A/N: A BIG, BIG thank you for all the reviews and positive comments we've received for this story. We do love getting to play with the family genre in full, as it's not something that Eeth and Raven would experience every day. It is a first for them both.
A reviewer mentioned the young age of children coming to the Temple. For this, we have decided to stick with the canon, whatever we or anyone else might feel about it. Eeth himself would not presume to question it, anyway.
Please keep letting us know what you think. We enjoy the feedback, it keeps us going!
"Bram, Jai, Belle, didn't you think to offer our guests some drinks?" said Selwin, sticking her head out of the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon."
"Oops, sorry," said Bram, jumping up. "I just got caught up in listening to the story of Raven's last mission. I'll get to it right away." He hurried off to the kitchen, and Jai and Belle followed suit. The younger children fetched glasses for everyone while Bram served pitchers of cold water and juice.
"Master … uh, Eeth?," he said, a tad uncertain how to address the Zabrak Jedi master who seemed fairly imposing to him. "Would you like some beer? Al and Baka will have some with their dinner. I could get you a bottle, too."
"Thank you," Eeth said politely, "but water will be fine."
"If you want to reconsider at some point," said Al, "Chine brews the best beer in the galaxy. Admittedly, I haven't tried any other kind of beer in my life, but that's what everyone is saying."
"Al, leave him be," Baka said, entering the living room to set down a bowl of chips.
"Can I help?" Raven asked Baka, feeling a little awkward at being waited on by her family.
"That's kind of you," Baka said with a smile as she lowered herself onto a chair, "but the food just needs to simmer at this point. Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Katlin should be home any minute, too."
"What's life as a Jedi like?" Bram asked. "We really have no idea. Are they teaching you how to fight? Do you also learn other stuff?"
Raven spent the next five minutes detailing a typical 'day in the life of a Jedi padawan' for her family. She had to admit that it did sound like an awful lot of work when she spelt it out like that. "I guess it can be boring at times, with all we are expected to learn. But then there are our workouts, trips to Coruscant and missions."
"Is this like some kind of boarding school or do you live with your master?" Selwin asked. She had left the kitchen to listen to her daughter talk about her life.
"I live with my master in quarters assigned to us at the Jedi Temple," said Raven. "It's not very big, but we have two bedrooms, our own private balcony and enough cooler space for some extra fizzy drink. But no beer." She shot her grandfather a grin.
Al returned the grin. "Aren't you allowed to drink alcohol?" he asked. "Is this a religious thing?"
"No, it is related to our physiology," said Eeth. "For most humanoid Jedi, alcohol, just like drugs, inhibits our awareness of the Force. It might also lead to a lack of control when using it. That is why we avoid it, although we are not, strictly speaking, forbidden from drinking it."
"Will Raven have to do all the stuff she mentioned while she's here, too?" asked Jai. "Workouts, lessons and so on?"
"I hope not!" said Bram. "It sure wouldn't leave her a lot of time to get to know the place. And us."
"She will have plenty of time for that, of course" said Eeth. "I would like to perform morning and evening meditations with Raven while we are here. Apart from that, she will be free to get to know her family and to explore her home world. We do not want to impose on you, though; I am sure you have work to do. Please do not feel obligated to keep us company at all times."
"Thanks," said Selwin, smiling at him. "We're glad to have Raven here and want to make the most of the time. Unfortunately, we do have to work. Jobe – Raven's father – was able to take tomorrow off work, and he will have another free day three days later. That's on a weekend, so we'll all be home. We could show you around the countryside then, if you like."
"Yeah, we've got loads of countryside," Bram said. "Like I said: the exact opposite of Coruscant."
"I'd love to see the countryside, and I'd love to see where Jobe works too," Raven admitted. She wasn't sure what to make of her father yet but they had at least one common interest, and it was a big one.
"Are you gonna get to go to school with Bram and Jai?" Belle asked.
Raven hadn't thought of this, and she glanced at Eeth.
None of her family had thought of this either, and there was a bit of quiet as everyone digested the question.
"Well, not normally, no," Selwin finally said. "But it might be interesting for her to go for a visit for a day? Bram could take her. But you should ask Tanjo first. – Tanjo is Bram's teacher," she explained to Raven and Eeth. "Raven, you don't have to, of course. Would you like to? Provided your master is alright with it."
"I have no objections, if my padawan is interested," Eeth said. He shared Selwin's opinion that it might be interesting for Raven, and apart from that, a day of school could only be beneficial!
From the mouths of babes, Raven thought incredulously, looking from her family to Eeth. At first, the idea of having to go to school was unappealing, given how much time she spent doing just that at the Temple, but then, surely she would be in the same class as Bram, which could only be fun! "School? Uh… Yes, Ma'am, sure why not," she agreed.
Selwin grimaced at the unfamiliar form of address. She did not correct it, though; she figured Raven would need time to get to know them.
Eeth was the only one who caught on to Raven's hesitancy. "Since we are not talking about tomorrow morning here," he suggested, "you might take some time to think about it. Maybe your siblings can tell you more about what school is like on this planet, and then you can make up your mind."
"Sounds good," said Selwin. She wanted to say more, but at this point, a timer went off in the kitchen and she jumped up to pull a dish from the oven.
"Well, do think about it," said Bram. "I just know that if I bring you, we'll get to ask you questions about Coruscant instead of doing maths and stuff."
"If you think it will get you out of doing maths, then I can see that it might be a worthy cause," Raven conceded, grinning at her twin.
"With all your aversion to maths and stuff, you will end up as a garbage collector one day, mark my words," Al said to Bram, but there was a chuckle in his voice.
"Now, Al, don't scare him. After all, the council requires a minimum fifth form entry-level, and if he flunks out of maths, he won't make it that high," Katlin said as she angled her belly past the door and into the common room. "Oh, Raven, it's really you!" she exclaimed and moved forward to grab the girl.
By now, Raven knew what to expect and immediately stood and hugged her tall sister as tightly as she dared given her belly. Katlin's skin was as dark as Belle's, and her hair was white blonde and gun-barrel straight, just like her own. "Hello, I am glad to meet all three of you," Raven said, having unintentionally reached out with the Force to sense the two beings inside her. They felt so small and she smiled as Belle ran to explain.
"There's two babies in there, you know? One, and two!" she said, placing a gentle hand on each side of her sister's stomach.
Katlin ran a hand through her youngest sister's hair, only to have it catch in the ends. "Eww, Belle. Have you been playing in that mud pit with Greir again?" she asked rhetorically, as the guilty expression on her baby sister's face was all-telling.
"You have all been playing in that mud pit when you were small," Al said peacefully. "Even you, Katlin."
He and Baka got everyone to set the table, or rather several small tables around which everyone was going to be seated on pillows because if they used chairs, the living room would be too small for the lot of them. As Baka came in with a stack of plates, the cousin Bram had spoken of earlier showed up, and without hesitation, she was invited for dinner. Raven was introduced to her and a place was set for her. A minute later, the elderly distant relation from next door dropped by to ask for an egg and was invited, too, but declined because she was having her children over. She did not leave without having engulfed Raven in a hug, though. Just after she had closed the door behind herself, a boy rang the doorbell and asked whether Jai could sleep over with them. Jai's face lit up, but Selwin shook her head and said he'd have to postpone it; not the first night his sister was home in more than fourteen years!
"I didn't know what you and your master eat, dear," Selwin told Raven, surveying the living room to make sure that everything was set, "so I made a variety of dishes. Mostly vegetables and fish. We don't produce much meat here, nor are we big in dairy and eggs. I hope that's fine with you. I also hope your master will be able to eat everything. To be honest, we weren't aware that he wasn't going to be human although we might have been expecting it if we had been thinking more clearly."
"That's perfect for me. I don't eat meat – uh, when I have a choice, that is," Raven said, recalling a couple of incidents where she had been forced to do so on missions.
"I can eat nearly everything that is suitable for humans, Ma'am," Eeth replied. "Our stomachs are very similar. Do not worry about it."
"That's good," Selwin said with a smile. "Call me Selwin. You are family, after all." With this, she turned and went back to the kitchen to carry in the food, leaving Eeth looking slightly stunned.
Raven looked up at Eeth proudly when he was included as part of the family; Eeth was the closest person she'd ever had to family, and that they chose to welcome him made her feel very lucky to have come from a place of such kindness.
Dinner was a noisy, messy but happy affair. People chatted, laughed and genuinely enjoyed each other's company as they ate. Raven had placed a small amount of vegetables on her plate but passed on the fish. Thankfully, her stomach was telling her it was around lunchtime so she was hungry and actually went back for seconds. When everyone had finished eating, Raven stood and started gathering a few empty plates to take to the sink.
"Raven, sit down!" exclaimed Selwin. "You're our guest."
"And besides, it's Bram's turn to do the dishes," said Jai mischievously.
Bram groaned, but got up nonetheless. "Alright, I'll do it," he said, picking up an empty bowl and starting to fill it with silverware.
"C'mon, lemme help, it will make me feel useful," Raven insisted and smiled when her mother acquiesced.
With an arm full of dishes, she followed Bram into the kitchen and started scraping leftover food into containers Selwin had set aside.
Bram chuckled as he heard his grandmother order Eeth, who had apparently tried to help as well, to sit back down immediately.
"He looks as if he's used to being the one who orders other people around, and not the reverse," he told Raven. "Is he really as intimidating as he looks?"
"Yes, he can be," said Raven, "especially if you tick him off. He has high expectations. He can be outright prickly about respect, and Force help you if you disobey or question an order."
"Does this happen to you a lot?" Bram asked. "If yes, it must be in your genes… I seem to be in trouble more often than not, which is one of the reasons they sent me to the countryside for a while."
"When I was first apprenticed, I was in trouble all the time," said Raven. "The path to knighthood is difficult, and it's a big change coming from crèche. So much more is expected of us. Although I will have to try blaming my genetics the next time I get into trouble. Not that I imagine Eeth would accept it. He tends to be rather unforgiving about such things. How about you? Are our parents strict? Did they send you to the farm as punishment for getting into too much trouble, or as a way of stopping you from finding more?"
Bram shrugged. "No, it wasn't punishment," he said. "Our parents don't really punish us, at least not very often. The most that usually happens is that I get told off. It's worse when it comes from Dad; he's good at making you feel as guilty as humanly possible just by telling you exactly what he thinks of your behaviour."
"Yeah, I often wonder if there is some sort of secret class adults take that teach them how to extract the maximum amount of guilt," Raven agreed.
Bram laughed. "Luckily, that's usually all that happens," he said. "If I do something that's really over the top, I get grounded or have to do additional chores, but that's rare. When I got sent to the farm, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Most children get to live with other branches of their families at least for a year or two, in order to see different places and lifestyles. In my case, Mum and Dad happened to think it would do me good to help out on the farm and be away from the city for a while. So I guess it was a way to keep me out of trouble. It was quite a good year, actually. I wouldn't want to do this all my life, but I kind of enjoyed my time on the farm."
By this stage they had scraped clean a tall stack of dishes. After a short scissor-paper-rock competition to decide who got to wash, which they both wanted, Raven raised her hands in defeat and took up a tea towel.
"How about you?" asked Bram. "What does your master do when you go against the rules?"
"It depends on what I did, and how bad it was," Raven answered. "For mild things I get scolded and grounded with extra chores or I'm made to write lines. The chores are usually things related to what I've done wrong. And sometimes I get assigned hours of community service; scrubbing pond slime from rocks gets old really fast, trust me. But most of the time my master will use some form of physical correction."
Bram stared at her, open-mouthed. "What, like, he slaps you? Or hits you?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"Uh!" Raven hesitated. "No. I mean, yes, but, well it's not what you think." Or maybe it was to Bram? Raven didn't know. "He will spank me, but it is always on my bottom," she said, turning redder at having to make such a cringy statement. "But he is also unselfish, compassionate and is completely dedicated to the Jedi Order and his role as my master," she added upon noticing Bram's expression. She really didn't want him to think less of Eeth because he spanked her, even if she herself did not like it at the time.
Bram was stunned into silence for a moment, and that was a rare occurrence indeed. "I dunno what to say," he admitted, unsure whether to be fascinated or unnerved by what Raven had told him. "It's just not done here. I was theoretically aware that other societies raise their children differently but I hadn't imagined the Jedi, of all people, would!" He paused again. "Are you okay with that?" he asked hesitantly. "I mean, with him spanking you? He doesn't hurt you, does he?"
"Yeah, he does, and I'd be lying if I said I wanted it," Raven admitted honestly and wrinkled her nose. "It's punishment, so it's kinda meant to hurt. I'm also not meant to like it, which I don't. Eeth wouldn't ever harm me, though, I guess that is the difference. Have you really never been spanked, ever?" she asked, finding Bram's situation as surprising as he had found hers.
"No, never," said Bram. "When I was much younger, I might have received an occasional mild swat or a slap on my fingers when Mum or Al really lost their temper; they sometimes do that, much more so than Dad or Bubcha, anyway. I guess it's where we get our temper from. Katlin and Jai are more like Dad in that respect, much more quiet and composed. Anyway, like I said, children are simply not spanked around here. Well, unless parents are abusive."
"I'm sorry, Bram, I hope I didn't upset you," said Raven. "Eeth isn't abusive, he just doesn't want me to die unnecessarily. Our job is dangerous and going against the rules can have dire consequences sometimes."
Bram did not reply. This was not because he doubted Raven's statement; Eeth had not seemed abusive to him and Raven did not appear to be afraid of him either. He was just very thoughtful because Raven's account had elicited emotions in him that he could not make sense of.
He was distracted when Raven, who had carried the pile of plates to the shelf, found that it was too high up for her to reach and carefully began using the Force to levitate the pile.
"Wow," Bram said, his mouth hanging open for a second until he realised it and hastily closed it. "That's impressive! Can you all do this?"
"Yes, but some of us find it more difficult than others," said Raven. "I find it hard to manipulate inanimate objects, but with a lot of practice it has become easier over the years. We have different strengths. Flynt, my Jedi nephew, has a gift for manipulating fire. His master, Lakhri, is fast as lightning and I'm quite good with animals."
"And Eeth?" asked Bram, who was quite fascinated by the Zabrak Jedi. "What is he good at?"
Raven chuckled. "Everything. It's probably easier to ask what he's not good at. Which is an extremely short list," she told him.
If Eeth had been aware of her statement, he might have disagreed. He was kept busy answering questions about Coruscant, the Jedi, life at the Temple and his role as Raven's master, and he found nothing about this easy, nor did he think he was any good at it. The whole experience was rather unsettling for him. He had no memories of his family other than a hazy recollection of a woman that might have been his mother, and even if he had had more than that, he was fairly certain it would not have been particularly fond memories. As for Lakhri, he had only undertaken his explorations into his biological family after having been knighted, and Eeth had been no part of that. This was the first time that Eeth was treated as a member of a large, happy family, and it made him feel more than a little awkward. He was used to being consulted, respected, even feared – but being treated as if he was a nice person that people loved to spend their time with was new to him!
When Bram and Raven had finished with the dishes, they joined the others in the family room. Belle was sitting between Jai and Katlin colouring in whilst the others continued to grill Eeth and her over the ins and outs of Temple life. Raven had to smile at sensing Eeth's discomfort, not because it pleased her, but because she knew his background and could guess where the discomfort came from. It made her happy to know her family were welcoming and kind.
Half an hour later, Belle was beginning to nod off, pencil in hand, and Jai nudged their mother quietly to bring her attention to their little sister.
"I've got it, love." Baka waved off Selwin and scooped the little one up mid-nod.
"Aww, not bedtime now, I'm not tired, really, I'm not!" Belle complained, but the older woman tutted and blew a raspberry on her tummy, drawing peals of laughter from the girl. "You are falling asleep sitting up. Come, we'll find your favourite soft pyjamas," she cajoled and smiled adoringly at the child in her arms as she disappeared down the hallway.
Fifteen minutes later, Belle emerged from the hallway dressed and ready for bed and began to make the rounds, making sure everyone got a hug and kiss – including Eeth, whom she did not hesitate to climb onto and hug just as she had with the others. Eeth made a valiant effort at not letting on how overwhelming he found this.
Next it was Jai's turn, but he made a far better argument than his younger sister and managed to finagle another five minutes before reluctantly shuffling off to get ready for bed. As Belle had done, he emerged and said good night to all. He refrained from climbing on everyone, though, and simply kissed each person on the cheek before disappearing into his bedroom.
"Bram, off to bed," Selwin finally said. "It's already half an hour after your bedtime and you've got to go to school tomorrow."
"Awwwww, Mum!" Bram complained. "It's the first time in my memory that I'm seeing my twin sister! Don't be cruel!"
"If it makes things easier for you," Eeth said calmly, "your twin sister will retreat as well. Raven, get ready for bed, please. I will be with you in five minutes for our evening meditation."
Raven's head whipped around when Eeth spoke and she was on her feet out of reflex, but Bram hadn't moved yet and, well, she had to admit that being around her family did make her a little braver than she might have been otherwise. "My body still thinks it's the afternoon, and that's even crueller," she pointed out, adding her support to her brother's plight.
"Padawan, you know how we deal with jet lag and it is not by allowing our body to ignore the local time," Eeth said firmly. "Cruel or not, you are going to bed."
"And you, Bram," Selwin said wearily. "Off you go."
"Mum, c'mon, just half an hour longer," Bram begged. "Please."
Eeth had the feeling Selwin was about to yield, and where would that put him? Before she had a chance to say anything, he rose.
"Are you going on your own or shall I escort you?" he asked Raven in a tone of voice that suggested there might just be a swat or two in for her if she was misguided enough to choose the latter option.
Raven knew it, and thus she did not push further. "I'll go," she said contritely and left without further protest. Raven had long since learned to pick her battles, and arguing over such a trivial order wasn't worth the possible risks. Still, she did pause outside the door to hear if Bram was going to get away with it or not.
"Awww, c'mon, don't be like that," Bram said half-heartedly. He took a step towards the door and stopped to point an imploring look at his mother, hoping that she would rescue the two of them. It might just be possible, he thought, judging from the wavering expression on Selwin's face.
Again, Eeth decided not to let it come to this. He stepped past Bram into the corridor. "Come, padawan," he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and escorting her upstairs, and she was rather lucky, he felt, that he did not want to shock her family by grabbing her ear.
Eyes widening, Bram decided to get a move on as well.
Eeth ushered Raven into the room they shared and closed the door behind himself.
The moment he turned towards her, Raven looked at the floor guiltily.
"The next time you choose to defy me during this visit, you will be rewarded with a sore bottom for your efforts," Eeth said sternly. "The fact that you are with your biological family is no excuse. Am I clear on that?"
"Yes, master. It won't happen again," she replied, her face heating from embarrassment.
"I hope it will not," said Eeth. "Now get ready for bed. When you are done, you may come out and say goodnight to everyone. I will meditate with you afterwards and I will help you fall asleep. If you want to make the most of this visit, you need to adapt to the local time, and you know it."
Raven complied, already pulling off her tunic before Eeth had even finished his sentence.
Back in the living room, Katlin glanced sideways at her mother. "What do you suppose that was all about?" she said quietly so as not to be overheard through the thin walls.
"Well, he sure is a lot stricter than we're used to," Selwin answered thoughtfully.
"He obviously expects her to do as she's told," said Al. "And if you had allowed Bram to stay up, he would have had a problem. Either he'd have insisted she go to bed, which would have made him look bad, or he wouldn't have, which might have given her the impression she can get away with arguing."
"Arguing about bedtime is not such a bad thing, though," said Baka. "Would half an hour longer really have hurt?"
"Apparently so," said Selwin quietly. "They obviously have a different way to raise their children."
This would be hard for her to get used to, she knew. Like most parents on Chine, Selwin and Jobe did not really believe in the concept of "obedience." Sure, they more or less expected their children to do as they said, but they could be argued and compromised with, and they did not mind a little backtalk or attempts at stalling either. As far as they were concerned, it was alright for their children to have their own personality, desires and interests and to express them. It was becoming clear to Selwin that Raven was leading a very different kind of life at the Jedi Temple; one that Selwin found it difficult to wrap her mind around. After all, their own, permissive style of parenting worked well for all of their children. Well, mostly; maybe least of all for Bram. If Selwin was honest with herself, she would admit that Bram was the most difficult of her children, and that was not primarily because of his cheeky, sometimes irreverent disposition. The problem with Bram was that he had no ambitions whatsoever and tried to get out of everything he considered an unpleasant chore. He did not like school, but Selwin and Jobe would not have minded that if there had been anything else he took an interest in or had a gift for, whether it was woodwork, music or cooking. There wasn't, however. It had not been that much of a concern for them when he had been smaller, but now he was fifteen years old and they did not know what was going to become of him if he did not settle down and become serious about something, anything!, and stopped expecting everyone to make allowances for him.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Eeth returned to the living room. There was a slightly awkward pause in the conversation, which made him suspect that they had been talking about him, possibly about the way in which he had enforced his instructions. Well, he did not see what he could do about it. He had suspected from the outset that Raven's family would not be as strict with their children as he was with his apprentice because most civilian families weren't. He saw no reason to start a discussion about it, though. After all, nothing much had happened.
"Do you do sports at the Temple?" asked Al in an obvious attempt to get the conversation going again. Baka snorted, and Katlin and Selwin started laughing.
"Al is mad about sports," explained Selwin. "That's such a typical question coming from him. I don't suppose you have a vossball stadium at the Jedi Temple, though."
"We do not," said Eeth, "but we have large gyms that are used for all kinds of training, with or without a lightsaber. Many padawans use the facilities to play ball games. We have obstacle courses and trampolines as well. And a large pool area."
"That sounds like fun," said Selwin. "We have an outdoor pool in the neighbourhood, and some lakes nearby. The children love to go swimming in summertime. I'm sure they'll want to take Raven. And you, if you'd like to, of course."
They were interrupted by a door closing upstairs, closely followed by a second, footsteps on carpeted steps followed by muted giggles.
"Sorry about that, it looked like our mother was going to give in there for a moment," Raven whispered to Bram.
"Oh, she was," Bram said, "but apparently your master was going to have none of it. Too bad."
Truth be told, Bram was not entirely sure it was bad. He had been rather impressed by the swiftness with which Eeth had imposed his will and achieved compliance. There was something about it that just felt right to him, although he could not quite put his finger on that feeling.
"Padawan," Eeth said, smiling at her as she entered. He rose from his pillow and said, "Say goodnight to everyone, please. Then we will perform our evening meditation."
Raven nodded and, as she had watched the others do, moved to each adult, planting a kiss on their cheek. Raven paused for an extra-long cuddle from Selwin and made sure to include the two babies as she came to Katlin. Al and Bubcha got a group hug. It was a nice change to be surrounded by such an openly loving, affectionate family, but she reminded herself that the Force had led her to Eeth for a reason; had she been paired with a more tolerant, less demanding teacher such as Drkai Luthan, she doubted she would have had the discipline to achieve her full potential.
Finally, when all the goodnights had been accepted, she moved to where Eeth was currently enduring Bram's effort at making him feel uncomfortable.
"Goodnight, Master Eeth," Bram said mischievously, throwing his arms around Eeth in a hug. He had a very fine instinct for the feelings of others and had pinned Eeth down as someone who was not at ease with all the cuddling and hugging that was going on in his home. If the man managed to lighten up a little, all the better for Raven, thought Bram.
Eeth did indeed feel awkward. He was also quite aware that Bram knew what he was doing and he was definitely not going to give him the satisfaction of showing signs of discomfort.
"Good night, Bram," he said, calm and composed, putting his arm around the boy in a brief, but strong hug. "Sleep well."
"You too," Bram said, withdrawing from the hug and thinking that he really rather liked Raven's master, even if he apparently spanked her sometimes.
When they reached the upstairs corridor, Raven turned to Bram before he could disappear inside the room he shared with Jai. "Will you ask Tanjo if I can come to school with you for a day? I'd like to come see how you spend your days there," she said.
"You sure?" asked Bram. "You don't have to come on my behalf, you know. I'll manage."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, if it gets you out of maths, well…." Raven gave him an expression that clearly stated she thought it was a worthy cause.
"Alright, I'll ask Tanjo," said Bram. "She'll be fine with it, I'm pretty certain of that. Just prepare yourself for being grilled by everyone. It's not often that we get guests from Coruscant, let alone Jedi guests."
"Said Jedi guests," said Eeth, who had come up the stairs behind them, "will now perform their evening meditation. Good night, Bram. Come, padawan." He opened the door to Bram's room and beckoned her inside.
"Goodnight, Bram," Raven said, hugging him briefly.
Once inside, Raven moved to the brightly coloured polka dot rug Belle had claimed was her 'bestest idea' and looked up at Eeth. "I know you don't mind if I go to school with Bram, but what if none of my clothes fit in?"
Eeth knelt opposite her. "You are a visitor from another planet," he said. "Nobody will expect you to fit in. They will most likely be interested in you precisely because you are different. Besides, the civilian clothes you brought do not strike me as peculiar when compared to what your brothers and sisters are wearing."
This answer was reasonable enough and so Raven closed her eyes, only to open them again a split second later. "Did you know that families on Chine don't spank their children?" she said, the news having not exactly shocked her but nor had it been expected.
"No, I did not know that," said Eeth. "They did seem a little surprised at the way I ordered you to go to bed. I gathered that their style of raising their children is more permissive than the average Jedi's. But then, their children are not being trained for the kind of life that you are. It might be a good idea to talk to them about their decision to give you to the Jedi Temple and the knowledge or expectations they had when it happened. When an opportunity arises." He just hoped that his style of disciplining Raven would not create problems. But then, if she continued conducting herself like she had during their mission to Gelisia IV, he might not have to discipline her at all during their stay on Chine, which would be the best possible outcome.
"I will," said Raven. "I want to know why they decided to send me. What I did, you know?" Her voice trailed off.
"For whatever reason they sent you to the Temple, I am sure it was with your best interest and well-being at heart," said Eeth gently. "Now let us meditate."
He usually opened his shields quite readily during their joint meditations. Tonight, he hesitated for a moment before he went ahead with it. After all, he thought, it would not be fair to be selective about what kind of feelings he shared with Raven for no good reason, other than his pride. And his pride did make it hard to share the feelings of alienation and embarrassment he had experienced when being made part of this happy family. It was simply something that had had no place in his life before. He felt much more confident in situations that he knew how to deal with. This one was new, and he would have to take it step by step, just like his padawan.
Raven picked up on his initial hesitation and wanted to put his mind at ease. "If you want to leave, I won't be upset," she told him when their meditation had come to an end. "We could always go and explore the other side of the planet. It would still be educational and I know my family would understand."
"And since when have I ever run away from a challenge?" Eeth inquired. "No, padawan, we are staying for the period of time the Council has granted us, unless it is you who wants to leave prematurely. Now go to bed. I will help you fall asleep. Then I will say goodnight to your family and turn in as well."
"So, you will allow me to run away from the challenge? I'll remember that," Raven teased him as she got to her feet and climbed into the top bunk.
"Nonsense," said Eeth brusquely. "This visit is for your benefit, not mine, and if you took no benefit from it, we would leave. I do not think this is likely, though."
He rose and stepped up to her bed. "Sleep, padawan," he said far more gently, resting a hand on her shoulder and sending her a sleep compulsion through the Force. Soon, she was out like a light.