Private Small Reunion

[Aiden Porte]

Noontime
Porte Homestead
Training Circle
Sometime after Drowning
Addison Porte
​

"Don't force it sweetie." Aiden said, as he noted the scrunched up look on Lira's face. He couldn't help but stiffle a giggle before it finally broke out. The look on her face, which changed mid expression as she began to feel and balance things out on her own. Then she turned, quickly towards him, narrowing her eyes and glaring at him. The sparkle in her eyes, as she then began to smile. "What's so funny?"

Aiden shook his hsead, as he waved her comment away. "Nothing at all, except you are a cutie sometimes." He moved forward and knelt down in front of her. Her hands remained on her hips, as she stared at him. "Am I really that bad?" She asked with a concerned expression on her face.

"No, not in the slightest." Aiden said, dismissing her concerns. "You are learning, this takes time. It's not something mastered overnight, there are Jedi that......" Aiden smiled lightly. "They have been Jedi for many years, and they don't have everything mastered. Jedi are not all powerful, we learn, teach and when the time comes we fight against the darkness." Aiden stopped there as he didn't want to push too much and overwhelm her with a plethora of information than she needed.

"Try again, when you are ready."

Lira smiled and nodded quickly. "Okay!"

Aiden stood up and took a few steps back, as he waited for her.

 

[Addison Porte]

NABOO
PORTE HOMESTEAD
Reunion

Side_by_Side
​

The young Taanabian's stomach felt like there were a hundred rabid butterflies trying to escape as the anticipation of reuniting with her twin was full of mixed emotions - excitement, dread, joy, regret. Pick a feeling and Addy had experienced it in the span of time it took her to travel from Taanab to Naboo.

The siblings had drifted and fallen out of touch during the most pivotal times of their short lives. What kind of a sister was she just to cut and run when the going got tough? Addy did think she had done the right thing in the moment. Perhaps it was wrong, but her decision to disappear was just that and now she had to rectify the consequences and explain the reasoning behind it. Her promise to her dying mother would be kept...

'I promise for Aiden and I to be side by side, always.'

A deep breath was taken, then blown out to center herself before the tall brunette now with a wavy chin-length bob hairstyle dressed in spacer attire looking more like a smuggler than a Jedi Ace walked further into the compound to where a sentry guard told her the location of Knight Porte.

The whole homestead had been rebuilt since the Dark Exchange had left the place in ruins. To Addy's eye it was nothing like the old one the Porte's had called home before. It seemed to be now more of an Jedi enclave than a family residence. But is was indeed impressive nonetheless what had been accomplished in such a short time. She wondered curiously though where all the funding came from because this version was a lot grander than the previous.

Hazel brown orbs gazed thoughtfully from the edge of of what was the new training circle where Aiden Porte and a young girl perhaps an initiate were practicing. He was always good with others - kind, patient. Just like father... The girl's youthful giddiness and a bit of sassiness brought a small grin to her lips if only for a second as she witnessed the interaction between them. Reminds me of well me at that age.

Another deep breath was taken, then slowly Addison let her purposefully diminished essence in the Force blossom and reawaken their twin bond as she stepped ever closer towards her other half standing with his back to her.

"Hello, Aiden... I've missed you."

​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Noontime
Porte Homestead
Training Circle
Addison Porte

​

"There you go." Aiden voiced as he crossed his arms, a smile on his face as he watched his daughter work her way through her own problems. Mostly without his help, aside from a few words or two. Surely, there were lessons in between, but she had found enough of the answers on her own. Two years had passed since he found her, scared and fleeing from the monsters after her. And now, gods, things were so different.

"Alright, that's enough for now. We don't want to overwork, do we?" Aiden said with a smile, Lira started to move off to the side, next to him.

"Hey!" Aiden said in a slightly stern tone. "What do we do?"

She smiled sheepishly, before giggling. "Oh, yes sir, sorry!"

She moved to put the majority of the things away, whether they were small objects or even the marksman training remote. But for now, it was just books. She picked them up, moving them off to the side where they would return to them within an hour. Aiden smiled as he turned away from her, facing toward the home.

It found him again, like a dream he couldn't get rid of. It wasn't pain, but a flood of emotions that came rushing back into him. He took a deep breath as his hand rose to his chest for a moment.

Lira had just finished putting the bag back on the slab when she turned to see a girl standing there. She smiled brightly at her, a curious look on her face.

"Hello!"

"Can we help you?"

"Hello, Aiden... I've missed you."

Aiden took another deep breath, and that was when he heard her words.

Aiden turned around, not quickly, but slowly, unsure if it was just another trick or if he was lost in a dream of sorts. Lira moved next to him, taking his hand in hers, with a smile on her face, but it faded for just a moment as she looked at Aiden's expression. Shock, disbelief, happines, anything else that could be said with those range of emotions.

"Daddy, who's that?"

The Jedi Knight took a deep breath, his brow furrowed.

"How...?"

 

[Addison Porte]

NABOO
PORTE HOMESTEAD
Reunion
Aiden Porte

Side_by_Side​

"Hello!"

"Can we help you?"

"Daddy, who's that?"

"How...?"

"I'll share the whole story in due time with you as there is much to tell and some not easy to hear, but for now just know I'm very much alive and well. You look... mature. I like the facial hair," Addy answered lightly to her seemingly bewildered brother trying to keep things in an uplifted mood rather than dower, then she turned her attention to the young girl. Oh, she was a cutie.

He has a daughter?! Well, frak me. The Force does work in mysterious ways when one's not looking.

The younger of the twin siblings by four minutes was still trying to figure out relationships with the opposite sex; primarily just one to be exact. But there was no way age wise that Aiden could have sired this child, right? Eww TMI and that thought was immediately erased from her mind.

"Hi, I'm Addison or Addy or some call me Tinks. I guess if this man is your daddy," shooting a quick bemused look the other Jedi Knight's way, "then that would make me your aunt," the tall brunette offered with a warm smile and her hand outstretched to the little one.

"So what lesson were you doing?"

​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Noontime
Porte Homestead
Training Circle
Addison Porte​

"I'll share the whole story in due time with you as there is much to tell and some not easy to hear, but for now just know I'm very much alive and well. You look... mature. I like the facial hair,"

Aiden's facial expression didn't come easily. Unsure, uncertain, relieved, it was almost as if he were looking at a ghost. He showed a small smile as he watched the interaction with Lira.

"Telekinesis! I'm getting better! It's so good to meet you. That means I have more family!" Lira voiced in a clearly happy and excited tone. She wasted no time as she leaned in to hug Addison. After the hug broke, she looked back over to Aiden, moving to stand close to him. "This is good news, right?"

Aiden chuckled as he knelt down next to her, looking her in the eyes. "Very good news. Now, I need you to do me a favor, okay? Go inside and get cleaned up. What do you say we make some cookies and tea for your aunt, my sister?"

Lira giggled and nodded her head quickly. "That sounds like heaven!" she voiced as she kissed Aiden on the cheek before taking a glance back at Addison. "I'll see you soon. I can't wait!"

The Jedi shook his head as he stood up, looking back Addison's way. He opened his mouth, trying to find the words, but none came at the moment. Finally, he spoke. "Welcome home," Aiden said with a smile on his face. Her comments from earlier finally began to register as the shock settled. There were still many questions that needed to be answered, and there was no time like the present.

"Thanks. A lot has happened." Aiden glanced down for a moment before looking back up at her. "Is that really you?" Aiden inquired as he held his hand out toward her.

 

[Addison Porte]

NABOO
PORTE HOMESTEAD
Reunion
Aiden Porte

Side_by_Side
​

"I'll see you soon. I can't wait!"

Addison gave a wave to the little girl as she hurried off to the residence with much excitement, then the brunette's brandy gaze went to her brother as he stood back up.

"Welcome home," Aiden said with a smile on his face. "Thanks. A lot has happened." Aiden glanced down for a moment before looking back up at her. "Is that really you?" Aiden inquired as he held his hand out toward her.

A lopsided grin grew upon Addy's face, then suddenly she grabbed his outstretched hand with her left following up with a punch to his shoulder with her right - something she had done when they were younger, endearingly of course.

"You tell me?!" Addy chuckled, then pulled him into a warm hug feeling their twin bond coming back to life. // "Missed you more than you'll ever know.// After a few ticks, she stepped back with a quirked up siena brow.

"So you have a daughter, hmm... Do tell."

 

[Aiden Porte]

Addison Porte

​

To some, it was a simple gesture. But to him, it meant so much. The punch he received brought a big smile and a laugh from him as he embraced his sister. He gave her probably the galaxy's biggest hug ever. The bond they shared was as bright and as strong as it had been the day they last saw each other.

Gods, that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"It's so good to see you. I've hoped for this moment for a long time." Aiden spoke and a giggle escaped him. He couldn't even apologize for that. He was so incredibly happy. The hug broke apart, and she asked her next question, which Aiden, in truth, was ready for, but probably wasn't what she was expecting.

"So you have a daughter, hmm... Do tell."

"Adopted daughter," Aiden added, a small smirk on his face. "She doesn't have my blood, but she has my name, and that's just as good as anything." The Jedi Knight looked off in the direction Lira had gone before looking back to Addison.

"I actually saved her, me and another Jedi. Some terrible, awful individuals are after her." Aiden took a deep breath as he placed his arm around Addison for a moment. "Tell me, where have you been?" he asked, with nothing but goodness and simple truth behind his question.

 

[Addison Porte]

NABOO
PORTE HOMESTEAD
Reunion
Aiden Porte

Side_by_Side
​

"Adopted daughter," Aiden added, a small smirk on his face. "She doesn't have my blood, but she has my name, and that's just as good as anything." The Jedi Knight looked off in the direction Lira had gone before looking back to Addison. "I actually saved her, me and another Jedi. Some terrible, awful individuals are after her."

"That it is," Addy answered wholeheartedly, then added as Aiden gazed back at her. "Lira is a sweetie. I'm sure you'll be a great daddy and give her stability. I really can't wait to get to know her better... Auntie A has a ring to it, don't you think?" she winked with a light chuckle.

It was hard to wrap her head around that fact, but she could only be happy for her twin sibling. Hope seemed rekindled in him since the Dark Exchange days that dragged their whole family down and caused so much heartache. At least one of us is getting their life together...

Addison was still trying to decide what she was supposed to do with herself - rejoin the military, become a full time Jedi, or just be a rebel without a cause. The ace pilot had tried to balance previously having a foot in each discipline while serving the GA & NJO, but it always seemed like she was just spinning her wheels not reaching full potential for either group or herself. This is why adulting was so hard; decisions, decisions.

Aiden took a deep breath as he placed his arm around Addison for a moment. "Tell me, where have you been?" he asked, with nothing but goodness and simple truth behind his question.

Now it was Addy's turn to take a deep breath with so much to tell. It was probably best just to rip the bandaid off and get this conversation over with.

"Let's walk, shall we."

As they started to stroll side by side along a winding path through the beautiful gardens of the rebuilt homestead, the younger Taanabian began to share. "The last you knew I think is that Mom and I had gone on a mission together or at least that was our story. You see I had a vision that the Dark Exchange was coming to finish Mom off. I acted on it and was able to get to Naboo to grab her before the dark cultists did their final attack on the old place. The thing was Aiden, I didn't realize just how ill she really was... "

Brandy eyes flicked over at the other Porte for a moment, then forward again to focus on a flower bed in the near distance to keep her composure.

"I found out that Samara Raine had been secretly coming to Naboo giving Mom healing treatments for the wound from the poisoned Sith dagger she got stabbed with during the Dark Exchange ambush several years ago. Mom was hiding it from everyone. I don't even know if Dad knew exactly how sick she was. They lived such separate lives over the years ya know as duty called each in different directions."

That wasn't a dig at either parent but it was the truth. Kahne Porte and Alexandra Porte had spent more time apart than together during their long love affair though they were soul mates to the end. If Addison had learned anything from them is that quality over quantity was the most important attribute in anything worthwhile.

"Master Raine continued to give her healing treatments at the Jedi Enclave on Eadu... But after Dad sacrificed himself for his homeward, she lost the will to fight. Mom always felt at home on Ceto so I took her there and we stayed in the old safe house on the beach," Addy said, then stopped to face Aiden and took his hands in hers.

"Her condition was terminal. One evening we sat together on the front porch overlooking the ocean and watched the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen... She was at total peace in the end," Addy said softly in a pained voice with a tear rolling down her cheek. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet box and a data card.

"Mom wanted you to have her locket with our family holo in it - Dad and her, you and me on each side. Which now I see would be a wonderful heirloom to hand down to your daughter. Maybe she knew, hmm? And as for the card, well Kayoh made a copy of her farewell... I thought you would want to see it. I'm sorry I didn't, well, we had to do it real quick and stealth like. Mom is one with her, our homeworld. May the Force be with her, always."

 

[Aiden Porte]

Addison Porte
​

"For as good a family as we are, I guess we all keep our secrets." Aiden spoke in a somber tone, as he listened to the story that was told, about mom and the rest. Aiden took a deep breath, his thoughts lingering on his mother. And even more so, his father. There was much he wanted to ask him, if he had doubts about what they were doing. If he ever had any concerns, or anything of that sort.

He looked to her, as he noted the tear rolling down her cheek, as he placed his arm around her. Giving her a gentle squeeze. Then the locket came, a small smile showed on his face, as he was handed it, and he opened it. He took a deep breath, staring at pictures. "I miss them...." Aiden voiced, as he closed the locket, placing it into the pocket of his shirt.

Next the card came, and he took it without question.

"Don't worry about that, she's at peace now, just like Dad is." He tucked the card away, he would look at it, at a later time.

"I'm just glad you are safe, and okay. We need to make a promise to each other, that no matter what happens we always talk to each other. About everything that's going on."

While he was sure she had her stories, Aiden had his as well too, but that would be a problem for tomorrow. Today, he was just happy to have his sister back in his life.