Private Special Nut Mix

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble // Valery Noble

"I don't want to change how things are now." Colette said. "And uh," The kid looked between the two. "I think Kahlil and Valery will do. For now. I…" She let out a chuckle, a sad chuckle. "I still don't know if my real parents are out there and alive or not, and if they are it would... Well..."

But that hardly mattered. She was being accepted into the family and that was great news!

"Oh, no no, please. The guest room is just big enough. It's perfect, I don't need anything bigger." It was true that in many ways Colette was living that ascetic lifestyle. The idea of 'luxury' was to her a vain concept and in truth a scary one. "Maybe, uh, just change its name from guest room to bedroom, I guess?"

"Maybe we could do that?"

As if on cue, she swore she could hear Vera from one of the other rooms, coming their way.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"If that's what you'd like, I don't see why not. We can always make a new guest room too." Kahlil chuckled and nodded in agreement while ignoring the red mark on his forehead. At least she was excited for all this. Though she wasn't thr only one. He glanced towards the door, where he could see two sets of eyes peering in.

"Alright, come in you lot."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

Valery nodded, "We just want you to have one room for yourself," she said. That way, she wouldn't be moving from one guest room to another, and she'd have a little stability within the family home. "How you decorate it or what you do with it, is up to you. We'll get you anything you want, but you can keep it as simple as you like as well." Maybe just a few photos would be nice, to capture her favorite memories.

But even that would be up to her.

"Hey Aris? I think we can go now," Vera said, and once she had confirmation from her father, she shoved the door wide open and ran over to Colette for a big hug. "Yay! You're really my big sister now!" She said as her shorter arms reached around the young woman. "Well, you always were but... now it's really official!" Vera was clearly excited, but did pull back so Aris could also offer his thoughts or a hug, or whatever he'd want to do or say.

"I think the little ones are curious too," Valery said with a chuckle. Aurra was the first to appear in the doorway, index finger in her mouth while she looked at the group to see what was going on.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she asked with a curious look.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Aris stared up at Colette for a moment, then looked to Vera. They were family now. He smiled after a moment as he lifted up the hot cocoa he'd gotten earlier to sip at. "When you and Shan get married he'll be our brother too. This is ideal."

Kahlil choked on a laugh midsip of his caf before clearing his throat. "Vera, why don't you help Colette with her room? You're good at interior design." Well, if seeing the end result already was, in fact, interior design. It was how a lot of their home was made as it was. In fact, was that why there was so many guest rooms? He raised a brow at that thought, but shook it out as he instead looked to Aurra.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?"

Colette | Valery Noble

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

There wasn't even a smidge of hesitation to return that hug. Vera was special to Colette, and while Aris really wanted to push those buttons of hers Colette had already undone them to some extent. Turns out all she had to do was just talk to Shan. Either way, Colette smiled at Aris and instead of glaring or even threatening him she reached up to tussle his hair with a playful grin.

"We can go in a second, Vera. I just wanted to say thank you, really, all of you." Colette said and began to perhaps shrink just a little in her posture. "My last family was… Unkind to me, and I… Uh." Valery had been there to see it. "And I might need some time to settle in, but…" She smiled at them, all of them. "I am really happy for this. Thank you."

So, what was on Aurra's mind?

"I think she's picking up that something important is happening. She's clever like that."

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

Valery tried to suppress a snort at Aris' comment as well, but Vera shot him a death glare for it. This was a big moment for Colette, and he was teasing her during it. Of course, it was kind of funny, but she did tighten the hug around her big sister for a moment because of it.

Colette herself didn't seem bothered though, and whether she realized it or not, she got the perfect payback by ruffling his hair. Aris was very particular about his hair, much like Mom was, so that was definitely going to get to him just a little bit.

"I can show you! We'll need some pictures and drawings for it. The triplets like making paintings for our rooms," she said with a warm smile, before Colette took a moment to thank them all. Valery walked over to place a hand on Colette's shoulder and dipped her head, "We'll give you as much time and space as you need. Just know we're also here for you whenever you need us." She let out a happy little sigh and finally turned to Aurra.

The young little blonde waddled over to her dad and tried her best to climb up his knees to get in his lap, "Is Colette my sister?" She asked, and as she did, both Aeryn and Adam came running into the house with big grins.

"Cowette!" Aeryn threw her little toy ball towards her in greeting and ran over to be picked up into a hug.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Aris shrugged indifferently to Vera, though did give Colette a raised brow. She was calm despite what he'd said. Which was weird. Or maybe she had actually decided to actually talk to him. If she had, good on her. He smiled a little at that thought, gave Colette a simple nod as she patted his head and turned to watch the triplets. Vera would show Colette around her room, but he'd keep his eyes on them.

"Yes. She is."

Kahlil smiled as he looked down towards Aurra. She was the most aware of things out of the triplets. Perhaps it was her desire to learn that had her so aware of everything that was going on around her. He patted her head, smirked a little as he glanced towards Valery.

"We've an even larger family now, you know."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

Colette needed to take a few deep breaths. This was a lot all at once. Valery's hand on her shoulder made it easy to bear, but it was also a small action which felt huge given what was happening. There was a smile on Colette's lips but her shoulders hunched closer and closer to each other as she began to tense up through her entire body.

"Y-yeah." She chuckled at Vera. "All the pictures."

'Is Colette my sister?'
'Cowette!'

Colette couldn't help but chuckle again. She had always cared greatly for the triplets, but now they were kind of… Actual family.

Family.

Hooboy, that was a big word.

She picked Aeryn up for a tight hug before she put the little one back down on the floor again.

"This is all very much at once." The as-of-now eldest sister exhaled a slightly anxious breath. "But, I love all of you."

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

"We've an even larger family now, you know."

"We do, and with our plans..." Valery trailed off and held a hand over her stomach. Now wasn't the right time, but she had already talked him into going for another kid again. So, one day in the foreseeable future, there was going to be another little Noble running around the house. Hopefully, Vera, Aris and Colette would all be there to help with that.

Maybe even the triplets, though Valery didn't want to even think about them being older yet. She loved having little ones, and she couldn't imagine a world where she didn't have one to raise right now.

Valery then picked up on Colette getting a little overwhelmed, and lowered herself to scoop up Aeryn and Adam. Aurra was still climbing over her Dad's lap, but she was also not that hard to handle. The other two, though...

"We love you too, Colette," Valery said with a smile. "Maybe you and Vera can go look at your room? I think Kahlil and I have a little bit of chatting to do as well, hm?" She smiled at her husband and held onto her flailing triplets.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil gave Valery a nod and a smile, though honestly he wasn't sure what else they had to talk about now. But, it was good for Colette to at least find her new room and.. Well. Make it her own room. He watched as Vera lead Colette off before relaxing back in his seat again, idly bouncing Aurra on his knee in the process.

"So what's to talk about now? I think everything is pretty much covered."

Colette | Valery Noble

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

Yeah, it would probably be good to have some time to herself with Vera. Colette slowly nodded and excused herself out of her seat before she pushed it back in under the table again out of habit. The duo set off towards the room.

"I uh, wasn't expecting this much of a welcome." Colette said and chuckled away at her own nervousness. "Though, I guess, it makes sense. I've been around a lot lately."

Any chance she could find, really. Coruscant was such a pit of despair for her that any reason not to be there was one that the kid took. It was reasonable to assume even Valery was aware of this which was why Colette really just felt like renaming her particular guest room as a 'bedroom' was little more than formality.

She pushed open the door where she kept her things and took a seat on the bed to look at all of her possessions. They fit neatly inside of her bags, but that was just about. Despite her best efforts it would seem that she kept getting more and more things to call her own and it all just felt so… unnecessary.

Unnecessary, but also kind of nice. As long as it was a modest pile of belonging, she supposed and unhooked the canister from her belt and put it on her nightstand.

"Never really had our own rooms where I come from." Colette said and closed her eyes as if to imagine it. "My old family lived in tents. Our ceiling light was the sun and the moon."

"It feels really weird to have been staying in one place for so long now." She added and opened her eyes to look at Vera. "Surrounded by people that actually care about me. Not just tolerate me."

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

Valery rolled her eyes and walked over, first to pick up Aurra and put her down on the ground, and then to sit in his lap for a moment herself. "Just one moment, sweetie," she told Aurra, who smiled back and waddled over to her siblings until it was her time for attention again.

"There's not much to talk about, but I wanted to thank you." She placed her hands on his shoulder, and let one slowly find its way up to cup his cheek. "This means a lot to me, and while I know you feel the same way, I still..." She paused and let out a softer sigh. "I still just really appreciate you." She pecked him on the lips, leaned back to look at him with a smile, then booped the tip of his nose with her index finger.

"We do have another gremlin in the house now, you know."

"We like having you here," Vera said with nothing but warm smiles for her big sister. "Now we get to spend even more time together!" She grinned and followed Colette into her bedroom. Vera had been here plenty of times before, yet somehow, it still felt a little different now. It wasn't temporary anymore, and circumstances wouldn't suddenly have Colette sleeping elsewhere again. No, this bed, the desk and everything else was hers now.

It just needed a little more of a personal touch, in Vera's opinion.

"I don't really know what that's like," Vera then admitted, after plopping down on Colette's bed too. "Mom and Dad are the best, and so are Aris and the triplets." She smiled a little and looked up at Colette.

"It always felt like you were family. Mom said so too, when she saw you playing with Aeryn and Adam, or when you read stories to Aurra."

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"Imagine your mom and dad, but that they sort of keep you just out of reach. They give you food, they teach you the basic things like cooking, reading, and all those things. But, they only give you hugs when you're really sad, and they also don't do much more than keep you around."

Gods, the more Colette thought about it the more she questioned just how good her childhood had been. On a galactic level it was abysmal, and yet she had never really been unhappy. She had become a very independent individual for it. Maybe that was why she had such a strong belief in personal freedom.

"I wasn't unhappy, I think I had a pretty good childhood, but…"

"I don't know. Being with Valery and Kahlil just makes me realize sort of what I missed out on, in a sense, and it makes me feel at least a little sad."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I know how much she means to you. How all our Padawan's mean to all of us." Kahlil smiled softly as he reached up to touch her cheek in return. "I'm more surprised the others weren't adopted yet. Though I suppose it wouldn't be the best example if we did just adopt everyone we took on as Padawan's." It'd likely be all manner of trouble with the rest of the Order, if he was being honest. Even Colette was likely going to raise some eyebrows.

"But it's good to have more gremlins, isn't it?"

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

Valery chuckled, and closed her eyes while she leaned into the hand he rested against her cheek for a moment, "Yeah, I don't think we should try to adopt all of our Padawans. We'll always care about them, but it's... different." Some of them had their own families, like Cailen did, and even Cora with her other siblings still being cared for. Others were in phases of their own lives where adoption just wouldn't really feel right, and she would respect that.

Colette had just fit right in, and even if others would give them looks for it, Valery didn't care. As far as she was concerned, Colette was her daughter, and she'd support and care for her as her Mom.

"But I agree, and the kids just love her, too." She smiled and pressed a kiss against his forehead. "I'm thinking we should celebrate. Why don't we make pancakes, love? Let's see if Colette eats them the right way or not." She waggled her eyebrows, and eyed the kitchen. Usually, they didn't cook together, but why not? It'd be fun.

...

"I don't like that," Vera said with a much deeper frown. "Mom and Dad are... well, sometimes too loving. They get very protective if we're leaving the house." She chuckled and looked up at her big sister. "But they do that because they always love us, and that is how it should be, right?"

She didn't know anything else, and quite frankly, she didn't want to either.

"It's okay to be a little sad, but now things will be better." Her hand rested atop Colette's leg, and she began to smile. "You will have to help with chores, though. Those are not fun."

Maybe she could get Colette to do the more annoying ones, even.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

It felt weird to have someone be too loving and yet at the same time understand what Vera meant. Colette really didn't like just how controlling she believed Valery to be, but then she also understood that she had more than a few enemies as both the Sword of the Jedi as well as the Grandmaster of a Jedi Order which made her children prime targets.

It was just concerning to her that Vera might risk confusing control for love. But then maybe that was also Colette being aware of her own upbringing being, by all measures possible, a lot more allowing than Vera's.

One could argue it was even encouraged that Colette make her own mistakes for both better and worse. Was there malicious intent in it? Maybe. It would do her very little good to really think about that right now.

As for the chores, well,

"They build good routines." Colette added with a firm nod at Vera. "You know, like showering regularly, brushing your teeth, and getting enough sleep." She gave Vera a smug grin. "But hey, if you only want to take care of the bathrooms from now on and nothing else, that's your choice."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You want to make my pancakes into a competition? You've lost every time before." A drasticly smug smile took over Kahlil's expression as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen. He was humble on a lot of things. Cooking was not one of those things. Especially if Valery thought she could make her pancakes better than his own. His were a staple of the Noble House like nothing else, after all.

"You can just assist me, mm?"

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Niv Hani

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Colette Kahlil Noble

"I meant working together on your pancakes..." Valery pushed her lower lip out and gave him the sad, puppy eyes. She challenged him with just about everything, but she had long given up on trying to make better pancakes. The kids had made up their minds about the winner of that battle, and she had accepted it.

Mostly because he accepted that her cocoa was best too.

"You know, I was also thinking..." Valery continued after following him into the kitchen with just a small out lingering. "When the time is right, we should have a family vacation again. It'll be Colette's first time, but it might be a nice little thing." If she wanted to come along, of course.

Unlike the little ones who depended on their parents, Colette was old enough to make a lot more decisions for herself.

"...Can I flip the pancakes?

...
Vera smirked at her big sister, "Now you are starting to sound like Mom. But no... Mom handles the bathrooms." Which Vera was very thankful for. She just did dishes, sometimes helped with cooking because it was fun, and did some cleaning. Mostly her own room and the triplets.

"Hey Colette? Do you think it'll be hard having Mom also be your Master?" Vera asked after a moment. "They didn't want to become my Master because it could end up being difficult. I understand it, but now..." She understood Colette's situation was different because she had already been Mom's Padawan up until now.

But how did Colette feel about that?

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I don't mind it, no. It'd be nice to head out and have a fun trip again."

Provided it didn't end like their last trip and have yet another battle in it. As much of a warrior as Kahlil was, it wasn't much fun to go on a trip only to be attacked. Maybe they'd have to make sure they had a low profile sort of event. Camping might be good. Yeah, camping.

"But yes, you can flip the pancakes. So long as you don't burn them."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

Colette laughed along with Vera as she mentioned mom cleaning the bathrooms.

"I don't know. I don't think so?" She said to answer Vera's questions. "I think that with you she is your mother first and master second because you are her daughter." Colette said and nodded along with her words. "I was her apprentice before I was her, uh, daughter." It still felt weird to say that. Very, very weird. "To me she was Valery before she was, errrr, 'mom' but for you she was 'mom' before you even had a name."

"... Does that make sense?"