Private Children of Shiraya: For Ardor's Sake

[Cybelle Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren
__________

Naboo.

It was everything she remembered it to be. The sweet smell of fresh air filled her head and placed certain unfavorable events on hold. Exegol was…A victory. History would show that the Galactic Alliance had achieved all that it set out to do. That the presence of the Sith in that sector of space had been diminished to the point of eradication. But, their work was never done.

Jedi could never rest—Because they were always needed.

Cybelle had thrown herself into anything that might require the services of a Knight while they waited to move against long-standing threats. The campaign would begin on Naboo but they were slated into a holding pattern until word came from the Council that it was time to move. The whole event was deeply personal for many involved, though, few would truly understand the difficulty it wrought on one family. The Sal-Soren and Ee'everwest's, respectfully, had been through it.

Were still going through it.

Hopefully—It would all end soon.

"Brew a cup a day. The herbs will help with inflammation and the antibiotic will stave off the infection. Just follow the instructions and you'll be right as rain.", Cybelle informed what felt like her hundredth patient on the streets of Theed. True to form Naboo went out of its way to take care of her people and arranged to have supplies and care ready for those in need of it. They'd taken in many over the years from the wars in the core. Many, were still in temporary housing.

Cybelle treated what she knew how to with teas, poultices, and the efforts of a mortar and pestle—But there were other things that needed more immediate assistance. The less fortunate were often afraid to seek assistance out of fear from owing governments credits they didn't have to spare. This left injuries untended and wounds open to fester. Bites from sea snakes and bellies that were distended from improperly eating too many gungan spices. Like many other worlds—Naboo wasn't perfect.

But it tried. More than most.

Cybelle had a wealth of medications to distribute courtesy of her Master and set about to making sure that everyone who needed to be seen would be. Medics moved around, double checking work, while making sure everyone had breaks and a hot meal. She could see Brandyn in the distance near a fountain keeping a swath of younglings busy while their parents either got treatment or applied for civilian tax paid assistance. Her elbow rest on the counter for a moment, cheek in hand, while stealing a few seconds to watch him move. Smile.

He hadn't been doing enough of that lately.

One of the wizened medics elbowed her and good-naturedly wagged a finger. "I know, cute as a bugs ear, but he's…"

"He's what?", Cybelle asked, curious, while reaching out to wave to the next patient in line. The poor man really seemed to be in pain. She couldn't use the Force to correct every ailment or she'd burn out before the end of the day. But, she could fix some. The worst. Those where modern medications would only extend suffering, not, correct the problem. "How can I help you today, sir?"

"He's taken. I heard from Cookie, isn't that right Cookie, by some exotic royal from Hapes. Supposed to be the prettiest woman this side of the verse."

Cybelle felt her eyebrows raise slightly, slowly, while nodding her head to the gossip with a barely amused smile. There were so many stories that filled the Jedi Order since they'd arrived back after Exegol that Cy really wasn't surprised. Still. She smiled shyly and glanced down at the wound her patient presented with a vested interest. She did not want to hear all the fantastical things these women crowed about, giggling, as if they were twelve.

Tawny orbs swept over the deep laceration.

"And how did this happen?"

"Farm equipment…Blade got stuck and I tried to—"

"Unstick it? Forgot to turn it off?"

The man looked sheepish for a moment and nodded his head. Cybelle smiled, softly, reassuringly, and closed her hand over the gash. There was no light. No fanfare. Just a kind expression that distracted him from any mild discomfort. The caramel-eyed Knight healed the injury to a point where it would only be a tender scar before letting the man go with some instructions and ointment.

Cybelle marked down what was used, his name, and the injury. It helped to know what they might have used so they would know what they needed to restock. The medi-staff were still glancing over at Brandyn, chuckling, and Cybelle could only shake her head while the hens kept chittering and chatting it up with one another. The Ee'everwest's were pretty well known here…But that wasn't surprising at all. They did a lot of the community—Of course the family would be the subject of discussion.

"That's enough now, focus, ladies…", she chided gently while sterilizing her work space. Cybelle turned to wash her hands thoroughly before settling back on a stool to wait for the next patient. She had visited with countless people, some, that just wanted to hold her hand. To heal the soul versus a physical injury that needed mending. They had all lost…So much.

A young woman approached with a youngling wrapped up in a decorative blanket. The night-blind woman smiled in greeting, though, the mother looked very upset. Afraid. "Hello…My name is Cybelle. What can I help you with?"

"This is Nuell…I'm Mannan, her mother…We…", the mother started, but immediately burst into tears. Cy stood up swiftly with concern and reached for a box of tissues. "It's all right ma'am…Here you go."

Cybelle settled the woman as best she could but the moment she saw the child in her arms she knew what had the woman so upset. The babe was deformed. Her lungs seemed to be in full working order as she was capable of laughing and crying but her face seemed to have arranged itself into something that resembled modern art. The Knight found a certain beauty, a uniqueness to her, but the mother was worried about her quality of life. About organs that weren't quite in the right place.

"Everyone says that Jedi can perform miracles…Can you…?"

Cybelle didn't answer right away. She didn't know.

"I'm not sure.", she began honestly, but, at seeing the woman start to crash she immediately jumped in to reassure her, "But—We can try. It might be beyond us…But we can try."

It was the truth. Cybelle didn't know if she had the strength to undo what nature had done in order to give this little one a life unburdened by disability. Perhaps, it required more than one of them?

Her head looked up and she waved to Brandyn to get his attention.

Perhaps it was possible if they both tried. Even though Cybelle kept very little hope for herself...She kept an ocean of it for those in need.

"Leave her with me. Get something to eat, some water, and try and relax. I promise I won't leave the area with Nuell and you can check on us any time."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Theed, Central Plaza
Tag: Cybelle Sal-Soren

There was a lot of ill feelings hanging in the air. And all in spite of the beautiful day his hometown was putting on. Not only the weather, but the good that was being done in the plaza. It was all beautiful. Brandyn marvelled at Cybelle and the ease with which she served the people of her adopted home. Endearing was the least of how he perceived her.

A group of children had gathered about him. One had caught his attention trying to get a drink from the fountain in the middle of the plaza. Brandyn had waved his hand from a few meters away and caused a splash of water to his the child in his face. The young boy was immediately petulant, that was until his friend called Brandyn out for being a Jedi. Within seconds, there was a gaggle of children nipping at his heels.

"Can we see your lightsaber?"

"Can you make me float?"

"Hey mistoor, have you fort any bad guys?"

There were tugs at Brandyn's sleeve.

"Come now, Gani. Leave the man be," came the soft, almost apologetic voice of one of the younger children's mother. Aldani, Brandyn wondered, the accent giving them away.

"They are not a both, friend," Brandyn said with a reassuring smile, while stooping down to their children's level.

The mother seemed to relent to a further delay as their little daughters appetite for Jedi parlour tricks was satiated.

"Would you like to hear a story?" Brandyn said, eyebrows aloft and scanning the eyes of his audience for permission to continue.

"Show us the Fawse!" Called out a boy with possibly the cutest little voice Brandyn had ever heard.

"Oh I shall...my friend...I shall," Brandyn said, tone reassuring and patient. He held out one of his hands, and the children looked on as he pulled leaves off of the ground with the Force and had them settle in his hand. As he did so, he began to regale them with one of the plots of a lesser known Holofilm that he was sure they had not heard before, the story of a Jedi on a quest for lost Jedi Temples, and all the perils they faced.

While the children seemed impressed by the story, a couple of the parents showed signs of being in on the ruse, they both grinned and rolled their eyes.

He could hear some passers-by talking about him. They were locals, and knew who he was. Unfortunately, that meant they knew all about him. Probably even the dreaded breadstick escapade. What he heard them talking about caught his attention...they were talking about his love life. The joys of being a public figure.

"Hey...you stopped telling the story!" One of the older children piped up.

"Ah yes..."

Leaning into the big dramatic finish, and now with quite a stack of leaves on his hand, Brandyn suddenly raised his voice with the triumphant climax of the tale, and the leaves flew out in a gust of non-existent wind. The children jumped back, swatting away leaves, bursts of laughter and glee run forth. Brandyn, too, found himself smiling. The weight on his soul just a little lighter for that moment.

Cybelle caught his attention.

"I am sorry my friends. But important Jedi business calls me away," he said in an uncommonly official tone, clearly acting up the part of heroic Jedi.

"Oh but please..."

Multiple protestations rung forth, parents apologetically pulled their children back towards them, and Brandyn waved his hand to assuage their concerns.

"Wouldn't want me to be late for my next mission, would you?"

Muffled responses to the negative were provided, all reluctantly. Even as Brandyn moved away from the group that had gathered, he found himself spinning back on his heels to glance back at them fondly for just a moment. It was a half-smile that spoke of a hitherto absent longing that greeted Cybelle. The feeling that Brandyn carried was one that even he didn't quite know how to interpret.

"The Hapan Princess calls, and I answer," he said, loud enough for a few gossips to hear, "how can I be of assistance?"

His words trailed off as he looked down at the child that Cybelle had ben brought. His eyes flicked up as if to say, "Really?" His head tilted in quiet resignation in that he knew she would want them to try.

 

[Cybelle Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren
__________

Cybelle tried not to pay too much attention to Brandyn while he entertained the younglings, though, it was difficult. She liked to watch him move. Smile. People-watching had been a fond pastime when she'd felt as if her destiny was to exist on the outside. To watch others and protect their happiness at the expense of her own. Brandyn had unknowingly taught her that it needn't be that way. With his headstrong, free spirit, and endless affection…No matter what she thought of herself.

He always thought better.

The way the medics were giggling about him, chattering away, caused an odd sensation. She wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed or proud. It left her stuck with a hidden smile and a pale blush that she hoped would be attributed to the warm day. She rocked the half-awake half-asleep child in her arms as well as she was able. She knew the basics of holding an infant. Be gentle, support the head.

But…Nuell was in so much discomfort.

It wasn't that the youngling was screaming or anything of the sort. But Cybelle could feel how she constantly shifted in soft silks to get comfortable. It meant that she would be cranky, inherently, because it seemed that she was only resting for a few minutes at a time. No child would be at their best without a moment of peace. "It'll be okay…", Cybelle hushed, quietly, trying to mentally run through a care plan that might have positive effects. "This is Brandyn...Brandyn—Meet Nuell."

At the greeting that Brandyn leveled his "Hapani Princess" nearly melted into the floor. The ladies in the tent giggled, getting a good look, before scurrying back to their duties. Surely, he was joking. He couldn't possibly be in involved with such a meek Knight that barely met any of their eyes. Right? Cybelle turned her gaze back toward the infant in her arms and prayed, silently, to the Force that her cheeks would stop burning. At the acknowledgment of the child, she reflexively began to sway again.

"I feel like I must try. Can you not feel it…? She's…miserable."

It wasn't that she looked terribly distorted from the outside. Her forehead was a little too large. Eyes too close together—But what really stood out was the way her arm was connected to her torso. It had certainly fused incorrectly and would likely later lead to a hump on her back. Her bones were still soft, malleable enough, that they could set it right with minimal pain. It was the rest she worried for. Cybelle had learned a lot from Gianna over the years, though, she didn't know if it would be enough.

The auburn-haired woman moved toward one of the empty exam tables and set the youngling down slowly. "Can you help me turn on the equipment? We'll need scans to see what's going on…", she paused abruptly when Nuell began to fuss at the chilled surface, regardless, of the blanket that protected her. Cybelle let her hand rest on the table for a moment and warmed it up while making little hushing sounds to try and reassure her. "I know it's scary without Mom but she needs to look after herself for a little bit while we look after you. Hopefully—We'll have some answers soon. And we can get you feeling better."

Cybelle…Couldn't imagine any shape or form of the Light that would condemn a child so easily. There was a pacifier attached to her blanket and the Hapani thoughtfully offered it to Nuell, smiling, when it was accepted. Her face brightening seemed to please the youngling and she began gurgling in a way that seemed like happiness? Cy couldn't tell, but it was better than whimpers.

"I know I'll need more from you, Bran. I might be able to help her but I know I can't do it alone…Is that okay?"

If it wasn't she would have understood. Cybelle would need to…Draw on Brandyn. On his connection to the Force and merge it with her own to temporarily amplify her gifts. It was the power of hearts and minds aligning in a halo of goodness for a specific purpose. More Jedi would have been better, Gianna, would have been best of all, but they were really the only two free. It wasn't something she would have tried before Exegol, knowing, that it was dangerous with inexperience. Now…She just knew. She was confident that she was on the right path. That—With Brandyn, they could make this little one whole and give her the best opportunity to go on with her young life.

So…She asked him. To be her rock. Her tether. Her lifeline and light in the dark.

She reached out and curled her fingers in his sleeve to draw him closer, enough, that she could let her head rest on his shoulder for a moment. A faint gesture of affection. Enough that he would know…But distant enough to keep her mind on the task at hand.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Tag: Cybelle Sal-Soren

Of course she had to try. It was who she was. Brandyn's expression of disbelief softened to admiration. He was no healer, but she always had been. If he could provide assistance in the attempt, of course he would. He simply nodded in quiet assent to her wishes. He looked down again to the little one. A smile of compassion finally creeping across his face. "Hello there Nuell. I am Brandyn..."

Little Nunu...

The equipment. Right.

"Sure. No trouble at all." Brandyn moved with no small amount of uncertainty as his mind ran through the brief training he had received on the equipment. Dial one to half way. Dial three to the top. Depress both buttons five and six simultaneously...no...five and seven. It all seemed needlessly complicated.

He glanced over at Cybelle. His smile was now for her, as he watched her interact with the child. She was a natural. She would make a good mother. Brandyn looked back to his equipment with a red flush across his cheeks. His mind had already leapt to multiple scenarios that were better left unimagined if he was to remain undistracted.

Is that OK?

Distracted. Yes, he was.

Brandyn looked up at Cybelle only to realized that she had just spoken directly to him, and was looking expectantly for an answer. He opened his mouth to reply but another sound distracted him from the side. He glanced by instinct to the left to see an elderly woman, hunched over a mobile repulsor stand which she clearly used to maintain her mobility. What was supposed to be just a cursory glance from Brandyn lingered, just a little. She was whispering. Something under her breath. Slowly, the woman's age wearied hand stretched out towards him. A single crooked finger was left pointing directly at him.

A sense of foreboding washed over him. He glanced nervously back to Cybelle, and then to the woman again. Under much mental protestation, his legs finally began moving towards her and bent down on to one knee to come eye to eye.

"May...may I help you, ma'am?"

Her whispers were audible now. Voice scratchy and worn.

"Four to doom. Or four to deliver."

"I'm sorry?" Brandyn said feeling as though he needed to pull away now, "what...what is the problem that we can help with?"

"You...are...doom"

"No. I'm Brandyn," he said, though felt foolish for the attempted redirection via a pun.

"Doom. Doom. Doom."

"Mother! There you are," came the voice of a younger, but still weary looking woman that was already taking the elder woman by the arm. "I am so very sorry...she has always had a flair for the dramatic."

Brandyn smiled uncomfortably, while standing and watching the woman walk away. He felt like an eternity passed until she had shuffled out of sight. He could feel Cybelle near him, her comfort very much needed. "So...Nuell...whatever you need, Cybelle," Brandyn said, clearing his throat and getting back to his distractions.

 

[Cybelle Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren

Brandyn acquiesced to her rather indelicate request and he was rewarded with a radiant smile. It was sunshine and birdsong, with an effervescence that silenced ticking clocks, both a cage, and a door that was ever open. It was an echo of hope. A sense of possibility, of light, and a seed of love that was ever-growing. It was an expression that he would know, by now, was all for him. "Thank you…", she responded, kindly, though her nose scrunched up cutely as he spoke to the youngling in her arms.

He was so sweet, sometimes.

Most of the time.

All the time.

Cybelle minded little Nuell while absently listening to Bran get things ready. Most of it was automated, though, it would need to warm up so that the images would be clear. So distracted with the gurgling child she dismissed it when her newly crowned assistant was pulled away by an elderly woman. They were hosting cures, in the city, in a medical tent, after all. It made perfect sense that someone else might ask for his help. Whether it was to help them stand or move someone to a repulsor medical capsule…No one really needed her more, at the moment, than Nuell.

"You're such a good girl…", the Jedi crooned softly, carefully, trying to reassure her patient. It must have been so scary to have strangers poking and prodding at her while she was in obvious discomfort. As the machines began to give signs that they were ready for use she gestured toward the large handle of a large diagnostic device. It would let her see what was wrong without exposing the little one to anything too harsh. Smoothly, it rolled toward her, and she looked over her shoulder when Brandyn returned.

Her hand rest momentarily on Nuell's stomach with a feather-light touch. Just enough, to know she wouldn't roll from the examination table. Her head tilted while she looked at Bran. Something felt a little off but she couldn't put her finger on what or why. Instead, she reached up with her free hand and brushed a little wayward hair from his eyes. "Everything all right?"

Delicate fingers dashed past his cheek, ever discrete, but still so tender that she might as well have been spelling her affections into his skin. Cybelle brought her attention back to the scanning equipment and began to take a few preliminary images. It took little more than the click of a button but she did have to let go of Nuell so her hand wouldn't get in the way. She did, however, let the youngling play with her fingers and the jade bangle that was always around her wrist while waiting for them to load on the holo-display.

When they did…Cybelle could feel her heart sink. Hard. Nuell's organs were horribly twisted, and inflamed, while her joints were fused incorrectly. She'd never seen anything like it. Not even in the backwaters near Theed where medical care was still frequently based on grinding nettles and boiling leaves. The best she could speculate was some sort of genetic condition, or, environmental poisoning during fetal development. "I don't know how she's breathing as well as she is…Or even…"

How she was alive, at all.

Cybelle reached for Brandyn again and took his hand to show him the damaged areas so that she might teach him a little bit more about practical healing. When they reached into the Force to close wounds it took a lot of strength, but also, a lot of faith. It removed a lot of the guesswork and compensated for a lack of knowledge with the purest energy in the universe. Until Exegol…She had believed that the Force had limits. That there were things, it could not do. That perspective had significantly shifted.

"Even if I can repair this, she'll need treatment for a long time. Medicine, that's hard to come by…"

Her lips twitched to the side, though, she immediately thought of her Master. Surely…Gianna would help with follow-up appointments and make sure that what Cybelle had done didn't naturally regress. "Younglings heal faster than adults, so, it's good that we start now. They can remodel and even reshape their bones. Grown-ups are rather rigid but little ones have this…Elasticity, to them."

"They can literally bounce back."

That didn't mean that little ones wouldn't endure significant pain and suffering, but Cybelle would take care of that. The young brunette kept Brandyn's hand and moved it so it would rest on her opposite shoulder. "And the other side too, please.", she asked kindly, waiting, until Bran was standing behind her. Her head bowed and her hands stayed on the little girl. Still, soft as air. Any pressure at all was likely excruciating but Nuell sure did love the jade bangle. It was good that she was distracted.

There would be a subtle shift in the air. Most, wouldn't notice.

"You might feel a little strange…Let the Force move through you, but, think of yourself as an extension of me. My hands are your hands. My body, your body. My mind, your mind. Let your thoughts be of Nuell being happy and whole. I'll pull on that river and use it for amplification. It will let me take her pain and begin mending with totally burning myself out at both ends."

At first, nothing happened at all. Then her hair began to wave, clothing shifting, just slightly. As if tugged on by an invisible wind. Her heart flooded with comfort, understanding, and the knowledge that this innocent soul didn't deserve the blistering hand that fate had dealt. There was no flash of light. No glittering moment when her actions began to take hold, however, there was a sickening sucking sound while the youngling's shoulder and arm rotated back where it ought to have been.

Nuell didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest, though, Cybelle buried a wince. Pain like this had to go somewhere. It only made sense that she hold it. The small, misshapen body, slowly began to resemble something more recognizable. It was just…Achingly slow. The young Knight minded where her connective tissue should be, where, and how her internal organs should connect and naturally flow from one part of her to the next. Cybelle had been skeptical at first. Worried, that she wouldn't be able to help in a way this child so desperately needed. But, with Brandyn?

Her doubts and worries…Vanished.

Cybelle took in the mental impression of Nuell's left eye that was swollen shut, pressed too high, and her right that was warped and seemed to be permanently fixed looking up and slightly to the left. One of her cheeks was sunken causing her mouth to droop inward. Some might call it cosmetic but if they didn't help her, inside and out, her life would be so very hard. Cy didn't want that.

Healthy, pink flesh began to appear while Nuell regained her color. She had strong legs now that were angled the right way and waving arms that were chubbily holding on to the bracelet on Cybelle's wrist. Gurgling, with delight at something they couldn't see. The child grew stronger.

Cybelle, grew weaker.

"Just a little more…"

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Tag: Cybelle Sal-Soren

Was everything alright?

”I…don’t know,” Brandyn said, realising there was no need to hide his uncertainty over the event. If anyone needed to know, it was Cy. If anyone could help him, it was Cy. Her delicate touch was enough to lure him away from the precipice of contemplation that threatened to nab him from the moment. If this encounter with the elderly woman had anything to do with the dreams he had been having, he was not coming to that conclusion anytime soon.

He looked down over the young one. He could feel her suffering, it was beyond just the occasional yelp or squirm she would offer. She was a youngling that had adapted to a degree of pain that seemed beyond what most could bare. Nuell was indeed a natural fighter.

”…we will see to it that she gets her medication. Insure my father’s funds are put to some good use…for a change.”

A nod of agreement was offered as Cybelle explained the rigidness that sentient beings grew into. Nothing could be more obvious in his own family, and not just in regards to skeletal rigidIty. He spared Cybelle any quips about how stubborn the Sal-Soren family name made people. It was a good thing he did, the joke would have insinuated a desire to adopt his last name.

She guided his hand to her shoulder, and held on firmly yet without too much pressure. On her command, his other hand was placed upon her other shoulder. Standing behind her, Brandyn bowed his head and focused on opening himself and his own connection of the Force up, permitting another mind access and even control of his presence in the Cosmic Force. It was a level of trust he doubted he could offer to any other being, even a Jedi Master.

The process began, and Brandyn could feel Cybelle’s soul adrift upon his very essence as she guided his mind towards the act of repairing Nuell’s tiny body. He watched, through closed eyes, means by which Cybelle gave of herself in a very literal way to heal the young one. Cybelle’s own life force was transferring to the youngster, a part of her spirit imprinting upon the form of the child, with it a part of Cybelle herself was offered and a door to the healing powers of the Force were opened.

He felt his darling Cybelle failing for energy. But he also knew now the methods by which he could relieve her own weakness.

As crude and unrefined as his technique may have been, Brandyn’s attention turned toward Cybelle near the end of the procedure. As she gave of her own life force to repair Nuell, Brandyn gave of his to sustain Cybelle. The stream of energy flowed from the Force, directly into Cybelle.

It was not long before he himself found the weakness manifesting within himself.

 

[Cybelle Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren

Tawny topaz eyes tenderly searched the chocolate hues of the man she loved for a long moment before nodding slowly at the reply. Contrary to popular belief—Not knowing if things were okay was actually…Okay. There were times when Cybelle felt so sure of everything in the universe, then, there were moments when she felt like she was standing on the thinnest of ice for what seemed to be no reason at all. "Talk tonight?", the soft request was laced with care.

She wanted to help him with anything she could. Even if it was just to be a person-shaped sounding board while he worked through what he was feeling. Sometimes, it could just be good to get it all out.

The selflessness that Brandyn displayed in offering to cover Nuelle's medical expenses, even, using funds from his Father drew the sweetest smile to her lips. It wasn't the fact that he was taking a half-handed crack at Baros Sal-Soren but the fact that he was willing to use what would one day essentially be his legacy to help an underprivileged little girl without thought. His heart was a well-rounded, thoughtful, beautiful thing. Not for the first time…She felt a little undeserving of his affections.

…But entirely blessed all the same.

When it came to taking care of the child on the examination table, truly, the noisy medical pavilion faded away. The door opened. The bridge connected. It should have frightened her to hold something so damaged and believe that she could mend what had been broken without any form of hubris. She was confident in her understanding of modern medicine and the Force—Not supercilious.

Regardless, Cybelle knew she would have failed were it not for Brandyn.

There. Present in the ether of effervescent energy, seemingly effortlessly, as the anchor that kept things from falling apart and out of control. She could handle every searing agony that passed from the child into her. Cybelle could deal with that. She could, and would, swallow that hurt. But…It took time. More than she had anticipated…More than most would willingly offer another human being. It wasn't selfishness—Merely self-preservation and an act of conservation. They would see Nuelle as an empty vase where their efforts would be the water that slipped through the cracks. Wasted, on the floor. Cybelle saw it as a chance to fill those cracks.

Make it so that…the youngling could live. Really, live. Realize her hopes.

Dreams were everything.

Between the two of them…They could give that back. Opportunity. Possibility. Nuelle could be the Queen of Naboo in a decade or two. Who knew how life could ripple?

The faint hum of energy that surrounded them slowly dimmed as Cybelle found herself unabashedly leaning against Brandyn for a moment. She felt sore all over. As if she'd just run a marathon, or, picked a fight with a bruiser from the Outer Rim. Her left hand rose to cover his, the one on her shoulder, and her eyes closed for a moment. Taking the split second to love him throughout. Nuelle had her rapt attention…But he did too. "Look…", she breathed to Brandyn, slowly, releasing him to pick up the little one. If there had ever been anything unnatural about her it seemed to have been corrected.

Nuelle looked like Nuelle…Just like a jigsaw puzzle that had finally been solved.

Cybelle kept her right hand on the gurgling child's stomach while checking her vitals and scans. They were clean. The prognosis was…Positive. No more deformities. "We did it."

"She did it."

Cybelle beamed tiredly up at Brandyn before reaching to gather Nuelle back into her arms. In the moment it was a strange feeling. Recognizing her energy, their presence, wrapped so thoroughly around someone else. A nod toward a dumbstruck medical assistant had the young woman immediately searching for Nuelle's mother to tell her the good news. Cy began working up the prescriptions and dosages, plus, suggestions for follow-up care. It was always up to the parent of course…But the Shore had the best physicians she knew. "Your control has improved so much…I've seen Masters struggle to blend so seamlessly with someone else. Coordinating strengths that like…It's not easy."

When she needed both of her hands, she passed Nuelle carefully to Brandyn who immediately began to j speak to him in gibberish, obsessing with his hair, about something that seemed very important.

Cybelle smiled and let it be. He had enough siblings…He could deal for a few minutes.

In the end…It took a long time for Nuelle's mother to stop crying. They were the happiest tears Cybelle had ever seen and there were definitely moments when the auburn-haired Jedi Knight was right there with her. Her pain…Cybele would remember it always. Her strength, even, for one so small—Forever.

"Oh these medications…I don't know that I can afford them…"

Cybelle smiled reassuringly and held up her hand to stop panic from setting in. Too many people had to learn the hard way that when something was too good to be true…It this case it was just good. Good—And true. "Don't worry, please, ma'am. Jedi Sal-Soren has…Friends that can help."

It was better than referring brazenly to deep pockets.

"And the Shore will always be available if anything goes wrong."

The sun was setting by the time everything got settled. Brandyn would find thin, though, deceptively strong arms latching about his waist.

"…You did a good thing. Thank you, for helping. For…"

She nuzzled her face into his chest and squeezed him tighter. That was…All she had. He had family, friends, money, and connections all over the verse. This was all she had to give him in return. So…She did. Freely. Love, would never be an issue. "Everything."

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[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Tag: Cybelle Sal-Soren

Brandyn accepted the loving embrace, despite the public nature of it. His cheek pressed down into the top of Cybelle’s head. How did her hair smell so good? He opened his eyes to look over the child, now pulled into her mother’s arms. Both mother and Nuelle had an aura of excitement and comfort. Everything would be OK.

Everything would be OK. It was how Cybelle made him feel.

“You have already seen my mind…there isn’t anything more to fear you seeing,“ he said in response to her compliments about the ease with which he blended with her consciousness.

It was sometimes too much. All of this. All of her. Too much to contemplate life without her.

His lips parted for the briefest of moments with a breath of words that he did not fully grant form. A whisper of a dream. An intent and desire.

”I could be quite happy like this for…the rest of my life,” he muttered. Big words.

Brandyn went a deep shade of red as he pondered if they were indeed true. This was not the adventure he had longed craved.

She was a different adventure altogether.

Flashbacks of his encounters with Darth Wallgof brought to mind the choice that the dark side deemed to force upon him. But the dark side always lied. It was not a choice between the Jedi and Cybelle.

 

[Cybelle Sal-Soren]

Wearing: X
Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren

As the sun continued to dip below the horizon, casting hues of red and orange across the sky, Cybelle felt exhaustion burrow into the marrow of her bones. Her tired but satisfied expression hid itself against Brandyn in a silent acknowledgment of the shared triumph. There was a deep sense of completion to be found in the aftermath of a fusion of energy, a connection that transcended the ordinary. He felt…Closer. Were that even possible.

Cybelle found herself wrapped in Brandyn's arms. Forgetting that they shouldn't be so public in their affections when they were doing charity work on behalf of the Jedi Temple. "There's always more…Not to fear—Just more of you. I could never be afraid of you…", the brunette Hapani countered, though, her voice was muffled against the material of his robes. The silver bell of joy that she felt from doing something so unequivocally good with their gifts was drowned out by a subtle throng of guilt.

Brandyn wasn't hiding anything from her.

She…She hid Exegol from him. Pressed it into a place where she tried not to think about it. Tried not to remember what it felt like to have a lightsaber piece her chest. Tried not to recall how lonely and confused she felt when trying to reconcile with the fact that she might have been more Sithspawn now than near-human. That perhaps…Beneath her Light—There was something evil.

Her arms tightened around him suddenly, needfully, and timed quite close to his admission of contentment. The words Brandyn spoke, softened with a hint of vulnerability, lingered in the air. How could he have known her heart's desire so easily? "Would it be so terrible…"

"If this was our life?"

Helping others, freely, as…As a pair. As healers…As…more than they were now.

Husband and Wife.

Not only Knights to the Jedi Order but…Family. A real one.

She blushed so hard, so brightly, that they likely matched. The honey-eyed woman waited with some level of embarrassment for the feeling to fade. That wasn't what he was suggesting…Was it? Her head was just full of dreamy, fluffy clouds, when he held her this close. It was easy to get lost in the notion of things that could be. Would be, if…If Brandyn ever really wanted it.

Cybelle quietly absorbed the strength and sincerity of his affections and tried not to look too far into it. She would never make him choose between her and their duties but a quiet life would forever be part of a fond daydream. To think that they might not have some new battle, some new evil, right around the corner…It was humbling. Sobering. The evil in the galaxy was so endless. So terrifyingly deep and rooted in the hearts of inherently good people. It was the darkness that drove them to remain peacekeepers…Yet it was also darkness that had given her new life. "Brandyn—"

She wanted to tell him.

She wanted to.

She just… Wasn't ready to talk to him about it yet. Wasn't sure, if he was ready.

But at that moment, amidst the fading sunlight, Cybelle understood that what lay between them was stronger than any darkness. Pure. "…I love you."

"I will always love you."

The ladies in the tent started giggling not too far away and the bubble of warmth that had wrapped around them popped unceremoniously. Cybelle blushed anew but…She didn't let go yet.

Just a few more minutes.

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