Private Family Connections

[Kay-Larr]

It had been some time since Kay was rescued from the Netherworld by Ghorua the Shark . She didn't feel quite deserving of it, yet felt as though there had to have been some purpose for it. Her rescue hadn't been done for selfish reasons, afterall. And it wasn't as though she had asked for it to happen...

...It just did.

It was a strange thing to discover that a part of her had been brought back earlier from death, and yet a very important part of her was in the Netherworld. Her soul. That was what Ghorua had found, with the help of her body and the fraction of her being that ran it with madness.

With Mayhem....

Caedyn Arenais had time with her too. She had vague memories of that experience. She had vague memories of all of it, as though everything since her shoppe was attacked had been a dream. Kay tried to piece it together, yet it was just far too confusing.

Maybe there was someone that could help?

She didn't know anyone anymore, as far as those that could give her advice. Or even those that would want to. Both of her children lacked the experience required, and yet it was them that she worried about the most. It was a rather discouraging predicament to be in, to be sure.

Kay sat down in her room above the tea shoppe, upon the soft circular rug at the foot of her bed. Her legs were crossed and her hands rested above her knees. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, allowing herself to center before tapping into the Force and reaching out with her mind's voice;

~Veiere....can you hear me? ...~

 

[Veiere Arenais]

~Veiere....can you hear me? ...~

The Force flowed around Kay-Larr bringing a sense of warmth from within, the energies of life swirling around her position and soon shaping into something corporeal, a translucent mist that settled low across the floor while the edges of the room grew far darker, almost to the point of no longer being able to see the walls entirely.

"Hello, my love" Veiere's voice greeted her, slowly stepping forward from the abyss to expose his ethereal form, the Jedi Master that she remembered, draped in his old Jedi attire, tan tunic and dark brown robe covering his boots and bunching up around him on the shoppe floor. Veiere smiled as he stood before her, his hands falling in place at his front, fingers lacing as he looked upon his late wife

"You're looking well for someone who's supposed to have passed on" Veiere remarked, his words being passed with a sense of amusement; "Managing to hide well from the rest of the Galaxy it seems, hm?". Kay knew well what Veiere saw in her, that being kept in isolation meant withholding her from achieving what she was truly capable of. Stifling her potential and not giving herself the credit she was due. He also knew that she was stubborn, and couldn't be convinced otherwise once her mind was set on something.

"It's been a long time. Things have certainly changed since my passing haven't they" he commented rhetorically, knowing full-well.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay took in a calming breath, closing her eyes momentarily as she felt the warmth of Veiere arrive and take form. It was his voice that caused her to open her eyes once more. She gave him a small smile, her mind flooding with memories of their shared past and longing for the days when they were together. But such a thing was merely a dream. Even in death she had no such luxuries.

Her eyes dropped as he remarked on her hiding. It was an argument that they had had before, yet she was so certain that she was doing the right thing back then. And now?....Now she didn't know. That was what had gotten her to reach out for him in the first place.

"I'm sorry to disturb your peaceful rest...." Her own time in the Netherworld was anything but peaceful. Kay drew her eyes up to his own once more. "...Blue suits you, it always has. And it has been a while. Things have changed. I'm still working to wrap my head around it. Something compelled Ghorua to find me and to get me out, but even he doesn't know why. As far as I can tell, our children are doing alright for themselves, and if it's anyone that should of been brought back, it should be you. But it's not...." She took in another deep breath and let it out slowly as she retook control of her emotions before they could take control over her. "...It's like I've been given a second chance at something. But I don't know what. Have you any insight in this to share?"

Aspect of Virtue

 

[Veiere Arenais]

Veiere smiled to his late wife, offering her a look of adoration as she remarked on the nature of his return to the corporeal plane. There in spirit, his appearance translucent and the blue silhouette that she saw reflected the light in which he had lived to serve in his lifetime. His time in the Netherworld was spent at peace in a vastly different plane than that which Kay-Larr had been forced to experience; Perhaps being the reason in itself for her being allowed a second chance, that she hadn't been meant for that place of suffering and trauma to begin with.

"Our Son has asked me for guidance into the future a number of times now, and as I have told him, I must share with you my reluctance to offer insight therein. The problem with the future is that there are many possible futures and none are certain lest it is brought into being through your own free will, a consequence of your actions in life. I could tell you what it is that I can see, but there's no guarantee this will be the future you are meant for. The other concern is that whatever answer I might give, could lead you down a path that differs from the one that is by the will of the Force, meant for you".

The late Jedi Master fell silent for a time, his gaze shifting to the right as he contemplated her situation. Kay had spoken of their children and their survival thus far without her. Veiere himself had watched over them from afar, only visiting Caedyn when their Son had summoned him through the training gained by Thurion Heavenshield , and old and dearest of friends.

"That you have a second chance at life is a blessing in itself. It could be that you are not meant to understand it, but rather try and make the best of it. Your life, like all others, is connected to the Force and one way or another, if you are meant for a purpose it will come to fruition eventually" Veiere smiled as he looked back to Kay; "Spend some time with the Children. Do things that you might have missed out on before, or right the wrongs of your past life if there are any you desire to correct. The Force is with you regardless, and whether or not it lives up to your expectations, it will see your purpose become clear when the time is right and you are ready".

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little as she listened, tears streaming down her cheeks as they did in the Netherworld. Yet she did her best not to break down. Here she was looking for answers only to be told that there was none to be had. Or at the very least, none that he was willing to share.

Of course she understood his reasonings behind it. Veiere didn't want to chance leading her away from whatever it was that she was meant for. Yet she was so confused and lost over her renewed existance, the only person that she could think of for help was Veiere.

"I was hoping for...something good to hold on to. A glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been an utter mess of crimes and punishments...." Kay had done a lot of wrongs that had cost many lives; something that she hadn't forgiven herself for, and nor did she plan to. "I don't want to endanger our children Veiere, or disrupt their lives because I've been brought back for Force knows what. They don't deserve that." And yet they didn't deserve to lose both of their parents at a young age either. It was easier back before the Sith came to Commenor, when their children looked up to them and Kay had confidence in herself. Back then she'd of done whatever she could to help those in her care. And now she couldn't even fathom being of any help to them at all.

"I don't even know how I'd approach them, Veiere. Especially Lori. They'd want answers to questions that I don't have the answers to. It's those answers that I'm trying to find...". Mystery holo-novels were always her favourite. Yet now that she was within her own mystery, she found herself unable to think of solutions. "In what you've seen so far, does it end well for me? Give me that much at least, please. I don't need to know the details...."

Aspect of Virtue

 

[Veiere Arenais]

"I was hoping for...something good to hold on to. A glimmer of hope in what has otherwise been an utter mess of crimes and punishments....".

"The Children are still alive and out there waiting for you" Veiere responded, giving a gentle smile as he looked back at her; "It doesn't matter how you go about it, the only wrong choice would be to not involve yourselves in what time you all have remaining. Take it from a dead man, make the most of your time together".

"I don't want to endanger our children Veiere, or disrupt their lives because I've been brought back for Force knows what. They don't deserve that."

"There's going to be danger's in their lives regardless of whether you're there beside them or not. If anything, their chances will be greater with you there to guide them from experience, rather than leaving the Twins to fend for themselves. I know for a fact that Caedyn could benefit from your presence in his life; He may not like to show it but he is not as strong as he lets on".

"In what you've seen so far, does it end well for me? Give me that much at least, please. I don't need to know the details....".

"How and when your time in this life comes to an end, is more up to you than you realize. Nothing is set in stone and as I said, anything that I say can and likely will change the course of your future. All that I will say is that when the time comes, I will be here waiting to greet you on the other side".

Kay-Larr

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked a little at Veiere Arenais , for she had been dead too. But now she was back. Yet she understood well enough of what he meant. And it made her wonder if he felt her death in the way that she had felt is. In losing Veiere she had lost a part of herself. It was something that she knew she could never recover from.

Despite Veiere's resignations about steering her in any way, he was already doing so. In an almost enigmatic way he was telling her what to do. And more importantly he was giving her a purpose, something that she had longed for.

And he gave her hope. Although Veiere wasn't there waiting for her when she had died, he hinted that he would be there when she died again. She would be redeemed by her future actions.

"I hope that when I see you on the other side, that you'll be able to embrace me as you did in life. You are so terribly missed, Veiere..." She took a few seconds to keep her emotions in check, not wanting to cry in front of him again. "But thank you for your advice. It's been very helpful and just what I needed. I suppose that I should leave you in peace now...unless you have anything more that you'd like to add?"

 

[Veiere Arenais]

Kay-Larr appeared to have been encouraged by his words with as much assurance as the former Jedi Master had expected; never one to be quickly convinced of anything when it came down to her own path and role in the Galaxy, she did, however, take his guidance to heart, and there seemed to be some closure, no matter how subtle.

"I suppose that I should leave you in peace now...unless you have anything more that you'd like to add?".

"Our family has always been gifted in seeing the worst in themselves. I was no different," he remarked with a pensive smile, seeing amusement in the memories of lesser actions and knowing that Kay and their children suffered the same habit of being overly critical of themselves.

"The consequence of this habit of ours means that we never stop trying to live and act with integrity. Whether you're trying to prove yourself to yourself or because you genuinely wish to live the best life, you're still seeking to be a good person, and no one can take that away from you".

Perhaps it would seem a curious time for such a perspective, though they would be words that Kay would remember in future days. It wasn't she alone who would benefit from the wisdom behind the words, and whether she believed and agreed with him or not, this was a moment in which she would find comfort in reflection further down the line.

"Remember that life flows as fluently as the Force does. Think of a river; the motions of the water without pattern or predetermined path. It is ever-changing, and moving against the current is finding resistance pushing back. Don't make life difficult for yourself by fighting what comes of life; move with the water and allow what happens to simply be. Be yourself, and be strong in your convictions, but don't fight the change that is now your present, nor compare it to what used to be".

Whether she would understand him at that time wasn't certain, but Veiere knew that she would eventually see what he was trying to tell her. Life waited on no man or woman, and the Galaxy was ever persistent in its change. Stars were born one day and lost the next; people came and went from their lives, and conflict was often so easily ignited, but for Kay herself, he wished that she not struggle with her emotional demons as he had in life.

"Find what makes you happy in life and take good care to keep it", he concluded with a fond smile and loving gaze, his hands falling away from his front and moving to rest upon either side, his body language speaking of the end to their conversation. For now.

"The Force is always with you Kay, as am I" his words seemed to echo as his body became translucent and slowly faded from the corporeal plane that she inhabited.

 

[Kay-Larr]

There was a lot of wisdom in what Veiere Arenais had said. Much of it born from his own life and reflections thereafter. More than likely she'd do the same, provided she isn't thrown into the Netherworld again.

She watched him fade away and then let her connection to the Force fade. "You made me happy, Veiere.....and I couldn't keep you...."

Kay opened her eyes and got to her feet, stretching out any stiffness from her body. She had work to do; not just for her shoppe but for herself as well. And it would all take some careful planning.