Chapter Title: Nyssa Kor
Series Title: Unlikely Brothers
Ages in this chapter: Tanner (12, 16, 20) Dashen (18, 22, 26)
POV: Dashen
Chapter Summary: A lifelong friend of Colton's works her way into the family over the years.
"What the hell is a Nyssa Kor?"
That was me, yelling forward to my brother running ahead.
"You haven't met her? She's Colton's new lady. Well, not really new, he says he's known her forever, but she's new to us. Why are we running and yelling?"
Nyssa? Definitely a new name in the Virgil Colton string of female friends.
"Is that the one with blue hair?" I kept yelling. I kept running.
"I think so. The lady with blue hair thinks I'm adorable, remember? But I never got her name. Dash, why are we running? Can we stop?"
"Use your magic and keep moving. I stole something from a crazy woman who holds a grudge against me and Grunley and if her people catch me, I'm a dead man. Probably ground into meat and fed to her pet rancor. Keep. Running."
"That would be really bad!"
Tannerlin Vai. The master of understatement.
We ran and yelled. Yelled and ran. Eventually we found daylight and salvation in the form of the open plain. The woman trying to kill me was a forest dweller and their people didn't often venture from the protection of the forest. It left them vulnerable to whatever, I didn't know. I was still trying to figure out who the hell Nyssa Kor was.
"Okay. Okay. W-we c-can stop n-now, Tanner. Walk. We're g-good. But keep mov-moving. Keep moving."
"That was fun." Tanner said, and meant it. Clearly, he was not sucking on lungs as badly as I was. Damn Jedi magic probably.
"Whatever you say, little brother. Let's head home." I pointed to our east and Kaolin. "About this Nyssa Kor lady. Colton's serious about her? I mean, really serious?"
Tanner shrugged. "Maybe. He looks at her differently
than his other female friends. And they have actual conversations. She smiled at me like a real person too."
"And she thinks you're adorable."
"Well, yes, there's that." Tanner blushed. Not sure why. She wasn't the first or the last who thought the kid lovable and sweet. Ugh. Whatever. He was plain, that's the best I had.
"I can't imagine him being serious with any one person. Could be dangerous in more than a few ways really."
We arrived home and walked to our apartment entrance, hoping to avoid whoever this Nyssa Kor person was. Too late. Colton was there, in our apartment, which was weird, because... well, it just was.
"Colt!" I said, surprised and wary. "We didn't come in through the front door, so we can't be in trouble for that. So, um, why exactly are we in trouble?"
Big, broad and blonde about summed him up. Imposing would come next, but it wasn't a 'B' word so my brain didn't register it immediately. He stood over us.
"Downstairs. Now."
Yup, that was weird too. "Ah, okay." I pushed Tanner toward the interior stairs that connected our place to the main house. "You go first. If we're about to be killed, you'll have a better chance to convince him not to do it. You being adorable and all."
"You're the big brother, you go first." He pushed me back.
Colton grabbed our collars. "Stop it now. Don't make me say it again."
We obeyed. It helped that neither mine nor Tanner's feet were touching the ground, so that limited our options for fleeing.
"Okay, what's happening?" I asked, because let's be honest, what else was I going to do as he dragged us down the stairs by the scruff of our necks?
He grunted. "I want you to meet someone and I want you to behave. Stick to the story."
The story. Our story. Nephews of Colton. Adopted. I guess we were about to meet Miss Blue Hair officially.
We behaved, our collars released. In the kitchen of the main house stood who I assumed was this Nyssa person. Hair still blue, though a darker hue. Her skin was a much lighter shade of the same color. Eyes of the same. So, she was very blue. She was also tall and built like a wall of solid muscle. If Colton hadn't been standing next to her, she'd have been the most imposing thing in the room. As it was, she was pretty damned close to being that.
Not his usual type for lady visitors. She was different. I nudged Tanner to entice him to get a feel for her with his magic. His abilities there were limited, but at times he'd had some luck feeling people out emotionally. Was worth a shot.
Instead of nudging me back to say he understood, he kicked me in the shin hard enough to get a reaction. I flicked a finger at his ear. He yelped.
Whoops.
Colton growled. That was new. I suppose we'd ticked him off. Tanner's fault. He'd started it.
Another growl.
We stopped being annoying.
"Boys," he said once we stood quiet. "This is Nyssa Kor. An old friend. Ny, my adopted nephews Dashen and Tannerlin."
Nyssa 's dark blue eyes were intense even as they lightened, setting them on Tanner. "Yes, the adorable one. We met in passing the last time I was here. You're a sweet thing, aren't you, little one?"
Ugh. I might puke. Everyone loved Tanner. They didn't even have to know him and they liked him. That apparently included Big Blue here. And I should probably stop thinking of her by that name. At some point it would go from my brain to my lips and well, that would end in all kinds of bad.
Tanner, damn him, helped to encourage the puking feeling. "See, Dash. I am adorable and sweet. Hi Nyssa . I remember your hair. You're not one of the usual ladies that Colton has over to visit."
My head fell and I dropped eye contact with everyone in the room. Given the chance, I would have melted invisibly into the background, but nope. The kid had just gone there, said that... and it was pure Tanner. He didn't waste time wandering around, he dove right in. Told me it was easier to be honest up front then to remember the lies you've told along the way. Adorable and logical. It's a wonder he and I ever managed to get along.
Thankfully, Nyssa had a sense of humor. She gave Colton the most curious of glances, shifting her feet with hands on hips and then laughing heartily. "Oh, that's good. Real good. Virg, still with the late night ladies?"
I kept my head down and cringed as Colton responded without actually exploding. The non-exploding part was unexpected.
"Nyssa , you know damn well that's none of your business and I live a stressful life. These two don't help matters either." He glared at us. "Adorable or not."
"Virgil Colton, you never change. Not since you were a teenager, all scrawny and thin."
Oh, now there was story I'd like to hear. Colton? Scrawny? And did she just call him Virg?
A large hand cuffed my shoulder as he somehow knew what my next words would be. "Boy, do not even think about asking." He grumbled at me. I frowned.
Nyssa responded. "Virgil, stop being a grouser. You were scrawny, admit it."
Yup, there it was. She had gone there. Virg. Virgil. Very few - I knew of one - could get away with calling him by the first name he generally avoided, much less using an abbreviated version of that name. This Nyssa woman, she was special. I needed more.
"Yeah... Virgil." I dared with mischief in my eyes. "Stop being a grouser and tell your beloved adopted nephews about your scrawny days of the past."
The daggered glare shot my way when his head snapped left, it promised to haunt my evening and the dreams that followed, but this was getting way too good to let go now.
"So, Nyssa," I said with joyful voice, "You've known Colton since you were kids?" Sure sounded that way. "Tanner and I wouldn't mind a story or two. Or more." Yes, there was a playful smirk on my face with that last part.
Tanner, always the one with common sense, cut in. "Dash, Colton's gonna murder you in a minute, we may not have time for a story. But," he finished coyly. "I would like to hear those stories too."
The fact that Colton was not saying a single word, did not bode well for my future. But I'd blame his friend here for encouraging me. Not my fault she started this game.
"Actually, boys," Nyssa said, "There's a lot to tell. He was tall and skinny and he hated it. Other kids ribbed him, he took it heart and worked on not being all skin and bones. Not much he could do about the height situation."
Yeah, hmm. Nyssa was skipping over something with that non-story-story. Pretty sure I knew exactly what it was.
"Uh huh. You got beat up, didn't you, Colt?"
Another quiet glare. Yup, I was definitely dying later. But this was a hell of a lot of fun while it lasted. I'd enjoy my last few hours in this life.
"You know, I never got beat up," Tanner chimed in, detouring the target practice way from Colton. "But I got teased for being so small. I was always less than average. Didn't matter to me. Guess it mattered to others." He finished with a shrug.
"Where did you grow up, Tannerlin?"
Whoops. Wrong turn there Nyssa Kor . Our story was pre-set as long as Tanner didn't slip up. He was all about being honest and forthright with people except when it involved his own safety (or mine). Nyssa might be a trusted friend for Colton, but there wasn't any reason she needed to know about one of his fake nephews being a Jedi apprentice hiding from the Empire after surviving the purge.
To his credit, Tanner didn't miss a beat.
"On the other side of the planet," he said steady, as if he'd told the lie a thousand times. "Until my father died.
I don't think I'll ever grow out of being less than average, but I'm happy with me."
The woman's blue face smiled, eyes and all. If she sensed any untruth in the quick lies, she didn't let on. In fact, she bent down and placed her hands on either side of my little brother's face. "You are content with yourself. There is nothing more important. Never lose that, little one."
—-
So, Nyssa Kor become a part of our lives that day. More and more time she spent with Colton. Depending on realities of life, she might spend several weeks at the estate. Tanner absolutely loved her. Tediously boring stories of nothing he shared and she listened. Yup actually listened and always found something to discuss with him after each story.
That aside, she brought a lot to the house when she was here. Colton for one was much less grumpy. He was, dare I say, happy on occasion? He and Nyssa, they matched. You'd never guess it from physical appearances - she was blue, he was not, and all that - but there was a connection there. One that he needed more than he knew.
She'd become so entrenched in our lives in fact that Tanner spilled the beans to her after few years. He was sixteen then, he trusted her. And so, there it went.
"I am... was... a Jedi."
Yup. Those words came flying out of my brother's mouth and directly into the Nyssa 's path. Unexpected. Maybe it surprised me more than her?
"I see." Her reaction. Features calm. No shock. No surprise. No nothing really. She really was the female version of Colton... just blue.
"The story of me and Dashen being Colton's nephews is false. I was stranded on this planet when the Jedi Purge happened. My master was killed in front of me and I was left to die. Dashen found me. Saved me. Colton saved him and took us into his care and security so I didn't end up with a blaster hole in my back."
His post-Jedi life story in a nutshell. That he trusted Nyssa enough to reveal all of this, yeah, that surprised me.
That he was going to spring his secret, he'd not mentioned it to me and for Tanner that was weird. The kid mentioned everything to me. Mostly things that bored me out of my skull, but still. I guess he didn't want me second guessing his decision. Which I would have done. That was me. Never trust. Ever. Not when it came to the safety of my little brother.
So much for that idea.
"Tanner?" I asked with enough inflection in my voice that he knew exactly what I was asking without me saying the words.
"She's good, Dash. Colton trusts her with his life. I know enough now. I trust her too. It's all right. You know me. I never do anything without reason or without thought and meditation. It's okay, big brother. Honest."
My eyes flicked from Tanner to Nyssa. Pale brown to dark blue. Such a contrast. These two were as different as night and day. Much like Tanner and me. I just had a really hard time letting my guard down for anyone who would potentially hurt my brother. Not that I saw that in this lady, but it was always safer with Tanner's past kept hidden.
So much for that.
"And I figured," Tanner went on, "It's better for you to be in the know once you move in officially."
Wait, what?
"Wait, what?" My words often echoed my brilliant thoughts. What did he just say? Okay, so as I'd said, she did spend a lot of time here, but full time, all the time, every day? "Move in? Tanner that's... hilarious. Colton? Really? Is this your magic talking again, Mouse?"
"It's not magic, Dash... ugh! Never mind. I just know, she's here enough and if you paid any attention to them together, you'd know it too."
I paid attention. Sorta. Not really. I turned to Nyssa.
"News to you, Ny?"
She wavered and made an interesting face that basically said, sure, it's been on my mind.
"We've... discussed it. Nothing is set in stone and my work takes me places, but perhaps a permanent future together isn't far off. Is that something you feel in the Force, Tannerlin?"
"You know about the Force?"
Great. Now Tanner was gone. I'd lost him. Just pretend I wasn't in the room. His brown eyes lit up, got big and his sixteen year old self suddenly seemed five years younger.
Okay, Nyssa, just don't feed off him...
"I do. Not an expert, but I am educated in many beliefs..."
Of course she is. I should just walk out now. No one would notice anyway.
Tanner went on. "I knew there was a reason I liked you the first time we met."
"Tanner, she told you that you were adorable. That's why you liked her. And you were eleven."
"And I was adorable, but that wasn't the reason."
I shook my head, giving up.
"Anyway, Nyssa," he said, dismissing me, "I don't feel it in the Force, I just see it in Colton's face and actions when you visit. You make him better. Happy. He's different with you. It's good. Really good. Colton needs someone to take care of him. Not all the time, but every now and then. He can be lonely."
Her face softened. What my brother told her was true, even I'd seen that; about making Colton better. I just wish that part of the conversation hadn't come with a side of 'hey, wanna know a secret? I'm a Jedi'. But it had and I had to trust in Tanner that he'd made the right call. We'd seen nothing in these last years to make us think that Nyssa was anything other than trustworthy.
"He's not wrong, Nyssa. Colton spends far too much time harassing us, we could use a break. Those days and weeks you visit, he's definitely less grumpy." I grinned, a little goofy, but it fit the moment.
"We shall see what happens." She said.
—-
Nyssa did eventually move in permanently. It was four years later, and it came as Tanner and I moved out to our own place in the hills. Colton had this big ole stupid grin on his face matched only by Tanner's. Tanner was twenty at the time. A teacher now - living his dream. A dream dealt in part, by our favorite giant blonde man. Our moving was perfect timing. Maybe Nyssa had a part in that, figuring it would be better for all. We each needed our space to stretch out. Colton had earned this part of his life. He wasn't retired, or anything of the sort, but he was finally able to relax during his rare down times. Nyssa took on part of his duties. His people respected her. She also had he capability of throwing most of them through a wall if necessary. Certainly had to respect that. I know I did.
"He's a cranky bastard, Nyssa, but you really are good for him. The best thing that's ever happened to him." I said to her, honestly. We were visiting from our new place, having a dinner together. The four of us. Colton was in his office on about fourteen com calls at once, barking out orders to his various herds of employees. It gave Tanner and me a chance to talk to our blue friend.
Nyssa balked at my compliment. Turning it back on me.
"Now, I know that's not true, Dashen. You forget I know your entire back story. You saved his life as much as he saved yours. He just didn't know it at the time. Actually, he'll probably never admit it, stubborn bantha, but I've known him since we were very young. There is very little I do not know, though there are always those things we'll always keep from each other."
Secrets. Had to love secrets. We all had them. And had she just called him a bantha? He wasn't quite bantha size, but even in adulthood, he still overwhelmed Tanner by over two heads.
"Well, whatever," I said, in an attempt to move the point back to the actual point. "We're glad he's got you around. He doesn't have to worry too much on Tanner and me anymore, so it's..."
"Ha! Nonsense, boy. You think he doesn't fret over your safety still? Might be less, but he's got eyes. That new place of yours, he's had the exterior scoped three times already this week and once while you've been here this evening. No chances. You're family. Real family. Always will be. Age matters not."
Tanner, all twenty years of him, leaned over to drape an arm over Nyssa's shoulders. My brother, always the touchy-feely type. He never grew out of it. "Remember, Dash, when we didn't even know what a Nyssa Kor was?"
I laughed. Nyssa's expression made me laugh more.
A blue finger pointed at me and tugged on Tanner's braid. Usually tangled in his shoulder length brown hair, it was much less hidden when we were in trusted space. "Is that was that was all about back then? Why the two of you came sneaking in and were then dragged down the steps by the scruff of your necks? That was entertaining, by the way. I teased Virgil mercilessly for a days after that scene."
More laughing. That she could get away with calling him Virgil, that still cracked me up all this time after. Yeah, she and Colt really were the perfect match.
Nyssa reached up to pat Tanner's face before squeezing his draped hand. They'd become close over the years too. Hell, we all had. There was but a handful of people we could trust in absolute within this galaxy. This circle we'd formed, there wasn't much sense to it. All walks of life, ages and creeds. Crazy to think back to how it began. The loss of my folks. The death of Kossi, the little brother that I still cried for. That led to this broken Jedi kid, who then proceeded to fix me. Colton took us in, gave us what we needed to manage and survive. His most trusted became our most trusted. Then along came Nyssa Kor and look at us now. Tanner and me with our own place, living lives that we never truly thought possible. Colton finding his soulmate. This was good. We were good.
That Nyssa had joined our circle and become such an important connection within, yeah, that was really good.
Colton finally returned to the room, his stupidly loud verbal sparing match with his team having wrapped.
"Damn it. You'd think they don't know me by now. Hard headed, every one of them!"
"Looks who's talking, Virg." Nyssa cracked.
I kept my lips shut, Tanner barked out a giggle. In our eleven years together, I never had broken him of that habit. Giggling. He'd always done it. The sound always flashed me back to when he and I were just beginning our journey together. An orphaned Jedi kid and a lost soul. Yeah, we'd been a pair.
That giggling was contagious tonight. The mood became light and fun... We even got the big man into it after a few minutes. It was the most at ease I'd felt in a long, long time. I mean, completely at ease. Not a stressor in the moment, not a worry on the card. That wouldn't last, I mean, I was who I was and that would never change. But damn if this wasn't contentment for me. For all of us.
When Tanner and I had met Nyssa what, about eight years ago now, we hadn't known she was that final piece of the puzzle for our odd little family. That circle I'd mentioned. Something had alway been missing.
She was it, that something that had been missing.
And then she wasn't.
Then she was part of us.
I smiled at my family while remembering the immense love I still had for the blood family I'd lost in my past. The beloved family that had shaped who I was. Without them, there would be no this.
And this... yeah, this was damned good.
END