Private Home Sweet Home

[Kahlil Noble]

"I know you are."

He chuckled, ruffling her hair more before looking ahead towards their destination. The cave, huh? He smiled a little. He had no doubt they'd be fine if she stuck by his side, so he lead the way in. The entrance was large enough for the bird, but he could already tell it went much, much deeper than what a bird might actually use it for. He frowned, just briefly, before he stepped in and lit his saber to act as their flashlight.

"Stay close, alright?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Woah.

Was this really happening? Her first Jedi mission with her dad, on some largely unexplored planet? Vera's eyes went wide with excitement when her father drew his blade, even if it was just meant to be a source of light. All at once, the young Noble wasn't the giggly girl who wanted to mess around constantly, but Initiate Noble — serious and determined to be a good Jedi. She drew the hilt of her training lightsaber, ignited its shoto-sized yellow blade, and... grinned.

"I'm ready, Master Noble," she said with a proud smile, and a little giggle for using a title. Her dad was the coolest in the Galaxy and her favorite Jedi, and now she got to help him explore this dark and dangerous cave?

She was excited.

...

"...no, not here and now, sweetie," Valery said as Adam began clawing at her chest with his grabby hands. The kids had been out for a while, so they had to be fed soon, but first it was time to handle more things for the house! Vera and Kahlil were out on an adventure, so why not figure out some furniture and trinkets for their new home?

"Sooo, what about this one?" Valery held up a landscape piece of art of some forest planet, but none of the triplets made a sound. "Really? Not even a single one of you?" She sighed and put it back, only to reveal a larger painting of a starfighter maneuvring through an asteroid field.

They all clapped and squealed.

"Well, your dad did just totally ditch me, sooo..." she grinned. "Fine. We're getting this one too."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

He squinted briefly towards Vera at the mention of Master Noble. Well, Valery wasn't here, so it was fine. He just chuckled as he moved along deeper into the darkness. There wasn't much to actually see at first. A naturally worn in cave by water over centuries. Water that no longer existed, by how dry the ground sounded underfoot. But naturally carved paths could turn to something more hand crafted.

Kahlil paused as they passed the first actual panel. A rune laid on it. A simple one, and one he recognized.

The very same on his spine.

His brow furrowed as he lit it up. The rune glowed under his shirt, burning against his spine as he took in the whole room at once. There was the Force here. Heavy, but not oppressive. There was no danger that he could feel, so that was probably a good sign. Especially with Vera here with him.

He glanced down to her, giving a brief smile.

"What do you feel?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Vera smiled innocently at her father when he squinted. She was clever when it came to teasing, just like her parents, and knew what she was doing. But after that moment passed, she was quite serious when they entered the caves. Deep down, she knew her father didn't want to bring her into a dangerous place, but her inner Noble almost made her hope for something exciting and unexpected to happen.

Maybe she could show her dad what she had learned already!

Soon enough, the first exciting thing already happened, as her father spotted something in the rocks and made a rune come to life on his spine. "Woah!" Vera exclaimed, this time choosing to voice her excitement. But when her dad asked her a question, she hummed in thought. "Pick me up and let me be close to the drawings," she asked, and if he did so, Vera would place her little hand against the drawn runes, while she closed her eyes.

The Force suddenly swirled around her, and when her eyes opened, she... blinked. "The Force is very strong here, and old. Older than mommy," she said with a giggle, both as a joke and because she wasn't oblivious about her mom being from the past. "The people who made are still here! Well... uhm," She wasn't sure how to explain it. Those who physically made these drawings were long gone, as far as she knew, but descendants maybe weren't.

...

"Look, I know I promised we'd look at toys after-" she stopped as all three of them squealed louder, and sighed in defeat. "Fine, but we have more to look at later." Valery chuckled and looked around, noticing that people were staring at her for the way she interacted with her kids. She just grinned, shrugged her shoulders and looked back at her babies.

"...what about these curtains, though? They'd look great if we-"

She stopped, as Aurra blew a raspberry, and Aeryn began to flail her arms and legs around. They wanted to have more fun, so it was time to look for a store with kids toys.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Here, but not huh?

Kahlil let his gaze drift, scanning through the Force as his eyes allowed him to see. Then he saw them. In the distance, deeper down. Four people, sitting calmly together. He chuckled a bit as he glanced towards Vera, giving her a brief nod before stepping ahead to lead the way. There wasn't a very long walk deeper in. The further they went, the seemingly brighter the cavern got. Scattered plates hand carved turned to solid walls, smooth and well maintained.

"Stay by my side. I'm sure they're friendly."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

When Kahlil stepped forward to lead the way, he'd feel Vera's hand gently grabbing his own. Even out here, while she wanted to be a tough Jedi, she remembered to hold hands when things got scary, dangerous or serious. Her other hand still held the training lightsaber so she could see where she was walking, but she wasn't letting go of his hand unless her father told or asked her to. It was a promise she made to her mother.

"Why do they live here, daddy?" she asked as they walked forward. "It's cold and it smells funny." It was quite dark too, so even her Half-Keshian eyes were struggling just a little bit. It would have been scary if it wasn't for her dad being right there with her. That made it exciting.

"Hello?!" Vera then called out, her voice echoing through the cave to draw their attention as they approached.

...
Bing, bong, BOOM

Valery blinked as Adam kept whacking the toy piano with his hand, and quickly pulled it away... which got his lips to tremble, his eyes to water up and- "Fine!" Valery gave it back and he squealed happily again, as if he wasn't just on the verge of crying. "You can have this but you'll drive us insane," Valery said with a loving chuckle. Adam definitely loved anything music, so it was honestly the perfect toy for him.

Aeryn wanted the toy X-wings and tie-fighters even at her age, and Aurra... was still looking around. She was the quietest of the three, perhaps because of her lack of Force-sensitivity and thus connection to the others.

"Hey sweetie," Valery said with a soft, motherly tone. "I'll find you some toys you love, too."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Perhaps it's not, to them."

Kahlil offered a shrug of his shoulders as they continued to move down deeper. And of course, he squeezed Vera's hand gently. Just a little to comfort her, but generally he kept a focus on what was coming ahead. A chamber. It was dark here, but they could see the light ahead of the chamber. And once they stepped through, Kahlil seemed to let out the breath he'd been holding. He didn't recognize the species, but they were tall, regal. Fuzzy.

Vera might have something to say about that, but Kahlil hoped she wouldn't say anything too crazy right away. Not that he spoke up. Instead, the tallest of the species spoke, a calm smile on their face.

"We welcome you, Jedi." Though they were easily understood, they were not speaking in a language either of them knew. It was as if the Force itself translated it for them in their minds. "We've been waiting."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Just like with her mother, Vera relaxed when her hand was squeezed, and confidence showed in her multi-colored eyes again. Still, there was a bit of tension as they approached whoever was out here in these caves, but while Kahlil let out his breath when they finally saw them, Vera was just staring at them for a moment.

"...plushie," she whispered softly, but loud enough for just her father to be able to hear it. Vera knew not to call them that though, and quickly let go of her dad's hand to step forward. She then bowed deeply at the waist and offered her bright, bubbly smile, "I'm Initiate Vera Noble of the, uhm, New Jedi Order!" She exclaimed while she looked at those people. It was strange how she didn't recognize the language but still managed to understand them, but this wasn't tye first time she was exposed to the Force and its mysteries.

"What is your name? Is this your home?" She asked with a curious smile.

...
"You don't like this one either?" Valery sighed as Aurra didn't seem to be impressed by the farm animal toys. She was starting to run out of options fast now, but as she passed by a shelve with children's books, Aurra finally squealed and began go babble something to her mother.

"This one?" Valery grabbed one of the books with pictures of animals on it, sat down on a stool and pulled Aurra onto her lap. The second she opened it up, the little Noble's eyes went wide, and she started frantically pointing at every animal with a variety of happy squeals.

"This here is the Tauntan, just like the plushie Vera gifted you." Valery smiled warmly and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "We'll get you lots of books if you like them, sweetie. Daddy and I can read you stories and maybe you can show your siblings what you learn, hm?" She chuckled and for just a moment, sat with Aurra alone. The only Noble without a connection to the Force, but that mattered nothing to Valery. she loved all her kids with all of her heart, and she'd always show it.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil did his best not to laugh at the plushie comment. He heard it. There was no missing it for him, given he already expected her to say it. Thankfully it seemed the family of four didn't hear her, and the one who spoke first just smiled and dipped his head in greeting. "We know who you are, Initiate Vera. Master Kahlil. We have waited for this arrival as we were destined to. Come, we have much to show you. And teach you both."

He paused at that, glancing again to Vera with the concern only a father could hold.

"Do not worry, there is no danger. Only enlightenment. We are Radan, the last off the Runesmiths."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Destined to?

"Do you see visions too?" Vera asked, unable to resist the urge to ask her questions despite the stranger telling her that there was much to be shown. Still, Vera didn't just walk over to join them, and first looked at her father — these people were still strangers, after all. She could tell that he was concerned, but these people felt warm and good in the Force. She knew that she could trust them, so she walked over and sat down.

Then patted the ground beside her, "Come on, daddy," she said with a smile before she looked at the others again... and noticed something dangling from their ears. Her little eyes followed the jewelry for a moment, before she blinked and snapped out of it all to focus.

"Runesmi--ii--ff" she stopped, not able to really say the word back. "Daddy does runes, too!"

...

"You three are the most beautiful in the whole Galaxy," Valery told the triplets, as she looked down at them in their new outfits. They had needed new clothes with how quick they were growing, and she figured that some locally made clothes would be a fun surprise for Kahlil.

Which she had also gotten for herself.

In front of the Council of Triplets, Valery spun around in her new Epicanthix dress, and waited for the approval of her children. They all squealed happily and babbled random noises at her, so she decided it was a win. "I hope your dad likes it. It has some warrior vibes but it's also kinda cute." She chuckled and walked back over to the kids.

The golden wedding ring was a nice touch to this dress, she decided.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"He is, but he is also not. Not the way we are." He chuckled just a little, his gaze drifting to Vera with a knowing glint to his eyes. Just for a moment his ears shook, sending the earrings he wore jingling. It was a simple, clean tune. Music, almost.

"He knows two of the runes. We are here to show you both more. We will begin now, if you would like."

Kahlil's jaw stiffened just for a moment. He was eager to begin. The fact that this person knew of the two runes he'd earned was enough to make him want it. But to involve Vera? Especially after what happened with the second rune? His gaze once more drifted down towards his daughter. Radan had already said they would be in no danger. And- He let out a sigh before reaching down to ruffle her hair.

"What do you think, Vera?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Vera blinked, and stared at his ears again when the earrings were jiggling and creating music. It was highly distracting to a young, Noble mind, but even Vera knew that if her siblings had been here, they'd have been all over these plushies. "More runes?" Vera then asked, her eyes shifting from the man to her father. She knew about some of the runes he could use, and suspected that he knew all of them. Even mom knew a rune now, right?

But there were even more?

"Will the others help?" Vera then asked, as she looked around at the group of four. Only one had been talking to her, so how did the rest play into it? Either way, she turned to her father again and smiled when he ruffled her hair. "Jedi should learn, so I think we should listen and learn more!" She nodded with a grin and looked back at the others.

"How can we see more?"

...
Dressed like an Epicanthix woman, a warrior perhaps, Valery walked through town with the stroller gently moving along. The only real distinction between her and the people around here was now the color of her eyes... and her height. Valery actually felt small for once, even after getting used to a husband who was much taller.

"Why don't we go to the park? You guys can play or I can read a story," Valery said, eyeing Aurra when she mentioned reading stories. This would be some good time to bond a little more with her kids, and not just anywhere either.

This would be their new home.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Of course we will help."

Radan chuckled a little before his eyes flashed a brief tint of gold. Light. Then the world around them changed. They didn't move from where they were, but it was very clear it wasn't the same place. The most apparent thing? The cave they were in was no longer a cave. They were atop the same platform with the same pillars and runic designs around them. But a wide, open sky above. And Radan, the one they'd been talking to, was now behind a different person who'd been standing there.

A much, much younger looking Radan.

"Come with me."

He turned then, as did the other three figures. They were almost obscure, hard to focus on. They were there, but now that Radan was actually walking it was clear they were just.. Around him. Like a shadow. Kahlil watched in bewilderment, but nodded as he followed.

"So.. Where are we..?"

"Not where. When."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"Woah."

Vera watched with widened eyes as the entire world around her changed. She had seen her parents do so much with the Force, yet there was always something new to witness. It made it hard for the young Noble to sit still, but luckily, Radan began to rise up to his feet himself, and asked the two Jedi to come with him. Vera was the first to hop up to her feet, and spent another moment looking around before she turned to her father.

"Daddy, do you see that?" She asked, pointing at the way the other figures moved after Radan. She didn't quite understand with her limited knowledge of the Force, but it sure looked amazing. Her dad also seemed stunned by it, so that really meant all of this had to be something special.

What she did recognize, though, was the fact that the runes and pillars were the same. A lot of things about this place felt similar to the cave, but it was only when Radan mentioned the word when, that Vera actually understood. "Is this when the runes were made?" She asked as a first guess. They were old after all, right?

"And did a rune change the when?"

...
Loud, happy squeals.

Valery sat on a little bench and watched Aeryn and Adam play together right in front of her. Aurra was meanwhile sitting on her lap, pointing at animals in one of the books she had gotten. The weather was beautiful too, and it was quiet enough at the park, allowing her to watch the kids more easily.

It was the best kind of day to be out and about with the kids.

"I brought some paper and fingerpaint too, sweeties. Do you want to make something for daddy's office? Mommy has a gift for him too for it."

The squeals got louder.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The much younger Radan blinked for a moment, turning his gaze down to Vera. He was, by all appearances, a child. Older than Vera, but certainly not an adult. And he laughed. The piercings in his ears jingled with the laughter as he nodded.

"They were right when they said you were unnaturally observant, Vera. Yes. This was when we'd drawn the runes and bound ourselves to this place. We safe guard the runes we have here. Well, the pathway to more anyway. You know how this works, yes, Kahlil?" Kahlil simply nodded his head, chuckling.

"Yes, I do. You can't explain anything, just guide us to figuring it out on our own."

"Indeed. So, walk with me."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Vera blushed when the younger Radan complimented her. She then looked at her father to see what he thought about it, and the big smile on her face would make it clear that she was feeling really good right now. Figuring out mysteries with her dad, learning from a species she had never seen before - this made being a Jedi so much fun as well. It didn't have to all be boring duty, right?

"Is this why there are four of you, too?" She asked because he had mentioned there being 2 more runes in addition to what Kahlil already knew. Maybe one of the other runes is what bound them to this place? She didn't know yet, but apparently they were going to help them discover it themselves.

"Where are we going?" She then asked, as they walked after the Radan.

...
"Even more purple?" She chuckled and watched Aeryn almost exclusively use purple, while Adam was all over the place with his colors. It'd become quite the amazing painting at this rate, perfect for either their new home or Kahlil's office.

"Now make one for mommy too, hm?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Yes, and no. We each know the location of a different rune, but we do not know what the others do. It is why we stay here, waiting until the day you arrive to each of us." He pointed ahead towards something.. Off. An area close by, but it almost looked like different realities were bleeding into each other. There was the cave they'd come from, the area they were in now, ash and fire, and some oddly smooth marble.

"That is your puzzle to solve."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Vera listened quietly and did her best to try and understand this puzzle he explained. She followed where he was pointing with her eyes, and hummed some more in thought before she looked at her father with a cute, innocent smile. "Daddy? You already know two runes, right?" She asked, as her mind linked a rune to each location they saw. She just wasn't sure which rune was which location.

"Do you know which ones?" If so, maybe they could do something with these different realities somehow. It was still all sk mind boggling to her though, but she loved the challenge it formed.

"Or should we try all of them?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I do, but I don't think this is the kind of challenge where we can pick which one we learn next."

He smiled pretty warmly to Vera. He hadn't had a chance to truly see how her mind worked, but right now he couldn't be any more proud. His gaze shifted to Radan, who simply nodded with his own, slightly different smile. One of simple enjoyment. How long had he been here? Hard to say, especially since time seemed to be.. Different.

"We're starting with one in particular. The same one that allows me to exist as I do. The others, they will give you the other runes. But if you can't travel, you won't be able to find them, right?" He waved a hand to the location as it swirled and shifted between the different settings.

"That is just one rune. And the puzzle. I'll leave it to you to solve, mm?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Epicanthix Settlement

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Having to go to all 4 locations wasn't an issue to Vera at all. It just meant more Jedi time with her father, and of course more time with the mysterious plushies as well. "Okay!" She exclaimed with a grin before she turned to Radan, her eyes briefly shifting to his dangling earrings again like a cat who was about to pounce.

But she behaved and listened to what Radan had to explain instead. They were first going to get the rune they needed to get the others, but this got Vera to think a little. "Daddy? Why do we have to do puzzles to get them?" She asked curiously. If these people had the runes, why couldn't they just give them? They seemed friendly enough to the young Noble.

"Do we have to earn them? Like our lightsabers?" She smiled a little proudly at herself for drawing the comparisons. Jedi life was full of challenges to take steps forward - she had learned this much from her parents.

"We'll solve the puzzles! We can do it!" She looked at her father and grabbed his hand, ready to confront thr first challenge.

...
"Ma-ma," Aurra squeaked while she enjoyed herself as she read a story with her mkm, and Valery's eyes widened with a huge smile. "Yes sweetie," Valery said. "I'm mama, try to say it again. Mama and daddy," Valery was grinning from ear to ear while the young Noble babbled those words over and over again.

But she wasn't alone.

Both Adam and Aeryn started joining in, going from Mama, to mommy and daddy. Simple words, but they brought happy tears to Valery's eyes. When Kahlil and Vera returned later, they'd have all sorts of fun surprises.

"Ve-wa!"