"What time is our guide supposed to meet us here?" Malinza asked, sick of waiting.
"Fifteen hundred hours," Jacen answered, "And before you ask, it's eleven-thirty-eight hours now. Be patient, the extra time was a buffer in case one party made really bad time."
Without warning, Tenel Ka began a thirty second countdown, which Valin and Malinza joined in, while Jacen just turned beet red. "Five, . . . four, . . . three, . . . two, . . . one, . . . Happy birthday Jacen!"
"Great, you had to tell everyone here that I turn twenty-two today, and had to compute it down to the second and convert from standard time." Jacen half-teased.
"Why, I was being precise?" Tenel Ka also looked as if she was subtly teasing him.
"Sometimes too much precision is unwanted."
Meanwhile, Valin deliberately caught a marshmallow on fire and asked Jacen to blow out the 'candle.'
"I'm not going to try to blow that thing out, not after last night's sausage pyrotechnic display."
"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" Malinza asked.
"Because I knew someone would try something like this. Besides, you knew Jaina's birthday was today, and knew she was my twin, so I thought you'd figure it out."
"She didn't tell us either." Valin replied.
"Probably because she knew you'd try something like this."
/What's wrong with a party, my love?/ Tenel Ka asked via mindlink.
/Nothing, as long as we aren't on a mission!/
/When do we tell them about the birthday present from the Force?/
/You mean Lusankya? I'm playing that by ear./
/I see./ Tenel Ka smiled the small smile she considered her 'public smile' and kissed him lightly/I love you!/
/I know,/ Jacen grinned/I love you too!/
/Happy Birthday, my love./
Jacen was about to reply when Valin and Malinza began to deliberately sing off key, "Happy birthday to you/ You live in a zoo/ You look like a wampa/ and you smell like one too."
The party had pretty much wound down after an hour, at which point Valin had proved that he was the only member of the group incapable of carrying a tune. After they had cooled down, Jacen had explained his ancestry and shown them the Sword of Kings.
"Here comes our guide!" Tenel Ka stated, emotional shields going up in a blink of an eye.
"About kriffin' time!" Malinza sighed.
Bulgan had spoken very highly of their guide, Butch Kohl. A human who knew the prairies as well as most Alwari, he would guide the four Jedi to the Borokii.
Butch rode up and dismounted, all two meters of him. Dressed completely in animal skins, sporting a scraggly black beard and a holstered slugthrower on each hip.
"Glad this barve's on our side," Valin muttered under his breath, "He looks like he could break a Trandoshan in half."
As Butch introduced himself in his very gravelly Wild Space accent, Jacen scanned the newcomer with the Force.
To his surprise, it was as if the guide wasn't there. /Red Alert, everybody, This barve's a Vong in a Masquer!/