Private A Sturdy Foundation

[Alicio Organa]

AMANI AND ALICIO'S APARTMENT, EVENING
CORUSCANT
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He and Amani Serys ' apartment had gotten cramped since the wedding.

They had gotten more gifts than Alicio had anticipated. Not only from their friends within the Alliance, but also from Alderaanian nobles attempting to curry favor with the newest branch of House Organa. With nowhere else to go, a tall pile of blankets sat on their couch, across from a few too many decorative pillows. Their kitchenette was bloated with new supplies, including a breadmaker (one of Alicio's favorite gifts from the event), the usually meticulously clean counters and tables cluttered. The study was now half-occupied by a large, multi-leveled birdcage, which Alicio now tended to, closing the door after having given the couple's newest family member fruit for it's dinner.

Valery and Kahlil had asked for a meeting. Of course, Alicio would give one to them. He could have suggested anywhere, perhaps a more formal setting. But he wanted to meet Kahlil, beyond an introduction at a wedding. Inviting the two of them into his home seemed like the right thing to do.

But now that he saw the mess, he was having second thoughts. Hopefully, the Nobles wouldn't mind too much.

- Valery Noble - Kahlil Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

"I feel a little bad that we couldn't bring Vera with us. She seemed upset about it," Valery said as she stood inside the elevator with her husband. Amani and Alicio only lived a few skyscrapers away, so the trip had been short, but it was also late, and discussing the entire Epicanthix situation wasn't something Vera would enjoy either. She'd get a chance to hang out with Alicio again soon when it was all about having fun.

"But I suppose it's for the best. We have a lot to discuss and... it'll be nice for you two to properly meet." The door of the elevator opened up at the right level, and after stepping outside, she began to walk toward his apartment. She knew where it was from prior visits, so within a minute, they were right at the door.

Then, for just a brief moment, Valery reached for his hand and squeezed it. This wasn't just a meeting between friends — they were about to make important progress that would affect the future of a lot of people. And Valery knew how important this was to him especially.

"Let's do this." She grinned and knocked on the door.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"She'll understand. Better than most anyone else, I imagine." It never ceased to amaze her how mature Vera was. But, yeah. With everything to discuss, it probably wasn't the place for a child. Maybe some day. Sooner than either of them thought at that. Then turned his gaze towards the door as Valery knocked and just waited for it to open. From what Valery had told him, Alicio was certainly the person to reach out for help.

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

The door opened only a few moments after the knock, revealing the lithe form of Alicio Organa. Dressed in casual blacks, the Count appeared more ready for a theater troupe rather than for discussing a wide-reaching humanitarian effort. He offered the couple a soft smile. "Valery, Kahlil, good to see you both! Come in." He walked inside, gesturing for the Nobles to follow him.

"And... please excuse the, um... everything." Alicio smirked, gesturing at the abundance of gifts covering most corners of the house. "It's been difficult finding a place for it all." He just couldn't bring himself to discard any of the items.

"Make yourselves at home." The nobleman found himself naturally gravitating to the kitchen. "Have you both had dinner? I can make something quickly. Or Amani and I sometimes get delivery from a noodle shop in the area. Lovely spicy ramen." He was a bit more fussy than usual. Maybe trying to make up for the fact that the apartment needed some serious cleaning.

- Valery Noble - Kahlil Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Casual clothing
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

When the doors opened, Valery wasn't too surprised to see Alicio in more casual clothing — she had decided against showing up in full Jedi gear as well. Either way, she offered a warm smile and pulled him into a quick, friendly hug before stepping inside with her husband. Their apartment was similar to her own in many ways, although filled up with a lot more boxes and stuff. Not too surprising, given the rather large wedding.

"It's alright, we're quite used to things being messy. Vera sometimes turns the whole apartment into a battlefield when she plays." She chuckled and followed him further into the apartment.

At the offer to have some dinner, her stomach growled and she began to smile very sheepishly. "I haven't eaten yet..." she admitted even though it was pretty obvious already. "Ordering some soup sounds good. You don't have to cook anything then, and can just relax for a bit." She gave him a bit of a look. "Seems like you've been busy enough already."

Valery then briefly glanced at Kahlil with a loving smile and continued, "How have things been since the wedding? Has it felt any different?" she asked curiously. "I remember right after our wedding, I felt very... fulfilled. Happier, too even though the relationship didn't change of course." The question also made her wonder how it had felt to Kahlil, so her eyes shifted to him once more.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil just chuckled and nodded. Messy apartments were par the course. Either when having children, or when getting married. There own wedding had a similar effect on their apartment at the time. He glanced towards Valery, giving her a brief smile. And mostly let her do the talking. There wasn't too much for him to add to the conversation, at least not yet.

"Spicy ramen? Can't say I've had it. Let's give it a try."

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio tried to avoid thinking about the cluttered living space. "If there were ever a reason for Amani and I to get a larger apartment, this would be it." It was probably time they started looking for a new home, anyways.

It seemed both the Nobles were eager for food. Alicio smiled between them, scooping up a datapad from the counter, and launching a curious expression at Kahlil. "Never had spicy ramen? You're missing out. I'll place the order." Then, at the mention of him being busy, Alicio sighed at Val. "I... yes. It was... a lot. It was the single happiest moment of my life... but it was a lot of plates to spin."

"How have things been since the wedding? Has it felt any different? I remember right after our wedding, I felt very... fulfilled. Happier, too even though the relationship didn't change of course."

Alicio grew a stupid smile, which he concealed by walking into the living room, perching on a chair, and gesturing for the two Jedi Masters to take what room remained on the couch. "That feels about right. Nothing's changed. But... It's like my perspective of everything has shifted." He laughed a little to himself. Living with his girlfriend was a much different feeling to living with his wife.

"It's kind of like... When you step outside your home, in the early hours of the morning, and everything is rose-colored and dipped in gold... You've seen the sight a thousand times before, but the tiniest palette change makes the scene... magical." He grew a sheepish expression, realizing he'd accidentally waxed poetic. "Um... Or, something along those lines."

Alicio looked between Valery and Kahlil, a question on his face, even as he began tapping on his datapad once more. "I don't suppose either of you have any advice for someone recently married?"

- Valery Noble - Kahlil Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Casual clothing
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

There was no hiding the stupid smile.

Valery could feel it as he walked into the living room, and made sure that he knew that she knew with a grin she flashed his way. She then lowered herself onto the couch, close enough to her husband that her side brushed against his, and listened to her friend talk a little more about the wedding. This was what she had wanted to talk to him about the most, but during the wedding itself, they were simply kept far too busy.

"Very poetic, Alicio," Valery teased with a grin. How could she not?

At his question, though, her expression turned a little more serious. Her hand settled on her husband's leg, and she gently squeezed while her smile returned. "Enjoy every moment and don't take any of it for granted. I also think a good honeymoon would be a lot of fun." she chuckled and looked at Kahlil to listen to what he had to say.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Ah, the early days of marriage. He smiled softly, listening to Alicio describe his feelings. Actual poetry. Huh. He should've met the man long ago. He raised a brow, glancing towards Valery for a moment. Honeymoon. Ah, right. He cleared his throat.

".. Yes, it's worth it to enjoy a honeymoon together. If you haven't already had plans for that."

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Very poetic, Alicio."

The Count rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yeah. Laugh it up, Val."

But then, after he'd asked his question, the more familiar of the Nobles had a bit more genuine advice for him, before both affirmed the necessity of a honeymoon. Alicio smiled, a bit of rose hinting on his cheeks "Well, yes. We do have something planned. Somewhere warm, and quiet." He nodded. "I won't waste a second."

The Count began tapping away at his datapad again, before picking up an entirely separate datapad from the coffee table, and pecking away at that one, too, dividing his time between them. Somehow, he was able to look up, a question in his mind. "Sorry, I don't want to just talk about me. How did you two meet?"

They would get to the subject matter of their meeting soon enough. But first, Alicio was just a little curious.

- Valery Noble - Kahlil Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Casual clothing
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

Valery caught Kahlil's gaze and looked at him for a moment too, blinking before she turned back to Alicio with a smirk. "I will, but it's also very cute." As fun as it was to tease him, she honestly felt exactly the same about her relationship. Even after all these years, the excitement and pure joy were at an all-time high.

Perhaps a little because of his recent return, but she contributed most of it to how much she loved him.

"Warm and quiet sounds very good for a vacation. If you need a recommendation for a planet still, Spira is lovely." She looked at Kahlil and flashed a grin this time. Spira was a special planet for them both, for a variety of reasons. But the topic didn't linger there for too long. Alicio also wasn't someone who enjoyed talking about himself too much.

"How we met? Well, we sort of met twice." She chuckled, referring to New Cov and her helping R6 rescue him. "After I got out of stasis, the first thing I did was acquire a ship, so I could travel to New Cov. My old Enclave was there, thousands of years ago, so I wanted closure by finding out what happened to it. In the archives of the city I landed in, I ran into Kahlil, and we decided to travel together so he could learn more about what it meant to be a Jedi while I committed to something I knew would be difficult." She paused and without realizing it, squeezed her husband's leg a little.

"It was difficult to find the ruins of my Enclave, but he helped me through it and took some nasty hits from predators to protect me as well." She chuckled at the memory and everything that followed after it. "We spent the night there as well and we just... clicked. I always believed it would take time to love someone, but it happened so fast with us, and it felt right. It still does." She looked at Kahlil now, smiling lovingly and letting him cover their second meeting if he wanted to.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Warm and quiet sounds very good for a vacation. If you need a recommendation for a planet still, Spira is lovely."

"Especially if you're hoping for kids."

Kahlil didn't elaborate. He just gave a kind smile and for the most part just listened. Then took a small, slow sip of his drink before glancing towards Valery. Chuckled, just a little as he nodded his head in agreement. Everything had been quick then. Much faster than he'd expected.

"She left the next day, though. Needed to find herself in the new galaxy. So we went our separate ways. Eventually though I got nabbed by some Sith and my droid at the time reached out to her for help. Didn't expect to see her when I did, or I would've at least wiped some of the blood away. We caught up after she broke me out and.. Yeah. Things just clicked, all over again. Even though it'd been quite a long time she made me wait for her to come back into my life." And now it was his turn to tease her.

"It was worth the wait. Always will be."

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

"If you need a recommendation for a planet still, Spira is lovely."

Alicio was about to explain that Spira had been on their list for honeymoons, before...

"Especially if you're hoping for kids."

Alicio practically choked on nothing, then laughed about choking on nothing, his blush only strengthening. The Count hid his mouth behind a hand. "Um... yes. I suppose." He smiled apologetically. Alicio grew up noble, after all. He wasn't used to such straight-forward conversation about such an 'indecent' topic. He recovered as best he could. "Amani and I were thinking of going to Naboo, actually. We've talked about how her dream house is a lake home somewhere, so... we're going to try it out for a while."

His question was answered by both Nobles, and Alicio's smile grew sweeter with each passing second. Knowing Valery, it followed that they had met doing something dangerous. But in particular, their affection for each other was plain to see. Their feelings made Alicio miss Amani, even though he had just seen her earlier that day. She couldn't come home soon enough. "You're both very cute together," he teased, crossing his arms.

The Count's easy attitude darkened a little, as it was wont to do. "If you don't mind me asking... I thought you had... passed, Kahlil." Hearing that news had spurred him and Amani to move forward in their relationship, as they had realized that they could be ripped away from each other at any moment. "How... If you don't mind talking about it... are you here?"

- Valery Noble - Kahlil Noble -

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Huh?

Kahlil blinked slowly before clearing his throat. Laughing nervously. "No that's not- I mean yeah but- I don't-" Once more he cleared his throat before taking a longer sip. He hadn't meant anything ilicet, though, there was no denying that there was some suggestion there he hadn't thought about. Right. Don't say anything else, no reason to dig this hole any deeper.

"How... If you don't mind talking about it... are you here?"

Ah, right. A softer smile took over Kahlil's features as he rubbed the back of his head. Then a nervous laugh.

".. To save Valery, I thought I was going to have to die. The power I needed to get across the Galaxy to be by her side should've consumed me. But I didn't, not that I knew. Far as I knew, I was dead, and guarding the Wellspring was the only thing I had left if I wanted to still see Valery and Vera. Turns out that was just a.. I don't know what to call it, really. But Vera found me, and Valery came to help me get free."

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Casual clothing
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

"Especially if you're hoping for kids."

Valery snorted but also felt her face burning brightly for a few seconds. Their first trip to Spira, while meant to be a farewell until his return from the Dark Side, had also been the reason that Vera was born. Not exactly the best circumstances, but she was so special that she could only look back at it all fondly.

"You're both very cute together," the count then teased, giving her another reason to blush a little. It was likely unusual for Alicio to see her that way, but her feelings for Kahlil were that strong. It could easily overpower her stubbornness, as well as the experienced warrior within.

The topic then shifted to Kahlil's 'death', and she just remained quiet to listen to his explanation. It wasn't an easy story to really make sense of, but what mattered most was that he was back.

"It's... still hard to believe. If it wasn't for Vera's visions, I would have perhaps never found out. Or way later." Because of their Dyad, she was convinced that she'd ultimately feel that something was off too, but Vera's visions had been far more precise for the situation. Valery then chuckled, "You should have seen her pout when I told her she couldn't come with to bring him back." With a motherly smile, she looked between them both.

"It's good to see all of us like this. I finally feel as if the war is actually coming to an end, and what better way to go through such a time than with family, hm?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Kahlil's sudden fluster made Alicio laugh gently, holding up a hand to still him. "Don't worry, Kahlil. I understand. I... I think." But it was incredibly funny.

Seeing the way Valery was taken by her husband, Alicio kept his good mood. It was obvious they cared for each other deeply. Like him and Amani. The kind of love that overwhelmed a person, sweeping them away in a flood of feelings. The kind to lift one up, further than they could reach on their own.

My my, he was in a poetic mood today, wasn't he?

Much of Kahlil's explanation went over the Count's head. He wasn't entirely versed in the capabilities nor the esoteric nature of the Force. Had the man... teleported across the galaxy? Was that even possible? But he understood the gist, especially as Val elaborated. "Vera is... something special," he mused, crossing a leg over the other. "I'd... like to think I specialize in looking ahead, but... she's leagues more talented than I am." Sure, he had technique, experience, but Vera was rarely wrong. A trait his visions didn't share.

"It's good to see all of us like this. I finally feel as if the war is actually coming to an end, and what better way to go through such a time than with family, hm?"

He could almost pretend their meeting was normal. He lived in that feeling for a few seconds, holding onto it desperately.

But his eventual response, while with a smile, was hued by sadness. "A war... doesn't end until the effects of the war have ended." He fully frowned. "Even if the Maw is destroyed, our battlefield just changes. To fixing the lives damaged in the war. So we have to keep fighting, until the war is truly over."

"And that means helping those affected. Which brings us to... Panatha."

"Tell me what they need."

- Kahlil Noble - Valery Noble -

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"And that means helping those affected. Which brings us to... Panatha."

"Tell me what they need."

There it was, the business. The cheery smile he had faded. Not completely, but to one more of contemplation and thought. What did his people need?

"A home. Not a camp, not like they already have. A place they can resettle. Preserve their way of life, their art, their beliefs. .. What's left they could recover, they'll need to preserve. I know a lot of people will look at them as see my Father, those loyal to him. Where might makes right, but that's him. Not them. He abandoned those who refused to believe his way. Proud people who would choose peace and humility over anything. A person who can keep peace without raising a hand in aggression is the strongest. .. So, I suppose I'm worried about the Alliance only viewing them as they view my Father."

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Corsucant

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Appearance: Casual clothing
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Alicio Organa

"She is, in many ways," Valery said with motherly love. She could honestly talk and brag about Vera for hours on end, but this was about something else important too. Alicio was the one to guide the conversation there, and Valery just turned to her husband to let him speak. If anybody understood what the Epicanthix survivors needed, it was him.

But, of course, she'd support him with everything.

After listening to what he said, Valery couldn't help but frown a little. This involved more than just getting them a new home. It was an entirely new life in a way, and the people of the Galaxy needed to hear their stories and be informed about who they really are, and what they stand for.

"This is why I figured you'd be able to help, Alicio," Valery added with a soft smile. "Your experience with sanctuaries is priceless, and you'd be able to help with that perception as well. I know it's no easy task and we're asking for a lot, but the Epicanthix really need it."

"Their current living conditions are... not acceptable. Not after what they already had to endure on Panatha."

 

[Alicio Organa]

The situation with the Epicanthix seemed... familiar. In a screaming at the sky, teeth-grinding sort of way. He'd fought a similar battle for another population of refugees. He knew the pitfalls, the dangers, the prejudices... They were nothing new.

Not that they would be any easier to overcome with experience.

"I've fought this fight before," Alicio started, twisting his lip in thought. "When the Shi'ido lost Lao-mon to the Maw, I helped many of them settle on Alderaan. In a sanctuary city called Maranatha. Bringing them there was... calling it an uphill battle is an understatement."

"But I'd do it a thousand times to give refugees their livelihoods again, no matter who they are, or where they come from." Alicio looked up briefly from his datapad, his face set with determination. "So... of course I'll help."

"It'll be difficult. Like I said, an uphill battle." He set down both datapads. One was a proposal to the Senate he'd begun drafting the moment their meeting was scheduled. The other was a list of potential planets. Alderaan. Balmorra. Lujo. Delaya.

"But I'm willing to fight it. And I think we have a good chance of winning it, if you both fight it too."

- Kahlil Noble - Valery Noble -

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"We won't really be the ones fighting."

Kahlil let out a breath before he smiled. Valery certainly made a good call with bringing them to Alicio. A path forward was what the Epicanthix needed most. But-

"They don't need a savior. Just a chance to make their case. It's long time they have the chance to step out of the Zambrano shadow. I'm not here as their representative, just here to ask you to meet them."

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble