Don't Be A Stranger

[Amz]

​

The 589 Penthouse Apartments​

Location: Cloud Landing​

Time: Early Afternoon​

Months had passed since [member="Kerstan Blackmoore"]'s kidnapping and subsequent rescue of her children. Marcus and Karina currently slept soundly in her arms now, a rare occurrence, but a testament that they were safe from those early days of terror. There was still no telling what had been done to them before her and Damon had finally arrived to bring them home; she only knew that she would not be able to enjoy quiet, blissful moments like these, if it hadn't been for the good friends who'd helped them in their greatest time of need.Each time she rocked the twins in her arms she was reminded of that fact, and squeezed them a little bit tighter to ease the ache she felt in her bones whenever the thought of losing them again, crossed her mind.

A knock on the nursery door brought her out of her mood, the chair she was in coming to a creaking halt as a tall and elegant older woman floated into the room in a graceful way that Teyla had never been able to imitate, despite all of the training she'd received as a Handmaiden. Tucking each individual blanket snugly around the babes, Teyla slipped slowly from where she was seated and met Sera halfway, carefully passing the twins into the woman's arms. "Our guest has arrived? I wasn't expecting him to be here this early. Good thing we prepared the spare room ahead of time." she smiled down at Karina and Marcus, giving each a soft kiss on the crown of their heads.

"Indeed. Shall I put Marcus and Karina down in their cribs?"

"They've only been asleep for a few minutes...but yes, please." Teyla nodded. "Hopefully, they won't wake up this time, but if they do..."

"Of course." Sera interjected, "Now go, it's rude to keep a guest waiting."


"Right..."

She was still unused to having the stern governesses presence in her home again, but her elder brother, Kintel, had insisted that the children be given the same opportunities they themselves had had, growing up on Naboo.

That conversation had been a point of contention between her and Damon; of course it didn't help that her husband and her brother could not see eye to eye with each other, but since this was the extent of her families meddling, Teyla fought to have it allowed. She'd pleaded the case of Sera being a previous handmaiden herself, not to mention that she had a direct hand in helping to raise her, and would be able to protect the children when her or Damon were not around. In truth, the plea was done to keep the peace between the men in her life. So far, the plan had worked.

Donned in a dark blue business casual outfit, Teyla looked herself over one last time to ensure there wasn't any spit up - or other fluids that she'd missed, on her person, and went to find Ar'ekk in the living room of their flat.


Her smile was nothing but warm as she came upon him, opening her arms to give him a hug. "I'm glad you were able to make it, it's so wonderful to see you! Your presence has been sorely missed."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Cloud Landing, 589 Penthouse Apartments​

"Luck always came with a price tag."
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"Far too long, Teyla. I'm glad to see you again, it's been a while."

So many things had occured since the last time both Arekk and Teyla seen each other: Both of her children had been kidnapped by a Sith Lord yet promptly rescued by yours truly, the reunion with [member="Athena"] that left him more in doubt than clearing answers he had and overall trying to live again in the city of sin which was Lithios.

He had made a promise to bring Karina and Marcus back to their mother's arms and thankfully he was able to fulfill that promise unlike what had transpired with his daughter Atefeh and beloved Jyn before the first was taken away from him and his lover was murdered in cold blood all those years ago.

Arekk spent so many years wishing it was him that had died instead of them but finally was able to see the light to do something selfless and not let that happen again.

Because of that... Teyla was able to be reunited with her children and Arekk could find, at least a little, peace in his soul and mind.

"How's everything going, huh?" He said while pulling Teyla in for a hug, patting her back gently. "I haven't set foot here in what feels like ages."

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[member="Teyla Riggs"]​

 

[Amz]

"Well it has been, you haven't been here since those first few weeks after we returned from Indupar."

she smiled a little and lead him to the open floored living area that looked mostly barren with stale decor that was likely included with the flat. Two pale leather sofas sat adjacently from one another and she rested into one, proffering a hand to indicate that she wished for him to join her.

"Things here have been...quiet, Damon left a few months ago to Confederacy headquarters to seek out a pardon for smuggling and offer his services in the military. I've been here...watching our children grow. Hardly a fair arrangement, but we're making due." There was no reason to mention hers and Damon's plan to go after Kerstan this way, once they'd learned about his service in the Confederacy's government. She didn't wish to trouble Arekk more, especially not after everything he'd done for them before.

"I'm just really glad you agreed to come. I wasn't sure if you would, since we hadn't heard from you since your return to Lithos. How has everything been, since...?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Cloud Landing, 589 Penthouse Apartments​

"Luck always came with a price tag."
—————————————————————— ​

"Yeah, Indupar... Quite a journey. But I'm happy to be here, to see you and the kids again."

Arekk happily followed Teyla through her home until they arrived to what seemed the living room, promptly sitting on the other sofa that she so kindly pointed out and crossing his legs. It was certainly silent but in a calm way, Teyla's children were most definitely sleeping so it was nice for a change to have some little time for yourself to enjoy. He definitely knew how a kid could drive you crazy.

"The Confederacy? Yikes. But, you know, each to its own. He's a good guy." He made a sour expression but he didn't want to say more than that, Arekk never agreed with the ways of that people. "It's not easy to raise your kids alone but you're strong, Teyla. Ask me? You've got this through and through."

The former Jedi turned slicer would always be there for his friends and no matter what the circumstances were he'd do whatever they needed, for them and specially for Marcus and Karina.

"Truth be told I really don't know. Lithios has been quite the experience lately and I am not sure how to feel about it. I.. I saw Athena. By chance. Out in a coffee shop, I approached her and uhm... She didn't recognize me at all. I've been stuck in my penthouse doing some remote work and it's driving me nuts. But besides that? I stopped drinking, sort of. I'm just fine."

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[member="Teyla Riggs"]​

 

[Amz]

"The Confederacy? Yikes. But, you know, each to its own. He's a good guy."

“Well, my homeworld Naboo is in Confederacy space and has been for some time now. It was the logical choice, really. Damon will do well with the new position, and I think it might help ease the discord between him and my family.” She pressed her lips together and put her hand to her neck, rubbing. It wasn’t something Teyla could fix, even if she wanted to. Damon had to work through it on his own and she knew it.

“When they found out what I’d been up to in the years since my disappearance, they didn’t exactly look well on our relationship, especially not with his ‘questionable’ smuggling background from years before.” That part didn’t bother Teyla, she could handle the haughty critiques, the side-eyed looks, and clicking tongues. She’d grown up in that world, and was certainly no stranger to uphill battles and weathering whatever storms came against her.

Parenthood though? She could definitely say that she was underprepared when Damon had left, especially when she was left with Sera, illustrating how much she’d changed from the Naboo royal handmaiden, and how distanced she’d become from the station she’d been born to. The two women had already had a couple of confrontations over how to handle Karina and Marcus, but Teyla was often tired and frustrated enough that she gave in to the prompting of their stern Naboo nanny.

"It's not easy to raise your kids alone but you're strong, Teyla. Ask me? You've got this through and through."

The smile on her face faltered very briefly and quirked back for appearance sake. “It’s nice to be reassured, thanks for the confidence.” Teyla knew that having a husband far away was the least of most peoples worries in this galaxy. She was certainly more fortunate than most, no matter how acutely she felt Damon’s absence.

"Truth be told I really don't know. Lithios has been quite the experience lately and I am not sure how to feel about it. I.. I saw Athena. By chance. Out in a coffee shop, I approached her and uhm... She didn't recognize me at all. I've been stuck in my penthouse doing some remote work and it's driving me nuts. But besides that? I stopped drinking, sort of. I'm just fine."

Teyla listened as Arekk spoke, attuning to his feelings and trying to open herself up to the emotions. It was something she was becoming quite good at doing, pregnancy having honed her empathic abilities. She could feel the ache Athena’s absence had created in Arekk. She’d known from Athena what happened, but kept that confidential and said nothing to indicate that she’d had any previous knowledge on anything. “I’m so sorry Arekk… that must have been a very difficult encounter for you, and confusing for Athena, no doubt.” Teyla wasn’t going to pry into anything, but if it was something he wanted to talk about, she would listen.

Her brown eyes shifted to the droid entering the room, carrying a tray of steaming tea that was set on the table between them, then silently wandering off to its next task. Teyla motioned that he was welcome to help himself.

“You know, if you need a break from it all, you’re welcome to stay here on Cloud Landing for as long as you’d like. I was hoping you might think about it, honestly. I can’t promise that it will be any more exciting than what you’ve been doing on Lithios… but maybe staying away for a little bit and doing something new, would be helpful?”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Cloud Landing, 589 Penthouse Apartments​

"Luck always came with a price tag."
—————————————————————— ​

"Naboo, huh? That's definitely one pretty place to be, I visited it once a couple years ago when I had a small job to pull off. Beautiful skies, even better sunsets."

Arekk wasn't too fond of the Confederacy for a plethora of reasons that he wouldn't openly disclose with Teyla out of respect but despite him never making it deep into their ranks there was something off-putting about their organization he couldn't exactly pin-point that made him feel this way. It wasn't important to the on-going conversation so the man simply brushed it off and let the idea vanish into the air.

"People's always gonna judge you, that's just how they are. It's in their nature." The former Jedi pointed out clearly and reassured his point right after. "You just make sure to not listen and continue doing your thing. Or maybe that's just my thinking. Depends on a lot of things. You did what was best."

The slicer couldn't help but feel a high respect for Teyla because raising two kids on her own with an absent husband to give you a helping hand was rougher than anything else in this galaxy. It was truly an ordeal to deal with two small demons ready to pull off your hair and drive you straight into craziness so Arekk had to give it to her, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to deal with that alone if the opporunity arose.

"Difficult? I don't know. Confusing for both? Yes, absolutely. By the time we saw each other again it had already been six months since she moved out, so I kinda dealt with things my own way. She didn't not only recognize me, I think she definitely didn't know who I was, like her mind was wiped or somethin'. I wasn't going to keep on opening old wounds so I felt it was right to part ways. I had already moved on and so did she. End of that."

Teyla had always done good by both of them ever since they met on a backwater planet trying to steal credits from a vault in who-knows-where in the most peculiar way. From assisting her during pregnancy to saving both Karina and Marcus from the captivity of an evil Sith Lord... Their friendship was invaluable.

"I really appreciate that, Tey. I am definitely going to stay because I am sick and tired of the rain. Every. Damn. Day." He seemed amused by saying that, the chuckle that followed after was enough evidence. "Always up for something new. If it keeps you going then I'll take it all the way."

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[member="Teyla Riggs"]​