Aftermath

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"But Addy sounds sooo adorable. Just like you," Siobhan gushed, hugging the little girl back. Her reaction reminded her of how her Adril had responded any time someone called her Addy. Siobhan had usually done that when she wanted to troll her.


When Adril the Younger informed them of the foul crime Livia had committed, then promptly bounced off as a harbinger of the punishment that would no doubt await her sin, Siobhan rolled her eyes and shared a look her wife. "Oh, the joys of motherhood," she chuckled. Had she been this carefree at Adril's age? She could not remember.


"Adril, we had this talk. I'd like to hear what your sister has to say first," she said in a louder, more stern tone. They need to learn discipline. Their mother never learn it and went insane, she thought. Natoline's loss still weighed heavily on her. The girl had been flightly and with her head in the clouds, but also brave, quirky and spirited. Now she was gone.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Livia entered and carefully put the stuffed bantha down on the table.
“Aunt Siobhan, Aunt Tegaea,” she said in the most serious and honest tone possible. “Adril was trying to hoard every toy for her exclusive usage. I merely acquired a single plaything for my enjoyment since she was claiming exclusive domain over the rest.”
Tegaea stared at the girl, as she did any time the unusually wordy child spoke.
“So, you were playing with all the toys and Livia wanted one of them and then you wanted it?”
“And she wouldn’t give it to me! It was the one I want now!” Adril said petulantly.
“We don’t always get what we want,” Tegaea said sternly. “Each of you will choose a toy you want and stick with it for that playtime. I don’t want any more of this squabbling. You each have lots of toys to choose from, so they’ll be no more fighting over them. You must learn to share.”
“Yes, auntie,” Adril mumbled.
“I understand, Aunt Tegaea,” Livia said seriously.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Sometimes Siobhan wondered whether Livia might be a toddler-sized Phylis in disguise. She was certainly serious and wordy enough to be one. Regardless, the Sibling War was averted! Kinda sorta. Siobhan had been reading parenting self-help books. She'd found that they were useless.


"I expect you to act accordingly. We cannot always think solely of our own needs and put our desires first. We're a family. Family sticks together. Understood? Good." There was a note of sternness to her tone. Her expression softened slightly and she patted both girls on the head.


"We love you both, girls. Now Auntie Tegs will be preparing dinner. You two can show us you can get along by helping her in the kitchen." Wait, household chores? Didn't rich people have servants for that? Eh, whatever.


"Yes, Auntie," Adril said, still sounding a bit grumpy.


"Yes, Aunt Siobhan," Livia affirmed, then a thought came to her. "If we accomplish this task without rancour or bickering between us, will you tell a bedtime story?" Siobhan gave Tegs a look that pretty much said 'what kinda five-year old talks like that?' She was quite certain that neither she nor Tegs had.


"If you're very good girls and behave well, I might."


"And can I ride on Lacy tomorrow?" Adril added.


"Don't push it."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

And so off to the kitchen they went! Fortunately Harmony materialised to help out. After all, having 5 year olds running around in a place with knives, boiling water and hard surfaces was never a good move.
So Harmony was able to get Livia and Adril to be helpful by fetching things and staying out of the way whilst Tegaea worked.

That done, Tegaea gave the busty Dahomian a kiss. “Thanks, Harmony!”
The two girls were looking up at them.
Adril made a face. “Eww, kissing is gross!” she opined.
Livia looked more thoughtful and sombre. “I dare say that there is something about it which keeps our aunties doing it.”
Tegaea grinned. “If you’re good girls one day you’ll find a nice girl or boy to fall in love with.”
“And if we’re not good?” Adril asked eagerly.
“Then you’ll have many!” Harmony retorted.

And so the food was brought to the table. Some favourites for all. Siobhan had likely fetched some wine whilst Harmony helped settle the children and gave them their meal.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


While Tegaea, Harmony and the kids were getting food ready in the kitchen, Siobhan had made herself useful by setting the table. Obviously, that did not take long. She spent some time sitting on a couch and looking at a magazine, which she quickly put away when everyone filed into the living room. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough.


"What is in that magazine, Aunt Siobhan? You put it away very quickly. Do you not want us to see it?" Livia asked curiously. She was like a kath hound on a trail when there was something she did not know.
"Grown-up stuff. You'll find out when you're older."
Little Livia put her little hands on her hips. "You always say that when there is something you do not want us to know. It's evasion." What kind of kid used words such as evasion? Siobhan was asking herself the same question.
"That's because I'm right."
"It's full of pictures of naked girls. Auntie looks at them a lot," Adril blurted out, grimacing.
"Adril," Siobhan said warningly, colouring slightly. "Sit down, girls. Let's have dinner."
"Why do you enjoy spending time looking at naked girls, Aunt Siobhan?" Livia asked innocently.
"She's going to say we'll find out when we're older, sis," Adril added. "Eww. More kissing," she grumbled when Siobhan decided to lock lips with first Tegaea and then Harmony. Siobhan knew that it annoyed her, so it was a good distraction.
"She is trying to distract us from the mystery of her magazine," Livia pointed out.
"It's gross, too."
"One day a pretty girl will sweep you off your feet and you'll realise why girls kiss other girls. Or look at them."
"I've seen you kiss boys, too. Usually black ones. It's icky, too."
"A little bit of variety is nice. But they cannot compare to a woman's beauty. Now sit down and eat before your dinner gets cold. Or Auntie Tegs will be upset."
"But I am interested in discussing this further, Aunt Siobhan."
"And I'm interested in getting something to eat. Now shush."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea smirked a bit. It was going to be very tricky to have these kids around, but that made it more rewarding too. She just hoped for better circumstances than their previous children.

“Auntie, can you please pass the sauce? This meal is delectable,” Livia said.
Tegaea blinked. She didn’t even know what that word meant. Was it a good thing? Wordlessly she handed the sauce to her niece.
“Auntie Sio, Livy is showing off with her words!” Adril said grumpily.
“I am merely displaying a more impressive diction than you.”
Tegaea shook her head slowly. “Harmony, you’ve not had Chesna in here with them have you?”
Harmony looked shifty. “Sometimes….”
“Auntie Chessie is the best!” Adril declared, then coughed. “Except for you both,” she added. “She’s taught us lots of neat stuff.”
“I bet she has. That explains some things,” Tegaea said thoughtfully.
“I happened to witness Miss Harmony and Auntie Chesna kissing yesterday. Then they closed the door,” Livia declared.
Harmony coughed. “Well, you know, it had been a while!”
“A day is a long time now, is it? And Livia, sweetie, no one likes a tattler.”
“I merely brought it up because it was pertinent to our discussion!”
Tegs let out a sigh and gave Siobhan a look which seemed to say ‘kids…’.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Having kids around was...interesting to say the least. Especially when you considered that the house tended to be populated by some rather oversexed women and one of their aunties was a Dark Jedi Master. Still, Siobhan was trying. Hopefully she would have more luck this time.

"Aunt Siobhan, you promised to tell us a bedtime story if we helped Aunt Tegaea make dinner," Livia said as the dinner drew to a close. Siobhan had successfully resisted the urge to smoke. It would have set a bad example.

"I'd love an Auntie Sio story," Adril opined. Hey, they actually agreed on something.

"I said I might. Have you cleaned your room?" Siobhan asked seriously.

"Uh, yes, Auntie."

Siobhan glanced towards Harmony, who looked a bit sheepish but nodded. "I made sure they cleaned it, Lady Mistress."

"Before or after you reconnected with Chesna?" Siobhan queried a bit tartly. Luckily for the Dahomian, her dark complexion was good at concealing a blush. "Put the dirty dishes into the sink, then wash yourself. I will inspect your room. If it's satisfactory, you'll get a bedtime story."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“Before!” Harmony said quickly.

Tegaea smirked at her friend’s discomfit. “Let’s get the dishes washed up, Harmony, and then you can get the girls clean before bed. Siobhan, I’ll join you for the story then.”

The twins shared a large and well-furnished room, as was to be expected. Like the girls themselves it was a study in contrasts. Instantly it could be seen which side was Adril’s and which side was Livia’s. Adril’s side was characterised by the ‘first available drawer’ method of cleaning. The bed was rumpled but made, the desk and toys piled up ‘neatly’.
Livia’s side though showed an obsessive mind. A bookshelf was sorted by book name but also by subject. The bed was made with as much care as a five star hotel, even the desk was dusted. Perhaps someone needed to discuss with the girl that one could take order too far!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan shook her head after examining the room. "One of them is does not understand the meaning of order and neatness. The other is obsessed with it," she mumbled to himself, frowning. She opened one of Adril's drawers and found that it was full of...stuff. "Too much hoarding. And she needs to wipe her desk better. But at least she's better than Elpsis," she commented a bit tartly. Her niece was not dirty, but notoriously messy and disorganised. Siobhan proceeded to check the beds and the desks. Unsurprisingly, Livia's furniture was obsessively clean. It reminded the Countess of someone with OCD.


Ah, well, I'll let them pass. But Adril won't be riding Lacey for a while, she thought and headed out. On the way to the door, she turned around to look upon a holophoto that showed her, Tegs, the two twins and Galina in a zoo. It's time to build the mobile command vessel. Our own hive ship, she thought, sighing slightly. She'd give the order tomorrow. Likewise, Firemane would move its headquarters. They'd already established ties with the Free Worlds Coalition, so Alderaan might be a suitable location. Naturally Siobhan would not invite the Board to a debate.


She'd give the order and like good functionaries they'd obey, form committees and turn her plan into action. She was the woman who bore the crown on her head. The lady who wore the queenly mask. No one else could shoulder the responsibility.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Adril and Livia were soon cleaned, dried, dressed and herded into their bedroom.

Tegaea gave Harmony an affectionate kiss and then went to join Siobhan. As the girls got into their beds Tegaea pulled up a couple of chairs. She’d initially arranged them side by side, but at this Livia frowned.
“Auntie Siobhan, since you are on Adril’s side of the room, I fear I will have trouble hearing your story.”
“Then you’ll just need to be quiet and listen!” Adril replied grumpily.
“It’s not like this room is a hundred metres wide,” Tegaea said, somewhat exasperated. However, with exaggerated precision she lined up the chairs so Siobhan’s was ahead and exactly equidistant between the two beds.

She settled down in her chair though. Her wife’s stories were fun, even if they weren’t always appropriate for all ages!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Finally, everyone settled down and it was time for storytelling. Most of Siobhan's bedtime stories tended to be somewhat embellished, slightly edited war stories from her past. Just with less gore and without sapphic orgies. Age-appropriate? Maybe not. Siobhan thought that completely shielding her girls from the bleak nature of the Galaxy would be doing them a disservice.


"Once upon a time, there was an evil force called the Bando Gora. Under their Dark Lord, they murdered the innocent, pillaged and tormented. Their most dreadful warriors were the Reavers, monsters who feasted on the flesh of the innocent. None could stand in their path, until two heroines mustered the armies of the Omega Empire to make a stand against evil. Upon the cursed, desolate world of Gehenna, the two armies met for the grand battle," she began dramatically.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea settled in to listen to the story. She smiled slightly as she listened. It was of course sanitised for the children, but not as much as some might expect.
Adril seem wrapt by the stories of war and battle. Livia though had pulled up the covers and seemed anxious.
“Auntie Siobhan…these Bando Gora sound very scary,” she said softly.
“But Auntie Sio and Auntie Tegs beat them, so there’s nothing to be scared about! Ain’t nothing which they’re scared of!” Adril asserted.
“Except for cabbages,” Tegaea said with a laugh.
“That is not a logical fear,” Livia said sternly.
Tegaea shrugged and leaned forward to Siobhan. “Go on, tell them about the part where you defeated the metal demon….”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


It was likely that many parents would consider the Battle of Gehenna an unsuitable bedtime story. Of course, it was sanitised...but not enough to make it a fairy tale. However, in Sio's opinion those who thought that way missed the point. The Galaxy was a big, scary place. Coddling the twins would do them no good.


So rather than making light of Livia's anxieties, she reached out and patted her hand. "They were scary. It's not shameful to be afraid. Fear imposes caution on us and makes us think before we embark on dangerous endeavours. Fear gives us fuel to fight harder, to prevent what we fear from turning into reality. Anyone who says they're free of fear is either a liar or has never faced it. The point is not to let it rule you," she said softly.


Slipping back into character, she continued with her narration. "No sooner had the Iron Knight struck down his fallen brother, than the malevolent spirit of the metal demon surged through him, taking possession of him - mind and body. He fought against this evil, but was helpless against it. His eyes glowed with a menacing crimson light when he turned his powers upon the firemaned heroine. As waves of flame rippled towards her, she stood her ground. He was her friend, but now controlled by evil, and she would not falter. As flames enveloped her, she called uponher power, unleashing a massive blast of the Force..." And so dramatic stuff happened. After [member="HK-36"] was freed from the vile spirit, the two buddies beat the crap out of a gigantic metal dragon. Bit bigger than the dragons HK flies around in.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The story ebbed and flowed. When it was done and the evil had been defeated, the girls clapped their hands joyfully.
Livia touched a finger to her chin. “So that was you in the story, Aunt Sio? Were you there, Aunt Tegaea?”
Tegaea nodded. “I was on Gehenna, organising and arranging reinforcements and supplies. I’m not a big hero like your Aunt Siobhan, but I’m excellent at enabling heroics!” she said with a grin.
“When I grow up I’m going to be a great hero like Auntie Sio!” Adril declared.
“I like the idea of organising,” Livia mused.
“There we go then, Sio, the future hero and enabler have been sorted!” Tegaea said, giving her wife a kiss.
This prompted the usual wave of ‘ewws’ from the children.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Hearing the ewws, Siobhan decided to be a troll and deepen the kiss. Seemingly oblivious to the two kids, she pushed her tongue into her wife's mouth. Tongue warfare ensued, while she threaded her fingers through Tegaea's hair to gently keep her in place.


Eventually, the ewws grew very loud. "Auntie Siobhan, Auntie Tegaea, get a room," Livia insisted indignantly. There was nothing worse for a kid than to watch the grown-ups make out. Adril was more direct and threw a pillow, which Siobhan caught.


"I'll remember this when I walk in on either of you getting hot and heavy with a cute girl," Siobhan replied with faux sternness, breaking away from her wife's mouth. She'd already decided to be as embarrassing as possible when either of them had their first kiss or lost their virgnity.


Getting up, she gave each of the girls a hug and planted a maternal kiss on their cheeks. "I love you, girls. Sleep well. No sneaking out of bd in the middle of the night to get cookies," she gave Adril a significant look.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Adril pouted. “I was hungry!”
“You left crumbs on my side of the room and you were munching loud enough to wake a primeval behemoth,” Livia grumbled.
“Well no more,” Tegaea said sternly. “Cookies are bad for you at night. Besides, we give you lots of dinner. If you want more, you need only say.”
“But I didn’t know I’d be hungry!” Adril said, her irritation rising. “This is so unfair, I just want to go to bed!” she said theatrically and threw the covers over her head.
Tegaea tucked in Livia and gave her a kiss too. “Good night, dears.”

Outside, she looked to Siobhan. “I think they could probably use a little intervention about obsessiveness on one hand and stubbornness on the other.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"They do. Livia's standards are close to someone with OCD. And I don't want Adril to turn out like her namesake." The latter was not at all a case of the pot calling the kettle. She closed the door behind them and walked towards their bedroom.


"Suggestions? When they're a bit older, they'd benefit from a stay in Camp Firemane. It teaches kids a broad variety of important skills that will serve them well in life. For now, the Young Firestars could be a good experience for them."


Yes, Firemane had its own cadet corps and youth organisations, which tailored to attract youngsters from a variety of age groups. Siobhan took a personal interest in their efforts. On occasion, she visited a camp in person.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“Agreed. The greatest problem with children who grow up with everything is that they value nothing. They will be fundamentally defined by being the daughters of two of the richest people in the galaxy, and that means they will have an expectation of the life they’ll lead. By no means should we deprive them, but they should earn their own way once they are old enough.”
Tegaea was not one for hereditary monarchies and dynasties. If one earned their place then so be it, but if one earned title, riches and power from just being lucky enough to be born…that was not something she respected. She had come from nothing in a bit over 20 years, so why couldn’t her adopted daughters when they were adults?

As they headed into their bedroom Tegaea ran a hand up and down her wife’s back.
“You know, it’s my birthday soon…and I have some ideas for presents….” Entirely harmless, kiddie-friendly things like…uh…a new watch!
The four-zero. She wasn’t exactly happy that she was moving into cougar territory, but so be it! There’d be a party of course, and they could invite all their friends.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan was less opposed to hereditary monarchies than her wife. On a certain level, the idea of a Kerrigan dynasty appealed to her. But she expected her daughters to earn their place. If they failed to meet her expectations, she'd pass on the mantle to someone outside the family.


"They need to be exposed to kids from less privileged background and understand that wealth is not an entitlement. And that being nobles doesn't make them better than a commoner. Maybe when they're older Auntie Freya can be their drill sergeant and give them a taste of what life is like for the grunts," she suggested half-seriously. "Say what you want about Freya, she definitely won't coddle them. She's used the whip on their aunts too many times." The girls would probably learn lots of dirty words from the coarse Sergeant, too.


Siobhan leaned into the touch as Tegs caressed her back, smirking. "I remember. It's mine as well soon. I have some ideas of my own," she gave her wife a deep, passionate kiss. "I'm still punishing anyone who says I'm not thirty-five anymore." No, she would not be past forty. Anyone who claimed that was being insolent and deserved to be sent to Correction. It was doubtful that aging would reduce Firecougar Siobhan's desire to 'mentor' young women and men...who were all a lot younger than her. One was half her age.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea returned the kiss. “You know, I’ve been 36 for almost 4 years now. Amazing how time stands still!” she joked.

The black curtain could be seen beginning to metaphorically descend, but they might get one more exchange before the kiddies were saved from the terrible scourge of marital harmony.

“I think if there’s anyone who we can say is strict, it’s Freya. It’ll certainly be an education for the girls,” she added.

“I think we better discuss these ideas we both have. Maybe trial them….”