Private Family Time

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

So this was the woman. Colette kept herself from nodding, it was already clear that Valery's demeanor had changed into something that didn't seem quite so familiar. It made sense too. Even Colette could notice the beauty of these women, even if she usually wouldn't. They reminded her of Valery in a sense, but the kid held her tongue given that Valery would most likely murder Colette if she mentioned that right now.

"Everyone's looking at your-" Colette stopped, exhaled, "Our dad."

"... Do they seem hungry to you?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

<Please don't hurt anyone.>

Kahlil did his best not to laugh. There was nothing like speaking with Valery though their bond to at least put him at ease. Hopefully it might do the same for her. He gave a simple nod to Eleya. "We'd love to see whatever it is you're willing to. These are as much our people as the Epicanthix, after all."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

"Hungry?" Vera shuddered at the thought and mental image of a bunch of hungry women looking at her Dad. She knew the last time had been worse, even though she didn't quite understand it at the time. But Dad had kissed Mom in front of all of them, so that had immediately turned them off again.

Maybe the death glares helped, too.

"We'll just focus on the fun things. They're not looking as much this time."

<That depends more on them, than on me.> She pouted just a little, then reached down to take his hand as they walked. Fingers intertwined and everything, and she even squeezed a little. Unlike last time, they hadn't been so forward, but Valery still didn't like feeling this way.

"We're willing to share everything after what you've done for us," Eleya said, and this time, Valery did manage to smile. "So, what would you like to see first? Our training area? Maybe a ride on the Ayda over the island?"

Vera looked at Colette and Aris with a smirk, "It's you guys' first time! What do you want to do?"

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"Yeah, hungry." Colette whispered. "Like if he's the tastiest snack they've seen in a while."

That was not too far from the truth, although they seemed to simmer down once it got increasingly clear that this particular snack was still attached to Valery. Perhaps there were a few disappointed faces, but not all that many.

"How about the training area?" Colette asked with a gentle shrug. "Could be good to see how other cultures do self-defense."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

<Don't hurt them too much, then.>

At least the Epicanthix back home had for the most part started to respect the fact that Kahlil was a one woman kind of person. It was a rarity among the Epicanthix that both accepted and celebrated the opposite, but to see people who were more single spouse focused make these kinds of problems were.. Unwelcome. Then again, Kahlil wasn't the type to head out and actually intereact with a lot of people outside the Jedi.

This was normal all over the Galaxy. One day he'd actually get used to it.

"Training area works, then."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

<We'll see.> Valery squeezed his hand again and leaned into his side. It was stupid, she knew, but staying close to him made her feel a lot better. She didn't want anybody to try and get between her and her husband right now, and even these attention-depraved Keshians seemed to understand that. Most had already gone back to what they were doing, and Eleya was walking ahead to guide them to where they needed to be.

Vera, though, was cringing like she never had before.

"If you call Dad that again, I'm going to fight you." Vera shuddered again at the idea of anybody calling her family a snack. It was even worse when Colette did it.

Luckily, the training area was up ahead and it provided a much-needed distraction. Keshians were training there in pairs or even in bigger groups. Others were following classes and some were going through movements alone. It was quite a remarkable thing to see, but Vera did raise an eyebrow, "They show a lot of skin..." It reminded her of her Mother's Keshian Armor, though she rarely used it.

It was more a reminder of her time on Keshi.

"Well? Would any of you be interested in sparring with us?" Eleya asked with a devious little grin.

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

Oh, this little girl would fight Colette? Her older sister? Each inch that Vera would grow taller than her was an inch that brought Colette closer and closer into striking distance to her kneecaps. When someone hobbled your balance there was no point in arguing for a height advantage anymore.

Still, it was true that these women showed some skin. Apparently an immodest thing in 'finer' society. Lucky for Colette she rarely counted herself as part of such circles.

"Eh, you'll like it eventually." She said, though that might just have said more about Colette than anything. The tribal raised her hand and took a step forward.

"I'd like to give it a shot." She said and placed both hands back on her hip.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't often he felt like an object, but when he did, it seemed to stem from the Keshain warrior women. Which had only been twice now, but that was still too much in his mind. Still, he followed alongside Valery, just watching as both Vera and Colette seemed quite eager to give the fighting a chance. It was good.

Colette needed to see more than just his side of the family, after all.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

"As long as Mom keeps her armor away..." Vera muttered softly.

A question about sparring followed, and Colette was quick to offer herself up. The triplets seemed to love it, and jumped and giggled around their big sister. They were going to get to see her fight and that was exciting! Vera, however, had plans as well, and nudged Aris forward.

"Aris will fight, too!" she said with a grin. "He's a true warrior~"

"Right, Aris?"

Valery perked a brow and looked up at her husband, "This already sounds like trouble, huh?" But she wasn't going to do anything about it. This was her family and trouble was part of their relationship. Eleya, unaware of what was happening between the Nobles, simply dipped her head.

"Alright, you two and maybe two of our warriors, then?"

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

Colette wasted no time in picking up a nearby quarterstaff and carefully weighed it in her hands. Sturdy, but worn, this stick had seen a lot of use before. She eyed Eleya with a most serious nod.

"What are the ground rules?" She asked and began to limber up. "No force? Avoid strikes to the head?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I.. Will?"

Aris tilted his head. They had talked before about it, but now he was more worried that he might make problems for them all. By hurting whoever he fought too badly. He frowned, looking down at his hands for a moment. He was too strong for his own good. But also he nodded to Vera. Like hell he'd let her fight without him anyway. He'd just have to get good about controlling himself.

"Alright, yeah."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

"Yeah, you will."

Vera was suddenly not standing next to her brother anymore, but back with her parents and the triplets. Aeryn was eager to throw down as well, but looked rather annoyed when Mom held her back. She was old enough to fight, damnit! While she pouted away, Valery chuckled and looked over at Colette and Aris.

A different duo of Nobles, for once.

"I wonder how they will handle this," Valery said to her husband while two Keshian girls stepped forward. Both of them closer to Colette's age than Aris', but Eleya remembered how Vera had been last time.

He could handle it.

"No use of the Force and no excessive force to cause lasting injuries. You can strike the head, but don't keep battering your opponent." The two Keshian women drew their staves and stepped into the ring. Their stances were clearly trained and their movements showed grace and strength.

They were ready.

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

Nonviolence was a funny thing. A nonviolent person incapable of violence was not so much a 'pacifist' as they were quite simply 'harmless', and Colette for as strong of a nonviolent belief Colette held herself to, she had never had any intention of being the latter. Violence wasn't necessarily about picking a fight. It was just as much about being able to end a fight as it was to be able to pick one. Colette's people had refused to resort to violence, but that never meant that they were incapable of it.

All of this was to say that Colette took an approach to combat that made her somewhat predictable. As long as the opponent hadn't made a move, neither would she, but the second that something was thrust upon her against her will she had no qualms about putting her opponent down.

The Keshian woman that stood in front of her seemed to be around her age, maybe a little bit older. They showed a clearly practiced stance with a grip that certainly seemed to betray her inexperience with real battle, same as Colette would according to the things that Valery kept pointing out during spars.

She was too relaxed, her mind had already registered that she wasn't in any real danger as long as Colette played by the same rules as the Keshian warrior's sister. Perhaps she was a little on edge given that she was fighting an outsider, but even still it was in a very controlled environment. She had seen this a hundred times before already.

The two of them locked eyes, and once it became increasingly obvious that Colette would not be the one to make the first move there was little choice for the warrior but to open with an overhead attack.

Colette caught it, diverted it away from her and into the ground before shifting her grip to swing the opposite end of her staff to strike at her opponent's sides. Their staves collided with a heavy 'clonk' as wood grinded on wood for a moment until the warrior tried to seize an opening and thrust the hypothetical blade of her spear into Colette only to find that Colette had already positioned her own polearm against her in much the same manner. The blunt end of her staff brushed against the warrior's stomach and the first round was over. They both gave each other a courteous bow before heading back to their corners.

Colette limbered up yet again and let in a deep breath. It would seem that all those hours spent perfecting her movements hadn't gone to waste after all.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

No use of the Force?

Aris frowned visibly. He didn't have that sort of control to stop how the Force had enhanced his body. There wasn't an off switch. Just control. He didn't vocalize his disdain though, instead just readying his stance as the other woman stood ready with her own staff. Two against two- oh. He blinked, glancing to where Vera had fled before a frown fully formed on his face.

Of course she left it to him. He let out a sigh just as his opponent leapt forward to try and catch him while he looked away. It made sense. In a fight you should always keep your eyes on your opponent. He didn't necessarily need to, though. As the stick came down for him he just reached up to catch it before swinging up a foot to catch the girl in the gut and take her right down then and there.

Finish it quick, while he still had enough control of the moment to ensure he didn't break anything.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

Vera pouted when she saw her brother's frown. He wasn't alone — he'd be sparring with Colette there. But Vera had also already sparred against Keshians before, so she just wanted to see her brother in action for once. Her brother and her big sister. Both of them were trained for a moment like this. They were calm and collected, refined in their movements and their control over the Force was getting better every day.

It was something Vera loved to see because she wasn't truly a fighter at heart.

"...do you think we should have told the Keshians to make it harder on them?" Valery looked up at her husband, after watching the Keshians fall against their kids. It barely looked like it was a challenge, but then again, they were Nobles. Valery had absolutely no trouble bragging about her kids, and seeing them in action like this just confirmed it all. She had the best kids in the entire Galaxy.

"Well then," Eleya said as she stepped forward. "It seems it runs in the family, no?"

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

"Well, yes," Colette chuckled at Eleya's remark as she slowly got out of stance. "But also no. There's not an ounce of Valery blood in these veins, but there's a lot of Valery words up here."

Colette tapped her finger at her temple twice and returned the staff to the rack she had gotten it from.

"She's a very good teacher, and mother."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"We could have, but then we would've sounded arrogant."

Now they had proof of just how amazing their children were. He smiled as he watched them both. Aris on the other hand just gave a very simple nod as he leaned over to at least help up the person he'd punched. Thankfully he hadn't broken anything with the impact, but now he just wanted to blend in to the background and avoid any further eyes.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Valery Noble]

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

"I can tell," Eleya told Colette before her gaze slid to Valery. For perhaps the first time, Valery met the woman's eyes with a warm smile. One that showed some appreciation. But with the fight over and Aris retreating a little behind the group, Valery wanted to move on from the sparring as well.

There was one thing she still wanted to show the family.

"On the other side of this Island is a place where my Mom spent most of her time," Valery began, her eyes shifting between her children and her husband. "I didn't get to visit it last time because of circumstances... but it's something I'd like to see." Last time, the two of them had helped the Keshians in battle, and the aftermath of it had left her wanting to go home.

Not this time.

"I'd like it if you all came with me. We'll get to ride on the Ayda to get there, too."

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"As long as the Ayda are okay with it." Colette said and gave Aurra a knowing smile. This was what they had talked about on the mountain.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"The Ayda here aren't like the wild ones we saw before. They are trained, trusted, and loved. They'll be okay, so long as you show them the respect they deserve, as Colette has said."

Kahlil glanced to the triplets, giving a smile. Reassurance, mostly. He had a feeling they'd be very eager to fly, after all.

Colette | Valery Noble