Alayna turned slightly and bumped the kitchen door open with her hip as she held firm to the serving tray with empty teacups and dishes that she carried, passed through before the sweeping arc brought the door back to her, and approached the petite grey cathar who stood at the counter and deftly sliced vegetables. Sliding the tray on the counter, she said, "Father seems in good spirits today. He thinks it will be warm enough for us to spend the afternoon on the terrace."

Keeping her attention on the sharp blade that she worked, Aissa's voice was low and terse as she answered, "You can stop calling him that. He's not your father and she was not your mother."

Resting her hand on her Aissa's shoulder, Alayna watched as the smooth fur on the back of her sister's neck bristled as she said, "Yes, I know. You keep reminding me of this fact and I can sense your feelings– "

Aissa spun on her heels to face the taller, older, Zabrak and felt a tiny pang of sadness as she looked at the facial tattoo with subtle purple-ochre strokes mimicking the chocolate brown fur stripes that had graced her mother's face. The moment of sentiment passed as quick as it came and the anger that seethed beneath the surface washed over her emotions again as she cried out, "You can sense how I feel? Can you? Can you sense how it felt to be stranger watching my mother have endless conversations and arguments with herself - with the voices in her head? How it felt to spend every day helping mother search the same rooms in this apartment for long-lost squad-mates or long-dead childhood friends from Ord Mantell?

For YOU? For her precious Laynie when she could not remember who I was?

Can you sense how it felt to spend every day wishing she would wonder if someone else was missing? Maybe just once ask where I was?"

Aissa's tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheek, leaving a black streak where the fur absorbed them. "That's not entirely true. Once... only once did she look me in the eyes and ask 'Where's Aissa?' Do you know what I told her?"

Alayna gave a slight shrug of her shoulders and gently shook her head, her voice solemn as she said, "No. What did you say?"

"All the frustration– the anger– the betrayal by the galaxy at stealing my mother from me drew ice through my veins as I told her 'Aissa is dead.' After that, I left and hide myself away."

"I... I didn't know, Aissa. Where did you go? how did you survive?" asked Alayna.

Chuffing loudly between sharp breaths, refusing to mewl aloud and reveal her true despair, Aissa said, "I just moved into one of our other apartments and lived off the credits in my trust."

"What brought you back home?"

"Father begged me for weeks to come back. He said mother would not eat or sleep and began searching non-stop for me. For me? I had to die to know that mother loved me. Do you know how that feels?"

Laynie shook her head. "No. I can't begin to imagine what that was like. You eventually came back though. Why?"

"So, I came home, and you know what happened? She didn't say a single word to me about leaving, or coming back, and she immediately resumed looking for you."

Alayna's eyes glassed over, and she breathed deep to hold her own emotions in check as she said, "Truly, it pains me to know that she obsessed over me when you were right here, caring for both of them. Perhaps, someplace down deep she knew you were there beside her but couldn't find a way to say it?"

Aissa's voice rose, "Perhaps I was never good enough! Perhaps she only ever loved you, and... and..." then trailed off as her back stiffened and the anger in her face faded. Alayna's eyes widened and a moment of quiet passed as they stared into each other's swollen glassy eyes.

"Father has passed into the Aether," whispered Aissa.

"You felt that? You're Force sensitive?"

Aissa slowly nodded and they stood quietly, numbed, looking at each other for several minutes before Alayna said, "We should go see him."

Together they walked through the apartment, arms linked and Aissa leaning against Alayna for support. As they started up the large curved stairway to the large parlor and bedrooms on the second level of the apartment, Alayna asked, "Have you never been tested to see if you're a candidate for training?"

Aissa's anger was replaced by grief, her tone sober and resigned, "No. Master Sarai Chantalle said that it would destroy mother and forbid anyone from mentioning it. So, ever since Odessen, I grew up having to deny who I was and what I could have become while you got to live the life of Jedi Temples, instruction, and travel."

When they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, they turned into the parlor where the afternoon sun fell lazily through the massive wall of windows onto the assorted couches and polished grey floor tiles. Across from them, the steward droid appeared from the short hallway that led to the bedrooms, struggling clumsily against his failing leg servo and stiffly flailing his arms in panic.

"We know already, See-Two," Aissa called out before the droid could speak.

Stopping and lowering his arms, the droid said, "Mistress, I shall contact the medics and notify those the Master had listed for this event," as they passed by him towards the master bedroom.

Alayna softly projected a wave of serenity through the force to calm Aissa and found she accepted it willingly. "I understand why you resent me, and I don't wish to compare our pains, but you should know that my mother– my birth mother died defending the station where we lived. My life there was very lonely while she worked all hours to support us, and it wasn't until your parents– "

"Our parents– "

Pulling Aissa a little closer with an affectionate tug of her arm, Alayna continued, "It wasn't until our parents took care of me for those few months that I knew what having a family meant. When the Jedi came and took me away, I was thrown back into a solitary existence at the temple, and for many years I tried to forget them by convincing myself that they were already dead."

Aissa sighed heavy and made a sullen mrrrr sound in her chest. "I don't resent you. I resent the lives none of us got to live and the life mother had stolen from her when she lost herself completely."

Pressing the door release, they walked into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. Gursan was in the same spot Alayna had left him, his eyes closed and a look of peace upon his face as he laid in bed. They said nothing to each other for several minutes until Alayna asked, "What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I spent the past six years caring for mother and father and hadn't given any thought to what would come afterward."

"Come to the temple and get tested. You're how old? Your sixteenth year? You're older than most Padawan's, but certainly would be accepted by the Order if you're strong enough in the Force."

Aissa thought on this for a moment then whispered, "Do you know if he was alone when..."

"I sensed he was... happy. As if his mood was suddenly lightened. So, I have to believe she was here to greet him into the Aether."

Aissa rested her head against Alayna's shoulder and said, "I like to think she was."