Seeds of the Future

[Seamus Valik]

[member="Avalore Eden"]

He stood watching in silence for a moment as Avalore fed the two infants. It was quite a happy scene, if a little unexpected. His life had been all sports and reading until he became a Jedi. It was far removed from his life now.

He thought about the offer and his short life. What would he do next? It was a difficult question. His skill as a Jedi was limited at best and though he wanted to help people, all he had seen was war and strife. That was far from the man he had wanted to become.

He paused after placing the finished salad on the table and took a breath. Steam rise from the pans of slowly cooking foods. The smells of a home surrounded him. The scent of flowers from a half open window, the sounds of the kitchen and children alternating between giggles and whines for food. It was easy to want to stay and enjoy the domestic situation. Maybe he should.

"I'd like that Master Eden." he said with a contemplative tone, "I'm sure Talon would too."

He turned to see other things waiting to be cooked and began moving again.

"I'll tend to the rest while you care for the little ones." he said as he started putting the steak in a pan, "What are their names?"

 

[Avalore Eden]

"This is Armaud," Avalore replied, wiping the fair-skinned baby's face clean once again. Armaud was certainly happy but he did love to make a mess. Always getting into dirt, happiest outside in the garden, pinking under the sunshine. She imagined he would grow to be a great deal like [member="Gabriel Sionoma"], to say nothing of what she saw as a very glaring resemblance. The Healer could also see Gabe-isms in the toddler already. Those vague contemplative looks. That content yet determined way of meeting challenges. The way his eyes screwed up while deep in thought.

As deep-thinking as a baby this age could be, anyway. She was sure there were plenty of things that babies contemplated on their own time.

"And this is Destin," a gentle, scarred hand moved to brush black hair from the green baby's forehead. A stark contrast to his brother, Destin was ever the dramatic wisp, his mood changing as often as the weather. She didn't know Chevu well enough to speak on his likeness to her, but Avalore could hardly imagine him gaining that constant look of brooding from her. Despite Chevu's own moodiness, Avalore attributed much of that to the young woman's pregnancy and subsequent life changes following. She felt sure it couldn't all be her she saw in the little Mirialan halfling.

"They're adopted," she explained, "I've had them since ... well, since the beginning, I suppose. They were only a few weeks old when I brought them home. Never thought I'd have children," a soft glance to [member="Seamus Valik"] was the only hint to the shadow of memories connected to those last words, "but I couldn't say no when I was asked to take them. Felt like... like I was meant to be their mother."

Words of Gabriel echoing from her own lips. He'd been right. They were her boys and they were always meant to be.

 

[Seamus Valik]

[member="Avalore Eden"]

Seamus gave a friendly smile, as he looked at the two children. He had never considered the thought of raising a child before, he had some experience with younglings durning his brief stay on Tython but they had been a few years older than toddler. It was nice to see. Her care for them was evident, they were hers and that was that. The way she attended to them the tone of her voice while speaking of them. They were her children, regardless of parentage and that was simply the reality of it.

"Armaud and Destin." Seamus tried out the sounds of the names thoughtfully, "Good strong names for two spirited young boys."

Seamus tossed the stakes on to cook and checked the vegetables. Everything was progressing well. The smells began to fill the air. Spices, meat and vegetables mixed in the air and his mouth couldn't help but water. A small rumble echoed from his stomach as it anticipated a meal and he realized he couldn't remember the last time he ate. he had subsisted on snacks for his trip but the last one he had eaten seemed sometime ago. He turned and leaned back on the stove not considering the possible consequences at first. He could sense something of a sadness or sense of loss from the woman for a moment. He stretched out with his feelings as his backside began to slowly heat up. He felt things, the jedi temple on coruscant...pain...so much pain...and a child, no a pregnant woman...His backside went from warm to painfully hot and his thoughts were lost as he lept forward away from the stove slapping at his bottom and the smoke that had begun to roll off his pants. This always happened when he grew to focused. He missed something he shouldn't have.

"Gah!" he explained and he patted the would be fire. "Ouch."

He heard giggles from behind him but whether from the babies or Avalore he couldn't say for sure.

"I'm ok." he said, embarrassed but otherwise unharmed, "That's what I get for not keeping my mind on the present."