If You're Dying...

[Micah Talith]

To a degree, Micah wasn't sure if he should consider himself lucky or cursed.

It started out rather amusingly enough, and in hindsight, one really wasn't too surprised at the series of events that led to this particular moment. Eleanin was at the far corner of the brightest room available. There was plenty of space, quite comfortable really.

Honestly, one would figure that in these situations, it would be some wild story full of overdrinking, a few bad decisions, and then passing out only to wake up regretting poor decisions.

It was quite the opposite really.

Micah sat down on a stool, bare of chest and his mop of dark hair tied back in a short queue. One knee was drawn up, his foot perched upon the foot rest. One forearm rested on his thigh while his other palm upon his knee.

A rather impish smirk fell upon [member="Aela Talith"], his eldest sister. Whatever lack of inebriated story he would not live, he at least had the luxury of seeing the oh so normally stoic young woman sit through what would, in essence, be a method of ensuring their mum won't worry herself sick.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

She was still.

Her shirt had been discarded, a tight bandage around her chest being the only thing keeping her at least somewhat modest. Eleanin stood behind her, having made her way over with a small set of tools to a tiny workbench that she had set up behind Aela. She sat in a chair, her chin resting on her arms which in turn rested on the high back of the chair. A deep breath escaped her lungs, though she felt more than calm.

"You know."

Eleanin's voice rang out behind her, that familiar tone that Aela had grown up with her entire life. It was the tone of an elder, a loving aunt or a closely overlooking grandmother. A caretaker, one who had always been suited to the roll and had vied for it all her life. In truth, Eleanin wasn't all that old, younger than their mother in fact, but she had always played caretaker to the children in one form another.

"My parents would have killed me for getting a Tattoo at your age."

A small clatter and a snap of metal as she pieced together the tattoo gun. A smile pulled at Aela's lips. "I think your tattoo would have held less of a purpose aunt Eleanin."

Aela heard a small chuckle, and in the reflection of the windows she saw a small nod from the woman.

"Yes, well, that might be so. At least you kids will have a great artist."

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"]


"Well, it's better than a tracking implant!" Micah shot out with notable mirth. Truth be told, he wouldn't put it past his Dad. He had joked about it once or twice, and all of their ships had a tracer to determine where they were at for security sakes. He honestly couldn't fault his mother. She was the one who worried. And if she worried, well that's when their dad became concerned. He wasn't the sort to enjoy seeing his wife unsettled.

The ink was a compromise.

Thinking back on it, it was rather hilarious when Soliael had first brought it up. If it had been a tracking chip, Kaili would have been able to mess with it. Anything could have been taken off. And to be frank, selling the idea with getting a tattoo certainly made it sell well.

It wasn't that their parents didn't trust them; by all accounts they did. They were raised to know to do what was right, to make their own choices, and knew exactly what would be the consequences of those choices. They were all adults in their own way despite their young age.

This was just a fall back in the event if any of them were ever in trouble to the point they could not get out of it. The fact that it was a willing application and could only be used willingly by the kids to relay to their father where they were was an added plus.

"Although I think a barcode would go lovely right across Esme's forehead," Watching his sister and Eleanin talk back and forth brought a measure of amusement to Micah.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Aela didn't mind the tattoo so much.

Truthfully she had always wanted one as a girl, a Drexl to be exact. Some of the Beast Raiders that Oma Quietus commanded had them. Most of them were located either on their backs or sprawled around their shoulder. Aela had always admired them, the odd art, the strange beast like appearance. Part of her was excited to be getting the same thing, though hers would be far more modest.

"Perhaps they could have gotten you a collar, Micah." She remarked, her head slowly bending down as Eleanin began to tie her hair up into a single bun.

Every loose strand of blonde was collected and then wrapped up so that it did not get in the way.

Eleanin was gentle, always careful, but controlled. She knew exactly what she was doing at all times and her motions reflected that perfectly. The bun was tightly wrapped with Aela's hair, and slowly the back of the young womans neck was cleaned off with some sort of solution. A razor came next, slicing off any tiny hairs that would normally be located in the spot. The woman made to comment between the childrens banter, being well aware of how the two of them worked.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"Only if you get to test it out first, Esmae." Micah shot back, leaning back on his stool as he watched the process between Eleanin and his sister. A spark of mischief drew over his orange eyes, and with notable dramatic flair, he would pull something out of his pocket.

"I think a collar would do. Maybe like this." that was the only warning Esmae would receive as her younger brother tossed a glinting silver object at her direction. Eleanin had just finished shaving the skin away, allowing Aela to be able to react and catch it so she choose.

Which of course she did.

Twisted aurodium chains would be caught in her fist, but the heavy clear lens that dangled just under it would prompt a widening of the eyes.

Familiar is as familiar does.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

She knew what it was the instant it touched her palm.

There was a sense of familiarity, of love. It was the lens that had been in her lightsaber. Ordinarily the item wouldn't have been anything at all, and to most it would have been nothing still, yet to Aela, it was perhaps one of the most treasured items she had ever had.

Her father had given her the lightsaber she now used. It had been a gift that Aela treasured above all else, so much so that she had kept the weapon exactly as it was for nearly ten years, that was until recently. With the New Jedi Order gaining traction, and the fight against the Sith gaining steam, she had made a small modification to her weapon. A switch of lenses, a small act that would have been nothing to most, but a painful ordeal for Aela.

She looked down at the small necklace, caressing the lens with her middle finger. "Thank you."

There was no banter back, just that. Eleanin stood behind her and smiled.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"You're welcome."

It was said with genuineness, and while there was still a certain amount of mirth dancing in the twin orbs of Micah's eyes, he knew exactly what it meant to her. He could read it from her body as much as through her words. Aela cherished the saber their father had given her, outfitting the pontite lens into a simple pendant was the least he could do.

And if he could make sure it helped out a little bit here and there, all the better. The lens itself was not modified beyond the jewelry mount, but the twined, twisted aurodium ropes of the necklace were. Similar to the necklace their father had forged for their mother long ago, this necklace would give an added benefit to Esmae's mental resistance.

Not that she didn't have enough willpower to do that on her own.

"Lean forward a bit," Eleanin would instruct Aela. It was time. His sister already knew what she wanted, a Drexl on her back. He on the other hand, figured a half sleeve design with the symbol of his family over the right side of his chest would do the trick.

He wondered how much it would hurt. The way his father had explained it, it was similiar to that of the blood trail technique by the witches. He had spent many years at Yavin at Witch Town learning as much as he could, that was one of the few techniques he had picked up himself. The way he understood it is that the blood used to mark would feel as if acid had splattered upon the skin.

Would it feel the same on top of the normal tattooing process?

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Aela leaned forward.

It wouldn't be her entire back, and not an entire Drexl. The conversation in regards to that had been a rather short and terse one. Kira had been willing to allow the tattoos due to their function, but she wasn't about to be on board with one of her children getting a full back tattoo. So instead Aela had settled for a smaller version of what she had wanted.

A Drexl's maw.

It's face would be imprinted on her skin, an oddly ornate circle around it.

The face would match that of her own Drexl, and Eleanin had already sketched the tattoo earlier. It was a beautiful sight, truth be told, one that Aela would actually never get to see unless she looked in a mirror. Eleanin dipped the tattoo gun into the ink, then told Aela to let out a deep breath and relax.

A wince carried through her as the needles bit into her skin.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"]


Truth be told, Micah was surprised that their father had managed to convince their mother on the subject of tattoos. He honestly could not imagine that conversation went easily; and by easily he meant more than likely Soliael and Kira had a longer quiet discussion than normal.

For him and his sisters, that was 'arguing' when it came to their parents. They didn't yell. They didn't fight. Oh there were times when they disagreed but they never raised their voice. If anything Kira would instead become more quiet and words would be relayed through gestures as the Lorridian was prone to. Everyone in the family had long since understood the kinetic form of communication, but even then, none of the subtle movements to hand signs were ever wild or angry.

Their parents just didn't seem to argue. For some it might be odd, but for them it worked. That wasn't to say that there were never times when Kira or Sol would be displeased, is just that they didn't feel the need nor felt that escalating things ever did anything to fix the situation. In this case, the concern was about the Talith children and Kira's worry as they would now each head off on their own. More often than not, when they did come home to see their parents at Boreleia's, there was a bruise here or there that set Kira off into typical mum mode. Having their father craft the ink to mimic the capability that their mother's necklace had was the compromise.

From the way he understood it, it would only activate when they would charge a tiny trickle of the force through the tattoo. It didn't have to be sustained or anything of the sort. Just enough to activate it would instantly lash through the Force bond and bring an awareness to their Father of where they were.

Of course, he would catch a bit of the emotional state at the time, so if they were in trouble he would know. And if they only missed him and wanted him to know, then that worked too.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

The stabbing pain of the needle turned into a dull throb within half a heartbeat. She cheated slightly, using the force to turn the hurt into little more than an odd prickling situation. There was no need to suffer through this, she wasn't being taught a lesson or anything like that. She simply closed her eyes and focused.

The idea of the tattoos, or rather the idea behind them was not something that Aela minded.

She knew that her mothers necklace had a similar function, at least part of it, and she knew that it was something that was necessary. Their father was protective, and probably rightfully so. Strong in the force and impeccably prone to getting in danger all of Soliael's children had a tendency to get in over their own heads. With this, their father would be able to pull them out.

That was something that she had always been jealous of.

It was a closely guarded secret of his, the ability to fold the very ethos of space.

Their father had never shared the trick with any of them, had never shared it with their mother in fact. It was something born of the force of course, something that required immense power and control. She still wondered how he did it, though she knew there was a reason why he did not share. Perhaps fear, or perhaps caution. It didn't matter, she knew he had his reasons and that was enough.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Curiousity got the better of Micah. It always would. Considering who his parents were and their natural tendencies towards the same trait, it was no wonder he got it in spades. He wasn't the only one either. They all got the curious bug one way or another. It just often times would focus on specific key things that would interest them.

Micah for example, took after their grandfather and uncle Dissero. While Soliael also was an alchemist, as evident by the very ink he had crafted for the tattoos they were now receiving, Micah was clearly jumping with both feet into the subject matter. Only that he took it beyond that. He went to study Jal Shey techniques. The Alkahest training during his visits in the Jedi Order. The Keetael, the Witches. All were part of his ever increasing mastery in crafting and imbuing.

Could he replicate what his father had done with the ink? That was a question he knew he would soon test personally himself to answer. It was just a matter of time.

Moving from his seat, he came to his feet. Padding over towards Aela, he took a small semi circle until he stood beside Eleanin and his sister. He would watch as the maw of the Drexl slowly came to life upon Aela's back.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Eleanin was remarkably quick with the Tattoo gun.

The pain of the needle still bit into her, and every few seconds Aela would wince as her concentration lapsed. It happened now and again, and each time Eleanin would put a firm grasp on one of her shoulders to keep her in place. She smiled every time, as if she was correcting a bad behavior in a child of her own. The woman was well mannered about it each time of course, her hand digging softly against Aela's skin, fingers pinning her in place only long enough for the young woman to correct herself. It happened over and over again during the session, until eventually the tattoo was finished.

As with everything Eleanin did the Tattoo seemed to be a marvelous work of art, beautiful and decorative with shading in the correct places. The face seemed almost real, capable of popping from Aela's flesh at any moment. The young woman looked at it through a mirror, carefully rimming the image with her fingertips.

Her eyes flickered over to the chair where she just sat.

Micah was there now, receiving the tattoo that Eleanin had created for him. It was elaborate, and far larger than Aela's own. Of course she had argued that point, that her tattoo would have been about the same size as Micah's in the end, but apparently the placement of it and the fact that Micah was a boy mattered. Either way, the tattoo that Micah received was a half sleeve, a lurking thing that stretched over his arm and onto his chest where their fathers crest would be buried deep in his skin.

As she watched the black ink fold into flesh, she wondered when the first time for its use would come.