#eliweek

Mitth’eos’safis spotted the human leaning against the walkway’s railing. He was staring out at the beach, watching his wife Fion’ilana’nuruodo playing with the girls in the tidepools, chasing tiny sandpipers as they skittered across the wet sand. 

The girls had been rescued by Theos’s uncle Mitth’raw’nuruodo barely a few weeks before. Most of them had been picked up by members of their families by now, but only two remained now. 

Hess’iri’nuruodo was one of particular interest to Theos’s father. House Hess was...an acquaintance of House Mitth at best, as far as he knew. Probably someone Uncle Thrawn knew personally...

“Hey, Cousin,” he said teasingly as he approached Eli. “Quite a view, isn’t it?”

“Oh hi, Theos,” Eli said. “What’s up?” 

Theos paused for a moment. “The sky?” Probably another human idiom, the thought as Eli laughed. 

“I meant what are you doing out here? Did you need something?” 

“Nah,” Theos said as he joined Eli. Just thought I’d come out and enjoy the nice Copero weather. We don’t get it much on Csilla.” 

“So I’ve heard,” Eli said. The human was so absorbed in watching Nilana playing with the kids he hadn’t even looked up that whole time. 

“Why don’t you go out and join them?” Theos asked. “Looks like fun, actually.” 

Eli shook his head. “I think Siri is afraid of me,” he said, gesturing toward the taller of the two girls. She couldn’t have been older than six or seven, though to a human, she would have appeared to be twice that. She was digging a hole in the sand with Teeghan and Tahmakh, two of Nilana’s adopted Noghri children. 

“Don’t be silly, Fion’eli’vanto. If they’re comfortable around an outsider like Nilana, Siri shouldn’t have any trouble with you. All the others seemed pretty cozy with you.” 

Eli shrugged. Nilana had scooped up the smaller girl into her arms and had begun to swing her around in a big circle. The two of them were laughing; it was pretty clear to Theos that Eli didn’t want to interrupt that perfect moment between his wife and the little girl. 

“We’ve been trying for a child,” Eli said finally. “Nilana and I have decided we’re ready to have kids, but...it’s been harder than we thought.” 

Theos wasn’t sure what to say to that. He was certain that no matter what the child ended up looking like, there was a good chance he or she would be as much an outsider to Chiss society as Eli was. 

“Patience, Cousin,” he said finally. “Oh, for stars’ sake, Eli, stop moping and go join your wife! I can’t stand seeing you so gloomy. Go.” 

Eli smiled slightly, shook his head, and strode down the rest of the walkway to the beach. Theos watched as Nilana looked up, grinning and waving at Eli as he approached. 

“About time you joined us,” she said teasingly. The little girl she had been playing with before suddenly rushed up to Eli and threw her arms around his waist in a big hug. Siri stood up from her digging, brushed the sand and salt off her hands, and reluctantly approached him too. 

Well, Theos thought to himself, If all else fails, you can always adopt them. There was no shame in adopting orphaned Chiss. The way Theos saw it, Eli and Nilana were already loving parents to those two Chiss girls. They had been through so much before Uncle Thrawn rescued them...they needed someone who would truly love and care for them as parents should. Nilana was already a mother of three Noghri cubs...given how eagerly the little Chiss girl hugged Eli, Theos could easily imagine him being a wonderful father.