Private The Chaos and the Calm

[Nitya Xeraic]

The message she'd sent had been simple.
Just a few lines — no lectures, no explanations, no dramatic Force visions attached.

Dreidi,
It has been too long.
If you have the time… I would like to see you.
—Nitya

Honestly, she'd rewritten it three times before sending it. Older sisters weren't supposed to sound nervous.

The small landing pad outside her hermitage was quiet as she waited, hands folded loosely in front of her. The forest whispered around her, leaves shifting in the soft afternoon breeze. Her golden eyes followed a bird across the treeline, anything to distract from the way her stomach kept tightening.

She felt Dreidi before the ship even broke atmosphere — a bright, unmistakable flare in the Force. Chaotic in a way only Dreidi could be. Loud, even from a distance.

Nitya huffed a quiet breath. "Still dramatic," she murmured to herself.

The ship touched down with a gust of warm air, rattling a few loose leaves across the stone. When the ramp lowered and Dreidi appeared, Nitya took a step forward before she could overthink it.

"Dreidi," she said, voice soft but steady. "Thank you. For coming."

Her gaze swept her sister over fully now that she could actually see her posture, stride, energy. All of it unmistakably Dreidi.

"You look well," Nitya added, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Stronger. Slightly taller, maybe. Or I've just spent too long around trees."

She paused, eyes bright with a quiet warmth.

"And for the record… I didn't expect you actually to answer my message. I thought you might send a fireball instead. Or a sarcastic yes with no coordinates."

A breath — almost a laugh — escaped her.

"I'm glad you're here."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Casual Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword and Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Nitya Xeraic

Dreidi had spent time looking over the message. It had been so casual, very to the point and glossed over the years neither of them had been in touch. Dreidi had a son now, she had responsibilities with growing the Dathomiri clan that both Dreidi and Nitya technically belonged to. Realisation struck her that if Nitya pursued it, she could take the Mother title from Dreidi since Nitya was the elder of the two. Though, Dreidi doubted that her sister would be pursuing such a course. While they were very different people and didn't always get along, neither of them ever actively attempted to tear each other down. So, Dreidi was able to quash any such fears.

Petting Grisial, "try to be on your best behaviour here." Dreidi looked her companion in the eyes, the Vulptex was basically Dreidi's mischievous nature turned into a crystal fox. The witch had calmed down over the years, having different mindsets and attitudes when around different people. It was inevitable and something that came with maturity from being a mother the entirety of her twenties. There had not really been a chance for Dreidi to continue being chaotic and teasing since she had to accept that things were always going to be different. There was someone she was desperate to keep safe and happy.

Stepping off the ship's ramp, Dreidi spotted her sister quick enough. Though Nitya had undergone the changes that happened during Zorren maturity, her sister looked pretty much how Dreidi remembered her looking. Dreidi herself had not really aged from the age of 18 in appearance. Few people would ever seen Dreidi develop wrinkles or age lines from what she knew. Wandering over to Nitya, Dreidi gave a bow of her head, "I was surprised when you reached out Nitya." Dreidi stated plainly.

"Well, I was a young teenager when we last saw each other I believe getting taller and stronger is pretty inevitable. You are looking well though," Dreidi commented, there was no malice in her voice. She had long since given up the resentment Dreidi had felt about seemingly being abandoned by her family. Acknowledging that she had played a part in it.

A chuckle escaped her lips and she shook her head, "no... I don't think mother would have enjoyed the idea of me sending a fireball your way." Shrugging her shoulders, Dreidi didn't really know what to say, there had been so much time lost between them. "It has been a long time, any family of your own? I have a teenage son, myself... It's complicated but he is very much like dad before dad got ill." Dreidi wasn't sure how to explain that she felt the soul of their father within her child. Or what Nitya would make of that.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

For a moment, Nitya could only take her in—the familiar presence sliding back into her awareness in a way that made the intervening years feel strangely thin. Dreidi felt older and steadier… yet still very much herself. Even Grisial's crystalline shimmer added a brightness that softened the weight of the moment.

Her gaze slipped to the Vulptex, and her expression warmed with quiet fondness. "And hello to you as well, little one," she murmured, lowering her head in a small, respectful bow a Jedi might offer a companion animal or a spirit-being. "You're even lovelier in person."

Then her attention returned fully to her sister.

"You were surprised?" Nitya echoed softly, a faint smile warming the edges of her voice. "Good. I worried you might have ignored it on principle." A gentle tease—light, soft, the safest kind.

When Dreidi closed the last few steps, Nitya hesitated only a heartbeat before she stepped forward and opened her arms—not rushed, not dramatic. Just honest. "If you'll have it," she said quietly.

If Dreidi accepted, Nitya folded her into a steady, grounding embrace. Not tight, but sure—like anchoring herself in a memory she had missed more than she dared admit. Grisial's crystalline fur gave a faint chiming sound as she brushed past them, and Nitya let out a soft breath that might have been half a laugh.

When they pulled apart, she swept a hand toward the temple entrance, the carved stone softened by moss and gentle light. "Come in. Both of you," she added, offering Grisial a subtle half-smile. "Don't worry—I reinforced the floors. Just in case."

Inside, the room felt brighter with two people in it. Nitya poured tea with slow, deliberate motions, letting the familiar scent of Commenorian juniper settle around them.

"A teenage son…" she repeated, absorbing it. "No, I have no children. No partner. My life has been quiet—maybe too quiet."

Her eyes lifted to Dreidi, glowing warmly. "But I'm glad you've built something of your own. Dad would have been… proud. Loudly so."

She settled across from her sister, hands curling gently around her cup. "Dreidi… tell me—what do you remember of him? Before the illness. Before everything fractured."

Her voice carried no bitterness. Only quiet longing—and the hope that her sister might help her fill in the parts she'd lost.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Casual Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword and Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Nitya Xeraic

Grisial accepted the petting and attention from Nitya, then reached into her mind to share his thoughts, I am pretty big for my race thank you very much!

Dreidi rolled her eyes as she always knew what her familiar was saying due to their bond. "He is adamant to either embarrass me or promote the idea that he is the best Vulptex alive, though we still haven't figured out exactly why he is growing larger than average." She suspected it was because of the bond that had also granted him heightened intelligence.

Shaking her head, "the years in which I resented mother, Jax and was heartbroken by your absence has passed. Mother was even at the birth of Aileni, she helped me caring for him while I was doing my work on Dathomir." Dreidi stated, there had been a time where she saw herself estranged from the rest of her family. A time where she hated the things her mother had done, hated the idea of Jax forcing himself into her life. Broken by the fact that Nitya was gone and never sought Dreidi out to connect and bond in the absence of her mother.

That time had passed, it took therapy, time and Jairdain showing effort to want to be not just in Dreidi's life but in the life of her son as well. Dreidi knew she would never deny that connection since no matter her thoughts or feelings, Jairdain and Aileni deserved to have a positive bond.

Stepping into the temple, Dreidi watched her sister move, "well, luckily I am light on my feet and teleportation magic is always handy." She commented as she walked following her sister to where they could settle in more.

Nodding her head, "it would have been nice for him to get a chance to see his grandson." There was no chance of that now, not even as a Force Ghost since there was no Force Ghost of Yuroic anymore. At least, as far as Dreidi understood it. When asked about their father, Dreidi tilted her head and sighed, "it's hard... he has been gone longer than he was around in our lives. I like to think I remember a great deal but to be honest, I cannot discern whether they are my actual memories or the things I was told about him that have now merged with the memories I have of him."

It was sad to think about but he was still alive in multiple ways. "I have learned more of his family background, he was sold as a slave but his mother was Dathomiri, she came from a clan on Dathomir that I now lead. It is why I can use that Magick." Dreidi explained. "Could be something you could learn as well. If you ever wished to learn of that way."

"Why do you ask?"

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Grisial's voice brushed her mind like crystalline chimes, and Nitya's lips curved in the smallest, warmest smile as she ran her fingertips once more along the Vulptex's shimmering fur.

"My apologies," she murmured aloud for both Dreidi and her companion to hear, "I meant no insult. Only admiration. You are magnificent, Grisial."
Her tone held genuine fondness — not exaggerated, not awkward, simply true.

As the fox preened, Nitya stepped aside to let Dreidi enter deeper into the temple, her movements fluid and quiet, like the forest had taught her. When her sister spoke of resentment, of healing, of therapy and time and reconnection, Nitya paused mid-step, turning enough to face her properly. The glow of her Zorren eyes reflected the warm lamplight, softening.

"I'm glad she returned to you," she said quietly. "To both of you. Whatever happened between you… I'm glad it found its way back to something kinder."

She listened in complete silence as Dreidi spoke of their father — the patchwork memories, the blurred edges of childhood recollections, the sorrow of wondering what was truly theirs and what was inherited through stories. Nitya's breath drew in slow, deep breaths.

"It's the same for me," she admitted. "I remember him… but I don't always trust the memories. Sometimes I think I only remember the way he looked at Mother. Or the way he used to hold his lightsaber. Details. Echoes. Nothing whole."

Her voice carried no bitterness—only a quiet ache.

"And you're right… He's been gone longer than he was with us. I find myself wishing he had been able to see the people we became."

She stepped closer then, just enough to be near, not intruding.
When Dreidi spoke of his lineage — of slavery, of the Dathomiri clan she now led, of the Magick she inherited and mastered — Nitya's expression shifted in a way Dreidi had likely never seen before. Something like awe. Or reverence.

"I didn't know," she whispered. "About his mother. About the clan. About any of it."
Her voice warmed, softened.
"And I would like to learn, if you ever wish to teach me. Not for power. But for family."

The space between them grew quieter then, heavier in the gentle way only honesty made it.

When Dreidi asked, "Why do you ask?"
Nitya exhaled — slow, steady, almost trembling at the edges.

"Because…"
She looked away for a moment, gathering the words that had been buried under years of isolation and silence.

"After Dad died, and Mother disappeared… I didn't know how to hold everything together. I thought I had to be strong for you. For Marcus. And then Mother was gone, and Father was gone, and…"

Her voice thinned, not breaking — but showing the fracture line beneath her calm.

"…and for a short time, I resented being a mother to you when I could barely be a sister. And then you left, too. Not by malice — but you left. And Uncle…"
She swallowed softly.
"Uncle forgot me. Left me on his world. I faced my trials alone."

The next inhale steadied her again.

"I see now you faced yours as well," she finished gently. "Probably in more ways than I can ever imagine."

Then she reached out — not grabbing, not insisting — but offering her hand to her younger sister, palm open. "And I would like to meet your son." The warmth in her voice was quiet, but real. "If you allow it."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Casual Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword and Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Nitya Xeraic

"Do not fret, he likes to talk himself up. I think all of my mischief and chaos went from me to him." The Vulptex huffed at Dreidi's suggestion and swished his tail indignantly at the idea that he was any such trouble.

Looking over to Nitya, "hopefully you have found your own ways to settle things with her actions as well. As well as figuring your own way of handling Jax. And apparently I am no longer the youngest in the family since we have another half sibling." Dreidi mentioned, unsure if her sister had learned of such news while living out here. It was strange to not be the youngest, for three decades, Dreidi had been the youngest and the last in her siblings. Now there was someone else and it was strange.

However, Dreidi hadn't really met with the child, just knowing of their existence. Life had been far too busy for her to spend time chasing down where her new sibling might be in the galaxy.

There was something that Dreidi was holding back. It was about Aileni, about their father. About the fact that her son held the soul of their father but Dreidi wasn't sure how to explain it. It sounded ridiculous and crazy but once you saw the boy, watching the way he used the Force and his bow, felt his presence in the Force. Looked into his eyes. It was there that you would once again see their father. But Dreidi had no way of really explaining it. Or how it came to be since it was not planned, merely just occurred and something that Dreidi knew was important.

"I am more than happy to teach you, but not here. It would have to be on Dathomir. Gives you a chance to learn more on the history of it all. The stuff about our grandmother... dad did not know, it was only something I found out when I traversed Dathomir looking for answers in connection to my abilities." Dreidi stated. Not wanting Nitya to think that their father hid any of this from them. "It makes more sense why he was good with a bow and held such a strong Force connection, it was always there, in his blood. In the history of our family."

Shaking her head as she listened to Nitya, "there is nothing to feel bad about, you did not have to step up, Marcus was older. Our mother should not have left us like she did. But that is all in the past and I do not fault you for doing the best you could with the rough hand you were dealt with. Uncle should never have forgotten you either, that was wrong of him." Dreidi had only met the man once or twice but hearing that Nitya had been abandoned by him instantly put him in Dreidi's bad books.

No one did that to her sister.

"Dathomir and Zorren, they both have trials. Makes things exciting I suppose in life. I dread to think of what Aileni will have to face when he comes of age." Dreidi sighed, knowing that her son would be facing several trials all around the same time, it was a lot to deal with.

Nodding her head, "of course, he would love nothing more than to meet his aunt." Dreidi stated, wondering if Nitya meeting Aileni first would help Dreidi explain the situation more.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya listened in the same way she always had — quietly, steadily, without interruption. Grisial's indignation earned a faint curve at the corner of her mouth, almost a smile, as she reached down to brush her fingers lightly once more across the Vulptex's crystalline fur.

"He carries it well," she said softly. "Better than I ever did."

Her gaze lifted to Dreidi, golden and gentle.

"I have made peace with our mother's choices," she continued. "Not because they were right… But because carrying the weight of them any longer would only keep me in the past. Jax, too. I understand him now in ways I couldn't when we were young."

Then, a pause — thoughtful, searching.

"A younger sibling," she murmured at last. "I had heard whispers, but… not the truth. Life has a way of widening our family when we least expect it."

There was no jealousy.
No bitterness.
Just quiet acceptance — and maybe a trace of wonder.

She followed Dreidi further inside, shedding her cloak with the ease of someone who had spent years alone yet still remembered how to host. The temple's soft light caught in her eyes, deepening the gold as she turned fully to her sister.

"You're right about father," she said. "I don't blame him. I never did. And… I never blamed you either."

Her voice softened further, low and warm.

"When he died, I was sixteen, and I thought—"
She exhaled, steady but raw.
"I thought I had to become something impossible. Something he would have been proud of. I didn't know how to look after you when I couldn't look after myself."

Nitya crossed the small room and rested a hand lightly on Dreidi's shoulder — a rare gesture for her, hesitant and sincere.

"You were not a burden. Not then. Not ever."
A quiet beat.
"And I'm sorry I made you feel otherwise."

She let her hand drop gently, not clinging, but leaving the warmth of reassurance behind.

"As for uncle…" her expression hardened for the briefest moment, a rare flash of cold steel beneath the calm, "I have forgiven him. But I have not forgotten."

A Zorren trait, unmistakable.

When Dreidi mentioned Dathomir and their grandmother, something shifted in Nitya's posture — curiosity, interest, and a grounded willingness.

"If you will teach me," she said, "I will go with you. Dathomiri Magick… it feels like a thread I have been circling without ever seeing clearly."

Then her expression softened again, something warmer forming in her eyes.

"And I would like to meet your son. Aileni."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"I think… it would mean a great deal to me. More than I realized until this moment."

Her voice grew quiet.

"Family has been a distant thing for so long. I am ready to change that."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Casual Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword and Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Nitya Xeraic

Nodding her head, "I have yet to meet them but I am sure we both will some day. Especially if they end up as long lived as we are going to be." Dreidi commented, she was not sure if their younger sibling would go through the trials, it was a choice and there were consequences in taking this path so it would be completely understandable if someone decided to not pursue that route.

"It was an impossible situation with him. I blamed him for going on that final mission with his illness. His death was inevitable. However, the older I become, the more I understand how terrible it must have been to suffer like that and the desire to end his life while we still as a family had mostly positive memories of him." Dreidi had heard how terrible the disease that he suffered from could become and she never wanted her own son to have those memories of her so made sense her father felt the same way.

Dreidi did not pull back from the touch and just looked her sister in the eye, "you were never a burden and you never made me feel like one. As for uncle, you can forgive him, does not mean I have to. Not yet at least." Dreidi was more than happy to hold onto the frustrations and anger that Nitya had let go of.

"Of course, you can come whenever you desire and I can show you all the history that has been collected as well as the basics. It would do me some good to teach someone my skills, especially since I do not have a daughter to pass these talents down to." Dreidi stated, Aileni was not going to be able to learn Magick, not in the same way that a Dathomiri witch could utilise it. It was one of the reasons why the female population dominant the planet years ago.

Dreidi gave a grin to Nitya, "I am sure you will get along great with Aileni. He can be crazy at times, but he is still young and learning his place in the galaxy. Training to become a Jedi currently." Dreidi was hopeful that the Jedi Order would help curb some of the darker traits that Aileni had displayed before now. "Family was something I always struggled with as well, growing up. Probably why I am very distrustful and slow to express my emotions. I am afraid to be burned or suffer heartbreak once again." Her mind flickered to Aiden and the fact that he had claimed their kiss a mistake. The last person she had opened her feelings towards and he had closed the door to that.

It was tough.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya listened to every word, her expression softening in that quiet, perceptive way she had always possessed, the glow of her eyes reflecting both the lamplight and the unspoken history that stretched between them. She could hear the maturity in Dreidi's voice now, the understanding sharpened by years and loss, and it struck her how far her sister had come while she herself had been living in silence, letting seasons pass in meditation and seclusion.

"I think we will meet them too," she murmured, her tone gentle but certain, "and when we do, it will be at exactly the right time — not forced, not rushed, but when all of us are ready to see the shape of what our family has become." Her breath eased into a soft sigh, carrying a bittersweet acceptance. "And if they inherit longevity like ours… then we have lifetimes to build those bonds properly."

She let that truth settle before shifting closer, not invading Dreidi's space but aligning her presence beside her in a way that felt both protective and deeply sisterly.

"I blamed him too," Nitya admitted quietly, her voice woven with tenderness and old grief, "but not for dying… for leaving us behind. I was too young to understand what it means to suffer the way he suffered. Too young to understand mercy, or the kind of courage it takes to face an ending with dignity rather than fear." Her gaze drifted to the window where the wind pushed shadows across the stone. "I see it differently now. I think he was trying to spare us from becoming caretakers to a version of him he didn't want us to remember."

When Dreidi didn't pull away from the touch, Nitya let her hand slip slightly closer across her sister's arm, a quiet offering of comfort rather than a demand. The moment felt like something fragile being mended gently, piece by piece.

"You don't have to forgive him," Nitya said with a softness that carried no judgment, "you have every right to feel what you feel. Forgiveness isn't a race, and it isn't required for healing — only chosen when the heart is ready. Mine… found that place because solitude gave me distance, but your path doesn't need to mirror mine." Her voice deepened with certainty. "You've carried enough on your shoulders. No one is allowed to rush that kind of decision from you."

When Dreidi offered to teach her Magick, Nitya's eyes brightened with an unmistakable warmth.

"I would be honored to learn from you," she said, sincerity flowing through her words like a steady current. "And I would be honored to be the one you pass those skills to, even if I am not a daughter. Our grandmother's legacy didn't disappear just because father never knew how to name it — it survived through you… and it can survive through me too."

Dreidi's grin earned a small smile from Nitya in return — a rare, soft expression, but one full of affection.

"I look forward to meeting Aileni," she said. "If he is anything like you — spirited, determined, full of fire you pretend not to have — then I think we'll understand each other well." A faint breath of amusement warmed her tone. "And if he's training to be a Jedi, then we already share something meaningful."

But when Dreidi confessed her fear, the deeper truth beneath the grin, Nitya turned fully toward her, expression composed but openly compassionate.

"You have every reason to protect your heart," she said, her voice low and steady, "you've been wounded by the people who should have held you the closest. Heartbreak shapes us in ways nothing else can, and it teaches us caution — but it doesn't mean your heart is closed. It means you've learned to be careful with where you place it."

Her hand rose, hesitating just a breath before resting lightly against Dreidi's forearm.

"You're not wrong for being slow to trust, Dreidi," she continued. "You're wise. And when the right person comes — someone who values the fire in you instead of fearing it — you won't need to fear being burned."

A soft smile touched her mouth, gentle but certain.

"In the meantime… you're not carrying any of this alone. Not anymore."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Outfit: Casual Attire
Companion: Grisial
Equipment: Lightsaber, Ichor Sword and Nightsister Energy Bow
Tag: Nitya Xeraic

"How very prophetic of you." Dreidi teased her sister, it was only the mind of a Force Seer that would believe that paths cross at the time when it needed to happen. "I am not as optimistic with you on meeting at the perfect time, but it is likely to be inevitable." Eira stated with a slight sigh, thinking about the fact there could be thousands of years ahead of her to exist in the galaxy.

Looking over to Nitya, "do you ever regret taking the trials? Dread the idea of living for thousands of years? Seeing those around us, friends, family, loved ones... Seeing all of them die while we live on? The idea that we could live for so long that we even forget those around us?" Dreidi mentioned, the idea of those that she loved, those she cared about, that they would die never seeing her age. It was a lot to even contend with.

Dreidi shook her head, "I won't forgive him for his behaviour to you. You deserved to be treated better, respected more." Dreidi mentioned as she leaned in more to her sister, sharing that moment of closeness.

"Perhaps I will have a daughter someday. Who knows. Time is not an issue in that regard I suppose. But it is a legacy of our family that we both deserve to hold and to share with future generations of our family." Dreidi mentioned, it was just as much of Nitya's life as much as it was Dreidi's.

When Nitya commented about Aileni matching Dreidi's fire and energy, she chuckled and shook her head, "he is worse I think, but I might be biased in thinking I was not too bad. He is still growing and learning about himself." Dreidi mentioned. She was curious if Nitya would see how much of their father was in Aileni, "it has been a while since I have seen him since I tend to allow him space while he is conducting his studies so he probably needs new clothes and a check up. The boy is rapidly growing."

"Yeah. I appreciate that." Dreidi paused for a moment as she looked around, just allowing her mind to absorb all the information and her feelings surrounding everything. Letting out a sigh, "well, sorry for dampening the mood. Please, tell me something fun or interesting that I missed!" Dreidi mentioned, a grin on her lips.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya let her shoulder rest more fully against Dreidi's, a quiet affirmation of closeness that had taken them decades to reach. Her eyes softened at the teasing, though the warmth behind them was unmistakable.

"Perhaps not prophetic," she murmured, "but… I have always felt the pull of certain paths, even when I couldn't explain them. That is our mother's blood in me, I think. Her Sight is sharper than mine ever will be, but I feel echoes of it—soft impressions, gentle currents. Nothing more dramatic than that."

She tilted her head, studying her sister's expression with that calm, steady attentiveness she'd always held.

"As for the trials… no. I don't regret them."
Her voice was quiet, not evasive but deeply considered.
"I regret the circumstances around them — being forgotten, going through them alone — but not the life they shaped. I don't dread the years ahead. I've already seen how quickly a life can vanish. If longevity is what the Force chose for us, then I would rather live it fully than fear it."

She turned slightly to face Dreidi more directly, her golden eyes reflecting a gentler honesty.

"Yes, we will lose people we love—many times. But I think what frightens me more is the idea of shutting myself away so deeply that I stop loving anyone at all. Better to feel the grief than to feel nothing."

The corner of her mouth lifted in a wry, soft smile.

"And as for forgetting… I don't believe I will forget you. Or Marcus. Or Jayna. Or Mother. Time may sand down the sharpness of memory, but it can't erase the shape of the people who made us who we are."

She leaned her head briefly against Dreidi's, a gesture rare for her — spontaneous, affectionate.

"And I know you won't forgive Uncle. You've always carried our father's fire. You guard your people fiercely."

A beat.

"And I… have always been more like Mother. Quiet. Steady. Feeling the currents around me, whether I wanted to or not."

Nitya's smile grew, soft and amused.

"It is no wonder you excel in Magick and I in meditation. No wonder you leap toward storms and I sit beside them. We are our parents' daughters through and through."

When Dreidi brought up Aileni, Nitya laughed under her breath — a warm, melodic sound rarely heard.

"If he has more fire than you did, then the galaxy should be very nervous," she said lightly. "And if he's growing fast, then yes — bring him. Let's see if he inherited our father's height along with his aim."

At Dreidi's final prompt, Nitya's eyes brightened with a faint spark of mischief.

"Something fun?" she echoed. "Well… I kissed someone recently."

She let the words linger for dramatic effect — calm face, but unmistakable amusement in her eyes.

"It surprised me as much as it will probably surprise you."

She nudged her sister gently with her shoulder.

"Your turn. Tell me something outrageous I've missed. I know you didn't spend all these years being perfectly well-behaved."

Dreidi Xeraic