Private Family Time

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

They were big beasts though. Colette was more cautious than anything given that they were a whole host of humans this time and there was no telling what experiences these creatures had with humans from before. Ideally good, but it would be foolish to assume so.

"The view is bound to be nice." Colette said before she grunted from pushing herself up on a rock. The path ahead was a little steeper for a stretch before it evened out again. "If you guys need help, just ask okay?"

She turned to the triplets.

"And be careful, please. Don't get too cocky with the mountain."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"If they come to say hi, we can. But we don't disturb them if we don't disturb them if they want to be alone, alright Aurra?" He smiled faintly, glancing to his little girl before glancing towards Colette. She was already the protective older sister. It made him proud, if he was being honest. Not that he'd say as much. He wanted the kids to make their own relationships with her, not have him influence them too much.

He squeezed Valery's hand before nodding in agreement.

"To the top. Safely."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

"Okay, Daddy!" Aurra said with a big, understanding smile. She loved animals, so she didn't want to upset them by intruding when they were busy. Still, she really hoped that they'd come closer, so she could maybe pet them or just look at them from a little closer! From all the way down here, they looked so much smaller than they really were.

The triplets then all turned to look at Colette when she warned them, and they seemed to agree. Aeryn was the only one with a dangerous little grin, but she knew better than to say something now.

Mom, Dad, and all of her big sisters were too close.

"We'll take the longer path around, then." They could literally climb their way up, but that would be dangerous with a group of toddlers. Instead, Valery took the narrow trail leading up, and the triplets began to ran ahead a little. A race to see who would make it up there first, and they hoped their siblings joined in, too!

Vera wasted no time, and ran after them with a grin.

None of them realized that several of the creatures were waiting there for them yet.

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

Deep breath. The kids were being stupid and dangerous, but they had a safety net for them to fall into if something bad happened along the way. It didn't help that it was easy to imagine what would happen if they stumbled over the edge, or if the ledges cracked and gave way, or if one of them got too into it and pushed the other, but… That hadn't happened yet.

Yet.

There was a difference between a challenge and just acting like an idiot and the children were dangerously close to the latter. Had this been an open field it would have been okay, but it wasn't. Colette reached out with her hand in preparation just in case she had to actually catch one of the kids, but as they rounded the corner and got out of sight it seemed their running stopped.

As Colette and the parents got themselves around that corner it was all too easy to see why.

"Woah." She marveled at the big birdlike lion creature. "That's a big fella."

She raised her hands in a gesture of compliance and subservience and tried to connect with it, to make sure it understood that they posed no threat and that they were merely admiring the widespread lands that these kings and queens of the sky had rightfully laid claim to. The Noble family were trespassers with good intentions, and as a sign of good faith she would extend her hand towards the creature to either let it nuzzle it for approval or bite it right off to make her leave.

But Colette herself would not move. The meeting was on the creature's terms, not hers. It would have to take however long was necessary for them to trust her before she made a single move.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil smiled softly. He stood beside one of the majestic creatures, already patting it's head gently. He was long capable of bonding with creatures of all kinds, and these were certainly no exception. They were no threat to these creatures after all, and he had no desire to be a threat to them. He'd already let it be known as much just through the Force alone.

"Just be calm. They understand more than you might realize."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

<Relax,> Valery told Colette telepathically after noticing that she seemed to be watching the little ones like a hawk. <They're chaotic, but we're here with them.> It was very cute to see her be so protective of her siblings, but Valery wanted Colette to relax and enjoy this vacation. It was the parent's job to look after their kids, and both Valery and Kahlil wouldn't let anything bad happen to the triplets.

She was always watching her babies.

Coming around the corner, the little ones had stopped in front of one of the Ayda, and looked up at it with big eyes. They were a little spooked though, so they were quick to step behind Colette, who reached out with her hand. The large creature stepped closer, observed, and after sniffing a little, nuzzled its snout into her hand.

Kahlil managed the same, and Valery-

"Ow," she pulled her hand back after one nibbled on her fingers, "How am I the only Noble who can't bond with animals that easily?"

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

There was such a great feeling in knowing you had gained the trust of a creature this size. Colette would never ever tire of the sensation of being this close to nature and she hoped the same would be true for the triplets and the other two as well.

"As long as you show respect, you will get it back." Colette instructed the triplets as she gently scratched the Ayda's neck. It shivered for a moment and she stopped before it nudged at her to continue. "But you have to do everything on their terms, you are the one trespassing on their doorstep."

As such she grinned at Valery.

"Maybe you've become a city girl with all those trips to Coruscant?" Colette's grin widened. "Or maybe you push too fast."

Her attention set on the triplets.

"If your—" Colette stopped herself. "If our parents are alright with it, you could give it a go too."

"We'll be right here. Just extend your hand and show them that you aren't a threat, and that you only mean them well."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Be careful, Aurra."

Kahlil glanced over to the triplets, smiling faintly. She was the only one of them that wasn't actually Force Sensitive. It made him worried, despite his desire to not treat her any differently than her siblings. The Force was how he was able to communicate with the Aydas though, so perhaps it wasn't too unfounded.

Even Aris stayed back to more watch given his own inability to speak with them.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

"Me? A city girl?" Valery huffed at the mere thought. She grew up in the wild jungles of New Cov, damnit. There was no stretch of nature that she couldn't navigate on her own and survive in indefinitely. Just... bonding with the animals wasn't her specialty. Usually she just avoided the dangerous ones, and paid less attention to the rest.

"It's fine, this one was just cranky. I'll pet a different one."

The triplets just ignored their Mom completely, and followed their big sister. Aeryn and Adam, as always, were excited to interact with the animals, but for once, Aurra was at the very front. Until her Dad spoke up, and she looked at him. Why did she have to be careful and the others not?

"But, I want to pet the birdie..." Aurra puppy eyed him, then looked at Colette for help. If she couldn't summon the birdies to give her attention, maybe her big sister could. Or maybe Dad could. She looked at him again then pointed at the Ayda. "Daddy?" she asked with a little smile.

She loved animals way too much to pass up on this one.

At about the same time, one of the Ayda, a younger and smaller one, hurried over to Aris all of a sudden, and gave him a big mlep across the face. If he were to look past the creature, he'd see Vera standing there, grinning at him like a maniac. Oh yes, she definitely encouraged that.

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

And Aurra was going to pet the 'birdie' goddamnit. Colette smiled as the kid appealed to her father, and Colette followed suit and gave Kahlil a quick nod to acknowledge the situation before she gently disengaged with the Ayda in front of her.

"Hey, Aurra." Colette said and knelt down along with the Ayda that she had become acquainted with. "A few ground rules before we begin, okay?"

She waited for the kid to nod or otherwise show that she was listening to Colette.

"He is worried because he cares." And because she lacked the force, but that didn't have to be said. "These creatures would be dangerous if you were alone, and he just wants you all of us to be careful because of it."

She gave Kahlil a quick look before she went back to Aurra. She wouldn't treat her any lesser or talk down to her because of her lack of force sensitivity. Not that the others would either, but Colette felt compelled to make a statement about it to her sister.

"To do this without the force, the right way, we would have to give a little bit more of ourselves to make it happen. Kind of like making friends, you know? You leave them a gift, and maybe they leave one, and you leave a new one in kind, and the cycle repeats for a little while until you can both trust each other."

Colette extended her hand towards the Ayda and motioned for Aurra to carefully approach the very patient bird.

"Calm steps, no sudden movements. It's clever, but it's not as intelligent as we are. It can't hear what we say, but how we say it, and it can only see what it can see." Colette watched the kid like a hawk as she approached the beast. "See, my old family from before I even knew how to use the force, before I even came to the Jedi, we did this a lot when we found creatures that needed to be tended to. Sometimes they were sick, and sometimes they had a bad wound that had to be taken care of. As nomads it was our duty to help them recover and it was work that I was really proud of, but it was very dangerous."

"One of my… Friends." It felt gross to call them that now, given the exile, but Colette swallowed her disgust in favor of teaching Aurra something. "They approached a pygmy nexu at just the wrong pace, a little too fast, and the cat creature got worried and made a swipe for him before escaping into the woods."

"Everything in nature is a slow process, and it's a process that you have to have great respect for, okay?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You will, don't worry."

Kahlil smiled at Aurra, nodded his head. Colette seemed to be the one who would help her though. He just smiled and took a step back to let her speak. She knew what she was doing, at least.

Aris on the other hand stared blankly at Vera, covered in slobber. Yes, he was going to pay her back for this, eventually.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

When Kahlil smiled and nodded to show his approval, Aurra hopped up and started rocking back-and-forth on her heels. She was usually more like Aris with how she showed her excitement - more reserved and in her case, a little timid. Now, she couldn't hide just how happy she was.

She was going to pet the birdie with Colette's help!

"She'll remember this," Valery said as she joined her husband by his side and looked at how happy their little girl was now. "Good decision, Dad." Valery smirked and reached for his hand to interlace fingers.

Aurra was still bouncing, but Colette's words calmed her down and had her focus. She nodded when the ground rules were covered, and looked back up at the Ayda with a warm, caring smile. "They like you," Aurra said, and with Colette reaching out for the large creature, Aurra decided to take Colette's other hand and approach slowly.

"I want them to like me too." She extended her little arm, and rather than reach for the Ayda, she let the big birdie slowly inch closer to her. Small steps, one at a time, until she felt its fluff against her fingertips. Her eyes visibly widened, and she had to resist every urge to bounce on her feet again.

She was doing it!

"Can I pet him now?" She asked her sister with big, pleading eyes.

Vera, meanwhile, walked over to Aris with a big grin and watched the Ayda lower its head for him, "Give him some pets, Aris!" She giggled and reached out with a finger to poke his cheek ans scoop up the animal's saliva if he let her.

"It's a sign they like you~"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"Yeah, you can pet them." Colette said and smiled at her sister. "Just remember what we said, okay? Do it on their terms, and always give them the respect they deserve. If they want you to stop, then stop."

Colette softened in her stance once it was clear that the Ayda was more than okay to have two different people tend to its feathers and smooth them out with care. Colette looked over at Valery and Kahlil to give them a nod that she was in fact watching over the situation as needed.

Her attention set on Aurra again.

"How does it feel, Aurra?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I do want her to be able to do most of the things the others can. I know there won't be much, but still." While also protecting her. Aurra was likely going to be the Noble with the most difficult time. It saddened him, but he still wanted her to feel okay. He squeezed Valery's hand, smiled towards her. Whatever the case, they'd figure it out eventually.

"I'm sure." Aris rolled his eyes and pulled away from Vera's poke. He did at least reach out to try and pet the creature, but no. No touch.

"You still have quite a way with animals, I see."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

"I will listen to the birdie," Aurra said softly while she gave the creature some gentle pets. Only after it nuzzled its head further into her hand, did she roughen her pets up a little. The Ayda seemed to enjoy it, and Aurra squealed out her joy. She was usually reserved and not as eager to be heard, but she couldn't contain her excitement at all.

Not far behind her, Valery had pulled out her little holo-camera, and filmed her little girl having the time of her life. This was one of those memories she'd love to see again someday.

"I know, love," Valery replied to her husband while she filmed. "Even though she's a bit different from us, I think it'll be okay. None of us will ever hold it above her, and I'm confident that she'll develop her own skills." Valery had grown up around Jedi, but many of those without the Force she knew, have been amazing people with great talents.

Aurra could be just like them.

"I do! Aurra also seems to have a connection." Vera smiled when she noticed her little sister's joy. "I don't think I've ever seen her that happy before." She let out a soft sigh, then finally let the younger Ayda leave before returning to the rest of the family.

"Why don't we start heading back? Look for the cat, and maybe I can show more of the Keshi town?"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"Good." Colette smiled at Aurra. A content sigh burst through her nose as she looked at the girl find joy in such a simple thing. Of course, not that petting a big creature like this was small, but in the grand scope of things it certainly seemed to be. To have helped with that was reward enough for Colette.

At least, you know, until the talk of cats came up.

"You know I won't leave that poor creature alone for a second once we get it, right? The trip would basically be over. Well, for me anyway."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Aris smiled softly as he watched Aurra. She was the one he was most worried about. She was like him, but also not. It was good to see her smile, though. She only ever looked like that when he was reading some of those fantasy stories she really liked. Now she was like one of those princesses making friends with an animal. "She likes creatures like that."

Kahlil cast a glance over towards Aris and vera before nodding once. It would be good to visit town, though, as Colette said, it might not be a good idea to get the cat right away.

"The reverse would be a good idea, yeah. Explore the town, then find a cat."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

Keshi

​

Outfit: Epicanthix Dress | Wedding Ring
Tag: Kahlil Noble Colette

"She loves animals a lot, and-" Vera paused and looked down when Adam was suddenly standing in front of them. He wasn't looking at Vera though, but at Aris. At his big brother, who he looked up to a lot. It was that expecting type of smile, like he wanted to play with his brother or just run around and goof off.

Vera chuckled and looked at Aris, before glancing up at her father again.

"Fine," Valery meanwhile said with a roll of her eyes, "First we visit town, then we get the cat. Do you want to lead the way back down, Colette?" Valery took her husband's hand and decided to linger in the back. It felt heartwarming to see the kids moving ahead a little, curious about the world and having fun.

It gave her some time to enjoy her husband's presence, too.

"Maybe they have snackies!" Aeryn called out to her big sister with a grin, and even Vera perked up when she overheard that.

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

"Sure!" Colette beamed and wasted little time putting herself at the front of the little troupe to lead them down the mountain. "Mind your footing on the way down, it's a lot steeper than it might seem."

"And we have plenty of snackies in the ship. Just wait until the day's over and you'll get them." She added for good measure simply because she knew Vera never understood how Colette was so snack averse.

While the view on the way up had been something to behold, the same was most certainly also true for the way down. Colette caught herself stopping and staring every now and again just to let it all sink in.

Funny to think just how different Valery's homeworld was to Colette's.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Keshi is a beautiful world, isn't it?"

Kahlil paused himself, just for a moment, to speak to Colette. The world was drastically different from her own, he knew. It was good they'd come here for certain. Hopefully she'd feel more part of this family now.

"Don't linger too long. The mention of snackies has the others in a hurry, you know."

Valery Noble | Colette