Our Blood is Our Bond [Talith Family]

[Ereza]

Borleias
Casa De Talith
3AM

[member="Kira Talith"], [member="Soliael Devin Talith"], [member="Cameron Centurion"], [member="Aela Talith"], all the other chitluns.


It was late when they arrived, which had not been the intention, but Amore hardly thought it would make any difference to anyone. Her ship touched down on the landing pads several hours before the sun and the occupants of the household were set to rise, and it was into the pale dark of a moonlit night that she descended the ramp, wrapped package in her arms.

She'd sent word to the Talith parents upon arriving within the system a short while ago, so at the very least one of them would likely be awake. If she had to guess, it would be Soliael, but only because she knew the man much better than she knew his wife. Nearby the gentle sound of waves lapping along the shore could be heard, along with the wind through dried sand grasses. The air was heavy with salt and sea, something she would have to get used to, and the glimmer of the moon's reflection in the ocean beckoned her steps along a walkway.

A smile pressed itself into her expression. A warm smile that held back the overwhelming sense of joy at the prospect of seeing her nieces and nephews, of being with family. It hadn't been very long since her short visit with Sol and Aela on Annaj, but it had been far too long since she'd sat down to a large family gathering. Likely it was going to get larger before too long.

To her surprise, it was not Soliael that greeted her at the steps to the homestead, but the golden-haired Kira. No matter, she was just as pleased. She picked up her pace, red hair gleaming like wildfire in the night, blue eyes glowing faintly. Amore immediately embraced her sister-in-law with a one-armed tight squeeze, "Ohh, I'm sorry about the timing. Hopefully none of them heard the ship come in..."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Amorella Mae"] [member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Kira Talith"] [member="Cameron Centurion"]

Soliael was getting dressed as his sister's ship landed.

For once, he had been the one that had been sleeping. Kira had awoken to the message and had neglected to wake him up until just a few moments ago. Slipping on his second boot he smiled slightly, listening to the silence within his house.

All four of the children were sleeping, laying comfortable in their beds.

He assumed that Aela had of course spent half the night reading, and that the twins had stayed up and chatted. Only Kaili would likely have gone to bed when told, but she was the youngest so that was to be expected. A loud sigh passed his lips, and he rose from the bed, stretching slightly as he stood to his fool height.

A single boot forward, and Soliael began to walk out to catch up with his wife.

Hopefully the kids would stay asleep.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Amorella Mae"] [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Beaming with enough joy to radiate from the petite Lorrdian, Kira would give a tight squeeze of a hug to Amore that would rival one of the kids. Laughter would bubble forth in glee, and her eyes would glitter with excitement. It wasn't everyday that they would have visitors, much the less Amore herself. And having her here was as much of a treat to Kira as it was to the rest of the kids and Soliael himself.

"Don't worry about it at all!" she began, taking a step back and immediately offering to help Amore with her belongings. "Oh! Let me get that!" she'd offer with the package. Likely it was something for the kids; oh would they be bursting at the seams running amuck if they knew their aunt was already here.

A puff of hot air would send her bangs flying away from her face, and she would start with the chatter. Really, one knew exactly where the kids got their energy from, what with the way Kira would flutter around Amore starting to talk a mile a minute. It was an interesting sight to behold, as the Lorrdian would gesture and use her body more to express her emotional state as much as to communicate her elation at Amore's arrival.

"The kids are all asleep, so I think you'll be okay to breathe for the rest of the night," she'd start off, giving a sassy grin as she knew well that Micah and Maleah would likely be at Amore's skirts as soon as they were up.

"How was your trip?!"

 

[Ereza]

Amore quietly parted with the package and followed Kira up the steps, a low chuckle accompanying her. It was difficult to say who was more excited about their infrequent visits sometimes; herself, the children, or Kira. The Jedi certainly had an endless enthusiasm about her, something that Amore admired and could easily see within the growing Talith offspring. Small wonder Soliael didn't feel outnumbered or overwhelmed by such cheer, but the man had certainly changed over the years, that much was absolutely certain.

"It was quiet and very... relieving," she replied softly, her calm nature something of a foil to Kira's excitement as they made their way inside the house. Leaving Annaj had been a difficult but necessary decision. Moross was but a ghost of its former self, and though Amore had come to see its people as her family, she was quickly learning that the bond of belief would never rival that of blood. Yesterday she had been their God, today she was but a pretender - the relationship between the devout and the divine was a fickle, terrible thing. But blood? She would always be to this family the same thing as she was yesterday, for every day after and beyond.

"To leave that burden behind ... and to not be going to Ceto. I cannot explain how it feels to do something for myself for the first time-" no sooner had she stepped inside than the tall shadow of Soliael came looming down the hall. Her smile spread, quirking on a wryness that was unmistakably inherited from her mother, "hello Nephew."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

His eyebrow raised.

“Hello much much, younger aunt.” That was of course technically true, Amorella by blood was his great aunt. The sister to his now deceased grandmother, of course neither of them viewed the relationship that way, mostly because Amorella was nearly two hundred years his junior. In age he far surpassed both her and her sibling Dissero.

A few steps saw him cross the space between them, his muscular arms sliding around her in an embrace.

“It's good to see you here.” He squeezed her. “Really.”

He had been hoping she would come, hoping that for once she would do something for herself instead of her family. Soliael knew better than most what Amorella had gone through, and he wanted her to be happy, wanted her to relax.

Here, she could do just that,

 

[Kira Talith]

There came a roll of her eyes at her husband, and just as promptly, she'd continue on walking, saying over her shoulder with certain humorous wryness, "Don't mind him, I think one of the kids said they found a gray hair on his head already." an exaggeration that came with the wag of her eyebrows, "Starting to go over the hill that one." she'd quip, but it was a rather ridiculous statement when the Shamalain Talith male was clearly still in his prime, aged or not.

She went up the small steps, a soft night breeze caressing the jungle fronds that gathered about their home. Small lights would illuminate their path, bringing them closer to the main house from the wide open area that housed the speeders and the rest of their vessels.

Coming up to the top of the staircase, the Jedi would pause. From her perch she could see Sol and Amore in their embrace. The love and affection would be read in their bodies, in their posture. The genuine care. It was a nice. Nice to see. Made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even if it did have an edge of intimacy. To a degree, Kira was a bit envious of that relationship. Being an orphan herself meant she never had any blood kin; at least that she knew of.

No, the rest of the kids were her family. Once they brought her to the Jedi Temple, they then became an extended part of that. However, it wasn't the same.

Blood ties that bond were different. Unique.

She could see it there between Soliael and Amore clearly. Her expression would soften, and she'd turn to continue her path up the rest of the steps.

"Are you hungry, Amore?" her voice would carry only loud enough for the two below to hear, not enough for the kids to wake. "We can nag Sol into making us something to nom on." her voice would fade as she would put more distance between them.

".... I think we still have some nerf steaks... Or Rodian spaghetti and meatballs..."

 

[Ereza]

Amore chuckled and hugged him tightly, perfectly content with the idea that she no longer had an image to uphold or appearances to be concerned about. Acting off her own accord was a refreshing way to live and not one she'd ever been able to do before. The entire first half of her life had been under the scrutiny of the people of Kuat. Every word and movement practiced and rehearsed, scripted to build the facade that would one day lead them.

"I'm so glad to be here," she replied to Sol while hugging him, her face pressed against his chest, "I tried to convince Merovign to come too, but you know how he is."

When she stood back, sending a glance Kira's way, Amore stifled a laugh, "Well if you're getting gray hair you only have your father to thank for that..." hard to tell anyway, considering his shaved hair. She reached to brush a hand over it with a grin before moving past the man and up the steps after Kira, "Oh, no, thank you. Some tea would be nice though..."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"] [member="Kira Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

“He'll come around.” Soliael said with a smirk.

“He can't stay with his trinkets forever.” Merovign, Dissero as most knew him could be considered the archivist of the family. Though he was no recluse, he made far less appearances than even Soliael did, which was saying something. “Besides, Micah has been dying to see him.”

His children could be very persuasive...or annoying, it really depended on ones perspective.

With a smile he followed after his sister, his boots pressing lightly against the floor as the three adults headed towards the kitchen. Soliael's eyes cast backwards towards the long stretching hallway, peering at the stairs that would move down to the childrens rooms.

A weary glance, and Soliael moved behind Amorella.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Micah Talith"]

Deep within that dark hallway, beneath covers and sheets something stirred.

It was small at first, only a small shift beneath the blankets. Yet as voices carried, and the slightest sound touched her ears, Aela Esmae Shamalain Talith began to awake within her room. She shifted, her face planted into the pages of a book, a small red flashlight still in her hand, its bulb having burned out. A yawn escaped her lips, and she pulled back.

The pages of the book stuck to her face, her small hand came up and pulled the ancient texts away. It was a book about Drexl, one that that her Oma had given her on her last trip to Onderon. Another sleepy yawn passed her lips, and slowly she poked her head out from beneath the covers.

“...tea would be nice though...”

She shifted slightly, her head poking up with lidded eyes. She had always had good hearing. Bright orange shifted around slightly, staring, looking about her. She frowned slightly, yawning a third time and covering her mouth this time. “...Auntie Amore?”

Slowly Aela dropped out of her bed, her toes curling as she touched the freezing marble floors with her bare feet. She stumbled for a second, opening the door and hearing voices speak. Her Father...talking about Uncle Dissero. She frowned slightly, trotting over to Maleah and Micah's room. She opened the door, standing on her tip toes to reach the handle.

With a slow sneak she wandered over to Maleah's bed.

“Maleah.” She nudged her sister, hoping to wake her.

 

[Kaili Talith]

...-but the canyon seemed to roll on forever in a mixture of pine and birch. The rivers glistened at the request of the setting sun while the birds quietly let their lullabies be heard throughout the wilds. The overgrown pavement of an abandoned city speaking of a civilization that once was. From the shards of broken glass beneath her boots to the roots crawling up skyscrapers the familiarity of this place was off the charts as the young explorer Kaili Talith strode forward with her unfamiliar partners.

But eventually something loud slowly pulled the girl out of her dream as second for second the darkness of her eyelids became reality. A foul mood fell upon the youngest Talith. That was her favorite dream which oddly enough had started to become a recurring thing. She liked it.

With a scrunched face going strong the young girl twisted to her side. Eyes fell upon the bedlight as it slowly shifted colors in soft shades of pink, cyan, green and yellow with each pulse of light offering its condolences and reassurances that tomorrow would be yet another great day. The girl reluctantly closed her eyes in a another attempt to sleep. Naturally her mind cheered at the idea but that was until she heard it. The voice that made her ignore everything her body told her to do.

Except the part that told her to get out of bed.

[member="Amorella Mae"]!

Twisting in her covers the young explorer tried to hurriedly get out of bed.

“Amo- !!” The only thing louder than an excited but tired child’s cry out was the thud as they collided with the floor. The hug beast had awoken, The Man and The Man 2 had guests over and courtesy said everyone in the house at least made their hellos. It was common decency and Kaili was not going to not say hello to Amorella.

Twisting her foot free from her blankets she hurriedly got up from the ground in a scuffle worthy of the history books. Making her way through the small corridors she eventually-

Wait, what if this was a trick.

Oh no, this could be The Man and The Man 2 (also known as Mom and Dad) trying to trick her to the dentist again. Well, fool her once... Slowly a tiny head would peek out from behind the staircase. There didn’t seem to be any bait out yet, was she too quick? Maybe they stowed it away or hid it?

Carefully she stepped out into the open for the grown ups to see. “Hello.”

It wasn’t exactly what she had gone for at first, but one could never be too careful with these things...

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]​

[member="Kira Talith"]​

[member="Maleah Talith"]​

 

[Louise]

Maleah Talith, already at such a young age was a child of nature.

At that specific moment she was one with the rock. An immovable object at rest. Unlike her siblings she wasn't awoken by the sounds of ships, voices or anything really. Tangled in her duvet at an impossible angle the little girl slumbered, having always found a way to mangle the bedding no matter how tightly her parents tucked her in.

Maybe rocks would dishevel the duvet if anybody cared enough to tuck them in.

A single nudge wasn't enough. Nor was the second. The third gave Aela a glimmer of hope but only succeeded in releasing a loud bout of mouth breathing.

When the eldest Talith child chose to whack the twin with a pillow that did the trick though, rousing Queen Rock from her deep slumber. Never underestimate the soft feathery fury of The Grumpus. Thankfully Maleah was none too offended and emitted a groggy squeak as her sound of awakening.

Eyes slowly opened to the world, displaying tired trademark orange irises as she squinted at the source of her awakening.

“….nn'waaaat?”

---

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Micah Talith"]

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] [member="Amorella Mae"]

"Any particular kind?" Kira's voice would float over to them. Already, the soft sounds of her walking through the living area towards the kitchen would begin to permeate the house. She was lithe, quiet really when she wanted to be. It was a distinctive trait that had been passed down to their firstborn, Aela Esmae.

She set the box on top of a wide bar island top. Dusting off her hands she went to work at getting a few cups. That's when she heard the loud THUD. Her ears would perk. It was unlikely it was Maleah's pet Nexu...

With her being at the kitchen, she would not see Kaili appear by the stairs. That was solely for Amore and Kaili's father to catch.

It had begun, the stir in the Casa De Talith of their far more crafty inhabitants.

 

[Ereza]

"I don't think it's so much his trinkets anymore as it is-" the barest sound of footsteps and whispers at the far back of the hall did not escape Amore's senses. Out of all those here, she enjoyed the perks of her pureblooded heritage, even if that's not what she'd been told from day one. A soft smile formed as she continued after Sol, "...his apprentices. He has two now, not to mention he's busy with the Archival Department within the Fringe."

For however much longer the Fringe lasted, that was. She'd left as the first signs of the shift arrived, at the insistence of her brother. War would soon be upon them.

"Spiced tea, if you have any," the woman replied to Kira, then paused and turned to look back at Sol, past him into the darkness of the hallway beyond. Blue eyes flashing, her smile broadened and split, revealing the glint of fangs.

"...hello..." came a hushed tone from the shadows, orange eyes glowing balefully at just barely waist-height.

"Hello little shadow," Amore whispered back while slowly lowering herself to stoop at [member="Kaili Talith"]'s level, eagerly beckoning the child to her with open arms.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael let out a sigh.

He knew that this was going to happen. He knew that one of them would wake up, that one of them would either hear the ship or Amorella speaking. Such a thing couldn't wait for morning of course, they would all one by one have to file out to say hello.

“Kaili is up.” Soliael whispered to his wife, taking two steps towards her.

There would be no hint of anger to his tone of course, simple exasperation. It took hours to get his children to bed, even more to actually get them to surrender to sleep. Now that Amorella was here it was unlikely that Kaili would be willing to go back to bed any time soon, and even more unlikely that the other three would be staying asleep for much longer.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Micah Talith"]

“Aunt Amorella is here!” Aela practically shouted at her younger sister, knowing that the statement would be enough to wake her up.

Without even waiting for her sister to reply she turned on her heel, facing Micah's bed and skipping the gentle nudge that she had offered to Maleah. Instead she took two steps forward and simply wacked Micah with the pillow as hard as she possibly could.

It was what he deserved for stealing her diary.

“Auntie is here!” Aela did not bother quieting her voice, choosing instead to shout loud enough that the adults would likely hear her. “Wake up, Micah!”

Aela Esmae Shamalain Talith had little patience.

 

[Kaili Talith]

There was a moment of hesitation. No dentists were to be seen except for perhaps the fangs. At this part of her life she may not have learned much, but she knew very well that fangs hurt. More specifically [member="Maleah Talith"]’s fangs hurt. However, Aunt Amorella was yet to bite Kaili’s finger. A careful shuffle towards the beckoning arms of her favorite aunt slowly let the girl trust in the illusion that it was not a trick.

Her arms wrapped around the neck of [member="Amorella Mae"] and she took pride in knowing she was the first of her siblings to do the thing that was most important; getting the first hug. Aunt Amorella had officially been claimed by Kaili. It was a good time for the kid to just remain in the hug for as long as she could while her vision gradually shifted to black. Her eyelids wanted her to be not-awake anymore, it sucked.

Curses to whoever made hugging relatives super comfy.
“Have any good stories?” Kaili let go of her aunt and yawned. “I still remember the last one about the... About the...” A kid wasn’t supposed to remember things at three in the morning much less be awake. “... About the thing.”

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Cameron hadn't expected [member="Amorella Mae"] to actually wait for him to finish securing the vessel before immediately setting off to go and greet her relatives. To say that his other-half had been excited about the proposition of visiting and eventually settling on Borleias would have been a gross understatement. Smiling softly to no one in particular, the Sith Lord merely shook his head as he sensed the continuous stirring of presences at a distance. In that moment, it occurred to him that perhaps his usual practice of not caring to mute his presence in the Force was a less than ideal course of action. Sure, [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] knew him and his proximity to Amorella well enough, but he'd definitely never met [member="Kira Talith"].

Cameron couldn't very well offend the Jedi sensibilities of the woman at their first meeting could he? Hah! Of course he could. Once everything had been secured, Cameron collected his dark blue and gray cloak before proceeding towards the loading ramp. Stepping off the shuttle, the large Sith Lord's silver-green eyes swept the dark scene before him as he made a measured progress towards the building that had seemingly swallowed Esmae whole.

For a moment, his left hand moved to rest on the hilt of his Sith Sword...until he quickly realized that he'd opted to leave it stored on the vessel for the duration of this particular visit. The black hilt of his lightsaber, however, did remain nestled into its fitted pocket on the inside of his cloak. Old habits died hard.

Reaching the small steps that Amorella, Kira, and Soliael had disappeared upon during their ascent, Cameron walked casually. When his eyes actually fell upon the main structure of their home, he inhaled deeply. Interacting with Amorella and her mother was one thing...even Quietus was fine. Being around multiple children that would, undoubtedly, be in his life for a long time was...well...different. Though the Sith Lord had his own children, he'd cared for them...not at all. They'd all ultimately been weak, useless. In fact...perhaps the greatest success was one of two living spawn, and he happened to be an Admiral for the Galactic Republic. Formerly the Supreme Commander, even.

A small part of him was proud of the boy for finding his own path, but the larger part thought he was a complete idiot.

 

[Ereza]

Amore made quick work of scooping the tiny figure of [member="Kaili Talith"] up into her arms, hoisting the tiny child from the floor as she stood, hugging her tightly. The once-Aesir exuded a powerful empathic wave of joy as she kissed the young girl on the side of her head and adjusted her arms to loop beneath Kaili's bottom.

Voices in the distance - she could hear Aela's attempt at rousing her twin siblings - grew a grin on Amore's face, which she turned to the sleepy child in her arms as the girl pulled back and began mumbling about stories.

"The thing? Oh, yes, that was really good story. I remember." She chuckled, lifting a hand to brush hair from Kaili's sleepy eyes, "Of course I have more stories. But I'm all out of story fuel so your mother's going to make me some. Let's go help her."

Might've been a better option to put her back to bed, but there were still three more children to greet. Bed wasn't going to happen anytime soon. A long glance back to the entrance doorway where she felt Cameron's presence drawing near kept her there momentarily before she turned and quietly padded after Kira and Sol into the kitchen.

"Cameron's with me," she announced softly, lofting a brow at Sol before slowly looking towards Kira. There was no doubt in her mind that the Sith Lord's presence could be felt by all present, likely even the children, "I probably should have said something." Amore looked apologetic, slowly swaying Kaili on her hip where she stood, "Has Sol mentioned him at all to you?"

[member="Kira Talith"] [member="Cameron Centurion"] [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] [member="Micah Talith"] [member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Micah Talith]

Micah gave a startled flinch and half grunt combo, yanked from slumber by the cruel actions of [member="Aela Talith"] and the distinct weapon of choice she had smacked him right along the head with. There were even a couple of feathers flying in the air, floating around the nerf licked hair of one groggy Micah Draith Shamalain Talith.

"Oiii," he gave a grimace, blearily eyeballing the one responsible for the dull ache in his head. Twin gold suns would glare over at his eldest sister. "Watch it!" he grumbled out, not really catching the part about the aunt yet, peering up with half a nerflick on his tousled dirty blonde hair, sleep clearly still lingering on his face.

He had been rudely awoken after all.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Amorella Mae"] [member="Cameron Centurion"] [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] [member="Maleah Talith"]

Not a few seconds would pass after hearing her beloved warn her about the kids that Kaili's soft sleepy voice would come floating on by. Here was one.

Yet it was hearing Aela's loud cry for Micah to wake up that really raised her eyebrows. Much like Sol, she too gave an internal sigh and her shoulders would drop a bit. Yeah... it was going to be one of those nights. Not that having Amore over was a bad thing; it is just that she knew her children well. They would be running on the excitement and adrenaline of visitors that would make it difficult to get them back to bed, much the less asleep.

Maybe she should invest in a nightcap for kids...came the fleeting thought at knocking her kids out with a bit of alcohol. Granted, it was thought with more exasperation than actual real consideration.

That's when the fine hairs at the nape of her neck rose. It was awareness; much like the way the shadow of an eclipse would bring a chill to the earth.

Twin blue eyes would dart over to Amore, her soft question and apologetic expression giving another clue. Cameron; a former false god of the Moross. There wasn't much information she could gather from the man, only what Soliael had managed to divulge and that wasn't much to begin with.

What she did know, however, was that ultimately regardless where along the spectrum Cameron stood at, Soliael and Amore were comfortable enough to have him in their home.

That was enough for her. Kira had a simple motto, that actions spoke louder than words.

"He has," Kira would say with a small nod, moving to get the pot ready for the water for their tea. Once she set the pot down, she would make her way back to Amore, shaking her head at her youngest daughter that the once former vessel of Inari held in her arms. Fingers would lightly reach out to skim and push back the fine blonde locks of hair away from Kai's cheek.

This girl...

"But I'm always curious to learn more."