression of Baros, who opened his mouth to correct her.

"Sorry! SORRY BLAIRE," Briana blurted, "I should be kind."

"To be fair...you both should," he said, glancing down at Blaire who looked offended that the correction would also be for her, but relented while rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, tooooo," Blaire said exageratting her words just enough for Baros to know she didn't mean it. This didn't escape Briana's notice either who decided to be done with lesson time, and turned to run off after Brandyn.

| Teyla Sal-Soren |​

 

[Teyla Sal-Soren]

Baros frowned. Looking to Brandyn, Blaire and then back to little Briana and her determined furrow in her brow. "Then surely you wouldn't be asking someone to do something that you aren't willing to do?" He said, matching her frown and casting a glance at Teyla, "that's not what's happening here is it my love?"

“Certainly not,” Teyla replied, shaking her head with a loose smile through the exchange. Though from there, things did not seem to get much better.

A sort of chain reaction would happen whenever one of the triplets (more often than not, Briana) would get reprimanded.

It was during these times, such as the scene she was currently watching unfold between Briana and Blaire, where the whole idea of motherhood and raising her children into civilized human beings, seemed to be a completely daunting task.

“Blaire,” Teyla admonished, using her cool, reasonable mother tone. Blaire visibly seemed to wince. “I know, that you know, much better than that.”

“But-”

“But nothing.”

Moments like these made her realize how little Jaggen and Sarnae had been present when she and her siblings had been around this age. While there had never been any shortage of love, and she carried with her an abundance of fond memories of her own parents, there was no denying that Jaggen and Sarnae had been very hands off in the day-to-day dealings of their children. More often than not, scuffles and fussings were the nannies responsibility to sort out. Always someone else imparting words of wisdom and discipline.

“Like it or not, Briana is your sister, and the two of you need to try and get along.”

Baros Sal-Soren

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

Despite their underlying disagreement around the children's Force training, Baros and Teyla saw eye to eye pretty near everything for the children. Granted, the Force user training was a big deal, but to Baros that had been resolved and as far as he was aware, Teyla had honoured his request. Many a kind act, thoughtful gesture or loving touch had carried not just the love he held for her but the appreciation for her acceptance of where he stood on the matter. Still, there was the matter of what happened when they turned 16. At that point, hopefully they would not have a connection to the Force that was a live enough to create the desire for training.

"You may hate hearing this Blaire...Briana...but you are both so much alike," he said, "one day you will come to appreciate this. I know it."

Both Briana and Blaire looked at each, scrunched up their nose and shook their head in apparent disgust. Baros just laughed at their simultaneous and symmetircal responses. The children did not seem to pick up on it. He glanced up to get an idea of where Brandyn had gotten too, just in time to see the boys head pop over the cusp of the hill he had run up, and then down the other side. He had a frustrated, near forlorn expression on his face. Clearly, the little creature had gotten away from him.

"You dummies scared it away!"

Briana, who had turned to see what her father was looking at, turned back her Dad with a look of protestation. "How come he gets to call us dummies!?"

"Calm down, Briana," Baros said with a sigh, "no one said he could. We will talk to him when the the time is right."

"Seems like a good time right now," Briana said, defiant as ever.

Baros simply walked past her and patted her on the head as he headed off towards Brandyn. Briana moved away with a reflexive refusal to be placated. She looked up at her mother. "You all treat me differently," she said with a pout beginning to form.

| Teyla Sal-Soren |​