Private Find Your Reason

[Talin Treicolt]

The jump would have put Amos to shame. Panic overtook with a drop of her stomach. Chit. Still hazy from the interrupted slumber, she hadn’t had any forethought to maybe give it a few in the hall. Talin’s lips pursed, fumbling for words, as the gut punch came.

"Wouldn't change a second of it, though. I love it when we're all together."

Ouch. A weak smile crept into her face as she fell back on instinct. She was a kid again, talking her way out of the cookie jar. Distract and redirect enough, and it could get by the masters… when they weren’t lookin’.

“Yeah,” She agreed sincerely. “Best times. Maybe we can talk the boys into bantha tippin’ again. Bet Auteme’s never been!”

A slow pace carried her across concrete floors, covered by worn rugs. The vanity greeted her with a terrifying reflection. Talin stooped in front of it, wiping away black flecks from beneath her eyes.

“Sorry, was just gonna freshen up in here. Su grabbed the hall before I could. Man, do look like I’ve been hittin’ the spice dens, huh?” Deception began to weave its web. It was just another morning on the homestead. “We started binge watching some new holo series last night, My Grand Ukatan Life. Didn’t realize how late it was ‘till the sun came up. Let me tell you, I think that king of theirs is worse off than he looks. Slimy. Then again, I don’t trust anyone with that many rooms in their house.”

Turning once more to her mother, she took the sight in. Loske had aged like fine wine. The lines in her face were only visible with soft smile. Instead of greying, her hair had become increasing lighter, fading from gold to platinum. Comfort had taken root in her posture, a gradual shift from the anxiety present in their childhood. Some women would have been driven mad by the horde their matriarch brought up. It had tempered Loske, shaping her into the most beautiful version of herself. Tal drank in the image of her in the doorway, a dusting of flour across her belly, and stored it away for later.

“You look pretty today.” She finally said. Then, cocking her head, she gestured to the refresher. “You mind if I cleanup?”

 

[Loske Treicolt]

She laughed at the idea of Auteme tipping sentient for the sake of something to do.

"Not something a pacifist does in their spare time, no." Loske agreed gently and watched Talin move past her to the mirror. The reflection was of a girl finding herself and losing herself to the moments that she deemed worthy. The time to binge on a show wasn't a luxury she had at Talin's age.

While Talin Treicolt spoke, Loske listened dotingly and played with the girl's hair, twisting it into a loose braid to keep it off her face. It was such a nice face. She was grateful Lin and Su were out of the phase where they hid behind their hair. They were all misunderstood and pubescent, grouchy at the sudden flaring of their hips and chests. When she was done braiding, she set her hands on the girl's shoulders and squeezed gently.

"The Core creates quite the characters." She fed into the conversation, unsuspecting and grateful for the candour. Maynard Treicolt and she had tried so hard to make themselves open channels for whatever their kids needed. It was easier for Maynard with the boys. Once Kara came along, he quickly realized there were conversations he was deeply under-qualified for.

"Oh!" Surprise hopped out, and she blushed rosily. Self-consciously, she jujed her hair a bit and pulled her shoulders up into a tight shrug. "Thanks love. It's that homestead morning glow." She leaned in and kissed Talin's cheek, pinching her chin at the end.

"You're beautiful every day. Even if you think you look like a spice mongrel." She paused. "Bit of some May mischief in there today though.."

Then she nodded over her shoulder. "Go for it. Don't be late for lunch, though. Auteme leaves right after and I want to make sure she gets one final farewell with all of you." And left, with a soft pat to Talin's cheek.

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

All Tansu had to do was get around everyone in the house and outside to the paddocks. It was easy enough to do. The boys and droids were off doing some morning aerial rounds with dad, and Kara was trading baking secrets with Auteme in the kitchen.

Mom was.. not immediately visible, and Tansu made a mental note not to let her guard down lest she be caught.

To cover her tracks, she scurried first to the refresher across from their shared room and turned on the water to make it sound like she was showering. Then she shut the door and ran back to their room, and squeezed through the window they'd come through just hours before.

Her landing was unglamorous, and so was her run. Leggy, full throttle, and as fast as she could go. She wanted desperately to take the speeder, but she hadn't got a muffler yet and the noise would be suspicious.

She doubled over into a wheezing pant at the further point she could make without stopping. After a while, she exhaled, redeemed herself, and sought out the latch that secured the herd from roaming.

All it took was a flick of metal and hurling a random stone into the throes of the livestock to get them moving about where they shouldn't be.

Slow-moving things.

It would take until the end of lunch for their silhouettes to be noticed somewhere they shouldn't be.

Then she ran back as fast as she could and almost threw up outside their bedroom.

Tansu was, evidently, not a sprinter.

Okay. I'm back. All done... At least through the Force, she didn't sound so wheezy. You good?

____________________________________________________________
Talin Treicolt
____________________________________________________________
​

 

[Talin Treicolt]

Relief rolled down her spine when her mother made her exit. Then the real work began. The trip in the refresher was quick, turning on the sink and wiping away the crust to cover her hiney. The closet of their parents room was more akin to an armory. Garments were few and modest; but five sets of full armor sat on display, and the safe on the back wall took up nearly a quarter of the walk-in.

Biting her lip, her hands ran over the surface. No gapping to take advantage of. It was solid as the man who installed it. Even at seventeen, their parents still thought them too young to have easy access to firearms. This would be the hard way, then. Her palm moved to caress the combination mechanism. Blood and bonding made it much easier. Falling back through time, the boundaries of her mind expanded, reaching for her father. He had stood in this same spot countless times. It was easy enough to string together fragments and reproduce the sequence.


Two pieces found their way into her person, one in each boot, covered by the cusp of her pants. She froze in the doorway, half turning to look longingly back. They’d be away a mighty long time, and she wished for some piece of home to carry with them. Whatever she took needed to be small, or useful. Pivoting, she marched to the racks, and carefully searched for her selection.


Two leather jackets were extracted from their place. They hadn’t seen the light of day since Loske was their age. Moving to the accessory shelf, she nabbed the pair of dog tags from their cup. Her final decision made her hesitate. The duo could be sensed, dormant but alive, upon the top shelf of the closet. It didn’t take Jedi training to know that a kyber crystal bonded with its master - but what happened when the master hadn’t acknowledged its existence in two decades?


Excited hums responded to her hand when she grabbed the silver handles. Shoving them in her waistband, they were set. There was a satisfied pride as she set the room right and departed. This was equipment fit for an adventure.

You good?

Yup.. got you some presents, too!

The gifts were stashed in a quick drop at the foot of their beds, and a mad rush was made for sandwiches.