EMPRESS TETA
“...I can’t believe we haven’t dressed her up until now. She looks adorable...”
Makai carried their daughter through the gardens, looking around at the state of the mausoleum grounds. Mostly untouched by the war and battles itself, it was more an upkeep issue. Trees had fallen on the edge of the woodline. Bushes were overgrown, weeds were poking through some cracks in the stonework. The walkways needed a good scrubbing. The lawn needed reseeding and de-weeding. There were a few large holes from an orbital weapon, begging to be filled in with fresh soil. Yet it was overall in decent shape. Nothing hiring a crew wouldn’t accomplish in short order.
“...plus she’s getting out of that squashed root vegetable newborn stage. Where they all look angry.”
“Makai Dashiell!” Despite the admonishment, he could see his wife trying to hide her grin out of the corner of his eye.
“Oh come on, Phoebe is perfect but you know what I mean.”
Phoebe was cradled against his chest, her small little fist grabbed tightly onto his tie. Makai could have sworn he saw an indignant look cross over the infant’s face. It didn’t matter though, trying to lighten the mood for his wife was worth it.
He felt Ellie’s hand clasp around the space above his elbow, using him to stabilize herself as they descended the stairs together. Statues loomed on the edges of the structure, overseeing the center of the massive mausoleum structure. The trio grew silent as they drew closer to the final resting place of Alric Kuhn, the tomb centered in the Ithorian marble structure, somehow looming in the massive space.
Reaching the tomb, Makai raised their daughter in his arms, as if showing her off.
“Phoebe Colette Arceneau Dashiell, your first granddaughter. Thought it was about time we brought her by.”
Holding Phoebe against his chest, he had one arm under her bottom and the other across her little torso, letting her ‘sit’ and look around at the gardens around them. Ellie was having a quiet moment at the tomb, leaving the pair to their own devices. Wisely, the droids remained far back, on watch but giving the young family the privacy needed.
“See this Pheebs?” Makai drew closer to the columns, speaking to the infant as he did so. “This is Ithorian marble. Typically used in monuments and building exteriors for its beauty and durability. Ages well.Probably why it stood up so well during the wars and strife.”
Carefully he took her hand and placed it on the marble column, introducing his daughter to the texture of the rock.
“Feels hard, like super stone doesn’t it? Marble is actually kind of a softer rock, which sounds crazy, right?” Unfortunately for the infant, he had been talking about rocks, stones, and gemstones since she was in utero. “It's porous too. That means the rock can take on water…a downside on monuments like this since it can stain…just look..”
Little hand was removed from the column and Makai moved along the mausoleum structure, showing a water line along where the stone met the intricately placed pavers.
“Water has pooled here, absorbed into th-”
“Something tells me Phoebe isn’t quite absorbing the lesson - unlike the Ithorian marble.”
A hint of humor from his wife,spoken as he turned around. Despite the humor he could see Ellie had been crying, red-rimmed eyes a clear giveaway. Their first visit since the funeral and it was to be expected, especially considering the uncertainty that had surrounded Empress Teta for so long.
“Trying to tell her now so it can settle into her subconscious. Watch, this will pay off in about…oh, six years or so. Playing the long game.”
He spoke as he walked back, Phoebe starting to squirm as the pair drew closer, excited to see her mother. Placing a kiss on his wife’s cheek, their wiggly daughter was handed over. It was his turn to have a moment alone at the final resting place of Alric Kuhn.
“...I’ve been watching over them, Ellie and Danger. I don’t worry so much about Ellie, she’s handled things as expected and I think between having work and myself and now Phoebe…as a child we know our parents won’t live forever, right?”
Makai was pacing slowly, hands behind his back, talking to the tomb. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the exercise but he looked at it more as a way of working things out. With the death of Mister Kuhn he had been pushed to step into the role as temporary patriarch during the aftermath.
“Danger is…..Danger is the one I worry about. Perhaps not as much anymore but she has these moments, I doubt she realizes I’ve noticed….Going to bring it up to Ellie and see about spending the summer on the Farm. I think it would be a good tradition to start with Phoebe and continue with future children, might be good for Danger too. She could use a good kind of chaos once again.”
The half-Galan stopped, looking out at the gardens. Ellie was showing their daughter the crimson roses that grew nearly everywhere, their large sprays climbing up the marble.
“All things in time. Although we both know time isn’t always a luxury we have.”
