"They did what?" Eeth asked incredulously.

"My brother," said Selwin patiently, "tells me that Bram and a girl – which would be Raven unless he dumped her on the road for a petite, blonde girlfriend we have never heard of – borrowed Dennis' speederbike. The same that Jobe and Al drove yesterday. I called Jobe. He'll be home in fifteen minutes."

"I will go with him to find them," Eeth said immediately.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Selwin asked.

"Yes," Eeth said firmly. "I am over the worst of it. My fever is down. More importantly, I can find my apprentice through our bond. Which is something that your husband will have a hard time doing."

When Jobe pulled into the garage, worn out after yet another day of surprises, he entered to find Eeth out of bed and seated on the couch, his wounds seemingly the last of his concerns. Selwin exited the hallway to greet him with an exasperated expression on her face, and he looked from one to the other before dropping his bag by the door. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" Jobe moved to comfort his wife. Then, upon receiving a nod, he turned towards Eeth. "How are you feeling?" he asked the man, concerned.

"Better," said Eeth. "I think the medication worked to bring the fever down and prevent infection. And I spent much of the day in a healing trance, which is a technique that helps a Jedi speed up recovery. I could not reach Raven on her comlink but from what I am sensing through the training bond that connects us, she is about thirty kilometres to the north. Is this where the White Forest is?"

Jobe nodded. "Yes, there isn't much else in that direction that would be of interest to them. Unfortunately, if they have Dennis' speederbike, they might have gone to areas not accessible by conventional speeders." Jobe scratched at his chin, frowning. He wasn't happy with his son right now.

"Let me see if I can contact Raven through our bond," said Eeth. He closed his eyes to find his focus, which he still had a hard time doing, and inquired, 'Padawan? Where are you?'

Raven abruptly stood up in the water where she had been floating around with Bram. They had yet to find a shonarg but Raven was pretty sure if they were just quiet enough, they might get lucky. She looked at Bram. "Eeth wants to know where we are," she said, looking guilty.

"Well, we're in the White Forest, just where we said we'd go," said Bram, somewhat surprised at this; he still found the Jedis' method of nonverbal communication a little unsettling.

"Yes, but he'll be able to sense where I am. Didn't you say this part of the forest was not accessible without a speederbike…" Raven went quiet, closed her eyes and took a calming breath so as not to exude guilt across their bond. 'White Forest,' she sent back, the inflexion questioning to suggest that she was wondering why he had asked.

'Did you take your uncle's speederbike to go there?' asked Eeth, seeing no reason to beat around the bush.

Raven blanched. She opened her eyes, looked at Bram and sighed. "Somehow Eeth knows that we have your uncle Dennis' speederbike," she told him.

Bram grimaced. "Well, fuck," he said. "What now?"

"I'll have to tell him," Raven said reluctantly. "I meant to explain this after we went swimming on the way home that day, but the bond that Eeth and I share means that he can tell where I am. He can also tell if I'm lying, so if he asks me something, I can rarely get away with lying about it. My ability to shield isn't good enough yet."

Eeth was impatiently waiting for a response while Raven and Bram deliberated. 'Padawan?' he inquired, flinching slightly at a stab of pain in his temples. The problem was that communicating verbally across this distance did not come as effortlessly as it should have for Eeth. But there was no way to resolve the situation that would have been nearly as easy as this one.

Realising that she was out of time, Raven closed her eyes, focussed and answered. "We did," she replied to Eeth's question. She could tell by his lack of clarity that communicating with her this way was hurting him, and so she added, "I will get my comlink."

Five minutes later, Raven was having a rather awkward conversation with a displeased-looking blue hologram of Eeth.

"We will talk more about why it was a bad decision to fly a speederbike when neither of you are of legal age to do so on this planet," said Eeth grimly. "Later. Right now, your father and I will come to pick you up."

"We can come home now, no need to come for us," said Raven, not wanting either of them to come out after them.

"You are definitely not returning home on a speederbike that you have no right to use," said Eeth cuttingly.

"But we have to. We are in a section of the White Forest that can't be reached by speeder," Raven explained.

"Come to the closest spot that can be reached by speeder and send me the coordinates, then," said Eeth. "We will come to pick you up there." He threw a questioning look at Jobe who nodded, clarifying that Eeth's suggestion was feasible.

Raven wanted to argue that she was perfectly capable of piloting them home without an escort, but she kinda knew that it wasn't so much her skill Eeth was taking issue with, but the fact that she was underage. Sighing, Raven bowed curtly, whereupon Eeth cut the transmission. She turned to Bram and scrunched up her face. "This isn't going to end well," she said, "we better not keep them waiting." And with that, Raven started drying off and pulling on her uniform.

Bram sighed. "No shonargs, then," he said, starting to dry himself off, too. "I'm sorry. It was a horrible idea. I got you into huge trouble, didn't I?"

"No, I got myself into trouble." Raven said as her head popped through her tunic, and she grinned at him. "It was a great day, I can't say that at this moment I'm regretting any of it. Maybe later I might. Will our parents be upset with you?" Raven didn't think it was likely, given Bram had said that he'd done this plenty of times before. Maybe they might not like that he brought the bike into the White Forest, though; Raven wasn't sure.

Bram grimaced. "I daresay they will," he said. "I'd rather not keep Dad waiting either. It might be best to head for the parking lot we saw when entering the forest. If we head due east, that's where we should end up."

The trip to the carpark was over far too soon for both Raven's and Bram's liking. Raven parked the speederbike and immobilised the ignition. Once Bram had jumped off, she sent Eeth the coordinates, swung her leg over and followed suit.

Raven sat on a short fence that ran the perimeter of the parking lot. "I wish we'd had longer. I really wanted to see a shonarg and I was hoping we might have if we'd stayed in the water long enough," she said to Bram when he jumped up to sit on the fence beside her.

"Yeah," said Bram wistfully. "Well. Chances of finding them are pretty low, I guess. If you couldn't sense them, there might simply not have been any of them around."

"I've long since learned that I can't sense everything," said Raven. "I can, however, sense that Eeth is on his way." Raven sighed because this wasn't going to be an enjoyable conversation.

Sure enough, Eeth and Jobe were on their way to the coordinates Raven had provided. When they had gotten clear of the city, Jobe broke the silence. "I don't suppose there are exemptions that would legalise Raven piloting a speederbike at her age?" he asked.

"No," said Eeth. "She obtained her licence about a year ago, but on Coruscant, that only gives her the right to pilot with adult supervision until she turns sixteen. And she knows to respect the laws of the planets we visit. I know that fifteen-year-olds are not permitted to fly speeders or speederbikes on Chine."

"On Chine, teenagers begin piloting lessons at sixteen," said Jobe. "I have to say that this is rather out of character for Bram. Is it for Raven?" he asked.

Eeth thought about this for a moment. "Yes," he finally said. "At least at this point. She is usually fairly responsible. But then, the things teenagers do when they are with other teenagers might be different from what they would do when they are by themselves. I assume they were counting on not being caught, especially since I was incapacitated."

"To be sure," Jobe agreed.

Raven stood as she sensed Eeth approach, and a second later Jobe's speeder could be seen flying into the parking lot where Raven and Bram were waiting.

Eeth opened the door and slowly – more slowly than he would have liked to – climbed from the speeder. He treated his padawan to a supremely irate glare, then let his gaze linger on Bram for a few seconds, causing the boy to blanch and gulp. Abruptly, Eeth turned to Jobe.

"Somebody will have to take back the speederbike," he said evenly. "And I would like to have a few words with my padawan in private. Could I ask you to take Bram to Dennis' in your speeder? Raven and I will follow on the speederbike and will catch up with you shortly."

Jobe frowned at his son. However, his expression softened upon seeing the look on Eeth's face. "Come on, Bram, hop in," he said, patting the passenger seat by his side. He wasn't at all happy with his son, but they would talk about it once he got him home.

Raven, for her part, didn't say a word. She just stood there, posture stiff and looking like a statue.

Bram gave her a sympathetic look. He thought it unwise to disobey, at this point. However, he just had to try and put in a good word for his sister.

"It was my idea," he told Eeth. "I talked her into it."

"And yet," said Eeth coolly, "your sister went along with it. She is fifteen years old and knew perfectly well what she was getting herself into if I found out about it. Both of you made the ill-advised decision to borrow this speederbike, and both of you will have to live with the consequences. I am not interested in who did the talking."

Bram bit his lip. He would have loved to have a witty retort ready, but unfortunately, none came to mind.

He climbed into the speeder, feeling rather bad at leaving his sister to her fate which, judging from the look on Eeth's face, she wasn't to be envied for.

Raven put on a brave face for Bram as they left. It had been quite courageous of Bram to stand up to Eeth while he wore that expression. Not many of her friends would have been game to do so. But then, she assumed that Bram wasn't expecting Eeth to spank him, and the same could not be said for her peers at the Temple.

She looked up at Eeth and gave him her most contrite expression. "Are you mad?" she asked, because it was all she could think of to say.

Completely ignoring her question, Eeth ordered abruptly, "Pull down your pants and bend over the bike. You have ten seconds." He nodded with his chin at the speederbike, arms folded across his chest; the expression on his face made it clear that it would be a very bad idea for his padawan to take more than the time he had allowed. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, the parking lot was conveniently empty and Eeth did not see what would prevent him from expressing his displeasure right here and now.

Raven, however, could think of multiple reasons that would prevent him from doing this here and now, not least of which was: "We're in the middle of a public parking lot! I know you're displeased with me but can't this wait? Please?" Raven begged, but she had the prudence to move to the bike and start unfastening her belt.

"No, it cannot," snapped Eeth. "You have two seconds left."

Panicking, Raven reefed down the bottom half of her clothing in one motion and lay over the seat. This was not how she had expected to be spending her time this afternoon! "Master, please be reasonable about this. I do know how to ride, nobody was injured," she squeaked out when she noticed that he was going for his belt.

"That is completely beside the point, and you know it," Eeth said in a voice of tightly controlled displeasure as he unbuckled his belt and let the utilities slide to the ground. "I assume you had fun riding here. I will make sure that your ride back will be less enjoyable. And that will only be the start of your worries."

He doubled the belt over and brought it down onto her bottom smartly. He did not put quite as much force behind the blow as he had done on other occasions, though, and he had his reasons for that. For one thing, having to sit on the speederbike during the ride back would be a memorable enough experience as it was. For another thing, there was going to be no healing tonight since Eeth, quite simply, did not have any energy to spare. Bearing in mind that he had promised to follow Jobe shortly, he did not give Raven much time to digest that first swat, but continued, without a break, until he had completed the dozen.

Raven was red-faced and crying by the time he let her up. It hadn't been the worst belting of her life, but nor had it been a token punishment. It had fucking hurt. Unwilling to stand around half-dressed in the middle of a public parking lot, Raven reluctantly righted her clothing, wincing as she did so, and swiped at her face with a sleeve. She did not make eye contact with Eeth, choosing instead to fold her arms and glare at his boots.

Eeth was supremely immune to such looks. Unfazed, he reattached his belt with all its utilities and then turned his attention back to his apprentice.

"We will discuss this in more detail later," he said ominously. "For now, give me your saber. And then you may sit behind me on our way back."

That got her attention. Raven's head snapped up, her eyes wide and tearful. "No, master, please can you reconsider?" she begged him, unclipping her weapon and holding it to her chest. Of all the punishments Eeth could bestow, having her lightsaber confiscated was up there with the absolute worst.

Eeth wordlessly clamped her ear between his fingers, bent her forward and administered a resounding swat to her bottom which drew a yowl from Raven.

"Will you hand over your saber or would you prefer me to continue?" he asked.

It took Raven a moment to catch her breath because that swat had left her with not much of it left! "No, I mean yes, here!" Raven handed the saber to him while struggling to be let up.

Eeth accepted the saber and released his hold on her ear. Wordlessly, he clipped the saber to his belt and got on the speederbike, very slowly and carefully. His arms still hurt, especially the left one.

Despite prior reasoning to the contrary, Raven had known that taking Dennis' speederbike was not a good idea, just as she had known that Eeth would not be happy if he found out about it. Of course, both Raven and Bram had been hoping that he wouldn't! And even in the unlikely situation that they DID get caught, Raven had convinced herself that the consequences wouldn't be as painful, or – she sniffled as she saw her saber swinging from Eeth's belt – as dire as they turned out to be. Raven winced as she sat behind Eeth, wanting more than anything to beg that he just let her walk home. She didn't, though. Eeth was in a supremely displeased mood and any attempts on her part to get out of any sort of punishment were probably not going to be met with patience, she assumed.

Eeth wordlessly started the ignition and took off. He knew he was going to catch up with Jobe soon, as the speederbike was decidedly faster than Jobe's family speeder. By the time they had reached the first village of three that were between the White Forest and Allbost, they were level with Jobe and Bram. Bram had sunk low into his seat, as if he was hoping that this would keep him from being noticed. He was aware that his father was extremely unhappy with him, not to speak of Eeth, and he honestly had no idea what to say because he had known all along that there was no excuse for what they had done. Like Raven, he had simply hoped that they would not be caught; but that part of the plan had obviously not worked out, and he doubted that his father was interested in hearing it.

Jobe was relieved that both of his children were unharmed, and with that worry off his chest, he could focus on his annoyance with their behaviour. He did not speak during the ride to Dennis' because he was simply at a loss for words, and any words that he might have come out with would be better said when Selwin was present. When they pulled up at the front of Dennis' home, Jobe finally broke the tension. "Stay in the speeder, please," he told Bram as he stepped from the pilot's seat and called Selwin, who would no doubt be worried.

A moment later, Eeth brought the speederbike to a halt in front of Dennis' shed.

"Get off," he told his padawan curtly. "Then go and sit in the speeder with Bram."

As she obeyed, he waited for Jobe to terminate his call; he assumed the man would know where the key to the shed was and where the ignition control should go. The look on his face was still grim. However, he was also feeling the strain. His padawan would just have to wait for the completion of her punishment, not that Eeth was in any particular hurry.

Meanwhile, Raven was doing her best to hide the fact from Bram that sitting down had been uncomfortable, although she doubted it was very convincing, going by the concerned look he was giving her.

Bram decided to move to the backseat and sit beside his sister, leaving the passenger seat to Eeth.

"Are you alright?" he whispered. "What'd he do?".

"He belted me in the middle of the freakin' parking lot," she whispered, half hoping that Bram knew what she meant, and half hoping that he didn't…

Bram didn't really, but he could figure it out easily enough, and it showed in the horrified expression on his face.

"I'll live," Raven said, noticing Bram's expression. "I'm just not happy about it at the moment, is all."

"Ouch," Bram said sympathetically, squeezing her shoulder. "Well, at least you've got it over with; my father hasn't even started talking to me. Or do you think there'll be more?"

"Yes, there will probably be more," Raven said reluctantly.

Bram grimaced. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should have thought of what Eeth would do if he found out before dragging you into this. I didn't."

"I did think of what Eeth might do, and I still did it. As a Jedi, if you're going to disobey orders, you have to make sure that it is worth the consequences of being caught. You need to choose your battles carefully. I did." Raven smiled a little. "I'm pretty sure Eeth is going to do his best to make me think it wasn't worth it, though."

"What do you think will happen?" asked Bram.

Raven looked at her hands and then wrinkled her nose. "He'll spank me, most likely before bed, and possibly for several days. Whether or not I end up with an upgrade in implement, additional writing assignments or meditations will depend on how graciously I choose to accept his correction. Sometimes I don't do that very well. I'm told that I have quite an independent, stubborn and headstrong personality which does not bode well for me at times."

Bram was at a loss for words. He just stared at his sister, hoping against hope that this was all, but he wasn't so lucky.

"Plus …" Raven hooked a thumb through the empty belt loop where her weapon usually hung, and then tugged at it curtly. "He confiscated my lightsaber. I have no idea for how long, but last time it was over a month. It's safe to say that Eeth is pissed." Raven had a hard time getting the words out but she wasn't sure if Bram would know why. He probably had no idea why she would be so upset over losing her lightsaber, but if the miserable expression on her face didn't clue him in, then the tears that rolled down her cheeks when she blinked probably did. Annoyed at her lack of control, Raven swiped at her face and looked at her hands, feeling embarrassed.

Bram put a comforting arm around her shoulder. He made to say more, but at this point, Eeth and Jobe entered the speeder, having parked the speederbike in the shed. Eeth was moving far more slowly and carefully than he usually did. He was exhausted. Jobe lost no time in getting the engine started and taking off. He had noticed that Eeth had paled since they left Dennis', so he began running a mental itinerary of the contents in his medical bag. He'd deliberately packed specialised burns treatments on his colleague's advice since, had Eeth not been a Jedi who was currently staying with a doctor, they'd have kept him in.

"I am alright," Eeth quietly answered the unspoken question he was reading on Jobe's face. "The inflammation is receding and the fever is down. I just need some rest and something to drink. And possibly some more of the medication your colleague gave me. I propose we take the two of them inside and get the story out of them together in a place where we have some privacy."

If it was a place that offered him an opportunity to lean back, that would be a bonus, but he knew that he did not need to tell Jobe that."

"Alright," said Jobe. He trusted that Eeth knew his body well enough, but at the same time, he was planning to take a look at him when they got home.

Raven closed her eyes and tried to release her frustrations into the Force. It wasn't so much because of the belting. Yes, that had hurt her, but Raven had expected to receive something like that if she got caught. What she hadn't anticipated was the loss of her lightsaber, which hit her hard.

At the risk of drawing unwanted attention from the front seats, neither Bram nor Raven said a word for the rest of the trip.

The second the speeder stopped in their driveway, Raven opened the door and was standing, somewhat stiffly, waiting for Eeth. Her ass wasn't burning as it had at first, but it was still a relief to get off it.

"Let us go inside," said Eeth as he slowly rose from his seat, and he was not entirely able to suppress the weariness in his voice.

Raven looked from Eeth to her father, who frowned at Eeth's sluggish gait. Once they got inside, he asked Selwin, who came rushing up to them, to keep everyone else off their feet.

"Actually, Baka and Al took Jai and Belle to the pool," said Selwin. "It's just the five of us."

"Alright," said Jobe and turned towards the twins. "Wait for us in our bedroom, please," he told them.

Bram grimaced, but that was the extent of his protest. He and Raven obeyed without further argument.

Jobe insisted that Eeth sit at the table and went to collect his medical bag. Then he had Eeth take off his shirt. What he found shocked him, but not in a bad way. The burns were not nearly as bad as they had been this morning, although there were still signs of a mild infection.

"If only all my patients healed as fast as the Jedi," he commented, more to himself than Eeth as he drew a syringe. He didn't bother warning Eeth this time, but he did offer a sympathetic expression and paused for a second before administering the antibiotic. It was the strongest dose that could be given without an IV, and while it would be painful, it would clear up whatever was left of the infection. He snapped the lid off a small container of pills and handed them to Eeth just as Selwin entered with some water.

Eeth swallowed the pill and drained the glass of water.

"Have you already spoken to them about what they were thinking when they took that speederbike?" asked Selwin.

"I thought it best to wait until we had a chance to discuss it before speaking to Bram," Jobe told her. They liked to present as a united front when it came to calling one of their children to task for their behaviour. "Eeth, have you spoken to Raven? It would be better if we were all on the same page." Jobe had noticed that Raven had been crying when they arrived and assumed he had said or done something that upset her. He had also noticed Eeth was now carrying two lightsabers, but from his point of view, that wasn't entirely unusual. He had done so the day they went to the waterfalls, after all.

"Yes, but only briefly," said Eeth. "I am not finished with her. She was way out of line, and she knew it all along. And so did Bram."

Jobe nodded, finished working on Eeth, and once he was satisfied, he gestured that he redress. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer, then," he said. Then he looked at his wife. "Will you be okay with this or would you prefer to leave it to me?" Jobe asked, putting a hand on Selwin's in a gesture of comfort. He knew that Selwin did not like having these talks with their children and he would spare her if he could.

Selwin sighed. "No, I'm not 'okay' with it, but of course I'll come," she said. "I'd be grateful if you could do the talking, though."

A minute later, the three of them entered the master bedroom, none of them looking happy, although the expression on Eeth's face was effortlessly the most intimidating of them all. He had already pulled off his boots in the hallway and now lowered himself onto the bed, leaning back against the headboard.

He fixed the two teenagers with as stern a look as he could muster, which was saying something.

"Padawan, do you know what the legal age for flying a speederbike is on this planet?" he asked sharply.

"It's sixteen," Raven replied, hating it when he asked questions that he knew she already knew the answer to.

"Yes, it's sixteen," said Jobe. "And the last time I checked neither of you were sixteen, let alone held licences valid on Chine. Bram, we've told you before that you are not allowed to fly until you have reached legal age and have completed the mandatory exams. You know this rule, yet you went ahead and took the bike anyway. Why?" he wanted to know.

Raven's eyes moved left slightly before returning to Jobe, but that was the only indication that something wasn't adding up; Bram had told her that he'd ridden the speederbike plenty of times before, so she was wondering why their father would be saying that he wasn't allowed.

Bram bit his lip. "It seemed like so much fun at the time," he said quietly. "I knew she was worried about her master and I wanted to take her mind off things. Well, and I knew that she was able to ride speederbikes because she passed her exam on Coruscant, so I talked her into it. I… I might have made it seem as if I'd been allowed to ride the speederbike before when really, all I've ever done was sit behind an adult. I'm sorry." He was mostly looking at Raven when he said that, his eyes pleading with her to forgive him. She did, of course. Raven knew that she could have asked questions but, like with the river, she had not.

Before Raven could say anything, though, Jobe held up his hand in annoyance and was grateful when his wife placed a comforting hand on his back. "That," he said with only a touch of irritation left in his tone, "Is exactly the sort of immature, irresponsible behaviour that is responsible for such age restriction laws. Your mother and I thought you had moved past this childish stage and had booked you in for lessons after the summer. After today's antics, I hardly think you are ready for such a step." Jobe turned his disappointment on his daughter briefly. He wasn't exactly pleased with her either, although given the expression on her face, Eeth was doing well enough on his own, so he did not add to her woes for now.

A flush crept up Bram's cheeks. He had not been aware of his parents' plans and Jobe's announcement hit him hard. However, he did not think it wise to protest.

"As far as you are concerned, padawan," Eeth said in a low, stern voice, "no matter what Bram told you, you knew exactly that you were underage to ride speederbikes on this planet, did you not?"

Raven looked at her hands, not wanting to admit to that.

"Padawan, did you or did you not know it?" snapped Eeth, causing Selwin to flinch and frown. Jobe put a hand on Selwin's shoulder, squeezing gently to comfort her.

"Yes, master," Raven was forced to admit. "I had just hoped that if we stayed off the public roads, it would be safe and… we wouldn't get caught." The padawan swallowed knowing how this would be received. "It just seemed like a good idea at the time," she added.

"So both of you knew exactly what you were doing and were simply counting on not being caught," said Eeth sharply. "You know what I think of that, padawan."

She did, and Raven lowered her gaze.

"Neither of you are small children. You are both fifteen years old and ought to know better. Is there anything else either of you would like to add before we decide on consequences?" Jobe asked, glancing from Bram to Raven.

Raven saw an opportunity to get her father onside here, and given the look on her twin's face, she decided to go for it. "Only that, semantics aside, there was no real danger. I've done my training and I'm cleared to ride a speederbike. Also, we stayed off the roads and didn't endanger ourselves or anyone else. Yes, it was wrong of us to take Uncle Dennis' speederbike without permission, and wrong to ride without a licence, but I don't think we should be punished for endangering our safety." Raven deliberately kept a contrite expression on Jobe, avoiding the outright glare she suspected Eeth would be aiming her way.

Jobe raised an eyebrow. He had expected something like that from Bram, but not Raven. He glanced at Eeth briefly, wanting to give the man a chance to handle this before he did.

"For that remark, padawan, you will write an essay on the dangers involved in underage flying and the reasons for the laws being as they are," Eeth said coldly. "No less than five pages."

Raven opened her mouth to protest that it wasn't the same! She was a Jedi! But Eeth cut her off before she could say anything. "And do not get started on being a Jedi," he said, correctly guessing what she was about to say. "You might be better than others at avoiding certain dangers, but I am also fairly certain that you took higher risks than any non-Jedi would have taken, going into these woods. Did you think I took your saber away on a whim? Or that I am unhappy with you because of technicalities? If you did, then think again."

Raven's expression was mutinous, although it softened significantly at the mention of her missing weapon; having it taken away rankled. She crossed her arms about her chest and glared at the floor.

Jobe was surprised at the severity of Eeth's punishment. Five pages of anything for Bram would be a life sentence, he thought. He hid his thoughts for the moment, though, and looked at his son with a resigned expression. "You are grounded for the next week," he said. "During this time, you will spend all of your free time cleaning out the attic. When you have finished that, you can start on the back fence. Bubcha started painting it last week but it still needs a couple of coats, and I believe this is a job you can finish for her." Jobe did not like to be this harsh with his son, but he felt that the combination of delaying speeder lessons, grounding and the extra chores was more than enough.

Bram groaned, but did not dare to voice protests. He knew that he was still getting off lightly when compared to Raven although the postponement of his driving lessons was decidedly more than he had expected. However, he still had the whole summer to try and convince his parents to revoke this or at least not postpone them for too long. Raven, on the other hand, had an irate master to deal with now, and he did not envy her in the least.

Eeth looked at Raven for a long while, thinking about how to proceed. Her parents' surprise and slight discomfort at his mention of what was only part of her punishment had not escaped him, and he thought it better to address the issue.

"Padawan, go to your room and meditate," he told her. "I will be with you shortly. I need to talk to your parents for a moment."

Wordlessly, and because she was still a little mad, Raven gave Eeth a curt bow and left to do as told. She felt sorry for leaving Bram alone in a room full of displeased adults, but there was nothing that she could do for him at this point.

Fortunately for Bram, he wasn't stuck for long as Jobe sent him packing the moment Raven left.

"Are you alright with the consequences I set?" Jobe asked Selwin. They liked to present a united front when it came to their children, so he was not surprised that she had not vetoed his decisions. However, he valued her opinion.

Selwin sighed. "You know I hate having to impose 'punishment'," she said in a resigned voice. "I hate the entire concept. But this time, it was warranted. Really, those two could have killed themselves and nobody would have even known where to look for them."

"Which is what I wanted to talk to you about," Eeth said quietly. "I know the manner in which I deal with Raven must seem harsh to you. And the essay I imposed, as well as the fact that I took Raven's lightsaber, are not the only consequences. I do not know if Raven has mentioned this but the Jedi, as a rule, use corporal punishment and a wide array of other consequences for bad behaviour. We do so for good reason, not merely because we want to raise obedient children for our own convenience. The life of a Jedi is a dangerous one, and disobedience, dishonesty or rule-breaking can result in injuries or even death. I have to be able to rely on Raven to do exactly as I tell her and to stick to the rules I set her, or I might very well lose her needlessly one day. As I do not want that to happen, there are strong consequences for any act of wilful rule-breaking or disobedience. She knows what to expect from me and I believe she benefits from having strict boundaries set and firmly and consistently enforced. The Force led us together for a reason. That said, she had a choice when she became my padawan; she could have decided against continuing the path of a Jedi, but she did not, knowing full well that, when she made that decision, she opted for a life of discipline, high demands and strict rules. I am telling you all this to enable you to put things into perspective. I would like to ask you to trust me. I may cause your daughter pain on certain occasions, but only in order to deter her from behaviour that could ultimately do much more damage than whatever punishment I mete out. I would never harm her, and I always have her best interest at heart."

Jobe and Selwin had already suspected as much, but to actually hear it put so bluntly came as a bit of a shock. Jobe was first to recover, and he took his wife's hand. "I do worry," he admitted. "But…" He sighed and looked at his wife, squeezing her hand gently in reassurance. "We trust you," he finally said. "The life Raven has chosen for herself is one that we can't fully understand, but we do accept her decisions, and with those, yours."

"We do," Selwin agreed after a moment's hesitation, leaning into her husband's side. "Although it goes against all my convictions, I have the feeling Raven is in good hands with you. I can see you care for her. Still…" She sighed, too. "I hate the entire idea," she admitted. "I'd be lying to say I feel comfortable with it. At the same time, I do believe you have her best interest at heart."

"Thank you," Eeth said, and the gratitude was genuine. He did not want to cause Raven's parents pain or worry; nor had he wanted to keep them in the dark about his methods of dealing with their daughter any longer.

Straightening up slowly, he said, "I will go and check on her now. I expect her to join in Bram's punishment and help him with the attic for as long as we are still here – at least after she is done writing her essay. This will hopefully get her to think about her careless attitude towards her own safety; and carelessness about safety is one thing the Jedi cannot tolerate."

Jobe had hoped as much when he had pronounced his punishment. After all, Bram and Raven had little enough time to spend together as it was, and he did not like the idea of separating them. Thus, Eeth's suggestion to have Raven help out was perfect.

Meanwhile, Raven was kneeling on Belle's polka-dotted mat meditating on her attitude and behaviour, or lack thereof. She felt bad for Bram, for her poor decisions, and most of all for disappointing Eeth.

Eeth closed the door behind himself and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest.

"Stand up and look at me, padawan," he said calmly.

"Why, so you can make me feel worse than I already do?" Raven replied quietly, although she stood and faced him as ordered.

The frown on Eeth's face intensified. "I think after what you did today, I am entitled to making you feel bad," he said. "And none of your complaints will change anything about that, so I suggest you keep them to yourself. You were fully aware that your actions would have consequences if you were caught, and consequences they will have. For the remainder of our visit, you will spend your mornings working on your essay or meditating, and you will spend your afternoons helping Bram to clean the attic and the other tasks his father told him to perform. Your lightsaber will stay with me for two weeks, and that is only if your behaviour is impeccable during that period; if it is not, I will extend the time. And finally, you will receive another and much more thorough spanking than I gave you today, as soon as I am able to mete it out. Most likely tomorrow after my return from the hospital. Will that be sufficient to convince you that what you did today was stupid, reckless, entirely unacceptable and something I never expect to witness again?"

Raven remained silent for a long moment whilst she tried to digest what he had told her. The mornings spent writing the essay she had expected, and cleaning the attic with Bram wouldn't be so bad. Sure, they'd rather be out having fun, but as long as they were together, Raven didn't mind what they did. It was Eeth's other announcements that she had trouble dealing with. Two weeks without her lightsaber were going to be really bad, although the padawan knew from experience that to complain would only compound her problems, resulting in the two weeks morphing into three, and so on, so she kept quiet about that. But she wasn't going to stay quiet about it all. "B-but, you already gave me a belting," she protested. "I don't want another one. It still hurts!"

Raven knew that complaining about punishment was not acceptable, but Eeth was coming down on her hard and it felt like she was standing at the bottom of a huge mountain. His trust and her freedom were sitting at the top but it was going to be a hard slog earning it back.

Eeth looked at her for a long, long moment. "I do not think it would qualify as punishment if you wanted it," he said frostily. "And the belting you received was by far not as bad as it might have been. If you really thought that was all, you do not know me nearly well enough."

Feeling a bit shaky on his legs, he let his back slide down the door until he was sitting down, leaning against it with his legs stretched out in front of him. "You know, I am used to misbehaviour on your part that results from impulsiveness, or possibly hurt feelings," he said. "You act on your emotions, you speak before you think, you make rash decisions. What you did today, however, was nothing of the kind. It was deliberate; a calculated risk you took because you thought I would not be likely to catch you. That is why I am so unhappy with you, and if I need to spank you every night for a week or a month to make you understand that, I will not hesitate to do so. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, master," said Raven. Deflated, she lowered her gaze, dropped her hands to her sides and knelt to be at eye level with him. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I am sorry that I made you feel that way," she said. "You're right, I wasn't sorry at the time, but I am now, and if I could do it over, I wouldn't make the same choices. I don't want you to be disappointed in me, and I can sense that you are, more so than usual." She met his gaze with her own. "Will you forgive me, please?"

Eeth relented. He opened his arms and pulled Raven into a hug, which she accepted readily. "You know I will always forgive you, padawan," he said softly. "And I accept your apology. However," he continued, in a slightly firmer tone of voice, "we both know that this will not make you immune to the consequences of your actions. So I do not want to hear any more complaining, or I will indeed spank you every night for a week."

Raven didn't doubt him, but despite knowing that she had no one to blame but herself, she couldn't help but pout as she focussed on her lightsaber that hung on his belt. It was a lot of punishment, and hard to accept.

Eeth put a fingertip under Raven's chin and lifted it, forcing her to look at him. "Stop sulking," he said quietly, but sternly. "We will go downstairs for dinner now. After dinner, you may get started on your essay."

Her pout dropped the moment he lifted her chin. After all, she was rarely able to look him in the eye and continue to brood, especially so when he forced it. "Yes, master," she said, her expression now one of resignation as she sat back onto her heels. "Can I have some bacta?" It was a long shot, but she figured you had to be in it to win it.

"No," Eeth said flatly, completely ignoring the frown this drew from his padawan. "Now go and ask your parents whether you can help with dinner preparations. I need to take some medication and will be with you in a moment."

Raven stood, and went to do as told, only to stop by the doorway. "Are you sure you're okay, do you want some healing?" she asked, because although Raven was not as proficient as Eeth, she was still more than capable of helping him.

"Thank you," said Eeth, giving her a brief smile. "Tonight, before we go to sleep."