Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private Responsibility [Judah Dashiell]

Joiol, The Dashiell Family Estate.

The Liberty's Edge descended gracefully onto one of the external landing platforms reserved for family and guests of House Dashiell. Its repulsors hummed softly before cutting out, leaving only the whisper of the evening breeze sweeping across the estate. From the landing platform, a paved pathway stretched towards the grand manor, where Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell spent most of his time.

Lately, Makai Dashiell Makai Dashiell had been present more often, along with Myra and their daughter. Their presence had been a welcome one for Balun, who enjoyed the warmth of family around him. Yet, unlike the others, the youngest of the Dashiells preferred solitude. His own residence lay further back on the estate's grounds, nestled at the forest's edge, where wilderness and shadow wove together in a way that suited him perfectly.

Tonight, Balun had just returned from Naboo, where he had been introduced to the Foundation, a group of Force users that Iona Starchaser had recently brought him into contact with. His journey toward mastering his abilities remained uncertain, but for now, he found reassurance in knowing he had begun to build connections—ones that might shape his future.

On his way home, he decided to stop by the main manor and check in on his father. Stepping through the grand entrance, he took in the familiar surroundings before calling out, his voice carrying through the spacious halls.

"Hey, Dad, you home?"

His words echoed for a moment. Judah Dashiell might not even be in, but it felt wrong to return home without at least saying hello.
 
Working in his office on the first floor, Judah could hear the voice of Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell echo throughout the space. He was only able to get a few things done currently due to using Lia - the nanny his son and daughter-in-law had employed to help them. Having been left with no clue of anything about this child, not even a name, he was doing the best he could. The boy seemed a bit older than Phoeve, which he found odd but again, it seemed to him both Lady Falentra Lady Falentra and his son were more secretive than he ever thought Makai and Myra were.


"Hey, Dad, you home?"

Finally.

Judah looked up from his datapad and stood from his desk, stretching a little. He had been reviewing salvage output reports and the potential for new sites - battles that had already happened and may be safe to enter now. Safe to clean up and turn into new metals and products.

"In the office." He spoke as he walked, wanting to intercept Bale and lead him upstairs.
 
Balun smiled at the familiar sound of his father's voice, a warmth settling in his chest as he stepped fully into the estate. He pushed the front door shut behind him with a soft click, sealing out the cool evening air.

"Awesome," he replied, his voice carrying easily through the grand foyer. Shrugging off his leather jacket, he hung it over one of the coat hooks with a casual motion before turning toward the hall that led to the office.

"Sorry I haven't been around the past few days," he continued, speaking loudly as he moved. "I ran into an old friend— Iona Starchaser. I don't think you've met her, but she introduced me to a group called the Foundation. I've been out helping them survey a potential new hyperspace route."

By the time he finished speaking, he had reached the threshold of his father's office. But the moment he stepped into the doorway, something shifted. The atmosphere in the room wasn't what he had expected.

A heaviness lingered in the air, thick with unspoken thoughts. His father stood behind his desk, his expression carefully schooled into something neutral, but Balun wasn't so easily fooled. The subtle tension in Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell 's shoulders, the way his fingers idly tapped against the desk, the near-imperceptible crease in his brow— something was wrong.

And then there was something else.

A whisper in the Force, a trace of presence left behind, weaving through the fabric of space like a fading scent— familiar, unmistakable. It struck him all at once, the realization settling in his gut before his mind fully caught up.

"Chit…"

The word slipped from his lips as he locked eyes with his father, the truth dawning on him like a breaking storm.

"She's been here, hasn't she?"

His voice was steady, devoid of anger, yet layered with something more complicated— confusion, uncertainty. Concern.

"She goes months without a word, and suddenly, she just shows up? What happened?"

He stood there, waiting—not just for an answer, but for the weight of the moment to make sense.
 
"She's been here, hasn't she?"

His voice was steady, devoid of anger, yet layered with something more complicated— confusion, uncertainty. Concern.

"She goes months without a word, and suddenly, she just shows up? What happened?"

"Months? I thought you two were pretty close."


There was a slight touch of sarcasm to his voice, given the fact recent developments seemed to fly right under Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell 's nose. Not knowing much of the Force, but inferring enough just from their current interaction, his son could detect a lingering presence of his....former girlfriend? but not his own child? Unless he was picking up on the boy? Without much knowledge, he would be left in the dark for now.

"She was here. Fairly recently."

Being subtle in this situation was beyond him. Beyond the moment. It had been days for himself with no answer, might as well rip off the bandage as it was in this situation.

"She dropped off your son. Well, one of them from what I can infer, insure if the second one's gender. She slipped up and mentioned 'they' once I was handed the boy. First I've heard of you two expecting a young one. She sure as hell didn't look pregnant last we met. Now...I've been left with more questions than answers over several days, I'd appreciate some insights."

Judah was doing his best to stay calm. Yelling at Bale wasn't going to fix anything, plus it might wake and disturb the baby's rest.
 
"Months? I thought you two were pretty close."

"Yeah, well…" Balun replied quickly, but his voice trailed off just as fast, the weight of the conversation pressing against him. He had done everything to avoid talking about it—hoped he wouldn't have to—but now, standing here, he found himself cornered by the truth.

His jaw tensed momentarily before he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Remember the Life Day trip we took? Fishing with Makai? You asked me then what was up with me?" He paused, exhaling sharply before continuing, his voice quieter now. "The night at the family dinner—Nouqai stayed with me. Everything was fine. Better than fine. But later that night… we got into an argument."

He lifted both shoulders in a shrug, though the gesture carried more defeat than indifference. "She killed someone, Dad. In cold blood. And I told her—have always told her—that was something I couldn't stand by." His fingers curled into a fist at his side before he forced them to relax.

"It got too much. We agreed to sleep on it, talk the next day. But when I woke up, she was gone." His voice grew heavier, his brows furrowing under the weight of emotions he couldn't quite put into words. "I haven't seen her since. No returned messages, no holocalls—nothing." Then, as if that wasn't enough, there was the one thing that most unsettled him. "I don't know if we could have worked through it, but in the end, she made the choice for both of us."

His expression darkened, a troubled shadow flickering across his features. "And somehow, I can't even sense her in the Force anymore." He shook his head, looking up at his father, confusion clear in his eyes. "For her and me… that's not normal."

"She dropped off your son. Well, one of them from what I can infer, insure if the second one's gender. She slipped up and mentioned 'they' once I was handed the boy. First I've heard of you two expecting a young one. She sure as hell didn't look pregnant last we met. Now...I've been left with more questions than answers over several days, I'd appreciate some insights."

Nothing his father had just said made sense.

Balun's head snapped up, disbelief flashing across his face as he turned sharply to glare at Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell . His eyes narrowed, his expression caught somewhere between shock and outright refusal to accept what he had just heard. He opened his mouth, ready to call the bluff for what it surely had to be—yet the words never came. Something stopped him.

His breath hitched as realization struck, and instinct took over. Without another word, he closed his eyes, reaching out through the Force, letting it flow through him like a current stretching across the vast estate. He expanded his awareness, searching, feeling. It didn't take long. Of course it wouldn't. Judah would never keep a child far from his reach, not even with a caretaker watching over them.

"You can't be serious..." he murmured, but the truth was already settling deep in his bones.

Two distinct presences met his senses. One was a non-Force user—likely the caretaker. The other… small, faint, but unmistakably there. A spark of something raw and untamed, brimming with potential yet still fragile in its infancy. Balun's breath slowed as he delved deeper, threading his awareness through the unseen tapestry that wove all life together. His focus sharpened, honing in on the child's presence. He pushed further, extending his mind toward the boy, reaching out—not just to sense, but to know.

The connection snapped into place instantly, seamless and absolute in a way no one else would ever understand. And in that moment, it hit him like a tidal wave. He felt her. Lady Falentra Lady Falentra .

The blood in his veins ran cold, yet at the same time, something undeniable pulled at him. From different rooms of the estate, he felt the child's consciousness respond to him—calm, instinctive, trusting. His presence in the Force had soothed the boy, washing over him like gentle waves against the shore.

It was real. He was real.

Balun's breath caught in his throat, his mind reeling even as the corner of his mouth twitched into a half-smile. He lingered for just a moment longer, as if savouring the unspoken bond now forged between them, before finally withdrawing—severing the connection with a deep, sudden inhale, like a man surfacing from deep waters.

His chest rose and fell once before he exhaled, the weight of it all sinking in.

"Kark."

It was all he could say.
 








Judah blinked once, then twice, listening to the news. Was he surprised Lady Falentra Lady Falentra killed someone in cold blood? No more surprised than say if Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell stated he killed someone in cold blood. Jedi. Sith. Various flavors of the Force users seemed comfortable with killing on one level or another in his eyes. He supposed it came with the territory given their involvement with war and fighting one another often. Much like a solider, how one compartmentalized facing off against a fellow sentient on the battlefield. It was something he had learned how to put out of his mind when he was a fighter pilot.

"So...you fought and now she's cut herself off from you."
He paused, struggling to give any relevant advice in this situation. There was a lot he didn't know - dynamics and what not, so what may be solid elsewhere wouldn't apply in this type of situation. "Not to sound,uh, ignorant but maybe she was pregnant and hormonal then. Lot of heightened feelings around that time..."

Doing the math wasn't adding up, but Falentra was a different species and he didn't quite pay close attention to her during life day. Anything could be possible, this was more or less a situation of how much did he really want to know. Surface level may be the best, unless Bale really wanted some deep answers. The way the could sometimes butt heads it wasn't often he tried to give unsolicited advice to his younger son.

"First, are you sure this boy is yours? Two, if so, you've got some big choices to make. Choices I cannot make for you."


There was an element of deja vu, especially considering what had happened between himself and Thessa. Judah distinctly remembered not wanting advice then from anyone. He suspected Bale may be similar, and it was understandable.

"Come on, let's go see him at least."


 
If Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell had any lingering doubts about whether Balun would open up to him—whether his son would lean on him for guidance—he would soon realize those concerns were misplaced.

Balun exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Well… nah. I mean—there was that weekend on Naboo, but we used protection. And that was more than a month before the night we had everyone here at the Estate."

He paused, thinking back over every moment, every decision that had led him here.

"It only happened twice. Naboo… and that night, back at mine."

It hadn't been for lack of wanting—far from it. But their lives had always pulled them in opposite directions. With Nouqai bound to the Sith Order and Balun constantly on the move, they spent more time apart than either of them had ever liked. Intimacy had been rare, stolen between duty and distance.

And yet, it had only taken once.

His jaw tightened as he nodded, the weight of certainty pressing down on him. There was no mistaking what he had felt through the Force—the unshakable, undeniable connection he had with the child. But he knew that wouldn't be enough for Judah.

"We can run the same tests you had done on me," he said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him. "But yeah… it's going to be a match. For sure."

Judah didn't argue. Instead, they began walking, their steps carrying them toward whichever room his father had chosen for the baby. Balun followed, though with every step, the gravity of what was happening settled deeper into his bones.

This was real.

His world had just changed—permanently.

He wasn't just Balun Dashiell anymore. Not just a fighter, a Force user, or a fledgling entrepreneur trying to carve his own path in the galaxy. Those ambitions, his reckless pursuit of purpose, the wars he had thrown himself into—they all felt different now. Smaller.

Because suddenly, he wasn't just living for himself anymore.

He was a father.

And that changed everything.

"Grist, how am I gonna do this?"
 








Some of the information was a little more than any father wanted to hear. Judah had no intention on questioning further, it seemed Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell was quite certain of the lineage of the boy. Looks-wise it was difficult to tell. Not due to the child being of two different species but merely the age. At a certain age all small children looked like squashed root vegetables and were basically indistinguishable from one another. It wouldn't be for a few months in his opinion that the child would begin to favor looks in one direction or another.

"Grist, how am I gonna do this?"

"Same way I did with Makai ; you figure out something that works for you. For me that was taking Makai nearly everywhere. Granted he was older, around four or five. I didn't have a choice. If he couldn't come with me, I was at the mercy of Danger or my mother."


Having Danger Arceneau Danger Arceneau step in and assist with Makai had been essential. It had been more of a natural thing and one he resisted at first. Yet it had been a balm for Makai and on some level, for Danger as well. The old salvager was well aware he was eternally in her debt yet Judah knew it hadn't been a transactional thing. It was just more on how he felt.

Climbing the stairs, the boy was safely in the guest room Bale had first stayed in.


"My advice is to - once the shock wears off - look at your schedule and goals and go from there. He's your first priority now and you need to bond with him starting now. Also there's something else, but one crisis at a time. Come on."


Judah opened the door to the guest room, set up with a crib now. The nanny he had borrowed from Makai and Myra - Lia - was sitting in a rocker feeding the infant.


 
There was never going to be a good time for something like this.

Balun had lived his life on his own terms, constantly chasing something—purpose, legacy, a name beyond the one he'd been born into. His schedule had always been full, his ambitions too large to be easily set aside. But none of that mattered now. The simple truth remained: he needed to prioritize.

Shock. That was the best way to describe what he felt.

For all the battles he had fought, all the dangers he had faced, this—standing here, realizing he had a son—was something else entirely. It wasn't fear, exactly. It wasn't regret. It was something deeper, something that pressed against his ribs and stole the breath from his lungs.

Following Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell into the guest room, Balun's gaze shifted first to Lia, then down to the bundle cradled in her arms.

The infant was small, swaddled in a light blanket, eyes closed as he suckled quietly from a bottle. Lia held it steady, her expression calm and focused, as if this moment wasn't unraveling the very foundation of Balun's reality.

He barely noticed stepping past his father, his feet moving of their own accord, drawn forward by an instinct he had never needed before.

And then he saw him. Really saw him.

The baby's skin was a soft, deep blue—Nouqai's color, unmistakable in its resemblance. But his head bore more than just the curved tendrils of his mother's lineage. Unlike Nouqai, he had hair—dark and thick, a detail that caught Balun off guard. His skin wasn't quite smooth like most humans, either. It shimmered faintly under the room's soft light, almost as if patterned with delicate scales, yet it looked impossibly soft to the touch.

The markings along his face, faint but present, mirrored Nouqai's, their pattern unique yet strikingly similar. And then there were his ears—elongated at the top, further proof of his heritage.

Balun had never once imagined what a child of his and Nouqai's would look like. The thought had never even crossed his mind.

But now? Now he knew.

He was beautiful.

A perfect blend of them both, wrapped in quiet contentment, as if the Galaxy beyond this moment didn't matter.

"What's his name?"
 









"What's his name?"

"Absolutely no idea. I've been calling him B.J. - Bale Junior. When he was dropped off in my care it was roughly a three minute transaction. Didn't get to ask much and a name wasn't volunteered. I had to scramble from there, he was naturally upset. Don't think he was in a stable environment but he's been good since then. Had to wear a borrowed sleeper from Phoebe for a day but I don't think B.J. is going to hold it against me."


Judah shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the infant. Quite content now. The elder Dashiell thought he was a cute little guy, and also found it amusing that there was going to be another aquatic in the Dashiell famuily.

"What can I help with?"

 
"B.J.?" Balun repeated, turning to glance at his father with an expression of pure disbelief. "That's terrible." A snort of laughter escaped him as he shook his head, eyes drifting back to the bundle in Lia's arms.

"No, we're going to have to do better than that..." he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Names carried weight. Meaning. When Balun and Nouqai had first met, the Jedi Order had given them both new names. Veil and Vale—similar in sound, almost as if fate had woven their lives together before either of them realized it. Balun Vale. He had never liked it. She hadn't been fond of hers, either.

Becoming Balun Dashiell had been a relief, a final severing of ties to a past he no longer wished to be bound by.

This child, however, would carry the Dashiell name from the very beginning. His name. That part was certain. But his first name? That required thought. Normally, he would have wanted Nouqai to be part of the decision, but this situation was anything but normal.

His father's voice pulled him from his thoughts. What can I do to help?

Balun exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck as he processed everything at once. He wasn't just bringing a child into his life—he was completely unprepared for it.

"Well... since you're asking," he began, already mentally assembling a list of urgent necessities. "I don't have a single thing for a baby. No diapers, no clothes, no crib. I need to set up a proper room at my place, and I was already considering some renovations, but... yeah, I wasn't planning for this."

He sighed, shifting his weight as the weight of responsibility pressed heavier against him.

"Credits aren't the issue. It's knowing what to buy, where to get it, and fast. How much does he need to eat? How often? What do I need to be worried about when it comes to taking care of him?"

Balun looked at his father then, his voice steady but laced with something rare—uncertainty. "I'll do whatever it takes. I just... don't know where to start."

Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell
 
"So you're calling your own name horrible? I'm a little concerned."

Of course, if Judah had been involved, Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell wouldn't be named Balun, but that was here nor there. His youngest son was going through the wringer, an odd echo of the past. Judah wasn't exactly pleased with Lady Falentra Lady Falentra .In his eyes, abandoning her own child was cowardly. Not everyone was cut out for motherhood, but the situation could have been handled better. She should have spoke to Bale, shouldn't have abandoned a screaming infant with little care in the world.

He would privately rage. Externally he would turn that into action. Resources abounded to take care of the infant. The young boy would grow up in a closed circle of wealth and opportunity, with a bit of fostering and being surrounded by family, Judah hoped this one would grow up without some of the feelings Makai harbored.

"I bought all this stuff for Phoebe, I just drug the crib down from the other room. Got diapers and baby stuff anticipating I'd be pulling Grandpop duties for your brother at times. You're more than welcome to it all, I can reorder things. As for things like knowing how much to feed him - he will tell you, he will stop eating. He'll cry when he's hungry. Or upset. Or wanting to be held. Or sick. Its tricky but you learn to understand the cries...different tones and what not. Its going to be a lot of work and sleepless nights. You're going to need a nanny of some sort."
 
"Well, it ain't like I named myself," Balun chuckled, glancing at his father before his gaze drifted back to his son.

Lia held the infant with effortless ease, a natural caretaker, but Balun knew she was there for Makai and Myra. She had her own commitments, her own family to tend to, and he wasn't about to take from them just because he was out of his depth.

"I don't suppose you know any good nannies?" he asked, his smirk laced with dry amusement. The lift of his brows betrayed the wariness beneath his humor—an unspoken acknowledgment of how little he knew about raising a child.

Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Balun straightened his shoulders, forcing out the tension he hadn't realized he was holding. He exhaled heavily, sinking into a squat until he was eye-level with the tiny bundle in Lia's arms.

His son.

The boy had an entire lifetime ahead of him. A lifetime that now rested in Balun's hands. He had to get this right. Not just the logistics—feeding, sheltering, keeping him safe—but everything. He needed to build a home that was more than just walls and furniture. It had to be secure, loving, stable.

And then, there was the Force.

Balun could feel it already, the latent power within his son—unrefined, untouched, but undeniably there. One day, that power would awaken, and it would fall to Balun to guide him. To teach him responsibility, discipline, restraint.

He would have to ensure his son didn't walk the same path as Nouqai—that he wasn't lured into the darkness she had embraced.

So many unknowns stretched before them, a future unwritten.

Balun had faced war, rebellion, the weight of the Force itself.

But nothing had ever felt as daunting as this.

Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell
 
"I don't suppose you know any good nannies?" he asked, his smirk laced with dry amusement. The lift of his brows betrayed the wariness beneath his humor—an unspoken acknowledgment of how little he knew about raising a child.

Judah chuckled slightly, shaking his head. Clearly he hadn't needed the services of a nanny or caretaker in some time. Things had probably changed since then? He wasn't sure. A problem of parents over - proper child care - so with a little research on the holonet perhaps it could be figured out. Being of a certain age, most of his peers no longer had young children. The ones that did weren't terribly involved.

"No, we can ask your brother I suppose. Seems the most logical person in all of this. I've just been the spectator for the last nine months, he's been deep in researching and making decisions. Or you could research on your own. I think whatever you feel is going to work. Again, I'm just the grandpop. I'm here for nonsensical advice, spoiling, and letting him eat cookies for breakfast."

Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell
 
Balun nodded, quietly accepting his father's stance.

If anyone had to be the one to drop such a life-altering revelation on him, he was grateful it had been Judah Dashiell Judah Dashiell . Despite their rough first meeting, there was no one Balun trusted more. His father had become an anchor in his life, and if anyone came close to that level of trust, it was Makai. Especially now, with Nouqai Veil gone—her absence leaving a void that Balun hadn't yet figured out how to fill—it was more important than ever that he kept his family close.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he said, his voice steady with newfound resolve. "Surround the kid with love and attention."

It was the least he could do. His son would have the kind of upbringing Balun had always longed for—a home filled with warmth, stability, and the unwavering presence of family. No uncertainty about his place, no loneliness.

As for Nouqai...

She was out there somewhere, lost to the vastness of the galaxy. What their future held—if they even had one—was an unanswered question. Whether she would return, whether she would even want to be part of their son's life, that was up to her.

But if she ever did reach out, she would have more than just Balun to answer to.

"Makai's going to have his mind blown...".
 
THE NEXT DAY

Safely tucked into his 'dad shirt' , his hand gently supported Phoebe's head as he walked across the tranquil grounds of the Joiol estate. Makai was out for a walk, checking in on the vineyards that he had been neglecting to visit. Other priorities had taken over and it wasn't as if they weren't upkept by a very small farm staff - folks who knew far more than himself. The vineyard was a budding hobby, but he wasn't so egotistical to think he knew everything. Or had the time to tend to the expansive fields solely on his own. Maybe when he was elderly and long retired he could spend the day out of Ellie's hair and out in the sunshine, staring at plants.

"Come on, let's go visit Uncle Bale."


Makai noticed he had arrived back the night before, at least that was what the security team alerted him to. He wondered what his brother had been up to - Jedi stuff probably. Personally he hadn't left Joiol since Phoebe was born but it wasn't practical and no way was he comfortable leaving his family just yet. Things were still fairly sleepless and overall he was slowly assisting in running the business from afar, his father doing much of the heavy lifting with site visits and other concerns.

Making his way to the edge of the forest, he slowly approached the stone cottage. Originally one of the guest houses, it seemed to fit Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell perfectly, he idly noted the new plantings along one side of the cottage. Much like every Dashiell, Bale had found his fixation in life, the one any could drone on and on about.

Hand on the massive wooden door, he pushed it open, calling out as he did so.


"You here baby bro? I've got your favorite niece....Hope you don't have a girl in here..." Makai gently brushed Phoebe's curls, switching to speaking at a lower tone to his daughter. "That's the last thing I want to see."
 

The previous day's revelation had upended Balun's entire world, but rather than hesitate, he had made a firm decision—he was taking his son home. From Day One, he would be Kellan's father in every sense, throwing himself headfirst into the responsibility, regardless of how little he knew about raising a child.

His home—a cottage-sized retreat—was nestled at the far edge of the Dashiell Estate grounds, tucked away where the forest thickened, its towering trees swallowing the sunlight. It was quiet, secure, hidden, a place where few would think to look. More importantly, it was safe. And now that Balun had someone to protect, he was already hyper-aware of all the things that could go wrong.

Slumped back on the living room couch, he felt the weight of the past twenty-four hours settle over him, though the warmth of the small body resting against his chest softened the chaos in his mind. Kellan, impossibly small, lay curled on Balun's torso, his delicate form rising and falling with each breath. He had been fed, burped, and yet the faint tinge of purple around his lips hinted at trapped air still lingering in his tiny belly.

Balun shifted slightly, his palm resting gently on Kellan's back, fingers moving in slow, rhythmic pats. He lifted his head just enough to call out, keeping his voice measured, careful not to startle the infant.

"Come in, bro."

His voice, though low and cautious, still carried through the space. Kellan stirred slightly at the sound, his tiny fingers twitching but never fully waking.

Balun smirked to himself. Makai was in for one hell of a surprise.

If there was anyone who could help him right now, it was his older brother—an Aquatic, a recent father himself, and someone who, unlike Balun, probably had at least some idea what the hell he was doing.
 
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Phoebe gave a small sound of annoyance at the fact he raised his voice to call for Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell .Demanding in the womb, just as demanding once she had escaped it. Lucky for him, no cries. If he timed it right he still had about forty-five minutes before he'd have to head back to the house and feed her once again.

"I've been busy." Hand stayed on Phoebe's back as she rested inside the pouch, the walking had made her drowsy - the motion lulling her towards another nap. "Thought I'd check up on you. Make sure you haven't done anything brash in the past month or so. Haven't rejoined a religious crusade or anything."

Door closed, he drew closer, wondering why his brother hadn't gotten up to greet him. Maybe he was just tired. Security mentioned Bale had come in late and changes in time can be very exhausting. Every time he left and came back home there was always a delayed moment - perhaps Bale was experiencing the same.

Yet it didn't take long to see what was going on. An infant rested on his brother's chest, snoozing peacefully. Eyebrow arced, coming to stand in front of the younger, questioning in his gaze.


"So you either did the very Jedi thing of stealing a kid to train or the other very Jedi thing of finding an orphan and taking it in as your own. Given you've been away, I think either scenario tracks. Or is this a kid of your friends? Some Jedi get married young...I remember going to this wedding with Ells when we were teenagers...."

Makai shook his head.

"Here I thought I married young. So either way, what scenario?"
 
Balun grinned, though he fought the urge to laugh outright. Instead, he shook his head slowly and gestured toward the nearby couch, inviting Makai Dashiell Makai Dashiell to make himself comfortable.

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are... It's a bit of a story—though not a long one," he admitted.

Despite speaking at a normal volume, Kellan didn't even stir. Balun had been reading up on infant care, scouring Holonet datafiles in the hours between feedings. One particular lesson had stuck with him—getting babies accustomed to ambient noise was better in the long run, ensuring they weren't startled awake every time their surroundings changed.

His gaze drifted downward, settling on the tiny, sleeping form curled against his chest. Kellan, blissfully unaware of the chaos of the Galaxy, lay in a state of perfect innocence, wholly dependent on him for everything. The realization was still sinking in.

"He's mine and Nouqai's," Balun finally said, exhaling through his nose. "She showed up out of nowhere after months of radio silence—didn't even stop to talk. Just dropped him in Dad's lap and disappeared. Five-second visit, no answers, no explanations, just left Dad with questions I couldn't answer."

The words were matter-of-fact, but there was a weight beneath them, something unspoken lingering in Balun's tone.

"So no, no Jedi technique at work here." He smirked slightly. "The old-fashioned way."

His hand lifted absently in a dismissive wave, as if apologizing for even mentioning the boy's conception.

"If I had to guess, it was the night we had everyone over for dinner. Not that you want the details." His smirk deepened, though there was still a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Dad figured it was fast, but Nouqai being Aquatic and Sithspawn… something about her physiology is different. Guess a nine-month pregnancy wasn't in the cards."

He let out a quiet breath, his free hand resting lightly on Kellan's back.

"So yeah, I'm a Dad. Just like that. Scrambling to wrap my head around it all."
 
Makai blinked slowly, listening to the story. The further Balun Dashiell Balun Dashiell continued on with the tale, the higher his eyebrow raised until he could school himself into a more neutral expression. A few different emotions swirled around him ; disbelief, horror, and a touch of amusement. An odd mix, if he reflected upon it. Taking a deep breath, Makai could only guess how his father acted. That wasn't part of the story, so maybe he was in shock and the yelling would come later.

"Okay, I get it, you had sex. Calm down."

The half-Galan chuckled a little, shaking his head. Typical little brother behavior in his eyes. He reached out and gently brushed against the infant's wild hair, clearly there was one Dashiell trait in there. Makai felt bad for the infant, knowing what it was like to grow up without a mother. At least the boy wouldn't remember like he did - that might be a blessing. That his nephew wouldn't know what he was missing. Makai suspected the family would make up for it in multiple ways, unlike his situation there was a bigger safety net.

"That's horrible, don't know how anyone could abandon an innocent baby. Nouqai should have at least spoken to you, I know not everyone is cut out to be a mother but...could have been a better way to handle it. Could have talked it out with you. On one hand....I can say this from experience...its better now than when he can remember. He won't know the difference..."

Makai shook his head softly.

"An aquatic like Uncle Makky huh? So will he grow up quickly? Species wise? Or more measured like a human? I don't know much about your Force creatures or whatever you mentioned."
 
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