techtalks

Mornings on Pabu were so peaceful. The breeze rustled the trees, carrying with it the soothing scent of ocean brine. The early morning rays filtered through the thin curtains at the window and warmed Leli's face as she lay in bed listening to the gentle crash of the waves against the shoreline. The sound was almost enough to lull her back to sleep. She much preferred it over the sound of traffic. Life was slow here. It had been a big adjustment coming from the hustle and bustle of Coruscant, but the island had grown on her. She still missed the city, and the salty sea air had made her curls untenable, but she could honestly see herself building a life here. A place where her kids could grow up happy and safe...

C R A S H

The sound made her bolt upright.

Spoke too soon.

Instinctively she reached out for Echo, but her hand landed against the empty mattress. His side of the bed lay in a disheveled heap. Her stomach dropped and her heart started beating a mile a minute, shaking any remnants of sleep from her system. No matter how remote Pabu may be, Leli knew the state of the galaxy and she wasn’t going to take any chances, not with her sons’ safety on the line.

She unlocked the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out the blaster that Rex had given her. Slowly, she made her way out of the room, creeping silently down the hallway to check the boys’ room. Fear gripped her heart when she saw their beds empty, but she steeled herself and made her way towards the source of the noise.

The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air. Had someone set their house on fire? Leli’s grip tightened around the frame of the blaster, finger resting against the trigger guard, ready and waiting. Hushed commotion came from the kitchen, muffled voices carried out into the hall. She pressed forward, her back pressed against the wall as she neared the kitchen entrance. As she drew closer, the voice became clearer.

"Quinn get your fingers out of the batter-”

“SKYLAR DO NOT TOUCH THAT"

"Be careful Sky, you're gonna drop all the eggs.”

“Quinn please, save some berries for your mother.”

She heard Echo before she saw him and it made her smile. She pressed a hand against her chest, relief flooding her system.  All the tension left her body in an instant, shoulders sagging as she let out a soft sigh.She peered around the corner to see what all the fuss was and it took everything in her to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter. 

The kitchen was a disaster. The sink was piled high with dishes and the counter was barely visible, littered with various ingredients and utensils. A wad of soggy paper towels lay on the floor, floating in what looked to be about a half gallon’s worth of spilled milk.

Echo stood at the center of it all, covered in pancake batter and looking more exhausted than she’d ever seen. Their twin sons, Quinn and Sky, sat on the counter giggling amidst the chaos.

“I thought you boys were gonna help me.” He grumbled, scomp arm resting on his hip. Sky’s face lit up.

“I help, boo!” He exclaimed proudly. The nearly three year old reached over, picked up an egg in his chubby toddler hands and promptly cracked it right onto the counter. 

Echo deflated, shoulders sagging as he looked at the mess. 

“Thank you, son. That was very helpful.” He sighed, voice dripping with sarcasm that was lost on the twins. 

Not one to be outdone, Quinn puffed out his chest and reached for the nearest thing. “I help too, boo!”

“Wait no-!”

Before Echo could stop him Quinn tipped the box of pancake mix off the counter. It looked like a smoke grenade had gone off in the kitchen, the whole room disappeared in a puff of white as the box hit the floor. When the dust settled the kitchen and her family were coated in a thin layer of mix. Leli had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The scene was just too precious.

Echo scrubbed his hand over his face, smearing some stray pancake batter in the process. Quinn and Sky sat giggling away on the counter, looking like two mischievous powdered donuts, extremely pleased with the mess they had made. Echo, however, was not nearly as pleased. He was all pursed lips and furrowed brow, arms crossed over his chest as he eyed the culprits.

“Uh-oh.” Quinn ducked his head, trying and failing to look even slightly apologetic, unable to wipe the grin from his face.  

“Uh-oh is right, kid.” Echo huffed. “Mom’s not gonna be happy if she sees this.”

“In his defense,” Leli said finally, stepping out from her hiding place and leaning against the entryway to the kitchen. "You kinda set yourself up for that one, Eck."

"Angel!" Echo turned to face her, wide-eyed. He smoothed a hand over his ruined apron--her apron-- and leaned against the counter in a feeble attempt to obscure the mess. "Ah- you're awake." 

"Kinda hard to sleep when I’ve got an active warzone in my kitchen."

"Fair enough,.” His eyes drifted down to the blaster hanging at her side. “Whoa, what were you planning on doing with that?"

"I take my beauty sleep very seriously." She said, flipping the safety on before placing the blaster high up in one of the cabinets, far away from curious toddler hands. Echo chuckled at that. 

"No kidding."

Leli dusted off one of her sons, ruffling his dark brown curls, then scooped him up in her arms, resting him on her hip. Sky nuzzled close to her, smearing remnants of egg over the exposed skin of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her. She scrunched up her nose at the feeling. 

"Care to explain yourselves boys?" 

Echo grinned sheepishly in response, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. 

"Well we were gonna try and surprise you with breakfast in bed, but uh-- things didn’t quite go according to plan.” 

You can say that again.

Leli’s eyes scanned over the messy countertop; amidst the chaos sat a plate of pancakes, slightly burnt and messily topped with whipped cream and strawberries (though it looked like someone had already taken a few bites from them). Her heart swelled at the sight.

“Sorry about the mess. I'll clean it up, I swear.”

“I know,” She said playfully, though it sounded more like ‘you’d better’. Her gaze shifted between the mess on the counter and the mess that was her family. “You did all this for me?”

“It’s not much,” Echo said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Leli looked up at him, her smile bright enough to give the rising sun a run for its money. There may have been tears in her eyes, but her couldn’t be sure

“It’s perfect.” She stepped towards him and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek, careful to avoid the smear of batter. “Thank you so much.”

Leli gave each of the twins a little kiss in turn, grinning at their delighted little squeals. Echo deftly scooped Quinn up with his good arm and leaned into Leli, placing a kiss to her temple.