Private The Path they Chose

[Kahlil Noble]

"You did throw a lightsaber at her. A rock would be easier."

Again, he teased her. Just a little. Just enough to try and pull her from the self doubt and anger. There was enough of that with where they were, what had happened to their children. They were together, they would always be together. "I don't remember her though, no. Not completely. I'm fairly certain she was another at the Academy I went to in my youth, but I'm sure what her name was."

He didn't pay attention to names. Or people. Distance was what he needed most of all to stay safe in those days.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery grumbled under her breath, her arms still crossed even as the pout softened. "She deserved the lightsaber throw," she muttered. "...Next time, I am throwing a rock." But the words didn't carry as much heat now. Not with him beside her. Not with the way he teased so effortlessly — like he knew exactly how to catch her before she spiraled too far. And he always did.

Her arms slowly uncrossed, her shoulders relaxing as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. That familiar, calming presence of his — constant, steady — it never failed to ground her.

She paused. And then she turned toward him fully, reaching for his hands, sliding hers gently into his. Warm, calloused fingers lacing together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her smile bloomed slowly, soft and full of affection as she looked up into his eyes.

"Sometimes I still feel like I'm dreaming," she said quietly, her thumbs brushing against his. "That I get to have you. That we get to do this life together. Even with all the chaos… even when everything's hard. I look at you, and it just—" she shook her head, laughing breathlessly, "—feels like I won something I don't remember competing for."

The self-doubt, the fire from before — it faded under the weight of her love for him. But the smile dimmed just slightly as she glanced off, her fingers still holding his.

"Still…" she said, quieter now. "What she said. That we'd need her. That she knew where we were out here..." Her voice dipped low, uncertain. "If there was no truth to it… how would she have known to find us here?" Her brows furrowed faintly again. "I hate giving her credit for anything, but... something doesn't add up."

She looked back to him, searching his eyes.

"I trust us. I trust you. But I don't think this is the last time we're going to see her."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Make sure it's a big rock, then."

Kahlil chuckled softly, squeezing her hand in turn. Though, he didn't let that linger too long. They were still in this facility, where the sentries were still quite active, if not here. If Nyx had taken care of all of them or not wasn't something he was inclined to believe the former of. His gaze lifted, scanning around them as he listened to her, just ready in case something did decide to attack.

"We'll see her again, because she's obsessed. You could see that much, right? 'It's fate' will be her next line the moment we do, simply because she made it happen that way. Whatever she thinks we'll need her for, it'll be something of her own making."

He had no doubt of that in his mind. That's how the Sith were. They made their fate, desperate to fight against the grain. It's what he pitied the most about them.

"Let's get home, love."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery groaned softly, leaning her head back just a little as they walked — the very picture of a woman who absolutely did not want to deal with what the future had in store.

"Ugh. Of course she's obsessed," she muttered, shoulders rising in a dramatic little huff. "And yeah, I saw it. She probably rehearsed the whole encounter in a mirror before we even got there." Her nose scrunched, clearly annoyed.

But even in her grumbling, she didn't let go of his hand. If anything, her fingers curled tighter around his. Because as much as she hated the idea of Nyxira being some lingering thread in their future, Valery trusted Kahlil's read — and she trusted him to face it all with her. As always.

When he urged them to go home, she let out a low, exaggerated groan that came from deep in her chest. "Home sounds great. I'm about five minutes away from laying face-down on the floor and refusing to move." Then she tilted her head to look up at him, the fire in her eyes softened now by the hint of a sly smile creeping in at the edges.

"…Think you could give me a massage when we get there?" Her lashes fluttered. "Just your hands, my back, maybe some peace and quiet — no Force weirdness, no Sith monologues, just…" She leaned in, squeezing his arm with a hopeful look.

Then came the real weapon.

The puppy eyes.

Full power.

"Please? It has been a tough day..."

Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil hesitated for a moment. Just a moment. The puppy eyes. Even he couldn't keep his calm expression in full without the faintest touch of weakness in his eyes. There was only one group of people that Kahlil couldn't fully commit to saying no to. The Nobles. His wife, his children, he wasn't sure which he was even weaker towards to begin with.

His smile grew though as he nodded. It wasn't like she'd asked anything crazy of him. And given what she'd seen, he wouldn't deny a distraction for her. "A full body massage it is, then. Once we're back on the ship at least."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery saw it — that little flicker in his expression, the slight hesitation, the moment where her Jedi Master husband very briefly lost his stoic composure. The puppy eyes were working. They always worked. Her smirk curled slow and victorious as he gave in with that soft smile and nodded.

Her grin bloomed like a sunrise.

"Oh?" she drawled, voice thick with faux-innocence. "Full body, huh? That sounds kinda sexy." She leaned in a little closer, her tone dropping to a conspiratorial murmur as she waggled her brows. "Careful, you start something like that, and I might have to return the favor."

But there was no time for that just yet.

With a playful tug on his hand, she turned and started guiding them toward the ship, pace quickening. "C'mon, love. Let’s get back to the Bastion before I collapse right here and demand you carry me."

The walk back was fast, full of little jabs and finger-squeezes and the easy, comfortable quiet that always followed her mischief. And the moment they stepped onto the ramp and into the safety of their ship, Valery turned toward him again, hands still laced in his.

"So…" Her amber eyes sparkled. "Do you wanna wait until we’re home home?"

A beat.

"Or should I go ahead and get ready in our room?"

Kahlil Noble ​