A/N: Yes, finally there's a new chapter. Sorry it took us so long. Real life is currently demanding nearly all our attention. Bear with us. We're doing the best we can, it's just going a bit more slowly than usual!
After having spent half her day in the Senate discussing weapons taxation, and a good deal of the afternoon with Eeth revising a strategy to improve the system, Raven was well and truly ready for a change of scenery. Unfortunately for her, Eeth was entirely unsympathetic over her frustration with their current assignment. Not only had he swatted her in the hangar bay, but he'd also taken away their freestyle sparring session and grounded her for the evening. To say that Raven was feeling sorry for herself at this point was a gross understatement. Sure, the padawan knew that her duty as a Jedi always had to come first, yet sometimes that was all good in theory, but harder to implement in practice.
Scrubbing at her eyes, Raven stood from the dining room table where they had been wrapping up their work while having a plate of sandwiches for dinner. "Could you please, pleeease reconsider and let me go to the padawans' lounge? We've been cooped up for most of the day, and I dealt with my frustration well, even you said so. Also, I did put a lot of effort into our proposal for tomorrow. I promise I've learnt my lesson; it's not going to sink in any deeper if you keep me at home for the next hour." She met Eeth with as contrite an expression as she could muster.
"You must be delusional," said Eeth brusquely. "Since when have I ever gone back on a punishment? I am not going to start now."
"You have to start somewhere. Besides, there is no time like the present as you often tell me."
"Nonsense," said Eeth even more brusquely. "I do not have to start at all, nor do I intend to. Find something to keep yourself busy with. If you cannot think of anything, I will come up with some chore or other."
Raven had something to busy herself with: she was teasing Eeth, and his brusque reactions amused her. "Aw, don't be like that. You're always telling me that I should strive to be the best I can be and not to give up just because something is hard. I'm sure if you tried, you could find it in your heart to change your mind."
"You are obviously bored," said Eeth, stony-faced. "Your refresher needs cleaning, and there is a pile of laundry that needs to be folded."
"And how does that help? It will only accentuate the boredom," replied Raven, not exactly keen on doing a bunch of cleaning.
"Be that as it may," said Eeth, giving her a quelling look, "these are your chores and you will do them now." He needed to read a report and did not feel overly indulgent with Raven's attempt to make him change his mind.
"Alright alright, keep your tunic on," Raven replied at receiving that look and left to do as told, a very slight smile on her face. It was fun to tease him, even if said teasing landed her extra work more often than not.
The following morning, Eeth let Raven sleep in – meaning that he allowed her to sleep till seven instead of the usual six o'clock.
"So, to what do I owe such a privilege?" Raven asked through a yawn when her eyes had focused enough to notice the later hour.
"To the fact that our work does not start until after lunch," said Eeth. "I expect you in the common room for our morning meditation in twenty minutes."
When Raven exited her bedroom, it was to the smell of freshly baked bread. She sniffed the air appreciatively and sat by Eeth, peering over to see what he was reading. Yep: surprise, surprise! It was yet another chart full of figures. "You made bread? What sort?" The padawan asked in lieu of her typical greeting. She hoped it was the one with olives, herbs and stuff because that was her favourite.
"Your favourite," Eeth said a little absent-mindedly, making a note. He switched the datapad off and looked at Raven. "We could eat something now," he said. "I want to perform a synchronised kata with you in place of our usual morning meditation since there might be no time for a workout later today, and it might go better after you have eaten."
"Yay!" replied Raven, the comment covering both of Eeth's statements. She hopped up from the chair and went to go see what there was to have with the bread.
Breakfast was eaten with the usual chatter on Raven's part. And as usual, they cleaned up together. It was then that their comm unit signalled an incoming call. "I'll get it," she said, throwing down her dish towel.
A few minutes later, Raven appeared in Eeth's bedroom doorway and leant her shoulder into the frame. "That was Bindi," she announced, gaining his attention. "I've been invited to that expo that's been going on a few blocks away. Kyle and Lin are both going, too, so we won't be unsupervised." Raven was quick to add the latter as Eeth would probably not let her go unless this fact was mentioned. "Would that be okay with you? I can be back before we have to leave for the assignment, I promise." Raven was excited at the prospect of spending time with her friends OUTSIDE of the Temple and away from the constant supervision.
Eeth considered this but could find no reason to deny it. Lin must be around seventeen years old, after all; the expo was really only a few blocks away; and it was morning, not late at night. Besides, even he could acknowledge that Raven's mid-term break must so far have been less than satisfactory for her and that she might feel like doing something … well, "fun".
"Alright," he finally said. "But you absolutely have to be back by two. We cannot afford to leave any later than that for the Senate."
"I absolutely will," Raven assured him, practically vibrating at the thought of getting some time out with her friends.
A short time later, Raven strode down the halls as fast as she could without running. Tunning was against the rules, after all, and something Eeth had expressed his disapproval for on several occasions.
"Raven! You're early. That's gotta be a first," said Worik, pulling her into a hug.
"I'll take what little freedoms I can get. I was grounded forever and then this assignment, it's…" Raven scrunched up her nose. "It's doing my head in."
"That bad?" asked Orion, coming up from behind. He tried to sound sympathetic but it came out a little sceptical, maybe because he wished Master Deleon would take him on half as many assignments as Eeth seemed to take Raven on! He had yet to work with the Senate.
"Worse, but you made it and that makes the pain bearable, at least for now." Raven smiled at him and looked around to see who else was going. There were quite a few padawans gathered around by now. She spoke to Kyle briefly, wanting to know about his latest escapades. After all, it had not been that long ago that someone had reprogrammed a few of the Temple's cleaning droids to believe they were protocol droids. It had been funny, and Kyle admitted that it had indeed been his handy work.
"Let's go have breakfast, we'll give the others time to catch up," announced Kyle. They were still waiting on Lin, as well as a few others.
"No need," said a voice behind him as Lin and the others emerged into the hallway. "Sorry, we were held up by Katta's master who insisted on making her recite the rulebook before allowing her to go." Katta groaned and rolled her eyes in a comical fashion.
"I've already had breakfast," said Orion. "How about the rest?"
"I haven't," said Lin, who wasn't a morning person. "But I don't want to hold up everyone. We could pick up something on the way. There are lots of coffee shops at the shuttle station. What do you think?"
"Sounds good to me," answered Kyle. A couple of others admitted to not having had breakfast yet, and so they stopped by an eatery at the station.
"Alright then," said Lin as they made their way to the shuttle stop. It was only a two-minute ride but they preferred that to a twenty-minute walk through the Coruscant smog. "No one leave my sight. Once we're at the expo, we'll start at the inside and work our way out. Each of you have a comlink and my code. If you get separated, comm me immediately. If I lose any of you during this trip, your masters won't be pleased and I'm not keen on having to explain it to them. Got it?"
This received a chorus of affirmative responses from the group of padawans gathered. Each of them knew the rules, and none were eager to piss off their masters, or Lin and Kyle for that matter.
The morning was just what Raven needed: No adults hovering, no bickering Senators, no taking freakin' minutes! No obligations other than those which were standard in the life of a Jedi. The girl was positively beaming. The expo was quite large, busy and had just about everything from the latest hologames to cooler fuses. There was even a stall that sold paper books, and a few places that Bindi discovered had sheet music downloads that she could stream. It was also very colourful. Species of all shapes and sizes were here both as buyers and sellers, some of which the three younger padawans were seeing for the first time outside of holos. Most of the stalls used a mix of themed decorations and multilingual shouting to attract attention, while others used more visual means like bubbles, holo projections, and even demonstrations of their products in use. Raven found the weapons stalls of particular interest for the latter reason. She wanted to join in, but Eeth had once told her that these demonstrations would be no match for a Jedi.
"We don't perform for an audience," Kyle told her, unknowingly echoing Eeth's exact words from months ago, and tugging her from the demonstration.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just, just…" Raven looked up at him, but really, she had wanted to join in and couldn't exactly hide that.
"…Just about to move on, I know," said Lin, putting her hands on Raven's and Kyle's shoulders. "The others are already at the exit. Come on, we'll head for the diner. It's getting late." It was almost noon and they were all hungry; and besides, Lin was well aware that Raven needed to be back by two, and she had no desire to get on Eeth Koth's bad side!
Once at the diner, they ordered food and were soon swapping purchases. None of them had much in the way of credits; the Jedi were not wealthy by any means nor did they encourage a lot of possessions. The few things they did own were appreciated, though, and it showed in the way in which each padawan talked about the things they'd found. "I'll learn this next," Bindi said, speaking of the download she'd gotten from a music stall.
"Twi'lek fingers are long and thin. If I had hands like yours, I'd love to play an instrument." Worik held up a stumpy, webbed hand which was currently looking a bit puffy and was taking on an orange tinge.
"What the Force is with your hand?" Raven asked, but it was Kyle who acted, grabbing the boy's wrist and deftly pulling him upright.
"What have you been touching? Does it hurt, and is it anywhere else?" he quizzed the boy, while checking him over through the Force and with his eyes.
"I didn't touch anything. I didn't even notice it until just then," said Worik while he checked himself over. Thankfully, it was just the one hand on the inside of his palm. It was barely noticeable unless he stuck it right in your face as he'd done.
Kyle turned to Lin who was equally in charge of this outing. "We'll have to take him to the healers just to be on the safe side."
Lin nodded. "Yeah, we should. Are any of you trained at healing?" Healing talent varied greatly among Jedi and Lin had none whatsoever. She had taken a number of first-aid classes, of course, but since she had not exactly brought along a selection of anti-allergy hyposprays suited for Mon Calamari, that did not help much.
Raven stepped forward to take a look, but before she could say or do anything, Worik cut her off. "Hang on a minute, let's not be too hasty here. It's probably just an allergic reaction." He looked from Bindi to Raven and then to some of the others for backup, but upon receiving none, he was outvoted.
"I'm pretty good with this stuff," said Raven, taking up a seat at the table beside him, and began examining his hand.
Barely twenty-five seconds later, Worik was growing impatient. "What is it?"
"I don't know yet. Stop fussing and let me concentrate," Raven replied.
It took a couple of minutes before Raven opened her eyes again. "Your body is fighting a toxin."
"What sort of toxin?" and "Can you fix it?" asked Worik and Kyle at the same time.
"I don't know," said Raven honestly. "It's most likely some sort of insect. You can't feel it because the toxin has an anaesthetic effect. If Eeth were here he would probably be able to stop it from spreading, but all I can do is numb the pain which–"
"Is pointless given it doesn't hurt," Worik finished for her.
Raven gave him a sheepish expression. "Yeah. If it's any consolation, I don't think you're going to die."
"No, but we're going back to the Temple in any case. A healer will know what to do," announced Kyle. And given that everyone tended to agree, nobody complained about having to cut their trip short.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're good to go," Junior Healer Arkan told Worik, dropping the now-empty hypospray container into the trash bin. "I'll have your medication sent to your quarters. One hypospray tomorrow morning and one the day after tomorrow, and you should be fine. Come back to see me if you aren't. Now wait for a moment. Healer Sopan will check on you in a moment and give you leave to go."
"I'm glad it's nothing serious," said Lin, rising from her chair. She was genuinely relieved and it showed on her face.
"Yeah, so are we," said Orion, clapping Worik on the back.
"I told you it was nothing to worry about," Worik reminded them.
"I hardly call this," Bindi grabbed his sleeve and with it his arm and held it up, "nothing." By now the swelling had gone down a little thanks to the hypospray, but it was still large and orange. Apparently Worik had been stung by an insect that must have been brought in on one of the fruit pallets. It wasn't life-threatening but it did look pretty spectacular.
"I wish it was me, then I would have an excuse to get out of this stupid assignment," Raven told them, sighing and looking at her watch; it was almost two in the afternoon and she would have to get going soon. "Can you rub some of it on me, maybe that will work?" she suggested and started rubbing his bloated hand up her arm.
"Hey, cut that out," said Kyle. It was bad enough having one of his group wind up in the healers. He wasn't about to add another, especially so on purpose. "This must be one boring assignment if you'd rather look like balloon boy here than go."
Raven huffed but desisted with her antics. "I guess you're right. It's just that I went straight from a pretty intense cycle of classes into a break full of Senate meetings. I don't get any break this term, and Eeth is entirely unsympathetic about it."
"Masters tend to be like that, yes," said Lin, who had a lot of experience with this kind of thing and was actually rather surprised to spend this term break sans assignments.
"You could always tell Eeth that Worik needs you around for moral support? After all, he is in the healers' wing with a hand that looks like it belongs to a Hutt," Bindi, who had a knack for problem-solving, suggested.
Raven raised her eyebrows, surprise clear on her face. Of all her friends, Bindi was the last one she expected to come up with a scheme like that. "No way. Every time I do something like this, Eeth finds out about it and I end up getting my ass handed to me."
Ignoring Raven's statement, Worik continued where Bindi left off. "You know, that's not a bad idea. And it happens to be true. I really would like to have you around. Eeth needn't know every detail. Just tell him I'm scared and I need a friend." He held up his hand which, truth be told, did look like something to be scared about. Still, Raven wasn't sure. Essentially, this boiled down to one question: were the consequences of being caught out worth a day off the Senate to spend with her friend? "It would only work for one day, but beggars can't be choosers," said Worik.
As a Jedi padawan, Raven knew her duty, but she also thought that having to endure this whole Senate debacle was a bit unfair on her. None of her friends were forced to sit through hours of meetings for their entire break. It was that stab of self-pity that had Raven rethinking this. It was a good idea, and the actual deception was buried beneath real truth.
"Well, I, personally, think you'd be digging your own grave," said Lin who could see that Raven was giving this idea some serious thought. "I won't rat you out, of course. But don't expect me to lie for you to Eeth Koth, of all people, if the shit hits the fan."
"I wouldn't expect you to get yourself in trouble for me, Lin," Raven said a tad touchily.
"It was just an idea," said Bindi, shrugging. She had only suggested it because she actually felt a bit sorry for Raven and her rotten luck at drawing an assignment that she hated so much.
The conversation shifted to the expo, and nothing more was said about Bindi's idea or Raven's Senate assignment. She continued deliberating, though, carefully weighing up the pros and cons. It was then that a thought occurred to her: could this be considered as taking advantage of Eeth's illness? She didn't think it was, but still, there was no way in Hoth that Raven was going to go down that road again, and so she gave it another moment of thought. Just then her wrist chrono buzzed, drawing everyone's attention, and Healer Sopan entered their room to discharge Worik. If she were going to do it, now was the time as her story would never be pitched with more authenticity.
"Master." She gave a formal bow as the small holographic image of Eeth hovered above her comlink. He would be able to see that she was in the healers' wing, and probably make out a few figures in the background, yet Raven had moved far enough away so that he would not be able to overhear the healer's words and any comments she might make about Worik's condition. Equally, the conversation she was about to have with Eeth would not be overheard by the healer, who, unlike her fellow padawan peers, would not hesitate to blow her story sky-high. "Worik was stung by something at the expo and we've had to rush him to the healers. His master is on her way back to the Temple but won't be here until this afternoon." This was a half-truth; Master Gallia really was on her way but not due to Worik's injury. "He's scared and wants me to stay with him. Is that okay?" As if on cue, Worik let out a yelp that Eeth would have overheard; he'd obviously noticed what Raven was doing and was trying to help out.
Under ordinary circumstances, Eeth might have been suspicious. As it was, he was preoccupied with the upcoming meeting, for which he really needed to leave, and a little tired as well. It was clear that Worik was in the healers' wing and he could even see Healer Sopan walking around behind Raven so there was no reason to assume that anything was not as it should be. Besides, he did not really need Raven for the meeting; there would be a lot of committee meetings without her presence once classes resumed, anyway.
"Alright, padawan," he said. "Stay with Worik. We will meet at our quarters at seven, at which time I will give you an update on the committee session. May the Force be with you."
"And with you, master," replied Raven, bowing as the image of Eeth flickered out. She returned to find that Healer Sopan had dismissed Worik and everyone was staring at her. Raven's smile told them all they needed to know, though; she had actually pulled it off.
"I can't believe it," said Lin. "Well, good luck to you while it lasts."
"Don't be so negative," said Orion. "There has to be a first time for everything. This might be the first time Raven pulls one over Eeth. Who knows?"
"Naturally it was my acting sealed the deal," said Worik, smiling. "Although Healer Sopan didn't think it was amusing when I told her I was testing her reflexes."
"Healers have no sense of humour," Raven snorted, putting an arm around Bindi. "It was a good idea, thanks."
"What are friends for? Besides, you look like you could use a break."
"Yeah, I could."
That afternoon Raven did indeed spend her time with Worik. Granted, they didn't sit in the healers' wing. Instead, they went to the padawans' lounge, played games that didn't involve the use of both hands and talked. It was quite possibly the best day Raven had had since Lakhri had taken her to Tree World.
That evening Raven returned to their quarters early enough to make dinner. She was feeling a bit guilty over having spent the day resting while Eeth was at the Senate, but then again, he did enjoy doing such things.
Nonetheless, Eeth was extremely tired by the time he returned home. He was loath to admit it, but this Senate assignment was more exhausting to him than it should be.
He was quite glad to see that Raven had already prepared dinner. If she had not, he might have gone straight to bed.
"Thank you, padawan," he said quietly, giving her a faint smile. "I will wash my hands and join you in a moment."
"You do that," said Raven equally quietly. His fatigue, although not palpable, was still something Raven was able to pick up across their bond. Besides, it was odd that Eeth did not immediately take over and start giving instructions.
Eeth emerged from his room after a minute and sat down. "I appreciate it that you made dinner," he said. "How is Worik? Is he any better? Has his master returned?"
"A bit, yeah. It looked pretty intense, but the healers said it was going to be okay. Master Gallia should be back at the Temple by now. Worik expected her to arrive around the same time you were due back," explained Raven. Eager to change the subject, she met Eeth with a penetrating look. "You're tired. Did something else happen today other than meetings?"
Eeth paused for a moment. Yes, he was tired, but he had not thought it was so obvious.
"Yes, I am a little tired," he finally said. "For no particular reason, I assume. Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the meeting. It might simply be due to the fact that I had a workout this morning and, unlike on other such occasions during the past weeks, had no time to rest this afternoon. I will be fine by tomorrow morning if I turn in early and get enough sleep."
"Well," she replied in her best authoritative healer-like tone, "after dinner you ought to rest. Healer's orders." Raven hoped that he wasn't going to be stubborn about this and insist on keeping their evening routine. He really didn't look so hot and she was a bit worried.
Eeth frowned. "I will not take orders from you," he said. "That said, I will go to bed after dinner. I need to be well-rested for the morning session tomorrow, which will be crucial for the implementation of our cost-reduction proposal."
Raven found Eeth's stubbornness amusing, and her lip curled slightly despite his comments on the critical nature of tomorrow's Senate session. "They aren't my orders, they're Healer Sopan's." Her lip now curled into a crooked smile as she parroted Lakhri. "Besides, I would only give orders that would get the full support of all the healers in the Temple if things were put to a vote."
"Healer Sopan has never ordered me to go to bed right after dinner," said Eeth sharply. "I will do it nonetheless because I take my health seriously. I do not need you to remind me." He was not going to allow his padawan to pretend she was his superior!
"No, but she did order you not to overdo it, and told Lakhri and I to watch out for you which is all I'm trying to do," Raven shot back. There was no bite to her words, though, as she could see that arguing with him was only going to exacerbate his fatigue. Eeth just gave her a weary look in return, which was entirely atypical for him, and finished his dinner without much enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, and despite going to bed outrageously early, by the following morning Eeth found that his fatigue had not abated significantly. He did feel a little more rested, but his energy reserves were still low and the thought of a day full of committee meetings was unusually unappealing. Yet, duty was duty. And thus, as per his habit, he got up a little before six and woke up his padawan.
"Get up, padawan," he said firmly, switching on the lights. "I expect you to be ready for our morning meditation in twenty minutes."
"Yesmaster," Raven replied through a yawn and poured herself out of bed. She was making an effort not to cause Eeth any more trouble given his state, and so she got ready for her day without efforts at teasing him or stalling.
Twenty-five minutes later, Raven exited her bathroom, hair damp, brush and tie in hand. "Master," she greeted him in the usual fashion, offering him a formal bow. She was about to move to her meditation mat when she noticed his appearance. Eeth was his usual immaculate self, his hair and clothing were flawless. However, his pallor and sunken eyes told another story. "You're still tired," the padawan observed. That a full night of sleep had not helped much was cause for concern.
"I am sure I will be better after I have meditated," Eeth replied evenly. He motioned for her to kneel next to him and did her braid, as he often did in the mornings.
What he had said was true: he did feel better after their meditation. Well enough to proceed with their morning routine, anyway. "Breakfast," he said, rising from his mat and heading for the kitchen where he started to make some tea. He was not particularly hungry, so he left it to Raven to decide on bread, cereal or porridge for breakfast.
Ten minutes later, Raven set a pot of porridge on their dining room table, eyeing Eeth dubiously. "No offence meant, master, but you really don't look so crash hot. You're pale again. Why don't we contact the Council and ask for someone else to go in today?" And this time it really wasn't for selfish reasons; she was honestly concerned.
Eeth frowned. "I do not appreciate delegating my duties to others," he replied brusquely. "Besides, heading a Senate Committee is not physically strenuous in any sense of the word. I will be fine. The healers have cleared me for taking on this task, after all. – Thank you, padawan." He gratefully accepted the cup of tea she had poured him.
Raven wasn't exactly pleased with Eeth's response, yet attempting to give him orders had gone down like a lead balloon. Thus, the padawan remained silent for the moment, focusing on eating her porridge. It wasn't until she sensed that Eeth was practically having to force his breakfast down one spoonful at a time, that she decided to try another tactic. "The healers can't anticipate everything." She summoned her comlink from the coffee table and put it in front of him. "You won't be much good to anyone in the meeting if you can't keep your eyes open. Please, give one of the healers a call and get one of them to come check you over. Because if you don't, I'm going to call them myself. Your colour has drained and you're worrying me." Raven was also feeling culpable over his state. Was it possible that he had relapsed because she had left him to do all the work yesterday?
Eeth's first impulse was to object and to forbid Raven from making decisions related to his health. After all, he was the grown-up here, not her, and he could very well take care of himself. He thought better of it, though. Raven clearly was concerned for him, and having a healer clear him for the day's activities would put her concerns to rest. Besides, there was a tiny inkling of doubt in his mind whether he was actually up to the day's activities. A healer would be able to tell.
"Very well, padawan," he said in resignation. "If it makes you feel better."
It did not take Healer Sopan more than ten minutes to make it to their quarters. And she was not pleased with what she found.
"This Senate assignment is clearly more than you can handle right now," she said firmly. "You need more time to rest than you're currently getting. Unless you're very careful, you will weaken your body to an extent where you will develop a suprainfection, and these are notoriously difficult to handle in Zabrak. Call the Council and request a replacement. Your dealings with the Senate are put on hold for at least two weeks. You will need to rest for three days. Light household chores, looking after your padawan, those will be fine. But no work whatsoever. And don't start going on about duty, I've heard that speech more often than I care to remember. After the three days are over, you can start thinking about duties, but only if they allow you to stay at the Temple and take frequent breaks. Any questions?"
Eeth scowled. This was not what he had been hoping to hear. However, he had learned long ago not to mess with the healers, and he was not going to make that mistake again.
"No," he said reluctantly. And thus, he called the Council and informed them of the situation. The Council secretary promptly appointed a replacement, arranged for her to meet Eeth later in the day for instructions and informed the Senate administration that today's meeting would have to be postponed until tomorrow.
"Well, padawan," said Eeth wearily when all that was done, "it seems that you were right to call a healer. I am not sure I want to thank you, but I really should."
"Well, I can't say that I'm happy to have been right in this case, but I'm glad you're going to be okay," Raven said a little shyly. "If you're up to it, maybe try to finish your breakfast. I can clean up for us while you sleep afterwards, if you like," the padawan suggested. She was doing her best to make up for having left him to finish their meeting yesterday.
"Padawan, I do not need to lie down after breakfast," said Eeth patiently. "I am not that exhausted. Not well enough to conduct a whole-day meeting, but well enough for 'light household chores' and looking after you, according to the healer." He sat back down at the breakfast table and poured himself some more tea, which seemed more appealing to him than food right now..
"You might not need to lie down, but maybe you'd like to? Anyway, I don't need looking after, I'm twelve now and I can look after myself." It was true, too, Raven was well able to manage her own time. Well, mostly.
"I will sit and read," said Eeth. "You are free to spend the morning as you like. I will book the obstacle course for your workout this afternoon." This would be the ideal way to provide Raven with the amount of exercise she needed while allowing Eeth to stand by and avoid doing anything strenuous.
A free morning followed by an afternoon session at the obstacle course, if it was the course she was thinking of? This was music to Raven's ears. Her face lit up and she gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you! I'll go spend some time with Worik if he's free. After that, I'll go to the padawans' lounge and maybe have lunch with Bindi," Raven planned aloud, and given that Eeth had no objections to this, it was exactly what she did.
And Eeth was glad for it. He was feeling more tired than he had been ready to acknowledge, and Raven's absence allowed him to truly relax, which he might not have permitted himself to do while Raven was around. Who knew – he even might take an actual nap after lunch.
