Private Six to Ten

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's lips quivered, holding back a look of amusement as Valery glared at the racyons.

"There's no need to apologize – surprised as we all are, I suppose it's only natural." She returned Valery's smile. "But I would appreciate the help, thank you. Things will go more smoothly with an experienced mother in the mix."

She hoped, at least. They'd already been caught off guard twice. First by the pregnancy, now by the reveal of the father.

Then Valery questioned Vera. Cora placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezed with an encouraging smile. It would be best if Vera answered her mother in her own words, but that didn't mean that Cora couldn't be here to support her.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

"Of course, I'm happy to help and I'm sure Vera and the others will help, too." Valery glanced at her daughter, who gently dipped her head in acknowledgment. Her other siblings were mostly younger, so they were going to love helping out with the kits. Fuzzy was already a cute little plaything to them, so the tiny ones would only be better!

Anything small and fluffy drew triplet attention.

Vera's mind snapped back to the conversation when Mom asked a question. She swallowed nervously and stuttered a little at first, but an encouraging hand from Cora on her shoulder reassured her.

Mom wasn't angry or upset - she just wanted to help.

"I was afraid you'd be angry," Vera admitted after a moment, her voice more timid than usual. Valery blinked, paused for a moment, then walked over to pull Vera into a hug. "I'm not angry and I never will be over these things." She pulled back to see a brighter smile on Vera's face and took that as her own reassurance.

She didn't want her kids to be afraid to talk to her.

"Now, why don't we go do something fun?"

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

With a little encouragement, a nervous Vera admitted to her mother that she'd been worried about her reaction.

Valery - of course - clarified that she wasn't angry, and pulled her daughter into an embrace. As she did, Cora's hand fell way from Vera's shoulder. Lula was beginning to squirm in her arms, and she needed both hands to gently maneuver the bloated racyon to the ground.

Even knowing that Valery wouldn't be upset, she understood Vera's concern. It could be difficult to navigate the world as a teenager, but she was doing well.

"Fun?" Cora looked down at Lula, who was licking a chubby paw then gliding it over her face. The blonde raised a brow, then turned back to the Nobles.

"What did you have in mind?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

When Vera was pulled into an embrace, Fuzzy decided he wanted to go back to his bed and waddled away to sleep or be as lazy as he wanted to be. Vera was left with relief and pulled back to look at her Mom with a smile. As much as she was starting to rebel against her parents, she respected them a lot.

Her dad was still her hero, but Mom was great, too.

"Well," Valery said, her eyes turning to Cora, "We could head into the city and go shopping?" she asked, knowing that it'd be something Vera would love to do. "Or we can go to the lake to swim or relax. I'm open to anything, as long as you two are having a good time." Cora was here as their guest and Vera needed something to cheer her up.

Why not make a fun day out of it?

"I'd love to see Cora in an Epicanthix dress," Vera said with a grin of mischief.

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

While Fuzzy waddled away, Lula continued to clean herself. Cora was - admittedly - a tad disappointed at the lack of tension between the racyons. They were going to be parents soon, for Ashla's sake!

Shopping and swimming both sounded nice, but there was an edge to Vera's tone that caught her attention. The girl was known for her mischievous streak - which Cora had been especially wary of ever since the Royal Elf debacle.

"I don't believe I've ever seen an Epicanthix-style dress. What do they look like?"

She squinted a tic at Vera.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

"What?" Vera asked with a confrontational tone while she squinted right back at her. Valery picked up on it, smirked, and turned to Cora with an amused little shake of her head, "I can show you one of mine. It's a more simple dress but it's a fairly common style for Epicanthix women." Valery quite liked it, but not just because it fit her well. Kahlil loved to see her wearing it and that alone made it more tempting to have.

Not that she'd openly tell anybody that.

"Here, one moment." Valery disappeared into her room and soon appeared wearing a fairly modest Epicanthix dress. She turned around on her heels to show it off and flashed a grin.

Vera rolled her eyes.

"The tricky thing is that Epicanthix used to conquer and absorb other cultures into their own. So this one dress is a certain style that's popular, but there are very different options as well."

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

While Vera and Cora exchanged salty looks, Valery assured the Knight that she'd show her an example, first.

A short while later, Valery reappeared wearing a toga style dress that appeared to be made from a linen-like material. Cora let out a breath, relieved that her assets were largely covered.

She didn't think that she would survive another incident.

"It cuts a nice silhouette," she acknowledged, "but are there more…er, modest options available?"

Valery’s dress could certainly be considered modest by galactic standard - but Ukatis standard demanded more fabric.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

She heard the little sigh.

Valery perked a brow and blinked when Cora asked about a more modest option, "Modest?" Valery rotated her hip and flashed a bit of thigh, "It just shows a bit of leg and shoulder. You're not that much of a prude, are you?" She asked teasingly and with quite a smirk to match her tone.

Vera just shuddered, "Mom, nobody wants to see your legs."

Valery's lips parted to speak-

"Dad doesn't count."

"That's not what I was going to say," Valery protested with a huff. "This dress looks fine and it's modest enough for most things. But if you want something that covers everything, there's more than enough options. The Epicanthix adopted a lot of styles from other cultures and gave it their own twist."

As long as those cultures were conquered, anyway.

Vera rolled her eyes and turned away, "You two have fun. I'm going to call Mahsa and maybe grab burgers with her."

Corazona von Ascania ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

You're not that much of a prude, are you?

Cora raised a finger and opened her mouth to refute Valery's point, but for some reason she couldn't find the words. Fortunately, Vera interjected with her own brand of teenage sass.

The blonde's cheeks flushed red as she lowered her finger and cleared her throat, attempting to clarify.

"It's not that I find it particularly immodest - you wear that dress very well - I'm just used to more…Ukatis-inspired clothing, is all. Also, my legs aren't nearly as long as yours."

That wasn't to say that she didn't very much indulge in modern fashion. She did, but hemlines above the knee was heavily scrutinized.

Vera didn't seem all that interested, but Cora was glad that she was back to her regular self, eye-rolls and all.

"I'd certainly be interested in seeing other styles. You know I've a weakness for pretty clothing."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

"I have long legs?" Valery blinked and glanced down to confirm. She perked a brow at her own observation, sighed, and looked at Cora again. Maybe she had a point, but Valery was still convinced that Cora would wear a dress like this very well. She was a beautiful young woman and she knew how to take good care of herself.

But Valery also understood cultures well enough to know that it wasn't that simple.

"We both have a weakness for it." Valery turned away and picked up her purse with her wallet. Poor Kahlil was going to come home and get a heart attack, but a happy wife was a happy life.

Once they were outside, Valery guided Cora to the garage, "Let's take the speeder." It'd be faster and they'd need the space for all the shopping bags they'd collect today. There were at least 3 different shops on her mind — some for dresses, others for shoes to fit said dresses.

"So, how are things with you and Makko? I haven't spoken to him in a while," Valery continued once they were settled inside the speeder and on their way to the city.

Corazona von Ascania ​