Private The Path

[Jairdain]

In a clearly cranky manner, Jairdain took the juice offered to her and listened to what Vulps had to say about his own and their people's history. Suddenly finding her mouth and throat dry, she took several drinks before setting the empty glass down on the table.

"Our path through our lives seem to have mirrored each other in a way. The people that raised me, that I called mom and dad were merchants. After my world was destroyed, I eventually found my way to the Jedi, then I was captured by Krest and in time found myself back with the Jedi."

Wishing for another juice, Sage stared at the empty glass with a glare.

"Then I met Alexandra and pulled her tail. That was fun. My life went dark around then and well, that's nothing to talk about in front of your kids. Anyway, I came out of that darkness with the help of Solan and he took me to Myrkr and the rest is history. Sort of, after Myrkr, I came to find you...then it's history."

Almost laughing a little, there was happiness in her voice.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Seems the only box I haven't ticked is a return to the sith. That's likely because by the time I cut myself off from the sith, I had founded the Alliance." Setting aside his own empty glass, Vulpesen waited for another butler to come and refill the glasses in the room, even replacing his own with the tamer drink of the others in the room.

"I'm glad you found your way back to the light. Oddly enough, it seems you did so around the time of going to Myrkr, much like myself. Sure my time in the darkness was largely a lie, but Myrkr did aid greatly in my recovering from those times. Something about taking a break from the force just does that I guess." Taking another drink from his glass, his eyes turned to his kids who seemed to be jittering a bit on the couch, long minutes of sitting still finally seeming to get to them. "Go on, but stay within sight of the main spire." And with that, they were gone, sparing only a quick moment to hug their aunt before racing off.
Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

"Oh, I never went back to them! Not once I left that is."

Nodding at what he said, she accepted the new drink and sipped it slower than the first one.

"In a way, my time in the dark was all based on lies. So while I might not have been the one lying, Krest had been. Now look at him. Due to my touch on his soul, he is no longer Sith. Hiding out like a hermit on his world and not Iridonia. If I wanted to, I could find him easily, but I don't think he wants that. He rather resents me bringing him back in the first place."

Setting the glass down, she agreed that her return to the light had begun when she was on Myrkr.

"The Force had been taken from me by Krest and then again on Myrkr. Both times, I went from one end almost to the other. I'm not exactly Jedi, but I'm certainly not Sith."

The kids ran off after he told them they could and she smiled.

"So what have you been up to?"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Oh, the same as you last saw me. Being something neither sith nor jedi. Capturing bad people and building Veradune back up. Paperwork out the wazoo and going out of my mind." In truth, there was a small part within Vulpesen that felt bad for his sister. Not knowing what one was but claiming allegiance to a group anyways. Vulpesen knew he wasn't a jedi and would never return. It was a vow he had made long ago. However, he still knew what he was. He was a Wilder. A guardian of the wilds, bound to its power. Even now he could feel his presence in the force changing. Skills becoming easier or more difficult with his change in the connection. "Last time I saw Krest, he threw me through a tree. Its fine though, we had some things we needed to work out. Though, Alex wasn't very happy with it."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

"Well, I'm still with the Jedi. One of the reasons I went into the meditation I did was try and figure out where I belonged. Not Sith, not Jedi or I didn't think I was. My time away opened my eyes so to speak. The life I have is with the Silvers and I can still remain on the path of our people. Though, I'm not entirely sure you and I are on the same one."

Shrugging her shoulders just a little, it really didn't matter as long as they got along. So far that had worked out well and they weren't at odds. At a certain point in they might have been, but that was far in both of their pasts it didn't matter now.

"Threw you through a tree?"

Lowering her eyebrows down, she just shook her head.

"I can imagine that to be the case. Perhaps I should go to visit her. A few things have changed since we last met."

Waving her tail and pointing at her eyes, hopefully, the message would be clear just what Jairdain meant in saying that.


Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Sith or Jedi. That false dichotomy that ruled the lives of seemingly everyone of their talents. So few knew of the other paths. Vulpesen had been one of said few who managed to escape the pull of those two dogmas. Still, he didn't hold it against his sister. Once upon a time, some of the sects studied alongside the jedi. Just because his time had been marred with misfortune didn't mean everyone else would be as well. "If you ever decide to leave the jedi for something closer to home, our doors are always open."

Hearing her thoughts on Alexandra, Vulpesen gave a small shrug as he drained his glass of juice. "May be a good idea. In truth, its been a while since I've seen her as well. Knowing her, she's probably taking your lead with the whole meditation coma. That or shes pouring through scroll after scroll and more than a few datapads while tinkering with some device."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

She didn't think she was entirely devoted to the Jedi path, she just allied herself with them. They fit her far better than the Sith, that was for sure. Smiling when Vulps said she would always be welcomed there, she nodded.

"Thank you. Perhaps, I'll take you up on that offer. Just not right now."

Hopefully, he would understand why knowing just what she was carrying. Jairdain used the Force pretty much all the time, but training was something to wait on if it was physical. Not wanting to overdo any activity and risk losing the child.

"What exactly would the training be? I'm always ready to learn new things."

Listening to what he said about Alex, she just shook her head.

"I think I need to get to know her more before I can make that sort of call. You've had that chance. Do you miss her at all? What about the kids?"

Both of them had seen to it that their children didn't get to see the other parent. More and more, their lives seemed to be quite similar.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"It depends on a lot of things. Your preference, what you desire to do, your teacher, and what sect you belong to. Though, being a member of the Torrevaso Family, you'd likely be a member of the Vitae Sect. We don't really have a specialty." The Wilder's had many abilities that Vulpesen had heard of, and even some he hadn't. Currently, he had been studying into how to shift his form into that of the beasts he had seen. Certainly he could use his talisman to take the form of the Veran fox, but he had seen arch wilders who could do so without any such aids, and with the ease in which he could move a rock with the force.

His sister's next question was a little more difficult to answer, and for a moment, Vulpesen was silent, contemplating his answer. "I miss having someone to watch my back and face the galaxy side by side with me. I miss love. But, those days are over. I've learned to live without her and I think the kids have as well. There are times they miss their mother and times they've gone to visit her. But on the whole, I think we've done well with our little three part harmony."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

She was silent as Vulps spoke of what training might be. He stated that since they were family, she would most likely fit a certain Sect. Through most of her life, she had found she never fit into one group or another easily. When Jairdain had learned of the Jedi, she had wanted to be consular only to find out that the program had been done away or merged into another. She had still gotten to live out her dream to an extent and even branch outside of it.

"I'm extra good at mental skills."

That probably wasn't what he meant, but it was the truth. Her specialty was in mental abilities and the saber clipped to her hip was pretty much just a decoration.

"Since Marcus never met Brad, his father, I don't think he misses him. Yuroic has really stepped up and taken on the role of being a father. If he hadn't we wouldn't be married or me expecting our second child."

If there could have been a look of love, she had it on her face as she mentioned her husband.

"We have done well enough as well and we're happy with what we have."

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Unfortunately, mental skills aren't exactly the forte of most wilders. We prefer to more directly show our influence by bending the wilds and the galaxy around us. Of course there are exceptions. Perhaps Gracin can help you. He's one of my top advisers and is rather unique among wilders in his use of illusions and mind tricks."

Jairdain 's next statement brought a wistful smile to her brother's face and his tail swished lightly behind him. It was a wonderful thought, and certainly one that he wished applied to him. Sadly, it seemed that wasn't to be. "Its wonderful that you've found someone, for you and the kid." It can certainly make life a lot easier.

 

[Jairdain]

Mind tricks worked and certainly interested Jairdain. Nodding at the suggestion of her brother, she finished off her juice and set the glass back down on the table.

"I'd like to meet him sometime. But I think our parents might want to see me first. Where are they?"

She entirely expected their mother to somehow pop out of nowhere and wrap her into some sort of violent embrace. Their father was much calmer and she assumed she would get along better with him.

"Someday you'll find your missus."

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"I'll arrange a meeting then. And Mom and Dad like to hang around the estate. I'm sure they won't be too hard to find, assuming they haven't gone out for some sort of business." His sister's reassurance to his love life brought a small wistful smile to his lips. How often had he thought that? In truth, he had almost come to accept his apparent curse. In his experience, love, at least in a long lasting sense, just wasn't in the cards. "And every advisor will rejoice on that day. A king without a queen does lose some credibility, and while the Valde is technically an elected position, our heirs are often highly considered as the next in line. I've found a few I'd consider worth the interest... but it seems the Wilds have other plans for me." His eyes fell down to his drink, illuminating the glass with a faint golden light. "I suppose love is a distracting Luxury I simply can't afford at the moment. Something always goes wrong when it comes my way."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Nodding at the promise of a meeting, Jairdain listened to what her brother had to say about their parents. They would most likely be found somewhere on or near the estate.

Chuckling a little, Vulps had been through a few loves in his life. The same as her. For a time, she had never expected to settle down, but then it happened.

"When it does, it'll be natural. One day you'll be a free bird and then next you're taken in and starting a family."

At least that's how it seemed to happen with her.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Looking back up from his drink, Vulpesen returned to his usual grin. "Seems I kinda skipped a step. Still, at least I have that family to keep me going. The kids keep me on my toes." Battling demons and monsters all his life, Vulpesen had been ill prepared for the altogether new challenge of fatherhood. Still, he had adapted and adjusted. Of course, his position as Valde did make baby sitters easy to find whenever he had to make a sudden trip away from home. "You'd think charging head first into mortar fire at an angry sith would be the hardest thing I'd ever done. Nope. Its apparently finding time to do that, run a government, and take care of children. Mom helps of course, and not to mention the hordes of servants around here... but that can't really replace a father's presence now can it."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

"To be fair, I skipped that step the first time around too! Aren't we just a pair?"

Kids certainly did keep her on her toes too. That's what they were there for. Teens were the punishment for enjoying getting intimate with somebody. Shrugging her shoulders a little, that was enough about their past.

Finishing off her juice, she set the glass down again and reached out through the Force to try and locate their parents. It took just a moment for her to find the chaos that was their mother and only a moment longer to find her partner.

"Talk about being a good pair, I think we're going to have more company soon."

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen close his eyes for a moment, quickly confirming Jair's belief. A small grin appeared on his face as he moved his eyes between the door and his sister, "Its not too late to run." Of course, it wasn't but a few seconds after he had said the words than his mother and father came striding into the room. His mother, calm and well poised did have an aura of excitement bubbling from her as she set her eyes on her daughter. "Now, its too late."

"My dear! You should have let us know you were arriving! I would have had something prepared!" Carliah's voice, much like her current appearance was well mannered and collected, though it was obvious she was trying to contain herself.

"Your mother's right. This is quite the surprise, though a welcome one. How have you been Jairdain?" Garen fixed his daughter with a kind smile, his hands folded gently in front of himself as he strode forward to join the conversation of his two lost and found children, his arm moving to wrap around his wife. Whether this was a gesture to show affection or create containment was hard to determine. Perhaps it was both.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

There were times when life felt odd to Jairdain. This was one of them. Her biological parents had left her with another family and it seemed she had been forgotten by them. It wasn't until she had changed and came to Vulps to learn about their culture that they had learned the truth. When he said it wasn't too late, she just smiled and chuckled a little.

Standing up when their parents entered, she shrugged her shoulders slightly when Carliah mentioned she should have said she was coming.

"I do think it might in the family's blood to surprise visit. No need to prepare anything special for me. How have you two been? Myself, well, okay I suppose. Had a baby, have another on the way. Just living a quiet life with my husband."

Somehow she felt like she was being too formal. Then again, she really didn't know her parents.

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

Hearing Jairdain's comment on the family blood, Vulpesen let out a small laugh of his own from his seat, simply relaxing as he watched the trio converse. He had been given no short amount of time to catch up with his fmaily. Jairdain however was still getting integrated, and thus he didn't mind her more formal nature. He had been somewhat similar, and that was even with the fact that he had joined the Veran culture almost immediately upon finding it.

"Still, I'm sure we could have found something to welcome you. I hate the idea of a valkiter coming home without a fanfare," Carliah lamented. Finding Garen's hand on her shoulder, Carliah calmed herself, though it didn't last long as Jairdain's next words reached her hears. Her Golden eyes widened and a fanged smile spread across her face. "GRANDCHILDREN! WONDERFUL, I MUST MEET THEM, YOU SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THEM!" With her tail swishing behind her, she bounded over to her daughter her steps light and giddy. "When are you due? And tell me everything about the baby, and its father!"

In the background, Garen simply possessed a broad smile and strode over to sit by his son, offering an approving look as his nose picked up the scent of juice rather than the Valde's usual beverage. "We've been well. Veradune is flourishing under Vulpesen, and we get to spend plenty of time with Daella and Valen who are growing up to be fine heirs and Valde candidates. Your mother is right, you really should visit more often, especially with any new additions to the family."

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

"I'm pretty sure anything that is cooked will do just fine."

Saying this with a smile, she almost pulled away from her mother. This all just felt a little odd to her. Not bad, just something she wasn't used to.

"Valk..."

Blinking her eyes, there was some clear confusion on her face. Even though she had grown up speaking Veran, there were some words that didn't make it into her vocabulary. This was one of them. However, when Carliah asked her to talk about her family, Jairdain inwardly sighed.

"This is going to take a while."

To make things easier, she held up her hand palm facing up and open. Upon her palm, images started showing. They came both from her sightless perception and from those of Sage. When her story was finished, she lowered her hand and looked between the three of them.

"I'm glad for you all. I'd like to come more often. Maybe I can. My job sort of fell away, but the two kids keep me busy. Then this one will too. Sometime, you will meet them!"

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Kiter means children. Valkiter would be children of the Valde. You and myself," Vulpesen explained, waving a hand to his parents then to themselves as his father had been the previous leader of their people, "and our children." Explanations out of the way, the family settled down to watch the dancing images, Carliah's eyes wide with enjoyment and Garen's sporting a broad smile. "Hopefully you'll come by sooner than later." A part of Vulpesen was struck with wonder. Growing up, he had Zarro as his family. He was kind, true enough, but Vulpesen's adoption had been evident. Being one of the few "humans" on Amar, he had grown up alone in the sense of a blooded family. Now here he was with children, parents, a sister, and nephews to meet.

Jairdain