Ask Home sweet home

[Khalid Din]

---

​

It has been way too long since the last time he had come home, but a good way to get him to put his foot on the planet was with promises of a barbeque! The Din family barbeques were legendary, after all...But that was not only it. Truth is, he was worried about the whole Killik situation, and he just wanted a excuse to stick around Bandomeer to protect his family should they strike the planet, he wouldn't forgive himself if that happened and he wasn't here to protect them, he definitely did some research for the first time in ages to get some bounties that were closer to their home planet or places where the rest of his siblings were at, but he just couldn't be everywhere at the same time.

At least there was someone he could look after no matter what "Hey sis, ready ta go?" Khalid shouted inside the ship as he grabbed the various meats he had brought for the gathering, whenever they had a barbeque he liked to pick the exotic stuff he found in the planets he visited, giving pa and ma a chance to taste something new...After making sure they could actually eat it, of course. Sure enough they had a lot of resistance when it came to poison since they were Tieflings, but the poisonous diarrhea incident was still not fun for anyone and he sure as hell didn't want to repeat it.

His droid's beeps caught Khalid's attention, the Tiefling turning around for a moment before letting out a sigh "No, ya can't come with Tim" A beep of indignation came from the second droid, to which Khalid responded in an incredulous tone "What do ya mean "why not" Jim? Last time ya came with us ya shocked ta neighbor's cow, stole from ta market and taught Emir about the word [CENSORED]! Ya two better stay 'ere and play nice or I am turnin' both of yer' scrap made asses into a toilet!" The Tiefling threatened, all of the food for the barbeque with him before shouting once more "I'll wait fer ya outside, sis!"

@All of the Din family

 

[Emir Din]

Seated in the grass, Emir was carefully watching his home from a nearby hill. His sketchbook was on his lap, while his left hand was holding a pencil. Since early that day, the young Tiefling was trying to drown the place. However, the pile of paper balls around him showed that he wasn’t satisfied with anything that he did so far.

Perhaps it wasn’t working because he was anxious. His parents were going to make a barbecue today and it meant that he was going to see several of his siblings that didn’t visit home for so long. Besides that, he was going to have the opportunity to eat the special food that his ma and pa used to make during these events.

He was trying to make another drawing of the house when he saw a ship approaching. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for him to recognise it as Khalid’s ship. With a smile on his lips, Emir immediately rose from the grass and ran back toward his home. The pile of paper was left behind, which would probably give him a scolding from his parents.

“Ma! Pa! Khali arrived!” the Tiefling came screaming from the hill to the house. He wondered if his brother had new stories about his jobs to tell him. Since he didn’t leave Bandomeer that much, the interaction with his brother was always an opportunity for him to learn new things. Even if his Ma wasn’t always happy with it, like that time when he learned that word.

@Versok

 

[Khalani Din]

Finally, Khalani was coming back home for another family barbeque. You know what they say about Din barbeques, legendary. While her twin Khalid had been gathering meats for the barbeque, Khalani made sure to bring some drinks for the grown siblings. Maw and Paw might not appreciate giving some to the little ones, but the big kids? Nah, they should be fine. "I'm ready as I'll ever be Lid." Not the cutest nickname but it was that sibling love that made it special. If she didn't tease him, then something was wrong.

"I still don't understand why you chose Tim and Jim for 'em. Jet and Chet are much better." She was referring to the two droids Khalid was bickering with after they had landed. It was funny seeing him fight with his little buddies all day every day now that she had moved in to his ship with him. Khalani would grab her things and head out the door of the ship to see the farm once again. It was such a sight for sore eyes, and she hoped these Killik bastards don't ever change that. She'd slaughter them all if they ever touched a Din's hair.

Finally stepping foot on the soil, she looked over and saw her little brother Emir running to the house. "Well Maw and Paw are gonna know we're here soon. Let's head inside Lid." She would begin walking to the house and had some pep to her step. It's been forever since she had a Maw and Paw hug, and boy was she dying for one right now. The rest of her siblings en route, they'd get much of the same. Khalani was excited to hear how everyone was doing these days.

@allthemDins

 

[Kasim Din]

Kasim grunted in annoyance as Emir came running in, yelling about something or another. It was just like Emir to get his horns caught in the clouds and leave all the work to be done by someone else; namely, Kasim. It should've been exciting that his siblings were returning home- and indeed, Kasim was looking forward to seeing them- but such homecomings weren't nearly as enjoyable when you never left home in the first place. All of Maw and Paw's attention would go to the returning Dins, who would have countless exciting stories to share. Kasim, by comparison, would have almost nothing to report. The farm was still standing, there was food on the table, and chores to be done.

He'd just finished the morning's dishes, but with his siblings coming home it was only a matter of time before they piled up again. At least there was enough time to rid himself of the apron before his siblings came through the door. "Welcome back!" he greeted the twins, both happy to see them and more than a little jealous.

@Versok @Scoobert @LouJoVi @otherDins

 

[Imani Din]

Imani had, unfortunately, little to no contact with her family for the past year and some months. She'd mentioned to Altair before that she'd been considering recon work, and he'd expressed his worry that she would disappear for months at a time. Turns out he'd been correct, but it was a good job opportunity and had put her in cohorts with some Imperial bigwigs that could hopefully help her climb the ladder even more. Rather than return to that sort of work, the Tiefling woman was hoping she could smooth-talk her way into Imperial politics. It was still in the realm of the intelligence work she liked to do, but she would have so much more freedom to see and spoil her family as she pleased.

Either way, that little to no contact ended now. She was absolutely estactic to be on her way back home and the excitement only grew the closer she got. "I can't imagine how big Laila's probably gotten now!" She figured both Emir and Kasim had probably grown about a foot each like boys tended to do. And she just could not wait to give her Pa a big ol' bear hug.

Later, once her ship had landed off in the dusty field they used for such purposes, Imani made a beeline straight for good ol' home sweet home.

"Hello!" The woman practically bust down the door and immediately pulled the closest Din in for a hug. In this case, it happened to be @Emir Din. "Emi! I missed ya' kiddo. You've gotten tall!"

Imani released her blue little brother and immediately went to hug the rest of the family, including the twins, @Khalani Din and @Khalid Din, their baby sister Laila, and Ma and Pa as soon as they emerged from the living room.

"Once the rest of ya youngins get 'ere, we can get to grillin'," their Pa announced once he released Imani from the bear-hug she'd waited so long for.

tags: @Versok @Scoobert @LouJoVi @SlagathorTheUnknown @et al.

 

[Altair Din]

The Din family barbeques were the stuff of legends. Usually each member of the family, no matter where they were in the galaxy, came back to the farm. Ma and Pa were excellent at cooking and no amount of duty or busy scheduling would keep Altair away. However, this was the first time he was coming home since getting into one of the most prestigious military schools out there. He was adorned in his shiny new officer’s uniform and looked far more refined and put together than his family had ever seen him. He carried himself with confidence, chest out and head held high.

Almost all of that went flying out the window when he spotted his siblings. He spoke to them now and then, but seeing them in person brought a rush of joy. Altair first made his way over to Khalid (@Versok ), tail swishing eagerly, “LIDDDDDD!” He shouted eagerly before punching him on the shoulder and headbutting him to lock horns. He pulled him into a one armed hug, whispering quietly so only he could hear, “Please tell me you got some ‘Shaddaa spice for me,” He drew back grinning before he turned to Khalani (@Scoobert ), “Sup sis, still remember how to do Matukai?” He teased. The twins both relied on ranged weapons and would never hear the end of it from Altair.

Altair spotted his little brother Emir (@LouJoVi ), the one that constantly whined on camping outings when they were all much younger. The tiefling grabbed Emir and put him into a headlock, “Mirmir!! Look how much you grown!” He said happily while he gave him a furious noogie, grinding his knuckles into his hair till it was a complete mess. Altair drew back and turned to look at Kasim (@SlagathorTheUnknown ) next.

“Kas!” He shouted before walking over to pull him into a tight hug, “You get a girlfriend yet?” He asked with a grin before releasing him.

Altair made his way over to the house and was about to greet Imani (@lizziie )when Ma spotted him.

“LOOK AT MY BABY!” Altair stopped in his tracks, “LOOK AT YOU IN YOUR UNIFORM!” She looked on the verge of tears, grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning him around to face the rest of the family, “He is so grown, mah lord! In his uniform an’ everythin’!” She began to plant kisses over his face.

“Ma!” Altair’s muffled voice could be heard as his arms began to flail, “Cut it out! I ain’t a baby no more ugh!” He finally pulled away, looking completely disheveled. Ma was entirely unfazed and suddenly glared, eyes flicking down towards Altair’s feet.

“Boy you best get them shoes off inside the house right this second.”

“Ma, you pulled me in here-”

“Did I ask for sass?” She cut him off, “I’ll let you know when I want sass, boy. Now go wash your hands and change outta that nice uniform. Don’t want you ruinin’ it.”

Altair stared for a moment in disbelief and betrayal, groaned in frustration, and shook his head before lumbering off to do as asked. He knew his siblings wouldn’t let him live this down.

 

[Jabari Din]

It frankly didn’t matter where he was in the Galaxy, or what Jabari was doing - nothing was going to prevent the Tiefling from returning home for a legendary Din barbeque. It had been a few months since his last trip home - and the prospect of seeing all his siblings back together, in light of all the Kilik nonsense and multiple of his siblings wrapped up in a war - was one that filled the amateur smuggler with all sorts of glee. His hooptie of a ship landed just on the outskirts of the farm, and it didn’t take the twenty-one-year-old Din to casually come strolling down the ramp.

For once, Jabari had made a point to come dressed a bit more put together - sporting a pair of black jean, a matching button-up left open and a white t-shirt underneath. Part of that decision was merely for the purpose of lookin’ good. A majority of that decision had to do with sleekly covering up a newly-inked sleeve of tattoos that Ma was bound to skin his hide over. The Tiefling didn’t arrive empty-handed - hauling a sack of some exotic fruits and veggies from the Tepasi Sector. His produce-selling was a rather convenient cover for his more illicit trades - but it meant being able to bring his folks some new and exciting things from across the Galaxy. Anything that was well-liked enough was always a candidate for being grown at home.

Of course, Jabari forgot all about that once he spotted his siblings. At once, the Tiefling’s tail began to swish and sway with a life of its own, while his lips tugged cheesily wide to reveal the pointed tips of his teeth. He continued to haul the sack until he reached a spot to set it down - and then proceeded to rush over to greet them.

“YOOOOOOOOO!” He shouted without a care in the world - knowing damn-well his family was just as loud and obnoxious. The Tiefling’s attention first landed on Khalani - who he proceeded to throw his arms around and pull into a bear hug, “Sup Khalani,” He said with an eager swish of his tail, that cheesy smirk having yet to fade. “Still managin’ to keep his bantha-lookin’ ass alive I see,” He teased, his attention flicking over to Khalid. He hadn’t seen his older brother since the Huttball tournament, and it didn’t take Jabari more than a second to lean over and pull him into a one-arm hug - horns knocking together as he did so. “How you doin’ bro?” He asked.

Speaking of huttball, Jabari’s attention promptly flicked over to Altair - burgundy eyes flicking up and down the Tiefling before unceremoniously bear-hugging his only slightly younger brother without any prior greeting. He squeezed and blinked a few times, “Daaammnn ‘Tai,” He said with a grin, pulling back enough to firmly punch and nudge his brother in the chest. “Lookin’ sharp as hell. You sure you ain’t goin’ pro with huttball?” The man was significantly more muscular since they last got together, and he had no doubt that Altair could’ve gone professional if he wanted.

“MIRMIR! KAS!” His burgundy gaze flicked over to Emir and Kasmin next - not hesitating to pull both of his younger brothers into a hug at the same time - one arm wrapped around each of them and proceeding to squeeze them tightly. “Ahh fuckin’ missed you,” He grinned widely - only for his gaze to shift at the sound of Ma’s voice. He froze instinctively, only to watch as the matriarch of the family drug Altair off into the house, loudly gushing about his uniform. He watched as his mother proceeded to scold Altair - and couldn’t quite control the way he loudly snickered and chuckled at the sight.

“Imani!” He grinned widely, starting to make her way over to his older sister. Before he could reach her, however, Jabari’s attention was drawn to the sound of another.

“BARI!” Before he could turn fully, Jabari stumbled a bit as Laila - the youngest of their siblings - tackling his waist and wrapped her arms around him. His expression immediately heightening in response - that cheesy grin growing ear-to-ear.

“Laila! You’ve gotten so big!” Without another word, Jabari hoisted the youngest Din off the ground and into a bear-hug - eliciting a fit of giggles from the girl. “You’re hair is so pretty - did Ma help ‘ya braid it?” The question was immediately met with a smile and nod from Laila, her face lighting up like a life day tree. “Let’s go find Imani,” He said, grabbing his sack of goodies before plopping Laila up onto his shoulders. He walked the rest of the way towards the house - kicking his shoes off at the door before ducking inside.

@Sreeya @Scoobert @Versok @SlagathorTheUnknown @LouJoVi @lizziie

 

[Khalid Din]

"Well, can't help bein' a contrarian, Ani...also jet is the name of a spice and I didn't wanna confuse 'em " Khalid replied to her sister just before entering the house and spotting the family. Khalid couldn't help but let out a big toothed smile as his two younger brothers approached "By ta force, you two have grown so much!" The older Tiefling said, his hands ruffling the hair of both brothers before his eyes fixated on Kasim for a moment "Who gave ya permission to be catchin' up to mah height Kas? Sure as hell wasn't me"

After that, however, Khalid was pulled into a hug by Imani, which he obviously returned with all the strength he had even if he was not exactly the strongest in the family "It's nice ta see ya too, Ni-ni" Khalid softly replied, her nickname being one he gave her after one too many big sister talks after him doing something naughty, said talks sometimes putting him to sleep.

Khalid, of course, returned the horn headbutt in kind to Altair, as it was tradition, but dear lord was it obvious that his little brother had gotten much stronger because that punch and headbutt definitely hurt, but Khalid had a great poker face and so, when Altair asked for some spice, Khalid replied with a sly smile on his face "Damn right I do, but are ya sure ya want ta risk yer new fancy uniform getting dirtied by anything other than brown nosing, mister soldier boy?" The older brother flicked Altair's nose as he whispered that comment, it's not like it was news to anyone that he lacked respect for any kind of authority except their parents, specially military types.

"YOOOOOOOO!" Khalid shouted back at his other favorite bastard, visibly pouting after getting teased himself "Hey now, I don't need ta be saved most of the time..." interlocking horns but with less strength because of Altair's greeting, Khalid let out a shrug in response to that question "Eh, ya'know ta places I go around are never borin' so...we've been entertained"

Khalid started to look around, he had already greeted Laila, ma and pa so there was only one person missing...But Khalid though that she didn't give a shit if he stuck around or not to greet her if she even arrived, so he guessed it was time to get things started "Let's go get that barbeque goin' pa! Brought stuff that ain't gonna poison us this time."

 

[Khalani Din]

When she arrived, Maw and Paw and lil Lay all came and gave her a big squeeze. She was so happy to be home. "Aw thanks, Kas! It's good you're helping Maw and Paw. Just remember, we all been here stuck too just take your time to enjoy it. And Mirri I'm so happy to see you!" She then wrapped up Emir and Kasim in a hug and ruffled their hair. The kids will have their time out and about. Then when Imani arrived, Khalani couldn't help bug geek out with excitement. "Immy! Oh how I've missed you! I have got stories to tell you!"

"Now Tai you know I'll show a thing or two in Matukai. But I don't wanna ruin this outfit of yours." Khalani playfully teased Altair a little bit before going to hug him. His new uniform was quite the sight. Looks like the Imps were doin a good job of making a man out her baby brother. When Maw got ahold of Altair, the twin would look over to see Jabari greeting her, "Hey Jab!" She would give him a big hug as he made fun of Khalid playfully, "Ah, of course. He smells like one too." She gave a chuckle and then continued, "But it's good to you made it Jab, missed ya."

Khalani would make her way to the kitchen. The dishes looked freshly done, and a rolled up apron sat on the counter. She looked around wondering how she could help. Grabbing the apron she wrapped it around her waist and began chopping the some of the vegetables on the chopping board. "Hey Lani baby, you don't have to do that." Paw said as he came over to try and get her to stop, but she insisted, "Come on Paw. You know I won't stand by while chorin needs done. Besides the vegetables won't chop themselves." Paw just smiled like the proud dad he was and patted her shoulder before leaning against the counter and watching the family together again. Khalani missed home a lot, and now that she was home it felt right to make up for lost time so helping prepare the barbeque was where she would start.

@lizziie @Sreeya @SlagathorTheUnknown @Versok @LouJoVi @Altaris

 

[Nadiya Din]

On the outer perimeter of the farm, a group of youngsters, a motley crew of human, twi'lek, zeltron, and tiefling would be criminals, tried their best to sneak into the fields to steal some of the famous Din mushrooms. They weren't successful that often, it was much easier to sneak into farmer Maggot's crop, but they were nowhere as delicious as the Din crop, and so they tried and tried. The family barbecues, a much more frequent occurrence before the outbreak of the AMS virus, had been an opportunity they never let slip. Sure, there were more horns and fists to deal with, but old ma Din was the real threat and she would be busy at the house, making it worth the risk.

"Look at that Bo," the twi'lek with the grime covered lekku declared with a grin on her face, "didn't I tell ya, mushrooms!" Her accomplices, not as confident as her but just as tempted by the prospect of mushrooms, hesitated but finally moved towards the mushrooms. In a matter of minutes they had scooped up over three dozen mushrooms and stuffed it into the sack filled with carrots and cabbages they had stolen on the way to the spot.

"This is the last of it," the twi'lek called out, holding out two more mushrooms, "let's bag em and get out of here. Where's the sack?" There were a number of confused looks exchanged between the lot of them till they realized the sack was nowhere to be found.

"Mushrooms," a voice spoke up from above, drawing their eyes to a small figure perched atop a tree branch, biting on a carrot, the sack sitting next to her, "carrots, even a couple of cabbages. You have been brave, haven't you?"

Some time later....​

With much of a family gathered in the kitchen, Nadiya drifted in without as much as a greeting, and dropped the sack onto a chair. Scooping up a beer, she dropped into another chair, and just gave ma a look, a simple promise to explain her tardiness, before spotting Emir and Kasim and catching their attention.

"Weren't you two supposed to be keeping an eye out for these idiots? I had to clean up your mess," she gestured towards the sack, "you know what that means. Clean those up, you're on stew duty." As far as she was concerned the two of them were still spending their time at home, helping ma and pa, so this was all on them.

@lizziie @Sreeya @SlagathorTheUnknown @Versok @LouJoVi @Altaris @Scoobert

 

[Emir Din]

With a large and happy smile on his lips, Emir looked like a child that received their Life Day gift early. To be honest, he really had received it. For the young Tiefling, the best gift that he could ever receive was to have all his family reunited in their home again. Perhaps it was childish of him, but he wanted this moment to last forever.

He already was old enough to know that the job of many of his siblings were very dangerous and like his parents, he also got concerned about them. Things became worse with the attacks of these insects, the Killiks. Emir shared his parents' relief when everyone answered their call for the barbecue.

It was with these feelings of happiness and relief that the young Tiefling greeted his brothers and sisters. “It’s so good to see ya’, Mani! How is your job?” then he leaned to whisper to her. “Be prepared, Ma’ is going to ask if you are married and goin’ to give her grandchildren.” Emir warned her, having heard their mother discussing it with their father early today. (@lizziie)

His happiness was so great that he even tolerated Altair headlocking him and messing with his hair. In normal conditions, he would have said that he was old enough for that. “Nice uniform, 'Tai! Are ya’ goin’ to tell me stories about your adventures?” Emir loved how his brother used to invent stories to tell before they went to sleep. While they were small children when it happened for the last time, maybe it could happen again today. (@Sreeya)

The best part was that this time his brother was going to be the protagonist!

Emir let Altair receive the full love of their Ma and went to greet his other siblings. “Hey, Jaba! How are ya’?” he knew that Jabari hated this nickname, but the young Tiefling couldn’t avoid it. When he had started to learn how to speak, he called his brother this way. Unfortunately, it sounded exactly like the name of Jabba, the Hutt. "Are ya' goin' to show me Coruscant like you promised? Ya' said that ya' goin' to do it since ya' got that ship." he looked at his brother with his puppy eyes. He knew that only his parents could resist to it.

@Scoobert @Wit @SlagathorTheUnknown @Versok @Altaris

 

[Kasim Din]

One by one, the Dinlings returned home; each as colorful, unique, and boisterous as the last. Next in was Imani; whose presence- and enthusiasm for hugs- far exceeded her 5'7" frame. Emir was her first victim, disappearing in Imani's arms, and Kasim spent the next few moments anxiously waiting his turn as she made her way through the crowd of Dins (@lizziie). No sooner had he let go of Imani when the next arrival appeared.

Kasim's jaw dropped as Altair came into view; significantly more muscular and physically impressive than the last time he'd seen his older brother. Alt was wearing an Imperial uniform that looked shiny and new. With all due credit to Imani, Altair's hug was stronger, leaving Kasim slightly breathless as the air was squashed from his lungs. Altair's question about a girlfriend hurt more, though; his work on the farm left almost no time for dating. "Maybe once I get off this rock" he mumbled, wincing as Ma slapped him upside the head with a chancla; easily the most deadly weapon on Bandomeer.

"I heard that!" Ma retorted, although thankfully her attention was focused on Altair. Kasim couldn't hide a wide grin from crossing his face as Altair was both fussed over and scolded by Ma, although he had to turn away to keep her or Altair from seeing his smile. (@Sreeya)

Kasim shot Khalani a grateful smile as she started in on helping chop vegetables for the barbecue; she was always amongst the first to jump in and lend a hand around the house (@Scoobert). He'd not had time to finish chopping the vegetables, or to go on his security rounds in the fields; something that Nadiya- the eldest sibling- was only too happy to remind him and Edin of.

In truth, Kasim had a loose deal running with Bo and the others; he knew that food was scarce for them, and the Dins had a successful farm to the point that a few missing vegetables would hardly impact their livelihood. Thankfully, Nadiya didn't appear to have discovered that detail yet, so the worst that happened was solo stew duty; Edin would probably just give puppy eyes to Ma and Pa and escape the judgement altogether (@LouJoVi). "Been busy here" he offered by way of response, gesturing vaguely around the place. "Lots to do." (@Wit)

Heaving an quiet sigh, Kasim found his apron again and began scrubbing the vegetables; perhaps a bit more vigorously than one might expect.

@Versok

 

[Khalani Din]

Khalani kept chopping the veggies to get them prepped and ready to go, once she finished the asparagus it wasn't hard to tell that some aggressive scrubbing was going on. Kas seemed a little upset but that was the norm when he had to do chores. "The vegetables owe ya money or somethin?" She let out in a playful tone to her little brother. She gave a playful shoulder nudge into him before returning to the chopping.

"You know, you won't always be here right? You'll get out and see the galaxy for what it can be, and you'll be away from home. Then you'll miss it all. The chores, the farm, Maw's laugh, Paws hollers. Don't get me started on missin you siblings on the road. Lid gives me a headache but, the rest of you I miss every rotation." She would give a glance over here and there while chopping at the vegetables and speaking to Kas. She knew where he was coming from. When Nadiya left she felt like she was being left behind. The same for Imani. Something about being here while the others left, it felt like you were being left out.

Now that she's back, it all came rushing at once. Home. Family. It was something worth more than any credit out there. "Now let's tag team these veggies like they have the secret to eternal youth huh?"

@SlagathorTheUnknown @allmyotherdins​

 

[Kasim Din]

It was probably a good thing that Khalani had the knife and not Kasim; otherwise he might've lost a finger due to carelessness. His heart wasn't in his task, and neither was his mind. He knew her words were intended to try to cheer him up, but when he looked around the room he had a difficult time believing his older sister. "If I get out and see the galaxy" he responded, breaking off a chunk of dirt from a potato before dunking it in a basin of water and scrubbing it further. "Like I said, there's too much to do. Feels like I'll be stuck here forever."

It wasn't that he hated the chores, or the company of his parents and Edin/Laila. There was routine enough that he never wanted for things to do, and enough problems popping up to keep things interesting; equipment breaking down, weather events, and farmhands needing training. But with most of his siblings already having flown the nest, Kasim was feeling the additional pressure. Ma and Pa ran a tight operation, but theirs was a big farm and neither were as active as they'd had been in the past; much of the hands-on work fell to Kasim and the many farmhands the Dins employed.

"Besides" he said, a bit sourly, "I don't see anyone else jumping in to help with those chores y'all supposedly miss." The orange tiefling punctuated his statement by flicking a pea at the eldest Din (@Wit); still more than a little rankled by Nadiya's entrance.

@Scoobert @Wit @allmyotherDins

 

[Altair Din]

Altair emerged some time later after most of the annoying chores and prep was done. In truth, he had snuck in a nap while his entire family was downstairs. It was impossible to have peace and quiet upstairs so he soaked up this rare opportunity. When he plodded downstairs, he was dressed in baggy sweatpants and a hoodie, having neatly folded and put away his uniform. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before walking into the kitchen and inhaling deeply.

“Ooooh is everything ready? Looks like y’all don’t need my help,” He said with a grin, fully expecting his siblings to all give him some hell for that. Nevertheless, he came in right as Kas (@SlagathorTheUnknown ) began to complain about his life at home. In truth, Altair could understand that in many ways. Ma and Pa always dreamed of their children becoming farmers like them, but one by one each left to do something else. Everyone sent money back, but no one stayed behind. It fell on the shoulders of the youngest to be burdened with the guilt of disappointing the parents in that regard.

“You get more time with Ma and Pa than I ever do, Kas,” Altair said with a warm smile as he reached over to ruffle up his hair, “And you get to eat Ma’s cooking every night. Sometimes I gotta eat nothin’ but MREs for days. I gotta share a room with a roommate. With most of us out the house, you get an entire space to yourself. So don’t knock on the perks you got stayin’ right here!”

He began to walk around and gather supplies to make pie. It had always been his specialty and he knew that was what he would be tasked with this time as well. As Kasim flicked a pea at Nadiya (@Wit), Altair joined in by using the Force to lift up the sack and plop it right into her lap, “Are you complainin’ about doing your literal job?” He teased with a grin, “Ain’t you s’pposed to keep them idiots off our farm, Miss Ranger?”

 

[Kasim Din]

Altair had changed a lot, but one thing that was still the same was that he still knew how to push all of Kasim's buttons; first skipping the chores and then treating Kasim like he was much younger. The orange Tiefling practically threw an apron at his older brother, and probably would've followed it with some half-scrubbed cabbages if Ma hadn't been nearby. Kasim knew that no matter how far he ever was away from the Din family farm, the sound of a chancla slap would haunt him. Absentmindedly, he rubbed at the spot on the back of his head where Ma usually connected. "Perks..." he agreed, knowing that his older brother was at least correct about the home cookin'.

After a few minutes of grumbling internally, Kasim decided to change the subject. "Say, how's the girlfriend?" he asked, guessing that it was a question of "who" and not "if" Altair was seeing someone.

@Sreeya