Oh man guys life was very crazy these past 3 weeks. First off my Dodgers won the World Series and my emotions were out of control because I've (literally) waited my whole life for this. Last time they won (in 1988) I was 2 months old and I don't remember (obviously) so this has been a really long time coming. I needed a few days to process, lol. I also needed a few days to process finishing Rebels (my emotions!) and everything that entailed. Then there were crazy winds and we had wildfires surrounding my city so that meant evacuation orders and such (our city is fine! thank the Lord for firefighters!). Basically it was a very eventful few weeks. BUT I got through it and am here now with a new chapter! *thunderous applause*
Summary: Security footage of the balcony on the night of the fateful kiss outed Flynn and Iyla, prompting their Masters to get involved and setting in motion a series of plans to prevent Obi-Wan (and Anakin) from learning about it. Plans for prevention quickly give way to plans for damage control as they all realize that Obi-Wan will inevitably find out and freak out. Which he does. It then becomes a frantic scramble to keep the Order from descending into complete and utter chaos.
This is Part 1 of the 'Obi-Wan finds out about Flynn and Iyla and it all goes to hell' arc. It started to get really long and I hadn't even included everything I wanted to, so...Part 2 is definitely needed. I had a lot of fun with this and I hope you guys enjoy it as well. Part 2 is currently being written so hopefully it will be up soon!
Chapter 8: The Trouble With Flynn
Mace Windu needed a drink. And a nap. And possibly to retire on a distant planet with little to no other people very very far from hormonal Jedi
Padawans. He paused the recording and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was no mistaking the two Padawans in the video. The slightly dimpled cheeky smirk on the girl and the cocky grin and floppy hair of the boy were pretty much unmistakable.
"Master…?" Depa Billaba spoke up tentatively. "It's them isn't it?" she asked.
Mace sighed and looked up at her. "Yes, Depa. It's definitely them. I'd recognize a Kenobi smirk anywhere, even through a fuzzy recording. And that ridiculous floppy hair is definitely Markus. Who else has that unruly mop?"
"Not everyone shares your aversion to hair, Master," Depa smirked.
Mace glared at her but didn't comment.
"So what are we going to do?" Shaak Ti spoke up.
Shaak and Depa had come across the scene when they were reviewing footage of the Padawan Yule Party trying to figure out how a group of Padawans snuck out of the party to go swim in the fountains. They didn't end up finding anything about that situation but they did stumble across an equally as interesting situation instead. Padawan Kenobi and Padawan Markus sharing a moment on the back balcony. They debated showing the footage at all but they knew Mace would just go over everything again himself and he'd see it too. Might as well tell him now.
"Kenobi needs to be informed," Shaak continued.
"Great, are you volunteering?" Mace asked.
Shaak's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, thank you. Maybe Depa should. Markus is part of her lineage. It makes more sense."
"If we're going by lineages then it should be Mace. He's the…er…most seasoned member of the lineage," Depa replied.
"A very creative way of calling me old, Depa, thanks," Mace gave her an unimpressed look. "But no, I will not be telling Kenobi."
Depa folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "And why not?"
"Because being the most seasoned means I have seniority which means I don't have to do what I don't want to do," Mace answered.
"Master, that doesn't-"
Mace held up his hand and gave Depa a warning look. The same look he'd give her when she was a Padawan and questioned his methods. Depa huffed and fell silent.
"So...no one is going to tell Kenobi?" Shaak asked.
"No, no, someone is going to tell him. But he doesn't need to know right away. I say we talk to the two Padawans' Masters first. Then go from there," Mace replied.
"I'll call them both in," Shaak said eager to leave the room and the situation behind.
"Well, this is sure to be fun," Depa remarked sarcastically.
Caleb Dume resisted the urge to groan and roll his eyes when he came around the corner and saw Ahsoka Tano standing outside of a small conference room waiting to be let in. If she was here too then it most likely had to do with Kenobi as well, as most issues with his Padawan did. He expected to see Offee and Kestis too. Perhaps they were still on their way.
Tano looked up and actually did groan when she saw him.
"What did they do now?" Ahsoka asked.
"Maybe it's something good this time," Caleb replied skeptically.
Ahsoka looked at him disbelievingly before they both chuckled.
"So is Barriss coming too, and Cal?" he asked.
"I don't think so. I was with Barriss when I got the call. Master Ti specifically asked for just me. So, if Nari isn't involved then Shona probably isn't either. I can't see those three doing anything without her. Plus, Kestis would already be here taking bets about what happened this time," Ahsoka said.
"Then it's just our Padawans apparently. That doesn't bode well," Caleb said.
Ahsoka nodded grimly. "Without Shona and Nari to be their voices of reason, who knows what Flynn and Iyla got up to."
Caleb sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Alright then, let's get this over with," he said as he gestured for Ahsoka to go in ahead of him.
The two young Masters entered the conference room warily. Master Windu and Master Billaba were waiting for them at a small table with a holodisk in the middle of it.
"Masters," Caleb and Ahsoka greeted.
"Master Dume and Master Tano," Mace said with a nod. "Thank you for joining us. Please, take a seat."
Ahsoka and Caleb sat down anxiously and looked from Mace to Depa a few times to try to gauge their emotions. Mace was impenetrable as always but Caleb could detect a hint of amusement behind his former Master's façade. He looked at her curiously but she quickly avoided his eyes.
"I'm assuming this is about our Padawans," Caleb said after neither Mace nor Depa started an explanation. "What have they done this time?"
"More pranks?" Ahsoka asked.
"Overenthusiastic Force pushing?" Caleb asked.
"Unintentional damage to temple property?"
"Wise ass…er, smart alec remarks in class?"
Mace looked at both of them with a raised eyebrow. "Do you two have any control over your apprentices?"
Ahsoka and Caleb looked at each other and shrugged.
"In my defense, I have a Kenobi to deal with," Ahsoka replied.
Mace nodded and hmm-ed. "Yes, I see your point."
"Anyways," Depa began. "The reason we called you both here is because there is a situation with your Padawans. Not disciplinary per se but it does need to be brought to your attention."
Caleb and Ahsoka looked at each other in confusion.
"Master Ti and I were combing through the footage of the Padawan Yule Party to try to find out how that group of Padawans got out to take a swim in the fountain," Depa began.
"Actually not our Padawans for once," Caleb said with a smirk.
Depa gave him an exasperated look and he ducked his head sheepishly.
"Anyways, we were going through the footage and we stumbled across something interesting involving Padawan Kenobi and Padawan Markus on the southern balcony," Depa continued.
"Uh-oh. I don't like where this is going," Caleb said.
"What was this interesting situation, Master Billaba," Ahsoka asked slightly cringing as she waited for her answer.
"Perhaps you should just take a look," Mace said turning on the holovid.
Caleb and Ahsoka leaned forward in their seats and watched the fuzzy image of their Padawans talking and joking around on the balcony. They saw the friendly shove of Flynn as he nudged Iyla over so he could sit next to her. They watched as the pair laughed and talked as they always did when they got together. So far it looked like a normal best friend interaction. Caleb nearly spoke up to ask what was wrong with the scene when he saw his Padawan's shy smile and Iyla's awkward glance at him. He'd seen that smile before, usually reserved for the young Kenobi when he knew she couldn't see him. Oh, Flynn. He's got it bad. Iyla's attempts to play it off and joke around didn't appear to work as Flynn took her hand from his face and held it in his own. He watched as Flynn put a finger to Iyla's lips then leaned in close. It occurred to Caleb that he was about to witness his Padawan's first kiss and he suddenly felt like an intruder on the teens' privacy. He glanced at Ahsoka and saw her watching with a furrowed brow, clearly thinking deeply about what she was seeing. Mace stopped the recording just as they broke apart but remained close, foreheads touching and smiles on their faces.
For a moment it was silent as Mace leaned back in his chair and Depa kept glancing at Caleb and Ahsoka to see their reactions.
"Well, that certainly was interesting," Caleb said breaking the silence.
"You don't seem surprised," Mace commented.
"Ah, no. I'm not. I've known about Flynn's crush on Iyla for a while. I do talk to my Padawan about things other than lessons and training, you know. Of course I've warned him about becoming distracted and told him to be mindful of how it affects his emotions, but he's a 17-year-old boy and there's only so much I can say to keep the hormones at bay," Caleb smirked.
"Iyla's never expressed an interest in Flynn beyond friendship from what I know. We're obviously pretty close and I feel like she'd come to me about things like this. But maybe I'm wrong," Ahsoka said looking a bit disappointed.
"Or perhaps she herself wasn't completely sure what she was feeling and didn't think it was something that needed to be addressed. Girls' emotions are vastly more complicated than boys'. Males are pretty simple," Depa replied cheekily.
Mace glared at her and Caleb frowned looking offended. "Hey!" he snapped.
Ahsoka smiled and nodded in agreement. "Very true on all points, Master."
"Rude," Caleb muttered.
"Anyways, we wanted you two to see this so you can decide how to handle the situation. It's not against the rules anymore but it has the potential to complicate things and affect their training. Plus, it's a delicate matter and we felt it best that it get handled by their Masters who know them well," Mace said.
"We understand Master Windu," Ahsoka replied. "I will talk with Iyla about it soon. But…" she trailed off.
"Yes, Master Tano?" Mace asked.
"Has…has anyone told Master Kenobi?" she asked hesitantly.
Depa and Mace looked at each other warily.
"No. You are the first to know. Besides myself, Master Billaba, and Master Ti. Obviously it can't stay that way but…we all feel that Obi-Wan doesn't need to know right away. It can certainly wait a few days. Until we have come up with a plan for how to tell him," Mace answered.
"You mean a plan for how to keep him from completely freaking out? You know you're just delaying the inevitable. This is just the calm before the storm," Ahsoka said.
"Yes," Depa sighed. "And he isn't the only one who is going to freak out. Skywalker, Plo, Kit, the 501st and 212th…basically we're going to have complete chaos on our hands. It will take a few days to come up with a disaster control plan and we'll need all the time we can get."
"And I'll need time to figure out how to protect Flynn from being killed by overprotective fathers, uncles, troopers, and Council members too," Caleb mused.
"Good luck with that," Ahsoka scoffed.
Caleb looked to Depa. "Maybe we can brainstorm together, Master."
"Sorry, Padawan, you're on your own. Mace and I need to devote as much time as possible to preventing pure and utter calamity from occurring inside the Order," Depa replied.
"But, your grandpadawn's life is in jeopardy. Surely you can spare some time to help me find ways to protect him?"
"You're a Master now, Dume," Mace spoke up. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"But grandmaster-"
"So we're agreed that this is to be kept quiet for the time being? And that we'll each meditate and come up with ideas to bring back to each other in a few days?" Mace asked interrupting Caleb and ignoring his big pleading eyes.
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka and Depa replied.
They all turned their eyes to a distressed and defeated Caleb.
"Caleb?" Depa asked.
"Yes, alright," he sighed. "Still wish my lineage would help me out," he grumbled.
"And I wish my lineage wasn't so dramatic and unruly," Mace said exasperatedly with folded arms and a pointed glare at Caleb.
"Don't look at me. I'm a product of my Master who is a product of her Master who-"
"Force help me, child, if you don't leave right now, I swear…" Mace said rubbing his temples.
"Yes, grandmaster," Caleb grinned nervously and stood up then bowed to them all before making a quick exit.
"You couldn't have chosen a nice, well-mannered, obedient Padawan, could you, Depa?" Mace asked as he glared at her.
"Oh, you're fond of him, Master. Don't pretend you aren't," she smiled.
"Train a Padawan they said. Build a legacy they said. It will be worth it, they said. What a load of bantha sh-"
"Uh, Master Windu? Am I excused as well?" Ahsoka asked biting her lip to keep from laughing.
"Yes, yes, Tano, you may go. We'll meet again in a few days. Keep me updated on your progress."
"I will, Master," she said with a bow to both of them. She turned back to them once she got to the door though. "Obi-Wan really is going to freak out. Anakin too. And unfortunately I don't think there's much we can do to prevent it."
"Oh, we're aware. Which is why we're thinking in damage control and not prevention," Mace smiled solemnly.
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka replied grimly then left the two Council members to their monumental task.
Flynn waited impatiently outside of the Advanced Astronavigation classroom tapping his foot and drumming his fingers against his leg. He gave a few greetings to his fellow Padawans who walked by but he was really only concerned with one Padawan in particular. The one who, of course, was nearly the last one out of the room, smiling brightly, with her blue eyes sparkling in happiness, strawberry blonde waves hanging loosely over her shoulders and falling into her face, dimples on her cheeks that…
"Flynn?" a voice asked startling him out of his embarrassing staring.
Flynn blinked and focused on the person in front of him. Iyla stood there with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk. "You ok?" she chuckled.
He straightened up and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah, fine. Totally fine. Just…fine," he said.
"Clearly," she replied deadpan. "So why are you here? You passed AstroNav last semester. I thought you said you'd be happy to never set foot in this classroom again?"
"I'm not here for classes. I'm here for you," he replied looking nervous.
"Why? I was just heading to the garden for a bit. Grandpa Qui is teaching me about Force-sensitive plants and I wanted to try to find some of them. Wanna come?"
"Uh, yeah, sure but…"
"But what? Are you sure you're ok, Flynn?" Iyla asked looking concerned.
Flynn looked around anxiously, eyes darting to every corner and space around them. He lowered his voice. "We need to talk," he said.
"We are talking," Iyla replied not bothering to lower her voice at all.
Flynn cringed and held up a finger to his lips as he continued to look around in paranoia. Iyla started to look around as well, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Flynn, what-" before she could finish her question Flynn yanked her into a dark corner with him and brought a finger to her lips.
Instead of being startled and concerned, Iyla rolled her eyes and smirked.
"This is a lot of trouble just to get a moment alone with me, Markus," she teased. "And there are much less conspicuous corners for us to…talk in, you know. This one's a bit too exposed for my taste."
"That's not why we're in this corner, Iyla," Flynn sighed. "I really do need to talk to you. Something super weird is going on."
"Like what?" Iyla asked, now on alert.
"Have you…did you…no one else knows about us…right?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so. Why?"
"My Master's been acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. And I saw him and Master Tano whispering to each other in the hallway but they broke apart as soon as they saw me coming."
"Well that's not suspicious at all," Iyla remarked.
"Yes, exactly. You don't think…you don't think they know, do you?" Flynn asked with wide eyes.
"Not unless someone told them. And the only people that know besides us are Shona and Nari and you know they'd never say anything. They've been waiting for this for years apparently. I can't see them ruining it so soon."
"And you're sure you never hinted or let it slip or anything?"
"Force no! You think I have a death wish? Or that I wish you dead? Because that's what's going to happen once people find out. Once Papa finds out. We'll be done for before we even pass our exams!"
"Ok, ok. So no one told them. But maybe they found out another way."
"Well if they do know, they definitely haven't told Papa yet. I wouldn't be standing here with you if they had. So we still have time to figure out how to keep it from getting out to the wrong people," Iyla replied.
"And our Masters aren't the 'wrong people'?" Flynn asked.
"Soka won't freak out. We'll just have some big talk and she'll probably tease me and threaten to blackmail me with the info to make sure I behave in the future," Iyla shrugged. "What about Master Dume?"
"Caleb shouldn't be upset. If he is he's a hypocrite because he's definitely got it bad for this Twi'lek girl we met last year on a mission to Ryloth. I'm positive they have a thing going on and that he's still in contact with her. Either that or he just likes to make midnight comm calls to someone who calls him 'dear' and 'sweetheart,'" Flynn smirked slyly.
Iyla made a face and wrinkled her nose. "I really don't need to know about Master Dume's love life, Flynn."
"I'm just saying he's got something going on too, so we won't be in much trouble with him at least."
"Maybe I won't, but you might," Iyla said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know he can be a bit protective of me at times."
"Him too? Is there anyone in this Order that you don't have wrapped around your finger?"
"Probably not," she smirked.
Flynn rolled his eyes. "How is my Master protective of you?"
"Ever since he rescued me when I got stuck in a tree as a crècheling, he's kinda been looking out for me," Iyla explained.
"How did you get struck in a tree?" Flynn asked looking puzzled.
"It's a long story that involves butterflies and accidental Force jumping," Iyla said waving it off.
"Ok…well, even if Caleb is protective of you, he doesn't seem mad at me. So, he can't be too upset," Flynn shrugged.
"Good, so our Masters might know, but it's not a complete disaster if they do. And I know for sure that Papa doesn't know yet, so we're safe from him…for now. Sounds like we still have time before everything goes to hell. Not much, but it's better than none," Iyla said.
"We should come up with a game plan for when word does get out," Flynn replied.
"I agree," Iyla answered. "Let's talk about it in the garden. I was headed there anyways."
Flynn raised an eyebrow and smirked. "In our usual spot," he said flirtatiously.
"Of course. It's the perfect place to talk after all," Iyla grinned.
"And we do have much to talk about," Flynn whispered leaning closer.
"No," Iyla intercepted his face and squeezed his cheeks between her fingers. "Not here," she scolded playfully. "The garden."
Flynn gave a dramatic sigh and pulled his face from her grasp. "The garden," he agreed.
Iyla walked out of the shadows and turned down the hallway to go to the garden. Flynn waited a minute or so before taking the same route, not wanting to look like they'd been in the corner together.
Ahsoka, who was watching from around the corner snorted at their failed attempts to be slick and Caleb groaned at how obvious his padawan was even when he was trying to be discreet.
"They're headed to the garden. And they have a 'spot' apparently," Caleb remarked. "Not sure I want to know where that is."
"Well, we won't have to. I'm bringing in my two informants right now," Ahsoka replied.
"Informants? Nari and Shona caved?" he asked.
"No, no, not them. They'd never tell. I have recruited two initiates to the cause. They're very good at investigating and sneaking around," Ahsoka answered.
"You got the Skywalker twins to spy on them, didn't you?"
"Of course."
"Excellent," Caleb grinned.
"They don't know why they are spying but they were all for it anyway. It's not hard to convince them to mess with Iyla," Ahsoka said.
"Great, so the Skywalkers will investigate and we'll wait for information from them," Caleb said.
"Precisely. Now, let's get back to working on our plan. I have a feeling Operation Papa Bear is going to need to be implemented very soon," Ahsoka replied.
"Agreed," Caleb answered.
"Leia!" Luke whispered harshly. "You're squishing me! Can't you shove over a bit?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just scoot myself more into the nonexistent extra space we have back here. I'll just flatten out against this rock, how about that?" Leia hissed back.
"Brat," Luke muttered.
"Whiner," Leia countered.
"It's just that you're sitting on my foot and it's starting to fall asleep," Luke whined.
"Not my fault your feet are ginormous."
"Dad says it's normal for boys my age to have rapidly growing feet," Luke defended with a pout.
"Whatever," Leia said with an eyeroll. "Huge feet or not, we're going to be found out if you don't cut the complaining and shut up. I think I hear someone coming."
"What exactly are we looking for here? Auntie Soka wasn't very specific."
"Who cares? Iyla probably did something dumb or is doing something dumb and Auntie Soka needs our help to figure it out. We are the best ones for the job after all," Leia said proudly.
"Heck yeah we are. Sneaky Skywalkers are on the case," Luke replied.
"Eww, don't ever call us that again," Leia said.
"What? I thought it sounded cool," Luke replied.
"You would," Leia muttered under her breath.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Shh! Someone's here!" Leia interrupted him.
Both twins sat still and listened carefully from their position behind a large rock at the top of the fountain. It was a small one that sat in the far corner of the garden and hidden by dense trees and shrubs. Neither of them was sure what drew them to this particular spot but they had a feeling that if their cousin was up to something suspicious, a hidden fountain was most likely the place for such things to be going on. They'd followed their instincts (and maybe the Force) and ended up staking out behind a rock waiting for Iyla to appear. And that's exactly what she did. But she wasn't alone.
"Come on, Flynn. I told you. No one is here," Iyla said.
"Maybe we should check. My Master and Master Tano could have spies everywhere," Flynn replied nervously.
Luke and Leia looked at each other anxiously.
"You're paranoid," Iyla scoffed. "It's been weeks and no one has found us yet. We're fine."
"I just think-"
"Stop thinking so much," Iyla said. "Wow, never thought I'd say that to you of all people," she said cheekily.
"Shut up, Kenobi. You talk too much," Flynn huffed.
"Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing here? Talking?"
"Oh, is it? Because we usually don't come here to talk."
Iyla giggled. "Flynnn," she whined playfully.
Leia furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Luke who looked just as confused. Without seeing what was going on they weren't going to get much information. Time to peek.
Leia poked her head up from behind the rock and looked curiously at the two best friends. Flynn had Iyla by the waist with one hand playing with her hair. Iyla was looking up at him adoringly and cupping his cheek. Leia's eyes widened and she quickly ducked back down. Luke looked at her and grew concerned.
"What's wrong?" he whispered. "What did you see?"
Leia didn't answer him and just continued to stare ahead. Iyla and Flynn had yet to continue talking but they were by no means silent. Luke strained his ears and leaned forward. Suddenly his eyes widened as well. He looked to his sister in shock.
"Are they…kissing?" he asked with all the disgusted disapproval of his 12-year-old self.
Leia nodded still looking ahead with wide eyes.
"Blech!" he said with a gag. "This is gross! I don't care what Auntie Soka wants. I'm getting out of here," he started to shift around so he could crawl away.
"No!" Leia grabbed his leg. "They'll see you. We have to wait until they're…done."
"But who knows how long that's going to take," Luke whined again. "Meanwhile I can feel myself getting more nauseous by the second."
"We have to report back to Auntie Soka about what we saw."
"I saw nothing. And I'm hoping to keep it that way," Luke shivered in disgust.
"I'm sure they'll stop soon," Leia replied.
She peeked her head up again and saw Iyla and Flynn still very much engrossed in practically eating each other's faces and they didn't look likely to pull apart any time soon. Surely they'd have to come up for air sometime. But instead they seemed to have excellent lung capacity and continued to stay lip locked. Leia mused that this could indeed take forever and she and Luke had seen and heard enough to go back to Ahsoka with some very interesting information.
"Ok, you're right. This could go on for ages. Let's go find Auntie Soka before we both lose our lunch," Leia said making a face.
Luke nodded and started to crawl away quickly. Leia was close behind him, eager to get away as fast as possible, practically crawling over her brother in her haste. Luke's especially large feet ended up under her knee though and he let out a strangled yelp. Leia's hand shot out and covered his mouth as they both froze.
"Did you hear something?" Flynn asked sounding out of breath, something both twins cringed at.
"Yeah. It sounded like it came from those rocks. Like a yelping sound. I didn't think there were any animals in the temple gardens." Iyla replied.
"There aren't," Flynn said.
"Then what was it?"
"Spies," he answered sounding nervous.
"Oh, Force," Iyla whispered.
Both teens looked at each other and nodded silently. They resumed their kissing, hoping to draw the spies into a false sense of security by thinking they had shrugged off the sound and gone back to their business.
It worked. Both Luke and Leia, having heard the kissing starting up again, resumed their frantic crawling and sneaking away. Iyla flicked her eyes sideways and narrowed them when she recognized the brown and sandy colored hair.
"Hold it!" she shouted catching them mid crouch. "Come here you little weasels."
Luke and Leia looked to each other for a second before their shoulders slumped in defeat and they stepped completely out from behind the rock.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Iyla asked with her hands on her hips.
"Special assignment from Auntie Soka," Leia replied folding her arms.
"Soka told you two to watch me and Flynn kiss?"
"Yuck, no! We didn't know what we were looking for. If I'd known this was it. I'd never have agreed," Luke stuck out his tongue and made a grossed out face.
"She wanted us to spy on you and see what you've been up to. She's suspicious and needed more information," Leia answered then smirked impishly. "And what interesting information we found. The kind of information that I'm sure she'd find very useful."
"I'm pretty sure Soka already knows. So it's not really that useful after all," Iyla replied nonchalantly.
"Yes, but I bet Uncle Obi doesn't," Leia grinned mischievously.
Iyla swallowed anxiously and looked at an apprehensive Flynn next to her. "You wouldn't," she said.
"Oh, we would," Luke spoke up with a matching grin.
"Lukey," Iyla said looking hurt. "How could you?"
"I'm not Lukey!" he scowled. "I'm 12-years old!"
"You'll always be my Lukey," Iyla replied with a tender smile and imploring eyes.
"No! No akk-pup eyes. No Lukey. No sweet voices. I'm not a little kid anymore," he growled.
"Aww, so cute when he's mad," Flynn smiled teasingly.
Luke sneered at them and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, Uncle Obi!" he shouted and turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Iyla exclaimed.
Luke turned back around with a satisfied smirk.
"Fine. Little brat," she muttered. "No puppy eyes and no Lukey, ok? Just don't tell Papa. Please!"
"And why not? What's in it for us?" Leia asked.
"I'll…I'll clean your rooms for a month," Iyla bargained.
Luke scoffed. "We want something more important than cleaning rooms."
"Like what?"
"Two hours of saber lessons," Leia replied.
Iyla shrugged. "Ok."
"Two hours each. With your saber," Leia continued.
Iyla looked at her incredulously. "You're crazy. There's no way I'm letting you two use my saber. That weapon is my life," Iyla said saying the last part like her father.
"Once word gets out you aren't going to have much of a life anyways," Luke countered.
"It's not safe. You've only just started mastering training sabers. I'll give you the lessons but you can't use my lightsaber."
"We're going to be Padawans soon and we need to have experience with a real saber for when we get our own. No saber, no lessons, no deal," Leia answered firmly.
"I can't," Iyla said.
"Ok. Come on Luke, let's go find Uncle Obi," Leia said taking her brother's arm.
"Ugh! Fine! Two hours of saber practice," Iyla started. Leia opened her mouth to correct her but she cut her off. "Each. With my saber."
Both Skywalker twins smiled widely. "Excellent," they said at the same time.
"Now get out of here and leave us alone, you little imps," Iyla said shooing them off.
"Yeah, we were kinda busy," Flynn spoke up with a smirk.
Leia and Luke pretended to gag and started to turn away. But Luke turned and came back to stand defiantly in front of Flynn with narrowed eyes.
"You better watch yourself, Markus. I ranked first in senior initiate saber competitions," he sneered before walking off.
"I think your 12-year-old cousin just threatened me," Flynn said looking nervously at Iyla.
"Good boy," she smiled. "But really. Watch your back. He's a feisty little thing."
"Noted," Flynn replied.
Obi-Wan sat impatiently in the Skywalker quarters waiting for Iyla to show up for their family dinner. Iyla had become increasingly unavailable recently and Obi-Wan had to practically beg to get her to come. She promised him she'd be there and he believed her, but she was late. Something she knew he didn't tolerate well. He drummed his fingers on his knee and propped his hand on his chin.
Padme walked in and started setting up the table, Luke and Leia assisting her.
"No Iyla yet?" Padme asked.
"No. I'm starting to get annoyed. She knows I don't like tardiness. I can't imagine what could be keeping her," Obi-Wan replied.
"I can," Leia snorted.
"What?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Uh, she said she can't either. Right Leia?" Luke said giving her a pointed look.
"Yeah, right," Leia said awkwardly.
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at them. "Do you two know something?" he asked.
"No, Uncle Obi," they said innocently.
"Hmmm," Obi-Wan said suspiciously. "Well, I think she said she was studying with Flynn. So maybe I'll comm Master Dume and see if he knows where they might be."
"No!" Leia shouted.
Obi-Wan looked at her strangely.
"I…I mean, uh, I'm sure she'll be here soon."
"Yeah, I'm sure Iyla and Flynn are just really caught up in their…studying," Luke said.
Leia eyed him warningly.
"What are you two hiding?" Anakin asked as he walked into the room.
"Nothing, dad," they replied.
"Uh-huh. I'm sure," Anakin said crossing his arms.
Obi-Wan came to stand next to him and raised his eyebrow, both of them clearly not backing down in their quest to find out what the twins know.
"What are Iyla and Flynn up to?" Obi-Wan asked. "Should I be prepared to apologize to someone or help fix something?"
"No, not at all, Uncle Obi. Iyla and Flynn aren't doing anything wrong. Well, I don't think anyway. They're just…" Leia trailed off.
"Leia," Anakin said. "If Iyla and Flynn are causing problems we need to know."
"They aren't," Luke insisted. "And we do know what they're doing, but we can't tell."
"And why not?" Padme asked.
"Because we promised we wouldn't," Luke insisted.
"Promised or negotiated?" Obi-Wan asked.
"..both…" Luke answered.
Anakin sighed. "What's in it for you?" he asked exasperatedly.
"Two hours of saber lessons each with Iyla's saber," Leia replied.
Obi-Wan looked surprised. "That must be some secret. For her to give up her saber to you two. Must be some very valuable information," he said stepping closer to Luke and Leia.
"Yes, very valuable," Anakin agreed stepping forward as well.
"We won't tell," Leia insisted standing firm.
"We have ways of getting information," Anakin smirked at them.
They gulped nervously and stepped back. "We…we…might have seen something in the gardens the other day," Luke replied.
"But…but it's better if you talk to Auntie Soka. She knows more than us," Leia said.
"And what did you see?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Something…"
"Something secret that involves Flynn and Iyla? This doesn't sound good," Anakin said. "I think we better go find Snips."
"But what about dinner?" Padme asked putting her hands on her hips.
"Darling, you know when it comes to Iyla and her friends that time is of the essence to intercept before all hell breaks loose," Anakin reasoned.
Padme sighed and started to set aside three potions of dinner for the two Masters and Iyla, once she was found, and provided she was still alive. "Alright. Hurry back though and don't be too hard on her. She's young and I'm sure she isn't any more trouble than you two were when you were young."
"She has a point," Obi-Wan smirked.
Anakin smirked back then winked at Padme and led the way out of the room, Obi-Wan on his heels.
They found Ahsoka and Caleb sitting together in the dining hall and immediately became suspicious. Both Masters were talking in hushed tones and looking serious. Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged apprehensive looks and nodded discreetly at each other.
"Ok, so my informants confirmed our suspicions. And I've already spoken with Master Windu about our plans. He agreed and said Master Billaba is putting something in place as well. If we can hold off Master Kenobi for a few more days then Operation Papa Bear should be successful," they heard Ahsoka say.
"A few more days? You know Master Kenobi is cleverer than that. I wouldn't be surprised if we only had a few more hours," Caleb said.
"An astute assessment, Master Dume," Obi-Wan spoke up from behind them.
Both Masters jumped and whipped around to see him and Anakin looking at them sternly.
Ahsoka chuckled nervously. "Skyguy, Master Obi-Wan. What a surprise! I thought you two would be having dinner right now."
"Yes, well we would be but one member of the family failed to show up. Seems she's still studying…or is she?" Obi-Wan asked.
"What do you know?" Caleb asked warily.
"Nothing much. Except that something is going on with Flynn and Iyla that the twins know about and apparently Mace and Depa know about as well. And you two who seem to be planning some sort of operation," Obi-Wan said with a raised eyebrow.
"It's nothing bad," Caleb was quick to assure him.
"You said that suspiciously fast, Caleb," Anakin said.
Caleb looked to Ahsoka and their anxious eyes met.
"I think we better tell them," Ahsoka said.
"Yes, I think you should," Obi-Wan replied looking stern. "If it involves my daughter I have the right to know. We agreed on that when you took Iyla on as your Padawan, Ahsoka. That you would keep me informed."
Ahsoka wilted under his gaze and winced. "Yes, Master Obi-Wan. I'm sorry. There is something you should know. But, I think it's better of you see it."
"See it?" Anakin asked.
"Yeah, a holovid. It explains everything. My Master and Grandmaster have it," Caleb replied.
"Well, let's see this holovid then," Obi-Wan said inclining his head toward the door.
"I still have a few bites of nerfsteak left so maybe we-"
"Now, Caleb," Obi-Wan said in his best Masterly voice.
"Yes, Master," Caleb replied sheepishly then stood up from the table. "I'll go ahead and warn…I mean, inform, Master Windu that you're coming," he said before hurrying off down the hallway.
Ahsoka walked beside them and stayed strangely quiet, the air around them thick with stress and apprehension.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan broke the tense silence.
"Just…don't shoot the messenger," Ahsoka replied. "And try to keep an open mind."
"That's not making us feel any better, Snips," Anakin commented.
"Yeah well, it wasn't meant to," she replied and took a deep breath. Everything was about to explode and she wished more than anything that she didn't have to be in the blast zone when it did.
"I don't understand," Obi-Wan said with furrowed eyebrows.
"What don't you understand?" Depa asked.
"You said Flynn and Iyla are together. Well of course they're together. We already know that. What we don't know is where they are or what they are up to," he replied.
"No, Master Obi-Wan, you misunderstand," Ahsoka spoke up. "When we said they are together we didn't mean they are literally together. We meant that they're…um…seeing each other."
The crease between Obi-Wan's eyebrows deepened.
"They're with each other," Caleb added.
"A thing. An item. Uh..." Ahsoka said.
"They're a couple," Caleb said.
Obi-Wan stood silently with a far away look in his eye. The silence in the room was deafening. Then he startled everyone when he let out a laugh.
"What's so funny?" Depa asked warily.
"Iyla and Flynn aren't a couple," he laughed. "They're just best friends. I can see how one might interpret it that way if they didn't know any better. But I can assure you, there's nothing more there than friendship. "
"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Ahsoka asked nervously.
"Yes, of course. You've all worried yourselves for nothing," Obi-Wan insisted.
Mace, Depa, Caleb, and Ahsoka all shared a look. Obi-Wan watched them with narrowed eyes.
"What?" he asked. "What are those looks for?"
"Obi-Wan, there's something you should see," Depa said gently.
Obi-Wan's eyes flickered to each person in the room and he started to grow anxious. Mace gestured for him to take a seat then took out a small holodisc and set it on the table.
"Is this the holovid Caleb told me about? The one that would 'explain everything,' as he put it?"
"Yes, and it will," Mace replied. "This is footage from the security cameras outside the ballroom the night of the Padawan Yule Party. Depa and Shaak found something interesting. Something…happened, on the back balcony that you should know about."
Anakin sat down in a chair beside Obi-Wan and they both leaned forward in their seats and focused their eyes on the hologram in front of them. Everyone else watched them carefully and mentally prepared themselves for the fall out.
They watched as the two Padawans sat by each other, talked, and teased each other, and both Anakin and Obi-Wan opened their mouths to mention that this was normal behavior before Ahsoka silenced them and pointed back to the holovid. Iyla and Flynn were now very close and looking at each other with a certain gleam in their eyes. It was one Obi-Wan had never seen them exchange and he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. They were both much too close for comfort and much too…intimate…for his liking. His sucked in a breath as they leaned in and his eyes widened when they kissed. He blinked a few times thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him but still they continued to kiss each other then whisper as their foreheads remained touching. This was…impossible. It didn't make sense. It simply had to be a mistake. He heard Anakin growl next to him.
"Get away from her you little-"
"Skywalker, calm down! It's a holovid. Padawan Markus can't hear you and it's already happened," Mace sighed.
"Who does he think he is making unwanted advances at my niece? I'll…I'll…"
"Are they really unwanted though, Master?" Ahsoka asked. "You saw the holovid. Iyla didn't seem like she disliked it. She was smiling and laughing."
"And Flynn waited for her to lean in as well. He never forced it," Caleb pointed out.
Anakin huffed but still looked murderous. He shifted his eyes to Obi-Wan and watched him apprehensively, waiting for his reaction.
Obi-Wan simply sat still and frozen, the blinking of his eyes the only movement he made.
"Master?" Anakin asked hesitantly.
Obi-Wan didn't reply.
"Obi-Wan?" Depa asked stepping closer to him. "Are you alright?"
No answer.
"I think he's broken," Ahsoka said.
"What do we do? Is he going to be ok?" Caleb asked. "Should we just leave and hope he snaps out of it eventually?"
"And leave Skywalker unchecked? You'd be signing your Padawan's death certificate before breakfast," Mace said. "Plus we don't know what Kenobi will do when he comes out of it. I mean, he's a pretty reasonable man, but this is his daughter we are talking about. And he's very easily swayed by Skywalker's ridiculous ideas."
"I'm right here you know," Anakin scowled.
"Yeah, you're right Master Windu. I can see Skyguy convincing him to do something crazy," Ahsoka agreed.
"Ahsoka, I can hear you," Anakin said glaring at her.
"Well, do we just sit here and wait then?" Caleb asked.
"I suppose so," Depa shrugged.
Caleb slouched his shoulders. "Should have brought the rest of my dinner," he muttered.
"It's a mistake," Obi-Wan spoke up suddenly. "Impossible."
"Master? Are you back with us?" Anakin asked.
"I don't believe it," Obi-Wan said looking round the room. "There has to be some mistake. Flynn and Iyla are best friends. And wouldn't Nari and Shona have noticed as well?"
"Bariss and Cal have spoken with their Padawans and confirmed it. Apparently both of them are ecstatic and have been waiting for this for some time," Ahsoka replied.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Then they've had these feelings for a while?"
"I don't know about Iyla. But Flynn has. For a few years now at least," Caleb answered.
"And he just couldn't wait to make his move the little sack of hormones," Anakin grumbled.
"Hey now, Flynn didn't do anything until he found out Iyla felt the same way. He has honor and virtue. And he cares about Iyla. He'd never take advantage of her," Caleb defended scowling at Anakin.
"Iyla hasn't said anything to me about being interested in Flynn but that doesn't mean she isn't. I think she was just confused," Ahsoka said.
"Well of course she was. She's much too young for this type of thing. Which is why I don't believe it. She just got caught up in the moment. Just a silly little lapse in judgement. Most likely the naïvete and adolescent emotions taking over," Obi-Wan said with a nod.
"But Master, Luke and Leia saw them the other day. And Caleb and I have been watching them recently. Their behavior has been nothing short of…flirtatious," Ahsoka said with a wince when she saw the slight twitch of Obi-Wan's eye.
"They certainly act like they're a couple," Caleb added.
"No. No, no, that's not possible. Iyla knows she isn't allowed to have a boyfriend. It's in the rules," Obi-Wan said shaking his head.
"It's not against the Code anymore, Obi-Wan," Depa pointed out.
"I'm not talking about the Code, Depa. I'm talking about my rules. I've told her it's not allowed and she agreed that she wouldn't disobey me."
"And she's never disobeyed you before?" Mace asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not in something like this. She knows how I feel about her and boys."
"Obi-Wan, Iyla is sixteen. She's not a child-"
"Yes, yes, she is. She's still a child," Obi-Wan interrupted Depa tersely.
"Not for much longer. She's becoming a young woman and is starting to realize that she can make her own decisions. Despite what you say or how you feel about things. She's growing up."
"Well she's not grown yet. And she's still my child. I still have a say in whether or not she can have a boyfriend and I intend to have the final say in the matter," Obi-Wan said with narrowed eyes.
"You're starting down a dangerous road, my friend," Mace warned. "Demanding and controlling teenagers never ends well. Especially the girls," he said looking pointedly at Depa who smiled innocently at him.
"Iyla and I have a good relationship. We respect each other. If I say it ends now, she will listen to me. I'm confident in that."
Ahsoka and Caleb looked at each other warily.
"How do you intend to stop them?" Ahsoka asked.
"I will tell her she can't see Flynn anymore."
"But they're best friends," Caleb said.
"And they can continue to be friends. In public. Around other people. But never alone. Always within sight of someone so they don't try anything."
"I don't think that's going to go over well," Ahsoka replied warningly.
"And I don't really care. Those are my terms and they will agree to them," Obi-Wan said firmly.
"And if they don't?" Depa asked.
"Then Flynn will no longer be allowed to be her friend."
"You can't just tell them who they can and cannot be friends with," Caleb said incredulously.
"When it comes to my daughter I can do what I want," Obi-Wan sneered.
Caleb swallowed heavily and leaned back against the wall not daring to say anything else.
"So, when do you tell them?" Mace asked. "Tonight, after they return from studying?"
"No. We will wait until tomorrow. I'll confront them then. Flynn usually comes over to do homework with Iyla in the afternoons…oh, Force. It just occurred to me that they might not actually be doing homework during those times…" Obi-Wan trailed off looking disturbed.
"Master?" Ahsoka asked.
Obi-Wan snapped out of it. "Yes. Tomorrow. Flynn will be over and we can confront them."
"We?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes, we. You, me, Anakin, Caleb. We'll all be there to make sure they understand that we mean what we say."
"But what if some of us don't necessarily agree with your terms?" Ahsoka asked.
"Like who?" Obi-Wan asked with narrowed eyes.
"Uh, no one. Never mind. I was being silly. You're right. We will invite Flynn over and-"
"Kill him?" Anakin spoke up.
Caleb pushed off the wall and straightened up. "What?" he squeaked out.
"Yes, and ki—what? No, Anakin we aren't going to kill him," Obi-Wan said. "We're going to talk to him."
"Then can we kill him?"
"No one is killing anyone, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed as if they'd had this same conversation many times before.
Anakin frowned and pouted.
Caleb eyed him nervously and couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Master Kenobi didn't seem to be concerned with it, but Caleb wouldn't put it past Skywalker to try. He was known to be a bit reckless. Good thing he'd be there to protect his Padawan should things go terribly. And in case Master Kenobi decided to abandon his calm and reasonable demeanor and agree with Skywalker's crazy ideas. His grandmaster had said it's been known to happen. Caleb took a deep breath and looked at Ahsoka out of the corner of his eye. He saw the Togrutan nod discreetly. Operation Papa Bear had to be thrown out the window in the wake of this disastrous meeting. They were now in dangerous territory. Everything was about to go to hell at the hands of the two most influential and powerful Jedi Masters and they'd need to act quickly to spare their Padawans, and in effect, the entire Order, from complete and utter chaos.
"So, tomorrow then?" Ahsoka asked apprehensively.
"Tomorrow," Obi-Wan nodded resolutely then turned and left the room, Anakin following closely.
Caleb and Ahsoka turned to look at Mace and Depa anxiously.
"We're completely and totally karked," Caleb groaned.
"I must admit, this is worse than I expected," Mace said.
"I agree. I expected anger and shock. Even panic or fear. But this…he's gone full authoritarian. He can't be reasoned with. You weren't kidding, Tano. He's completely lost it," Depa said.
"I did warn you," Ahsoka replied.
"Yes, you did. And we weren't nearly as prepared as we thought," Mace said.
"So what do we do? Ask for help? Consult Master Yoda? Mediate for answers? Leave the planet?" Caleb asked.
"No, my young grandpadawan. You face it like the Jedi Masters you are and hope like hell that the Force is on your side," Mace said looking regretfully at him.
Ahsoka and Caleb swallowed nervously and exchanged fearful glances.
"Yes, Master," they said.
"Get some rest, young ones," Depa said quietly. "And may the Force be with you."
"You're going to need it," Mace sighed as he watched them leave the room. "We're all going to need it," he finished closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! I hope you guys liked my inclusion of Caleb (although it's super weird to not call him Kanan) and the hinting of his relationship with Hera😉 . This will be talked about more in the next chapter as well.
Next up: Obi-Wan talks with Flynn and Iyla and it goes about as well as we all expect it to...
