Hey guys! Here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy! :D
Q/A's and Reactions:
Azulablue92- Aw, I'm glad you liked it! :D
Ichichi05- I love family moments! :D
Mpathy- Yes. There should be a lot more action when it comes to lightsaber duels now!
ElsaSkywalker- Well, Ezra has a bit of training with Kanan's lightsaber, but I think the 'aggressive negotiations' will be very interesting from now on! :D
Warrior Angel- Don't worry! That story will get told eventually in the Lost Chapters! :D
Louisemcmullan- Thanks! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter too!
Midnight Luna- :D I thought it was pretty funny too. Enjoy the chapter! :D
Four days after Ezra made his lightsaber…
Kanan's POV
Everyone was waiting outside excitedly as Hera and I walked down the ramp. I mustered a fake smile, trying to conceal the frustration and worry gnawing at the back of my mind. The sun had just set on Lothal's grassy plains, faint stars appearing on the ink black sky. I walked up to the joyful trio and said "Now remember, if you need extra credits, you come to me or Hera. Use the amount we gave you wisely because we only have a limited budget."
Ezra and Sabine groaned simultaneously. "We know. Can we go now?" Sabine whined.
I sighed and let out a small chuckle. "Go ahead."
The three bolted down the hill, towards the colourfully lit up carnival below. I had finally agreed to let them go not long after Ezra finished his lightsaber. We all deserved a break, and Ezra deserved a reward for his work. It would also lighten the mood for the news Hera and I would tell them later. I shook the thought out of my mind and focused on enjoying the night.
Hera and I followed the others at a slower pace and walked through the lit up gate. There were food stalls, large amusement rides, smaller prize mini-games and even a roller coaster. People's cheers and screams filled the air as they rocketed across the rails set up in an elaborate path around, across, over and under the area of entertainment. I turned to Hera and asked "So, where should we start?"
Ezra's POV
I dragged Sabine through the maze of stalls and rides, looking for a specific structure. I had seen it in the brochure. The ride I was never tall enough to ride on, until now. "Where are we going?" Sabine asked as we weaved past other people and their families. "Trust me, it's going to be awesome!" I smirked as we turned a corner. My eyes lit up and I motioned towards the large structure in front of us. "Let me introduce you to 'The Zipper'!"
The carriages along its sides were strung with blue and yellow lights and thankfully, the line wasn't too big either. "What is it?" Sabine asked as we stood behind the others who were waiting. I chuckled while pulling out the required credits. "It's a Ferris Wheel with attitude." When it was our turn to ride, we jumped into the carriages as the man closed the door. Sabine looked both excited and nervous. Slowly, we were raised into the air while another pair got into their seats. From this vantage point, you could see the bright, energetic carnival below and the ocean of people swarming to different rides with their families.
The structure groaned as the ride began. "Ezra, are you sure this is-" She never finished that sentence because she was cut short by her scream when the carriage rocketed backward. I laughed in amusement at Sabine's reaction as we gained more and more speed. The wind combed through my hair and whipped my face. After a few minutes of Sabine's panicking frenzy, we jolted to a stop. She opened one of her clenched eyes and asked "Is it over?"
I laughed and said "Nope."
Once again, the ride lurched with astonishing speed, but this time, spinning forward. The ground came rushing towards our faces before being pulled away again. The carriages twisted and turned, facing you towards the sky and then suddenly towards the ground. Sabine tried to scream but her voice cut out. I gave her a reassuring smile and she quickly began to laugh. When you forgot the fact some of these rides could potentially be unstable, it was a blast to do! When we got off, Sabine skipped around joyfully and said "Again! Again!"
Kanan's POV
We were walking past the smaller mini-game stalls while Hera admired the sparkling bracelet I'd won her. She smiled and said "You're really good at those games. You didn't use the force, did you?"
"Me? I would never use my special abilities to scam someone for a bracelet," I smirked.
"Sure," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. I laughed when I heard a familiar voice from behind. "Kanan!" Sabine waved. I turned to face her and asked "What's up?"
"Ezra's out of credits and he's asking for some," she explained.
"Why didn't he come himself then?" I inquired.
Sabine sighed and said "Cause he's in the middle of a trade and is one credit short."
Hera rolled her eyes and asked "Where is he?"
"By the roller coaster entrance," the teen said, pointing to the big sign above saying: 'Coaster of Death' on the next left. I raised a brow. "Wow. That really makes you want to go ride it, huh?"
Hera smiled and walked away when I realised something had caught Sabine's attention. I followed her gaze to a specific game with prizes lined up along the edges. "My parents once gave me a toy exactly like that one," she murmured, walking over to it. I followed her as she stared at the little dog plush with joy. The game seemed pretty simple: throw the balls into the mouth of the Loth cat.
"Hello there!" the man behind the bench greeted. "Would you like to play a round? Just throw three balls into the chute and you can take any of these prizes here!"
Sabine nodded and handed over two credits. The Loth cat figure began to turn its head as the man handed Sabine the balls. She narrowed her eyes and focused, throwing with no too much, but not too little power. I watched as the object disappeared in the statues mouth. With new found confidence, she perfected the second throw as well.
She threw the third one and like always, got right where she was aiming. I smiled and Sabine was about to celebrate when a weird mechanical noise came from the robot. Unexpectedly the ball shot back out and bounced on the ground. "Hey! What was that?! She got it in!" I barked at the oily man. He smirked and said "I said if she got all three in then she could have a prize. Does that look like she got all of them in?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Forget it Sabine. This one's a scam."
I turned and realised the disappointment on her face. It was obvious the dog-like toy resembled something important to her. I thought for a moment, before turning back to the man. "Fine, my turn," I muttered, handing him two credits. He grinned greedily and activated the game again. Using the force to guide me, I landed the first two shots easily. On the third one, I was prepared for the little con. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve as well.
Taking a deep breath, I threw the ball and searched the force quickly. Turns out, there was a lot more mechanical components in the machine than I'd expected. I discretely held out my hand and forced the metal gates to stay open. There was a loud metallic groan as the machine's gears pushed to fulfil their programming. I wasn't giving up though, and the ball made it through the chutes. A bell went off and a sign above spelled 'Winner!'. The owner looked at me, amazed and baffled. "We'll be taking this," I smirked, taking the dog plush and handing it to Sabine.
Sabine's eyes widened in joy as I ushered her away from the stall keeper. His murmurs of confusion would quickly turn to anger if we weren't quick enough. When we were far away enough, the teen look up at me and smiled. "I know what you did back there and I just wanted to say… thanks."
"It looked important to you so, why not?" I smiled as we walked past the bigger rides.
She returned her attention back to the toy as it hung beside her. "So, where do you think the others are?"
I shrugged and said "Who knows. Zeb's probably at the food venders and Hera probably stuck with Ezra. But I have the feeling we'll be seeing them soon enough."
Hey guys! How was the chapter? This is only part 1. I have a part 2 planned for the carnival theme so I hope you're excited for that! The idea of Kanan winning the rigged game for Sabine was inspired by 'Despicable Me'. The 'Zipper' is an actual ride, just look it up on the internet. I decided to put that in because it reminds me of the time my friend took me on that ride! :D Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the family bonding and may the force be with you, always!
-Superherotiger
