Chapter 3: Gingers, Ails, and a Nightclub Brawl
Wow, 3 chapters in. This is a first for me. Sorry it's taken me a bit longer to write this chapter, but I've not written action in over a year, and I'm afraid I was getting soft on the amount of fluff I was consuming in my diet. None the less I am happy to present the latest chapter I in our grand adventure. I hope you all will enjoy it!
It was shortly after they arrived back from the post office, that they received the news that Yang had been accepted into Beacon Academy. To say Yang was a little excited about this revelation, was akin to say sheing had a modest sense of humor for puns. Regardless of her taste in humor, it was indeed a moment to be celebrated: First with a family outing to one of the most popular family restaurants in Vale, than with even more training. The little dragon was more than eager to prove she had what it took to be at Beacon, and she was doubly convinced that it won't happen if she wasn't at her absolute peak. As a result every week she spent after finishing school work, had been spent with Anakin and Ruby preparing herself for her practical exam. A schedule that only intensified after her graduation from Signal. Which also meant a lot more sparring sessions. A lot more.
The biggest problem with this, you might ask? That was simple.
Yang Xaio Long does not understand the concept of light contact.
By the end of the second month, Ruby had all but resorted to clinging to her Uncle Qrow's legs to avoid being punched through an entire section of the forest whenever she accidentally removed so much as a strand from her sister's voluminous mane during their spars. As much as Anakin would like to laugh it off as the young girl getting cold feet, he had enough bruises to warn him that sparring an enraged Yang was about as advisable as petting a hungry Krayt Dragon. Still, against the backdrop of all the suffering he himself had caused, it did make for a good exercise in karmic justice.
In the meantime, his commision work for Skywalker Ranch's service had only managed to compound in that time. Ruby was happy because it had given her an easy out of sparring with her increasingly irrant sister, and Anakin was taking advantage of the commissions to learn more about the technology Remnant had to offer. During one such project, as an attempt to stave off the monotony of his regular commision work, he decided to take his hand at building a vibrosword out of the technology available on Remnant; something that could mimic the activation and deactivation process of a lightsaber, while still retaining the physical blade. After several arduous weeks, of assembling, wrecking, and rebuilding, he finally was able to assemble a prototype for the sword.
When he showed it to his usual "apprentice", she was quite clearly by the quality of his first home built. The sword's edge took the length and form of a classical bastard sword, perfectly balanced to switch between one and two handed use. Though lacking the telescoping function needed to retract into the hilt, the prototype blade itself was an exquisite piece of work. Forged of the strongest alloys that Remnant's Metallurgy could promise, it's edges embodied the naval blue hues of twilight, While it's core shone with the effervescent glow of moonlight. Encrypted into the blade's fuller was a silver script completely alien to Ruby's worldly knowledge. When asked what it had meant, Anakin transcribed "From the Darkness returned the Light.".
The sword's hilt was given equal care and attention in their designs. As was the case of his many own designs, there were some common elements retained. Six segmented grips were installed at the hilts base to reinforce the user's lower grip, an activation box to initiate the blade's function, and auxiliary controls towards the end of the hilt that acted as a backup activation for the weapon, as well as providing additional setting controls. He also took the opportunity to modify some of the elements from his previous iterations to better match the new dimensions of his hilt. The grips were streamlined and flattened compared to his previous iterations, to reduce any uncomfortable digging of the grip into the user's palms and fingers, and the activation box was rounded and slimmed down to improve ergonomics. Perhaps the most radical deviation, from both his prior designs and even conventional designs, was the inclusion of a tsuba as opposed to the traditional cross guards of the blade. While testing a few of his prior sword commissions, he had found that the cross guards had made many of his techniques cumbersome to perform, and had a tendency of snagging onto his wrist and forearm during orbit rotations. The tsuba, he found, provided more than sufficient coverage for his hands, and gave his wrists plenty of free range to pivot his blade at any angle of his choosing.
The result was a weapon that was both uniquely suited towards the redeemed one's skillset, and a reflection of his journey and outlook on life. After several minutes, Ruby had finished inspecting the prototype. While there were some minor critiques and suggestions on how to implement a telescoping feature to improve the weapon's portability, she beamed with satisfaction at his only question was what name would it be christened with. It was a question Anakin had yet to answer for himself, as he was taught in his past life that such practice would signify an attachment to the material. However after recalling a figure from the local mythologies of Remnant he had studied, Anakin finally drew a name for it that he felt suited it well: Lucifer's Atonement. The name had confused Ruby. Why would Anakin name such a meaning-filled weapon after someone so universally considered evil. Was this how Anakin saw himself? Did he see himself as some kind of devil? She had read once that survivor's guilt often led to its victims believing their survival was an affront to morality itself. Perhaps this was Anakin's way of coping with that guilt.
She had no idea how right and wrong she was at the same time.
It was also around this time that someone began to unceremoniously rap against the door.
"Hey ya'll, mind if I come in?"
"Oh sugar honey iced tea!" Ruby yelped, before bolting out of the side exit of the garage, presumably to escape into the depths of the nearby woods where her sister would not be able to find her.
Today would not be her day to die.
Sighing in exasperation, Anakin placed the sword back into a makeshift scabbard before using the force to close the door Ruby exited from, as Yang simultaneously began to enter the room with.
"Huh, where's Ruby?"
Anakin for his part struggled to settle on a believable alabi.
"Uh nowhere special, I think she mentioned something about Qrow though."
Yang looked questioningly, before sighing and simply shaking her head in resigned acceptance.
"I swear, that girl is practically attached to you and Uncle Qrow's hip nowadays."
Her eyes softened a bit,
"You don't think she's scared of me do ya?"
Anakin was tempted to mention how the sisters' last sparring match had resulted in them digging Ruby out of a 10 foot hole after one of Yang's punches had sent the poor girl careening into a nearby grassy hill. However he decided to forgo bruising the bruiser's ego further, to lend some gentle advice.
"Nah, of course not Yang. I think she's just… a bit concerned she's not able to keep up with you."
Anakin, motioned Yang to sit next to him at his work table, as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I know you want to do well at Beacon, Yang. I just think you just need to relax a bit about it. You're more than ready for whatever trials they got for you."
She turned to face away, as her emotions began to slowly bubble to the surface.
"It's more than just about Beacon, Anakin…."
"Than what is it? You know I'm here for you and Ruby, right?"
Yang remained quite for several minutes, as she thought about what she wanted to say next. She knew Anakin wouldn't buy any excuse but the truth. The guy had an almost supernatural sense when it came to reading others. She also knew Anakin wasn't about to just let this go now that she had opened herself up to "that" issue. Still it wasn't something she wanted to have discussed in her home, where her father might attempt to eavesdrop. So she decided.
"Tell you what, you can ride into town with me, and I'll tell you a bit about what's up. Sound good?"
Anakin was perturbed by Yang's quite obvious deflection, but he wasn't going to be any closer to finding out what was on the brawler's mind by refusing. Besides which, with the sun setting soon, they would likely be arriving into Vale well past dusk, and he was sure Taiyang would enjoy the extra piece of mind knowing that his daughter was a little less likely to get into trouble with someone watching out for her.
"Deal." he raised his hand to hers, and the two shook each other vigorously before unwrapping Bumblebee from her protective wrappings.
Anakin Skywalker hated motorcycles.
Okay, hate maybe a strong word, and after 23 years as Darth Vader, he was a lot more hesitant to allow himself to register such emotion. But compared to the swoop bikes he had driven at various points during his younger years, these things were absolute death traps. Sure a swoop bike could travel much faster than these wheeled monstrosities could ever hope to achieve, but at least a swoop bike had repulsor lifts. That meant, with the right amount of skill, avoiding obstacles and surviving a canyon jump was as simple as overclocking the repulsors to avoid ending up as an explosive pile of paste. Not these things. Noooo, that would be too generous to manufacture. Instead he had to pray to the Force that the suspension system that was supposed to support the weight of himself and Yang on the bike would compress enough to absorb the force of them crashing down from a steep hill without causing them to rebound face first into the ground at over 120 kilometers per hour. That or trip itself over a rock and/or pit in the road. All the while travelling on a path so narrow you wouldn't even be able to fit a podracer through along it's full width, much less the specific travel lane you were supposed to travel within. All of this on top of Yang's thirst for "enhanced riding", Anakin couldn't help but ponder if this was the Force's way of punishing him for his lesser transgressions of scaring the daylight out of Obi-Wan with his piloting.
Stars, he missed his brother.
Before he could devote more time to that thought, Anakin felt the bike come to a halt somewhere well within the city. When he looked up to where Yang had taken them, a deep frown formed on his face. The sign read Junior's Nightclub and Hideaway.
"Yang, when you asked to come with you to town, I assumed you were wanting to come here to clear your mind. Not walk yourself into a damned cantina!"
"It's not a cantina, Anakin, it's a nightclub. Totally different."
"Yeah and I'm pretty sure your bike's technically qualifies as a tricycle." He sarcastically bit back, "What are you thinking, Yang?! You've been doing nothing but punishing yourself to get ready for Beacon, are you seriously going to throw it all away just so you can drink your troubles out now?"
"It's not about the drinks, Anakin!" She yelled back, a hint of scarlett passed across her irises.
"Then what is it about? Because it's clearly not about the school anymore!"
"It's my Mom, OKAY?!"
Anakin blinked in surprise at her outburst. He had not expected this to be brought up.
"Your mom?"
She nodded numbly as her rage gave way to the melancholy she often suppressed below the surface.
"You know how Dad said she left after I was born, right?"
He nodded quietly, refraining from talking until she was able to speak her piece.
"After Ruby's mom,... you know, i tried looking for her. I've actually been looking for Mom for a long time you know. At first I just wanted us to have a complete family again, you know? And then…"
She stifled a sob from erupting from her throat, as she looked into Anakin's eyes.
"I don't expect you to understand what that's like Anakin. What it's like to not know if you're parents are still out there; if there alive or dead. If they loved you, or hated you, or just didn't care."
Anakin was quiet for sometime before he finally spoke.
"I understand, Yang."
"Sure you do."
"Ruby told you about the group i was involved with. The Jedi, right?"
Yang nodded in acknowledgement, though not really seeing Anakin's point.
"When I joined the order, I had to leave my mother behind."
Yang looked at him in shock. He had never mentioned having family before, much less his mother.
"Everyday I was worried that something was happening to her, but my master kept telling me that everything was fine. Eventually, I got tired of hearing it was "just fine". So some years later, I tried to go back and find her. When I finally did, she had been kidnapped by bandits. They had beaten her so badly,... I-I didn't make it in time."
Even now, after all of these years, the memories of that traumatic night brought bile to his throat. He remembered it all, the sights, the smells, the sensation of her mother's soul escaping her body into the Force,... and what transpired soon afterwards. Yang was speechless, seeing a man who seemed nearly invincible in life to be so overcome with grief.
"Anakin…"
"I resented my master for a long time after that day, for not letting me find her sooner. I knew it wasn't really his fault. He couldn't have known what was happening, but... Even now it's difficult for me to let go of what happened." Anakin continued, as he brought his guilt ridden eyes to meet the troubled blonde.
"I don't want that to be your fate either, Yang."
"Then what do you want me to do?" she choked out, full expecting to hear him ask for them to return home.
"Let me help you here, Yang. Don't go down this path alone, because trust me, it will destroy you."
He raised his hand to meet her's.
"Deal?"
Yang looked between his eyes and his hand for what felt like an eon before she buried her face into his shoulders with a crushing embrace. The former knight was taken off guard, but quietly returned the embrace with a little less back-breaking pressure than she was giving.
"Thank you."
"Thank me when we find out where your mom went, yeah?" he replied back, punching her arm lightly, which earned him a chuckle and a pair of knuckles to his shoulders back.
"Come on let's head inside."
After successfully navigating the bouncers, a feat that proved relatively easy with a subtle application of force-enhanced persuasion, the duo was greeted to the sights of the club life. with bright lights strobing against ivory floors that contrasted against the steep black walls surrounding it. The room was further broken up into two sections with the dance pit occupying the majority of the space, and an alcove on the perimeters where the bars stood at both the ground floor, and the balcony area just above it. In the mess of it all, people could be seen dancing, drinking, negotiating. It was certainly less dirty than some of the other drinking pits Anakin had found himself in over the years, but a cantina is a cantina, is a cantina. After the first 20 or so you walk into, you've basically seen them all. Which also meant that beneath the veneer, was another "wretched hive of scum and villainy" as Obi-Wan put it. That last thought put yet another sour taste in his mouth.
"So what's the gameplan?" he elected to ask his partner in crime, hoping she had thought this through.
"Well it'd take to long to ask everyone about Mom, and I have no idea who the regulars are. So I figure our best bet is to hit the bars. If she's been here, they would know."
Anakin looked at her skeptically.
"Are you even old enough to go up to a bar, much less ask a bartender for favors?"
"Anakin, Anakin. I've got these…" She cupped one of her breasts and lifted it slightly for emphasis, "Who's going to question my age with them? Better yet, what guy or girl could possibly resist my charms or my bod?"
"Me." He replied with deadpan seriousness, "specifically because I know who ever is dumb enough to touch them is asking to be hospitalized."
She clicked her cheeks, before pointing her finger at him with an almost trademark wink.
"Damn straight! I call tall and bearded over there, he's the owner of the place. you get second floor."
"Remember we're here to find where your mom went, not cause trouble, you hear!"
"Oh come on, would I ever?" She replied back with an all to familiar smirk he used to give his master.
"I have a bad feeling about this." He muttered to himself, before taking the staircase. As he ascended up the staircase, he relooked over the profile of Yang's mother that she had sent to his scroll on the way in. The image of Raven Branwen was eerily similar to her daughter, the only distinctions being her raven-dark locks, with crimson eyes that lacked the slant that her daughter and father shared. Beyond that photo, there was little us to go on besides her name and a brief history of the family that no one else needed to hear. As he exited the spiral staircase, he continued to carry his scroll in his hand as he sat himself at the bar. A man in his thirties, with a thick handlebar mustache and dressed in a vested shirt and tie came to greet him.
"What can I do for you sir?" He asked, with a strong accent Anakin couldn't quite place.
"I'm looking for a woman named Raven Branwen, have you seen her by any chance?"
Hoping to ensure the identity of this women stuck, he placed his scroll on the countertop, with Raven's image on full display for the bartender to see.
"Branwen? You'd have better luck in Anima looking for 'er, That tribe don't travel this far out west."
"Why is that?"
"Their bandits! Can't exactly hitch a ferry when you've been caught lootin' and beatin' can ya?"
So Yang's mother was apparently a glorified tusken raider. Somehow both Qrow and Taiyang had failed to mention that kind of detail, and Anakin was suddenly understanding why talk of her was kind of hushed. He would need to talk with them both about this later.
"So she's never popped in here." he asked looking to confirm.
"If she has it sure has hell hasn't been on my floor. Now would you like something to drink?"
A dead end, of course it would be. He sighed out his frustrations, before collapsing the scroll and placing it back onto his utility belt.
"Something dry, please…"
"Sounds like a job for some gin and tonic. Be just a moment."
It was at this time someone else moved to join the bar, though Anakin didn't bother to look and see who had approached the bar. The Bartender seemed to recognize him however.
"Ah, there's my favorite librarian boy. How's that new job at Tom's I got you, yeah?"
"It's dull, uninteresting, and the only customer I and Tom saw all day was a homeless girl with just enough Lien to purchase the latest copy of Ninjas of Love, and a bag of chips to spare." The man replied dryly, before his voice broke into a wry smile. "All in all, a perfect start to a new life if you ask me."
There was something about that voice that was too achingly familiar to Anakin.
"That my friend, is a pick up line from hell." The bartender chuckled, "For all of your suave and charm, you sure go out of your way to be the dullest sod possible."
"Yes well I think I've lived an exciting enough lifetime to afford being a 'dull sod'."
It was far too familiar for comfort.
"A pity you feel that way as young as you are." The Bartender shook his head before returning to face his favored customer. "Well deal's a deal, you get the job, I get you the strongest brandy I've got on my shelf. Let me finish your neighbor's goods over here and I'll hand out yours."
Anakin let his suspicious nature finally get the better of him, and allowed his head to face his newest companion at the counter only to be stunned by what, or more correctly who he saw. His face was even more youthful than their first meeting all those years ago on tatooine, though his auburn hair was in the same cut he had remembered it during their final years as friends. Even without the robes and the ridiculous beard only he would insist looked good on him, There was no doubt in Anakin's mind who this man was.
"Obi-wan?"
The man's head spun almost immediately, his eyes equally wide with shock.
"Anakin?"
The two stared at each other, as if the two were each seeing the ghost of a relative. Their mouths stuttered simultaneously as they both attempting to find the words to ask each other. What could they say to each other? "I'm sorry?", "I wish I had listened to you?". They had their entire time on Remnant imagining what they'd wish they could say to one another to convey the guilt and burden of responsibility for failing one another; each believing that day would never come. Now that they were face-to-face, for the first time in years, how could they even begin to believe what they were seeing was real. Much less explain themselves for all of those lost years and opportunities to set things right.
"W-what are you-?"
A giant crash with the sound of shattering glass and screaming bystanders filled the club and interrupted the reunion. Anakin knew something was going to happen.
"E chu ta, that karking…. YANG WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he screamed out at his charge as he ran out to the balcony.
"He wasn't talking, and he was coming onto me! What did you want me to do?!" She shouted back at him.
"HOW ABOUT NOT LAUNCHING THE OWNER THROUGH A GLASS COLLUMN!"
It was at around that point that both Anakin and Yang realized they had attracted the attention of the owner's guards, almost all of whom were armed with either axes or firearms.
"Oh, oops..." Yang feigned a sheepish response, before engaging Ember Celica into battle mode. As quick as her first bullets were chambered, they charged at the two with everything they had, with Obi-Wan now helplessly caught attempting to dodge the axes being thrown and cleaved in every direction. This was not how he wanted to spend this evening.
Anakin was even less amused at the situation.
"Either I'm going to kill this kriffing idiot if we get out of here alive, or her dad is going to kill us both when he finds out about this." He growled out, as he juggled between containing his rage at his current predicament and brawling with the 20 or so armed goons sent after him and Obi-Wan; Backs against each other, without so much as a broom between them to stave off the asault.
"Could you perhaps contemplate adding to your list of homicides after we aren't being threatened with mutilation?"
It was 'nice' to see his master's impeccable sense of sarcasm had not diminished with death.
The brawl engulfed the entire establishment. Men in black were tossed left, right, and center as Yang, Anakin, and Obi-Wan danced between wave upon wave of the club's goons from both levels of the club. For any ordinary person, facing such odds would be rightly perceived as insurmountable. For Anakin and Obi-wan, after decades of fighting under odds even worse than where they were now, it was a situation that barely qualified as a "Tuesday". Against their combined martial training, reflexes, and experience, the goons arms proved minimal protection from the world of hurt the two ex-Jedi's were now wailing on them as they charged towards their own humiliating beatdowns.
As for Yang, she had spent the last 3 months training every inch of her body for Beacon, and pitting herself against 4 of the best fighters Patch had to offer. Compared to the caliber of partners she had sparred with, the goons numbers only gave Yang a good warm-up for her to test her skills with. As she bobbed and weaved through the goons, the burst of Ember Celica's shells would send her foes hurtling through everything in their paths, including tables, glass, and bar counters. Anakin maybe the storm, and Obi-Wan it's eye, but Yang was a creature all of her own. A completely untamed force of nature that bulldozed through her opposition.
Just as the goons finally began to thin out, the sounds of automatic gunfire roared to life inside of the club. A hail of dust propelled ammunition showered Anakin and Obi-Wan's position, forcing them to find cover behind the bar. Yang spotted the source almost immediately; apparently the DJ had been packing heat the entire time. Taking advantage of the fact his gunfire was pointed elsewhere, Yang took this as an opportunity to make a mad dash for the DJ's position. By the time the DJ had noticed her charge, it was far too late. His rounds went stray as Yang leapt into his booth, slammed his face into the Mixtable, Before tossing him out onto the dance floor with another burst from Ember Celica's chambers.
For the first time since the fight started, there was quiet inside of the nightclub, with only the music providing any semblance of ambience in the room as the DJ crumbled onto the floor beside two more figures looking to challenge the rabble rousers. She took the break in the action to reload her bracers and observe her new foes. Two twins, about her age and wearing contrasting red and white dresses and an uncomfortable amount of makeup were staring up to her. Each with their own weapons armed and at the ready. The girl in red was armed with what appeared to black steel wrist claws, sharp as knives with edges as crimson as the blood it was prepared to spill. Yang could see she would need to close the range gap to prevent being cut into ribbons. The other in white was armed with what appeared to be bladed heels. The shoes were hardly the most practical choice of footwear for most fighters, but the blades they balanced on could easily result in one's neck getting sliced open if they underestimated their wearer's proficiency. It would take every ounce of her concentration to get ripped to shreds in this fight, or worse lose her head. She grinned in anticipation as a new clip of ammunition landed in her gauntlets, and leaped into the fray once more ammunition blazing as she descended from the second floor.
Anakin did not share Yang's enthusiasm. While the brawler was certainly talented and skilled, she was far from a seasoned warrior, and there was a good chance she was biting off way more than she could chew. He was preparing to flip himself down to the first floor to assist his friend, when he felt a familiar tap on his shoulder, only to see Obi-Wan pointing at something.
"Hate to interrupt your tendency for desperate heroics, but we might have company of our own here."
Looking to where his master was pointing, Anakin found himself staring at a new pair, wearing the familiar suits of the other thugs in the establishment. Unlike the others though, these ones wore black half masks, and instead of axes, they were wielding twin Katanas. The two brothers looked between one another.
"So two guys, two swords a piece. Do we have any?"
"Not one to share between us." Obi-Wan replied, stroking his hair back into place. "Terrible odds, no?"
"Yeah," he said, a small smirk forming on his face "For them."
The goons took exception to that comment, as no sooner had Anakin speak those words, did they come charging at the two with their blades ready to liberate their enemies' heads from their shoulders. Anakin stepped towards the center of the two goons, leaving Obi-Wan bewildered at what was going through Anakin's mind. Before, Anakin would be jumping head long at his opponents, using his athleticism and raw combat talent to blitz with an all out offensive. This Anakin wasn't so much charging as he was leisurely strolling towards his adversaries, as if he was completely unphased by the danger he was placing himself. Had he actually become suicidal since arriving on this world? But that was not the case. As the two thugs prepared to crash their blades on top, Anakin crossed his arms above his head, catching two of the pair's swords between them. Attempting to take advantage of the apparent opening in the former knight's defenses, the pair proceeded to stab at Anakin's ribs with their free arms, only for Anakin to leap over their shoulders, forcing them to drop their other swords to avoid dislocating their shoulders. Grabbing both blades, he tossed one back to his former master, beforehand springing off his free arm, and entering into the classic opening stance of Shien. Quick to respond, Obi-Wan grabbed the wayward blade in hand, and spun himself and his new blade into the classic opening stance of Soresu. The two goons now found themselves caught between two of the finest swordsmen the Jedi Order ever produced, and they had no idea who to focus first.
"What do you suppose our odds are now?" Anakin inquired.
"It's a slight improvement," Obi-wan shrugged nonchalantly.
'Typical,' Anakin thought to himself, as if he were disappointed that he thought his master's response would be anything different.
He didn't give it much thought though as he brought his sword to bear against the larger of the two goons. Obi-Wan quickly followed suit, and leapt over the head of the other masked assailant, drawing the man's attention away from assisting with Anakin. Speaking of his former Padawan, as he himself maintained his own defensive wall, he had the perfect opportunity to observe his apprentice's bladework. Anakin had been, by his own admission, a "try-hard" when it came to lightsaber combat. Even if Anakin wasn't going full contact, he always brought the best of his skills to the table in any engagement that he put himself into. This Anakin wasn't even trying to put effort against his opponent. How did Obi-Wan know this? Because Anakin was relying on the fencing techniques of Makashi to stalwart his opponent.
Anakin hated Makashi.
It wasn't just that it was Dooku's chosen discipline, but the laissez-faire attitude it's users would tend to adopt in combat went against everything Anakin stood for as a duelist. Namely, if he wasn't bulldozing his opponents, he wasn't controlling the fight. Or, at least that had been his doctrine. Clearly he had spent some time to at least nuance this maxim, though how he had missed such a development in his padawan during their last encounter escaped him.
Anakin's reasons for adopting the Way of Ysalmiri in his approach suddenly came to clearide focus, as he lured his opponent into attempting to break his guard with a cross torso cleave. Switching back to his classic form V practice, the former knight returned with a strong horizontal parry of his own, shattering not only his opponent's blade, but his own as well. The goon was awestruck, and no sooner did he register the destruction of his blade did he find his face in contact with his adversary's knee as Anakin came crashing down on top of. As they both landed onto the ground, Anakin took advantage of his superior position to deliver a vicious right hook across the man's jawline, knocking him out cold in the process.
Obi-Wan's fight did not last much longer either, as his opponent attempted to stab kenobi through the throat. A foolish mistake, that Kenobi willingly exploited as he sidestepped the strike, and disarmed the man by liberating his right hand from the rest of his arm. Before the man had the chance to scream in pain, A devastating hook came across the goon's temple, knocking him clean out as well.
"Well, that went well."
"What is it with you and dismembering your opponents?" Anakin inquired half jokingly, having been on the receiving end of Obi-Wan's ending moves once before.
"It's a perfectly valid strategy." He replied wryly as he examined Anakin's own handiwork. "Besides I'm pretty sure your opponent's jaw is dislocated, so I'd be careful of taking the 'High Ground" on this issue."
Anakin knew exactly what he was referencing.
"Yeah, well you and your high ground can stuff it." he bitterly remarked, not wanting to be reminded of that particular incident any further. "Come on we need to help Yang down stairs."
The two didn't even make it to the edge of the balcony when a roaring column of flame appeared in front of them, coupled by a bearded man in a suit vest getting sent through the windows of the establishment. Down below, they could both sense Yang's fury rolling off of her like the volcanoes of Sullust and Mustafar.
"He must have touched her hair." Anakin mused "Really shouldn't have done that."
"I stand corrected."
Anakin looked at him puzzled?
"About what?"
"You don't have the most volatile temper in the Galaxy."
"I can hear you, ya know?" The blonde called out, anger still radiating in her voice.
"Yang? Is that you?"
The banter was cut short, as the trio slowly turned to see a scarlet caped girl in a gothic dress staring up at them through the window where the cantina owner had landed. It was Ruby, and she now had first class sight to view the carnage the three had wrought upon the club.
"Oh sithspit." Anakin muttered.
"H-hey Sis, what's up?" Yang replied, leaping down to meet her little sister at the ground floor.
"What are you and Anakin doing here? And who's that other guy?"
Yang really was lost for words. She really didn't want to have to explain this to Ruby, because it would almost certainly mean explaining this to her Dad later. But lying to her sister at this point would be a lot harder to do convincingly with the number of groaning bodies in the nightclub behind her.
"Ehh, it's a long story." She finally spoke, raising a hand to rub against the back of her head.
This was going to take awhile to explain.
"Well, all things considered, at least it can't get any worse." Obi-Wan dryly remarked.
He just had to be the one to say something like that, didn't he?
No sooner had he spoken those words the sounds of police sirens began blaring through the streets.
"Okay new plan, we are all getting the kark out of here!" Anakin, picked up Ruby over his shoulder as both he and Yang made a sprint back to Bumblebee to escape before the cops arrived.
"Hey put me down!" the poor girl exclaimed, not wanting to be carried in such an embarrassing manner.
"Where are you going?!" Obi-Wan shouted.
"HOME!" his apprentice replied, as they mounted onto the cycle. "DRIVE YANG DRIVE!"
And drive Yang did, as the trio now sped down the Valean streets on a one-way express to Patch. Much like before, Obi-Wan was now left to pick up another one of his apprentice's messes. And for the 237th time, it was to the local authorities. Hopefully now, as they began to exit their squad cars, they would prove to be a bit more reasonable to talk to then the Chandrellan Homeworld Security Squadron had been.
"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said this was not my fault."
As always be sure to leave your thoughts in the review, tell me what you thought, liked, and places to improve in the future. Everyone you guys provide helps me a ton to grow into a better writer. I maybe on a slight hiatus, as my job as a teacher is going through an evaluation period as to whether or not I'll be staying on my school's faculty. However once Spring Break hits, I should know where my employment status lies next semester, and from there I will have a lot more freedom to dedicate to this project. I hope to see you all soon!