Wake Up

[Kira Talith]

Now that was an idea!

Growing excitement went washing over Kira's face. Drawing back her legs, she let her feet rest against the vertical rails underneath her. "The Rishi Maze..." she had heard much about it. Well, in that existed. It would be interesting to fly out and go wandering the place. A nibble of her lower lip would come as she pondered that suggestion.

A sly look rose and she glanced up at him through a dark fringe of lashes. "Are we traveling as ourselves? Or are we going for new aliases?" this was the cosplay lover in the tiny blonde, and the idea of going undercover was a rather silly, but entertaining thing. Her fingers went dribbling up under the fabric of his shirt and over his abdomen, a light-hearted affectionate touch.


[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He chuckled slightly.

it didn't really make a difference to Soliael. He'd carried a hundred different names over his life time, but he knew that Kira liked to dress up, and he knew that she loved to act and simply be another person. It amused her, entertained her, and for him it was hardly a chore. His head simply shook from side to side and he gave her a small smile, brushing his lips against her forehead once more as he gave her a light squeeze and reassured her. "Whatever you want."

For him it truly didn't matter.

"We'll need a ship." Easy enough for them to get. "Some supplies, and we should probably tell the kids."

Otherwise it would be awkward when they came home and...well Kira and Soliael weren't there. "Don't think any of them will really mind."

It would be easy enough for them to contact their parents if they needed it, the Tattoos saw to that. Soliael could come to any of their aid almost immediately, and if he had the power of his ring he could easily bring Kira along. Of course, getting back would be slightly more difficult, if only because he needed a central point to move himself towards, but he doubted that would be necessary. All of his children were self sufficient enough that they didn't need them, a thought that had come to him many times before.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“I think it could be fun!’ Kira told Devin with notable glee, her bright blue eyes dancing at the prospect of traveling. “We could use your old ship,” she told him, the very one that he had used to bring her back to the Jedi Temple on Ossus so very long ago.

Granted, that was a rather large ship just for them both. The Crusaders often traveled with them in that. This trip was more of the sort where it would just be he and she.

When the former false god mentioned the kids, that’s when Kira’s visage gave a slight shift. Concern drew over her face, and she dampened momentarily at the thought of one particular child.

Nohei.

“But… what about Nohei?” She asked, her worried expression rising up to meet Devin’s. “She’s still working through things…”

The crash had sent their youngest into a depression. With how well they were able to read their children, the lingering fear was still very real.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He had already thought of his youngest.

Nohei was a concern that both he and Kira had had for some time, or rather, her state of mind had been. They were not neglectful parents by any means, they loved their children deeply. It was partly why Soliael had encouraged and pressed Nohei forward on her project to work with droids and the like, making her expand the business to keep her busy and give her a goal. That was often something that had helped him through troubled times, like when he had been imprisoned.

"She'll be okay." He was confident in saying that, not just reassuring his wife. "I think she's getting better, keeping herself occupied with work. Plus if she ever needs us, she knows that she can call and we'll be there in a heartbeat."

Getting back would be more difficult, but that hardly mattered.

When it came to their kids both Kira and Soliael would drop everything in a heartbeat, nothing else mattered, certainly not some exploration mission they were doing for fun.

Yet a big part of growing up was doing things on your own, something that his children were realizing, something that they were striving to work for. Nohei herself realized this, or so Soliael thought. It was why she didn't live at home, why she was expanding her business, and why she was growing more into herself.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

He was right. He had a tendency to be. Kira never felt as if Devin held it above her for being right, it is just that as a mother, she couldn't help but worry. To be concerned.

It was curious how in the past, being a Jedi did show her plenty about being compassionate. About love. About feeling empathy. There were struggles of course, due to her past at the orphanage in Kuat, but generally, Kira hat believed herself to be a rather common Jedi. As good as one as she could be. It was a constant process.

She had always adored younglings, but after her marriage... and in the wake of what had occurred with Nemene, something changed. She could understand more about the personal emotional ties and how they could affect ones judgement and actions. There was nothing she wouldn't do for her children, Devin included.

It was a rather frightening thought.

Ever since Genosis when Esmae had traveled with Devin, there was always that concern. Or more that it took a greater root. A sigh fell from her lips and she brought the former false god closer into her embrace.

"Alright..." if anything were to happen, they could come back. Didn't matter how, but they would. Tipping her head back, she gave her husband a small smile, "So when would you like to get going?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Tomorrow." His ship, The Freya wasn't here on Borleias, mostly because they hadn't needed it in quite a while. The vessel was actually at one of the dockyards at Kuat, though that could be quickly fixed. They would need about twenty four hours for the vessel to get here, and in that time they would be able to prepare anything and everything that they wanted. There wasn't really any need for them to wait longer then that, especially since they would have to stop at a few places along the way before they hit the Rishi Maze anyway.

"I'll call for the ship." Soliael said with a smile. "Contact my Mother, Amorella and Grandmother."

They would be interested as well, mostly because if Soliael or Kira were needed it would be quite awkward if they simply weren't there. "Why don't you let the kids known?"

That wouldn't take long.

Nohei lived on the island over, Aela and Micah were on Sullust, and Maleah was off exploring the outer rim. Of course, since the last time she had come back Soliael had required the twin to take a communicator with her, mostly because the last time she had gone wandering contacting her had been rather difficult. It now helped that Maleah did in fact have a way for them to call her, something that Soliael and Kira were both happy for.

"After that we can see about getting supplies." That wouldn't take more than a few hours either given his connection on Borleias. "Then...goodnights sleep I think."

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Okay," Kira would smile out, reaching over to press a kiss upon his lips. Sending the kids a comm wouldn't be too much of an issue. As close of a family as they were, daily calls were not unheard of. It would depend on where the kids were at and how busy they were, but they were never than a few days from keeping in contact with their parents. Some may say that is too much of a constant presence, but for them, it simply was. They didn't know any other way.

"I'll likely stop by Nohei and tell her personally." she told Devin, moving to slip off the railing and onto her bare feet. A distant cry of a gull would join the breaking of waves along the shore, while a gust of wind lightly lifted the strands of blonde hair to caress Kira's cheeks.

Blue eyes gave a slight squint up to the towering man before her. "You know how she gets a bit worried more now." indeed, she seemed to pick up on Kira's own little worry warts. Like mother like daughter. A smile would brighten, "I'll go pack."

Her smile grew into a wider grin.

"Any requests?"

Even after all these years, they still hadn't changed. The depth and breadth of their love and affection was as vibrant and obnoxiously loving as childhood sweethearts.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He wondered briefly where exactly they would head.

The Rishi Maze was massive, an entire galaxy that mostly had been left unexplored. There was a reason that they called it the Maze after all, most worlds and star systems were hidden or organized in such a fashion that they were nearly impossible to reach. Fuel was going to be hard to come by and everything else would be nearly impossible to actually get. It was lucky that The Freya was built to survive on its own for long periods of time, a ship made to be entirely functional as an independent craft.

He frowned for a moment, then shook his head. "Whatever you think best."

There wasn't really a need to instruct Kira on what to take.

His wife knew well enough after more than two decades of marriage what Soliael preferred.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira gave her husband one last kiss and she would depart.

"It shouldn't take long!" which was a bit of a fib. Odds were that the blonde woman would get a bit too distracted mid packing. The end result would be clothes strewn on top of every surface while she tried on one item after the next. This usually didn't bother her husband, as he reaped the benefits of his wife feeling rather enthusiastic to show off what she was wearing; and all the more eager to take it off.

Meanwhile, the Lorrdian blonde would use her portable holo communicator to start dialing out to the kids. [member="Aela Talith"] would be first, being the eldest. The thought of Esmae made Kira smile. The young woman was growing into her own now.

A shake of her head came next, her blonde hair swaying in her growing amusement.

"I wonder how she is doing in her undercover work..."

The last time they spoke, thongs were of the Nine Hells as were padded bras.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Unsurprisingly the phone calls didn't last very long. His side of the family had always been very succinct with how they spoke. The only one that really took up any time at all was of course Amorella, though she was something of a different breed herself. Still, the rest of his preparations took a day or so, with Soliael having recalled The Freya and pulled it back to Borleias. The ship was of course almost entirely automated, a small piece of technology that had been put in place by his great grandmother.

Part of who Soliael was.

The vessel would arrive, fully stocked, tomorrow morning local time.

There were upsides to being fabulously wealthy, more so when that wealth brought with it connections. His ship had been docked at Kuat previously, and while there, as soon as the order had come everything had been made ready for their trip. Soliael smiled slightly, remembering the days when he had posed as a poor man traveling the galaxy. Things had been very different then, though that had been by choice. He mused for a moment more, then slowly began to wander towards where he knew his wife would be.

Kira had been the rest of the preparations for their little trip and had spent most of the day wandering from the living room, to outside, and then to the bedroom as she spoke with family and familial connections about how Soliael and her would be leaving soon. It was those small journeys that eventually landed her in the bedroom, where Soliael could hear her voice emanating from now.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

" ...to the Rishi Maze."

Soliael would catch his wife as she wandered around their bed, two suit cases strung open across the bed. Each had varying degrees of clothing neatly folded in their depths, with a few half strung garments over the back of a nearby chair and beside the suitcases. The ocean breeze blew in gently, rustling the white lace curtains as the salt of the sea rushed in.

[ You sure the old man can handle that? ] Micah's rather amused voice went echoing within the room, originating from the small mobile comm left upon Kira's nightstand.

[ He's getting up there. Before you know it, I'll have to craft him a cane to hobble around with. ]

The Lorrdian's grin grew wider as she caught sight of her beloved. She scrunched her face a bit in a silly expression, blowing him a kiss as she continued. She had one blue dress in one hand and a pale green one in the other. She held each one in front of her, alternating to get Devin's opinion on which would be better.

"Your father is a man in his prime, Draith!" Kira would quip back to defend him, although there was mischief glittering in her gaze. "You take that back!"

[ Please mum, I rather not get any visions of dad in his prime.]

Kira's laughter bubbled out with a shake of her head.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael shook his head and smiled. "Just take both."

His words were said in a hushed whisper, not loud enough to get picked up by the communicator. It wasn't like they would be strapped for space. The Freya could ordinarily hold around two hundred people, but since the ship was crewed by droids and an innate virtual intelligence that space had been entirely cleared up. In the past that space had been used for laboratories and half a dozen other slightly more nefarious things, but in recent years it had been refitted to be additional rooms and storage space for Soliael's family.

There was even a large court for varying sports like smashball.

So it wasn't like he and Kira actually needed to fit everything they were going to take into a suitcase or two, in fact, they could probably just take the entire closet and it wouldn't make a difference. Then again his wife enjoyed being silly, enjoyed packing for the occasion rather than for everything surrounding it. He couldn't blame her, and he certainly wouldn't ever dream of trying to change her, but in this case it was probably better to take all of the clothing they could.

He had no idea if they'd be able to get more.

That thought amused him slightly, a small smile breaking his lips apart as he wandered up behind Kira and slipped his arms around her.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"Hey there," Kira would mouth out to Sol, snuggling into his embrace as he came up behind her. Her head would incline enough to allow him to rub his cheek against her if he so wished, the Lorrdian setting aside the green dress while she began to fold the blue.

[ So how long will this little sojourn take, eh? ] there was a slight thump coming from Micah's end. It was steady, rhythmic really. One could imagine him throwing and catching a small ball as he spoke. There was a faint crackle from the wind, so he was outside. His voice would come and go a bit, as if he was moving.

"Long enough that you should probably come visit your sister and clean out the fridge!" Kira would add with a quip, mirth dancing in her gaze as she gave one last fold and set the blue dress in the suitcase. The green was next.

"I baked some cookies earlier this morning!" that would be a good enough bait. As it was, Kira knew that her son would more likely than not find his way over to Borleias if his parents were going away. He out of the rest of the kids was the closest to Nohei. They had been inseparable for a time.

[ Well in that case, now you'll have Vex running over! ] humor echoed in Micah's voice.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael gently squeezed her, a show of affection. Of course their trip would take them away for quite some time. Everything in the fridge would likely be rotten or gone by the time they got back. He mused on that for a moment, then realized that he probably should have asked Amorella to check in on the house every now and again. The former False God shrugged internally, realizing that it probably didn't matter all that much in the end.

One of the kids would wander over at one point or another, even if it wasn't all that frequently.

They would leave the islands cloaking device on, since the thing practically ran itself anyway and Soliael didn't like the idea of anyone stumbling upon the island while they were gone. One never knew what crazy schemes the One Sith, or the Republic for that matter, would think of in the next few months. It was better to leave their home nice and protected rather than just leave it open to the elements. Another few seconds of conversation passed and Soliael began to check a mental list within his head.

He wondered briefly if there was something he was forgetting.

Half of him wanted to say there was, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

[ Well I guess your birthday present will have to wait for a bit. ] Micah told his mother, a bit sad but not entirely put off by the shift of events. The fact that his mum and dad were actually leaving the house and deciding to travel was great news. Ever since Kira had almost died on Contruum, they hadn't really left the house. His father had given up his seat as Senator, but even Micah knew that the Talith Patriarch couldn't sit still for too long. This would be good for them.

"Oh, Draith, you didn't have to!" Kira was quick to try and soothe any sort issue with that. Micah was having none of it.

[ Oh don't worry, it will be there when you get back. ] a pause and then a half chuckle. The wryness in his tone would not be missed. [ Perhaps still living considering your history with anything green. ] he joked, earning a glower from his mother in the direction of the comm array.

"I'll have you know that the herb garden is coming along nicely!" she would defend herself, only to feel the half shudder of Devin's chuckle at her back. Kira and gardening really didn't mix. She tried her best, but often times what was best suited for her were low maintenance greenery. Talon had only taught her so much, and certainly Kira wasn't perfect.

[ As dry spices right? ] Draith spared no seconds with his quip, laughing as he was sure his mum was starting to get riled up.

[ Alright, alright. Well, I hope you two have a good time. ] their son would add, a small exhale resonating as if he had finally come to a halt in his trek.

[ Try to keep mum out of trouble will you, dad? ] Ah, the revelation that Micah had rightfully guessed that Soliael would be there. He was never far from Kira, especially when they had holocalls like this.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He smiled slightly, squeezing his wife a tiny bit more. "I will."

There wasn't likely to be all that much danger anyway, at least by Soliael and Kira's standards. As long as they didn't go fumbling through any ice caves and wandering through the tundra's of an unknown planet for too longs this would probably be okay. The memory brought a smile to his face, his eyes closing for a moment as he remembered the cold air of Exocron and everything else that had happened in those caves. The old man mused for a moment more then shifted slightly.

His hand slowly flew up the length of Kira's arm, fingers gently grasping the communicator so that he could bring it closer to his lips.

"Take care of your sisters." It was a charge that he didn't put on Micah lightly, but one that he could most certainly fulfill. "They don't always seem to make the best decisions."

Soliael said it in half jest, though as any father would he tended to worry far more about his daughters than he did his son. Micah was well prepared for the galaxy at large, well prepared to face whatever came at him, or so Soliael had always thought. His daughters, as powerful and well trained as they were...well, it had always concerned Soliael more to think about what they might be getting up to. He'd never really shown it, even to Kira, but the former false God did worry.

It just didn't pay for both parents to worry all the time.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

[ I will. ]

There was a slight pause, and while one would be able to still hear the edge of light-hearted humor in Micah's voice, he took his father's words seriously.

[ Someone needs to keep them from being too terribly stuffy. Good news, Esmae isn't too broody anymore. ] another pause and then a notable sounding smirks. [ I think she finally managed to untwist that string that was -- ]

"Draith!" Kira was aghast, but it was more in half contained humor that could only express herself by shaking her head. And maybe a bit of a chuckle. Kira wasn't the only one who found it amusing. They both well could recall Esmae's expression of horrified alarm at the undercover clothing provided by Kira to her daughter.

Well if one was going to dress the part....

Micah's laugh echoed through the comm. One could likely picture the bright vibrance in his copper eyes at that. He was much like his mother, optimistic and prone to good cheer. While he had his mother's lighthearted demeanor, he had his father's satirical humor.

"Alright, well we have to finish packing and preparing. Comm us if you need anything!" she told her son, turning in her husband's embrace to face him.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael had watched the two of them carefully, ever since they'd started working with the Alliance. Both Micah and Aela had worried him the most of all of his children. he knew that Nohei had her problems, and of course he was careful to watch her too, but his son and his eldest daughter concerned him on an entirely different level. War was no joke, no matter how it was fought, who fought it, or who lead it. Soliael had taken part in Crusades, had lead them, he saw the results of those crusades and what they did to the souls of many men.

He would not have the same happen to his children.

The former false god frowned slightly for just a second as Kira spun around and embraced him, his mind wandering towards the Crusade of the Jedi, the one that had been going for thousands of years. His head shook as he remembered that he could do nothing about it, his eyes lowering to settle on his wife.

"Got everything?" She certainly didn't. "Because we're leaving...right now."

Suddenly Soliael scooped Kira up and threw her over his shoulder, taking long steps to turn around and begin to head towards the door.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

A whoop of surprise went echoing throughout their bedroom as Kira's world spun. Her laugh would follow after, midrift shuddering as she gave a playful kick of her legs.

"I wasn't done yet!" She would protest, a mock groan of aghast as the former false god passed the threshold. "We still have so much to pack!" she would exclaim, starting to send a series of pokes with her fingers along his back. All she felt were the firm flex of sinewy muscles underneath. Curse the man for being able to age so well! Okay not really, the thought would soothe over after.

Blond hair became a veil, and she would attempt to twist to peer at him over her shoulder. It was rather useless really, as she impotently squirmed within his grasp.

"Devin!" she cried out, her petite figure a comical sight as he held her aloft. By all intents and purposes, she felt like a small bag of potatoes that he decided to carry off.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael smirked, carrying Kira all the way through the house and to the front door. "What?"

He swung around quite quickly, as if he were trying to better hear his wife, taking careful measure not to let her head hit anything within the hallway.

'What did you say?" He swung around again. "Didn't hear you."

The former False God swung around one more time, facing the direction he had been walking in the entire time. Blonde hair was now tossed everywhere, down his back, half in his face, tangled with his own hair. He smirked slightly as he heard Kira spit out a stand of her hair. "Must not have been important."

Without another word Soliael began to wander forward again, quickly heading down the stairs.