Private Future's Journey

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"Please, not too fast, Vera," Valery asked her little girl, who had been walking excitedly through the hallways to reach Alicio and Amani's apartment. She always loved it when they'd watch over her for a little while, and she had a feeling that this time would be extra fun! So being asked to slow down wasn't easy, but she knew that her mother was adjusting to having to carry triplets. It was already starting to show, both physically with the stomach, and in her behavior. She wasn't doing any combat training anymore, and all the exciting activities were no longer possible.

It was her least favorite part about getting siblings.

"Can I ring the bell?" Vera then asked, and Valery just chuckled. "Of course, sweetie." Now that she was tall enough to reach the buzzer, Vera was insistent. With a hop on her feet and a slap against the bell, she let the buzzer go off and waited for the door to open. The second the count appeared, Vera would start to grin and flail her arms up a little, "Alicio!" she exclaimed happily, and as always, Valery watched her little star's excitement with a motherly smile.

"Hey Alicio, I hope you're doing well?" Valery removed her hand from her stomach and stepped forward to carefully offer him a friendly hug. "Thank you again for keeping an eye on Vera for a day. Kahlil Noble and I have planned a date night, which... we haven't been able to do in quite a while." Although this time, they technically weren't alone.

"I got you something!" Vera then added before she offered him a box of chocolates, wrapped up in colorful paper. "As a small thank you for all the help."

 

[Alicio Organa]

AMANI AND ALICIO'S APARTMENT
CORUSCANT
​

Ever the perfectionist, Alicio couldn't help but triple-check the apartment, making sure that nothing breakable remained on tables, wine bottles were placed in high cupboards, and Chauncey the stuffed purple nerf was sat perfectly on their couch, fresh bread already sliced on the kitchenette island. With Amani Serys away with healer duties until later that night, it rested upon Alicio to watch over the young Noble as her parents enjoyed some well-deserved R&R.

Though it would be the first time he'd watched her since the events that transpired on Alderaan. Since his future vision had taken hold of him, and refused to relinquish it's grip. Annoyingly, it hadn't gotten better since then. Alicio always had two sights playing before his eyes at all times; one in the present, and one a few seconds ahead. But he'd grown more used to it, could almost ignore his double sight. Even if he still slipped up, answered questions that had yet to be asked, reacted to things that had yet to happen, every once in a while.

His musing was interrupted by an alarm from the future. The harsh taste of a ringing doorbell greeted his tongue seconds before it happened. Alicio stepped over, heard the buzzer, counted to three, and opened the door.

"Hello~," the Count chirped, smiling at the Nobles cheerfully. He embraced Valery, carefully as he noticed how she held herself. "Of course, Val. I'm happy to watch over the Pasaana Festival Champion." He smirked down at Vera, his grin only widening as she presented him with chocolates. He plucked them up, chuckling a little. "Oh, thank you! Of course, it isn't necessary," he said, an upturned eye to the Jedi Master. "But... appreciated, nonetheless."

Alicio turned his body to the side welcomingly. "Come on in, Vera. I just took some bread out of the oven. New recipe." Then, he looked to Valery, nodding to her. "Enjoy yourselves. You've earned it."

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

After the friendly embrace, Valery stepped back and smiled innocently, "The chocolates were her idea, and she picked them as well," Valery said as her hands rested on Vera's shoulders, both as a loving gesture, and to keep her pinned down for now. Vera just nodded along and glanced up between the two adults, clearly excited to get inside and spend a day there. So when Alicio turned his body and invited her inside, she was ready to rush forward.

But Valery stopped her.

"Remember, little star — be nice, don't forget to brush your teeth and..." she offered Vera her backpack. "I love you," she smiled and leaned down to kiss her daughter's cheek. Vera returned the kiss with a big and loud mwoah, before stepping forward to join Alicio.

"I packed some extra clothes just to be safe, and her bear is in it too. Don't have too much fun without me, hm?" She grinned, but it clearly wasn't all that easy for her to not have Vera close. But if there was one family she trusted to look after her kid, it would be Alicio and Amani.

Perhaps one day, she'd be able to return the favor.

Once inside and with Valery leaving to find her husband, Vera glanced around and rather quickly spotted the stuffed purple nerf on the couch. "Ahh!" she exclaimed and without wasting a second, she pulled out her bear, walked over, and put him right beside the nerf. "Eddie can be his friend!"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"In that case, thank you very much," the nobleman offered, nodding at the little girl.

Watching Vera and Valery interact, Alicio grinned openly, a bloom of joy burning his heart, and perhaps a touch of excited longing. If this was what he and Amani had to look forward to, he couldn't wait for them to start a family of their own.

As Valery gave her final parting words, Alicio bobbed his head once, eyes trailing after her daughter as she breezed inside. "See you soon, Valery," he said, waving one last time before closing the door, and turning his attention to Vera, who had quickly zeroed in on the couch.

"Oh, definitely," Alicio said, as if it were a foregone fact, headed towards the kitchen. "That's Chauncey. I'm sure he'd like a few new friends. He's probably bored of talking only to Archibald all the time." Alicio absently looked towards the closed door to their office, where the Corosian Phoenix's cage rested. That would be a fun surprise for later.

Alicio joined Vera over by the couches, depositing a paper plate with a small slice of bread in front of her, and sitting next to Chauncey. "Here. Let me know what you think. It's got chocolate in it." And walnuts, and pumpkin spice, but Alicio figured Vera wouldn't care as much about those two ingredients.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"It's nice to meet you, Chau...Chaunsee," Vera nodded and patted the little nerf plushie on the head while Eddie was propped up next to him. The two stuffed animals had all of her attention, even as Alicio spoke. But when the Count returned with a plate in hand, there was something that immediately caught her multi-colored eyes.

Snackies.

"Oh yum!" she said and as much as she wanted to rush over to devour the slice of bread, Vera remembered what her parents always told her. She neatly got off the couch, carefully took the plate, and sat down with it in her lap. "Thank you, Alicio," she added with a bright smile before taking her first bite. Her already bright smile turned even wider, and she began kicking her feet back and forth a little because of how much she loved it.

"Hmmm! It's yum!" she said excitedly, as it reminded her of Kahlil Noble 's baking skills. "Do you want to watch the holo? Or maybe play?" she then asked, excited to do anything with him. The games at the festival had been some of the most fun she ever had, so why not have more fun?

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio saw Vera's internal struggle between mild-mannered Jedi youngling and ravenous gremlin as he placed down the bread, sitting down with a piece of his own on the other side of the couch, as Vera gently did the same. Her compliment caused the Count to chuckle a little. He fought his sudden urge to correct her grammar, instead bowing his head to her. "Why, thank you very much, Vera," he finally said, digging into his own bread.

"Do you want to wa-"

"Whichev-..." Alicio began to say, choking the sound once he realized Vera hadn't actually finished talking yet. He waited for the Noble to finish speaking, a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. We can do whichever you want." To accentuate the point, Alicio reached over, and made Chauncey nod encouragingly.

"See? Chauncey is okay with anything, too!"

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera blinked and stared deeply into Alicio's eyes, not because he had interrupted her, but because she saw and felt something when he did. Her head tilted, and it was only when he reached over to make the plushie nod, that she giggled and snapped out of that intense focus. "Okay, Chaunsee, we'll... uhm..."

She paused and looked back at Alicio.

"You can see visions too."

While Vera's visions were typically not about the immediate future, she did know that it was possible. Her mother had taught her much about them already, hoping it would help her be less overwhelmed by what she saw. Now that she knew that Alicio could see them as well, there was something a lot more interesting to talk about than holo shows.

Even playing didn't seem as fun right now.

"Do you see nice things? Or somethings also bad things?" she asked, clearly from experience.

 

[Alicio Organa]

"You can see visions too."

Alicio had sensed the statement coming before it left Vera's mouth, but his nose still scrunched uncomfortably when it did. He nodded slowly, turning towards Vera on the couch, and crossing his legs. "Yes. I do." He smiled then, though it was a bit subdued.

Vera seemed excited to talk about the subject. He realized then, that maybe Vera had never talked with someone who specialized in precognition before. It was difficult to tell, with her so young, but... maybe they had that in common. In all honesty, he'd never talked with anyone who regularly saw visions, either.

Her question was laced with past experience, Alicio could tell that much. He took another bite of his bread, pondering how exactly to answer. "Yes. Nice things... and bad things." Mostly bad things, were he being honest with himself. Then, he thought a moment more. "And boring things. What's going to happen... just a few seconds from now."

"And... sometimes, I see a big, dark, scary ocean." He suddenly backtracked. "Not too scary, though. It helps me look into the past, or the future."

"You have visions, too." He said it with as much certainty as she had. "How do you see them?" He had the Sea of Blue and Black. What did she have?

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

The otherwise overly excited little gremlin was quiet for once and sat completely still while she listened to Alicio. Visions weren't new to her, and she knew that all Jedi had them to some extent. But never before had she talked to someone who experienced them as regularly as she did. Why hadn't her mother told her about Alicio before?

"Mommy sees them too, but she says mostly when she fights. I see them when I sleep. Or uhm, when something happens to mommy or daddy. Or to my friends." She wasn't quite sure how to explain it but she was going to try her best. If anybody could understand it aside from her parents, it would be him.

"It's a lot of pictures and a lot of light. Colors, sound, and feelings." It all felt like a dream to her, but she was still too young to really interpret it all.

"I make drawings of them, so mommy or daddy can understand too." she began kicking her feet back and forth again, now with a more somber expression. "They are very scary sometimes."

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Mommy sees them too, but she says mostly when she fights. I see them when I sleep. Or uhm, when something happens to mommy or daddy. Or to my friends."

She was too young to be burdened with Sight.

Alicio let the thought flicker across his mind, looking down at the tiny Noble. Even he had been terrified visions. Imagining Vera, going through something similar... it hurt him.

"I remember the first time I... looked ahead," Alicio finally said, biting into his bread again, though he noted he'd lost his taste for it a little. Still, he smiled down at Vera. "I was scared, too. Because I didn't have anyone to talk about it with. I didn't understand what was happening, or how the Force worked." He discovered a chuckle. "I still don't, sometimes."

The Count turned his body towards Vera, crossing his legs onto the couch. "But you don't have to worry. Because you have your mother and father, and Amani, three of the bestest, strongest Jedi out there. No matter what you see, they'll be there to help you through it."

"At least, until you're the bestest, strongest Jedi out there." Alicio tasted a bit of salt water on his tongue.

Huh. Odd.

"So, would you like to watch the holo, or play?"

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

"They scare you too?" Vera asked with big eyes, as she turned from her somehow already empty plate to Alicio. Her parents, Amani, Alicio, other Jedi and adults — they always seemed so untouchable to her. Whenever there was something scary or dangerous, she just had to close her eyes and either mom or dad would make it all go away.

It felt better knowing that they were sometimes scared, too.

But still, she seemed to brighten up a lot when he reassured her again. "Mhmm!" she hummed while her body shifted from side to side, unable to contain her energy. "Mommy and Daddy say I can be the bestest with visions," she added with a giggle. An offer to play or watch the holo followed, but he sparked an interest in something else now as well.

"Playing is fuuuun... but." she paused and tilted her head. "Can I see the ocean too?" she asked with a sweet smile.

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Yeah. Sometimes." Alicio thought back to his first vision; Sanctuary City, bleeding into nothingness like a watercolor panting splashed with water. He still wondered if that vision had been incorrect, or fulfilled through a different interpretation, or yet to come. Perhaps he would never know, not that it would cease his worry.

"Can I see the ocean too?"

The Future hadn't alerted him to that question.

Alicio blinked once, his lips suddenly drawing into a puckered frown. Of course, his first instinct was to say no. When he'd done a similar thing with Valery, she'd been deeply affected by the experience. Time was a tricky thing to espy. But at the same time, Vera was already having unstructured visions. Maybe adding some structure would be safer. Healthy.

"Are you... Oh, of course you're sure." With deliberate movements, Alicio stood from his spot, picking up both of their plates and placing them back on the kitchen counter, returning with his lightsaber. With a graceful flourish, the Count sat cross-legged on the ground, patting the floor in front of him, indicating for Vera to sit there.

"Okay," Alicio finally said, plucking Introspect's crystal from it's confines, and laying the blue and black gem on the carpet between them. "We can do this, but the moment you feel uncomfortable, or scared, you let me know, and we'll stop."

Alicio offered a caring smile. "But I won't let anything harm you. I swear it."

"Have they taught you how to meditate, empty your mind, at the temple? We'll need to do that together. Let the Force simply... flow as it will, around us."

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Innocent eyes stared at the Count, as he considered the question. To her, there wasn't anything strange, nervous, or dangerous about it — she just wanted to see what he could see. Both because she wanted to understand her own visions better, but also because it simply sounded fun! Another something that she could share with one of her best friends. Alicio seemed a bit more hesitant about it, though.

But only for a moment.

"Okay,"

"Yayy!" Vera squealed with a big grin and a little bit of bouncing on the couch. "I promise I'll tell you if it goes bad," she then added, a little more seriously before she got off the couch and sat down in front of him. She felt safe and comfortable with Alicio, so her body relaxed, and she seemed awfully peaceful for how chaotic she usually was.

Her Jedi training started to kick in.

"I can do that," she said, her voice equally measured. Her eyes then closed, her breathing grew steady, and very quickly, she began to clear her mind of thoughts, emotions, and memories. She was at peace with herself, and her mind was forming a deep bond with the Force. But Vera knew not how to connect with someone other than her parents.

She'd need his guidance.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio watched as Vera found her place across from him, positioning herself into a natural meditative pose. "Good," he said, feeling his own shoulders relax a hair as he saw how quickly Vera fell into a trance.

He was a little jealous, in fact. She was certainly better at meditating than him. The Count had to take a minute longer, breathing deep, and staring into the inert crystal on the ground. A crystal that suddenly began to float into the air, shining with blue light, and singing a piercing, sea-breeze song. And he spoke in Vera's mind, a calming, solid cadence to his imagined words.

<We have to connect our minds.> In the little girl's head, a vision of Alicio appeared, arm outstretched. <Take my hand. And don't let go, no matter what.> With that, Alicio attempted to invite Vera along with him, and guide them into the beyond.

Alicio opened his eyes to a world of water and wind.

It was a place he'd visited many times before. An expansive sea of black, choppy, angry waves pushing up against dark navy clouds. The taste of sea water and sweet incence burned his tongue, and a frigid breeze kissed his skin, even if none of the water seemed to soak him beyond the bottoms of his feet.

Though, something had changed about Alicio. Black and blue smog seemed to leak from his closed mouth, rising like steam out of the corners of his lips. He opened his mouth, and exhaled a gust of the smoke, watching it dissipate, unaffected by the chaotic winds. That was... new.

He looked down to his left. Had he managed to bring Vera along with him?

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

As distracting as a floating crystal would normally be, the little Noble was taking this seriously and kept her eyes closed. She focused on her breathing and on the Force as it flowed through and around her. Only when she heard his voice, she opened not her eyes, but her mind and saw him standing there, an arm outstretched for her to take. Vera didn't hesitate and reached for it with her much smaller hand.

Her grip was tight, but it wouldn't hurt, and there was no way she'd let go as they entered the realm of the Force.

​

Woah.

Vera looked around the endless ocean with widened eyes and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her dreams and visions had always been so vivid but never before had they manifested themselves anything like this. Would she be able to see this on her own too if she kept learning?

Looking down, Vera finally noticed that she was also standing on water, yet her feet didn't seem to sink. This was too hard to resist for the excitable Noble, so when Alicio turned to see if Vera had joined him, he'd find the little Noble jumping up and down a few times, giggling as the water rippled away from her feet.

"Alicio..." she then said, noticing the fog escaping his lips. "What is that?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio smiled wide as he saw Vera bouncing beside him, his heart nearly bursting from cuteness overload. She didn't seem worried at all. His first time in the Sea had been a harrowing experience for him, but for Vera, it was play time.

She was something special, that was for sure.

"Alicio... What is that?"

The Count's smile tempered. I... He'd been about to lie. 'I don't know, this place is mysterious.' But instead, he sighed, and continued, his voice echoing around them without moving his mouth. I've been... having issues, with my sight. Living a few seconds in the future, at the same time as the present. I... think it has something to do with that. Maybe.

Alicio didn't seem to want to dwell on it, as he instead gestured ahead of them. Out there is the Future. Not what will happen, but what could happen. If we follow the currents of the Force, I bet we could find something. Alicio knelt down, dark smoke curling around him. Is there anything you want to try to see?

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Vera thought about his question for a moment.

Now that she was getting older, she was starting to understand that her parents were something special in the Jedi Order. A lot of people listened to their advice, and she knew that she should as well. She wanted to. They always told her how important it was for her to be the big sister and protect her siblings. But Jedi also cared for and protected other people too, right?

She knew exactly what Kahlil Noble and Valery Noble would say.

"Can we see your future?" she asked politely. "Maybe we can see why the smoke is there and stop it." She smiled warmly at Alicio and stepped closer to offer her hand. Whenever crossing dangerous paths, mom always wanted her to hold someone's hand. This seemed like it could be dangerous to her.

"I want to help you too!"

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Can we see your future?"

The smoke intensified.

Alicio's expression was apprehensive, as he looked down at Vera. The fog continued to billow around his face, spilling around his head. "I don't..." he finally said, the smoke spilling down his mouth as he moved his lips.

Vera reached for his hand. Alicio gave it to her slowly, finding a small, quiet smile. It was an odd thing, to be comforted by someone a fifth your age. It gave him the strength to continue, his lips no longer moving. I'm... scared to look into my future. Things have been going... so, so well. With Amani, with the wars, with friends and family...

Alicio smiled sadly. I'm scared we'll see something... bad.

Maybe, just maybe, the subconscious anxiety of losing everything, mixed with the strengthening of the Force within him, was causing all this. Like a speeder crash he couldn't look away from.

I'm scared I'll do something wrong.

The Count stood up, still gripping Vera's hand, and took a step towards the Future. As he did, he exhaled deeply, smoke covering his face completely.

- Valery Noble -

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Appearance: Link
Tag: Alicio Organa

Mommy and Daddy say it's okay to be scared.

Vera was no longer opening her mouth to speak either, and focused on the telepathic bond she had with him in this place. She wasn't quite sure how it worked, but it felt natural to her, especially as Alicio reached out. Vera then took his hand, both for his comfort and for her own, and looked up into his eyes with a bright, innocent smile.

You are not alone. I'm not going anywhere.

She gently squeezed his hand the way her father always did when mom needed it, and followed him into the future. What had been an ocean shifted in a flash, and suddenly, they were back at Coruscant. But there was no little Noble anymore — the young woman, about 16 years old, knocked on Alicio's apartment door and looked at him with her beautiful multi-colored eyes.

She stood a little taller than her mother, her face resembled Valery's, and while she lacked her mother's physical strength or powerful presence as a warrior, she did have that same strength in her eyes. It just manifested itself very differently for the young Jedi Seer. "Hey Alicio," she said with a smile. "Mind if I come in? There's something I want to talk about."

The frown that formed made it clear she had something on her mind.

 

[Alicio Organa]

You are not alone. I'm not going anywhere.

Alicio let his mind drift away from darker things as he turned his focus on little Vera. Such a tiny form, but so much bravery. So much confidence. At her age, Alicio had been a cold, lonely, reclusive child, and somehow, Vera was more calm and collected than him now.

It gave him the confidence to take another step, and another, and another, the smog shifting to engulf both of them...

Not much took Alicio by surprise anymore.

He stood hunkered over his kitchen table, three datapads arrayed before him. He split his attention between them, steel-grey eyes flicking from war missive to diplomatic summary. The galaxy would never stop it's turmoil, as much as the Lord wished it were otherwise. Nor would he ever stop his particular style of dress, it seemed, as he straightened the collar of his fancy black coat, and traveled towards the doorway, pausing as he heard the knock.

One, two, three...

Alicio opened the door, finding a gentle smile as he saw who was on the other side. "Vera," he said in return, hiding a mischievous look. "What a surprise."

"Of course. Come on in," he said, beckoning the young Jedi inside, taking a quick turn to the kitchen, rather than the living quarters. He began procuring plates, and a stick of butter from the fridge. "But... First, could you help me get some bread out of the oven? I dusted off an old recipe."

"It's got chocolate in it."

And walnuts, and pumpkin spice, but Alicio figured Vera wouldn't care as much about those two ingredients.

- Valery Noble -