Home is where the heart is

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Tired. She was so tired. She was tired and sore and very happy to finally be home. The minute her ship touched down, the Echani let out a long sigh. Home sweet home, after a month away. She'd missed her Cal and she'd missed her son. She hated spending this much time away from him. But someone had to work for the family. Someone had to bring home the credits, and with Cal injured, that responsibility landed on her. She didn't mind it, of course. She was his wife. For better or worse, right? It was what she was here for.

Now it was time to go home for a little while. Not very long. A few days maybe. Check on Cal, see Corrin, then get back in the sky. Much as she hated to do it, it was the only way she knew to support her boys. She turned off her ships engines, grabbed her bag and walked down the ramp into the dark early morning air.

She expected Calico to be sleeping at this hour, but for Zandra, spending a month in space meant that time worked different for her now. Her clock didn't match up here. Quietly as possible, she slipped into their comfortable home, slinking past the bedroom, dropping her bag as she crept to the one thing she wanted right this moment more than anything.
The shower.

Warm water. Finally. In space, even two minutes of hot water was seen as a luxury. She'd gotten so used to her showers being freezing cold that when she finally got under the steamy stream, she almost couldn't take it. Once she was used to it, however, it felt like absolute paradise. Her poor worn muscles and aches felt instantly soothed .Even her bruised cheek felt better. The water did sting her shoulder some where her latest injury hadn't quite healed yet, but she could ignore it. She could ignore a lot of things.

When she stepped out, she felt cleaner and more relaxed than she had in a month.
Home never felt better.

 

[Revenchent]

It was nice to enjoy life for once. The past few years - the entirety of Calico's existence had not been particularly kind to him. War and loss had made life an arduos task; one that he had, for a time, wished desperately to escape from. Such thought never returned anymore, but the grim memory of his attempt to take his own life was still very real.

It reminded him of how very much he had left to lose.

Corrin was asleep as he should be. The toddler was always awake it seemed, bouncing off the walls and grumbling sounds that might have been the beginning of words. Cal couldn't tell, babies were not his speciality.

Then again, neither was sitting back on his rocking chair in the middle of the night, but that happened a lot too. It was the current state of things.

Terribly late, and worse colder than sin, Cal watched the soft snow fall with help from a single torch mounted on the wall.

Then there was noise. The Mando'ade shot up to his feet and charged through the door. Lord Cabur slept next to the baby's crib now, and the Strill was entirely calm, oddly enough. Calico lofted a brow, and proceeded further into the house.

"Kix, if this is you, I'll have your shebs." He grumbled, perking up at the familiar sound of the shower.

Cautiously, Calico opened the restroom door. "Hello?"

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra didn't hear the voice until she'd stepped out of the shower, and was leaning in to shut it off. She straightened up at once, holding her towel in place and pushing a wet lock of star-white hair out of her eyes.

"Cal?"
It was him. She grinned, resisting the urge to jump right at him. She was sure he was still recovering, and besides that, she was wetter than a new born bantha.

"I'm home," she explained with a shrug, "I put about 16,000 credits into the account, and there's another 500 in the bag in the hall."

She was being oddly businesslike about the whole thing, but nobody could really blame her for being awkward. She hadn't seen home or him in a good month, and it wasn't like she was going to be staying long. She only had a short time before the crew took off again. She hadn't even bothered to check on Corrin yet, afraid of how much he'd grown without her.


[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

Calico was not one for awkward moments.

He'd missed his wife terribly. Corrin was as good company as a toddler could be, and he loved the boy fiercly, but Zandra was his girl. Soaking the furs he wore was the last concern on his mind.

The former chieftain closed the distance between them in two quick strides. A hand laced around her midriff, and the other lifted to brush a strand of alabaster hair from her face.

"That'll last us a few months. Not paying bills is lovely."

It was not entirely what he wanted to say, but it was a start. Was this how hard it had been for Visri every time he returned to Coruscant during the war, or what Zandra went through waiting for him to return after Drunkenwell?

A knotting guilt twisted in his chest. It coiled around his heart, and dug in with bloody thorns. He would not subject Zandra to such suffering again.

"Missed you cyar'ika." He grunted. "...Corrin is bigger. He's growing fast."



[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Before she could object, she was wrapped in his arms. His clothes would be soaked by the time he pulled away. Well, too late now, she supposed. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around her husband, leaning her dripping head against his chest. She missed him. Sending him a message in space was not always possible, and receiving one was even more difficult. The ship she spent her time on wasn't exactly state of the art here.
Even if she had stayed in steady contact, she preferred this. Face to face, heart to heart.

"He's sleepin', ya? I don' wanna wake 'im up yet."

Truth was, she was happy enough spending some alone with Calico while she had him. There was a lot to talk about.

"Ni Kar um, tayl gar... darasuum, Cal," she murmured with a little laugh, "Did I say that right at all? I've been practicing."

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

She was practicing. Calico said nothing; responding in kind with a kiss to his wife's brow rather than words. Words could never truly communicate the intimacy they shared - far away from the galactic wars and towering Empires. A simple life on Mandalore, with a few bouts of excitement here and there, was proving to be far better than owning a galaxy.

At least that was how Calico saw it.

"Perfect." He said at last. "You're sounding like real Mando'ade, cyar'ika."

The old soldier lingered there a moment, content to hold Zandra in his arms as long as she was here. The soft cry of little Corrin was all that stirred him.

"He probably senses you. I read Verd's old notes. Force sensitive children are supposed to be aware of their parents - not me, considering my state of things. You though, I'm sure he can."

With grudging reluctance, Calico pulled away and motioned down the hall. "Let's see him for a moment, then I have something to show you."

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Corrin. She heard him at once. Zandra never pretended to be the best mother. What good mother would leave her kid for as long as she did? But she loved her little Bean, there wasn't a doubt of that. She snatched a bathrobe off the back of the door and pulled it over the soaking wet towel she was wearing. It was cold outside the bathroom, and force knew she didn't need to be getting sick now.
She followed Cal to the crying child, opened his door and stepped in.

"Hey, hey, little one. Hush now," she whispered stepping up the the toddlers crib, "What's all the fuss over? Mumma's home now."

She grinned as she reached in to pull the boy out and hold to her chest. Physical contact more than anything was the quickest way to calm him down. The boy curled his chubby fist around a lock of wet hair, gently tugging as he buried his face in the soft plush material of the bathrobe.

"There we go, lil Bean. See? Ain't nothin' to be bothered by."

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

Corrin always calmed faster when Zandra had him. It was something about a mother's touch that Cal lacked the right equipment for. Shame really.

He tiptoed over to his wife and child, and slipped an arm over Zandra's shoulder. The infant was utterly silent now, though his big blue eyes stared up at his parents curiously. It was endearing to say the very least.

Cal pecked Zandra on the cheek, and leaned forward to kiss the baby on his brow.

"Our kid's fat. I love it." The former Dreadguard snickered.

He pulled away for a moment, and tapped Zandra on the shoulder. "When he's settled, I have something to show you out back. I haven't just sat on my shebs while you were away."

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra smiled at her husband over her shoulder. Corrin was sleepy. He was trying to keep his eyes open, but she knew it wouldn't be long. It was never long. He was already drifting off. She reached down with one hand, running a calloused finger down the boys chubby cheek. He really was getting fat. Normal for a boy his age.

She plated a gentle kiss on the boys brow and set him back down. By the time his head hit the mattress, he was out. She turned back to her husband with a smile, readjusting the robe.

"A'right," she said, "but after this, I got a surprise for you too."

Boy, did she ever.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"What are we going to do when he gets older? I won't stop seeing him like this."

He motioned toward the slumbering infant. It had always seemed like human children aged slowly compared to the other races of the galaxy, but now that Calico had a son of his own, it was far too fast. If Corrin was to stay an infant forever, that would be fine by him.

Regardless, he needed to show her his little creation. Without any indication of warning, the former Dreadguard leaned forward, and scooped Zandra up from her feet, bridal style.

"Best seat in the house."

He snickered as he turned toward the backdoor leading outside.

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

And just like a princess in a fairy tale, she was up off her feet and in the arms of her prince charming. Just like a princess... in a bathrobe. With no shoes. And wet hair. She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. Compared to him, she was a tiny thing. Strong, but tiny. Thin, a little short. People always underestimated her because of her size. She liked to think of it as an advantage.

"Woah there," she laughed, "ya could'a let me put on shoes at least. Ah well, whatcha got ta show me that can;t wait til' mornin'?"

Too late now. She was just going to have to deal with having chilly feet. She was used to being cold though. Space was cold, these woods were cold, and she dressed like a street walker on top of all of it. If she couldn't deal with a little snow then what would she even be?

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Your hair is already white. We'll just call you the snow goddess." Calico snickered.

He led her out into the snow, artful to drape his furs about the Echani so that she wouldn't freeze to death. Hypothermia was not the most romantic of things, after all.

The forest was deathly quiet. The Tal'verda village to the east was already down for the night. Most did not stay out very late, as they had duties to attend to when the morning. Cal, for once, did not, and neither did Zandra.

Besides, this couldn't wait until the morning. The former Dreadguard would explode with anticipation, or something like that.

He crossed over a small hill, and came to a halt. The snow was falling in tiny flurries, but was otherwise calm. Ahead, a small light came alive, casting the forest in a faint amber glow.

A circular structure the size of a small gym sat in the center of a clearing. It was made of permacrete and durasteel, so it was not simple log cabin. A single door was ajar, inviting them in.

"I've been busy cyar'ika."




[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

"My my, someone's been busy."

Zandra let out a low whistle as they approached. What was inside though? And how did he find time to do it? She was impressed none the less.

"What is it?" she asked, shivering under his furs, "buildin' us a new house? Looks a lil' small, don'cha think?"

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"It's a dungeon of course."

Cal shrugged as he strolled on down to the structure. Definitely a dungeon. One of the kind that you couldn't talk about on a PG-13 forum such as this. Ah, comedy.

The former Dreadguard arrived at the door, and breathed a quiet sigh. It had taken quite a bit of work and the help of Boxer to set the thing up. Hopefully Zandra would be pleased.

Bright floodlights came on within the dome shaped building.

A single stage in the center of the building rose half a meter off the ground. Wooden dummies stood rigid on either side of the room. Two holovisions lined the walls, as well as what looked to be a rather old kitchen setup.

Cal pressed his lips to her brow, and set the Echani down.

"It's an arena. Not done yet. It'll have a sofa and working combat droids when it's done. I figure you'd want to practice your Echani business."

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra raised a thin silver eyebrow at the word dungeon. Really? A girl could only dream, but she knew better. This was Calico. She couldn't convince him to try anything kinky inside or outside the bedroom. He just wasn't that kind of guy. That was fine to her. She'd had her excitement when she was younger. She didn't exactly agree to settle down and marry the guy for his skills in the bed room, after all.

"Ha. Ha," she replied with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

Then they stepped inside and the Echani let her feet touch the floor at last. Her smile turned into a full grin. Better than a dungeon.

"It's an arena. Not done yet. It'll have a sofa and working combat droids when it's done. I figure you'd want to practice your Echani business."

"Ooo, Cal, you got no idea how right ya are. No room to practice and keep in shape on that tiny piece of junk ship. Ya know how big my room is? Smaller than our bathroom."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. Well, he showed her his surprise, time for her to return the favor. She'd been dying to give him this news for a good while now.

"But before you worry about this, I need ya to work on adding another bedroom to the house, a'right? Think ya can do it?"

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

That took Calico a few moments to understand. Did she want to build a guest room or something of the sort?

He gave the Echani a bemused look, and pursed his lips to ask what she meant - when it suddenly made sense. Far too much sense in fact.

The realization stopped Calico dead. His lips moved, but no words came forth. He just stared down at her, mouth agape.

"How far along?" Cal asked with excitement in his voice.

He broke into a huge grin, and he leaned down to kiss Zandra, a messy little display really.

Another child. More heirs for the Tal'verdas. More children for Corrin to play with, he wouldn't be an only child thankfully.

Calico would not have survived without his brothers. Little Corrin needed to feel that same bond.

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Yeah. Now he was getting it. Zandra kissed him back, pressing her body into him. She wasn't showing yet, but her stomach was hard under the robe, a sign that she would be showing soon. Another few weeks at most. Truth was, she'd known for a while, but the timing was never right to tell him. They were almost never alone anymore, and when they were, they were busy. Or she was gone, working, fighting, stealing. Hard to send a message out there.

"About twelve weeks," she answered, making something of an apologetic face, "I jus' didn't know how to tell ya. Bein' honest, at first I was kinda mad at you for it. I mean, I only jus' got myself back in shape."

She sighed as she pulled away from him, then put her hands on her hips with a little smile.

"Can't be helped, I guess. Congrats Cal. Yer a Daddy again. 'Course, you know we're gunna have ta work a lot harder now. 'Nother mouth ta feed an' all."

A little stressful to think about, honestly. Sometimes it kept her awake way out there in the black of space. How was she gunna do it? She barely felt like she was making it as it was. Made her a little nervous.

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

That was a good question. Calico pondered it for a moment; brow knit in thought as he curled her pale locks between his fingertips.

There really wasn't any shame in dipping into the clan account. He had made most all of those credits, and those with two or more children were permitted to use it as needed. It wasn't the solution he would have liked, but it worked for now at the least.

"Credits we can take care of." He assured. She didn't need to hear of how just yet. Both he and his wife were honorable when it came to credits - they weren't the kind of people to take handouts.

In reality, Tal'verda's credits were Calico's credits, and Zandra's in that regard. Nothing dishonorable about using them for the sake of their children.

"We're resourceful cyar'ika. Always have been."

The former Dreadguard dropped a gloved hand to rest just over her stomach. It was too early to really feel to child, but the gesture was enough alone.

"Give it a bit of time, and our kids will be running around beating each other with sticks - or whatever kids do. We don't need to worry about finances, alright?"

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

He told her not to worry about it. Did he even know her? Of course she was going to worry about it. What kinda mom did he think she was? Well, for the moment, she guessed she had other things to worry about. Like how she was going to disguise the pregnancy from the crew. This was starting to feel like a running theme with her now. Zandra the pregnant pirate. It sounded like a bad joke.

"Well, a'right, if you say so," she sighed, giving up for the moment, "So you thought of names, Cal? I'm sure you been plannin' the knock me up the second we said our vows. Admit it."

[member="Calico Tal'verda"]