Wake Up

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Another sputter of hot breath blew her blonde hair away from her face, only to flutter down as if in taunt. "Oh don't even! You heard me!" her fingers went fanning over his sides, her legs kicking in her continued squirming.

"We aren't-- gah!" the jolts of him walking down the stairs would make her bounce, the pert curve of her bum coming to display as she bent a bit forward to steady herself with his torso. A toss of her head would flip her hair against his cheek, but managed to settle over one shoulder instead of covering her face.

"I haven't finished packing!!!' she insisted again, her cries echoing down the hall as he came to the final step. Wide windows spanned this section of the house, allowing a wealth of natural light. It was one of the main features of the house that Kira absolutely enjoyed. The open spaces, the large windows. How it all worked together to let the salt of the ocean, the breeze of the sea, and the light of the Borleia's sun.

"The ship isn't even here yet!" a resounding smack bounced off the former false god's left buttcheek. A tiny little red hand print would smart Soliael's derriere.

Alas, such provocations rarely ever went unchecked.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"It's difficult to hear short things." Soliael said as he plumped his feet down on the bottom of the stair, finally entering the foyer of their house. The home that Soliael had built for them, or rather the one that he had purchased for himself and Kira all those years ago was quite large. It was more accurate to call it a manor more than anything else, and the distance they had traveled so far was really only about a third of the house, which of course meant that there was plenty of space for Soliael to fool around in.

"What do you mean the ship isn't here?" Soliael asked he slightly wiggled his derriere. "I'm pretty sure it is."

Soliael took half a step forward, and then suddenly the world around them shifted.

It was instant, happening so fast that Kira would barely be able to keep up with it.

One moment they were standing in the front of their home, and the next the two would find themselves standing on the edge of the cliff on the far side of the island. The sun was cresting the horizon, slowly falling beneath the ocean to reveal hundreds of stars above. Soliael's arm clung tighter around Kira, ensuring she didn't go falling off his shoulder as his other hand came up to settle on his brow. His head tipped up as if he were searching the sky. "I'm almost entirely sure it's up there."

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

That slight sense of vertigo always swept over the Lorrdian whenever her husband ‘blinked.’ It was the silly little term she used to describe the ability the former false god used to fold space. He was being a smartalek about it too! It was an ability he’d never shared with her or the kids. Something he said it wasn’t his to pass. Kira never bothered him about it, and it was that ability that had managed to bring him to Contruum to save her.

“I’m not short!” She huffed out, blowing out air from her cheeks as she kept trying to push her hair out of the way from her eyes.

Oh she could feel his humor through the ring. It was that circlet that connected them so and bound them to the other. With it, Kira was able to feel every emotion that he experienced. Some of which could be deliciously good. Others.. Well…

Smugness had a tendency to make the Lorrdian feisty.

“Devin!” She gave his rear another smack.

“You just barely commed!” She cried, wiggling her own pert bum as she struggled in his grasp, rather comically too. The sound of waves crashing against the foot of the cliff soared up, drowning her cries as she feebly wiggled and squirmed. A pinch was tossed in for good measure, but that wretched man’s ass was firm enough to bounce a credit off of still.

Which was great at other times, but not so much here.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Not Short?" Soliael echoed her. "Are you sure about that?"

He whipped around again, this time making it so Kira faced the waves. "I'm pretty sure you're the shortest one of this island."

That was of course true even with the children on the island. Kira was tiny, dwarfed by every single one of her kids. It wasn't a bad thing of course, Soliael wouldn't change anything about his wife even if he could, but it did make for amusing family photos. He smiled slightly, shifting again and then finally pulling Kira off of his shoulder. She was still light as ever, easy enough to scoop up and even easier to carry around. He placed her very gently on the edge of the cliff, making careful measure that she would have the proper footing.

"See?" He said once she was on her feet.

"Short." Soliael said the words with a smirk.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Her bare feet touched ground, the wind ruffling and tossing her blonde hair around her shoulders. There was no doubt that Soliael would keep her safe, even here on this cliffside. They may joke and tease, but her husband always had her safety in mind.

“Oh I can show you short!” Kira would growl out in mock affront, poking him on his belly. Her dress molded to her petite figure in that last gust of wind, and she wiggled herself close as she came up on tippy toe. Her arms went snaking up to rest on his shoulders, as if her mere weight would be able to shove him down.

Their height difference was quite comical. At two meters, Soliael dwarfed his wife, who just barely covered a meter and a half. All of their children managed to be blessed with Devin’s height; Esmae had been the first, and at 1.82 meters, had towered over her mother at an early age. Even without her rather leggy family around, the Jedi Master had the unfortunate height that would often mistake her to be a youngling herself.

“And get you right on the knees!” Came her silly quip, unable to halt the twitch at the corner of her lip as she stared up at her husband.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He smiled, Soliael had never minded their height difference. It made for entertaining times to say the least. Others found it odd of course, but to him it had long since become completely and entirely ordinary. His children of course had never really thought anything of it, they were used to nothing more then what they had been brought up with. Of course the amusing thing was that everyone in the family had eventually grown to stand above his wife, even Nohei the baby.

The former false God wondered if his wife even cared about that.

He guessed she probably didn't. "Alright."

"Enough fun I think." Soliael said as he leaned down and pressed a kiss onto her forehead. "We still have a lot to do."

They wanted to leave in the morning after all.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Kira let her eyes flutter shut at the press of his lips upon her forehead. She felt the tickle of her bangs and the warmth of his lips. Love and affection for Soliael bloomed brightly within her chest. Her expression would soften, and a slow carefree smile went curving up, revealing the tiny wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the laugh lines across her cheeks.

“Well…” she began, drawing him closer and snuggling up against him. The Lorrdian took a deep breath. She reveled in the scent of the sea and that which was of Sol himself. How I love him, she thought, the breadth and depth of her affection far too wide and large to describe in mere words. She loved him, every part of him. Loved him since those fateful events on Exocron had sent them both tumbling together; at time a bit more literal than rhetorical.

“We can probably stay a little bit longer.” There was no rush. A few more minutes here in his arms wouldn’t hurt. Her lips would press a kiss along his throat, right near his collarbone.

“I like the idea of being able to keep you to myself again.” Kira confessed. Not that she didn’t already, but this was different. This would lead them to other places to explore and experience.

“I do enjoy traveling with you.”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"I'd certainly hope so." Soliael said as he slowly pulled his arms around Kira and once again scooped her up into his arms, this time carrying her like a princess. "Mostly because you'll be traveling a lot with me over the next few months."

That's how long he thought they'd be away.

Of course there was really no telling how long they would be gone.

The Rishi Maze was by all accounts as massive as half of the galaxy. There was a lot of the satellite galaxy that wasn't explored yet, and none of it was mapped, at least to Soliael's knowledge. That meant that pretty much everywhere they would go Soliael and Kira would see something new. He couldn't imagine that either he or Kira would actually get tired of that, especially considering the fact that they were both naturally rather curious. He smiled slightly, then pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

"Hang on." Soliael stepped forward, reality shifting once more.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Her world spun again.

Vertigo took her and all she could sense was Sol. It didn't matter where they would go, where they would be. As long as she was with him, Kira was perfectly content and happy. They didn't need the island. They didn't need all the riches that Sol had gleaned in over two hundred years of wandering. Honestly, Kira was just as happy having nothing and living a humble life in the past.

She would be just as content in the same circumstance with Devin there with her.

Where he was blinking them off to, she didn't know. Could be the beach, could be their bedroom. Maybe the sunporch or Nohei's doorstep. It could even be Exocron, but as long as she was with him.

It didn't matter.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He stepped onto the balcony that was attached to their bedroom, the doors still hanging open and the curtains swaying slightly in the ocean breeze. There was a pleasant scent in the air, the sea bringing in the nice smell that was a near constant within their home. Soliael had never grown tired of that smell, even after more than two decades of living within their island home.

"Alright." The former False God said as he placed Kira back on the ground.

There was still a lot to do, though his part was done. The ship was on its way, his mother was informed, Amorella knew that they were going, and everything else was set away. he supposed that they should also lock up the house, though doing so was rather silly since the place was cloaked twenty four hours a day. Soliael mused for a moment more, then shrugged slightly. It wouldn't hurt to at least check the doors and window, just in case.

His lips pressed against Kira's cheek. "I'll check around the house so we don't have to do it in the morning."

Maybe see that all the outlets were okay, wouldn't do to return to a burning husk.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

"I'll finish packing." she told him, pressing a squeeze and returning his small kiss upon his own cheek. They had much to cover. Much to do. Their brief excursion brought a new zeal within the Lorrdian. Just the excitement of adventure and of the unknown. The tiny Jedi Master was estatic about the thought. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy their home on Borleias or their winter home in the outskirts of the Outer Rim, it was just that in their desire to start a family, there rarely was a time where it was spent at length simply just the two of them.

Kira loved her children, as did Soliael. They would do anything for them. However, it was nice to think of what they would be able to do together and explore to their heart's content.

Food and perishables would already be taken care of on Kuat. All they really needed was clothing, and if she was honest, they really didn't need much in that.

A smile would shine over her lips, smoothing over the blue dress she had folded over. They had to make sure Nohei would take care of the animals when she was able to. Secure the island. She was sure the kids would come and go, so she wasn't too worried about that.

Tonight, perhaps they could have dinner with Nohei, then they can leave thereafter.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Predictably the night passed rather quickly, and the next day saw Soliael standing on the beach with The Freya hovering before him. The ship was of course too large to actually land on the island, thus it had to use its repulsor drives to hover over the oceans. It was nice to have such a ship available, powerful enough to defend itself against most pirate ships, and even capital class vessels, but fast enough that it would get most places in a timely manner, he smiled slightly as he looked up at the ship.

"Been a long time." The vessel was of course automated now, almost completely controlled by droids and a flight system.

That had not always been the case, but when he had left the roll of a God of Moross Soliael had thought it a necessary change. It helped that he could still control the entire vessel through the force, his technomancy being one of the more advanced skills that he was still able to maintain even without the darkside of the force.

A smile cropped up on his feet as he heard a slight bit of struggling behind him.

"Need some help?" Soliael said as he half turned to find his wife dragging a rather large suitcase along. "We have droids for that you know."

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

A few small grunts and a huff were Sol’s answer, on top of a pert little derriere wiggling as she pulled the suitcase over a step.

“I got it!” She said rather defiantly. Her cheeks were already with a bit of exhursion, but Kira was the sort to try and do things on her own. Granted, the sight she would provide had as always, a comedic effect. That tends to happen when one is of a rather diminutive stature. The former False God could very well likely pick up the suitcase and easily take it to the ship, but his wife had her moments of stubbornness.

A wide brim straw hat was perched on top of her blonde head, while a simple blue sun dress clung to her lithe frame. Her hair was left loose, cascading in soft pale blonde waves that fell nearly to mid back. Over the years, the Jedi Master had simply let her hair grow, and while the hue would fade to a pale gold, the fringe of bangs yet remained.

As did the occasional puffs of hot hair to blow them away from her eyes.

“I need to keep myself fit you know!” She’d quip, calling over her shoulder with a mischievous glint. She turned on the soles of her shoes, twisting to now pull the suitcase. A bit of pride shone over her heartshaped face, and she flashed him a grin. A sigh fell from her lips and Kira went tipping her head back.

“Well, that just brings back memories…” she coo’d, reaching out with her free hand to clasp Sol’s. “I’m half expecting the Crusaders to come out and welcome us.”

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

He smiled at that, the memories. The Freya had a lot behind it, though not all were as pleasant. He remembered slaughtering the Aing-Tii within the ships hangars, forcefully converting them and stripping them of their thought. It had only been a few, a dozen or so, but they had been the title wave that had begun Moross. That was over three decades ago, and in truth he regretted his actions. There was a slight pang of sadness as he thought of that, though the good that Moross had eventually brought outweighed the bad that Soliael had conducted to begin.

"Most of them are still in Moross space." Soliael mused to his wife. "Looking after their homeworlds."

The Crusaders had been Moross' force order, trained mostly by Soliael himself.

They had been loyal Knights, all of them, powerful and wise enough to do what needed to get done. They had a simple code, ever watchful and concerned with the people of Moross. They had always done what needed to be done, and Soliael had enjoyed their companionship when he had taken up his armor to be among them. "I can call some if them if you want."

The former False God teased her.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

Her hand would come to gently rest upon his shoulder. A soft encouraging smile lay upon Kira's lips as she studied him. Their connection through Soliael's ring as well as the one that had grown between them all these years was hard to break. When he felt pain, so did she. Concern, joy, sadness. All of these Kira would feel as her own.

Those pangs of melancholy would transfer, and in her turquoise gaze, she'd simply provide encouragement. All these years there was little that time had not unearthed and uncovered. Soliael's past and his deeds were not kept in the shadows from his wife. Over two decades had seen those tales brought out into the light, and in them she relived them at every telling. There were parts of him he regretted. Others which he had no choice in the matter. Despite all this, Kira saw deep within her husband's heart, and she saw a good man.

It was no different from what she had told him in the tundra of Exocron those many years ago.

"It would be nice to see a few of them again." she confessed, slipping her hand down to slip against his. Their fingers would interlock.

"Perhaps before we head off into Rishi Maze proper?" At the very least she knew that. Rishi the planet would be the gateway into the Maze itself. Beyond that, they had a ways to go and no real timeline or time-frame to conduct their traveling.

"See what they are all up to." she gave him a tug, encouraging him forward. This tiny thing moving both the suitcase and her two meter husband along. Perhaps it was the mothering of four children that could never really leave.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

Soliael knew what most of them were doing, just as he had said, protecting their homeworlds. Many of the Crusaders had simply elected to stay behind on their homes, drawn from all over they had now returned back to where they had come from. Soliael of course had ensured that each of them had the funds and the ability to retire quite nicely, but unsurprisingly most of them felt that they still had a duty to their leaders. It was of course true that most of the Crusaders knew of the False Gods, that they were serving an ideal, not true Immortals.

He smiled slightly. "We could call them to Rishi."

Most would jump at the chance, Soliael knew that. A few times he had thought about what would happen if he called them to war again, if he needed assistance. Of course most would be a bit older now, in their forties, but he thought that they would still be more than capable of fighting. That wasn't what he and Kira would be doing of course, but it was something that Soliael had pondered often.

If he would ever need that.

He cast a glance towards Kira for a moment, her necklace, his thoughts wavering to the Tattoos carried by his children.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

“I’d like that,” Kira admitted, flashing a crooked grin and giving his hand a small squeeze. “Only if they have the time. No need to get them coming to Rishi if they are busy… plus that might give us a bit of unwanted attention.”

Especially if they wanted to try and keep a relatively low profile. It was easier to enjoy traveling and exploring this new path of theirs without undue scrutiny.

“So what do we know about Rishi and the Rishi Maze so far?” The world was closer to former Moross Territory and that of the Techno Union. Honestly, the Lorrdian hadn’t really traveled much that far south. At one time, she had met a Dreadtrooper there.

I wonder how he is doing? She mused. That was decades in the past. Time just seem to fly. A flutter of curiosity went washing over her face as that upturned button nose rose.

“What’s on your mind?” Kira asked him. She had caught his gaze, and while he did typically unabashedly stare at her, this was more with a pensive expression than one that evoked stirring interest.

Up the ramp they went, her hand encouraging him along. Halfway there, he took the suitcase from her.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Rishi?" He mused slightly.

There wasn't actually a lot that Soliael knew about the planet, mostly because he'd never been there. The former False God had been prolific in his travels of teh galaxy, having gone everywhere from the core to wild space, yet even in all of his years he'd never quite made it to Rishi. That wasn't too surprising really, the galaxy was a huge place with many billions of planets, no one could visit every single one of them, even with his extended life span.

"Not much." He admitted. It wasn't often that Soliael didn't know something, he had been the god of knowledge after all. "There's a few tidbits on Rishi. It's pretty much the last step before the maze, a kind of haven for pirates sometimes, but that's really about it, It's not exactly Coruscant."

Soliael said that with a smile.

That was part of why they were going of course, to learn more, to chart their way, and to encounter something new. He and Kira intended to travel to learn, to see new things, to do something that no one else had ever done before. It was an adventure, one different from raising children, different from fighting the Sith, from founding a religion and governing worlds. It was different, a change of pace for the both of them, a nice way to spend their retirement.

When his wifes next question came he only smiled. "I was thinking about loyalty."

True enough, in a way.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

They made their way inside, returning to a place that had been their home for scattered weeks in the past. It was familiar to her, and filled Kira with warmth.

"Oh?" came her questioning query, curiosity gleaming in her bright blue eyes. Loyalty. That was trait that Soliael valued well. Kira did too, but there were others that she held in higher esteem. Honesty. Generosity. Kindness.

Forgiveness.

After all these years, the Lorrdian was able to focus in on a few of the things that her husband would mull about. Over two decades together, raising their children, and being completely open with each other did that. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him and the same vice versa.

"About the Crusaders?" they were still loyal to a fault, regardless of the length of time since the rise and fall of Moross. The ramp would close with a small hiss behind them, the blonde moving ahead of her husband as they journeyed towards the lounge. Now inside, they could provide the instructions to the automated ship for their destination.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

"Yes." Soliael said simply as they moved forward.

There was a lot to say about the loyalty of the Crusaders. They would come when he called, he was sure of that, but he wasn't quite sure if that was in it of itself right. He supposed that it was, given that he had trained them to have the strength and power to defend their homeworld, yet there was something about the entire deal that now put it off. Perhaps it was because of the manipulation that he had brought, or perhaps it was simply his age weighing down on the decisions he had made when he was younger.

"Just thinking about everything I did." Soliael said as they wandered towards the bridge. "But, I think it's time we think about happier things."

He squeezed Kira's hand.

There wasn't time to be solemn now, they had a trip to plan.