Raven was woken early to the sound of a speeder pulling up outside and her hand immediately went to her saber. "Master?" she said, dropping from her bunk to land by his as the front door opened. "Someone's in the house," she told him, still half asleep and unaware that his eyes were already open.
Eeth glanced at his chrono. It was very early… or quite late, depending on one's perspective. "I think it is your father," he said quietly. "He was supposed to come home past midnight. And I cannot sense the slightest threat. Just let him go to bed and sleep."
"My father?" Raven asked, suddenly acutely aware of the being shuffling around in what she now identified as their kitchen. "Shouldn't I go and say hello?"
"Padawan, it is one in the morning," said Eeth wearily. "If you just stopped to think for a moment, you would sense how tired he feels. Do you really think this is the right time to introduce yourself, your personal wishes notwithstanding?"
"No, I guess not," she admitted. Raven could barely make out numbers on her watch, but thanks to Belle's glowing mushroom, she was able to see that Eeth was correct about the time. Sighing, the padawan climbed back up into her bunk, but she couldn't fall asleep again. "Master?" she asked, feeling a bit guilty at needing his help, again!
"Sleep, padawan," Eeth said gently, sending her a strong sleep compulsion through the Force. When he sensed her falling asleep, he closed his eyes, entered a meditative trance and drifted off himself.
The next morning, Raven woke to the sound of her youngest sister protesting a bath, and then Bubcha saying something about nobody wanting to play with the smelly kid in the playgroup. Apparently, this worked as it was soon quiet again. Raven closed her eyes. The next time she woke, it was quiet in the house. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, the hour feeling far too early to be awake. As she dropped to the floor, she noticed that Eeth was awake, but meditating. He was sitting cross-legged on the rug, fully dressed.
Eeth opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning," he said. "I think there is nobody home except for your father, who is still sleeping. Your grandmother said she would leave us breakfast out, and she should be back soon. She told me that she usually brings Belle to the playgroup in the mornings. Al said he would spend the morning helping a nephew repair his car, but he'd be back for lunch. Take a shower and get dressed, please, so we can have breakfast."
"Ooo-kayyyy," Raven said through a wide yawn and rubbed at her eyes. She was now feeling thankful that Eeth had made her go to bed on time, not that she was particularly keen on admitting that. The mission on Gelisia IV had been exhausting.
Breakfast was a delight. All of Raven's favourite things had been served, and she was surprised to see that her mother had gone to the trouble of frying some sort of meat. From the looks of it, this was somewhat of a family favourite or treat because one of the three small pieces left for Eeth had fork marks in it; apparently, one of her siblings had had their efforts at pinching an extra piece thwarted.
"It looks as if your family had no time to wash the dishes this morning," said Eeth when they had finished eating. "Let us take them to the kitchen and clean up. That way, we can make ourselves useful."
They had barely begun when a tall, solidly built man with fair hair and blue eyes entered the kitchen. His skin was nowhere near as pale as Raven's, but neither was it as dark as Belle's, and he appeared to have a five o'clock shadow even though it had just gone eleven in the morning. Raven lowered the tea towel, unsure how to address him.
Jobe smiled warmly and extended his hand to the darkly skinned Jedi. "You must be Eeth Koth. I'm glad to finally meet you," he said and then turned his attention to the girl sticking abnormally close to the Zabrak's side. He opened his arms, welcoming her into a hug, and Raven obliged. "It's good to see you, honey," he said. "Your mother and I have waited a long time to hold you again. We've missed you so much." He was clearly emotional at seeing her for the first time in more than fourteen years. However, unlike Selwin and Baka, his eyes remained dry.
Perhaps it was a build-up of meeting her family finally coming to a head, but for reasons she could not explain, this introduction felt more overwhelming to Raven than the others. She met Jobe's gaze with glassy green eyes and swiped at her face, but didn't know what to say. She felt uncharacteristically shy.
Jobe seemed to understand this and simply ran a large hand through her hair, tugging lightly at the padawan braid that until now had remained hidden. It was quite long and hung well below the rest of her hair. He released her from the hug. "Thank you for allowing Raven to visit with us," he told Eeth. "As you may have guessed, we have all missed her a great deal. I do hope you will come to feel at home here, and know that both of you are welcome to return any time you are able." Like Bram, Jobe was a good judge of character and picked up on how those around him felt quickly. He sensed that Eeth was a good man and that he had done an excellent job in raising his child.
"Thank you very much," Eeth replied in his usual dignified manner. "Raven is very happy to finally get to meet you. Not every Jedi youngling has the good luck to find a family so kind and welcoming. And she was very interested to hear of your profession. She has developed quite a talent for Force-aided healing, has gone through an internship with the Temple's healers and has taken a number of classes on anatomy and physiology. I am sure you will have much to talk about, once she finds her tongue."
He smiled at her and took the dish towel from her hand. "Go and keep your father company while he eats breakfast," he told her. "I will finish up here."
Raven didn't think she had ever been so grateful for Eeth's straightforward approach as she was at that moment, and she conveyed as much across their bond. Using an oven mitt that was far too large for her hand, she pulled Jobe's breakfast from the oven and took it to the table for him.
Jobe was pleased to see that the Jedi had raised his daughter to be loving, and apparently, happy to make herself useful. Nodding his thanks to her master for giving them some time, Jobe took some cutlery from the drawer, tucked a bottle of his favourite hot sauce under an arm and followed her out.
"Thank you," he said and pulled Raven's chair out for her before sitting down himself. The graveyard shift was twelve hours, and it had been constant. In fact, he'd barely stopped long enough to relieve himself, let alone eat anything. Jobe was starving, and he was thankful to his wife for anticipating this, as his breakfast was quite possibly enough to feed three of their children. Well, perhaps Bram would give him a run for his money these days. That boy was starting to bulk up; now, if only his academic progress would follow suit. He poured two small glasses of juice from a pitcher left out for him and returned his attention to his daughter. "Your mother was telling me that you have an interest in medicine?" he said, hoping to break the ice a little more.
"I've just always been fascinated by that sort of thing," said Raven. "It started when I was tiny, five or six maybe." She told the story of how a dose of Correllian blood pox, and an aversion to the prescribed week of bed rest, had prompted one of the master healers to start giving her jobs that could be done from her bed to keep her busy. "Not only did it work to keep me out of trouble, but I also realised that I really enjoyed the stuff he was getting me to do. I guess I know where I get it from, and Katlin too. I know she's studying pharmacology, and I won't be allowed to take that class until I've finished a few of the others first." Raven blushed a little when she realised that she had been speaking non-stop for the last five minutes and completely monopolised the conversation. "I know, two magpies," she said before Jobe could say anything, but it only made him chuckle.
"No, honey. A person who talks too much is only at risk of becoming bothersome if their audience is not interested in what they have to say. And I, for one, am very interested in hearing all about your life. Tell me about your friends and what it is that you get up to every day."
Raven was used to this question by now, and she filled him in with more flair and detail than she had managed the first few times around.
"You sound as though you are very happy at the Temple. I'm glad to hear that." Jobe gave her a more serious look now. "Because deciding to send you to the Jedi was one of the most difficult decisions your mother and I have ever made."
Raven gave him an equally serious look. "Can I ask why you decided to send me to the Temple? What did I do that made you want to send me away?"
"Oh, honey, no." Jobe put down his fork and took her hand in his. "You didn't do anything that made us want to send you away. We didn't want to send you away at all. You were a delightful child, you all were. Animals would follow you around and you seemed to be able to communicate with them in some way. Then, you started moving things around with your mind, mostly your food, much to your mothers dismay." Jobe smiled at that memory. "You were just different and we knew that we weren't able to provide you the training you'd need to reach your full potential. And there is a lot of potential in you according to the Jedi Order."
At this point, Eeth entered the room and overheard the last sentence. "There is," he agreed. "Most definitely. Raven is making good progress on her way to knighthood, and her talent at communicating with animals is unusually well-developed."
Raven smiled just a little bit at the praise.
"Belle has a certain way with animals," said Jobe. "Not strong enough to interest the Jedi Order, I'd say."
"Did someone come out and see her?" Raven asked, the idea of having her four-year-old sister at the Temple with her flitting through her mind briefly, as unrealistic as that was.
"No. There wasn't enough there to go on. Besides, gifting one of our babies was more than enough for your mother and I."
Raven looked to Eeth. "Did you pick up anything from Belle?" Raven hadn't herself, but then, she wasn't as attuned to such things as Eeth was yet.
"No," said Eeth. "She might have a certain gift but if her connection to the Force was only rudimentary, none of us would pick it up immediately. Besides, she would be too old to be taken to the Temple anyway, even if her parents consented."
Raven tutted. "You weren't."
Eeth raised his eyebrows. "Approximately half the Jedi Council thought I was, at the time," he said, "and the only reason they accepted me in the end was because I was strong in the Force and had already learned to control it to a certain extent. None of this is the case with Belle. Whatever her gift amounts to – and there will be no harm in finding out –, your parents certainly need not worry about losing her."
"That's good to know," said Jobe. "She's always catching critters and drawing them. Not that your mother appreciates finding lizards in her laundry basket or an ant collection that has escaped its jar." He got to his feet and stretched tall. "I thank you for your help with the chores," he said, looking first at Eeth and then towards Raven, who had just disappeared into the kitchen with their glasses and plates. "She has a little bit of all of us," he commented. Jobe had noticed that his daughter had bounced her leg as they spoke, just as her grandmother did, and was up like a shot when Eeth entered. Always on the go. It made him smile.
"I think she is very interested in finding this out," said Eeth, taking up the pan. "I am glad she finally has the opportunity to do so. Is there anything we can help with around the house?"
"There is always something to do," Jobe said, gesturing towards the window where Bubcha could be seen crawling around in the garden with a weed pick and bucket. "But of course we don't expect this from you, you're our guests."
Raven entered just as he said that and smiled knowingly; Eeth would want them to make themselves useful, after all.
"Oh, we will be happy to help in any way we can," said Eeth. "Just tell us what you need us to do."
"Now how did I see that coming?" Raven said, rolling her eyes at Eeth.
"I am sure there will be some time for you to do other things but work while we are on this planet," said Eeth mildly.
"As a matter of fact, when everyone is home today, we'll go for a walk and give you both a tour of the city. It's far more interesting than working around the house all day," Jobe suggested.
"That will be much appreciated," said Eeth. "I have never been to Chine before. And Raven cannot remember a thing."
Eeth was soon busy building a stone wall with Jobe. Raven was given over to Baka who came up with far more pleasant tasks for her granddaughter. She asked the girl to pick berries, plant a row of flowers along the garden fence in patterns of her choosing and finally cut an armful of sunflowers to decorate the living room. They ended their work when Al brought home Belle. Baka and Jobe went to the kitchen to prepare a huge stack of sandwiches for lunch, and they declined Eeth's offer to help.
"The kitchen is full with the two of us," said Baka, shooing Belle from underfoot. "There's an hour left until lunch. Just take your time and relax."
"I don't think my master knows the meaning of the word," Raven said, grinning at him. Her lips and fingers were stained purple from berry juice and her smile was all teeth.
Eeth just gave her a look.
"I could take Belle for a bike ride if that would be okay?" Raven suggested. She had seen her sister sitting beside her bike playing with the wheel earlier on and thought maybe she'd like to. Besides, it would keep her out from underfoot and entertained at the same time.
"Yeah! I want to go, pleeease can we go?" Belle piped up. Raven looked down at her little sister who had practically apparated at her side.
"Alright," said Jobe. "Just around the block and don't forget your helmet. Raven, you can borrow Jai's." It was then that it occurred to Jobe that it wasn't only up to him, and he looked over at Eeth.
"You may," said Eeth. "Make sure you are back in time for lunch."
"Yay!" Belle wooted and rushed off. A moment later, she came running down the stairs carrying two helmets. She handed Jai's to Raven, put hers on her head and started fumbling around with the fastening.
"Let me help you," said Eeth. He knelt, adjusted the helmet and fastened the clasps for her.
"Thank you, Eeth. Let's go, Raven, hurry, I wanna show you the park!" And with that, Belle took her sister's hand and dragged her to their bikes.
Half an hour later, the two re-entered their front yard. Belle dropped her bike and ran for the front door, excited to tell everyone about their ride.
"Hey, don't toss your bike down like that," said Raven, effectively stopping her little sister in her tracks.
"Why not?" asked Belle, and Raven had to concede that this was a legitimate enough question as several other bikes were strewn around their front yard. One was even upside-down with the inner tube hanging out of the tyre.
"Well, it will break if you don't take care of it, and then you won't be able to ride anymore," said Raven.
Belle seemed to contemplate this, nodded and then she leant the small balance bike against the fence. "There, it's standing up now, so let's go and eat!" she said and in a flash was through the front door yelling for her mother so she could tell her all about the ride.
Selwin, who had just arrived home and was pulling off her shoes in the small entrance hall, had overheard the conversation between Raven and Belle and was rather impressed. Raven was extremely responsible for her age, thought Selwin; certainly much more so than Bram. She did not have time to ponder this, as the door was flung open and she had to hug first her youngest, then her middle daughter.
"Did you have a good ride?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah! We went around the block two times, and then we stopped at the park and Raven went on the big swing with me. We didn't even crash," Belle told her mother proudly.
Raven had, in fact, used the Force to ensure this. Even if it had been nothing more than a huge tyre on some ropes, she didn't want her sister getting hurt on her watch.
Jobe rounded the corner with a tray of sandwiches in his hand. "Go wash your hands, lunch is ready," he told them, placing the tray down and stepping aside so Eeth could set down his armful of cups.
"But they aren't even dirty, look!" Belle protested, holding them up, but even she had to admit that the proof was in the pudding…
"Raven, could you help her?" Jobe asked, just as Bram and Jai came tumbling in behind them.
Raven wasn't used to all this energy and commotion but found she enjoyed it all the same. "Yes, Sir," she replied by rote and left with her sister.
Jobe winced ever so slightly at being addressed as 'sir' by one of his children but took it in stride. Raven had been raised differently. Besides, he could hardly expect her to relax into their madhouse upon arrival and immediately feel comfortable and familiar. No, that would take time, he knew.
A little while later, they had all sat down to eat, with the exception of Katlin who was going to be at college all day and was going to spend the night with her fiancé.
"Weddings are not a big deal here," Selwin explained to Raven and Eeth. "Katlin and Mans will move into the apartment next to his parents when term is over, and they'll give a big housewarming party then. After that, they'll be considered husband and wife. It's two months from now, though; you won't be here then."
"We can send you pictures," Bram said cheerfully, sensing that his mother was getting tearful and trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway, these parties are mainly about food. Everybody eats until they are about ready to burst and then they go home."
"Not true," Selwin protested, but she had to laugh nevertheless. "Quite true," Al said with a chuckle. "Food is important here. And we are lucky to have so much fresh produce to work with."
Eeth had to agree with him. Even the sandwiches they had for lunch were a work of culinary art. The bread, which Baka had brought from the bakery this morning, was fresh, rich and brown. The toppings included freshly-churned butter, fried vegetables with herbs (Raven's parents having picked up on her eating habits fast), goat cheese with nuts and chunks of a tart local fruit, and cured ham with lettuce from the garden. Eeth allowed himself to lean back, enjoy his food and listen to the others talk for a while.
"Oh, by the way," Bram said, turning to Raven, "my teacher says you can come to school with me tomorrow. And by all means wear your uniform and bring your lightsaber. I don't suppose you'll let anyone handle it or anything, but everybody is dying to at least take a look at it."
"That's great! I will. It's going to be fun getting to spend the day with you, and: no maths. Honestly, what more could I ask for in a school day?" Raven told him, earning herself a tut from Buka.
"Maths is an important subject, you two," she said in a mock scolding tone, although her eyes were still smiling. Like Selwin and Jobe, she too was a little concerned about Bram's lack of ambition. She had begun leaving books on different topics in his bedroom hoping that one of them might catch his interest. So far, this had not worked. But the boy was only fifteen, she reasoned; there was still plenty of time.
"Yeah, right," Bram said dismissively.
"Speaking of school, how much homework do the two of you have?" Selwin asked Jai and Bram.
"None," Jai said, beaming. "I did it all at school."
Selwin nodded. This happened often; when a child worked well at school, they did not have to take any work home.
"And you, Bram?" she prompted.
Bram sighed. "A little," he said. "I can do it tonight." As a matter of fact, he had received extra maths homework. A lot of it, and for reasons that were entirely his own fault. Today, of all days! Given that they were planning on going into town after lunch, he wasn't keen on volunteering that information at all.
Selwin frowned. She did not want to leave Bram behind when they went into the city this afternoon, but neither did she trust him when he said he had only 'a little' homework.
"Bram, exactly how much homework is 'a little'?" Jobe asked pointedly. His tone had deepened slightly but his expression had yet to match it.
Bram flung up his hands. "Well, what am I supposed to say?" he asked, a tad belligerently. "'A little' means 'some, but not that much.' You speak Basic as well as I do."
Raven just looked from her brother to her father, shocked at the way in which Bram was speaking to one of their parents.
"There's no reason to be rude," said Al. "You sure you can complete all of it tonight? Because we're leaving right after lunch and we won't be back before dinnertime."
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," said Bram dismissively.
"No, it's not," said Jobe, unimpressed. "Exactly how much? I want specifics." Bram was being defensive for a reason, Jobe assumed.
"It's maths, okay?" said Bram. "And that's bad enough as it is. Could you stop riding me about it?"
"Not until you have answered your father's question," said Selwin wearily.
"But why do you care?" asked Bram hotly. "It's none of your business!"
"We care because we care about you, and that is most definitely our business. Now spill," Jobe said calmly. By now he was certain that Bram was hiding something spectacular.
For some reason, Bram gave a quick sideward glance at Eeth and regretted it immediately. The Zabrak was silent and made no attempt to interfere with the discussion, but disapproval was written all over his face. Bram hastily averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks colouring slightly. He suddenly felt rather childish.
"I've got maths homework," he said sullenly. "And some extra because I forgot to do the one that was due today. And I have to do that one as well." It hadn't been the first time he had "forgotten" his maths homework either, not that he thought it would be a good idea to mention this.
Selwin exchanged an exasperated look with Jobe. Maths was the worst. It took Bram ages – if he even did it. They tried to make sure of it and offer help when they could, but both of them were working and they had two younger children to look after; their fifteen-year-old son could not always take priority. But today, they both knew they would have to make sure that he completed his work to prevent serious problems at school.
"There's no way you'll be able to finish this much work after dinner," said Selwin. "At least not if you want to get any sleep tonight. We all know it. I guess you'll have to stay home this afternoon and do your maths. I'm really sorry, Bram, but you leave us no other choice."
At this pronouncement, Bram practically went into open mutiny. "I'm not staying home and doing homework while all of you go into town," he said, his bottom lip sticking out into a pout remarkably like Raven's. "And you won't be able to make me 'cause you'll all be gone."
Judging from the look on his mother's face, he knew he had scored a point.
"Stop this nonsense," Al said, as sternly as any of the adults ever got with Bram. "If your homework is not done by dinnertime, you can stay home for our trip on Saturday as well."
Bram stared at him, taken aback. He knew that his parents did not like to make such threats but he also knew that they'd back up Al. On Chine, raising children was considered a communal job that all family members shared among themselves.
And indeed, Jobe was nodding in agreement with Al's decision. "You heard, Bram. We know you have difficulties with maths, but you're going to fall even further behind if you keep this up."
"Well, I will," said Bram. "Because I'm hopeless at maths. I have no clue how to do these problems. You can make me stay home all you like but it's not going to accomplish much."
"We don't like to make you stay home," Selwin pointed out. But she knew Bram had a point. She exchanged a look with Jobe and said, "I suppose one of us should stay with you and help you. I can do that." She didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about it, and she wasn't; she had really been looking forward to spending the afternoon with the daughter she hadn't seen in more fourteen years! But it was obvious that Bram needed help.
Jobe could see Selwin's struggle and he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be the one to stay home and help you," he told Bram. "That way, your mother can go with Raven."
Raven opened her mouth to say that she could stay home so her parents both could go, but hesitated - first, because she was probably not that much better at maths than Bram was, and second, because this would defeat the whole purpose of their outing!
"No, padawan, you are going," said Eeth, noticing her dilemma. "And so are your parents. I will stay with Bram. I can always visit the city tomorrow morning when you are in school."
Bram stared at the Jedi as if he had suddenly sprouted… more horns than he already possessed.
"Why would you do this, Sir?" he asked incredulously.
"Because I do not think either one of your parents should forgo the time they wanted to spend with Raven," Eeth said. "I will still have many years with her; they only have a few days. I daresay that with my help you will get this over with by dinnertime."
"Oh. Okay," said Bram weakly. He suspected that the Jedi master was going to make true on that promise, which would be a good thing in theory if it were not for the unpleasant fact that he would have to spend the afternoon doing maths!
"We can't accept this!" said Selwin. "You're our guest and we wanted to show you around."
"Do not worry about me," said Eeth with a slight smile. "Your need is greater than mine."
Selwin and Jobe knew this to be true, which was why they did not argue as much as they might otherwise have.
"That's very kind of you, Eeth. Thank you," said Jobe. "Perhaps Raven and Bram could do something together tomorrow to make up for it," he suggested. None of them wanted Bram, of all people, to miss out on time with his twin, but nor could they afford for him to fall any further behind.
"I could take both of them to the pools tomorrow afternoon," Eeth proposed.
Bram's face lit up, and Raven practically beamed at Eeth for making that suggestion.
"I wanna come, too!" Jai yelled immediately.
"You've got your music lesson tomorrow," Selwin reminded him. "Actually, Eeth, that would suit us perfectly. Jobe has to work tomorrow and I have a school conference in the afternoon. Al will take Jai to his music lesson, and Baka will stay with Belle. Thanks for the offer."
"Alright, if everyone is done eating, we'd best get a move on. Jai, would you help Belle clean herself up and find a jacket, please?" Jobe said, starting to organise the dishes from lunch.
Twenty minutes later, everyone had said their goodbyes to Bram and thanked the Jedi for staying with him. Raven was the last to leave. She paused at the table where Bram was sitting in front of a spread of books and looking none too pleased. "I wish you could come, too. I'd say make a run for it but, well, my master is faster than he looks," she said in an effort to cheer him up. "I'll bring you back a surprise," she added. She straightened a little as Eeth entered the common room. "I'll bring you one, too, if you promise not to eat my brother," she said, knowing that Bram would probably not understand their in-joke but chuckling all the same.
"You know I never eat children, padawan" Eeth said in his usual dignified manner, or maybe a bit more dignified than usual; which was how he always responded to this kind of joke.
"Enjoy yourself, padawan," he said, hugging her briefly. "Use the chance to get to know your parents, grandparents and your younger brother and sister. Now off you go. Do not keep them waiting."
"Bye," Bram said, making a valiant effort at smiling. "You needn't bring me anything, really. But if you do, go for the lemon cake at Zanzetti's bakery."
"Will do," Raven said and ran out the door. She used the Force and leapt their front fence in order to catch up with the group, who had not gotten very far. She smiled at seeing Belle and Jai circling each other on their bikes, and soon they arrived at the farmers' market, everyone still in one piece.
Raven frowned as Jai tossed his bike down, but she quickly hid the expression when she noticed Belle looking to see if she was watching. She raised a brow and the little girl shot her a cheesy grin before pushing her bike to the side and kicking open the stand. "Good girl," Raven praised her quietly when she had caught up with her. She would work on her brother next, she thought, picking up Jai's bike and standing it upright beside Belle's.
"Hello, little miss, you get a little taller each time I see you," came a kindly voice that Raven had yet to locate. As she got closer, she realised why: the man at the stall her family was heading towards was wearing a large straw hat with fake fruit pinned to the top. It was the perfect camouflage, given the contents of his stand. "Hello, Jai, the usual?" he asked, already finishing off Belle's strawberries with whipped cream and honey.
"Jalan, it's good to see you again," Jobe said. He hadn't seen the old man in quite a long time and it showed on the stall keeper's face as he turned to face him.
Raven was handed a bowl of berries, too, as Al locked up the children's bikes. Baka would not think of letting them commence their stroll around the city centre before everyone had some food!
The colony on Chine was five hundred years old and had grown organically, with Allbost being the oldest settlement. It showed in the layout of the crooked, cobblestone streets, the charming houses and the wooden bridges across the small river that divided the town in two. The larger streets were overshadowed by huge trees and people were sitting in cafes on the squares that were surrounded by shops. Market stalls selling fresh produce were everywhere. It was charming, cheerful and big enough to easily take up an afternoon exploring.
"We're lucky that the weather is cooperating," said Selwin. "When it rains for more than a day, some of these streets become unwalkable. The irrigation system is old and not working well. They've been talking of redoing it but they'd have to tear up all the streets. But fortunately it's summer and you brought the sun with you."
She smiled at her daughter who was currently standing next to her, both of them leaning on the railing at the riverside and watching the birds on the little island in the middle. Jobe, Baka and Al were a few metres away, looking on as Belle and Jai were fooling around on a small playground.
"Um, Selwin? I mean, mum?" Raven corrected herself, thinking this was a very clumsy way to start such a conversation and cringed a bit. "Could I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course," said Selwin gently, brushing a hand against her daughter's cheek tentatively.
"It's just that… Well, I don't want to bring up anything that's going to upset you, but I was curious to know what it was that prompted you to give me to the Jedi. I asked…" Again Raven hesitated, unsure how to refer to her father. "Dad," she finally said, "this morning and he said it was a difficult decision for you both to make."
"It was," said Selwin quietly. "The most difficult I have ever made in my life. I love you all so much. Losing a child is harder than you can imagine. But we could also see we wouldn't be able to do anything for you. You seemed to have this strange way of attracting animals and even controlling them when you were barely old enough to say a couple of words. Sometimes, people who wanted to pick you up and take you inside when you wanted to continue playing would stumble for no good reason or a gust of wind would come from out of nowhere. And once, when you were tired and cranky, you caused, like, a mini explosion of toys with just your mind. Fortunately, it was only a bunch of stuffed animals, but it was frightening, and we didn't know what to make of it. We did some research and decided to contact the Temple. They sent a Jedi, an old lady who was very kind. Human. That's why we didn't really think about whether your master might not be human. – Not that it matters to us! – Anway, she examined you and she answered all our questions. I think what finally decided the matter for us is that she said if talent as strong as yours were left untrained, it would either whither or develop in an uncontrolled manner, with outbursts that might be dangerous to yourself or others. We wanted neither option for you. The Jedi left us some time to think about it. She had some business in the sector and said she'd be back in a month to hear our decision. And we made up our minds to send her with you. We were quite certain we were doing the right thing. But it nearly broke me. It helped that I still had Bram to look after," said Selwin softly. "And Katlin, of course, and later Jai and Belle. But we have never forgotten you!" She gave Raven a rather watery smile.
Raven found that she, too, was tearing upon hearing how hard it had been from her mother's perspective. She couldn't imagine being in that situation herself. "I'm grateful to you both for that decision. It was the right one. I'm meant to be a Jedi, I feel it in my heart," Raven said, wanting more than anything to comfort her mother. They had done the right thing, even if it had been incredibly hard for them personally.
"Are you sure?" asked Selwin. "I mean… Your master is a nice man but he seems awfully strict, and from what you told us, your days are filled with work. Does Eeth treat you well?"
This wasn't the first time Eeth had been referred to as 'strict', nor was it the first time the hardship of an apprenticeship with the Jedi had been pointed out to Raven. "He does," she said. "Eeth is as kind and compassionate a being as you will ever find. He just has very high expectations and won't accept failure." She smiled more to herself than Selwin. "Failure is not part of his genetic makeup; if he says I will achieve knighthood, then I believe him. Also, I think if he weren't the sort to push me as he does, I don't think I'd make it. Like you said, it's a hard life but I'm glad you and dad gave me this opportunity."
Selwin was silent for a moment. Then she pulled Raven into a hug. "I am so glad you said that," she whispered. "I couldn't have borne it if we had made you unhappy. Your happiness is all that has ever counted to us. We didn't want to give you away for a single moment. And part of me still wishes you could stay, even if I know that's impossible."
Raven returned the hug. A life on Chine might not be on the cards for her, but she could certainly enjoy and appreciate the time she had to spend with her family now. And Raven planned to do just that.