Disclaimer: I only own Rae and her crazy. And the obvious OCs.
Time-line: 2 years and a week after Naboo.
Chapter 12: Shadow's Departure
They had both known this day would come sooner of later, but Rae wished it didn't have to be so soon. "I'll miss you, Master," she told Blon as she stood by the door to his chambers in the Temple. The Shadow sighed and gave her a wry smile, melancholy and fondness and duty and a gentle kind of pride twining around his melody.
"I will miss you as well, Padawan," he told her, chuckling at the disgruntled face she pulled at the title.
"I understand it is the traditional title given to a Jedi Apprentice, but to hear it applied to myself is... far too odd. Why not call me by name? Or Denshi, as I suggested? Or even 'Young Grasshopper'?" she asked. Blon chuckled again and stood to cross the room and lay a hand on her shoulder.
"While my duties take me far from the Temple, to places you cannot follow, I shall consider you my Padawan until the day comes you are given the chance to fashion your own lightsaber," he told her warmly. "And when that day comes, I will be proud to call you Knight Mayar."
"We have had less than a full year together, Master," she said. "And with the length of your missions and the depth of your cover..."
"I still have friends within the Order," he said. "I shall contact one, a skilled Investigator, to ensure your skills do not atrophy before I return."
"Will you return? Or will I need to seek you out?" Rae asked. Blon grinned and bent down to retrieve his pack.
"We shall see, my Padawan," he said. Rae pouted and crossed her arms before sighing and holding out the modified datapad he'd given her months before.
"I intend to put your training to use soon," she told him. "Already, I have begun putting together a... second persona. With your gift, and training, I was able to create an untraceable comm frequency. So... if you ever have the time..." Blon stared at her, momentarily befuddled, before a fond, gentle smile spread across his face. His clawed fingers delicately took the datapad from her and dialed in his own untraceable frequency.
"Should you have any questions," he said meaningfully as he handed the datapad back. Rae beamed at him before bowing.
"Thank you, Master," she said, gratitude and joy flowing across the only slightly unexpected bond forged between them. She wondered if he could hear the Force like she could now, when drawing on that bond.
"Walk with me?" Blon asked and Rae happily fell in stride with him. The walk to the Jedi Temple's hanger was quiet, but neither were uncomfortable. All that needed to be said had been said and all that was left was 'good bye.' "I look forward to what you will accomplish," Blon finally said, seated in the cockpit of his ship. Rae smiled up at him and gave a slight bow.
"I look forward to hearing your own stories," she said. With one last chuckle, the Shadow departed for the wider galaxy, once more on the hunt for dangerous artifacts and practitioners of the Dark Side. Rae chuckled darkly to herself at the great irony of her mentor's position, her eyes drawn to the Senate Tower where Palpatine continued to grow in power and reputation. Shaking her head, Rae boarded her personal speeder and returned to her apartment. That night she would rest, but later... later she would plot.
/*/
When she arrived, she found a message on her apartment comm. "Rae, Anakin and I will be returning to Coruscant tonight. Might we join you for dinner after debriefing with the Council?" Obi-Wan. The suave, eloquent, Negotiator, poster-boy for the Order. Asking to join her for dinner with Anakin. Oh, how could she turn her Jedi away? With a fond smile playing about her lips, she sent the affirmative and set about cooking for two adults and a preteen.
/*/
The meeting with the council was as tiresome and irritating as Anakin had thought it would be. The Masters all seemed to find fault in the smallest of things. Especially when he was involved. "Sensei... if it had been you and Master Qui-Gon... do you think... ?" he asked, trailing off uncertainly. Obi-Wan sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly.
"Yes, I do think they might have gone easier on me as a Padawan," he said. "They seem to hold you to a higher standard. It's... not really fair to you, but there are a lot of expectations." Anakin sighed even as they walked into the Temple hanger.
"Wait... this is..."
"Rae agreed to host us this evening," Obi-Wan said. "I had a feeling this was going to be a rough meeting for you, so I called ahead." Anakin gaped at his Sensei who seemed unable to meet his eyes. Slowly, the boy grinned before hopping in a speeder.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he cheered. Obi-Wan smiled and settled behind the yoke.
"You will behave tonight, won't you?" he asked. Anakin laughed and sat back in his seat.
"I always behave!" he quipped, laughing at his Sensei's groan.
"Behave nicely, please? I do not want Rae to ban us from her home," Obi-Wan groused. Anakin smirked at him.
"Her home? Or her cookies?" he asked. Obi-Wan shot him a mild glare, causing the boy to cackle. Rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan focused more on the traffic than his teasing apprentice. It was safer for everyone that way.
/*/
He could smell the garlic from the hallway. Already, he could feel the tension draining from his shoulders as he pictured the warm kitchen/dinning room with it's table boasting a bowl of noodles, a dish of something green, and a pot of warm red sauce. Rae was likely pulling the bread from the oven now, if the strength of the scent was anything to go by. The door swooshed open before he could even knock and a firm hand dragged him inside, blue-green eyes glimmering with emotions he couldn't put into words. "Come in, come in!" Rae cheered, dragging the Jedi into her kitchen and pushing them toward seats. "I was torn between telling you to just go to the mess hall in the Temple and welcoming you over, at first, but then I realized... I did need company tonight," their host said, turning around to grab the bread and place the long loaf at the center of the table.
"Why?" Anakin asked, already passing his plate to Obi-Wan, since the older Jedi was next to the noodles.
"Blon left for a new mission today," Rae answered. "And his missions tend to... run long."
"How long?" Anakin asked, spooning meat laden sauce over his noodles.
"Months, years, it's hard to say," Rae answered with a sigh. "It's why he doesn't have a Padawan. Or, didn't, before he met me." Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a look. "We trained together, while he was at the Temple on medical leave," Rae clarified. "Thought he was clever, calling me his Padawan since I asked him to teach me some of his non-Force, and non-combat, related skills."
"I thought Jazz was teaching you?" Obi-Wan said curiously. Rae nodded, cutting herself a slice of garlic bread.
"He was, but since his knowledge about the sorts of things I asked Blon about was limited, I've learned all he had to teach me," she said, then took a bite of her bread. Obi-Wan nodded, but was still curious about these skills a Jedi could teach better than a mechanic. He decided to leave the topic for now, considering how his friend was tearing at her meal and was pleased when his apprentice followed suit. The rest of dinner passed with light talk and some laughter. Once the plates were cleared away and the left overs packed into Rae's fridge, tea was passed around and they retired to the living room. Rae put on some soft music, a style Obi-Wan had only ever heard in her home, and sat down in what appeared to be her favorite chair. "So, how did your meeting with the Council go?" she asked, sipping at her tea. Obi-Wan sighed while Anakin growled. "Huh. That bad?"
"Why do they have to be so hard on me?!" the boy burst out. Rae's hand darted out and placed Anakin's tea mug on the side table before disaster could strike, notably said tea spilling on and subsequently staining her couch. Obi-Wan sighed and repeated his earlier words. "I know that, Sensei!" Anakin said heatedly, "but why can't they see that they're being unfair? Aren't they supposed to be wise?" Rae snorted into her tea and Obi-Wan gave a great, shuddering sigh as the Baguette Incident came to mind.
"Sometimes, life-forms act without thinking," Rae said. "Even 'wise' ones like Yoda. Perhaps, they are not aware of the pressure they are putting on you." Anakin huffed and crossed his arms with a glare. With all the practice the boy was getting with that expression, Obi-Wan had a feeling it would one day rival Master Windu's.
"They should though!" Anakin complained. "Every time something goes even slightly 'wrong,' they lay into me like I nearly caused the failure of the mission! And every time I express anything other than obedience or understanding or calm they act like it's an act of pure Darkness and lecture me on letting go and not letting my emotions get the better of me. I'm eleven! And I've only been a member of the Order for the last two years! What did they expect?!"
"For you to exchange one master for another and to accept their way of life a hundred and ten percent, without question, and to uphold their Code above and beyond all who came before as a shining beacon of Light and Peace in the galaxy as their interpretation of a centuries old prophesy dictates of The Chosen One," Rae answered, her flat tone and expressionless face clearly conveying what she thought of the Council's expectations and desires. Obi-Wan... couldn't really disagree with her assessment either, as much as it pained him. Even he had held some of those expectations for his apprentice. Rae had, to his shame, needed to remind him that his apprentice had been raised as a slave for him to understand why he had such trouble with the Masters and thus allow Anakin to call him Sensei instead. Anakin huffed angrily as Obi-Wan reflected on Rae's words, clearly not satisfied.
"I'm trying!" he said loudly, bordering on yelling. "But they keep pushing and chiding and telling me I'm not good enough! How can I be what they want if they never tell me how?!" Rae sighed and took another sip of her tea while Obi-Wan held back a wince. Oh, but didn't all of that sound just a little to familiar?
"A failing of the old and wise, they tend to forget how it felt to be young and ignorant," Rae told Anakin. "And don't you go getting offended! Even Obi-Wan is young and ignorant in their eyes. Heck, to Yoda, even his fellow Masters are young and ignorant!" Anakin huffed and Rae sighed again. "Don't let them get to you, Uberflieger," she said. "Their expectations are far too high. It truly is unfair. Instead, you should listen to Obi-Wan and myself. Personally, I think you're doing quite well. A bit rash and impulsive at times, but you're young. You have time to grow out of that. Remember, wisdom does not come from determination and books, but rather time and experience."
"If you can understand that, why can't the Council?!" Anakin yelled, flailing his arms. Rae hummed, opening her eyes and giving Anakin a flat stare.
"Because, it would seem, they have forgotten their own struggles on the path to wisdom," she said and Obi-Wan once more had to hold back a wince. Yeah, this really sounded like the parts of his life he'd tried to put behind him. "One of the reasons I dislike the current Order, that is. Review their own histories, the Council should. Then, perhaps, they would not need to place such significance on you and your actions." Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin sat back with a sigh.
"I guess you're right," he groused, then gave a quite huff of laughter. "You and Obi-Wan should take over the Council chambers and tag-team the Masters sometime," he said. "I know a few Knights and Padawans who would greatly enjoy the show." Rae snorted and spun around to kick her feet over the armrest of her chair, tea mug resting on her chest.
"Maybe I will, one day. But I want to gather a bit more ammunition on them than just your case, Ani," she told him. "And I'd have to get Obi-Wan irritated enough to not just back me up but go off on the Council in his own right. A great task, I assure you." Anakin sighed, but nodded and reclaimed his mug full of now lukewarm tea. Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief, seeing his apprentice's tantrum successfully averted.
"If you have enough 'ammunition' to lambaste the whole Council for their failures and lack of wisdom, you'll likely have enough to accomplish that 'great task' with ease," he said, sipping from his own mug. Rae hummed, fingernails tapping rhythmically against her mug.
"Something I will need to keep in mind... and another investigation added to a growing pile," she said softly. So softly in fact, that Obi-Wan wasn't sure he was meant to hear the last part at all. Rae's eyes were distant and her brow furrowed as she stared toward the wall and the Jedi Knight couldn't help wondering what was going through her mind. The Force was chaotic around her to such a degree Obi-Wan couldn't make heads nor tails of what it might have been able to tell him. Not to mention, it seemed rather reluctant to part with any information about the woman aside from surface emotions and the barest of intentions. He was fairly sure this reluctance on the Force's part contributed to the Council's distrust of the woman, though some seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and Yoda occasionally found enjoyment in her antics. Anakin didn't seem to hear her muttered sentence or notice her far off look.
"So... when are you coming to the training rooms next?" the boy asked. Rae hummed, blinking in a fairly obvious return to the current conversation. "It's been a while since we trained together, hasn't it?"
"Yes. I'll need to drop by the Temple soon to rectify that," she said, turning to face the pair more fully. "Any idea how long you'll be on Coruscant?"
"At least a few weeks," Obi-Wan answered. "The Council likes to keep an eye on Anakin after they feel he's strayed a little too close to the Dark." Rae's nose crinkled at that, but she held her tongue for the moment.
"I'll drop by within the next few days then. I expect my visit will stir up the hornets' nest a bit more so be prepared," she said. Obi-Wan wasn't familiar with the creature she mentioned, but expected it was unpleasant when disturbed. He nodded and stood with his empty cup.
"It's always best to expect some level of chaos when you come by, Rae. Your personal philosophy seems to clash with the majority of the Order," he noted, already making his way to the kitchen. Rae hummed behind him.
"Well, perhaps both sides should change their points of view," she said. "Easier said than done, I know, but certainly something that can be striven toward." He nodded, rinsing his mug before returning to the room and sinking down on one of the meditation pillows. Anakin sighed and drained his mug before setting it aside. Rae glanced at the clock and moaned. "I have morning shift tomorrow. Ever since I showed off my baking skills, they've been in higher and higher demand," she said.
"Why don't you just quit Dex's and start your own bakery?" Anakin asked.
"Cause I like Dex? And I don't want to steal his morning business?" Rae offered. "Besides, working for Dex means I only have to worry about taxes. He handles the rest of the paperwork."
"Of course it would be the paperwork that dissuades you," Obi-Wan remarked with a smile. Rae shrugged with a smile.
"Would it help if I said working under Dex means I can take paid vacations while if I owned my own business I'd lose money by taking a vacation, since I wouldn't have employees?" she added.
"Only for the first year or so," Obi-Wan pointed out. "After that, you bring people in, train them, and you can take a vacation whenever you need."
"Paperwork though~!" Rae whined. Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head.
"I won't pressure you, but at least think about it," he said. "You could make a decent amount of money off of something you undoubtedly enjoy. And if you only operated in the mornings, you and Dex could work out a schedule where you aren't competing for costumers." Rae hummed, playing with her now empty mug.
"You... make some good points. Perhaps I'll talk to Dex about it. I know some of his regulars said they'd buy from me if I opened my own store. And I've gotten a few orders through Dex's diner," she said. Anakin smiled.
"See? Lots of people like your cookies!" he said. "And you could offer tea and caf to go with them!" Rae laughed lightly at his enthusiasm.
"Alright alright, I'll think it over and discuss it with Dex. Satisfied?" she asked, face alight with fond amusement. The Jedi both nodded and Rae shook her head at them. "Good. Now, I'm serious! I have a morning shift! Shoo so I can go to bed!" she said, swinging her feet back down to the floor and standing with her mug in hand. Anakin sighed, but picked his mug up and took it to the kitchen before joining his Sensei at the door.
"Good night, Rae! See you again soon!" he called to her.
"Good night, boys! Stay safe on your way back to the temple!" she called back. An affirmative and swoosh of the door later and Rae was alone in her home once more. Sighing in contentment, she finished cleaning up before turning in for the night.