Chapter Title: Traditions

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (9) Dashen (15)

POV: Colton

Chapter Summary: The trio of Colton, Dashen and Tanner begin a new holiday tradition on the eve of Terra's Scarlet Moon Festival.


"Gentlemen, to what do we owe this solemn state? Feels like a funeral procession up here, without the procession. Tonight is the eve of the Festival. We should be overjoyed and drunk and loud and screaming profanity from the balcony. Isn't that how your generation celebrates holidays, Dashen?"

I sat where they sat; on the massive roof top terrace of my estate house. The sky sparkled with millions of stars and the giant red-orange moon casting glowing shadows over the landscape. It was that for which the celebration was named - Scarlet Moon Festival. For one week at the end of each year, the moon escaped its yellow hue to shine spectacularly crimson in the evening sky. It marked the beginning of the Winter season and the send-off for another year departed. Seven days of celebration, gifts, parties and anything else the planet of Terra could cook up, including a naturally occurring and radiant light show that happened over the mountains to the north each of those seven days. There were countless bashes from town to town; schools and non-essential businesses were closed; it was a chance to appreciate the true beauty of the earth, the sky and the people of Terra. Mostly though, it was a time for family and friends. For enjoying the company of the ones you had and to remember those lost.

Tannerlin was well occupied with his mind being elsewhere, so the older one spoke up for him. "His misses his home."

I figured as much. The boy was barely into seven months here on Terra. Not long from losing his everything. He still had nightmares about it all. I didn't blame him for struggling, but today was a day for celebration and I was determined to force these two to celebrate with me.

"You Jedi probably had traditions around some type of festival."

"We did." The kid said, finally speaking. "Winter Festival. Not all Jedi celebrated, but Master Ayden always did."

"Well then, we can combine traditions then. Scarlet Moon meets Winter festival." I decided against get sucked into Tannerlin's thoughtful mood. "When I was a kid..."

Both Dashen and Tannerlin turned to stared at me.

"I wasn't born as you see me now, you idiots. It is that difficult to picture me as a child?"

The response came in unison. "Yes."

"Oh, go jump off a starship. I was a child at one point. So accept it and move on. My family had only one true tradition. Drinking."

"Drinking?" Dashen echoed. "Ale? As a kid?"

"Of course, ale. What else constitutes drinking to you? Water? Fruit juice? Bantha milk? Please. My father would let us drink on this one night that began the Festival. Anything we wanted, unless it would result in death or ale poisoning of course. My two sisters were the smart ones, they'd have one large, very fancy drink and somehow make the thing last all evening. Myself? Well..."

Dashen called me on it before I said it. "You got brow-blasted drunk, didn't you?"

"I did indeed. Paid for it the next morning mind you, but sure felt good at the time. Drop-down, turn-around drunk. I'd stagger around our small apartment and..."

"Small apartment?" Tandem speaking again.

I just shook my head. "You two are unbelievable. Yes, I was a child. No, I didn't always live in a giant estate house. We were a poor family and if you say 'poor' in unison, I will smack you both in the head. My life used to be quite different than it is now."

"So, you were a drunk baby living in a tiny home?"

"Dashen, here." I smacked him in the head. "You earned that one, smart ass. I was not a drunk baby. Did I say that?"

Tanner chimed in next. "You said 'drunk' and 'child' so..."

"Don't you start, kid. The last thing you should be doing is taking smart mouth remark lessons from this one." I complained. How I got stuck with these two... I went on. "My point being was that we were not fortunate growing up so our father gave us this one evening to enjoy without getting in trouble. So, what do you say? Shall we?"

"Colton, you want me to get drunk? I'm only nine." Tannerlin. Completely missing the point of the story.

"Never mind. Why do I bother with either of you? Dash, you've been drunk before." He couldn't deny it, I'd seen it many times after his little brother died. If he wasn't trying to kill himself, he was trying to forget about life. "I've got the best ale money can buy now. Join me?"

I got up, picked the three bottles that I'd brought with me and then forced my large self to sit between the pair this time. Dashen to my left. Tannerlin to my right. Leaning toward the older, I offered him a bottle.

For a split second he reached for it, then he saw that Tannerlin's mind and thoughts had drifted off again. "It's okay, Colt. I did enough damage to myself back then. Maybe we should start a new tradition. With fewer mind-numbing effects. Something for the three of us to enjoy together."

Damn kid. Forcing my life to change again. Not that it had do, I had every option of leaving the pair and heading to my local favorite bar and drinking myself off the floor. My security chief, Sydenious, would get me home safely. Time to relax. Unwind...

But, no. Sucker that I was, I didn't make one single motion to stand or walk away. They'd pulled me into their world yet again.

"All right, fine. I'm up for suggestions. Dashen?"

"Hey, Tanner," he called over, taking a couple shouts to pull the youngest out of his thoughts. "New tradition starts tonight. You call it."

"Me?"

"Is there another Tanner around here? Yes, you. What did you and Master Ayden do on the eve of your Winter Festival?"

Thinking again. Always thinking was that child. His eyes closed for a moment. Dashen called it one of his meditative moments that the kid often fell into. Old habits and training were hard to break apparently.

Eyes came open and he smiled to us. "We used to go to the safer areas in the lower levels of the city and walk around for hours and hours. Then we would stop in this old store, there was a shopkeeper there who always sold paper books and Master Ayden would buy one for me and for himself. At the same time, he would sneak something else into the bag that I didn't know about and he'd give it to me on Festival morning. It was silly, I guess. But I only got to celebrate the Festival with him twice and maybe two times isn't a tradition, but it's part of my best memories."

Not sure how much of this kid and his memories I was going to be able to digest over these next years, I flashed back to memorable times I'd had with my father. Our own traditions, not during Festival time, but at others. Those retentions still hurt now and then, and it was years and years ago for me. This kid, he was still ripe and fresh with grief. And I really wasn't ready to handle his sad remembrances...but every time he did flesh out a memory of he and his master, damn if it didn't stab me right in the gut.

"There you go, Colt," Dashen finally said to me. "That's our new tradition. Walking around and shopping. Fun times. Oh and a secret gift. You good with it?"

Not really. Seemed exceedingly boring to me, but looking into the mournful, yet hopeful eyes of a small Jedi boy pressed against my shoulder...pained to the core seven months after his world was shattered...who was I to shoot him down? I relented.

"If that's what you want, kid, then that's what it'll be. Shall we clean up and head out then? I do know a few stores that stay open on Festival eve. We can stop by them all if you'd like. Take in the lights and music and drunks staggering all over the city. That's my kind of night."

Dashen leaned toward me. "It's not, and we both know it. Sometimes you're a horrible liar. But thank you."

Up and off the roof and heading to town. We walked the thirty minutes. A walk at night, not always advisable on the outskirts of Kaolin, but no one would mess with these boys with me around. Not to mention, Sydenious was trailing about fifty paces behind; always watching my back.

As expected, I was bored out of my mind and it seemed Dashen was as well, but the deeper into town we went, the more colorful and musical and celebratory it became, the more we started to fall in line with Tannerlin's improved mood. A mood that had gone from dismal and thoughtful to amazed and almost joyful. He pointed out every decoration, every flashing holiday light, and stopped and watched each time we passed the festival singers around the town. Dashen kept a close eye on him, never allowing the kid more than three steps ahead, but I could see his own mood changing for the better as well.

I found one of the shops I had in mind. It was aged and partially obscured from view, but the keeper was an old acquaintance. He knew me when I was about Tanner's age. He was ancient by now, but his race was quite long lived, so his dark gray skin didn't look a day past ninety-four.

"Colton, my friend! It's been forever. How are you?"

Declar'Bin. Five feet tall, large, round yellow eyes and a long slim face. He was an odd one, but he was good people.

"Dec! It's good to see you. I've been well. You?"

He hugged me. He always did. Latching his four skinny arms around my waist until I complained that I couldn't breathe.

He let me go and motioned to the boys next to me. "And you brought me friends? Wait, they're not yours, Colton. You, a father? Ha, I can't picture that one, old friend. Not in a million years."

I laughed and held up a hand. "No, they are not mine. Well, not in that way. These are my nephews." Our story, even with friends. "They're staying with me. Had some troubles at home, the both of them, so I'm keeping an eye on them. This here is Dashen and the little one is Tannerlin. Boys, this is an old friend of mine, Declar'Bin."

Always the good one, Tannerlin stepped up eagerly. "Hello, Mr. Bin. I love your shop."

"Hello there young Tannerlin. Call me Dec, please. Look around, see what you like. I'm sure this big blonde guy here will buy you anything you wish for the festival. He likes to pretend to be intimidating, but he's really a big softie."

Great. Let that get out and watch my reputation take a nosedive. I was not anything approaching a softie, but now I was on the hook. Flicking a hand Tannerlin's way, I said, "Go ahead, kid. Browse around."

But instead of browsing, he asked, "Mr. Dec, do you have any paper books?"

"Paper. No one ever asks for paper anymore. I used to have a customer years ago though, tall guy, brown robe, beard...Jinn? Was that it?" Dec scratched a finger to his wrinkled face to remember. "Yes, that was it, Jinn. One of them Jedi folks. Kind man. Always looking for paper books for himself and his apprentice. This was many years ago however."

Oh, did the boy's eyes light up at that. He couldn't place the name, but the word 'Jedi' actually mentioned in friendly conversation had him perked. I set a hand on his shoulder. A warning to not say anything. Dec may not be a danger to his secret, but Empire ears and eyes were everywhere.

Tannerlin offered me a short nod and I released my hand. He was back chatting with Dec then. Books again. "Do you still have any of those books, Mr. Dec?"

"I suppose I do. Give me a moment, young one."

Dashen had gone to wander the store. Touching everything. Pulling his hand back when the thing he touched made any type of strange sound or when the price was out of his reach. At the same time, I could see him trying hard to figure out a secret gift for his brother. I let him be and kept an eye on Tannerlin who had quickly become good friends with Declar'Bin.

"Found it, boy! Come. See here. I knew I had a box of them somewhere. Take a look through. Tell me what you like."

The box on the floor, Tannerlin plopped himself right down on his knees in front of it and wandered through with big eyes and curious hands. Within a few minutes time, he'd pulled out a stack and set them aside. There was one book though that he held separate. Gripped tight and held to his chest, clearly it was touching another memory. I called Dashen back to his brother. He came and sat down.

"What'cha got, Mouse? Oh, a nice little stack I see. You're gonna read all those?"

Tannerlin held out the one book to Dashen. "I know this one. My Mas...um...my friend Ayden," quick to correct and not say the word 'master' in front of those not knowing his secret, "Ayden used to read it all the time. A couple of weeks before...before he was gone, he gave me his copy to read and keep as a gift. I left it at home during our...trip...and it got lost and I couldn't go home to get it. I need this book, Dashen. Please?" Pale brown eyes pleaded to Dashen and then up to me. I caved. Again. Told you I wasn't a softie.

"Pick which ever ones you want, kid."

Damn that smile. That hopeful, elated face.

Dec laughed and mocked, pounding me on the back. "Ha! Softie."

By the time we left the shop, we had a box full of books and one gently wrapped and set on top so that it wouldn't get damaged. Dashen had found a gift. I had found a gift. I don't think the kid did any secret shopping, not after finding and clinging to that book. He did hug Dec goodbye though and promised to stop by to visit him. Dec, in turn, promised he'd try and barter for more paper books as long as the kid promised to be a regular customer.

And on we went. Hauling books here and there. Into another shop and back out. Tanner was vocal about not finding anything secret to give to us for the festival first morning.

"Don't worry on that, kid." I'd told him, but he did worry and he would. So, I had Dashen take him into a third shop without me. I became the book watcher so that Tannerlin could find a gift for me. We then reversed this at the next and final shop, Dashen was the book watcher.

By this part of the journey, I was dead tired. We were hours in and I was getting far too old for wandering hours on end. How the kid kept going, I didn't know. Young everything, I guess, but I was staggering as was Dashen and we still had to walk home. "Dash, see if you can talk him into calling it a night, huh? I can't afford to be the bad guy here, I live my life's work as a bad guy."

Dashen caught the three steps to his brother and put an arm around the slight shoulders. "Hey, Mouse. You ready to call an end to festival eve?"

He wasn't. It didn't take much to see that, but he saw or maybe he felt that the rest of his party was exhausted. "Maybe so. I was hoping to see the light show at midnight, but it's okay. I can miss it."

Damn, damn, damn. Damn that kid! Maybe I really was just a big old softie pushover these days. When this actually happened to me, not a clue. Another cave. "No, it's good. I forgot about the midnight lights. We certainly can't miss those," I said unconvincingly. "Let's at least go find a good seat now though, all right? A little early, but you can get a head start on reading one of your..." I looked down at the box in my arms, counting..."...one...five...ten...sixteen...sixteen books? Okay. That's a lot of reading, but sure. Let's go, follow this street all the way down."

We sat. A little off to the side, away from the biggest of the crowd. Taking no chances with targeted-Jedi-boy at my side. Midnight struck and and we looked up. And up. And up. Lights of all colors, flying in hundreds of directions and patterns. It really was beautiful. I hadn't spent festival eve in the city in forever. At least not sober. Hadn't had a reason to until now. I suppose this was the new tradition. Our new tradition. This weird little oddball crew that we'd created.

"Did your home have light shows, Tannerlin?"

"We did." He began, speaking soft enough that only Dashen and I could hear. "Well, not the temple, but around the planet, it was all one giant city and there were lights that went on for hours on Winter Festival Eve. It was so beautiful. We had a lookout point with the best view and Mas...Ayden and I would go there, and even before when I was just a youngling, not yet accepted by a...teacher, it was my favorite place to watch the lights."

"Well, I know it's not home and it will never be, but new traditions are built every day. I've no idea how long this thing here..." I wagged a finger at our trio'd group "...will last, maybe a year, maybe a lot longer, but I do believe we've just begun our Scarlet Moon Festival Eve tradition. You think your Ayden would have enjoyed this?"

He couldn't speak at the moment, caught in another memory, thinking of his Jedi family, but he nodded and leaned against me. I could hear him sniffing even above the noise of the light show. My arm went around the small shoulders and I patted him on the arm.

"Yeah. I get it kid, I do."

Dashen leaned in from Tannerlin's other side to smother him into a giant hug sandwich.

Eventually Tannerlin found voice. "He would've liked you guys too. I know it. So, maybe I'm in a good place here."

"Maybe you are, kid." I sat up, ruffled the growing-out hair, tucked that Jedi braid of his away again (that thing was always de-hiding itself, and would be an issue until his hair was shoulder length) and settled in for the rest of the light show.

By the end, Tannerlin was dead asleep with his head lying on Dashen's lap. The older boy made a thinking sound with his mouth and said to me, "So, um, Colt. Do you get to carry him home, or...?"

"Fat chance, Dashen. No need anyway. Sydenious has our ride. He had his second-in-command bring it out. We only have a short walk out that way." I pointed to the left. "Come on, bring your brother."

We sat three across the back with Sy piloting the small land craft. The ride was quick. I sent Dashen up the stairs to his apartment to get Tannerlin's bed ready. The boy was such lightweight in my arms. I was pretty sure he weighed nothing, since he ate like a damn bird. Made for an easy walk up. I set him in his bed and he clung to my neck for a final hug.

Took me a few seconds to pry him off, strong as those skinny arms were. Dashen set the box of books on the floor next to the bed. The one gently wrapped book, he set on the nightstand within close reach.

I still didn't know what to make of all this. Somehow, me, who wanted nothing to ever do with having a family of my own, had this one seemingly pop up from out of nowhere. We weren't really a family. Not yet. Not this soon. But I couldn't shake the feeling. I mean, we'd just created a new tradition and everything. And, not that I'd ever share this thought with either of the two who'd forced their way into my I-don't-want-a-family life, but...I didn't hate this.

And yet I couldn't let it interfere with my business. I had things to do, jobs to plan, crimes to commit (of sorts). So if these two weren't completely self sufficient at some point, we'd be in trouble.

Although, at this moment, I'm not really sure how much I cared about that trouble.

The smile hit my face before I could stop it, watching Dashen pull the boots off the younger, then tucking him in. The kid may have lost the man who was his teacher and father figure, but he'd gained an older brother who was very quickly becoming an inseparable part of his life.

Not to mention, he'd gained an Uncle and a brand new holiday tradition.

I suppose this wasn't so bad. A pair of distressed annoying kids that needed someone and that actually gave a swamp rat's butt about an aging criminal engineer.

I honestly didn't know what this was or where our lives would lead, but for now we were what we had.

After all, all new families had to begin somewhere.


END