Fruits Basket [Ashin]

[Dissero]

Varunda IX
[member="Ashin Karrde"]'s desk.

On an quiet morning much like any other an unsuspecting package made its way to Ashin's place of work. A humble cube crate, heavy with bounty, opened to reveal fresh fruits from a not-so-local grove, as well a sealed mason jar of Ankarres Honey and a bottle of Ankarres Spiced Mead. The basket itself being handwoven of wood from the very same tree, the entire thing exuded a warm, calming presence.

More particularly was a note attached. Short, handwritten on a roll of parchment, the scrawling of letters perhaps striking as familiar.

To Miss Karrde:

My life has been one of strange events and coincidences. For the vast majority of it I had never believed in fate until only a handful of years ago. Even moreso, perhaps, now.

I bestow upon you a gift meant for another bearing your name, but who has fallen far from my radar since last we spoke.


Signed: A friend,
Prof. Amadeus Dissero Shamalain

P.S. Cut the purple fruits, don't peel.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Dissero"]

When the crate arrived at the NHU Transport Office, the other shuttle pilots figured it came from the new girl's spouse. She didn't talk about her personal life: politics yes, ships yes, sports occasionally, home never. She read the letter with a silent smile, shared the fruit around the pilots and maintenance staff, and placed the mead and honey in the break room fridge with the mother of all improvised labeling. There it would stay until she figured out what to do with it.

Because despite an earnest and sustained attempt at reformation years back, like feth was she anything other than a Darksider.

Professor Shamalain,

-the return letter read.

I don't know how to thank you for your lovely gift. The Rudrig purps have always been my wife's favourite, no matter where our lives have taken us. I hope you find your friend someday, among all of us Ashin Varanins. If you happen to be near New Habat University, please drop by and I'd be glad to show you around.

Captain A. Karrde

 

[Dissero]

He'd received the reply on a quiet evening with a full day of work behind him and the lakehouse country of Rudrig sprawling before him from his seat on the stone varanda. Sahti the Noghri brought it with the groceries and his wife delivered it into his hands as she brought their son out to play in the setting sun. Dissero read it while reclining in a chair with a steaming mug of tea on the patio table beside him. [member="Verie Lacroix"] took a seat across his lap watching Gabriel play with blocks of wood hand carved by [member="Gabriel Sionoma"] on a moon called Sulon.

That silent smile had traveled all the way back with the note.

Dissero found himself struck by the words. He read them again, and a third time just to be sure.

"Ve," he said, folding the letter while she sipped from his mug, "let's go on a trip. All of us."


Captain A. Karrde:

My apologies for assuming your ignorance of the fruit. Of course bearing such a name would come with a far broader expanse of knowledge than most. I should like to take you up on your offer, someday. Often I enjoy making visits to other Institutes such as Lorrd and Coruscant, it would be my pleasure to add NHU to the list.

It occurs to me the honey and mead might be a bit light and sweet for your taste. Every Ashin I know has preferred a dryer, darker palate. Keep it for your wife, then. The mead pairs nicely with cake and the honey is wonderful on the Rudrig purps.

Until we speak again,
Prof. Shamalain

[member="Ashin Karrde"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Dissero"]

Well, excellent. Message sent and received. As she perused the letter on the Shamballa's bridge, Ashin felt that same genuine smile come back. Force, but it had been a while since she'd felt legitimately happy for long. This life, it seemed, agreed with her. On her datapad, she began drafting a reply.


Professor Shamalain-

Thank you again for your kind words. My wife enjoyed your suggested cake-and-mead combination immensely. If you do happen to visit Varunda IX, she says you should visit an old forest estate not far from the NHU campus. Apparently your mead and honey remind her of a unique wild fruit that grows there.

If you don't mind a quick question, I understand you teach archaeology. Someone I work with told me about a very strange pre-Republic artifact found on Zonju Five during the recent aurodium rush. Do you happen to have any favourite books or articles on pre-Republic civilizations?

Best wishes,

Captain A. Karrde

 

[Verie Lacroix]

Verie was enraptured by the sight of her son playing on the carpet nearby, so much so that she barely heard her husband's suggestion that they go on a trip. She could hardly conceive of the fact that she and [member="Dissero"] had created this tiny, perfect, luminous little thing that had grown into quite the young structural engineer. She dropped off her husband's knee and sat next to Gabriel, leaning over to give his chubby cheek a kiss as she watched him. He seemed to consider two blocks -- each with different letters carved onto the surface. Her fingers brushed his hair away from his ear, and after a moment of her caressing his hair with her fingertips, the baby fussed.

Too much of his father in him, she mused to herself, glancing up to Merovign. She was surprised to see him looking at her, as if waiting for her. Or had he read her mind just then? Well, it was true. Gabriel seemed to be the independent sort, who was ready to be off at a moment's notice -- which, true to form, he did, clambering towards the edge of the outdoor play rug where a toy X-Wing lay discarded from the previous morning's playtime. It was then that she realized that Mero had said something, and she paused to recall what it was.

"That sounds nice," Verie said quietly. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

But she couldn't resist. She stood and scooped up her son and the accompanying TIE fighter, using the Force to zoom it hither and thither, making little battle noises to entertain Gabriel. "Pew pew pew!"

 

[Dissero]

His smile grew full, much like his heart at watching the scene unfold before them.

"Remember the shops I told you about?" he asked, hand absently seeking out the mug of tea on the table and finding it after a blind reach, "I think it's time you see what I've built over the last several years. We'll go from shop to shop, you can see them all." The man stood from his seat and stepped over to the pair, blue eyes following the toy X-wing as it zoomed past his head. His free hand lifted to smooth over the short golden hairs on his son's head. Gabriel screeched with joy at the buzzing ship and jerked this way and that to watch it sail over them.

"We can show him some real flying ships. What do ya say, Cap'n?" a finger nudged his son on the chest to be quickly captured by tiny hands of enormous baby-strength.

[member="Verie Lacroix"]

 

[Verie Lacroix]

Verie manipulated the fighter through a series of complicated loops and rolls as she watched her son's delight. She thought she would never get tired of watching him.

"Shops?" Verie asked, her eyebrows lifting with interest. "And here all these years I thought all that talk about shops was just a cover for visiting Zeltros, for sab'acc and hookers," she said, her lips contorting into a smirk. She leaned closer to [member="Dissero"] and proffered the baby to him, simultaneously helping herself to his mug of tea, which she took a sup from. It wasn't exactly classy or dignified, but it felt good to be so utterly free with him. She had finally moved beyond the need to be perfect and collected at all times in his presence -- giving birth in his presence had solved that particular chestnut -- and paradoxically, she felt it had drawn them that much closer together as a couple and partnership.

Gabriel, in the meantime, was having a fantastic time clutching at Dissero's fingers, and Verie couldn't help but smile. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Dissero's neck, then rested her forehead there as she cuddled both of them to her. "I'd go anywhere with you two."

 

[Dissero]

"Don't be silly," the man smirked, "I'm terrible at sab'acc."

~~~~

The first shop on the agenda was, by and large, one of the furthest away from their home on Rudrig. Dissero didn't have logistics in mind when he set their destination into the control system of their ship. He opted to travel in style and comfort this time round having purchased a luxury craft made for just those reasons - best not to let Verie think this was anything other than a grand adventurous vacation.

...because that's exactly what it was.

A week into their journey found them gliding through hyperspace. Dissero sat at the kitchen table with his son in his lap and his lunch pushed half an arm's length in, datapad set beside it. He alternated between feeding the boy spoonfuls of mash, wiping dribble off his chin, front, lap, arms, hands .... everything, wiping dribble off of everything, taking a bite of his own meal, and typing an overdue response via hunt-n-peck with what fingers still remain relatively clean of dribble.

Captain A. Karrde,

I've a few things that might prove useful to your endeavors and will deliver them personally.

My wife and I are scheduled to arrive at NHU in seven days time.


Dissero looked down as he felt a particularly wet plap on his knee and discovered that his son was using his pants as a canvas for green food-goo.

"This is probably why your mother feeds you in the high chair," nevermind common parenting sense. He was a hands-on father and apparently that meant getting extra gooey. So be it.

Gabriel burbled in response and continued finger painting across the khakis.

"You know it sort of looks like a cath-hound," the man tilted his head to one side and examined the masterpiece, "they're great big dogs with manes and horns...your Aunt Des would approve,"

"Urrrbliiiiiiaaa!" Gabriel laughed. Splat.

"not sure your mother would, though."


I should very much like to visit this forest estate you speak of. I hear curious things about the flora of Varunda IX.

Bearing gifts and anticipation,

Prof. Shamalain


"Don't forget his tail, Gabey," Dissero thumbed a glob of goop from his son's front and swiped a line of green across his knee.

[member="Verie Lacroix"]
[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Verie Lacroix]

Verie allowed herself the luxury of letting [member="Dissero"] take feeding duty. When Gabriel was feeling creative, Verie's tidy and fastidious nature combined with her son's very un-tidy and un-fastidious art skills to make Verie incredibly anxious. But she discovered, upon entering the kitchen following a period of meditation in their cabin, that the sight of her husband dripping in mashed greens was the antidote to that discomfort. She leaned against the door jamb and folded one arm around her midsection. She watched them fondly, twirling her honey-brown hair around her index finger.

"I'm going to have to give both of you baths after this," she said, lofting her eyebrows at her husband as she pushed away from the door. She sat opposite the two and picked up the jar from the table, examining the label. "Here's your problem. He hates pea puree. Oddly enough, he likes the kale and spinach. We have a peculiar child." She set the jar down and wiped her hand with a napkin, then rustled Gabriel's hair gently. She rested her chin on her hand and looked lovingly across the table.

"My God, it's everywhere. I'm going to have to be very thorough."

[member="Ashin Varanin"]