Private Destressing

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"Mommy, read!" Aurra called out with a gighle while she waited for her mother to return from the kitchen. Valery had poured all the kids, Colette included, a glass of homemade lemonade and brought the tray over. She put it down on the table, then sat back down on the couch to pull Aurra into her lap. While Aeryn and Adam were crawling all over Colette, little Aurra just wanted her mother to read her more stories. She couldn't get enough of the books, and she didn't mind reading the same one dozens of times either if there was nothing new.

As long as mom was reading them to her.

"Colette? You doing good over there?" Valery asked with a chuckle before she pulled the children's book into her lap with Aurra and started to shift through pictures. It was a new book about animals in the Galaxy, but Aurra always stopped at the exact same few.

She loved the tauntauns the most.

"If they're too much, you can tell them to stop," she added, knowing that especially Aeryn could be difficult. But at the same time, after everything that happened, maybe dealing with some troublemaker Nobles was the fun distraction Colette needed.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

The might monster gently chomped towards the adventurers with a wacky growl before they finally managed to pin it down against the cushions of the couch. Of course, with the children being as young as they were there was no real threat involved, despite who their parents were. Colette laughed as she sat back up again and they decided to jump on her back.

"I'm okay." She smiled back at Valery. "Kids being kids."

"Read them the one about the nerf and the tauntaun after this. They love it when I tell that one for them." She grunted as Aeryn began to pull at her arm and shoulder. "Or maybe, not when they are in the mood to ride my back."

She chuckled and lifted the unruly child in front of her and held them high before easing them down into the couch again.

"Aeryn, it seems like Adam is winning…"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"Is that so?" Valery asked before she leaned down enough to kiss little Aurra's cheek, "You wanna read about the nerf and the tauntaun, sweetie?" Valery asked and Aurra's eyes widened. "Mhm! Mhm!" she hummed and kicked her little feet up and down in pure joy. As long as it involved, animals, she was going to love it.

Aeryn, however, was far more focused on fighting the beast.

"Nuh uh!" she exclaimed after being set down, now fired up because her brother was supposedly winning. Aeryn was not accepting this, and charged the monster with a loud "Raaah!" before she threw her arms out wide to try and tackle Colette. Adam blinked, looked at his sister and crawled over to help her out.

They were always a team.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

The nerf and the tauntaun was a really old story about a race between the two. The nerf, while slow, made continuous progress towards the finish line while the tauntaun who knew it was so fast that it would outpace the nerf with ease decided to showboat enough to let their guard down long enough to fall asleep and wake up just as the nerf was about to cross the finishing line.

All in all, it was a story about hubris, and one that Colette had enjoyed a lot as a child herself.

"Oh no…" Colette laughed and fell over from the tackle. "You got me! You got me."

There was such an innocence to the whole thing. These children didn't have to worry much about life yet, and some part of Colette still felt responsible since she had taken care of them when Valery couldn't. She supposed like an older sister of sort, which when the thought struck her made her look around to see if Vera was around.

"Where's-" She inhaled, taken aback by how out of breath she was. "Oh wow, I need to slow down for a moment." They must have been going at it for an hour at most by now. "Sit down for a moment and we'll continue after the story, okay?"

Colette lifted the young ones and placed them in her lap as she folded her legs to cushion them.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

While she was reading Aurra her book, Valery still watched Colette and the other little ones from the corners of her eyes. Seeing them all happy over some silly play-time brought a smile to her lips, and helped remind her just how good life could be as well. There was a lot to worry about, from Mandalorians to Sith and the Underworld, but coming home made it all a fight worth fighting.

"Vera is on her way home, so she'll be able to help you with those two," Valery chuckled and looked at Aeryn and Adam.

Even in Colette's lap, especially Aeryn seemed eager to try and crawl away, so she could play with her toys or just move around. Sitting still to read books wasn't for her - a little something she had in ber because of her mother.

Valery had only learned to appreciate reading later, too.

"Thanks for helping out today, Colette. The kids really love it when you're around." She smirked and watched Aeryn attempt her escape.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

"Oh! Good. I miss her." Colette admitted and reached out to keep the children from escaping. "I mean, I love being around them, so…"

Aeryn tried to escape, she was always the first. Colette solved it same as she always solved these things: with a slow but gentle lift off the ground to stop the escapee dead in her tracks before she circled right back to Colette again who wrapped an arm around the kid with a hug before she did the same for Adam.

"Honestly, Cora makes it seem a lot worse than it is. They are just pushing limits and having fun, like kids do." Sure, that was annoying at times, but not enough to warrant avoiding them. "Besides, I was always told that pain is a good teacher. If they do something stupid and end up hurt, it'll be a very important lesson, y'know?"

Wait, this was Valery they were talking about.

"N-not that I actively want them to get hurt. Of course. Only within reason. Scrapes and bruises."

"Some people learn best through mistakes."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"It makes me happy to hear that," Valery said with a very warm smile. She knew how difficult her kids could be sometimes, so if people enjoyed being around them, she'd always be happy about it.

Valery then watched Aeryn with a grin while she made her daring escape attempt, only to be picked up by Colette. She giggled, kicked her feet happily back-and-forth, and hugged herself up against the Jedi Padawan after being placed back into her lap. Of course, Adam was quick to follow his slightly older sister, and got the same treatment.

"Aeryn Jade Noble, you better stay with Colette or Mom will just have to tickle you." She flashed a smirk and then looked at Colette. A brow was raised and she chuckled right after.

"I know what you mean. It's normal for kids to fall and hurt, but they learn and stand up stronger. Just...within reason." She brushed her hand against Aurra's cheek and kissed the top of her head.

"Hmmm, think it'd be fun to go for a walk with all of them? Or visit something fun, like the park?" She asked, and it was as if those very words summoned the oldest of the Nobles - the door opened, was closed again and Vera plopped down her backpack with a loud thud.

"Mom, I'm home!" She yelled while she started taking off her jacket. From the hallway where Vera was, Fuzzy, Vera's Racyon, came running out ahead of Vera and charged right at his food bowl.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

A walk in the park didn't sound bad. It would let them tire each other out without too much input from Colette who was already somewhat tired from the hour-long playtime. She nodded at Valery only to shoot her attention over towards the hungry, hungry racyon and its caretaker.

Because 'owner', or worse, 'master' was a disgraceful word for such a beautiful thing.

"Heya, Vera." Colette beamed a smile at the kid and shuffled the kids' off of her lap and began to stand up. "We were just talking about heading out, if you want to come along."

"You might even get to pick where to go if you decide fast enough, hm?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"Colette!" Vera's mood brightened up even more somehow and she ran over with her arms wide for a big hug. "How are you doing?" She asked with a smile before pulling back to give her mom a hug as well. Valery held her close and kissed her daughter's forehead before letting go, so she could answer Colette's question.

"The park! Aeryn and Adam love it there," she said with a big nod. They were the most energetic of the kids too, so it'd be a good way to tire them out. Little Aurra just wanted to stay with mom and read stories to be happy.

"Alright, let's put on your shoes and we'll head out. Maybe Colette will take you guys to the slides, hm?" She looked at Colette with a grateful smile. She must be pretty tired already, but hopefully this would be fun and relaxing enough.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Big warm hug for the eldest sister.

"Better, thanks." She smiled and let the kid go hug her mother as well. "Will I ever?" Colette faked an indignant scoff at Valery as she leaned down to help the children put on their shoes in preparation for the slides. Aeryn was the most inclined to run out in her bare socks, or at least so it would seem. Still, Valery and Colette would both successfully bring the animals to heel and with their boots to — well, boot — as well.

It was selfish of her to be so unconcerned with the storms on the Jedi's horizon, but given the last few weeks it felt as if Colette had earned herself that right to be a little selfish. The idea of letting her mind focus on the blood she would be forced to spill in the coming months had a bad tendency to bring her down into that same pit of despair, and today was better off if she stayed out of it.

"Just have to get there and we can…" She trailed off. The memory of a man's head slipping from his shoulders gave her a moment to freeze before she swallowed her breath and continued with a slight nod. "It will be great."

Her eyes met with Valery's for a moment and she gave the master an affirming nod that she had indeed yet again allowed her emotions to get the better of her for a moment, but that she was pushing past it.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

After putting on their shoes, Valery caught Colette's nod and offered a reassuring smile. Today, and even in the coming days, Valery didn't want her to worry about anything related to the Jedi. For as long as Colette needed, she'd be able to stay here and just enjoy some family life with the Nobles. It wouldn't be an escape forever, and Valery would definitely seek conversation when it felt right to do so, but all in small steps.

Right now, the next small step was a fun little trip to the park.

"It's going to be okay." Vera took Colette's hand and squeezed it, while she looked up at her with a smile. She wasn't as experienced as her Mom, so she couldn't really give useful advice, but she could be there for her big sister. That counted for something, right?

Valery meanwhile got the triplets ready, and placed a hand on Colette's shoulder at the door, "Why don't you and Vera walk ahead of me a bit and get there first? The little ones always want to stop at the pond and feed the animals there."

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

A brief look of surprise flashed across Colette's face as she found her hand squeezed. As her eyes met with Vera's however they filled with warmth and she raised her hand in order to ruffle the kid's hair.

"Of course they are," She said and pulled the kid in for a somewhat noncommitted hug from the side. "You're here, and so is your mom."

Valery offered to give Colette a head start and it was one that she happily took. She held the door open for Vera to step through before giving Valery one last appreciative smile and a nod as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The smell of nature was immediate. Colette liked it here a lot, but it was still… It wasn't home-home. It felt wrong to call it her own home as much as the home of someone she respected a lot and who she felt welcome with. Which was not to mention that it was just a place, and Colette had always had problems staying in one place for too long given where she came from and how life was there.

Some habits just refused to die, it would seem. You could remove a nomad from the road, but never the road from a nomad.

"So, how was your day?" Colette asked and looked at Vera. "Did you do anything cool?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

Vera took the side-hud as an opportunity to wrap her arms around Colette's waist again. It didn't matter they already hugged — that one had been to say hello, and this one was more important. After the hug, Valery looked at her Mom when she made the offer for the two of them to go ahead, and she was grateful for it. She loved her siblings but it was nice to sometimes have a bit of peace and quiet with just Colette.

"I'm happy you're here, too." She nodded and stepped outside after Colette.

"My day was okay, but lessons were boring. We had to lift rocks again and I wasn't allowed to throw them." She looked at Colette with a smirk, just to see how she'd respond to the last part of that sentence.

Though deep down, it would have been fun to throw them.

"Do you get to learn more fun stuff when you have a Master?"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Colette feigned another scoff.

"No throwing? Are they trying to hinder your growth?" She grinned and gave the kid a gentle nudge. "I mean, seeing as my master is your mother, I learn a lot."

"She tries to challenge me. Some other times she tries to use exercise as a means of wiping a stupid grin from my face." The teenager scrunched her nose to try and hide a frown for a moment. "Not a lot of that lately. Mostly meditation and ways of controlling strong emotions."

There was a brief moment of silence before,

"What is it you think you need a master to learn?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"Right? It's no fun to stack them." She grinned and then listened to Colette. It made sense that she was learning a lot with Mom as her Master. She didn't care she was biased — Mom and Dad were the coolest Jedi in the Galaxy and as far as she was concerned, they knew everything! She was certain that Colette would become just as great with their help.

But also because of who she already was as a person.

"Hmm, I need help with my visions. Mom and Dad make sure they don't bother me too much, but I need more training. They also think it's important I learn from someone else. Someone who isn't too protective of me." She still struggled with that, clearly, as she looked uncomfortably at the ground.

Having lost her dad for years, and nearly her mother to being captured, she didn't like being separated from them for long. If she kept them close and focused her visions on them, she could keep them safe.

"Will you teach me things, too?"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Jedi kid problems didn't seem much like regular kid problems. Colette gave Vera a knowing nod and let the kid speak her mind about her dad and her mom which in a sense had been the more common complaint that Colette had heard from other children as a kid herself. Although maybe not quite so much about the hardships of training to be a powerful farseer.

"I'd hope so." Colette smiled as she answered Vera's question. "Maybe not in the force, but we could certainly get out there and practice trapping and hunting."

Okay, so maybe saying they should potentially harm little critters wasn't the best idea. Colette shook her head.

"It isn't always a bad thing. Trapping is useful for catching animals who could otherwise hurt themselves or others. I was taught from a very young age to only hunt for food when I absolutely have to, and to make do with what I already have."

Colette gasped excitedly.

"We could go camping!"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

"Really?" If she was going to have to learn from Jedi besides her own parents, then from others she considered family would be great! It'd mean spending more time with Colette, and she'd learn something useful at the same time. This made Vera smile warmly, and she bounced a little at the idea of going out there somewhere. Away from the Temple, away from busy Coruscant or other planets she'd rather not be on at all.

Just Colette and her, out on an adventure!

"I think it's okay for Jedi to learn how to hunt and trap. We can get in survival situations too, right?" She smiled some more and turned her eyes forward as they neared the park. It was huge, and there were plenty of other parents bringing their kids out to play. Vera knew some of them, but she was more interested in Colette.

Especially when she heard an excited gasp.

"Yes! I'd love to! But... will Mom and Dad let me? They are very..."

Protective. Even Vera knew this.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

"Parent-y?" Colette finished with a grin. "They're just scared because of who they are and what they do in their lives. I never knew my parents, but my clan elder was certainly not shy about pointing out that I shouldn't do this or how I shouldn't do that."

"I think we can convince them. For one, I can be very stubborn, and second, we technically don't need their permission. It'd just be nicer if we did."

"... That said, your mother would murder me if I ever put you in any real danger."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Colette

Vera just chuckled at Colette's grin and nodded, "I like it that they make sure I'm never scared or in danger. But... sometimes they don't let me have fun too." Which, more often than not, was to keep her safe and protected but the young mind of a chaotic child wanted to roam free and just experience new things too!

Luckily, Colette seemed to have the solution to her problem.

"Don't need permission?" She grinned and looked over her shoulder to see her Mom and the triplets slowly making their way over after feeding the animals near the pond.

"Hey Mom! Colette said we're going camping and we don't need permission!"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

… But deep down, Vera was also still just a stupid little kid. Colette held back the sigh and groan as the child decided to tell on her to mom in the loudest way possible.

"I didn't say that!" Colette added. "I said that we could, but that a certain Jedi Master would murder me if we didn't."

Half-truth-ish. The lines left unspoken, so to say.

"That said, I would be happy to take Vera out camping some day. Show her how I spent my days when I was her age and all that."