Private I'd do it all for you

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Valery winked in return and nodded encouragingly — even if it was just a brief thing, she felt they needed their moments together without her as well. It would help strengthen their bond while they got to know each other a little better. So while they retreated to Vera's room, Valery headed into the kitchen to order their pizza. Perhaps they'd still do something after dinner, but if this turned into just an evening here, she wasn't going to complain.

Meanwhile, Vera had already sprinted into her room and grabbed her favorite teddy bear to show him, "This is eddy," she said with a big smile before she noticed him looking at all of her drawings. "I draw what I see!" she said before she thought about it and felt a need to clarify it further. "In my dreams or sometimes when I'm awake. Mommy calls them visions."

She began looking for a specific one and held it up after finding it. The drawing was of her mother but he was there too, and they were holding their weapons and fighting together against stormtroopers. "This one came true," she said with another big smile, not realizing that it could be a little strange. Some of these drawings were simple depictions of her favorite toys or Vera together with her mom, but she saw things related to serious events as well.

Both the good and the bad moments.

Valery had learned not to interfere with it, so if he looked carefully, there were less pleasant moments as well. One image showed Aldric holding Valery, but now in hindsight, it was easy to tell that it referred to him carrying her out after killing the Dark Jedi. Vera's gift could predict it all, and offer guidance, but interpreting what a five-year-old sees and draws is quite a challenge.

Finally, Vera put the picture away and looked up at him to make eye contact, her gaze suddenly a little more intense. "Will you stay with us? With mommy and me?" she asked, seemingly a little out of nowhere. She had lost her father once, so that could play into it, but not all of her visions came true, and some showed her terrible futures.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric looked at the bear as it was proffered, "Eddy, eh? Is he your favorite?" Vera was quick to follow-up by explaining her drawings, which had him taken aback even further. She had visions. Quite a lot of them, for that matter, "You… You see all of this?" He asked, leaning closer to one of the walls of art. How she could experience so many was beyond his understanding. Then again, so were most things related to the Force.

"I… guess it did," Aldric said, studying the drawing she offered. It was odd to see a young girl having drawn depictions of war and death, but given the explanation, it made enough sense as any. Still, seeing some of the darker pieces she had made did strike him with a twinge of sympathy. It couldn't all be easy for a five-year-old to process.

"Will you stay with us? With mommy and me?"

Aldric blinked, snapping out of his deep thought. Then, he smiled softly, "I will. Yeah. From now on."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

"He is my favorite but I love them all," she said as she looked around at her collection of plushies. The tooka cat was a close second to her, but mostly because of the memories tied to acquiring it. That day out to the festival with mom, Amani and Alicio was one of the most amazing ones ever to her. She really hoped they would be there again for her birthday too.

Vera then glanced at the pictures again when Aldric studied them and seemed a little surprised about what she could see. "Mhmm, I see them a lot," she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world, but even for Jedi it was highly unusual to receive visions nearly as often as she did. "Mommy can keep the bad ones away if I can't sleep but they don't stop." Sometimes, it was not easy to process such an information overload, but her Jedi training was helping a lot. Still, it was safe to say that the little Noble needed her parents for comfort at times.

On the topic of him staying, Vera smiled but wanted to be assured a little more, "Forever?" In her mind, they would all live forever and be together, but deep down it was all about not losing someone she needed again. "You promise?"

"Hey you two, pizza is on its way~" Valery hummed while she stood in the doorway. "You can play a little longer if you want, Vera. Mommy wants to talk to Aldric a little more." She smiled and watched Vera quickly hug Aldric's leg before nodding.

"Okay!"

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Forever? You promise?"

That was a hell of a question. He loved Valery, no doubt, but saying 'forever' aloud wasn't always easy regardless. The commitment itself wasn't the hardest part, it was the nature of their jobs. Both he and Val lived dangerous lives. How could he promise forever to a little girl who had just lost her father in a way that, realistically, could happen to him just the same? Aldric wanted to. But if he was wrong, what would that do to her? "I…"

"Hey you two, pizza is on its way~"

Saved by Valery, it seemed. He sighed a bit, not even entirely sure of what he was about to tell Vera himself. She hugged his leg, and he patted her back, "We'll talk some more later, Vera."

With that, he stepped out beside Valery, "Hey," He said, obviously a little distracted, "What's uh, what's up?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Vera looked at him with big eyes, expecting an answer that would make her happy. An answer that gave her some security about the future, but the longer it took as Aldric found himself in a tough situation, the more worried she seemed to become. Her smile faded and she was almost starting to frown when Valery stepped in with a mention of Pizza.

Hoping it would make a difference, Vera hugged his leg and Aldric assured her that they'd talk more after a pat on her head. But right as he left with her mother, Vera plopped down onto her butt and looked at one of her drawings, a bit saddened with big teary eyes. She really wanted him to stay.

Meanwhile, Valery was guiding him back to the living room, when she picked up on a change in his demeanor. She didn't know what he thought of it, but there was no real way for him to hide his feelings from her. The Force told her too much, and she was naturally very empathic. "Heyy... you okay?" Valery asked while she reached for his hand to make some kind of connection.

"The drawings or visions a little too much?" she asked, clearly a little bit worried.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric spared Vera one last parting glance, trying to offer a sympathetic smile. But as he saw that frown form on her face, he was struck with an intense twinge of guilt. It was a lose-lose situation. Part of him wanted to run back in and explain his struggle in detail, but it was hard to know if she could even fully understand it. Or if she did, that it would make her feel any better. It still wouldn't be a promise of forever.

Aldric followed Valery out into the living room, looking back at her when she touched his hand. He stared at her silently, clearly wanting to say something as he shot a look back at Vera's room. Finally, he spoke, "N-no, it's-" He sighed, and lowered his voice, "Vera asked me if I was going to stay…"

"...Forever. She wanted me to promise," Aldric rubbed his neck and shook his head, obviously conflicted, "Believe me I want to tell her, but- Dammit. You know what our lives are like. How can I make Vera that promise in good faith, knowing what can happen? And… what already has happened…" He trailed off as he made the indirect mention of Kahlil's death, falling silent. Aldric wanted nothing more than to march back in and give her that promise. But those worries were holding him back.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

After looking down at her drawing, Vera crawled over to pick up her teddy and hugged it tightly to her chest for comfort. She didn't notice Aldric looking back and didn't quite understand just how difficult her question had been. To the mind of a child, the idea of her parents not being around to take care of her forever was unthinkable, and Aldric was already starting to be the father figure she needed.

Meanwhile Valery seemed a little distraught herself because of how the atmosphere around Aldric had suddenly changed so drastically. But then he explained what Vera had asked him, and Valery's smile was one of both sympathy and hurt. "I'm sorry, babe..." She said while she now squeezed his hand, but she struggled a little herself. As impossible as it was to make such a promise, Valery was the hopeful type as well, and all she wanted was to have him with her and grow old together. That the end would be a natural one.

At the mention of what already happened, Valery's eyes dropped to the floor, and he'd be able to feel the strength leaving her fingers for a moment. "I know we live dangerous lives and that a promise to her like that is risky... but shouldn't we do everything we can to believe that we can be together 'forever' like that?" She asked with a frown.

"I don't want to believe that it can happen again. I just...can't" she shifted around uncomfortably for a moment, both because of the subject and something else on her mind tied to it all.

"Maybe it's a promise or reassurance we need. I just...dom't know if it's wrong to feel that way. Especially now that I've been asked to complete a very dangerous task as well. Perhaps the most dangerous one I've ever had..." she admitted while her eyes were still lowered, but longing to see that hope and promise in his.

Aldric Laurent

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"Of course we should, but-" Aldric sighed, "Can we really promise that?" He was a hopeful type. He had to be, having fought the Empire for as long as he did during his rebel days. But he had a more realist perspective when it came to his own mortality. Whether as a freedom fighter or a secret agent, dangers were ever-present. Aldric wasn't a Jedi when magic powers. He was just a man. He had confidence in his skills, but he wasn't brazen enough to think he was invincible.

"I know. It's just… If that's wrong? If I tell her that, and I'm wrong? What happens? To her?" At this age, with what she already suffered, the impact could be significantly detrimental. Would it be any better, or worse, if he refused to promise altogether? Aldric felt like ripping his hair out just trying to answer that hypothetical. There was a moment of silence before he registered the last thing she had said, "…What task?"

Aldric Laurent​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

"If you tell her and something happens to you, it would break her heart," Valery said quietly and with a deep frown. She was clearly a little upset, but this was a conversation they needed to have, so she pushed herself out of her comfort zone to continue, no matter how difficult it would be. "But if you don't tell her, she'll still be broken if something happens to you. And now she lives with the fear that it will happen."

She let out a soft sigh and stepped closer to gently rest her forehead against his chest, her head just below his chin. "It's okay that she knows we won't be around forever, especially when she gets older and better understands these things. But... I want to go through life confident that we'll be old and gray together one day." Perhaps she was still being emotional and a little irrational by wanting to deny the possibility of it happening again, but it was simply the way she was right now.

"I won't let it happen again..." she muttered much more softly, almost as if she blamed herself for what had happened to Kahlil.

It was only his question about her task that drew her fiery gaze back up. The flame of her eyes was weaker, but it always burned brighter when she looked at him again. "Let's uh... sit down and talk, okay?" Valery took his hands again and pulled him towards the couch, where she lowered herself. "It's about the Maw, and my role in our plans to end the war..." she began.

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric sighed, and listened in silence. There wasn't much he could really say. Perhaps Valery had a point. Vera needed that hope to move forward in the first place. The hurt would be there with or without a promise. At least this gave her something to hold on to. Ideally, at least until she was older and could understand the nuances of these concepts.

He joined Val on the couch, studying her intently. "And that role would be…?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

She seemed a little conflicted about his lack of verbal response to the situation with Vera, but it at least seemed like she had gotten him to think, and that's all that mattered. Regardless of the decision, he'd make in the end. But her final comment about her part in ending the war with the Brotherhood of the Maw was likely another reason the focus of their conversation shifted. His problems had always been more focused on the Empire, but the Maw was quite a beast to handle as well.

"We're going to push towards their capital - Exegol. Not for symbolic reasons but because it's the source of much of their military might. But it's also a powerfully corrupted place in the Force, and so we're looking to cleanse it." She took a small breath and raised her hand up through her hair.

"I'm going to initiate that cleansing and coordinate the other Jedi who will help me, but it's... risky. We don't have the numbers the Jedi once had when they used this at Yavin IV, so we've found ways to compensate but it's still going to be very demanding on me. I'm not certain just what it will do to me."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

They were readying the coup de grace against the Brotherhood. A strike at the heart of Exegol would be invaluable in crippling the Maw war machine, but it could prove costly as well. A concern which was further exemplified by what Valery told him. Aldric furrowed his brow, “You’re not certain?”

“...How are you compensating for it? There’s no other way?”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

"I..." She smiled nervously and clearly wanted to assure him that she was sure about it all, but she couldn't. She had to be completely honest and transparent about this all, especially with where they were in their relationship now.

"We're compensating with some special tech and Force crystals, built into a space station that will serve as my meditation sphere," Valery explained but there was something more to it...

"The tech largely comes from rhe SIA and Kuat. The woman representing the latter doesn't really appreciate Jedi, so it creates some tension. And the SIA, well, they always have their own agenda too." She sighed and tried to show a comforting smile still.

"But there is no other way. I'm doing everything I can to make it work, so I feel confident. But never 100%."

Aldric Laurent

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric listened intently, but what Valery had to say didn't exactly inspire confidence. He tried to offer a soft smile of his own to ease the tension, "That's my employer you're talking about," He joked; As if his allegiance to the SIA would be greater than his allegiance to Valery. But there was truth in what she said, no doubt. His expression turned stony again.

"So you're putting your trust in people who don't necessarily trust you? In something that could… I dunno, hurt you? Kill you?" He said the last part in an almost hushed tone, as if afraid to say it aloud.

"You really think this will work?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Even though it was a difficult subject, Aldric managed a joke that briefly got Valery to smirk, "Was my employer too but... you know how it can be." Which also meant there was no good reason to have a lot of confidence in this plan. She was putting her life in the hands of those people, even though they were possibly not standing completely behind her.

Aldric was quick to pick up on that.

"When you say it like that..." she frowned and rubbed the side of her arm, thereby showing her nervousness about the whole situation. This plan had been set in motion before she met Aldric, and Vera of course hadn't challenged her on these types of decisions. Now she realized what she was putting on the line, and it was difficult.

"But I know I can do it. Really..." she tried to assure him with almost pleading eyes, as she hoped to get his approval. "I could really use your support, though."

 

[Aldric Laurent]

Aldric just frowned and raised his brows as if to affirm what he had said. He was hardly enthused about being right, though. It was a dangerous situation, already set in motion, and he was only just now getting the chance to hear about it. The agent was unsurprisingly nervous.

But he could tell Va was too. And what she really needed right now was some hope that the plan wasn't going to just fall apart if they breathed on it too hard. That making this potential sacrifice wasn't pointless. That there was something to come back to when it was all done. Aldric sighed, and took her hand, "Val- You're a Jedi master. The Sword, no less. If anyone can do it, it is you."

"So end this damn war. So we can get back to living."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery smiled sheepishly when his brows raised to affirm his point, but this wasn't about being right or wrong. She knew that despite his often stoic appearance, he cared deeply about those close to him and with her, he showed it in abundance too. He was nervous and worried that this plan could become disastrous for her, but he also trusted her more than anybody else.

A sigh left his lips and he reached for her hand. That connection already helped a lot of tension fade from Valery's eyes, and she leaned in close, her side against his chest and her head resting against his shoulder. "I promise I'll be okay. Thanks love," Valery said with a soft smile. It didn't matter what she accomplished as a Jedi or what title she held - sometimes support from the right person like this was something she needed.

For a moment longer, she kept herself close to him and looked for his arms to wrap around her. A silent moment of comfort. But the ringing of the bell disrupted that moment, causing her to grumble a little. "Pizza is here. That'll brighten Vera up a little, I hope." She looked at him with a smile.

"If you can go get her, I'll get the pizza and we just relax."

With that said, Valery got up to get their pizza, which would hopefully be the beginning of a more relaxing evening and fun night.

Aldric Laurent

 

[Aldric Laurent]

"I know you will," Aldric said, holding her close as they sat in silence for a few moments longer. It was fleeting, though, before their pizza arrived. It was a distraction from darker worries, but hardly a permanent one. If nothing else he could at least rely on her assurances, and his trust in them.

Aldric let her free to go get the pizza, while he returned to Vera's room. He stepped back in, knocking on the wall to announce his presence, "Hey. Pizza's here," He stepped closer, and crouched down beside her, "Also…What you asked me about earlier?" Are sighed, creating a long pause as he worked up the courage to say it, "...I promise. I'll be here." Aldric smiled softly, giving her moment to process it.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Aldric Laurent

Valery briefly glanced over her shoulder when she left to go grab the pizza and watched him enter Vera's room. She hadn't sent him there to come back to their earlier conversation, but she hoped to help them develop a close, natural feeling bond by having them alone without her regularly. Vera already liked him but with time, Valery really hoped she'd view him as her father as well. Something told her that it would be alright.

Meanwhile. Vera sat in the middle of her room, still with her bear held close to her. Of course, the mention of pizza got her to perk up but before she had a chance to bounce around, she watched Aldric get closer. Her multi-colored eyes followed him each step and pierced into his green eyes when he crouched down.

"...I promise. I'll be here."

She quietly looked at him for a moment, her lips parting in surprise. But rather quickly, her eyes filled with happy tears and she jumped up to her feet to go hug him. "Really?!" she cried happily into his shoulder while her hands tightly grabbed his shirt. For just a moment longer, she kept hugging him, until her stomach growled.

"Don't keep me waiting~" Valery sang from the living room around the same time, and that was all Vera needed. She had parents again who would be with her forever but for now...

It was pizza time.