Divinations: Blood of My Blood

[Master s'Ilancy]

She watched as the eddies and currents of the Force burned themselves around him, writhing as if in eternal agony just from his touch and presence. What she saw never changed.

"You foresee?"

Facing him fully, the Lupine presented herself for his inspection, knowing well enough that she was dressed precisely as she had always been for previous Republic Days - the cream colored, off-white Jedi robes served to remind the people that she was the only one left of that old and outlawed Order who could be trusted.

"... or do you plan to cause."

[Chancellor Thrule]

He tolerated such questions, because it was her nature. The mother of his children and also his apprentice; two existences that were sometimes diametrically opposed to each other.

"Our actions, both large and small, can give rise to consequences. As high as we've both ascended, are there that many consequences in this galaxy that can't be in some way drawn back to us?"

He spared her the torment.

"If you're asking if I have something nettlesome planned for him to fall into, I think I can put your mind at ease."

[Master s'Ilancy]

"Then I am glad to hear that."

She stared at him a moment longer, always fascinated at the effect he had upon the Force, marveling at what she saw whenever looking at him.

Reaching out, s'Il indicated that he present his arm for her.

"Let us go. It would not do to keep your people waiting."

[Chancellor Thrule]

"I wouldn't dream of it."

The pair departed their suite. As the door opened, a retinue of attendants and Senate Commandos stood ready to usher them to the Triumph Promenade. Already there were millions standing at the parade grounds, waving red and white banners and cheering loudly. The morning processions were beginning on the parade that would encircle the enire senatorial district. Government for the day was essentially shut down as everyone made their plans to attend the parade. Thousands of fighters flew in formation. Speeders zipped by. Massive repulsor barges even carried armor and troops in parade formation. The martial displays were also intermingled with dance troops, with bands, from thousands of worlds. It was a day long celebration of life, of galactic prosperity, and along with the red phoenix emblem of the New Republic, there was another image present on many edifices of hundreds of skyscrapers.

It was Dan Thrule's face. The Chancellor of the Republic. The Savior of the Galaxy.

[Teagan Staedtler]

Teagan stood waiting at the yawning, grand entrance to the Triumph Promenade. Beside her was Markos. Both had their father's height, and while Markos was still far younger than the tall blonde he stood next to, it wouldn't be too much long before he overtook his sister even.

For the most part, Teagan ignored her younger brother as often as possible, a product of the jealousy she felt from the moment of his birth. Before then, she had been inseparable from her father's side, and he was always ready and willing to shower her with attention. But, after Markos, all of that had changed. No longer did she seem to be in Dan's favor, and with not a little bit of sadness did she watch as Markos was set into a place that she'd always thought would be hers.

The older she had grown, the deeper the wound ground at her. At least her mother had not changed, and Teagan had become nearly emotionally dependent on the elder Lupine.

Despite it all however, she remained civil at least in public. Ever well-practiced in the art of hiding her feelings behind a mask of graciousness, this was the mask that she now favored her father with.

[Chancellor Thrule]

"Ah, aren't both of you lovely?"

Reunited as a family, Dan bade the precession to pause on the way to their speeder limousine, so he could look his children over.

"I keep thinking I can close my eyes, and you'll both be waist-high again."

He clapped a hand at Markos's shoulder, and gave Teagan a kiss to her cheek.

"Tak, was your trip from Kashyyk productive? More than a few Senators suggested I send Star Destroyers, but I trust in diplomacy before might."

[Teagan Staedtler]

"Your trust was not misplaced."

Teagan smiled only faintly, returning the kiss with one to his own cheek. She moved easily to her mother, taking the elder Lupine's hand with a warm hold and delivering a light brush of her lips to the side of the blind Jedi's face. During all of the travels that her father sent her on, Teagan missed her mother nearly as much as she missed her own husband and children.

It had been far too long since she and Wyl had been able to be together with their young ones as a family, and even less time simply alone together.

[Master s'Ilancy]

s'Il smiled at the contact, and she reached up to run a hand down the side of Teagan's face. It was always so good when she was home on Coruscant. Dan sent her away far too often.

She took both of Teagan's hands in her own.

"It is Republic Day," she spoke warmly, if not with a hint of caution sent towards her husband, "... let us not talk of duties and work."

She continued without waiting for a response, her words once again turning to Teagan, and it was easy to hear the anticipation in her voice.

"Now. Where are my grandchildren... ?"

[Teagan Staedtler]

A smile at the change of topics, and Teagan gripped her mothers hands.

"They are waiting at the limousine with Wyl."

A look was sent to her father.

"I trust you do not mind the company on the drive over?"

[Chancellor Thrule]

Dan smiled a bit.

"Oh, perish the thought of being able to see my two grandchildren and having the chance to spoil them rotten."

They began to approach the waiting speeder. Dan spotted the taller figure of Wyl first, and a pair of tow-headed youngsters that were somehow staying relatively in one place.

[W. Staedtler]

“Dad. Who do you think would win th’best in a fight against a feragriff: me, or Oa?”

Wyl paused in the act of fastening a cufflink and looked down, catching the upturned gaze of his young son. They’d been running late - wrangling the children into attire appropriate for the occasion had been quite the feat, made harder still by two spilt bowls of cereal, one toothpaste battle, and an impromptu jousting match that had resulted in the hem of Oa’s dress being torn and necessitating a new outfit entirely. He had scarcely had time to ready himself before they were rushing out the door and until now, had been only vaguely aware of the subject being hotly debated between his offspring.

“Um,” Wyl started. Oa, previously keeping a sharp lookout for her mother and the rest of their party, suddenly turned her interest to his answer. Feeling rather put on the spot, the Jedi cleared his throat and went the safe way of diplomacy. “Well, I think you’d both give it a run for it’s money.”

Neco's face scrunched, clearly unsatisfied by this answer. “But who would be best?” He pressed.

“Surely if you came across a feragriff you’d work as a team?” Wyl crouched down, tapped his son’s ankle. Neco extended his foot obligingly and Wyl began to deftly retie his undone lace. Again. “Two against one is better odds.”

“Dad’s not allowed to pick sides, Neco,” Oa informed her brother loftily. “It’s like having favourites and you can’t have favourites with your children. It’s against the rules.”

Saved by his daughter’s reasoning, once again. She was like her mother that way, Wyl thought as he sent her a fond, grateful smile. Indeed, she resembled Tak in so many ways that sometimes, watching her drag her brother along on wild excursions, he was transported back in time to their own childhood, when they’d been the ones traipsing off in search of adventure.

“What if he could, though?” Neco tugged on Wyl’s sleeve, determined to wring out an answer. He was all persistance, this one. “If you could choose, Dad, who would it be?”

“That is a very complex question, Neco,” Wyl answered, looking over the boy’s head. His eyes filled with a sparkling warmth and he rose to his feet, gently placing hands on his son’s shoulders and turning him. “Why don’t you ask Dama.”

[Oa Staedtler]

Oa had heaved a great sigh as her dad tied Neco's shoe again for like, the zillionth time. This most recent debate was only one in a string of many such discussions dealing with who would win the most against any sort of animal, and was often their favorite thing to talk of. They'd even snuck off into the back halls and rear courtyards of their grandparent's home on Schwartzweld once, determined to find a rancor or a gundark or even a bantha (Dad had taught them how to do Bantha calls, and they'd spent almost an hour whooping and hollaring in the woods). They'd only found jakrabs and kangamice though - certainly not the fearsome beasts they'd expected.

Turning to look with Neco and Dad, she saw Uncle Markos and Dama; Uncle Markos looked like he'd just eaten a bug. He always looked like that though.

A smile spread from ear to ear across her face as she recognized the other two people.

"Gemma! Get'ia!"

And off she was, grabbing Neco by the hand and pulling him along. Both children, dressed in their best, ate up the distance between the limousine and the group coming out to meet them.

[Neco Staedtler]

Dad always had a funny way of not answering questions so that you didn't even realize it until later. Oa and he had to be very clever in order to dupe him and through trial and error, they'd developed an excellent two-fold system; Neco would badger and press the subject from every conceivable angle, cornering his father until he got a desperate glint to his eyes. That was the signal for Oa to swoop in and pretend to diffuse the situation with a well-placed comment. It lulled Dad into a false sense of security and just when he thought he had safely passed the conversation off to Dama, the two of them would strike again, together this time. The pressure was entirely too much - he could scarcely resist.

Which was why the boy felt a stab of irritation when his sister grabbed his hand and jerked him along. They were so close!

"Oa," Neco started, his face falling into a cross expression. "What are you--"

"Gemma! Get'ia!"

Oa's delighted cry cut off his annoyed query and the boy followed her gaze, his own face lighting up at the sight of his grandparents. Oh boy! It had been forever since they'd all been together as a family. It was always twice as much fun; with Dama and Dad and Gemma and Get'ia, there was double the normal amount of attention to go around. And perhaps Get'ia would give him a straight answer.

As the two galloped over, Neco met them with a familiar announcement. "I have a question!"

[Master s'Ilancy]

In a way that none would ever be able to imagine, s'Il watched as her two grandchildren came up, arms outstretched and the ever-familiar 'I have a question' announcement was made. It was an announcement that the elder Lupine had become well acquainted with, and each time it was made, she was glad that it was most always directed to Dan.

She caught a look from Markos, and settled him with a practiced hand to the back of his head, slender fingers tickling through the edges of his finely trimmed hair before swooping down to bring Oa into her arms.

When Teagan had become pregnant, s'Il had of course been overjoyed, knowing that it was only a matter of time now, until her family would be added to once more. Her people would once more rise to populate the galaxy as Dan had so long ago told her. Her husband had many times reassured her that as much as he wished to see her further herself in the Dark ways, he wanted to see her species flourish once more as well. And small though it might be, that glimmer of hope, that glimmer of resurgence, was never so more evident than when she was in the presence of Wyl and Teagan's children. Her grandchildren. Her hGenid'ia.

Her smile as she held Oa was so radiant, and she hugged the girl close.

"Gemma missed you so much," she whispered.

[Chancellor Thrule]

Dan stooped down, this time to tend to the particular grandchild that had bounded up to him.

"Questions, eh, Neco?"

He put a hand on the hyperactive youngster's shoulder and looked to s'Il, then back to Tak and Wyl, wondering what frantic query was rattling around in his head.

"Well, whatcha got?"

[Neco Staedtler]

Neco tilted his head back, offering his grandfather a beaming smile that showcased his newly-missing teeth. At last, someone who would treat this matter with the thought and discernment it required!

"It's one of of those questions that's not about a real situation per se, Get'ia," Neco explained, cadence ripe with earnestness. "So you don't have to worry about giving a make believe answer, no one's feelings will be hurt. Because it's only what-if.

"If there was a feragriff loose and Oa and I had to battle it - only seperately, not as a team, and maybe there ought to be two feragriffs because otherwise the person who fought it second would have an unfair advantage, don't you think? - so if we had to each fight a seperate but equally fierce feragriff, who do you think would win the best?"

[W. Staedtler]

With the children occupied, Wyl stole a moment to simply take in his wife as he slowly ambled over. As always, the mere sight of her left him absolutely breathless and reeling with the knowledge that the creature before him - beautiful inside and out - had deigned to be his partner. It seemed simultaneously the most reasonable thing in the world and yet made no sense at all.

Wyl couldn't remember a time when he hadn't loved Teagan in some shape or form. For the better part of both their lives they'd been best friends, and it was upon this firm foundation that their relationship had grown and flourished; of course he would have married her, and of course they would have made this life together. And yet... how was it possible that he'd been so fortunate?

The Jedi took his place beside his wife and grasped her hand, a private smile tugging at his lips. Nothing ever seemed right when Tak was gone.

"You're far too stunning to be the mother of such wild little things," Wyl whispered, near giddy with the fact that order had returned to their universe.

[Teagan Staedtler]

His hand, so easily taking hers, made Teagan smile a relieved smile, and she tightened her grip. It never seemed to matter; whether it was a day or ten days, being away from her husband was never looked at as anything but the worst of fates. His very presence was such a comfort, and she often marveled at the life they had chosen to share.

At his words, Teagan leaned into him slightly, though her eyes stayed on their children.

"They take after their father quite a bit," she whispered back in a good-natured tone, knowing full well that she too had been just as wild when she was Neco and Oa's age.

Before Wyl could say anything in answer however, she turned, placing a gentle kiss to his temple.

[Oa Staedtler]

Oa, happy as ever to be in Gemma's arms, beamed wide as she kept an ear to Neco's question. Get'ia's answer was highly anticipated, and making sure to keep an arm around Gemma's neck, the little girl looked down to where her grandfather knelt in front of Neco.

"And remember," she reiterated to Get'ia, "... it's hypertheticle."

[Chancellor Thrule]

Dan made a big to-do about mulling over this question; he stroked at his chin and 'hmm'ed a bit as he considered it.

"Well obviously we couldn't have a pair of feragriff's out loose on Coruscant to test it. That wouldn't do. We'd have to think up a suitable test."

He reached into a pocket, rustling the contents around in it.

"I've got 30 credit chits in my pocket. Twenty nine are for one credit, and one is for 50."

The kids could no doubt see where this was soon to be headed.

"When they hit the ground, whoever finds the big chit is the winner."