Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
Time-line: Roughly eight months and two weeks after Naboo.
Chapter 4: In Which Rae's Apartment Becomes a Sanctuary for The Harried
Rae didn't really like Coruscant. Too much metal, too many smells, too much noise. She wanted to see green hills and blue skies and sit in a cozy home with a crackling fireplace and a cup of tea and climb trees in the fresh, cool air. But, this was where her Jedi Duo was. A Jedi Duo that had seen her get a job. A job that was actually paying for her to get her pilot's license, and training. True, the training was to be a bouncer and that was far different than anything she had ever seen herself doing, but she wanted to be able to protect herself and those she loved when(if) the war broke out. She shook herself out of her thoughts and refocused on her work. The diner was packed full that afternoon, and more people were coming in than were leaving. It seemed to her that the little hole-in-the-wall diner was becoming more popular since she arrived. She hadn't mentioned the feeling to anyone as she didn't think they'd believe her.
/*/
Three hours later, she stumbled out of the diner into the grimy, dusky Coruscanti 'night' with a heavy sigh. "Man, what a long shift," she said. Eyes heavy lidded with exhaustion, she hailed a sky-cab to take her home. Paying the pilot, she staggered her way to her apartment and tiredly opened the door. As she was putting down her purse, she realized something important. The door had been unlocked when she came in. She pulled her shock stick out, but didn't activate it, and listened. After a moment, she could have sworn she heard a gentle melody like wind in the grass and the rustling of heavy cloth and the background buzz of conversation in a crowded room. It put her in mind of quite possibly the only politician she liked. Putting that thought aside, she crept into the living room and then she slumped as she caught sight of a familiar figure curled up on her couch. "Padme~! You should have called! I thought someone had broken in!" Rae whined as she put away her weapon. The Queen of Naboo giggled from her position on the couch.
"I would have, but you haven't paid for the comm this month," she said. Rae sighed.
"I haven't got a whole lot of money, Padme. Which reminds me, I need to repay you for the kindness you've shown me. Clothes, food, a place to sleep, relative safety... that's a pretty big bill. It'll take me a while to pay it all off."
"Well... if you could let me just be me while I'm here and feed me dinner, maybe breakfast, I'd say you'd have it covered, considering you shared Christmas with us," Padme said, though her smile was a bit sheepish. Rae smirked.
"Politics getting to you?" she asked, not unkindly. The younger girl nodded, eyes weary. Rae gave a short nod then went to the hall closet and pulled out her heavy blanket. "I bought this in anticipation of a cold night, so it might be a bit warm for you. Let me know if I need to turn down the air. That couch pulls out into a bed and I have small not-quite-accent pillows that you can use for the night. I prefer pillows without much fancy stuff sewn on. As for food... well. I'll see what I can do while you, my dear, take first turn in the shower. I think I have some clothes that will fit you," she said, tossing the blanket to the Queen and then striding off to her room. She emerged with not-quite-cotton drawstring pants and a long shirt made of soft material. Padme smiled as she took the offering and entered the bath room. While Padme was taking a relaxing shower, Rae went into the kitchen and prepared a simple meal. Hearing the door open, Rae drug herself into her room to find pajamas for herself before taking her shower. Seeing that her host wasn't in any shape to serve her, much less herself, Padme dished up two servings and set one aside for Rae.
"I'll take care of the dishes tonight, Rae. You look asleep on your feet," Padme said. Rae grunted, she didn't have the energy for anything more. Once they finished their dinner, Rae turned in and Padme washed up before bundling up on the couch-bed. It was surprisingly comfortable and the young queen had a peaceful, restful, night.
/*/
'Queens do not giggle at their adorably grumpy hosts,' Padme told herself as she watched Rae drag herself out of her room in the morning. Her hair was in disarray, her eyes bleary, and she was shuffling a little bit like a zombie, though her clothes didn't look ruffled at all. "Good morning, Rae!" Padme said brightly. Rae looked at her dully before...
"Oh frack. You're a morning person," she said, voice gravelly. Padme smiled at her friend's grumpy face.
"Yes I am!" she said with a grin. Rae grunted and went about fixing herself a cup of tea.
"So... what drove you from your cushy room in the senate building to my little dump of an apartment?" Rae asked after she had finished making her toast and was contentedly sipping her tea. Padme shook her head.
"Your apartment isn't a dump," she said. Rae gave her a blank look for her trouble. "Okay, so it's not the best. But I think it's nice. Small, cozy. Neat." Rae started laughing.
"Give it time, it'll look like a tornado went through it!" She stopped and gave Padme a serious look. "Now, come on. Tell me, what really made you seek me out?" Rae asked. Padme sighed as well.
"Fine. My handmaidens cannot lie and say I'm not in when I am, and even though it's been two months since the Trade Federation, Naboo is still being scrutinized. Our reputation really took a hit."
"So you tracked me down to get some peace from pushy, snobby, politicians who want to make themselves feel better by putting you down. That about right?" Rae said with understanding. Padme nodded. With a sigh, Rae sat back and, looking around the kitchen, asked, "Have you already eaten?" Padme shook her head and Rae smiled. "Then I'll fix you real scrambled eggs, my breakfast specialty! Would you like some tea?"
"Thank you. Yes, I'd like some tea."
"Milky, sweet, light, strong?"
"However you make it." Rae gave her a look, but shrugged and went about her work. Twenty minutes later, a steaming breakfast plate with eggs, toast, and bacon was placed before the queen with a hot cup of sweet smelling amber liquid at her elbow.
"Try it, it's not as sweet as I usually make it, but it's still a good cup of Earl Grey," the 'chef' said with a smile. Padme took a cautious sip, then squeaked.
"This isn't as sweet as you usually make it!?" Rae laughed.
"Nope!" she answered, eyes glittering with amusement.
"This is... wow," Padme said, pulling a 'this wasn't what I was expecting' face as she put the tea down. Rae chuckled lightly and nudged the plate of eggs and toast toward her.
"Eat your toast. It'll cut the sugar a bit," she suggested with a smile. Padme took a large bite of toast and sighed.
"Could I get something to cut the sugar in the tea?"
"No, sorry. If I add more water, it'll weaken the tea, and then it will just be wrong. Keep going, see if it gets better," Rae said with a smile. Padme pouted playfully at her, but ate all the same. Rae was right. After a little while, the tea mixed with the salty taste of the bacon and toast while the mellow flavor of the eggs tied it all together.
"Okay, so it's not that bad," she relented. She didn't dare look at her friend. She could practically feel the smug smile on the bouncer-in-training's face.
"Now that we've had breakfast, and it just so happens to be my day off... lets go out for a day on the town! We'll walk around, take pictures, giggle over silly stuff, and forget about the troubles and stares that usually follow us. It'll be fun! What do you say?" Rae said. Padme couldn't say no, so off they went, Padme borrowing a set of Rae's clothes to avoid attention. Rae lead the Queen of Naboo back to her apartment after a full day exploring the sprawling city of Courscant and couldn't help grinning. It had been a wonderful Girls' Day Out, and she hoped it wouldn't be the last. "Well Padme, I hope this helped. Here's a list of my off days, which are also the days you can come over. I'd love to do this again," Rae said, handing Padme a slip of paper on her way out. The Queen bowed her head to her friend and left. With a sigh, Rae flopped down on her couch and crashed. She was woken a half hour later by her door being buzzed.
/*/
Obi-Wan had had a rough day. Anakin was being his usual self, the Council was going all gaga over their Chosen One, and to top it off, he had been told he was to take his ten year old padawan off on a mission the next day. A diplomatic mission. They argued that it was a safe mission and that as the Chosen One, Anakin should be trained to be an ambassador. Obi-Wan knew such training was started early, such as his own, but still. Anakin? An ambassador? It didn't fit. Anakin was an equalizer, a fighter, a Jedi of action. Forcing him to be a diplomat was against everything Anakin was! Okay, so he'd do well at 'aggressive negotiations' but that's about as far as his diplomatic skills went. A body-guard, a warrior, under-cover investigator, sure, but not full on ambassador! Knowing his emotions were beginning to get the better of him, Obi-Wan headed for the one person who always seemed to get him back on an even keel with oh-so-little effort. Rae Donna Mayar. He was let through with little trouble and made his way to her apartment. Knocking on her door, Obi-Wan was surprised to find her looking like he did after a night out. "Yeah?" she moaned. Oh Force! She didn't go out drinking did she? No. Her breath smelled sweet, like sugar. Cake? Tea? It diffidently didn't smell like alcohol. He quirked an eyebrow, his go-to expression.
"I was going to ask if you'd spar me, but now I'm thinking about offering to get you dinner," he said. Rae smiled tiredly at him, then fell forward. Obi-Wan caught her, naturally, and carried her over to the couch, laying her back down. "What have you been doing Rae?" he asked, only slightly rhetorically. Honestly, it baffled him how she could have gotten into this state. She chuckled.
"I took Padme out for a Girls Day. Poor girl, she's still getting flack over that thing with the people and the stupid clankers," Rae said. Obi-Wan chuckled as well, understanding perfectly. Poor Padme indeed.
"I see. So, you want to get dinner? Or should I cook?" Rae gave him a curious look.
"Can you cook?" she asked. Another chuckle and Obi-Wan put her back on the couch before heading into the kitchen.
"Not as well as Qui-Gon could, but he did teach me a thing or two about living on your own," he replied, raising his voice slightly to raise above the clanking of cooking utensils. He heard Rae giggle and the couch creak as she settled herself in a more upright position. The holo switched on and channels chattered as Rae flipped through them. Obi-Wan tuned it out as he focused on his dish. Cheesy noodles. It was one of his favorites, and he had a feeling Rae would like them as well. She had settled on a decent show, a crime drama. Rae chuckled warmly as she snuggling up to the jedi. Obi-Wan had to fight to keep still as she did so.
"Macaroni and cheese, a cop show, and a cute guy? Mmhhm, must be my lucky night!" she said. Obi-Wan was fairly sure she was saying it just to embarrass him, but Force was she doing it right! The Jedi was rather glad she couldn't see his face. He was sure it was as bright as the Tattooine suns after that comment. The two spent a happy quiet evening together before Rae kicked him out. "You've got a big day tomorrow and I don't want to be the one to explain why you were late!" she said. Obi-Wan groaned, but agreed. Explaining he had been at a woman's house the night before his mission was not something he wanted to do either. So, he left, and hoped Rae would be alright. He shook his head, glad he had taken a sky-cab instead of a Temple Speeder to Rae's, as it meant he was free to think and shake his head and close his eyes as he wished without having to worry about crashing into anyone else. Rae never failed to set him at ease.
/*/
Three weeks later, Rae was home nursing a freshly re-located shoulder(it had been a rowdy night at Dex's) when Obi-Wan and Anakin popped in on her. Seeing she was hurt, Anakin sat with her, keeping her entertained while Obi-Wan cooked. Just as the Jedi was really getting started, Padme dropped in and the dinner was expanded to include her. While Anakin and Obi-Wan shared Rae's outlook on most politicians, they all loved Padme in their own ways. Rae as a dear friend, Obi-Wan as a little sister, and Anakin as... well. He wasn't sure what he loved her as, but Rae could see the beginnings of romance, seeded as it was in infatuation. Sure she had an unfair advantage on that part, seeing as she Knew Anakin would fall for the pretty, petite, Queen of Naboo, but it was plain to see for those who cared to look. And really, knowing the young woman as she now did, Rae couldn't blame Anakin for falling for her. She was spunky, witty, clever, and tough as nails while still being optimistic, caring, and feminine. Quite unlike Rae herself who detested dresses and only had two pairs of boots, nice and break-up-bar-fights. She owned no jewelry, nor did she own make-up, and her most expensive belongings were her weapons which she practiced with regularly and looked over every night. She only had two shock sticks and a Gungan staff at the moment, but that was impressive for her, seeing how deadly they could be. "So, has the Senate been a little... less cutthroat?" Rae asked. Padme laughed lightly at the older woman's question.
"Yes, but only just. They still watch me like a hawk," she said, and Rae knew she couldn't be the only one to see the tightness in her eyes. Rae hummed, gingerly getting up to drape an arm around her friend.
"I'm sorry, Padme. But you know, whenever you're in town, you can pop in, right?"
"Granted you're home," Padme said. Rae smirked and pulled out... "Is that... ?" Padme asked, eyes wide.
"Padme of the Naboo, I hereby grant you full access to my apartment, day or night," Rae said, handing over the keycard. Padme held it to her chest like a precious treasure. Anakin pouted and through her Force intuition, Rae was sure Obi-Wan was pouting on the inside as well. "You two already know how to get in! If anything, refusing you a keycard is training! If you want to get in when I'm not here, you'll have to use your infiltration skills." Obi-Wan huffed a sigh, but nodded. Chuckling, the girls sat down for their dinner, the boys serving them. It was a pleasant evening and by the end, everyone was satisfied.
/*/
Rae watched her friends return to their lives, leaving her tiny, now-messy, low rent apartment and heading back to their higher class dwellings. Sure the Jedi weren't flashy, but no-one could deny that the Jedi temple wasn't high class. I mean, Jedi temple! It didn't even have to try, it just was. She sighed and flopped back onto her bed, then groaned as the movement aggravated her wounded shoulder. "Fraggin' drunks," she muttered darkly. Sighing, she got up and ran through her stretches, going easy on her left shoulder. "Stupid fights," she moaned, dragging herself under the warm spray of her refresher. The warm water felt heavenly on her aching muscles and not for the first time, Rae despaired for a tub. Finishing her shower, the bouncer-in-training prepared for bed before surrendering herself to sleep's dark embrace. The next day was flight training with Jazz. She reluctantly dressed in her flight suit and made her way to the air field where Jazz was waiting beside the two person fighter he was teaching her in. He eyed her sling with a critical eye. "It's not as bad as it looks. Just recently re-located," Rae said. He snorted.
"Re-locating a dislocated shoulder is as bad as it looks girly. When did it happen?" the old pilot asked roughly.
"Two nights ago. Stupid drunks," Rae answered, muttering the last two words in a dark aside comment. Jazz chuckled.
"Well, in that case, we're not flying." Those words sent a jolt through Rae and caused her to look up at him sharply.
"WHY?!" she asked, near panicked. She wanted to get to Kamino within the next year or so and at the rate she was going, she wasn't going to be a good enough pilot to get herself there for another three to four years.
"Need to let that shoulder heal. Book work for today sweetie," Jazz said, leading her inside the hanger. Rae sighed, but followed all the same. What else could she do?
/*/
After a morning full of studying and testing, Rae said good bye to Jazz and went into her usual shopping district. If Padme was to have full access to her apartment, then she was going to need some casual clothes and some sleepwear. She was also going to need a few more dishes. After picking up those few things, Rae caught sight of a weapons shop. Deciding she could at least look, she made her way inside. Blades of all shapes and sizes were stacked on racks that covered the walls and blasters of all kinds littered the shelves. Rae whimpered slightly. It was like her dream collection, right here! She was walking past a display of knives that looked almost elven when the shop shook slightly, causing one to fall. Quickly, Rae snatched it out of the air with her bad arm. Wincing slightly at the stress placed on her still sore shoulder, she moved to put the beautiful knife back – ignoring the quite melody of adrenaline and comfort and protection that had picked up in her head – when a voice stopped her. "Nice reflexes miss." She turned and saw a young, male, Twi-lek.
"Ah. Thank you, Mister... ?"
"J'ones. Eric J'ones. That knife you caught, it fits your hand quite nicely. Are you perhaps in the market for a weapon?" he responded. Rae looked down at the finely crafted blade in her hand.
"Not really. I've got a shock stick and a Gungan staff for all my weapon needs. I have, however, always been a blade enthusiast. I just don't have the money to support a collection habit," she said, putting it back on the shelf. Eric traced the path of the knife, then nodded slightly.
"That knife has been bought and returned many times, miss. The man I bought this store from told me it might well have been part of the original stock of this store. Legend has it, that knife was used by Mandalor himself in a fight against Admiral Onasi."
"I don't have the money, Mr. J'ones," Rae stated. The Twi'lek smiled.
"I'm not trying to sell you the knife. I'm trying to get you to take it off my hands," he said. Rae quirked an eyebrow.
"And why would you want such a storied blade off your hands? Surely the history alone would make it priceless," she asked, still ignoring the song that was growing louder in her mind. Eric chuckled.
"Blade lore, miss. When a blade finds it's master, it does its best to get to said master," he said. Rae chuckled.
"Not quite the blade lore I learned, but sure. Why not. But I can't just take it. How does a hundred credits sound? It's the last of my overflow for the month, but a blade as fine as this... worth it."
"Fifty, and not a credit over." Rae squinted at the store clerk, then whipped out fifty credits and slid them across the counter before swiping the knife back off the shelf.
"Deal. Pleasure doing business with you. But next time, I'm strictly looking," she said before walking out the door with all her purchases. She firmly told herself that the shop owner did not chuckle at her.
/*/
Jar-Jar came by the next week, missing Obi-Wan's weekly visit by a slim margin, and the two had a good spar down in the gym. Many of the regulars stopped to watch the pair preform their painful dance. All too soon, in Rae's opinion, Jar-Jar had disarmed her and had her pinned to the floor by her throat. "Oh, come on! And you're the clumsy Gungan!" she groused. Jar-Jar laughed before trying to help her up. They both ended up on the ground. "Yep. Ugh, and that shoulder just got healed up!" Rae remarked, thoroughly displeased with the current situation. What followed was a slap stick routine worthy of the Three Stooges and a lot of whirling staves. Together, Rae and Jar-Jar had the whole gym in stitches, one way or another. When all was said and done, Rae glared halfheartedly at Jar-Jar. "I blame you," she said, nursing a bump on her head.
"Mesa sorry," the Gungan said, honestly contrite. Rae sighed.
"Ah don't worry about it," she said, and tossed the dejected looking alien an orange, "have an orange, it usually makes me feel better." Jar-Jar smiled at the Human and was about to take a bite of the sweet smelling fruit before she stopped him. "Wait! You have to peel it first! Otherwise you get the bitter taste of the rind and the oil," she said, before demonstrating the proper way to eat an orange. Jar-Jar nodded his understanding and followed suit, finding that he rather liked the fruit. The two then spent the rest of the day chatting and eating oranges. It was a good day.
/*/
As she stood by the sink that night, washing what few pots and pans she had used, Rae pondered the remarkable turn her life had taken. Sure she was still a waitress, sure she had to take classes, but she was on Courscant. Her apartment had holo-service, instead of the internet she surfed the holonet. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme had dinner with her at least once a month. She was enrolled in bouncer school. And doing well. She had the beginnings of a weapons collection. And she knew how to use most of them, or was learning. She was citizen of the republic. Naboo was her official homeworld. The Queen of Naboo called her friend while a couple other Senators would at least give her the time of day. She shook her head. "My life has surely turned extraordinary," she remarked to herself. Seeing that her combat practice was completed for the day, Rae took a shower, stretched out, and went to bed.
/?/
A/N: and that's about half a year in the life of Rae Mayar.
As for Ocean Man and Ackbar... she's going to be meeting Kit Fisto first. And Kit is also from an amphibious species. Chances are, she'll be singing it to Kit from the vents. Much like she'll be belting out the chorus of 'Smooth Criminal' at Anakin.
Break Sheev's knees? Well... Rae's not going to kneecap a politician without Good Reason. 'He smiled at me too wide' or 'I had a vision that he was a Bad Dude' wouldn't hold up in court. And then there's the whole Sith Lightning and lightsaber thing to consider as well so... she's not ready for that yet.
