(RAHHHHHHHH THIS TOOK SO LONG TO FINISH TOT last lore drop and then I give my full attention to my cw wip <33! >:P )
(continues right after the last chapter :>>))
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I remember the first night I'd stayed at the Revs' house. The moment I'd stepped foot through their front door, a feeling of warmth washed over me, and suddenly the exhaustion I've been carrying around all these months, possibly longer, started to kick in. It was like my body could finally let me rest. It knew I was safe here, and strangely enough that I was at home, more so than the Academy or Del Var could ever be.
Nokah led me through the door, the unfamiliar atmosphere almost overwhelming. I didn't know how hard I'd latched onto his hand before he let go to take my bag off my shoulders. He was saying things to me, half of which I didn't understand, but hearing him talk was strangely calming in a way.
A woman with short black hair and tattoos up her arms, who Nokah called 'Mom', was the first face to greet me upon entering the Revs' home, my new life. I quickly learned that her name was Aven. She was kind, leading me to a chair at a round dining table and offering me food and water.
While I sat, another woman approached me offering a blanket, slightly taller with wavy golden and blue hair put up into a bun. She looked over my appearance and the side of my face that was a swollen mix of purple and red, trying to make small talk and distract me while Nokah explained things to Aven. He told her almost everything I'd told him over the comms, my situation and how I got here. I gave him the full truth, considering how I was asking them for their help.
Almost the full truth. I swallowed, my eyes shifting to my dirty bag that held my lightsaber.
I twiddled with my fingers, picking at the dry skin as the blonde woman, Ranna, or as Nokah called her, 'Mama', asked me questions, some too difficult to give an answer. She seemed to notice this, and didn't press, changing the subject and talking calmly to me, telling me a little about herself, letting me familiarize with her.
One thing I noticed quickly was how different Aven and Ranna were from my own parents, how easy it was to be around them, how easy it was to talk to them. They didn't take their emotions out on me or get angry easily, but if they were they weren't going to lash out, harm someone or something. I had no idea what a normal family looked like until I found myself in one, how different I actually was from most people.
Eventually, I was led down the hall and to a bathroom. It wasn't anything special, not too different from the one I had at the Academy. I caught myself staring at my reflection in the mirror, almost not recognizing what stared back at me. It had been awhile since I saw my reflection, from my matted nest of hair to my dirty and tattered clothes, I looked awful.
Aven handed me some clean clothes, a t-shirt and pair of soft pants that used to be Nokah's. They hadn't been worn in a while, but it was the best thing to me. I hadn't gotten new clothes in a long time.
Her tired eyes looked over me softly, and she said something along the lines of, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
I slowly shook my head at first, then added quietly, "Not really... not a lot."
No matter what she tried to hide on her face, I could sense her emotions. She didn't buy it. I knew she was itching to inspect me, but she didn't. For a bit, Aven always gave me a certain amount of space, never touched me without asking, always respected whatever pace I was moving. For that, I felt a lot safer with her.
Her dark oaken eyes were glued to the bulging bruise on my face. I bit the inside of my cheek. "It looks— It looks worse than it is..."
She clasped her hands together, then turned to the sink, opening a drawer and pulling out a healing kit. She left it on the small counter. "Well, this is here if you want to use it,"
