Blurred Sides (COMPLETE)

7.5.2

Lura didn't know why Mother and Father were sad, but they kept saying things like "It's gonna be okay" and "You're going to be great Jedi someday". Lura didn't know what a 'Jedi' was, but the other man had said it too, and it was making her parents sad.

Mother dressed her in her favorite clothes, and Lura spun around in circles. She laughed and tried to get her parents' attention because they always liked it when she spun in circles. They smiled, but Lura could tell that they were still sad, so she spun faster until she fell down.

Kyala and Duran were trying to put on brave faces for their little girl, but it was so hard. They would probably never see Lura again, unless it was on the HoloNet, many years from now. Even so, they didn't have HoloNet access from their house and had to pay to use the city's public portals in the center of town. This was the last time they would see her in person.

Master Plo Koon had said that Lura didn't need to bring anything since everything she would need for the rest of her life would be provided at the Temple, but they still looked around, trying to find a way to send a piece of their life together with their daughter. 

In the end, the only thing they could really send were the clothes she was wearing, and the headdress that wrapped around her lekku. They didn't know that the Jedi Order was going to give her small robes to change into, but the headdress would probably stay with her until she grew out of it. It was the only fancy thing her parents could afford to give her, as a birthday present. Never before had they put so much money into a single gift but their daughter meant everything to them.

Eventually, it was time to say one last goodbye to Lura. Duran didn't say anything as he held his daughter tightly. Secretly, he was relieved that Lura had the chance to go to Coruscant. He hadn't told Kyala yet, but he had just lost his job, and they were going to have to move again. If Lura had the chance to live a better life than they did, then he was happy for his daughter, no matter what it meant for him and Kyala.

He squeezed Lura one last time, before holding her so he could see her face. She saw his tears and wiped them away with her thumb, and Duran smiled. He held Lura's forehead so it rested on his for a moment, then handed her off to Kyala.

Kyala hugged her daughter and rested one hand on the small of Lura's back as she held her. She remembered how, when she was smaller, Lura would fall asleep in the very same position. Kyala knew she would never get another chance to hold her little girl again, so she stayed this way for a long time, trying to ingrain the feeling in her memory so she would never forget.

"Remember, Lur'akan" she whispered, using her full name. "No matter where you go in this galaxy, no matter what happens to you or to us, we will always love you. No one will ever stop us from loving you."

Duran smiled and felt the tears start up again. He wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, and they didn't move for a long time.

~

The three came out of the room and rejoined Plo Koon in the living room. Kyala passed her daughter off to the Jedi Master silently and stood next to Duran. She told herself to not cry again until they had left.

"I will take Lura to Coruscant," he told the parents. "She will be safe there, I promise."

"Thank you," Duran said, not looking at his wife. "We know you will take care of her."

"May the Force be with you," he bade the two and they nodded, not quite understanding the sentiment but unable to do anything else. Plo Koon turned and walked out the door, Lura in his arms, and the girl looked back at her parents for the last time, although she did not know it. She didn't know where she was going with the strange man, but she knew she was safe, and she waved to Mother and Father, trying to make them smile again. They waved back weakly and gave her the biggest smile they could muster. Then the door shut and they were gone.