It was almost six in the afternoon when Jobe suggested they should start for home. Raven ran to walk by his side while Jai and Belle rode circles around the family.
"Can we stop by Zanzetti's?" she asked. "I'd like to get some lemon cake for Bram."
Jobe smiled down at his daughter and ruffled her hair. "Of course," he said and pointed to a small bakery that was just across the street. "Be quick, we don't want to be walking home in the dark. We'll wait here for you."
Raven didn't waste any time. There was hardly a soul left in the bakery as all the shops were closing up for the day. Thankfully, the baker had a slice of Bram's favourite cake packed away out the back, and he was happy to sell it to her. Raven also found a small packet of mildly spiced tea that smelled similar to the stuff Eeth drank at the Temple, so she bought it for him.
The walk home was fun. The family played 'eye spy' with Belle which was always a challenge, given that she barely knew how to sing the alphabet, let alone how to use it. After the twelfth guess at 'something beginning with R' turned out to be a chicken, they all groaned good-naturedly and threw in the towel. Raven just hoped that Bram had gotten on alright with Eeth…
A few hours earlier, once Raven and the rest of his family had left, Bram turned towards Eeth who sat down beside him at the desk.
"Thanks for helping," Bram said morosely. "I really need the help because I'm totally retarded when it comes to maths. How am I supposed to enjoy this stuff when I have such a hard time grasping the most basic concepts?"
"Who said you are supposed to enjoy it?" Eeth replied drily. "You are merely supposed to do it. And convincing yourself of how incompetent you are will not get your homework done any faster, nor will it accomplish anything else. My padawan was very fond of telling me what a failure she was, too, but fortunately, I managed to snap her out of that destructive habit. She finished her maths cycles with acceptable grades. And I am sure you are no less intelligent than she is. Now let us get started."
Eeth asked Bram to show him the list of the work he had to do, and then, without allowing him time to indulge in further self-pity, he set the boy to work on the first problem. He patiently and insistently helped him along whenever he got stuck but he absolutely refused to do his work for him.
"Phew, thanks," Bram sighed when that was done. "I need a drink now."
He made to get up, but Eeth put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down again. "You had lunch twenty minutes ago, and you still have nineteen problems to go," he said. "If you find excuses to take a break after every single one, you will not be finished by dinnertime, and I sincerely doubt you want to risk that. You may take a break after you have completed five problems. Next one."
Bram sighed more deeply, but complied, knowing that the Jedi was right, as hard as it was to admit it.
Eeth had his work cut out for him with Bram that afternoon. It was obvious to him that the boy was not stupid at all, but he simply had neither enough interest nor enough self-discipline to get to work. Eeth also realised fairly soon that Bram reacted positively to a firm approach. When Eeth told him no or gave him an order, the first reaction was usually a surprised look, and the second reaction was compliance. Eeth insisted that Bram solve all problems by himself. Much to his own surprise, Bram, who usually copied down a classmate's answers, was actually able to find some of the solutions entirely on his own, and others with merely a few hints from Eeth. Some problems required longer explanations, which Eeth was happy to give. Bram knew that his parents, who had other children to look after and were constantly short on time, would have lost patience with him much sooner, not that he blamed them.
"Thanks," Bram said with a huge sigh of relief as he stowed away his folder, just a few minutes before the rest of his family came home. "This was pure torture, but I appreciate your help. And I did learn something, actually." He was positively in awe of Eeth by this point. No wonder his sister had made it through her maths classes, he thought. The man would simply not give up when he had a goal he wanted you to reach!
Had Raven been privy to her twin's thoughts, she would have agreed whole-heartedly. As it was, however, she met him with a smile as she entered the living room and offered the cake. "I see you survived," she said through a grin and waited to gauge his reaction; she knew what Eeth could be like when he was set on a task, and she didn't doubt that he'd have pushed Bram to finish what he started.
"Yeah," Bram said with a sigh. "Hey, thanks for the cake. It's been a long time since anyone got around to getting me some."
"Yes, like, at least a week," Al said wryly. "I distinctly remember bringing you some on my way home last week Monday."
"Yeah, but that was for everyone and I only got half a piece," Bram said, taking a huge bite. His mother opened her mouth and made to speak.
"I know," Bram said through his mouthful of cake before she could get a word out. "Not before dinner, I'll spoil my appetite. C'mon, haven't I suffered enough? If Eeth ever loses his job with the Jedi, he should go to Kessel and work as a slave driver." He gave her a broad grin, and Selwin, who clearly had to suppress a laugh, said no more.
"Funnily enough, it won't have been the first time Eeth hears something like that. I've told him similar myself," Raven said. She grinned as the man in question entered the room. "Master," she greeted him with a slight bow and handed him a small package of loose leaf tea. "It smells a bit like the one you have at the Temple, and I thought you might like it," Raven said.
"Thank you, padawan," Eeth said, surprised and pleased. "That was very thoughtful of you. I will try it tonight."
Dinner passed pleasantly and uneventfully, with a quickly prepared huge bowl of pasta and a fresh garden salad.
Still feeling quite full from their afternoon snacking around Allbost, Raven was not at all hungry, but she consented to eat a bit of salad and a small serving of pasta when Jobe frowned at the single lettuce leaf she had been picking at.
The evening was enjoyable. Belle was busy colouring and drawing, only this time she had made her nest in the hollow of Raven's crossed legs. The drawings were rather good for a four year old, something Raven asked the family about whilst Jobe was getting Belle ready for bed. "She's been drawing since she was old enough to hold a crayon," Baka told her.
"True, although we had to switch out for pencils when I found her eating them," Al added with amusement. Raven took the picture of what was clearly the view from her bedroom window and handed it to Eeth.
They talked about school, both Bram and Jai telling different stories of what the experience was like until, after some arguing on Jai's part, Al went to tuck Jai in.
Now it was down to just Bram and Raven. "Bedtime, Bram" Selwin said after half an hour or so. "After all, you're going to school tomorrow."
"And you, padawan," said Eeth.
Raven stood and yawned. Getting to go to school with Bram and Jai was going to be fun.
To everyone's surprise, Bram stood, too. This immediate show of compliance was so unusual for him that the rest of the family was stunned into silence.
The twins playfully jostled each other up the stairs and down the hallway until they reached their respective bedrooms. "Obviously you survived, but I hope Eeth wasn't too hard on you today. He can be prickly," Raven said.
"So I noticed," said Bram. "But I probably wouldn't have gotten through all my homework without his help. And since it was extra work, I couldn't even copy it from a classmate. I'm kind of grateful to your master. I mean, he sacrificed his afternoon to help your stupid brother solve stupid maths problems. He didn't have to do that."
"Yeah, Eeth is really good like that," said Raven. "He'd also not like to hear you call yourself stupid. You aren't." It was strange for Raven to hear this from another perspective and it made her realise how frustrating it must be for Eeth when she said the same to him.
Bram shrugged. "Maybe I am, or maybe not," he said. "But maths definitely bores me. I hate it and I don't see the point. I guess without someone forcing me to do it anyway, I wouldn't have."
"I can most definitely relate to you there," said Raven. "I wouldn't have done nearly as well in my classes if it wasn't for Eeth pushing me." She privately thought Bram would benefit from that kind of help, too, but had no idea how to go about saying as much. Instead, she pulled him into a hug, and went to get ready for bed.
The next morning Raven woke far too early to the sound of rustling outside. Again, her hand went for her weapon, and she dropped noiselessly to the floor. "Master?" Raven whispered groggily; she was simply unaccustomed to beings creeping around outside her door at such strange hours.
"It's your father, padawan. Go back to sleep," murmured Eeth.
Raven groaned when she spotted the time. It was barely 0500. "I'm kinda glad I don't have to work as a healer," she grumbled and was more than happy to return to bed.
An hour and a half later, she woke in a more familiar fashion and covered her head with the pillow as the light assaulted her. "Argh, ok, so I've adjusted to the local time already,' she mumbled, and then, knowing that resistance was futile, she tossed the pillow aside and swung her legs over the edge. Twenty-five minutes later, the padawan emerged from their bathroom only to bump into Jai who was either up early to use the refresher, or he was just an early riser. "Bathroom's free," she said, grinning at his sleep-bedraggled state.
Breakfast was a lively affair that morning. When Eeth and Raven emerged from their room to join the family, they were met with a few new faces. The boy, Rylen, Raven, recognised as the same boy who had asked Jai to sleep over the night they'd arrived, his sister looked around five or six, and there was a squirming baby who was currently being flown food via spoon craft by Bubcha. Apparently, their parents had dropped them off earlier as they'd both been assigned a morning shift by accident and had had no time to organise breakfast. Baka had taken the seven-month-old girl into her arms without a second thought and waved them off, assuring them that she would make sure that Rylen and Greir got to school and would take care of baby Max until they got home. Belle was elated to have her fellow mud pit enthusiast join them for breakfast, and Jai was busy talking to Rylen about what they were going to do after his keyboard lesson that afternoon. Bram was the last to join their table and was soon presented with a plate and a kiss on the head from his mother, who was busy rushing around getting ready for work herself.
"Go already, Al and I have this," Baka scolded her daughter as she paused to take one more plate to the kitchen.
Seeing that she was being affectionately given the boot, Selwin gathered her things and announced that she would be leaving in five minutes by speeder, and that everyone who wanted to be taken to school ought to be in it when she did. The children also had the option to go by bike, and often they did, especially in summer; but given that Raven had no bike, Selwin thought this would be more practical. In the end, Jai and Rylen did choose go by bike. Bram went to fetch his school bag and told Raven, "Let's go. Mum is giving us a ride."
Raven was surprised but pleased by the thrum of organised chaos surrounding her family's school morning. It was indeed a lot more undisciplined than any school morning Eeth orchestrated, but nor was this change of pace uncomfortable. "I'm ready. Can I go?" Raven asked, having located Eeth busy helping Bubcha soothe the baby. Apparently, Max was teething, and he was helping to relieve the pain.
Eeth paused to smile at her. "Enjoy yourself, padawan," he said. "May the Force be with you."
"Alright, come on, let's get going!" Bram said. He was not quite as impatient as to be hopping from foot to foot but it was a close call.
"And with you, master," Raven replied and offered him a curt bow.
It was only a few minutes' drive to school and they soon entered the yard, a spacey area shaded by old trees, with lawns, a playground and a sitting area created from logs and boulders for the older students. The school itself was a low, L-shaped building with large windows letting in the sun. Bram's class was on the second floor. Already on their way there, they were drawing curious looks.
Despite being acutely aware of the attention they were drawing from the other students, Raven did her best to ignore the stares as they made their way to the classroom. She and Bram were both talking and chuckling when they reached the second floor. However, Raven quickly sobered as they entered his classroom: fifteen sets of eyes turned towards them and an excited babble broke out. Most of the students were already there; there were about fifteen of them, a mixed group of boys and girls. All the looks that were directed at Raven were curious, but friendly.
"Well, this is my sister, Raven," Bram said, introducing her with a sweeping gesture.
"Hi, Raven," a dark-haired, slender girl sitting at the front desk said cheerfully, standing up and holding out her hand. "I'm Minny."
Minny was Bram's seat neighbour; he had been made to sit in front a long time ago, for a number of reasons. He liked Minny well enough. Among other reasons, it was always worth copying down her work and she always let him.
"Uh, hello," Raven said as Bram introduced her, although her gaze rested on Minny. Thankfully the awkward moment was short-lived as Tanjo entered behind them, taking the attention off Raven, for now.
Tanjo was a dark-skinned woman between forty and fifty, her thick bunch of curly black hair braided and tied back behind her neck.
"You must be Raven," she said, shaking Raven's hand. "Welcome! We are excited to have you here. Shall we start with introductions? You tell the class a little about yourself, and the others say who they are?"
The students were indeed excited to meet Raven. Allbost and its surroundings had been the first places to be colonised on Chine; most of the families who lived here had roots on the planet that reached back at least three centuries. As a result, nearly all students in this school came from families who had few, if any, outside contacts. Raven would have been interesting for them for the mere fact that she lived on Coruscant, which nobody in this class had ever been to. Being a Jedi made her even more interesting, of course.
"Uh, sure," Raven said, hiding her nervousness. After all, she had experienced a far more intimidating audience giving reports to the Council. She stood there for a moment, glanced around the room and took a breath. "Like my brother Bram and Tanjo said, my name is Raven Trebeck, and I am a Jedi padawan from the planet of Coruscant. My master, Eeth Koth, and I were returning from a mission on Gelisia IV when I was given the opportunity to visit Chine and meet my family. I asked to come along today because I wanted to meet my brother's friends and, well, to be honest, I hoped to spare us all a little maths work in exchange for some cultural education."
Tanjo laughed. "Sounds very much like a Bram-induced strategy," she said. "Incidentally, Bram, did you do the work I gave you yesterday?"
"Yeah," Bram said proudly. "Here you are." He handed her his binder.
"I'm impressed," she said. "Your sister must be a good influence on you."
"More like her master," Bram said. Turning around to the class, he said, "He's Zabrak, he's got horns, and he's quite the authority figure."
"What does it mean that he's your master?" Minny asked. "Is that like a father? Or more like a teacher?"
"A very good question," Tanjo said, "but let's do the introductions first. Raven doesn't know any of you yet, except Bram."
When all the kids had said who they were, Minny repeated her question.
"Firstly, a Jedi master is not usually related to their apprentice. The relationship is a product of the Force, not genetics," said Raven. "Secondly, Eeth is entirely unbiased when it comes to my upbringing. Basically, I don't get away with anything."
After that, question upon question followed. Raven was also asked to show her lightsaber, which she did by unclipping it from her belt and holding it up to the room.
"What does it look like when it's all lit up?" someone asked.
"Yeah, what colour is it?" asked another.
"Does it cut through durocrete?" And the questions continued. Raven truly hated being the centre of attention but she endured. Everyone was so interested that she didn't have the heart to be shy.
After a while, Tanjo called for a stop to the discussion, asked Raven to sit down next to Bram and showed a short film on Coruscant. After that, another question round followed, this time focussed on Coruscant.
After two-and-a-half hours, it was time for the long morning break that split the school day in two.
"After break, you will have a history lesson with Joas," Tanjo said. "He has chosen a subject on which Raven will be able to give some input, so we can see how what she's learning at the Jedi Temple differs from what we're learning here. Now off you go. Have fun."
The group that Bram and Raven were with didn't seem interested in eating anything during this break, and soon Raven found herself dragged to the far field and asked to choose sides for a game that she had never heard of before.
"Just run when I say and try not to get tagged," Bram told her, and so she did.
Half an hour later, Raven lay chuckling next to a panting Bram. Their team had won, and she was now listening as each side debated the fairness and unfairness of the other team's moves, and how one side had a Jedi.
They had to cut their conversation short because the break ended and it was time for their history lesson. Joas was an elderly, portly teacher who was well-liked by students. Even Bram made some effort in his lessons because Joas really went out of his way to make them interesting and give them a human touch. Today, they talked about the foundation of the Republic, and Joas involved them in debates that had been had at the time, with various students acting as representatives of the different sides and presenting their arguments. He repeatedly turned to Raven to ask about her perspective, interested in hearing whether she had learned different things in history lessons at the Jedi Temple.
History was not exactly one of Raven's favourite subjects. However, Joas had a real passion for his subject and it showed. The lesson went well over time, which was partly because so many people were asking Raven questions.
When they left the school, accompanied by a group of Bram's friends, most of the younger students had already left.
"We'll have to walk," said Bram. "Mum will be home already, she's always home early on Thursdays. Normally, she uses the time to make something special for lunch. It's only a twenty-minute walk, so she doesn't go to the trouble of picking us up."
Tek, one of Bram's friends, said, "I'm walking, too. I'm coming with you. Anyone else? Or did you all come by bike?"
Several others were walking, too, but only Tek, Minny and Lor lived in their direction. "Let's take the river path," suggested Minny. "It only takes a few minutes longer but it's really nice, especially in summer. You might like it, Raven. Do you have rivers on Coruscant?"
"Coruscant is practically all city," answered Raven. "The only body of water left is the Great Western Sea. So, I think the closest we'd get to a river would be if they dug a moat around Umate in the Manarai Mountains. The monks might get upset about that, though," Raven mused aloud.
This, of course, led to further questions. As they walked, the path led them down a slope to the riverside. The river meandered between meadows and fields, and since it was summer in this hemisphere, the sun was beating down on them mercilessly.
"Going to the pool this afternoon will be a blessing," said Bram. "It's a good deal hotter than yesterday."
"You're going to the pool?" asked Tek, wiping his sweaty brow with his hand. "Awww. I have to help my parents build a shed today."
"Lor and I are invited over at Patta's," said Minny with regret. "Else we'd love to come. The pools will be perfect." She bent down and scooped up some water to cool down her face.
"We could all go for a swim now, and then nobody would miss out," Raven suggested upon noticing a couple of others climbing up the river bank on the opposite side, dripping wet. The water was calm, cool and looked inviting and she sensed nothing living in it that might eat them, which was always a bonus in these situations.
"Okay, but we'd have to make it quick," said Bram. "I guess they'll be waiting for us with lunch pretty soon. I always have half an hour or so of leeway, though, so that's okay. With this heat, we should be dry by the time we're home." Which would be a good thing because technically, the river was off limits due to dangerous undercurrents and pockets of ice-cold water. However, Bram knew that that rule was rarely enforced, especially at the outskirts of the city. Also, there had been no serious rain in ages so the water level was low. Still, it would be better if they came home with dry hair, no questions asked!
Tek was already starting to pull off his shirt and shorts, and Minny and Lor followed suit.
It briefly occurred to Raven that there must be a reason Bram wanted them dry before they got home, but she decided not to question this. If nobody told her this was a bad idea, Eeth couldn't possibly hold her responsible for it. Right? Right! Grinning, Raven followed suit, pulling off her tunic and stripping down to her underwear. None of the kids seemed particularly shy and everyone was keen to cool off, so they jumped in.
"Don't go out into the middle," Minny warned when it looked as if Raven were going to start swimming.
Again, Raven didn't question the reason for this warning. She just enjoyed the cool water with everyone else. It was bliss, given how much the day had heated up.
Lor and Minny started splashing each other, shrieking because the currents coming from the mountains were ice cold. "Hey, stop it!" Tek complained, jumping out of their reach and shaking back his glossy dark curls. "You're getting my hair wet, and then it won't be dry by the time I get home!"
"Speaking of which," said Bram. "We probably should get going. We don't want Mum to send Jai to search for us."
Again, Raven decided not to ask about why everyone was so concerned about their hair. She had, of course, kept her own dry, other than her braid which was far too long by now and had come loose during the swim. It was fair enough that Bram would be expected home in time for lunch, so Raven got out and, after wringing out her underclothes, she redressed. The sun should dry them off before they reached home.
"Do you get to do that every day after school?" Raven asked Bram when the others had broken off to travel down a different street. Personally, she thought that was a pretty good way to spend an afternoon, far better than the indoor pools at the Temple. Maybe not as good as Borleias, though, she mused.
"No, definitely not," said Bram. "I often go by bike, like Jai did today. Or I have loads of homework, or places to be in the afternoon, so I take the faster way home, along the street. Besides, it's rare for the weather to be hot enough to make swimming in the river a good idea. Usually it's freezing, even the shallow spots at the edge. Only in midsummer, we do it occasionally. But only when nobody's watching. Strictly speaking, we're not supposed to go in there, so it'd be good if you didn't mention it."
Raven had suspected as much, given that everyone had wanted to be dry before getting home. "Why aren't you supposed to go in there?" she asked, failing to see the harm in it.
"It's supposedly dangerous," said Bram. "Well, it is, if you go too far in the middle, especially when there's rain or snow in the mountains. There are undercurrents and bouts of freezing water. But with this kind of weather, and hardly any rain in ages, it wouldn't be an issue. Besides, we're neither toddlers nor old and frail."
"Fair enough," said Raven. Personally, she hadn't seen the danger in it either, but it would certainly not be something she was going to advertise to Eeth. He could be prickly over rules even if they were semantics in this case, or so Raven thought.
They were approaching their house now, and Bram was sniffing appreciatively. "I think Mum is making pancakes," he said.
"Really, she will make pancakes for lunch?" The question was rhetorical, so Raven continued. "That's awesome," she said, following Bram through the door as if she had been doing this her whole life. The smell of pancakes filled the entire house and felt so welcoming that Raven practically floated into the kitchen. "Yum, these smell great," she told Selwin.
"Lunch will be ready in a moment," Selwin said, turning around briefly to smile at them. "Grandma and Al went to the park on a whim, with Belle, Greir and the baby. They've already eaten. Eeth and Jai are busy setting the table. Go and wash your hands."
Eeth was setting glasses on the table as Bram and Raven entered the living room. He turned around to smile at them.
"Padawan," he said. "Bram. Did your day go well?"
Raven offered Eeth a slight bow. "It was great," she said. "I think I like classes better here." It was true, Bram's teachers had been far more laid back than those at the Temple.
"That is good to hear," said Eeth.
Selwin entered the room, setting another plate with a huge stack of pancakes onto the table, and they all sat to eat. For the next few minutes, there was comfortable silence as they were stuffing themselves with large and fluffy pancakes.
"Do your homework right after lunch, Jai," Selwin said after a while. "Al will be back to take you to your keyboard lesson soon."
"Does Al play the keyboard also?" Raven asked Jai, wondering if Al was taking him because they had lessons together.
"Nah, he's just taking me 'cause it's not in town, it's in Hestiwin, a village nearby," Jai replied. "Dad does, but he hardly finds the time. He got to know Mum in their college band, actually. She played the guitar."
"They made me learn the guitar, but I wasn't that great at practising, so I quit after a few years," Bram told Raven.
"Wow, you're all really musical. I don't play anything, but I learned how to read music in crèche," Raven admitted.
"How did you find school?" Selwin asked Raven. "Did it go well?"
"It was great," said Raven. "History with Joas was fun and Tanjo is a really nice teacher. I think I'd like school here better than at the Temple. They're far less grumpy, that's for sure."
"Your teachers at the Temple are not 'grumpy'," said Eeth, predictably.
"Yes, they are. For the most part," Raven disagreed. She forbore to add that Eeth himself was indeed considered 'grumpy'. Mostly by herself; others might use 'terrifying' as a more apt description, but Raven believed that was splitting hairs.
"They merely want you to learn what they have to teach you, padawan," said Eeth.
"Well, I'm sure they'd be stricter than our teachers," said Bram peacefully, trying to deflect attention from Raven. "By the way, Tanjo was really happy with the work I submitted today. Thank you, Master Eeth."
"You are welcome," said Eeth.
"That's good to hear," said Selwin. "I thought she might have talked to you or something. You were home later than usual. What kept you so long?"
"We met with Minny and Lor and talked for a while," said Raven. "People had a lot of questions." Raven glanced sideways at Bram.
"Yeah, and Tek," said Bram quickly. "We walked the long way home, to show Raven around."
Eeth frowned a little. Something was off about their answers, he felt. Raven seemed to be evasive and possibly even somewhat apprehensive for some reason, and Bram had jumped in a little too fast. He gave Raven a scrutinising look, and she looked away, quickly stuffing her mouth with pancakes. Raven hoped that this would deter further questions being asked of her. Unfortunately, this only raised Eeth's suspicions; he would have expected her to give her an animated account of what Bram and his friends had shown her.
"Is there anything you are not telling us, by any chance?" he asked, looking from Raven to Bram.
"Loads of things," said Bram loftily. "Like, Tek can't come to the pool because he has to help his parents build a shed. It was super hot on the walk home. Minny wanted to know all about where Coruscant's drinking water comes from. You sure you want all the details?"
By now, Eeth was suspicious enough to scrutinise his padawan closely, and that was when he happened to notice her wet padawan braid and the slightly damp patch where it brushed against her tunic.
"Padawan, why is your hair wet?" he inquired.
Raven took her time chewing, hoping that the extra seconds this bought her would result in the production of some genius idea that would allow her to lie to Eeth about this. Saying it was just hot would not fly, nor would anything else that sprang to mind. She swallowed, scrunched her nose and cleared her throat. "We stopped in for a quick swim on the way back," she said, aiming for nonchalance but underneath, she was chalant as all hell. At this point, the best Raven could do was hope this answer did not produce further questions.
"Bram, don't tell me you took her for a swim in the river!" said Selwin, shocked.
"Alright," Bram said obligingly. "I didn't take her for a swim in the river."
Selwin groaned. Under different circumstances, she might have found this funny, but right now, she was just exasperated.
"The truth, padawan," said Eeth coolly.
Raven sighed. "We went swimming in the river," she was forced to confess. "But it's no big deal, everyone does it."
"That is beside the point," said Eeth. "From the fact that you even see a need to point out that it is no big deal, I take it that it is not permitted. Bram, maybe you can clarify."
Selwin had opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She saw the horrified expression on Bram's face and thought it served him right. Of course, she had no idea that part of the reason for that horrified expression was Bram's awareness of the kind of consequences Eeth imposed for misbehaviour. He was frantically trying to come up with a way to save Raven from said consequences.
"It is technically forbidden," Bram said, "but at this season, the water is low and it's not actually dangerous. Anyway, Raven didn't know it was forbidden. We didn't tell her. I'm sorry, Sir."
Selwin raised her eyebrows at the respectful form of address. Eeth was less impressed. "Is that so, padawan?" he asked.
"Technically," Raven agreed, somewhat sheepishly. She had suspected, not asked and therefore couldn't exactly deny that Bram's statement was untrue. "I knew when we were coming home." Raven gave Bram an apologetic look. She hated to be the one who ratted them out, but there was just no getting around Eeth. She would have to explain their bond to him at the first opportunity!
Turning to Selwin, Eeth asked, "Just how dangerous is the river?"
"Well," said Selwin, while glaring at Bram, "the water in the middle is icy cold and there are strong undercurrents. In midsummer, when there hasn't been a lot of rain, it's probably not tremendously dangerous for healthy people who are good swimmers but it's not entirely without risk either."
"We didn't even go near the middle," said Bram dismissively. "Nothing happened. C'mon, we're not five-year-olds."
"No, but younger children might see you and imitate you, which is a big part of why it's forbidden," snapped Selwin.
"I think," said Eeth, "Raven and I will take this to our room. Excuse us, please." He stood and pointed his padawan towards the staircase.
Raven sighed for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes, put down her fork and stood without meeting anyone's eye. This was a tad humiliating, but then again, Raven had endured far worse and knew there was no point in making a fuss.
Selwin looked after them, half hoping that Eeth would not be too stern with her daughter and half hoping he would. Among other things, the twins' behaviour had effectively ruined what would have been a perfectly enjoyable lunch.
They ate in silence for a while. Jai finished his plate fast and then excused himself to do his homework. As soon as he had left, Selwin said, "Bram, this has got to stop. The river might not be outrageously dangerous, but we both know there has been more than one accident. The rules are there for a reason. Really, is there anything you're taking seriously? Anything at all? Your father and I are getting massively worried about you. We know you're a teenager and all, but that is no excuse. Do we need to send you back to the countryside until you graduate to keep you out of trouble? Is that what you want?"
This was an uncharacteristically sharp lecture on her part. Bram's expression changed to one of horror. He had not lied when he had told Raven he had liked his year at the farm well enough, but he had been younger then, at an age where it still was appealing to play in haystacks. Now, as his mother had pointed out, he was a teenager, and there was no way he wanted to have to leave the city and his friends.
"No, Mum, please," he said hastily. "Everyone was doing it. It wasn't even my idea, honest. I shouldn't have gone along with it, and I'm sorry for that, but honestly, didn't you ever do such stuff when you were young?"
"Yes, maybe, but I definitely didn't get in trouble twice a week, like you seem to do," Selwin said, exasperated. "I want you to tell your father about this when he gets home."
Bram groaned. He knew that this meant a talking-to that he wasn't going to enjoy. But he also suspected that a talking-to was the least of Raven's worries. He was glad that his mother had not cancelled the trip to the pool they had planned. But whether Eeth was going to be equally lenient was anyone's guess.