Wake Up

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Alright." Soliael said slowly slipping from her grasp.

They would already know of course. Amorella had practically guaranteed that Kira would wake up some time today, it was a grand thing have one of the greatest healers in the galaxy as your sister, so they knew that Kira was at least mostly alright. The fact that she was awake would make them happy however, and very likely would see a swarm of orange eyes descend upon the Talith clan mother.

"I'll go tell them." Standing, Soliael stretched his back, finding that sitting for twelve hours was difficult even for him. "You rest."

It was hard to leave her even now. That was silly of course, he would only be a few hundred feet from her, yet his protective side told him to stay. There was no where she could go, no one that could get to her, but Soliael still wanted to be at her side. It was that simple for him, it was the way of their marriage, the connection they shared. The bond that had established and grown for over twenty years. Leaving her even for a moment pained him.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“Thanks sweetie,” Kira would smile out to her beloved. As he moved to leave, her hand went reaching out to grasp his forearm, trailing her fingers down until they caught his hand. There they gave him a squeeze of comfort. He was worried, and she knew it. He couldn’t help it.

It was just who he was.

One might have never thought it possible of the False God, but the Force works in mysterious ways. They had always said things were because of the WIll of the Force, and to a degree they all believed that. For now, they were blessed. Blessed in their family and in life; even if for the present time Kira was wearing the aftereffects of the war. There wasn’t much that could be done about that. Both were involved one way or another.

And how much so would be evident a few days later when the summons by Grand Master Raaf came in for Soliael’s wife.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

The next few weeks saw a very watchful Soliael.

Like any good husband would, Soliael kept a good eye on his wife. He made sure that she was comfortable, that she got rest, and that everything she needed was provided. He wasn't usually as attentive, though no one would ever accuse him of not being there for Kira. Yet over those weeks, he seemed to be like a hawk permanently perched on her shoulder. Everything was taken with a grain of salt, and even her own word on how she felt was not taken very seriously.

After all, she was injured.

When the message from the Jedi came, Solial only scowled. "No."

It was a simple word, though in this context it meant quite a bit. He didn't like the idea of Kira on the council, not because he didn't support her, but because the Jedi Order was failing. TO him, the Order was falling apart, slowly descending as the Republic around it began to crumble. Soliael was keenly aware of this, and he attempted to hold Borleias together as the Republic fell. Of course with Kira on the council, she would be introduced to new stresses that she didn't need.

Not something Soliael wanted, not something Kira needed in her current state.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira sat in the middle of their enormous bed, the sea of blankets and pillows dwarfing the petite woman even more. Bright blue eyes would trace over her husband's tense stance, the ridge of his brow of his deepening scowl. She didn't need the ring to know that he wasn't feeling very happy about the situation, and it was only confirmed when he crossed his broad arms over his chest.

Her shoulders fell in a sigh.

"If the Grand Master took the time to personally contact me, this means that it is serious, Devin." she would state, trying to sway her husband towards reason. However, that didn't seem to go well.

"I have a responsibility to the Order. I always have. You know this." she would continue, giving a small gesture of her hands, the skin still showing blotches of yellow green bruises that were starting to fade.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"I know." Soliael said, slightly indignant. "But you also have a responsibility to me."

The guilt machine went into overdrive. "You were hurt, Kira, really hurt, and you're still injured even now."

The Jedi Order was all well and good, but Soliael didn't really care much about them. He didn't care about the Republic, he didn't really care about anything other than his family. Everything else could fall away, everything else could be gone. He didn't care about anything else. The thought of any of them getting hurt, the thought of Kira suffering through the injuries she already had...no. He wouldn't stand for it, and he wouldn't allow it to happen.

"Any strain on your body will mean you take longer to heal." He explained his reasoning. "The longer you take to heal the longer you're in pain."

It was controlling without a doubt, but it had good intention.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"I know..."

Kira gave a grimace, her face scrunching up only to give a wince. She had broken her nose when that kelabe kiss hit her smack on the face. It had broken it, but Amore's healing touch managed to right it so. At the very least, it was healing nicely, but the bruising was still painted in a smear of yellow green under her eyes and along the outlines of her nose.

Another sigh, and her hand came to fall by the bed, another gesture in the air. He made her feel responsible for what had occurred, and that smidgen of guilt. He could do it well too, the rascal, she mused. However, after twenty years of marriage, the former False God knew well that his wife had her stubborn moments... but she also held a measure of sway.

"Then how about a holocall?" she offered instead, giving the option that would not take her away from his scrutiny and their home. It was a compromise so that the Lorrdian Jedi Master would be able to fulfill the responsibility and honor the Grand Master's summons.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He still didn't like it.

Of course he couldn't keep her all to himself forever, that simply wasn't an option. Kira was far too extroverted and outgoing to ever be kept in a single place. The idea of having her only go out with the kids was appealing, but eventually he realized that wouldn't work either because inevitably they would likely side with their mother and sneak her away for some kind of fun that he would not approve of. No, in the end he would have to compromise, as much as it pained him to do that.

A frown settled on his face. "Fine."

"But!" He interjected before she could speak. "I'm there, if I see you in pain, getting too stressed or worked up, I pull you out of it."

Perhaps it was a bit much, but Soliael was in protective mode. For now Kira would simply have to deal with it.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Okay! Okay!" Kira confirmed, both hands held up by her head, palm out, as if in concession. Her right hand then went extending out towards Soliael, fingers opening and closing for his hands. The classic, 'come over here, please' sigh to draw the former False God to her.

"I'll be fine." she attempted to try and have him relax, his larger hand coming over to clasp her own. A tug and a dip of the bed would have the man sit alongside her. Both hands came to cup his face. That beloved face.

"Don't worry." leaning close, she gave him a peck on the lips, thumbs caressing his bearded cheeks, feeling the bristle of the stubble. "I'll stay in bed as long as you want.." she sang with an impish grin and a slight waggle of her brows.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He shook his head. "Oh no."

His face contorted in a mixture of self denial and righteousness.

"There will be none of that." It really pained him to say that. "You need to get better, and that won't help at all."

Well...it might...perhaps...maybe...okay it likely wouldn't. Such things would strain Kira's body, and although she was getting better, Soliael knew very well that any...physical activity would only make it so she had to recover more in the long run. So he would deny himself the earthly pleasures offered by his wife, because he was a good husband, and that's what good husbands do.

"You'll rest." His voice turned stern again. "Or else."

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Or else?

Was that a challenge?

Mischief grew upon the Lorrdian and it was with impish pleasure that she would tug him down beside her. Deny her all you will, but more than twenty years gave Kira plenty of experience on how to sway her husband's mind. Along with just the right drift of her hands to do the work.

"Oh I'll get my rest," she'd smile against his lips. "Don't worry," came her soft whisper.

"I'll be gentle..."

Her laughter floated around them thereafter.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

More time passed, Kira had her meeting.

He hadn't been happy about it, still wasn't happy about it. A decision had been made by him shortly after it, though he hadn't told her yet. He figured it was time, the Rpeublic was falling apart and things were looking...dark. Borleias would keep going, he had ensured that, but things...things needed to change for them. The safety of his family would always come first, and with what his children were now doing? Well, it was time for Soliael to take action.

However small that action might be.

The Rogue Master wandered down the hall, entering the master bedroom to find the balcony doors holding up. He caught a whiff of sea air, a light breeze pushing through the house as he wandered through the doors. He found Kira lounging in a chair there, taking in the rays of the sun to naturally warm herself.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

She felt his presence as he stepped out into the balcony, then the brush of his fingers slip through her hair. Warmth, affection, love. All of those things radiated from the former false God, culminating in a light press of his lips against her right temple. He was a practical man and did his best to ensure that Kira didn’t strain herself in any way, a bit too much for Kira’s taste, but Soliael was rather determined about that.

“Hey there Sparky,” came the warm call, her right hand tracing up the length of his arm to snake across towards his waist. There, her small fingers took grip, tugging him closer nuzzling against him as he straightened. A small kiss would hover over his hipbone, latching there briefly before she lifted her head to meet the bright orange of his eyes.

For a moment, she was breathless. Not for any condition she had, but at the sheer handsomeness of her beloved. While the Force had delayed her aging process by a smidgen, she still bore the fine lines of laughter at the corners of her eyes and lips. Among the scars Nemene’s torture were the proud pale pink stretch marks of bearing four children.

In comparison, over twenty years and Sol had not aged, not a single line or wrinkle to his body that would suggest [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] was out of his prime. No, virility, strength, and power radiated off of him; a testimony to his linage and genetics.

A gal could count herself quite lucky.

As it was, Kira read her husband like a book, his every subtle body movement and stance as clear to her as an aurabesh sigil. There was not a single centimeter that spanned it that Kira had not intimately traced, and even without the ring, could relay to his wife his emotional state. He still was perturbed about the whole matter, but there was a sense of resolution coming from him. It spread across the breadth of his shoulders, the line of his brow, the tension in his spine.

“Wanna join me?” the small perky grin split her face, the remnants of bruises since faded away. Amore had stopped by to check and continue her sessions with Kira, accelerating her healing and checking up on her. Soliael wasn’t the only one to have a few choice words to say about the matter of putting herself in harm’s way, but it warmed the Lorrdian’s heart to note that so many cared for her.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael looked down at his wife.

There was no change in the way that he saw her, no difference in the way he watched her, no alteration in the love that he showed her. Every look that he gave her, whether in concern or frustration was given with the same undertones of pure affection. It didn't matter how much she aged, how much time went by, Soliael would still look at Kira as the person that she had always been. It was the only way that he could look at her, the only way that he would ever be able to.

Some would call that a flaw, say that he was blinded by love.

He never really worried about it.

"Ugggggggggh." Soliael said with fake exhaustion in his tone. "I guesss...If i have to."

The former false god plopped himself down on the small beach bench beside her, acting as though she were asking him to perform the worst of chores. A way of teasing her. His hand would find her leg, his thumb gently caressing her thigh. "How are you feeling?"

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

As soon as he sat down, Kira wiggled and scooted her way forward until she could drape herself across his lap.

"Much better now," she'd reply with a cheeky grin, glancing up at him as she settled in to use his thigh as her pillow. "Alright. " she answered a bit more truthfully, both hands coming up to gently prod at the sides of her nose and cheeks. "Not tender any more... and I can breathe." she tossed in, chuckling.

"Still feel a bit weak around the arms and legs," the amphistaff venom really took a lot out of the petite Lorrdian. Every now and then she would feel the ghost burning pain, and she caught herself curling and uncurling her hand into a fist.

"But I'm okay," she quickly assured him again, sensing his growing frown rather than sensing it. " Really, really."

After a moment, her blue eyes rose to meet the bright orange of his eyes. "You okay?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"I'm fine." Soliael said simply telling the truth.

The former false god was more than okay, in fact he felt somewhat relieved.

"I resigned from the Senate." Normally that was a decision that he would have consulted Kira on, but he had felt it was the right move, there would have been no changing his mind. It would hardly effect them of course, perhaps give him a little bit more free time. "Biri, my aid will be taking over."

The man had been quite mousy, but passionate.

Aela had found him one day on her trip to the mainland. At the time he had just been a young man, idealistic but strong minded. He had wanted what was best for his planet and Soliael had hired him a few times on simple messenger missions. Since then the boy had become a startlingly good politician, worthy of the title of Senator.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Surprise went dancing across Kira’s features, and for a moment, she studied him a bit quizzingly. A scooch and a twist of her torso later, she sat up, turning to face him, her right hand bracing against the seat and the other on his thigh.

“Why?” her brows snapped together, searching her husband’s expression, reading the subtle nuances that lay there. He didn’t have to vocalize his answer, it was there. None the less, it stunned her.

“You didn’t have to do that.” she told him, drawing her legs under her as she brought herself up into a sitting position. If anything, being a Senator had given Devin something to do. Where Kira had her responsibilities to the Jedi Order, her husband busied himself with that of the Republic. Borleias was their home, and in it he felt a need to do something for their planet. Becoming Senator was only natural in that fact.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He smiled, his hand falling on her own.

"I never have to do anything." Soliael said it with a grin, though it was true.

Most of Soliael's life had been a series of whims. He had become a Senator because he had wanted to, because it seemed to fit. It hadn't been because of Duty, it hadn't been because of obligation, it was simply because he had been bored. Sure he had liked the roll, and sure he had come to enjoy some of its aspects, but in the end he had always considered it more of a hobby. Perhaps that was folly in a way, but it was true to his nature.

"It's time." He assured his wife. "The Sith are getting closer, the Republic is falling apart. It's time to step a way and take better care of my family."

It was clear there was no arguing with him, not on this point.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

A nibble of her lower lip would relay her worry, concern painted over her eyes and in her expression. Lorrdian by birth and form, the Jedi Master was living, breathing ball of emotions and thoughts. Without the protection of full, heavy robes, everything that went on her heart and mind was plain as day to see. Kira was a very expressive woman, and in this she radiated her uneasiness well.

It wasn't as if she wasn't aware of the threat of the One Sith. She knew it well; they had prepared for this since the aftermath of the Battle of Geonosis so long ago. The experience had resonated within the psyche of their eldest daughter, and in that they had traveled across the galaxy to forge another home on the frozen world of Atoa. However, that didn't wipe away the sentiment that came from living on Borleias. From building and forging this home. It was here that Devin had brought her so long ago. Here that he had proposed to her. Where they had been married. Their children conceived and born...

For a woman who had no family to begin with, with no knowledge of where she came or her linage, this was an emotional latch that would be hard to cut off were the One Sith ever to overtake Borleias.

That scared her.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael gently squeezed her palm.

"We'll be okay." He knew that. He knew they would. "Our kids will be okay. Our home will be okay. Everything will be okay."

He stressed those words, because he meant them. Borleias was a luxury world, and even if it fell to the Sith Soliael intended on having the world remain largely the same. How would he do this? Through politics of course. It would take time, and perhaps a massive amount of money, but he knew that he could do it, he knew that he could keep his world safe, his wife safe, and his kids safe. "I have a plan."

A sly grin began to grow on his face.

Confidence would flow through the ring, true confidence as Kira would be able to tell.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Okay..." Kira said, feeling the pressure and comfort of Devin's hand upon her own. Well that made her feel a bit better. Afterall, she could feel the confidence that rang within him.

It was then that the sudden sly expression caught the Lorrdian's attention. Her eyes would narrow, her head dipping a bit as she would attempt to read him further.

"Just what are you planning?" she would inquire. If anything, she knew her husband well. He was up to something.