WOO! I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Haha, Internet is fixed, so that it doesnt needed to be reloaded every time someone sends me a chat message or a new page is opened! It's about damn time! Summer vacation is about over, I'm back home, and school's about to start. You all have my sincerest apologies for the extra long delay. And this isn't a greatly sized chapter but, hey, it's an update right? Also, in case I haven't mentioned before (or if I told you something else), this is about six months after the fall of the Endar Spire. ApparentlyInsane has inspired me to do an iPod shuffle drabble so that should be posted sooner or later. Which reminds me, on an unrelated-to-this-story note, my 2 year old brother had a brown shirt on yesterday that said "iPood." Now how awesome is that? LOL!
Now, on with the chapter! Please don't throw things at me, or chase me with pitchforks and torches, for the lack of update the previous month-and-a-half or so. Also, there is a Kottonmouth Kings reference in this chapter (NO I DO NOT DO DRUGS! I just enjoy their music.) Something else: if you haven't checked out my poll on my profile, please do so. Without further ado, read, enjoy, and review!
Revan and Bastila ended up making their way to the Jedi Temple at 1245 standard Republic time. They decided (or, rather, Bastila decided) to be on time today. Revan did have the valid argument in which they weren't late before because there hadn't been a set time. Bastila, apparently, didn't care. She didn't want to upset the Council with Revan anymore than they already probably were.
"Well, Knight Shan," Revan said, humoring the woman, as he backed the blue speeder outside of their parking space at the new apartment the couple had signed a lease to rent with just yesterday. Revan's eyes were too sore to look at the bill for the hotel rooms he had been paying for anymore. In other, simpler terms: too goddamn expensive! Canderous had rented his own apartment in the 'party animal' section of Coruscant, Jolee, having signed back with the Jedi Order, had his own quarters in the Temple, Juhani had her Temple quarters, Mission and Big Z had decided to take up temporary residence in the Ebon Hawk, along with T3-M4 and HK-47,Carth had taken a shuttle to Telos the previous morning, Revan and Bastila now had their apartment.
"How do you think our blue friend will respond to possibly becoming a Jedi?" Bastila's lips pursed.
"To be honest, I don't think she'll want to." Revan raised an eyebrow.
"C'mon, this is Mission we're talking about here. Of course she'll want to do something like this. If not for her benefit, just to prove how grown up she is."
"I think she'll want to go to Kashyyyk with Zaalbar," Bastila said, stubbornly.
"Possible, but, let's face it, Princess; I know Mission better than anyone on the ship, minus Big Z."
"Just because you may know her best, doesn't mean you know every little detail about her and know what her decisions will always be," Bastila said coolly as Revan swerved through sky traffic.
"Whatever, Bastila. So, how much are you willing to bet on Mission's decision?" Bastila's mouth was agape when Revan glanced at her again.
"Bet? Why must you make every little thing a pointless wager? Last time it was on Manaan when, before your second trial, you wagered with Canderous that the Selkath would thank you, but banish you from the planet anyways. Then, before that, on Tatooine, you bet Mission that that man in the middle of the desert would hit on me! Oh and, also, I happened to hear about that little pool that had been going on throughout our journey. Everyone had wagered on that one, except for me! Honestly, you wagered with the crew on how long it would take me to kiss you, of all things!" Revan took one hand off of the rectangle-like steering device to rub the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Tell me, Revan, just when did that one start?" Bastila had folded her arms, by now and was glaring a hole into the side of Revan's face as he drove.
"Hey, I actually didn't start that one! Well, I was thinking about it, but then, when I went to Mission to ask if she wanted to participate in my little wager, she told me about how Carth and Canderous already had a 'how long would it take for the Princess to kiss the poor guy' pool going already. That's when I put my four months in. And my 125 credits. Oh and, this had just started on our first planet after we left Dantooine, which was Kashyyyk. T3 and Mission ended up going halfway on the winnings for that one. And I was only one month off, too!"
"Whatever, Revan. I suppose you had been a smuggler at one point after the memory wipe but still... Fifty credits." Revan smirked as he pulled into the parking structure at the Temple.
"Fifty it is. How about a kiss to seal the bet with? Handshakes are overrated." Bastila, who had a hunch she was right this time, decided to humor him, only because he'd be shocked when he was wrong. They leaned, and met each others lips halfway. Only when Revan's tongue skimmed against her lips, did Bastila feel convinced that she had kissed him for other reasons besides just to humor her lover. She automatically gave him access but when a low, feral sound, escaped from her throat, she decided tongue twisters would have to wait until later.
"Nuh uh, Revan. Not here, and not now," Bastila said, just prior to an involuntary gasp escaped when Revan's teeth found her ear. Bastila hit him in the shoulder.
"We're in the Jedi Temple! Do I have to remind you every time?"
"Apparently so, Bas," Revan responded absently, getting out of the speeder, as if she hadn't scolded him at all.
Bastila rolled her eyes, and, as they walked to the elevator, she pointed her finger at him and narrowed her eyes.
"Be good, Revan. Or else."
"Yes, mistress," Revan quipped as he pushed one of the many buttons in the elevator's control panel. He casually leaned against the rail, arms folded neutrally over his chest. Suddenly, his mind returned to a time, just a few years ago, when it was Malak, or rather Alek, and him standing in this elevator.
"You know the answer already, Rev. You know that they'll disagree," Alek declared, pacing the elevator's reasonably sized area. His slightly shorter but still above average height friend was leaning against the elevator rail, arms folded, head bent toward the floor, ever so slightly, with his eyes closed; obviously Revan Kraern was in deep thought.
"Yes."
"'Yes?' So then why are we even here!" exclaimed Alek, his still-flesh jaw having dropped slightly.
"Because, regardless of what we may believe, it is only fair that we go to them with our point."
"Them?" Revan opened one eye at first, directing one root beer brown orb upwards at Alek. He then lifted his head and opened his other eye.
"Yes, Alek, 'them.' You know, Zhar, Zez-Kai-El, Vrook, Atris, Vandar, Kavar, Vash, Fraanz, Le'jer, Richter, Xavier, and Miller? In other words, the Jedi Council." Alek rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, Rev, I know who they are but you addressed the Council as 'them' instead of 'the Council'; a first." It was Revan's turn to roll his eyes now.
"Leave it to Squint to notice the unimportant details."
The ding of the elevator, alerted Revan not only of the present time, but back into reality. He was speechless for a moment, and could feel Bastila's intense eyes boring holes in him.
"You saw it, too, then?" Revan, questioned, as he and his lover walked side-by-side out of the elevator.
"Yes," Bastila replied simply, waiting for him to continue.
"Obviously, it was before our fall to the Dark, but before the Mandalorian Wars?" Revan's eyebrows furrowed.
"Possibly. You called him Alek, and you were on your way to tell the Council about something. Perhaps, this was just before you joined the war effort?" Bastila noticed Revan's hasty stride, and sped up her own.
"Yeah, because Mal—Alek, knew that the Jedi Council would disagree." Revan sighed. "You know what this means, right?" he asked, chancing a glance at her. She obviously had the same question in mind as he; why were his memories returning?
"Yes," Bastila sighed, herself. "I know bloody well what this means, Revan," Bastila exhaled, frustration evident.
They reached the door to the High Council chambers. The familiar Jedi guarding the door greeted them, with her thick accent.
"Good afternoon to the both of you, Revan, Bastila," Juhani smiled. Revan gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Hey there, Juhani. We're here for the meeting with Mission and the Council."
"Ah, yes, they're ready for you now." Suddenly, Revan's half-hearted smile was replaced with a devilish smirk.
"Say, Juhani, Bastila and I have engaged in a little wager." A pause. The female Cathar raised an eyebrow, while Bastila Shan rolled her eyes and put a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "The deal is, I say Mission will accept Jedi training in a heartbeat, but the Princess over here, thinks that she'll decline in a heartbeat to stay with our Wookiee friend, Zaalbar. What do you think? Oh, and minimum wage is fifty," the Jedi added quickly.
"Hmm, another one of your bets, Revan? Well, I lost 70 credits in that last ship-wide," Juhani threw a side glance at Bastila, "well, virtually, ship-wide bet, so this would be a good chance to win it back. My take on young Mission's choice?" Revan nodded vigorously. "She'll at first like the idea of becoming one of us, but she'll ultimately change her mind to travel with Zaalbar." Revan's eyebrows were raised by the time she held her hand out to shake. His smirk returned and he shook her hand firmly.
"We'll see." With that, Revan and Bastila advanced to the dual set of doors leading to the Council members.
"What happened to handshakes being overrated?" Bastila asked when the doors behind them closed.
"It depends on who's hands you're shaking, love." he winked at her and set his mental barriers in place. Bastila pressed the button to access the inner chamber doors with a slight smile.