Private Unwanted Passengers

[Tae'l Vizsla]

Tae'l had fallen asleep soon after entering hyperspace even despite her best efforts. The young woman was typically much more alert, but with her child asleep and relative safety found, she finally resigned to sleep after days of exhaustion.

She would awake to the distinct sound of their ship leaving hyperspace sometime later, first checking to see that the child was still asleep, and only then allowing herself to look down on the Coruscanti scenery as they entered the atmosphere quickly. It seemed busier than she remembered, having spent little time above the city and leaving many years ago at that.

Even then, she'd never seen the Jedi Temple.

Though she had heard stories, here and there. It was because of them that she knew instinctively that this must be the place. The way It looked so much older than the durasteel structures around it, towering over everything else for miles. The songs spoke of great battles here, and figures who would emerge as both great foes and great allies to her people. Figures such as Reven and Tarre Vizsla, separated by time and motive alike, remembered more as stories than people so long after their era had come to an end.

Even the child stirred in the presence of such a place.

Tae'l turned to her when the temple was no longer in view, wondering if one day her little girl might... No. She promised herself the child would be raised as a Mandalorian should.

"Alright, time to stretch the legs," Valery said after she made her landing and allowed them to head into the apartment. "Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

Tae'l clambered down from the starfighter with little Mirium on her back, following the Jedi inside after affording herself one last look at the city beyond.

"Thank you," She would say with a slight bow of her head.

"If it's not too much trouble, I am sort of hungry"

Then it hit her suddenly; in her tired state, she had come into this woman's home with the intent to stay and accept food all without introducing herself. The thought made her stop abruptly, and turn around to face the Jedi.

"Uhm- Apologies, you've been so hospitable and you don't even know my name" Usually she was content to remain a mystery to most, identifiable only by her armor and the Golden Gun on her hip. But those people were never hosts, and she was rarely a welcome guest.

"I am Tae'l. My daughter is Mirium"


Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery blinked.

As soon as Tae'l mentioned it — and the realization struck her that she hadn't introduced herself either — she began to smile sheepishly. A more embarrassed blush touched her cheeks and a hand came up to rub the back of her neck, "No need to apologize. In all the craziness, I forgot myself." She chuckled and then looked between the two as their names were given. An attempt to commit them to memory.

"It's nice to meet you both, though, Tae'l and Mirium. I'm Valery." She smiled again and held up her hand to lead the two inside her old home. The furniture was luckily still there because they had gotten new things for the new house. It was clean too, and felt rather cozy.

It was just a bit too small for a growing family.

"I can make my famous steak dinner if you'd like. Or do you prefer something else?" She walked over into the kitchen and looked through her options. "If you need or want anything for the little one, let me know too. Or if you'd like some privacy to feed her, the bedroom is down the hall and to your right." Valery wasn't sure if Tae'l fed her children like that, but as a mother herself, she knew some privacy and safety were necessary for it.

"The couch is yours to claim as well. Feel free to just relax and take a moment to breathe."

Tae'l Vizsla ​

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

"Pleasure to formally meet you, Valery" She chuckled in relief.

Mirium was let out of her pod once Tae'l was sure that their surroundings were baby proofed enough to trust. She watched the child crawl and explore, always keeping a close eye on the little one as she occasionally moved to stand in a new spot if Mirium went around a corner. She didn't even realize it, but the little girl was leading her in a circle around the couch soon enough.

"I can make my famous steak dinner if you'd like. Or do you prefer something else?"

"If you need or want anything for the little one, let me know too. Or if you'd like some privacy to feed her, the bedroom is down the hall and to your right."

"Sounds promising, I do like my meats" Mandalorian meals typically consisted of many meats or vegetables after all, always spiced intensely compared to Aruetiise food. Not that she was picky like some of her people. After all the action this week, just the thought of all that protein was mouth watering.

Speaking of food...

"I should feed Mirium first though, yeah. Bedroom's down the hall you said?"

Mirium however had other plans. Newly energized by the nap between orbit and here, the child was quickly crawling behind one corner of the couch to the other, forcing Tae'l to constantly peek from one side to the other while predicting which way the baby would go. Normally she would have just climbed over the top to whichever side Mirium was headed, but she didn't want to get her dirty boots on Valery's furniture.

Eventually she just stopped, posed with her hands on her hips in defeat until the child had made a full circle around the couch, at which point Tae'l promptly scooped her up in both arms. "Up you go!"

"Pardon, We'll only be a few minutes. I can help cook after, if you like"


Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Steak, potatoes, and vegetables it is!" Valery's favorite type of dinner. She had some ideas about how to spice it up for her guests, but before they'd get to that, there was still a battle to be fought with the wee one crawling around. She had slept a lot and been fed some through the tube inside her pod, but she needed a little more. Valery chuckled, seeing the way she crawled around the couch and could only think about her own children.

They were little gremlins and not the easiest, but she loved them very much.

"Down the hall and to your right, yes." Valery smiled when she finally scooped up the little one and dipped her head. The offer to help with cooking was also appreciated, but Valery wanted to be a good host, "I'll handle the cooking, so you two can just sit down and relax a little." The couch wasn't far from the kitchen, so it was easy to hold a conversation even from different parts of the apartment.

With that said, Valery gave Tae'l some privacy and already made her way into the kitchen to get everything ready. As usual, she began humming a soft tune — a Keshian melody she remembered from her own mother. It was meant to help little kids calm down or fall asleep, and it had always stuck.

One of the few things she remembered of her own Mother.

Tae'l Vizsla ​

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

Tae'l would reemerge a few minutes later as promised, cradling little Mirium against her soft flight suit as opposed to the shining cuirass that usually adorned her torso, which she carried in the other hand. She set it down gently against the wall alongside her helmet, but still it made a sound that alluded to it's heavy weight even for Beskar.

She was used to it after all this time, but not so used to the gentle tune her Jedi host was humming, which she simply listened to for a time while sitting on the couch. It was a good reminder that this was a place to rest and regain her strength, and to be close with her little Mir'ika for awhile. She couldn't even remember the last time she had stopped to remember the old songs, the closest she could recall being when Venari Krayt would sing 'Vode an' into battle even over the roar of gunfire. Though, she missed her friend's cooking equally as her singing.

"That's a lovely tune. Perhaps I can learn it sometime? Mine's not exactly a singer's voice, but I used to join my Vode in shanties once" she confessed with a soft smile.

"I think I'm better with the Bes'bev though. I could play it for you sometime, if you wish? Somewhere else, perhaps. I doubt your neighbors would appreciate the noise"

The Mandalorian was unsure if these walls were thick enough to suppress the sound, and it carried better across open spaces in her opinion.


Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Hmm?" Valery snapped from her thoughts and looked over. Once she registered the compliment, she began to smile and dipped her head, "Of course, I'd love to teach it. The melody is Keshian," Valery explained while she continued getting their steaks ready for dinner. "My Mom used to sing it to me when I'd cry as a baby to get me to calm down again. Somehow... I remembered it and I like to sing it to my little ones." Valery smiled a little to herself and let out a soft sigh.

She had never really known her Mother, but not long ago she learned a great deal about the woman. It made her wish she had gone back to meet her when she was still able to.

"I'd love to hear you play. This apartment isn't really my home anymore, so it won't be a problem to go elsewhere for it." Valery wasn't exactly sure if she'd bring Tae'l to where she lived now. Only because she was paranoid about bringing just about anybody near her babies.

That fear of one of them being kidnapped again was never going to fade.

"Alright, dinner is ready," Valery said after a moment before she turned to the dinner table, "I hope you're hungry. It's a lot for a single person, but steak dinner is a special time."

Tae'l Vizsla ​