Lost & Found

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Oh...Well its good they can get help now." Makai assumed the windfall was from the Salacia fortune his mother stood to get half of. He had a basic understanding from his business classes and time with his father and father's associates. "Maybe they can expand their farm now?"



The waitress came and brought their food, causing Makai to pause as the conversation continued towards Thessa staying at the guest house.



"Course I have. Dad is out of business for another day but he knows you're coming. He already said he could stay if you wanted....but....thats up to you. Where do you think you're going to live after everything? With Grandma and Grandpa?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

She dug in, using the fancy silverware as best she could. The cloth napkin sat on her lap. So strange. Then again, it was probably better for the environment that the paper stuff she and the Allens used at home. Half the time Mister Allen just used his pants, anyway.

"He did?" Driftwood-brow lofted in surprise that Judah would be so agreeable to her staying.

"And no," she quickly shook her head and took another bite. "I mean, I don't know. I'm still....processing things. Learning who everyone is even though they know who I am." Chin dipped down to her hand as she propped it up, elbow on the table. For a moment, she stared at Makai, lost in thought. More people entered the restaurant and her head began to throb slightly. She couldn't do crowds. Head trauma tended to do that.

"My parents are probably a top choice until I learn more about things and get a bit more settled." She'd been unsettled for six long years. "But yes, I'd like to stay in the guest room - house? As long as you're both okay with it."

Of course, she assumed they meant temporarily.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Where else would you stay? I promise its okay. You don't even have to see us if you don't want to."

​

​

After eating Makai and Thessa took the shuttle off to the Sirene Islands, a group of three islands belonging to the Dashiells. The main island was the largest of the them all and the tropical house sat on the outcropping surrounded by the ocean. He paid the shuttle driver and they were off on a crushed coral path to the home. His backpack rustled with every step and he insisted on carrying Thessa's luggage up to the guest house.


"Not much longer. I'll show you the guest house first. Its attached to the main house."


First they stepped into the living room with a small kitchen off to one side. Makai moved to onto the first guest room where they could poke their heads in.


"Most of this stuff in here is my friend Ellie's. She stays over a lot so its basically her room. Come on, yours is down a little further."


A few steps and a set of double doors brought them to the large master suite. The ceiling soared and the windows overlooked the ocean at every turn. It was the nicest view of the guest house and one of the most relaxing in his opinion.


"Here ya go....Best view in the guest house."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

Why wouldn't it be okay? That was more complicated. When she first met Judah with the Allens, he'd said their marriage had been rocky and she'd asked for a divorce. It was clear that Judah was still healing from old wounds. Wounds, that she may never understand. She felt like he was in pain whenever she was around,Mao,mashed try to give him as much space as possible while seeing their son.

This was all too much and maybe a little inappropriate to share with Makai. Now, his other insecurities....

"Makai," she took his hand, staring at the guest suite. "It's beautiful. But at the restaurant you said even I didn't HAVE to see you. You're the reason I came. I'd sleep on a towel on the beach if I had to if that meant spending time with you." It wouldn't quell all of his abandonment issues but it was a start.

She gave his hand one more squeeze before releasing it. She smiled. "Now tell me more about this Ellie?"

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Thanks. Dad and I did most of this ourselves."


The Dashiell home on Sirene Islands had been a project for the two of them well before Thessa had disappeared. Although it become more than a weekened getaway once she had 'died'.


Just as he wanted to tell her more about the home and ask if she wanted to see his room, there was talk of the real reason she came. He listened, watching her movements as she squeezed his hand and spoke of sleeping on the beach if she had to. It didn't ease any of his fears about Thessa leaving once again.Seven years of missing out and worrying was hard to erase overnight.


Instead he merely nodded his head and set down her luggage in the room.


"Ellie is my best friend. We've been best friends for nearly eight years now.She stays over a lot or I visit her, depending if Dad or Miss Arceneau is out on business. She's fun, likes to try to boss me around or so she thinks."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

"Thanks," she smiled as he set her bag down. She didn't have much. She hadn't spent any of the money Judah passed over yet. She wanted to give what she could away and set the rest of for Makai. She just hadn't had time to think about what she might want or even what clothes to get. It was all still a little too overwhelming.

She tugged it on top of a bench and began unpacking. Just some pants, shirts that were well-worn, and a few pair of shorts. She still didn't even own a bathing suit. Not much need for one on a land-locked farm.

"Eight years," she finished hanging up the last of the shirts. "That's a long time. And that's great, Makai! Friends like that are hard to find. She sounds like a keeper."

She hoped the girl was. Her son was a catch, just from what she was learning and what Judah told her.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Yeah, its kind of hard to have friends when our parents are involved in what they are....so...got to try to keep 'em around when you find a good one. You'll learn that too."


Makai grew up in the 'business' of being a privileged child, despite his parents efforts to keep him as normal as possible. There were still issues ; kidnapping, ransom, bounties, assassination, robbery and the like that others didn't have to worry about. It was only natural he drifted towards other children of the 'rich and powerful' in the galaxy.


"So what do you want to do now? I can leave you alone...I can take you on a tour of the island, of the main house. I can show you my sailboat, built it myself. We can watch the holonet..."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

Aqua-lips frowned for a moment, not liking the sound of learning something like that. It made sense, though. People always tried to take advantage of the rich. Thankfully, Makai seemed pretty grounded and level-headed, despite his credit status OR what had happened with the accident.

The frown disappeared on its own as Makai shared his ideas. "I'm impressed you two are so handy," she meant Judah and Makai with all this building talk. "All of that sounds good. Why don't you pick?" She hadn't been in the ocean since the accident. The closest she'd come was a shower at the Allen's. She was actually....a little scared. While at the same time, her body yearned for it.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Yeah, we've done nearly all of this by ourselves. Not all....Its been real fun though, especially to learn so much. Not that I'm probably any good at most of it."


Makai decided it was best to show her around, especially since Thessa would be staying for a bit. He motioned for her to follow him, walking out onto the patio off the master guest suite. He figured they could head to the beach and walk around the island to let her get the lay of the land.


"So how about a tour then? We'll head down to the beach and walk the island. This is the main one, there's two behind us as well. Second one has a landing pad and some vessels, third is just natural habitat. Water is pretty nice around here, some reefs."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

"Sure," driftwood strands of hair were tucked behind her ears. She was so...proud of Makai. He was quite the young man, very little to no thanks to her. And in that moment, she felt very much alone. Makai couldn't understand what she went through. Neither would Judah, especially with his anger and hurt.

She quickly shoved these feelings aside as her feet hit the sand if the beach. The smell of the ocean pricked her nose. Instantly she felt at home but also wary. There were too many memories tied to the accident that now marred the place she was supposed to feel most at home.

Still.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, keeping a wary eye on the water, as if afraid.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Yeah, very much so. Sunset is my favorite I think. Little quieter..."


Water lapped against the beach as they walked the sandy shores. Driftwood had been piled up here and there, a project of Makai's own undertaking. He had been one for beach firepits ever since he was much younger. Thessa seemed quiet as they walked along, staring at the ocean.


Their relationship at this point seemed...odd...Thessa wasn't the mother he had remembered from before. In many ways it didn't seem they were related, despite the fact she looked the most like him genetically. Yet now that he knew she was alive, Makai wanted to maintain a relationship. He had questions on questions he was scared to ask. Ones she probably couldn't answer.


Iced-azure eyes that matched her own looked the other Galan over as she stared out at the water.


"We can't drown,you know. Well....we could but its very difficult....Gills behind the ears." Makai rubbed a hand behind his ears where shaggy curls lay. "Don't know if you had figured that out yet."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

"I did," she breathed, finally. Hand shook at her side, fingers curling into a small fist to get a better control. "I just," voice trailed off. Was it fair of her to burden her son? She didn't want to talk about something morbid like the accident and how it affected her. She was scared of the water. Scared of the memories it might stir up. Scared of remembering the details of the crash.

Were moms allowed to be scared?

Head shook and her lips curved upward into something tight and forced. "Never mind. It isn't important. What else do you have to show me?" With a deep breath, iced-azure gaze tore from the ocean blues and back to Makai's face.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Course its important."


Makai didn't press the issue however. He saw the way she looked at the water, concerned. Young mind didn't know if she was worried about the water, the island, staying with him and Dad.....Selfishly he wanted her to stay. At least for good while. Makai suspected she may want to poke around the Galaxy and have her own life. For now he wanted her close.



Selfish, sure. Despite the fact it made him feel a little guilty it wasn't something he was letting go of.


"Come on, I'll show you my room."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

"Yes, let's go," her smile became a bit more genuine. Gaze finally ripped free from the blue waters that she knew she should've felt calm and collected in. Feet carried her through the sand to follow her son.

An arm slipped around his middle for a moment, hugging him close to her side before releasing him. She couldn't stay here forever. She'd have to spend some time with her parents back home - unless they came here too. And after that, she'd have to try to find herself again. Or a new self.

But she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe only when Makai was away at school. Then she would be able to be there for him as much as he needed her to be.

"I know you're in school now but have you thought about what you want to do after?" What was he? 14-15? A true teenager. The rest of his years would fly by fast. She didn't really remember hers, of course. But it was more intuition.

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



Makai leaned into her as they walked, reaching the main house. It sat on a cliff overlooking the water and rising three stories high. Makai appreciated the view he had from the third floor, sometimes it made him feel as if he was in the ocean. Scale speckled hand reached the door and it opened, revealing an entry with a staircase lined with family photos.


"I don't know. I've been doing all sorts of different things to get an idea..."


Feet started up the stairs. Pictures were mixed together but it was clear Makai was the central theme in all of them. Thessa herself was in a good majority. Some even without Makai, like in her flightsuit or standing out on the beach. Seeing the woman now though it might as well have been a stranger off the streets.



"I just wanna make you guys proud, both of you.....Dad says when you were pregnant with me, the first thing you did was make sure I had money for an education, for university.....So to make you happy I guess its going to be university....No idea what I want to study."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

She laughed and gave him one extra squeeze withdrawing her arm. She couldn't help but pause at all the photos as they want up the stairs. Fingers traced over the flimsi. Seemed like they'd been really happy.

Iced-azure gaze widened slightly at the photos of her in a flightsuit. Much younger, of course. And there was a really old one where Judah wore one too.

"I didn't know your dad...I mean Judah was a pilot, too." Oh herself, for that matter. And she smiled, turning to Makai. "Education is probably a good idea. But...you don't seem that excited about it. Did you have something else in mind?"

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Yeah...thats how you and Dad met.Dad says you were really good, like one of the best."


Which was part of the problem for Makai. In reality, he had two semi-famous parents. His mother was a former hotshot pilot. His father a corporate titan. Where did that leave him? There was some pressure to live up to expectations. Did he follow in either one of their footsteps? Forge his own path? Pressure not to let either parent down loomed large in his mind.


They crested the top of the third floor which completely belonged to Makai. Windows panned out to give him a 360 view of the ocean and the world beyond. His desk was cluttered with papers and his datapads. Childhood toys and gadgets still lined the shelves along with some holos.


He sat down on the edge of his bed, letting her look around. Education question abandoned for a moment.


"So why do you call Dad by his name? Do you two hate each other?...Don't you..." Red flush came to his cheeks and he stopped. "Sorry...Its just...its...nevermind."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

One of the best?

It was another lifetime ago because she was terrified now. Maybe one day she'd have an opportunity to climb into a cockpit again. With her back and legs, she wasn't quite so sure.

Iced-azure gaze sharply refocused on her son. She sunk down on the bed next to him. "I don't hate him, sweetie," an arm went around him and she squeezed the teen once. "I don't remember anything but he does. And it's painful for him. He's carrying a burden no one has any right to carry alone."

She held onto Makai quietly for a few moments.

"I love you and nothing will ever change that. You never did anything wrong. Even though I'm not who I was, I still felt like something was missing and you know what? It was you all along."

 

[Makai Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



"Yeah,it is hard for those of us who remember.Its not fair."


It was hard for fifteen year old Makai to reconcile with his inner eight year old Makai that his parents weren't going to ride off into the sunset together. Being young and fairly naive, he expected his parents to pick right up where they left off. Makai expected his mother to live with them. To be around every morning, someone to fight over his kelp juice with like before. Not dancing on glass and pretending to get along for his sake.


He was quiet for a long moment, frustration and guilt rising in him at the same time. Mom gave him another squeeze before letting go.


"I love you too." Another long pause. "So I can stay with you? When I'm not in school? Like, during breaks?"


Most of his breaks were spent working or hanging out with his best friend and crush Ellie. Didn't mean he couldn't rearrange some things.

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Makai Dashiell"]

Surprise crossed her scale-speckled face. She hadn't expected Makai to want to stay with her. "Sure. You mean, just a guest house over?"

Aqua-lips tugged into a small smile.

She didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. Judah seemed to be away enough that it wasn't so awkward. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle living with someone who harbored anger and unforgiveness toward her, even if in a past life, they seemed to think she deserve it. "If I go back to my parents house and as long as it's okay with your dad, you can visit. I'd love it and I'm sure they'd love it too."