A/N: This is the longest chapter and it has lots of dialogue, but read carefully and you'll get all of it :smile:
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Chapter Four: Parting and Babysitting
Tru closed his eyes in the Room of a Thousand fountains. Here he was, relaxing by his favorite fountain, with a whole 1800 seconds all to himself. He folded his hands behind his head, and twisted his feet into an odd loop that looked most uncomfortable.
Eh, the 143rd good thing about being a Teevan: Twist your arms and legs in whatever position, and it doesn't hurt.
Tru settled next to "his" fountain, a sigh of content escaping his lips. Here was silence, a welcome break from the younglings he'd just put down for a nap. Two days into his assignment, and he was not enjoying any of it. Sure, they were cute, but they were brats.
I guess they're like Ewoks…they're at their cutest when they're asleep and not trying to kill you.
Tru cringed at the memory of a youngling grabbing at his lightsaber…
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"Master Tru, can I play with your lightsaber?"
"No, it's not a toy—a lightsaber is a weapon, not something to play with."
"Pleeeeeaaaaasssseeeee? I promise I'll be careful!" The youngling was whining now.
"I'm sorry, you can't. Why don't you wait until you can begin lightsaber training?
"NO!" the youngling's voice had risen to a wail. "I want it NOW!"
Eventually, the pleading and the refusals became an intense game of keep-away. Tru, having his hands full with the other younglings, had no time to gently push the youngling away or move his lightsaber to where the youngling couldn't get it. The youngling, on the other hand, kept pushing and shoving for a chance to press a button on the lightsaber.
Finally, there was a split-second of time as the youngling prepared to make a final leap. But a split-second was all Tru needed. He quickly moved his hand to grab his lightsaber, but being as tired as he was, caught the youngling in mid-air with a backhanded slap.
And that's a good thing I did.
For the youngling, in his determination, had nearly succeeded in activating the lightsaber, which would have at least swiped off Tru's arm, or worse, sliced off Tru's upper body.
Definitely not looking forward to that again.
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He pushed the thought from his mind, determined to rest up as much as he could during his remaining 1600 or so seconds.
"Master Veld!" Tru turned at the sound of his name. He glanced around the Fountains, and spotted Rynna waving at him from "her" spot, and making her way to him.
"Hey, Rynna…What's going on?" he asked.
"Hey, you can't call me 'hey, Rynna' anymore—I've just been Knighted!" she said with a grin.
"Well, congratulations! No more Padawan braid, eh?"
"I'm not so sure… I kind of liked it."
"Not me. It always whip lashed my face when it got too long."
"You're such a guy."
"You're such a girl—you redid it all the time with different colors of cloth woven in!"
"Okay, you win. But admit it, they looked pretty good."
"Uh-huh. But I'm still glad mine is gone and over with."
"I guess I'm sort of glad mine's gone too… Hello, Knighthood!"
"But Knighthood isn't what it used to be," Tru admitted with a weak laugh. "Look at me—been a Knight for a few days, and what am I doing? Babysitting younglings who are picky down to the color of the bacta I put on their scraped knees."
Rynna laughed. "Makes you want to be a Padawan again, eh?"
A pang inside Tru caused a brief expression of sorrow on his face. With a forced naturalness, he replied, "Yeah."
Apparently, Rynna didn't notice. She continued teasingly, "At least I have a chance of a mission."
At that, Tru had to laugh. He teased right back, "Are you sure? I thought we Jedi just wanted rest."
Rynna gave Tru a playful shove, nearly pushing Tru into the nearby water. "Shoveling bantha fodder is better than babysitting!"
"Well… maybe I wouldn't go that far." The two friends laughed, easing the tension from Tru's shoulders.
Unexpectedly, a Beep-Beep-Beep and a Buzz sounded from Rynna's pocket. She took out her comlink to the image of her ex-Master with a raised eyebrow. "Oops. I have to get to the Council Room for some kind of briefing or something…later." With a smile and a wave, Rynna walked away from the Fountains.
"May the Force be with you," called Tru.
"May the Force be with you," answered Rynna.
Another mission, no doubt, thought Tru with a sigh.
The tension in his muscles returned. And although he couldn't determine why, he felt a sense of foreboding about Rynna's Knighthood. Rynna was his best friend outside of his now-gone inner circle—Anakin, Darra, and Ferus.
I hope nothing happens to her.
He rubbed his face, hoping to snap himself out of his uneasy mood.
I wish I had her energy.
He shrugged off his apprehension.
Probably parting pains, he thought.
Parting had never been easy—he just made it look that way for the sake of others. He ran his hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and used the Force to calm his nerves; for once again, Darra's death, Ferus' departure, the friendship break between himself and Anakin, and other deaths of friends—Jedi and non-Jedi alike—had come to his mind.
Uggh… not again, I've gotten over this!
He vowed, for the billionth time since Darra's death that he would make his choices and choose his actions unselfishly. And for the hundredth time since he became a Knight, he broke his I-won't-regret-Knighthood vow and wished that he were still a Padawan…
With a sigh, he walked away from the relaxing Fountains and toward the coming chaos of the younglings' room.
The younglings are going to wake up soon. Great. Tru Veld, the Nursemaid Knight.
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Tru forced a smile down at the little group huddled around his legs.
I hope we can refill our ranks soon… we can't be spread out this thin much longer. I hope Master Alaan comes back soon… I have real respect for him now… how does he put up with these little ones?
But now, his attention was focused on the little group of four-to-six-year-olds, and trying to answer all 36589 of their questions all at once…
"Master Veld, what does a macrofuser do?" a little one would ask.
"I'll tell you later," was his blunt response.
"Master Veld, we want some muja candy!" begged two others.
"Sorry, I'm all out!" Tru was lying through his teeth—he always had plenty to spare.
"Master Veld, he hit me!" another would cry out.
"It wasn't on purpose and he said he was sorry."
"Master Veld, can we go outside?"
"No, it's pouring rain! Maybe when it's dry."
"Master Veld, how does a comlink work?"
"You'll learn when you enter Tech 1."
"Master Veld, is Master Windu really 100 years old?"
"Where did you hear that?" was the incredulous reply.
"Master Veld, teach me to build a lightsaber!" one of the bolder ones would demand.
Tru stared for a moment at the irrational youngling. "How about you wait until you're a Padawan?"
"I can be your Padawan!"
"Yeah, can one of us be your Padawan?"
"I'm gonna be his Padawan!"
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Master Veld, Master Veld, Master Veld! The incessant noise was driving him insane. The constant shouts and pleas of the younglings were swimming in his head. Tru doubted he could handle the pressure much longer.
I'll be the happiest Teevan alive when Master Alaan gets back. The ruckus of the younglings snapped him back to reality.
"Alright! Everybody be quiet!" The loudness of his shout and the frustration in his voice stunned everyone in the room into being quiet.
Wow… I didn't know I had it in me. Then again, I never imagined myself babysitting.
But his hold on their attention was slipping fast.
C'mon, Tru, think fast—what games do younglings like to play? Right! Freeze tag!
"Okay guys, we're gonna play freeze tag!" The room erupted with squeaks, shouts, disturbing noises, and other sounds of excited younglings from various species. "But remember, no hair/fur pulling, no Force-pushing, or anything like that. You can only run and tag. Got it?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, we know!"
"Let's play already!"
"Okay, then, I'm it!" Tru's abrupt declaration produced even louder screams, shouts, disturbing noises, and the like. With a good measure of willpower, he controlled himself from "freezing" every youngling for the sake of peace and quiet.
I'll just let them run until they burn off their energy. Then, it'll be naptime! Tru smiled from ear to ear.
But it was not to be that easy.
The more they run, the more energy they seem to get, and the more energy they have, the louder they scream. Uh-oh. This is not good… At least the walls are virtually soundproof!
Fearing that he'd soon lose his sanity and his hearing, he summoned the Force for endurance, and called out, "Last one asleep is rotting bantha fodder!"
And faster than anyone could say, "I am a Jedi," the younglings dropped to the floor and were asleep almost instantly.
That's right. Sleep away, little younglings.
Tru smiled a smile of victory as he relished the last bag of muja candy that he'd kept from the younglings.
At last! Peace and quiet!
But not for long…
