Chapter 13

"So then, I told them to loosen up, relax. They looked like a bunch of droids that needed a lube job up there on the stage," Ravi said. "A lot of the new students do."

Valia nodded vaguely across the table from him, and idly pushed a piece of bread a few millimeters to center it on the exquisite, delicate porcelain plate in front of her.

"You know that trick of imagining the entire audience naked when you've got stage fright? Well, it really works. That's what I tell all my classes."

Ravi was now teaching a drama class at the University of Coruscant, something Valia still couldn't quite believe. But he seemed to have found something productive to do that he really enjoyed, and he had stuck with it. And from what she heard, his students loved him.

Five silent minutes went by. "And if that doesn't work, I tell them to imagine each other naked," Ravi said. Valia smiled absently.

Ravi was getting desperate. "What do you suppose the department head would say if I went ahead and taught my classes naked?"

Valia was studying the menu pad in front of her while slowly shredding the piece of bread into smaller and smaller pieces.

"Are you going to eat that bread or keep putting it through slow torture?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been accused of loving the sound of my own voice before, but this is getting a little ridiculous, Lia. You haven't heard a word I've said."

"You've been going on about a lot of naked people," Valia said, leaning her face on her hand and pushing the menu away. There were a few bread crumbs on the table in front of her from her picking, and she brushed them aside. A small sweeper droid darted out and cleaned them off the floor. Another restaurant patron at the next table flicked an annoyed glance at what she obviously thought were Valia's barnyard table manners.

"So what do you think of this place so far?" Ravi asked. "Pretty swank, huh?"

Valia glanced around at the hushed elegance around her. They were trying a different restaurant, which was in the observation deck of a skyscraper. Ravi had insisted on taking her out to dinner to try to lift her mood, and had chosen one of the most exclusive and expensive places in the area. In truth, she would have been equally satisfied dining in a noisy pub in the lower levels of the city. Or better yet, in her most frayed, comfortable pajamas in her own apartment.

"The view is really something," she admitted, looking out at the skyline gilded by the evening sun.

"We'll see what they can do with the food. I was only slightly impressed with that appetizer." Valia had taken a token sample of it while Ravi had eaten the rest. It had been a beautiful array of stuffed edible flowers.

"Look, I know what you really want isn't on the menu," Ravi said leaning forward across the table with a meaningful smile. He refilled her wine glass. "But your buddy-pal Ravi is trying really hard here."

"I know," Valia said, smiling for the first time since they had been seated. "I'm sorry, I'm not the greatest company tonight."

"Tonight? How about the last two months?"

"Well, thank you very much," Valia responded tartly, but at least she was still smiling. "You know I've been busy with work. I'm just tired, that's all."

"You're working way harder than you have to, Lia. Listen to your pal Ravi. You can run, but you can't hide. When are you going to finally sit down and have that long overdue heart-to-heart talk with Master Qui-Gone?"

"Stop calling him that." Valia took a sip of wine. "If you must know, three days from now is when we picked the day to meet and do just that."

"Well, it's about time!" Other diners glanced toward Ravi and his raised voice. "He's really been off-world for two whole months?" He asked in a lower voice.

"Mostly, yes." Valia hedged. It was true, he had returned to Coruscant only briefly.

"What is this, some kind of game with you two to see who's going to cave in first? Some kind of stubbornness contest?"

"It's not at all about stubbornness or caving in. It's about finding enough time to give a conversation like that." Valia fidgeted with her cutlery and studied the napkin on her lap.

"Traxis, you'd make a terrible actress. Bantha balls, if you wanted enough time, you both would find a way to make it."

"Oh, all right," she said irritably. "The truth is, Qui-Gon really has been away nearly the whole time. After he brought Jax back to Corellia, he went to Darat III, and the political situation there has really turned out to be a mess. Tensions are running so high, and battles are breaking out, he and Obi-Wan stayed to monitor peace talks and to uncover more terrorist activities. He's been back to Coruscant a time or two, but never long enough."

"And what's your excuse?"

Valia looked her friend levelly in the eye. "I just think we needed a cooling off period, and I'm being, ummmm, practical about the whole situation."

"You're the most practical woman I know, Traxis. But the script isn't calling for practical right now, it's calling for passion."

"This isn't some kind of play, Ravi."

"Maybe it ought to be," he said grinning.

Valia could not think of a suitable reply to that, and settled for giving him a sour look. In any case a hover droid had arrived at that moment on whispering repulsors, its timers sensing this table ought to be ready to place an order.

"Ahhh, yes," said Ravi studying the holographic menu display once more. "I'll have the daroget steak, rare, with himosha butter on the side, not slathered on top, understand?" he eyed the droid. "The roasted root medley, the green salad with beomunti vinaigrette, also on the side. And some more of that bread. For dessert, what do you think, Lia? That tart or the soufflé?"

Valia shrugged. "If you're still hungry enough to eat dessert after all that, I'd be betting you'd go for the tart."

"Excellent. The freela tart, then." Valia suppressed a shudder. "Oh, and bring a cheese plate out before the tart." Valia looked at him and shook her head. "And what's caught your eye tonight?" he asked her. The droid made a quarter-turn in her direction, awaiting her selection.

Valia sighed. "Honestly, I'm not that hungry right now. Maybe I'll just have some more of the bread."

Ravi's face fell. "Lia! Are you putting me on?"

"I'm sorry, Ravi, I really don't think I can do justice to a whole meal." The droid turned back in her direction.

Ravi frowned, his dark brows furrowing. "You wouldn't be going prima donna on me now, with pining away for love and losing your appetite, would you?"

"No." Valia glowered at the unflattering accusation. "I just don't believe in wasting good food, that's all."

"What did you do, eat at your partner Farinouk's restaurant before we got here?"

"Well, not since midday."

"Did you bother to eat a decent meal then?"

Valia gritted her teeth at this sudden mother treatment from him. This was too much role reversal for her. "I grabbed a quick bite. I was busy."

"Let me guess: you probably grabbed half a sandwich, ate only half of that. Had a bite of one of those spiced meatballs, which I think are too greasy, by the way, you should really do something about that. Could you, now that you're a partner? Then you wrapped up your leftovers and on your way out, gave them to the two panhandlers who hang out by the front door."

There was mutiny in Valia's eyes as she fixed him with a look across the table. Aside from the specific food items, that was exactly what she had done.

"Then later, at home," Ravi predicted airily, "In the middle of the night, you'll be ravenous and eat something fattening you'll kick yourself over later." Valia looked as though she might leap across the table at him. Partly because she could feel the eyes of nearby diners on herself and Ravi. Mostly because she had done that very thing the night before. The frustrated hover droid was turning back and forth between them. It emitted a short beep. "Bring her the same thing I ordered," Ravi commanded it.

"Ravi! No--"

The droid chirped obediently to him and drifted off.

"Damned chauvinist men and machines," Valia grumbled. Ravi laughed. "Lighten up, Lia." She forced a tight, apologetic smile at a patron at the next table who had overheard their exchange. "This is supposed to be a nice evening out for you. Something you haven't had since who knows when," Ravi said. "And you shouldn't get careless about your health. Not even over him."

Valia raised her hands and dropped them in her lap in a helpless gesture. Then she shook her head and laughed. His heart was in the right place. "You are relentless."

"That's what friends are for." He raised his wine glass in a toast. Valia could not help but raise hers in response and clink her glass against his.

"Jedi! Who needs 'em?" he dismissively snapped his fingers and raised his glass for another toast. To this Valia did not raise her glass, turning her eyes toward the windows and the sunset-colored reflections on the buildings.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry," said Ravi at her sudden quiet. "No more mention of them, and especially Master Qui-Gone."

"I dare you to call him that to his face."

"And risk one of those lethal dirty looks of his? No way." Ravi idly studied his reflection in a spoon. "So what's the significance of three days from now? Is that when he's due back from Darat?"

Valia wasn't sure if she should mention this to Ravi, as it would probably provoke another outburst. There had been a message from Obi-Wan waiting for her at her comm station at home that afternoon. He and Qui-Gon had returned to Coruscant several days early, the message went. And they had no plans as yet to go anywhere at all. The two of them would be at the Temple, resting and meeting with the Council. There was a polite inquiry as to how she was, and then he repeated that they would be at the Temple. Valia had played and replayed that message. She got the strong feeling Obi-Wan was asking her to visit without coming right out and saying it.

"Or is he in town right now?" Valia said nothing. Ravi stared at her. "He's here now, isn't he?" Valia leaned her face on one hand, wondering whether she had become transparent this evening, or at least if her mind had. "Well, there's the problem," Ravi said. "You're having dinner with the wrong man!"

"Excuse me, sir." A quiet voice slid into their conversation from the side of the table. A stiffly attired human stood there, bent forward at the waist to discreetly contain his words. "I hate to cause you any embarrassment, but it seems some of our other patrons are being, well, how shall I say it? Disturbed by the volume of your conversation."

"Are you the manager?" asked Ravi.

"Yes, I am," he answered in a self-satisfied tone.

"Good. Then while you're right here, we can discuss some minor problems I've noticed."

"Problems that you've noticed, sir?" The manager's voice became patronizing.

"Yes. Who was it that seated us right in the middle of the room, surrounded by all these other diners so close they couldn't help but hear every word we said?" Ravi affected a perplexed look on his face, which suddenly brightened into exaggerated recognition. "Why, it was you!" He shook his head and gestured toward the empty, choice window seats. "And with all those fine seats over there, empty, too."

"Those tables are reserved for our priority diners, sir. I'm terribly sorry," he said in a tone that indicated he was most certainly not.

"Valia, my dear friend, this man is telling us we are not a priority," Ravi turned to her with deeply sad, dark eyes. "But I can put that aside, and of course, I'm willing to forgive you this time," he said, turning back to the manager. "Some day when this establishment achieves the proper level of sophistication, you'll install soundproof fields between each table, I'm sure. All the good restaurants have them, you know," Ravi said with an indolent wave of his hand.

The manager's face was becoming a strange dusky red. "Second problem," continued Ravi. "Those appetizers were a little dry. Not what I would expect from a restaurant claiming to be one of the City's top One Thousand. Not at all."

"Sir, those flowers were imported directly from Cerea, the finest in all the galaxy, and shipped to us according to our exacting conditions."

"Bravo," said Ravi, politely clapping his hands. "Didn't say it was the flowers that were the problem, did I? It was the stuffing. I strongly suggest you speak to your chef about it at once." Ravi held up his index finger in an imperious gesture. "At once," he repeated. Valia held her mouth tightly to keep from breaking into an open smile. She had come to the conclusion about two minutes ago that their dining experience here was utterly beyond salvage, so the only thing she could do was sit back and watch the show. Ravi was doing a remarkable job imitating his father, all these haughty affectations copied directly from him.

The manager's lips went tight, and perhaps he may have been repeating 'the customer is always right' to himself over and over. "Be that as it may, and I assure you, sir, I will look into your concerns immediately, the other patrons deserve the right to a quiet dining experience. The lady at the next table has become quite distraught at your conversation."

Ravi peered around the manager to raise an eyebrow at the lady in question. The fluffy, plump matron looked almost like she was on the verge of hyperventilating and was nervously stroking her pet silk-snake coiled around her fat neck. Ravi inclined his head toward her. "Forgive me," he said. "But if the subject of our conversation is so distressing, why is she so intently listening in?" The plump lady twittered nervously and shrank in her seat. "You should be aware that the lady at my table is much more distraught than the lady at that table. A matter of the heart. Yes, yes, it's true," Ravi assured the frowning manager, who clearly was not interested in Valia's personal problems. "It may not appear that way, but she's holding herself together remarkably well, and I take no small credit for that. I brought her here to your promised culinary nirvana, in the hopes of consoling her." Valia rolled her eyes.

"Sir, if you were our regular customers, perhaps you would be more familiar with our..." The manager waved his hand in a circular motion and gazed upwards as if trying to think of a translation that this species of riff-raff would comprehend. "...Atmosphere."

"What an amazing coincidence, because this isn't our regular restaurant," Ravi said.

"We pride ourselves in a clientele who, how shall I say it, does not need to be reminded of certain unwritten house rules."

"Then allow me to help: I suggest you immediately engrave these rules on a stone plaque, and mount it near the entrance," said Ravi. "Immediately. I can provide you with the names of several excellent stonemasons."

The manager's face turned a more interesting shade of dusky red. At that moment their dinners arrived. "Box all this up to go," Ravi commanded. "And everything else we ordered." The manager's expression went to outright shock. "Sir," he said, "This is not a 'take-out' establishment," he said, saying the words 'take-out' as if they were filthy.

"It is right now. It is, if you want any sort of gratuity, that is." Ravi said, casually fondling several colorful credit rods he had pulled out of a pocket. "But maybe you don't. Some restaurants put their customers before money..." Without another word, the manager flicked a hand to signal the waiter to do as Ravi had asked, however gauche it sounded.

Ravi helped Valia put on the dark red shawl that matched her gown. "Was it really necessary to make a scene?" she asked under her breath.

"But making scenes is what I do," he said cheerfully. Valia huffed in aggravation. "Caught you smiling while I was doing it, though," he said.

"Remind me to kill you later," she hissed as they quickly walked past tables of openly staring and whispering diners, Ravi carrying their neatly packaged food. "I'll really smile then, how about that?"

"Terrific. Just don't take three days to do it. I hate slow torture," he cracked as they left the restaurant and its opulent entryway. They descended from the building's heights and stepped out onto an open promenade.

"What do you mean by that?" She turned to face him.

"I mean, why not go to the Temple now and see him? Don't wait around for your 'appointment' in three days. Just do it."

Valia sighed. "Oh, so you haven't rehearsed your lines yet, is that it?" Ravi said. "Come on, Lia. You told me once you could talk to him about absolutely anything."

"I thought I could."

"And has he changed suddenly? No? Then you still can. Come on, let's go someplace in the lower levels where we can eat and have a conversation."

"That's all right, Ravi. Thank you, really, maybe another time. But I think you actually helped." She smiled in spite of herself, remembering the expressions on the manager's face.

He grinned. "Then how about a drink?"

"No, I think I'd rather go home."

"All right, then. I'll take you home."

"Actually Ravi...I think I'll take a walk around here before I go. Just to think for a while. You understand?"

Ravi looked slightly disappointed, but he smiled. Maybe she'd detour past the Jedi Temple on her way. In his mind, the script would call for her to run toward it, toward him, with her shawl, gown and hair flying behind her. "All right," he said. "Be careful. You sure you'll be all right?"

"I'm sure."

Valia walked to the edge of the promenade to the railing, and slowly moved along it for a while. If she cared to look, beyond the chasm at her feet and the tall structures beyond, in the distance there between those two buildings, she could just see two of the spires of the Jedi Temple.

It was nearly full dark by now. The last of the sunset stained the low sky to the west a dark orange. A few ragged purple clouds hung there, stretching into the deep blue above. The air was cooling down, and a light breeze tugged at her shawl. She really ought to be getting home soon.

She leaned her elbows on the railing. She thought of a friend of hers, and the situation she was in. This friend had been waiting for nearly three years for the married man she was in love with to finally divorce his wife. He had promised he would, and sworn his love to her, but as time had dragged on, Valia wanted to shake some sense into her every time the topic came up. She ought to find someone else or abandon the hope this man would divorce his wife for her. Well, now here she was, in her own situation. Was it similar? Was it even close? Was she just as much of a fool?

She idly watched a young couple lounging near their air swoop on a landing pad which jutted out from the level below which she stood. They'd chosen a cozy dark spot between the cones of lamplight. They laughed and kissed and played with each other's clothing and hair, completely absorbed in one another.

Some philosopher, she couldn't remember who, once said only the most foolish of men and the wisest of men never change. She wasn't completely sure what that meant, but she thought of Ravi's words. No, Qui-Gon had not changed into a different person these last few months. Why was she really holding back from seeing him? And without a doubt, he was the wisest man she had ever known. The countless white specks of the city lights blurred before her eyes as she stared at them. The breeze pulled at her shawl and she tugged it more closely around her. She blinked and wiped at her eyes. Practical, she reminded herself firmly as tears made the cityscape shimmery. Yes, the thing to do was pragmatically pick herself up, dust herself off, and move forward, as she had done before.

The couple had mounted the air bike and were now playfully tussling together on the seat. The boy gunned the engine again and again, apparently thinking this impressed his laughing girlfriend. With a carefree whoop, the boy sent the bike leaping forward off the narrow pad and into thin air. The girl shrieked and flung her arms around his waist. Had it not been for the safety cord she had casually hooked to her belt, she would have flown off into empty space. They buzzed up and away to join a lane of traffic, her wild laughter fading.

Who needs Jedi? Valia remembered Ravi's dismissive question. As crazy as the galaxy is, we probably all do, Valia thought. Maybe Qui-Gon was meant to be out there traveling amid the stars, doing what he did best. How much peace and stability did people take for granted, peace that was there because of the guardianship of Jedi Knights?

Who needs Jedi? Valia looked again toward the white spires of the Temple. I do, she thought. Enough of this weepiness and staring out into the night. Wise or foolish, here or absent, Qui-Gon was worth knowing and keeping in her life, in whatever capacity she could. If she had to let him go... She wouldn't think about that. Three days did seem like a terribly long time to wait to have that talk with him.