Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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The Best Stories Start In The Forest




All the best stories began with a boy in the woods. The tales of great heroes and even greater glories that the Mando'ade spoke of filled Corrin with wonder. They would tell the fabled by campfire, and each night, Corrin and Lord Cabur would scramble out to the pits and listen. He wanted to be a hero, just like the men in the stories.

He would be leading the Mandalorian armies to victory just like Canderous Ordo. He would fight off the monstrous Vong like the late Boba Fett. He would stop a war with a single act, just like his father and uncle.

A thousand stories, and one imaginative little mind to glorify them.

Such was the way all great stories began, here in the woods where Corrin stood, with the gateway of imagination leading him to other worlds told in the ancient fables.

In truth, the heir to the clan was only out hunting. He was draped in heavy furs much to large for his slim figure. The boy was muscled, but had yet to grow into his own body. His gloved hands clung tightly to the Verpine Sniper Rifle his father had given him.

An expensive tool, and one he would never part with, as the Chieftain instructed.

At his side strolled Lord Cabur. The old Strill had less trouble than the boy. It bounded through the snow as if it were solid ground. Corrin, on the other hand, was struggling.

His feet sunk with each step, and the constant daydreams that stole his mind kept him distracted. He'd already walked into two trees.

"Do you smell anything?" He asked the Strill.

Cabur stopped in its tracks, tilted its grotesque furry head toward Corrin, and shook its head.

The youth grumbled in reply.

"The Uxi are common here ad'ika."

His father rumbled from behind him. The Tal'verda chieftain was two meters tall and built like a star destroyer. To Corrin who barely made it to five feet, his father was larger than life.

The youth breathed a heavy sigh, and brought his rifle up to scan the snow drift.

"Why is it always snowing?" He asked quietly.

"That's the way of our land. The winter provides for us, it keeps us alive and kills our enemies. You've seen the people down south, you know how they are ad'ika."

Corrin smiled, and tore his eyes away from the scope to look at his father.

"Loud and stupid." He replied. "-and mean. Some are nice though. I like the Vizlas."

Calico reached up to remove his helmet, and grinned at the boy. The former Dreadguard was in his thirties now, but otherwise remained the same as he'd always been.

"And the Garons, and the Ordos, don't discount the Mando'ade."

"You mean the ones I've never met, because you never let us go to the city."

"Where is your sister?" Calico snapped, changing the subject. "I don't want her getting lost out here. Gods know she'll be invisible, she has your mother's hair."





[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
White as snow, Rawnie had the perfect natural camouflage out here. The furs she wore over her tiny body were a gift from mom her last birthday. She didn't know the name of the animal they came from, but she did know that she liked them now. They had white hair just like her! Proof that mom and dad just loved her more than Corrin. She liked to tease him about that, and of course she was only teasing. She wasn't that much of an awful sister.

Rawni had slipped away from her brother, letting him take Cabby with him. She was a big girl now. She didn't need her stupid big brother to look out for her, and he needed the strill to protect him more than she did. She'd hunt for tonights dinner all by herself. Her little fur covered boots crushed the snow softly underfoot. She'd learned to walk softly, like some of the other animals out here. She liked to watch them, observe. Those that could stay quiet, survived. She didn't like to kill the quiet ones. The quiet ones were the smart ones. They deserved to keep going.

Unlike her, Corrin didn't seem to grasp the concept of stealth. She could always hear him thundering along, talking. What was the point of talking when she was on the hunt? They'd just scare away dinner.

As she slipped around a tree, the little girl spotted tracks in the fresh snow. She got close, watched the snow fall into them for a moment, trying to judge how long ago they'd been made. Not long at all, and by the looks of it, this one was a decent size. Probably a male. She pulled off her white fur hood, listening. Her vision wasn't quite right, but her hearing was on point. A snap ahead behind the trees made her freeze where she was and raise her rifle scope to her better eye.

The Uxi was magnificant. She hesitated to call it pretty, of course. The creatures themselves were a bit ugly, but this one had horns like she'd never seen, and the sparkle of the freshly fallen snow on his back made him look almost magical. She actually hesitated to pull the trigger. It didn't seem right to kill him when he was wandering out here looking like some magical forest spirit.

"Sorry," she whispered, and pulled the trigger.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 



The familiar snap of a bolt rifle going off shook the forest. It was deafening for an instant , and gone entirely the next. Corrin knew exactly who it was.

"Must be hunting early. Come on ad'ika, let's see what she bagged." His fathers snickered. The older Mando clapped a strong hand on his son's shoulder, and marched off to the origin point of the noise.

Lord Cabur made no move, and instead looked up to Corrin for confirmation. The younger Tal'verda lifted his slight shoulders in a shrug, and followed after his father.

Ballistics were used rather than energy when it came to hunting. Tal'verda could manufacture its own bullets and shells from the mines just outside the town. They did not possess the necessary technology to packet energy bolts that blasters fired, so they were back to pre-space technology when it came to hunting.

Not that it mattered really. Their prey died the same either way, and there was plenty of military grade technology stored away for real threat. Corrin's special Verpine rifle could fire just about anything you could fit into the chamber. It made no noise, weighed very little, and if need be, you could substitute a pebble for a bullet in a pinch.

Corrin himself preferred depleted uranium bullets. They tore skin like wet paper, but those were too expensive to waste on Uxis.

The young Tal'verda breathed a quiet sigh when he saw the Uxi fall. Its horns were a peculiar shade of black, a shock of ebony in a sea of marble.

He was instantly angry that his sister had dropped the beast and not himself.

"Rawnie, good shot." Calico praised. He marched over to his tiny daughter, and ruffled her hair.

Lord Cabur bounded over to the fresh corpse, and lapped up some of the blood that had spilled on the snow. Corrin remained frozen a few paces away.

"Look at its horns..."


[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
She watched it fall, unable to resist feeling a mix of pride and pity. She rather liked this one. It was unique, one of a kind. Sure, all living things were unique, right? But this one was quite a prize. She stood completely still as she watched the poor creature panic for a few seconds before going silent at last. It was a clean kill, and her first time dropping anything on her first shot. Her stupid eyesight made it difficult for her sometimes.
She breathed out the air she'd been holding in her lungs, watching the warm air swirl in front of her face. Before she could get closer and inspect her kill, bounding through the snow came Corrin, Cabby, and Dad. She grinned, watching her brother for signs of jealousy.

"Thanks Daddy," she giggled as he ruffled her short white hair.

Her eyes followed her brothers to the fallen creature with a sad smile. Mom hated needing to shoot things. She said that she could really get to know someone fighting hand to hand, but a rifle was too quick. Over in an instant, before you could even say hello. She wondered if the Uxi had tried to say hello before it died.

"Think Cabby can drag it back?" she asked, using the nickname she'd insisted on giving the strill, "I wanna show the horns off to mom. She'd love this."

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


"Cabur?" Corrin asked the Strill. It knew what the children wanted.

Without a single growl of protest, the powerful creature sunk it's teeth into the Uxi's fat neck, and began to tug it back toward the village. They weren't particularly far, and Lord Cabur always seemed to enjoy returning back with a kill. It was a primal thing, Corrin was sure of it. Though extremely loyal and intelligent enough to understand and participate in basic conversation, Cabur was a predator at heart.

"That's one. We'll need two." Calico mused.

He leaned down to pull the bolt back on Rawnie's rifle. "Remember when you shoot to load another round into the chamber like that, or the rifle won't fire when you need it."

Corrin checked his own weapon out of habit. The clay bullet was still in the chamber. He hadn't fired a single shot yet.

With a sigh of annoyance, Corran let the weapon hang off its straps, and folded his arms over his chest. "She's spooked the herd." He complained. "They won't just st-..."

A few meters away at the edge of the tree line, the snow moved. Except snow wasn't a living creature. Corrin peered out with narrowed eyes, and caught a glimpse of a swaying tail and low shoulders.

He instantly reached for his rifle, panicked fingers fumbling for the trigger.

"W-wolves."

Calico lofted a brow, and stood up to his full height. He brought his DC-17 up to bare, and frowned.

"Two so far. Di'kuts are getting crafty. Ra'ika, stay close to me. Cor'ika, keep watching them. Tell me if they move."

 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
The little girl nodded at her fathers directions. She'd forgotten again. Well, it wasn't like she was allowed out here every day. She'd need more practice to be anything like her father.

"She's spooked the herd."
The younger sibling snarled at her older brother. Spooked the herd! As if he had any room to talk, stomping around with those big clumsy feet of his. She was about to open her mouth and protest when he cut himself off first.

Wolves. She pushed a stray lock of white behind her ear to listen. They were becoming an annoyance, and half the reason she didn't get out as much as she'd like. These woods were dangerous. There was a good reason all the stories had a big bad wolf. She stayed close as asked. Annoyed as she was at being treated like a helpless infant, she knew better than to argue now.

"Not two..." she said, with a shake of her head, "I hear more."

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


Corrin's first thought was for the Strill. This quickly rectified itself as Lord Cabur could fly short distances. That, and the creature was the alpha predator. Either the wolves would leave it be, Cabur would kill the ones that moved against it, or the Strill would abandon the kill and make its escape.

Either way, there was little cause to worry for the beast.

It was his family that he really should have worried for. Two Snow White wolves emerged from the bushes a few yards away, jowls pulled back to exposs razor sharp teeth. Two more circled about through the shrubbery, and one was--

The massive brown wolf lunged out from the trees to Corrin's right. It had made no sounds, and despite its coloration, managed to stay completely hidden. The monster was a yard and a half long and came up to Calico's shoulders.

Mandalorian Wolves were generally larger than the average, but this was more akin to something out of a storybook than a flesh and blood creature.

It's jaws snapped shut in the space where Corrin's leg had just been. The boy screamed in surprise, and fired the Verpine point blank. The round flew from the barrel without so much as a cough. It traversed the short distance, carved through the Wolf's skull, and came out the back of its head. The beast slumped forward, dead in an instant.

Corrin stared down at it, stunned, only to have his father pull the boy up close, along with his little sister. The snow wolves charged, and Calico's deece putted twice in reply. One fell, the other retreated with a bleeding hole in its thigh.

The other two were still unaccounted for.

Corrin clung to his father's leg, his weapon falling into the snow. Despite years of training, he was terrified. These creatures wanted to eat him, and one almost had.

He held on to the Chieftain as if his life depended on it, his tears streaming down his cheeks.

He hated himself. Why was he so afraid? He was supposed to be a hero, not a sniveling child!





[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
Everything happened so fat the tiny girl almost didn't have time to think. The big one was snapping at her brother. She was sure she was going to see Corrin fall to the ground, missing a leg any second. She winced, as a shot was fired. Blood splashed up from the wolfs brown head. Dead. One down... ugh. She couldn't figure out how many there were. Too much noise now.
She clung to her weapon knowing full well that she was just a bite-sized snack for them. She'd be dead in a second if she let them get close. Two more shots rang out, one wold down, another injured and retreating. He would die soon too. Nothing could survive out here with an injury like that.

A snap behind them made the girl turn at once with a jump. The white fur against the snow was her camouflage, but it also worked for the wolves too. She couldn't see a thing, but she could hear it. She tugged on her fathers furs, silently keeping her poor eyes open for any movement in the snow. She might not be able to see as well as the boys, but she knew how to keep her head.
Even if she was absolutely terrified.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


Corrin was no longer there. He'd retreated into his daydreams once more; mentally gone from all that was happening around them.

He saw himself standing in the center of the field. The translucent form of the great brown wolf he had slain sat on its haunches next to him. A deep rumbling came from the back of its throat, and the two snow wolves appeared physically.

Corrin blinked in confusion. This wasn't like his usual daydreams filled with adventure and heroism. This was surreal, and it felt far too real.

"Why are you...?"

The two white wolves bowed their heads. The great brown wolf rose up to its full height; towering over the boy. It held its head up high, and a low rumbling filled the valley.

"Do not harm my cubs, and they shall not harm you, little Chieftain."

"I don't understand."

"Take my furs and leave. There need be no more bloodshed."

The world went black.

He was back in the forest, still clinging to his father.

Calico nodded at his daughter, and whipped the rifle around to train on two of the wolves. The creatures had come to a halt. They stared at the family, licked their chops, and turned tail.

The white wolves disappeared into the forest, and all was silence.

"They don't normally run like that..." Calico mused. He lowered his weapon and allowed it to hang from the strap.

The Chieftain clapped both hands on top of the children's heads. He cracked a wide smile, and pulled the kids close.

"You did well. Both of you. We'll have wolf meat for dinner."

Corrin looked up at his father with bloodshot eyes. With a bit of hesitation, he lowered down to scoop up his Verpine, inspected the weapon, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was still pristine.

"Weird." Corrin mumbled as the adrenaline began to fade. "I want the big wolf's fur. I killed it. Rawnie got the Uxi, I want a trophy too."


[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]




 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
The little girl narrowed her eyes with suspicion when the wolves turned tail and ran. Her father was right. That wasn't normal at all. Her great dark eyes slid to her brother, and she punched his shoulder.

"Good job on the big wolf, Corry," she congratulated, "now stop crying already so we can go home."

That was as nice as she got. Still, she managed a smile. She'd confront him about his weird behavior later. She knew her brother well enough to know that when something weird was happening, it was usually his fault. She slung her own borrowed weapon over her shoulder and looked up at her father.
"Carry me?"

Rawnie was still small enough to make those kind of requests from him. There were perks to being tiny for her age. People always seemed to have the urge to carry her around like she was a doll, put her on their shoulders. She never complained. She liked not needing to walk.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


She was such a baby!

Rawnie was almost grown! Sort of! Why did she always demand to be carried like some toddler just because she was short?

It was infuriating.

Then again, Corrin had been bawling only a few moments ago. He honestly had little room to talk. Grumbling a comment about stupid idiots or some such, the young boy clomped through the snow back toward the village.

What had that all meant? Did he really talk to the wolf's spirit? Had he made the predators run away?

Calico leaned over to scoop up Rawnie. He lifted the girl up over his head, and set her firmly on his shoulders.

"When did you get so big?" Their father teased. "Your mother's been giving you Ujj cake again, hasn't she?"

The Chieftain snickered to himself, and patted his thickly gloved hand against his daughter's leg.

The wolves were far closer than they should have been. It was worrisome. They had been a minor nuisance before, but they had never intruded on a hunt.

The Tal'verdas left them alone, and the wolves did in turn.

It made Calico uneasy, but there was nothing he could really do about it. He needed to get the kids home, and send out a team to collect the wolf corpses for dinner this evening.

"The wolf talked to me." Corrin mumbled. "I talked to its spirit."

"Its spirit?

"Yeah."

"Maybe you should talk to old man Backow about it ad'ika."

"Yes buir."

Sharn Backow was a commodity in the Tal'verda village. An old Jedi Master turned Mando that told stories to the children. A long time ago, he had been a Jedi General, leading armies against the Sith.

Now he protected the force sensitives among the Tal'verdas, of which there were three, and helped grow crops with the force. The man had earned his simple life.

"He always stares at me funny when we aren't talking though."

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]




 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
She wasn't getting fat! Rawnie made a face as her father teased her and grabbed into the top of his head for support as they walked. She looked down at her tiny gloved hands and frowned. Maybe it was just the bushy furs she wore, but she did look a little thick. Maybe she should actually lay off the sweets for a bit. Even an eleven year old could feel body conscious. To distract herself from her own insecurities, she turned her attention to her brother.

He was worried about something. She could see it. The wolves? Ah, yes. The wolves. She listened to him and dad talk back and forth as she gently kicked her little furry boots. Backow, the name made the girl tilt her head. Oh, of course. Corrin, special little snowflake as he was, going to visit another special snowflake and talk about how special they all are. She pulled her furry hood up over her head as snow started falling a little faster. As they passed a tree, she scooped a handful of snow off a low branch and started mashing it into a ball.

"He always stares at me funny when we aren't talking though."

"It's because you're a freak," she shot to him at once, "You can't talk to wolves, di'kut. Spirit or not. What? Did you two growl at each other?"

She snickered and threw the snowball she'd been forming in her gloved hands at her brother. In truth, she did adore Corrin and honestly looked up to him, but it was her duty to annoy him. She was all about doing her job, and doing it right. She couldn't wait until he got his first girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Whatever. Either way, she was going to have an absolute ball with that.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


"Don't call your brother a di'kut sweetheart. It's rude." Calico advised.

Corrin winced at the word. It was a grown up word, a curse that his father enjoyed using in every other sentence. He was careful never to use it, for fear of a beating from Calico.

Cal was a good father. He provided for the children, played with them, schooled them in history, language, mathematics, survival, and every other subject under the sun.

He was also very strict. He taught his children about the virtues of honor. To only lie if you had to, because lying was the first step on the road to becoming someone you weren't. To ever kill or hurt someone or something unless you absolutely had to. To help anyone in need, no matter race, species, or religious belief -- and to beware Jedi and Sith.

The Sith had led to the death of their uncle, Galaar, a man Corrin had only ever heard stories about. The Jedi had used the Tal'verda people to fight their wars for them, and there was a rumor around the village that a Jedi Knight had broken father's heart before he and mother ever met.

Corrin wasn't sure it was true, but he was certainly wary of anyone wearing robes or carrying a lightsaber.

He stumbled in the snow when Rawnie called him a freak. It was a stabbing word that poked a little too close to Corrin's heart. He knew he wasn't like the other children, that he had the same curse that Jedi and Sith had.

Some of the boys liked to spread rumors about him being a Jedi.

Corrin had broken one of their noses, and the rumors had stopped for a time. They did come back though; they always did.

"We talked like regular talking. Like...like we're talking now, snow witch." Corrin countered.

Calico said nothing, but his lips did purse into a thin smile. It was all in good fun, and if it did get out of hand, the older man would immediately put a stop to it.

"You're mean for a little vod." Corrin grumbled just under his breath.

Ahead, the many torches and flood lights of the village shown through the foilage. To the east, the bright neon light of the landing pad and vehicle depot shone bright.

To the west, Corrin could make out one of the three faint lights half a click out from the village. Calico had his family live outside the walls to hide Corrin's force sensitivity, and Rawnie's clear Echani heritage. No one would bat an eye at the two children, of course.

Most likely suspected, and some even knew. Tal'verda was accepting of everyone. The issue was that knowledge spreading outside of the village.

Radical Mando'ade would come for the hybrid children. Jedi would come to recruit the force sensitives for their Army of Light.

Corrin had watched the Army's formation on the holonet. He was glad they were stopping the Sith, and some of the Tal'verda had even gone to help, but the possibility of that army turning on Mandalore was a scary thought.

"I'll get you two some Ujj cake for your good work. I'm sure your mom will want some too. In fact..."

Calico tapped in a short message on his datapad for Zandra to meet then in the Tal'verda village.

"In fact...?"

"It's mid-week. Time for the elders to get together and throw a little party, like always. You two are old enough to attend now. I'm sure your mom will love it too."

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
Snow witch. The little girl grinned at the 'insult'. She liked it. Rawnie dusted the fresh snow off the top of her hood with one hand. She didn't care of what she said was rude. The adults said it, and she was way more mature than Corrin. She was practically a grownup herself! And she knew she could get away with much more than most kids her age could. Another perk of being so small. People always assumed she was younger than she was.

The word cake made her little head pop up. Like she needed more cake, still, everyone knew the little Tal'verda had a weakness for sweets. Then there was the party... Rawnie punched the air in victory.
"Best. Day. Ever!"


Zandra herself was at home, standing outside in the snow. The mutt had dragged the latest kill back home, and boy, was it a doozy. She walked around the lifeless Uxi, pausing to look at the weird horns.

"Huh... Cal shot this one?" she mummbled, glancing at Cabur, "No, probably not. He would'a made a cleaner kill than th-"

Her datapad blinked at her hip. A message? She picked it up and read. From Cal. The village. Zandra frowned. She really did not enjoy going to the village. It was hard to feel welcome for a member of her race amongst these people. She was lucky enough that it was a Tal'verda she fell for. They were a good bit more accepting of her than most. Even so, she didn't make a habit of advertising her heritage. Nobody asked, thank the stars, but even if they did, she was likely to lie about it. It was easier that way. Putting her datapad away, Zandra whistled and motioned with her head for strill to follow her. Once she took care to cover and secure the kill, she pulled her gray fur hood up over her wild blonde hair, then she started on her way to the village.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


"I hope its fun. Thanks buir." Corrin replied with a thin smile.

The boy was so very serious the majority of the time. His father said it was because he had the soul of a leader. Backow said it was because he could sense the world around him, and that the coming of the Sith was impacting his heart.

Corrin had no idea, but he knew he needed to do something. To become greater than some boy from Mandalore; to earn become a hero like the men and women from his stories. Then, no one would dare to call him a freak. No one would ever ask him why he daydreamed so much.

"You know mom isn't going to have a good time." He added quietly, ever the observant one. He always called Zandra mom rather than buir. While the children were Mando'ade, and Zandra was as well, he always suspected was more comfortable with the basic term for a female parent.

"She'll enjoy it this time." Calico promised. "I've gotten everything she likes, and I've spoken with the elders. The people know her heritage, and I don't think they care."

Calico shook the little girl on his shoulders just enough to make her jump. Corrin laughed.

"The clan is going to officially accept her as one of our own. Like they did with you two when you were little."

Corrin knit his brow as he tried to recall. It was too long ago to really remember the ceremony from his early childhood. The boy grumbled his annoyance.

They came upon the open gates flanked by two former Dreadguard in shining obsidian armor. They nodded at the trio as they came through the gates.

Ahead, people were gathered at the center of town. Two massive bonfires raged. Tables were set out and stocked with enough food to feed an entire world. Young men and women were flirting. Warriors coming back from recent tours sat in full body armor around a card table, drinking and telling war stories to their brothers and sisters. Loud music played around the gathering, the kind that Calico didn't normally let him hear.

It was amazing.

Two young men wearing helmet jogged up, and snapped off crisp salutes.

"It's in full swing sir. The tavern is full and the women are loo-"

The man speaking seemed to notice Rawnie sitting on his chieftain's shoulders.

"-...loooosing at cards, but having a lovely time!"

Cal snickered, and nodded. "Good, good. Enjoy yourself son. Oh, and send four boys to retrieve three wolves we shot in the woods. Two clicks to the west."

The two young men tapped their fists to their helmets in acknowledgement, and took off.

Corrin stood right at his father's side, and looked up. "I guess we find mom, right?"

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
The girl had gone silent at the mention of mom. On some small level, the little 'snow witch' knew how mom had to feel here. Rawnie didn't know much, but she did know about the rivalry between their people and the Echani. She noticed the way her mother made excuses in order to avoid the village and the people. It had to be lonely for her. No wonder she went out on jobs as often as she did.
Even Rawnie saw the looks she was sometimes given when nobody thought she was looking. Nobody was ever mean to her or anything. They all seemed to know better, but still, occasionally she'd have to put another kid in their place. She was small, but she knew how to shut someone up pretty quickly.

The girl gasped and held tightly to her fathers head when he shook her. That was enough to pull her back to the present. The village was alive with activity, and the smell! She felt her little tummy rumble. Force knew how this girl could eat. She'd been known to have a stomach too big for her body.
The music too. She wondered if there would be... what did mom call it? Booze. Probably. This was a grown up party. And it was for mom, right? Mom sure did like to drink. She was funny when she did. If this party had what she liked, then she was sure there would be booze and cards. Rawnie wanted to learn to play too.

Two men jogged up to them as they approached.
"It's in full swing sir. The tavern is full and the women are loo-"
Rawnie tilted her little pale head to the side as he seemed to choke on his words.
"-...loooosing at cards, but having a lovely time!"

"Think so? Just wait 'til mom starts playing," she mumbled under her breath.



As for Zandra, she had yet to arrive. Dragging her feet as always when she knew an unpleasant task was at hand. She certainly did not want to arrive first. She'd be expected to.. socialize. Zandra wasn't really one to make small talk if she didn't have to. She liked to let her actions speak for her. It was just part of her heritage she couldn't really shake. Words were basically pointless. Until she got up close and personal with someone, she never felt like she knew them. No amount of talking would fix a thing.
The Echani sighed and pulled back her hood as she approached the village. The music was the first thing she noticed. Ah, yes. She forgot bout this. Cal must of wanted her to come socialize with him. Her pale eyes narrowed as she ran a hand through her hair. Well, couldn't hurt to play a few rounds of sabaac. Assuming she could find someone to play with her. Most people seemed to know better by now.

"Here we go..." she sighed, digging her hands deep in her pockets.


[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


Extravagance was not lost to the boy. This was a true Mandalorian celebration. Everyone came out for these, and he had only ever heard of them secondhand from friends. The Chieftain to be never had the honor of attending one himself. It was messy and chaotic, violent and joyful, senseless yet orderly, it was -


"Mom!" Corrin yelled at the sight of his mother.

He was always excited to see his parents. They both lived dangerous lives, and he'd seen other boys come home to hear their mothers were killed by Nightsisters, or their fathers were taken prisoner by the Sith.

Anytime he was positive his parents were alright, he was pleased.

Dodging the much taller Mandalorians between himself and his mother, the walking bundle of furs crashed into the petite Echani, arms flying around her waist. He squeezed with all of his minuet strength, and grinned big and wide.

The Verpine Sniper Rifle hung from its leather straps utterly forgotten.

No one paid the display any mind. The Mandalorians were an emotional people. They understood the value of family.

Calico strolled over to his wife, one hand on Rawnie's leg to keep her from tumbling over.

"Cyar'ika." He grinned at her. "The hunt went well, but that isn't important right now. This." The former Dreadguard motioned around. "Is to welcome you into the clan. You are my other half, and our children are our heirs. Our people don't care about your ancestry. They know you're a good mother, a loyal wife, and a bloody good warrior. There's nothing more any Mando'ade could ask of a wife."



[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
Corrin was such a big baby. Running into mama's arms at the very sight if her. Thank goodness Rawnie was above such childish behavior. She sniffled and wiped her nose on the back of her hand while she clung to her father's head. Yes. Thank goodness she was such a grown-up.

Zandra wrapped her arms lightly around her son with a little smile. He'd only been out for a few hours. Maybe she babied him too much. She'd have to toughen him up later. For now, she was fine with him being her little one for a while longer.
She looked up as her husband approached, little Rawnie on his shoulders. She was about to close in for a kiss, but something about being so close to the village stopped her. Like she was afraid she might somehow embarrass him and their children. After over ten years of living here, She still didn't know entirely what was expected of her. If it would ever be okay to be herself.
So when calico explained that the party was for her, She looked.. concerned. Then worried. Then she just looked downright defeated.

"Ain't got no choice do I, Cal?" She sighed, reaching up to touch her daughter's fluffy hand, letting it fall from there to caress her husband's scruffy cheek, "well, better late than never, right?"

Rawnie could see that mom felt a little slighted anyways. She didn't really understand why, but then again, She didn't have to wait as long as her mother had for this.

"Mom! I killed an uxi today!" The girl interrupted excitedly "it was huge! IT was bigger than me! "

Zandra laughed patting the girl on her leg.
"Everything's bigger than you, my Little snow angel. I saw it. Nice work. We'll make you something with the horns." She brought her eyes to her husband again with a weak smile. "A'right, Cal. Thanks. If you say they don' care, Then I'll make it work."

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 


Calico leaned into the touch. He saw his wife more often than not lately; time was lovely like that. Gently, he lowered their daughter down from his shoulders, and skunked an arm around Zandra's waist.

"I'm tried of seeing you so dejected. You're not an outsider love."

The Chieftain tilted his head down toward Corrin, whom had quickly moved away when his father out Rawnie down. The older man smiled, and ruffed the boy's hair.

"Take your sister and enjoy yourself. You're almost a man son, I expect you to be responsible."

Corrin just blinked.

He was going to be given freedom here? With Rawnie? Oh by the gods....

"Uhm..." He looked about toward the wild gathering. O-oooookay."

His father snickered, and turned to lead Zandra away. "The taverns just down the alley cyar'ika."

Corrin watched his parents go. Zandra wasn't getting away from her husband, poor Calico was determined to give her a good time.

So now he had to watch the snow witch. Lovely.

"Rawnie. I'm in charge so don't run off, and...I want to play cards."

Cards were for grown ups, but Corrin understood how it worked. Pazack and Blackjack were his bread and butter. He's practiced on the holonet, and found himself confident that he could win now.

He'd be just like mom, and he would make a reputation for himself.

This could be the perfect night!


[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]
 

Rawnie Tal'verda

Tal'Verda Aliit'buir
The moment her feet hit the ground, she knew something was up here. The tiny girl looked up between her parents. They were always so affectionate. It wasn't normal. This family was weird. She crunched up her little nose and turned her attention to the food being laid out. Well, they could all go be lovey-dovey. Rawnie had food to consume. That cake was begging to be eaten. She'd feel bad if she ignore it.

While the little girl wandered away well before she could hear her brothers warning, Zandra let herself be led away by her husband. He was absolutely determined to make her have fun. well, when he made up his mind about something, there was little she could do to convince him otherwise. She smiled nervously, glancing behind her at her son. She wasn't worried about the kids here, but she was worried about herself. She knew she wasn't always... the easiest person to get along with. Lady Luck help her, she was going to need to have a few drinks in her.

Meanwhile, Rawnie had snatched a small pile of eatables and taken them with her under a table to ingest. She was a growing girl. She needed her energy so she could eat more.

[member="Corrin Tal'verda"]
 

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