Private The Longest Night

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant | Jedi Temple
Tag | Yula Perl

It was a particularly dark and cloudy night on Coruscant with occasional rain storms showering those walking its neon-lit streets. It fit the atmosphere on board Valery's shuttle perfectly, making her feel as if she had brought along the storm that claimed her husband's life. It had only been a few hours ago that it happened, and her body was still covered in cuts, bruises, and burns from all the fighting, but she had been insistent that Rakaan Horne dropped her off at the Jedi Temple. With her little girl being alone and likely terrified, she just had to get back to her as quickly as possible.

So she slapped on a few bacta-patches, tried to make herself look presentable by fixing up her hair and wiping away as much blood as she could, and began the march up the Temple staircase after departing from the shuttle. But even with those quick fixes, she still looked like she had been to hell and back, and the intensity that surrounded her visually and in the Force was beyond anything anybody would have ever seen from her.

It was a mix of intense sadness, powerful desires, and to some extent, even anger.

But as strong and overwhelming as these emotions were, they all faded away the second she stepped into the room with Yula Perl and Vera, whose little hybrid eyes shifted to her mother. Valery felt that pain in her heart from losing Kahlil Noble all over again and collapsed to her knees with tears in her eyes. "M-mommy?" Vera asked while she stood with Yula and looked up at the Zeltron.

"Where is daddy?"

​

 

[Yula Perl]

After Vera had been left in her care by Kahlil Noble , Yula ushered the pair of them into a smaller, currently unused training room. It had been ages since the Zeltron had actually babysat—not since she'd been a teenager and her siblings were young enough to need supervision—but old habits died hard, or not at all.

Fortunately, Vera was fascinated by Emily, the finicky spider droid companion she'd built during her Outer Rim days. They toddler had spent what felt like hours chasing the bot, ambling after Emily and delighting in "catching" her. Normally skittish, Emily didn't seem to mind. In fact, she made sure to skitter much more slowly than usual, occasionally darting behind training dummies only to burst forward seconds later in a game of peak-a-boo.

"And then, the Purple Wampa said…"

Moments before Valery entered, Yula's attention lifted from the exaggeratedly large print of a children's book to the door. She had the vaguest inkling all along that something was wrong, but quashed it for Vera's sake. Even without the Force, kids picked up on things.

Seemed she was right to worry.

"Oh, chit."

The Sword of the Jedi had all but collapsed to the floor, and Yula lifted Vera from her lap, forgetting to even admonish herself for cursing in the presence of a kid.

"Where is daddy?"

Yula sucked in a breath and bit her lower lip. "Why don't you go and give mommy a hug?" She encouraged the toddler with a pat to her back. Once Vera was with her mother, a few brisk steps would carry Yula to the edge of the room where she could rifle through the emergency medkit. With a kolta stim in hand, she approached the Jedi Master and knelt down beside her.

"Oh, Val…" Placing one hand on Valery's shoulder, her voice lowered while injecting the kolta into her system. At a loss, that was the only type of wound she could help heal. "What did…how…."

Despair hung so heavily on Valery's features that it didn't matter what was said. The clear absence of Kahlil's presence was suffocating.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant | Jedi Temple
Tag | Yula Perl

"Why don't you go and give mommy a hug?"

She didn't have to ask twice — Vera practically sprinted over to her mother and was pulled into a tight hug while Valery remained on her knees. Her mother's arms wrapped around the little girl, one hand settling on the back of her daughter's head while the other went around the waist. And for just a few seconds, she sobbed quietly while she kept Vera's face buried into her chest, making it easier for Yula to inject her with the medical stim.

"What did…how…."

Valery looked up, teary eyes meeting the woman who had always been there for her in the most difficult times. But this went far beyond the pain of having to go through her pregnancy alone. She felt as if this void was never going to fade.

"I... he..." she stammered but before she could say more, she felt Vera's hands tighten on her body, and looked down. "Daddy saved mommy," the little girl said, her voice cracking from sadness. Vera knew, she always did, and it wasn't just because she was clever for her age. For a few years now, the Force offered her insight through visions, and this was one vision that would stay with her forever. She had seen her father give everything to save her mother.

"He did," Valery said softly while she raised a hand to wipe away a few tears, "Thank you for watching over her, Yula," she continued, as she tried to find the strength to not completely break down again. But within seconds after thanking her friend, she felt her lips tremble and tears began to run down her cheek again.

​

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula paused as she knelt down, lips barely parted and brows knit in concern.

"Daddy saved mommy."

For Vera to say so was utterly heartbreaking. Such a young child to go through something so awful—and Valery too, who'd lost her partner and the father of her child.

"Of course…" Her voice drifted softly as Val thanked her, feeling like her own response was empty and hollow. Which it was, given the circumstances. Kahlil was dead.

Without thinking, she embraced both Valery and Vera, and said nothing. There were no words that could soothe a fresh tragedy like this. She pulled back, eyes shining with unshed tears while stroking Vera's hair.

"If…either of you need a place to go, to get away from Coruscant for a bit, you know where you're always welcome."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant | Jedi Temple
Tag | Yula Perl

"Of course…"

Valery looked up and tried her best to offer a smile of gratitude, while Vera kept her face buried into her mother's chest. Now that the realization of her father not coming home was really starting to kick in, she began to cry and tightened the grip on Valery's clothing. "It'll be okay, sweetie," Valery tried to assure her, but their life was never quite going to be the same again.

Looking back up at Yula after the hug, Valery sniffed and nodded, "I think we're going to need it." There was no way she could spend all of her time with Vera, so finding people to help babysit when she couldn't watch over her daughter was going to be necessary. Valery disliked it heavily, as it put a lot of responsibility on others, but she had to.

"Please don't leave me, mommy..." Vera cried, now scared to be alone. "I won't, I promise," she said, her own eyes filling with tears again while she held the little girl tightly.

"Do you think we can stay a night at your place, Yula? Going to our home..." she paused and swallowed. "I can't be there right now." The family pictures, the memories — it would be so overwhelming.

​

 

[Yula Perl]

The sound of Vera's muffled sobs were enough to wrench a few tears from Yula's watering eyes. The poor kid. She gave Valery a silent nod.

"Hey," Wiping her cheek with the back of her hand, Yula patted the toddler on her head. "Your momma isn't going anywhere, kiddo. In fact- how would you like to have a sleepover at Auntie Yula's place?"

The trouble with death was that you couldn't just…fix it. There were no circuits to rewire, no programming to debug. It wasn't a problem you could solve with spare parts or a reset button.

You had to live with it.

"You guys stay as long as you need."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Yula Perl

At Yula's words, Vera backed away from her mother and looked up at Yula, her eyes full of tears but she was no longer sobbing uncontrollably. She sniffed a few times and slowly nodded, "Can I bring Eddie?" she asked, which got Valery to faintly smile and tightly hug her kid again. "It's her teddy bear," Valery clarified before Yula ended up surprised.

It was perhaps a bit silly, but for her to ask about her teddy bear in a moment like this helped Valery focus on what mattered most right now — keeping her daughter safe, loved, and close. It's what Kahlil wanted the most.

"You guys stay as long as you need."

"Thank you so much," Valery said before she stood up and pulled her friend into another hug. One with a bit less sadness to it, and a lot of appreciation. "I'll try to help around the house," she said before a moment of silence passed "Thanks again..." She wasn't quite sure what else to say — no words were good enough to express just how grateful she was for her friend.

​

 

[Yula Perl]

The trip to Denon was quiet. Yula didn't like the quiet—not this kind, anyway. Still, it was too sacred to break.

The door had swung open to an equally quiet apartment. Jem and Corin flew from the nest not even a week ago, and the once cramped space now comfortably fit Yula and Dagon again. Silently and selfishly, Yula was as grateful to Valery and Vera for spending the night as much as they were.

"Make yourself at home." She smiled weakly while ushering mother and daughter into the living room. To Valery, the flat would look much the same as she'd left it. Same couch, same stain in the wall from a cooking mishap, piles of junk in all of the expected places. "You can put her down for a nap in my room if she's sleepy." The trip had been a long one, and Vera had been through a lot for a kid so young.

While Valery settled in, Yula busied herself with the caf machine. It helped her to keep busy, and soon she approached her guest with two steaming mugs. Collapsing into the couch, Yula sank into the cushions and blew at the steam curling from her cup. "How did it…happen?"

Yula cringed at herself as the words left her lips and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not…particularly great at grief." Rummaging through her pocket, she retrieved a flask and poured a shot of something clear into her mug. After giving the cup a swirl, she took a long sip and hummed in approval. The flask was then offered to Valery.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Yula Perl

"Make yourself at home."

When the door opened, Valery looked around the familiar apartment with a nostalgic smile. What had brought her here the first time had been difficult, but she still looked back at her days here fondly. From cooking nice meals to banter with Yula, Jem, and Dagon — they were special times. The only somber part was that her presence here was once again sparked by something terrible, and this was far worse than what happened last time.

"She does look tired..." Valery agreed and before she could ask Vera to confirm, she felt her little girl wrapping herself around her leg. "C'mere," she said before she lifted Vera up and held her in a warm embrace. She was already falling asleep in her mother's arms, and after she was settled into the bed, and Valery had hummed her a lullaby, she was fast asleep.

"Thank you again," Valery said as she finally joined Yula in the living room and plopped down on the couch. She accepted the mug and held it close to her lips to enjoy its warmth. "You're fine, and I'm not either," she then added in response to the question. "I got into a bad situation and would have died alongside Rakaan, a fellow Jedi. Kahlil felt it through our bond, and... came to save me." She frowned and was clearly fighting back some tears, as she raised the cup to her lips for a sip.

With a quiet shake of her head, she passed up on the booze and just sat there for a moment. "I always hoped we could retire peacefully one day, but the fear of this happening was always there as well. But still... I just... can't believe it really did happen." Her eyes dropped down, and she took another small sip from her drink.

"I wish this was just a nightmare."

​

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula returned the flask to her pocket, giving Valery space to process.

It was a stark reminder of how fleeting their lives were. Yula wasn't involved as heavily in galactic conflict as Dagon, but that only meant she feared whenever he was deployed. Curbing the Sith was his primary duty, one he'd give up his life for.

Even if she didn't want him to. Even if she fought him on that point.

"Kahlil was a good man." Her fingers readjusted around the mug. "A family man." She hadn't known many that were dedicated to their kin like Kahlil. Thurion Heavenshield, maybe—Yula's own father had disappeared when she was young. Her mother had been a Jedi, but never pressured her children into following a similar path.

That thought gave was to a seemingly out of place question.

"Do you want Vera to be a Jedi?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Yula Perl

"He really was," Valery said with a soft smile while she kept the mug between her hands for warmth, "He did everything to help me and make me happy, and he was an amazing father too." She drew in a breath and let out a long sigh. It was going to be so different without him. How could she even raise Vera without a father figure in her life?

It was a question she couldn't answer at all right now. But Yula asked one she had thought about.

"Do you want Vera to be a Jedi?"

"It's not about what I want," Valery assured her, "She's starting basic Jedi training just so she learns how to control her Force sensitivity. When she was only 3 years old, she started receiving visions, so it's important she learns to control them before they overwhelm her. But when she's older, she can make her own decision about becoming a Padawan or not."

"Right now, though, she always wanted to be like her dad and me," she said with a soft chuckle. "But that's just kids being kids."

​

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula couldn't help but smile along with Valery's description of Kahlil. She'd come to know the man as a friend, but they hadn't been as close as she and Valery were. Their bond was undeniable though—the kind you could sense just by looking at them.

The Zeltron nodded along silently at Valery's answer. "That's smart. You know, I never agreed with little kids being inducted into the Jedi. Should be a choice an' all that—but maybe I'm biased because of the way I was raised." Yula paused to take a sip, hesitating on whether or not she should continue. The whiskey burning a path down her throat seemed to urge her on. "My ma was a Jedi, gave it up when she started a family. Single mother for most of that. Guess that's a Zeltron's curse." Her lips pulled into a bitter smile. "Ma had the same philosophy as you, though. Taught us to control it, and how to defend ourselves. Especially when you've got a bunch of toddler empaths running around. Feeling the emotions of other people has always been a double edged sword; it helps you understand them better, but it hits you hard if you're not careful. Then all of that negative energy just…comes out." She made a mock explosion gesture with her hands. "Never wanted any of us to become Jedi, found out later."

Yula had the strong urge to light up a cigarra. Not with the kid in the house, though.

Pressing the back of her head into the couch, she let out a heavy exhale. "Sorry, got off track there. Vera's a good kid—she's got a great support system, too. An' one hell of a mother."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Yula Perl

"It has its reasons, but it has disadvantages as well," Valery said with a slight dip of her head when Yula spoke of her disagreement with the induction of kids into the Jedi. It was quite a topic and not really all too important right now, but there were arguments for both sides to be made, and Valery recognized them all.

She then quietly listened to Yula's story about her mother, and she couldn't help but smile. Valery never really knew her mother, but she considered her former Master to be the closest thing she had to a father, and she cherished all those memories. Even the disagreements and lesser moments — they were all important and helped her become the woman she was today.

"Your ma seems like a good one," she said with a chuckle, "And don't worry, I love these kinds of stories. I never knew my mother, so I had to figure everything out myself for raising Vera. It can be useful to hear what other people's mothers were like."

"I just... don't know if I can make up for losing him," she said, trying her best to keep it together. "She needs a father, as much as she needs me."

​

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula's lips pulled into a thin smile. Babysitting her younger siblings had been one thing, but actually raising a child took a lot more effort and stability than she could provide. Even Corin and Jem, as involved as she'd been, had taken on a younger sibling role to her.

"I can only imagine. Really." There weren't any words to make this right, really. All Yula could offer were her condolences and sympathy.

"You've got me and Dag- we can watch her when you need. I know it's not much, but-"

She place a hand on Valery's shoulder, squeezing softly.

"We'll do what we can to support you. I bet that the NJO will fall in line to help out their grandmaster, too. Heck, if you leave her here on occasion, I'll have her boosting speeders and tinkering with droids in no time."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Outfit | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Yula Perl

"I appreciate it, Yula," Valery said after she offered help babysitting and squeezed her shoulder. For now, she was going to try and spend as much time as she could with her daughter, but she couldn't leave behind her duties forever. Eventually, one way or another, she needed help to watch over Vera, and there were only a few people she truly trusted with that.

Yula and Dagon were very much on that list.

"I'll be visiting some friends, and I think it'll be okay," she then said with a nod. "And if you'd like to show her how to work on droids and speeders, I'm sure she'd love it. I can't teach her any of those skills." That was something Kahlil would have taught her, but she was certain that Vera would love to learn from Yula as well.

"She's a good kid, so I don't think she'll be too much trouble. Just... don't give her too much sugar," Valery's lips twitched into a brief smirk. "She's quite energetic."

​