Masterpiece of My Blood

Baska had not set foot on Onderon in several months, but after dancing around the topic, mother and daughter had agreed to see each other. It would be the first time since Heyrina had been appointed as royal handmaiden in Iziz. Life as the Empress's Hand had kept the Sith busy, and truth be told, she was still figuring out what to do about her grown-up daughter. The past two years had placated her mourning of many years. After fighting for her daughter's life, which had her path intersect with the Empire more closely than she had ever expected, Baska knew she may have become distant. Surely she had instructed her then adolescent daughter how to control her gifts so she would have some basic understanding of the Force, but she had not volunteered much beyond.

For a while, Baska had thought motherhood was an experience she may not have been prepared for and that after years of longing and knowing the tragedy of her youth had left her barren, she had no idea how to be a mother. Heyrina had taken a liking to her aunt, Seraphine. The name made the blonde Sith frown. She couldn't believe that her mother had just given up on her family all those years ago. The older Tankreyd's admiration for her older daughter had left Baska at odds with both her and her unexpected sister. She was used to being a lone wolf, an outlier that followed her own path, freed from all shackles.

Ironically, she had willingly entered Empress Tarkin's service, coaxed by fate and especially Admiral Bismarck. Yet, her new position had made Baska feel more alive than she had in a long time. Working from the shadows was how she operated best and she had great respect for Miranda Tarkin. It mostly left her uncertain about what to do regarding her daughter, but the Force had gifted her a miracle and her faith inspired her not to turn her back on Heyrina even now that the younger Tankreyd was settled and creating her own path.

In the mountains of Onderon, far away from its capital or other trade and urban centers, the tall blonde waited in the forest, not too far from the small cabin she and Heyrina had decided to meet at. She could feel the tremors in the Force announcing her daughter's soon arrival.

Heyrina knew there was a lot she didn't know about her mother's life and for the most part, she was at peace with it. Her mother had been her anchor her whole life even before they had eventually reunited. She liked her aunt and grandmother alright and was grateful for the opportunities their closeness to King Starfallen had offered her, but she could share things with her mother that she could not with anyone else. She felt her heart sober up at the thought. There were things she didn't even imagine she could ever share with the Queen. She could trust Lady Adraudia with her life and would lay her own for hers, but how did one go about talking about being born over and over again in a lab, be the experiment of a mad necromancer? That was not something anyone could really do.

With a sigh, she brought her speeder bike to a halt. She had left her shuttle at a small village further away. She had come to the cabin a couple of times before, and had decorated it a little bit, but she spent most of her time at the royal palace in Iziz, as her duty demanded. It was a strange feeling to see her mother again but she was grateful that she had accepted the invitation. She knew they were on opposite sides of the proverbial line, but it did not change that her mother had saved her and that the man she associated with had a hand in it.

She felt the dark complex pulse of her mother's presence in the Force. It appeared at once, and she tethered herself to it, finding solace in it as always. She may have had little time to be a small and happy child, and even her adolescence had been quite an ordeal, but she smiled brightly the moment her bright eyes fell upon the Sith awaiting her.

"Mother," she whispered and rushed to the older blonde, wrapping her arms around her. Fate might have robbed them of much, but Tankreyds prevailed.

Part of Baska did not comprehend how Heyrina could be attached to her the way the young woman was. Memories of her pregnancy so many years ago, eons before she commanded the dark power coursing through her vines, coalesced with more recent times as she watched her daughter fall ill and recover to eventually stabilize into who she was now. She had written motherhood off after a life of mourning, but she would lie if she pretended her soul didn't latch onto her offpring's upon hearing her call her "mother."

After the briefest pause, she returned her daughter's embrace, resting her chin on the top of the younger Tankreyd's head. She briefly thought of Empress Tarkin and how motherhood could make one stronger, especially them Sith.

"It is good to see you, my daughter," she responded in a whisper.

She eventually took a step back, hands still on Heyrina's shoulders.

"Onderon suits you. You look happy and more grounded."

Heyrina knew her timid grasp on her blooming powers paled in comparison to her mother's command of the Force, but she was grateful that Baska trusted her enough to let some of her guard down. She knew that it was one of the reasons why the Sith had wanted to meet far away. That and probably her imperial entanglements, the young blonde mused.

She chuckled freely at her mother's remark.

"Grounded may be overstating it a bit, but yes, I am enjoying being in Queen Adraudia's service."

Heyrina felt a tinge of pink creeping up her cheeks at the mention of her lady, but she hoped her mother would let it slide. It was no secret that the Queen was one hell of a woman as a true Tankreyd would say.

"I am glad that you had some time to visit me. Would you like to go inside?"

Baska noticed the subtle changes in her daughter's demeanor when she mentioned Queen Adraudia. She was a little curious about it although it could be as simple as passing interest. For all she had heard, the liege of Onderon was an accomplished woman whose beauty had turned a few heads. She was glad that at least the rest of the Tankreyd family was in a system that was fully inclusive and supportive of progressive ideas and saw no issue with appreciation for any gender. The Sith had seen her share of bigotry over the years.

"Of course, lead the way," she replied with a smile.

The cabin was small but welcoming with the afternoon sun bathing the main room. Baska placed her small pack near a wall and unclasped her cloak, a rather recent memory coming to mind.

"What has you grinning, mother?"

Baska neatly folded her cloak on the back of a seat and quirked a brow at her daughter.

"What had you blushing earlier, Heyrina?"

Two could play this game after all, and making sure the younger Tankreyd was quick and strong witted was important after all.

Heyrina loved this cabin and hoped to maybe spend more time there should she have more free time. Granted, she loved her life at the palace or wherever the Queen wished to be. She still felt quite silly about her appreciation of her lady. After all she was only a handmaiden and she was a recent addition. And she knew Lady Adraudia was focused on her political duties and her pregnancy.

She was caught off-guard when her mother turned tabled on her. She should have expected it, but she couldn't help her curiosity. Besides not knowing that much about her mother due to her weird short life and having been separated from her until she was a young child, Heyrina could sense a difference in her mother's presence. It was subtle and she hoped that the Sith felt comfortable lowering some her defenses around her. When she was younger until she had stayed behind in the Tainarian system, her mother had seemed more closed off, but also somewhat sad. It was difficult to put into words.

The younger Tankreyd managed to think fast thankfully and she busied herself near the kitchenette area, making tea.

"I am working on a present for the Queen's baby and I'm hoping it will turn out well. I'm far from the most accomplished one at needlework."

She knew for sure that her mother felt comfortable around her because the surprise rippling off from the Sith at the mention of needlework smacked her through the Force.

"I didn't know that talking about quilting would be so shocking for a Sith. I'll know better now," she teased.

Baska narrowed her eyes at her daughter but chuckled as she leaned against the edge of a kitchen countertop in the small cabin.

"Touche. I was not expecting you to bring up needlework."

She gestured in an absent-minded fashion. "This is definitely not a pursuit I have ever engaged in."

The mere thought made her shudder but that was another story.

"I hope you have kept up with your combat training besides studying fashion and baby matters."

While she did not want to interfere in her daughter's life too much, she wanted to make sure she was ready in case life threw more trials at her.

"Court matters are important and a keen understanding of politics, but regardless of your current position, you should be ready for anything."