Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

Time-line: Takes place four years after Naboo and two and a half years after Rae gets her starfighter.

Chapter 26: Bouncers, Empaths, and Tea, Oh My!

He wasn't quite sure why he was doing this. Honest. Visiting a cantina in the Middle City was not something a Jedi Knight often did.

Yet here he was.

He blamed Rae.

"You Obi-Wan?" the rough looking man at the door asked, giving the Jedi a clear once over. Obi-Wan sighed softly.

"Yes," he said simply. The man nodded and ducked his head in the door.

"Billy! Get over here!" Obi-Wan stood patiently, waiting for 'Billy'. After about half a minute, a solidly built human leaned out of the door, grinned, and grabbed Obi-Wan by the bicep and dragged him in.

"Glad you made it! The boys and I have been dying to meet you!" Billy exclaimed as he 'guided' Obi-Wan to one of the back rooms. Slightly befuddled, the Jedi allowed himself to be manhandled through a second door and sat down at a table full of a strange assortment of men.

"Right... Rae did mention something about that," he admitted. The men all grinned, or their equivalent anyway.

"So... is it true Rae got that fighter of hers from a Rat Dungeon?" a Rodian asked, leaning forward. Obi-Wan groaned with a full body shudder.

"It was a junkyard on Fortuna Prime," he said hollowly. "The creatures... were former test subjects from a near by lab. We were attacked in waves, each more ferocious than the last. We only escaped due to the fighter I spotted. Once we were clear, Rae lit into the officials who greeted us then went on a war path. She's lucky she didn't get banned from the planet... or get a price on her head for the stunt she pulled at the lab." The bouncers, Rae's former classmates, shared awed looks.

"And... is it true that you've been training her in swordsmanship?" a Bothan asked. Obi-Wan smirked and sat back.

"Well, if you count a lightsaber as a sword," he said. The men's eyes went wide.

"You're training her in lightsaber combat!?" Billy asked. Obi-Wan shrugged, his smirk still firmly in place. "But I thought only Jedi could learn how to use lightsabers!"

"True, a lightsaber is a mark of a Jedi... but Rae has been 'schooling' the Padawans and Initiates for going on three years now. She may not have the same connection to the Force as a Jedi, and she may not be willing to take the same oaths, but that doesn't mean I can't train her to use one," Obi-Wan said. Rae's former classmates shared a significant look.

"Oh, Jedi, you've got it bad," Billy said with a wry smile. Obi-Wan blinked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Force... Rae wasn't joking," the Bothan breathed, the other's gaping at the oblivious Jedi.

"About what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The level of emotional repression Jedi are raised with," Billy said seriously, though not unkindly. His batch mates nodded and the other human, who hadn't spoken yet, went to the door and talked with someone just outside. "Guess it makes sense why she asked us to get off our asses and make this meeting happen. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're about to learn a lot about Human emotion, what it feels like, and how non-Jedi Humans handle it everyday." Obi-Wan frowned.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered. Billy just chuckled and accepted the bottle his Human batch mate handed him.

"Oh, it shouldn't be too bad. And honestly, you should have been learning all I and my friends are going to try and teach you since you could crawl. It's part of being Human after all."

/*/

Rae was just cleaning up from dinner when the door to her apartment chimed. Frowning faintly, she made her way to the entryway. "Obi-Wan?" she asked the drained looking Jedi.

"Rae... your classmates are brutal," he said, trudging further into the apartment. Rae stepped aside and watched as her friend collapsed on her couch with a faint moan.

"I shudder to ask but... what did they do?" she inquired.

"They... I think they though about getting me drunk," Obi-Wan answered. She quirked an eyebrow.

"They thought about getting you drunk?"

"Ended up getting me fairly close to it," Obi-Wan went on. "Then they switched from alcohol to juice and brought in an empath." Rae's eyes went wide. An empath?! Why would they need an empath? "Jal'Shalith told me exactly what the emotions I was feeling were, then went on to go through so many more emotions. He had me feel them."

"Oh dear... they forced you to learn about emotions?" Rae asked, mildly concerned. Obi-Wan nodded, his apparent exhaustion making far more sense to the young woman. "I am so sorry! I just wanted you to meet them! I didn't mean for them to stage an intervention! Emotion training is something I'm working on with both you and Anakin, but my version is far more gradual! And focused more on discipline than straight emotion," she told him. Obi-Wan sighed.

"The sentiment is appreciated... but I could do without the alcohol," he moaned. Rae laughed and sat on the floor, leaning against her couch by Obi-Wan's head.

"I'm surprised you even drank any. The aftermath of your Knighting Ceremony is hard to forget, after all," she remarked. Obi-Wan groaned at the reminder and seemed to sink a little lower into her couch.

"Don't remind me," he moaned, causing her to laugh.

"Pretty sure what you're feeling right now is embarrassment," she said, faintly amused. "So, want some tea? I get the feeling you aren't going back to the Temple for a while yet." Obi-Wan hummed in response and the bouncer/baker chuckled as she stood.

"Is tea your answer to everything?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting up and letting his feet fall to the floor, his boots making a muted thump against the thick rug Rae had placed in front of the couch.

"Not everything, but I find it helps me," she answered from the kitchen where she had set the water to boil. "In the morning, the caffeine gives me the energy to get going. After a scare, shock, or fight, the familiar motions and scents calm me down and help me relax. I generally have a cup at night to help me unwind and get to sleep easier. When I'm working on something, having a cup of tea while I work helps me focus. I also like to have a cup when I get a sore throat." Obi-Wan smiled and gave a weak chuckle, a gentle warmth in his chest as he heard her ramble on about tea while pattering around the kitchen.

"In other words: yes, tea fixes everything," he said, lightly teasing. Rae poked her head out of the kitchen and pouted at him.

"That's not what I said and you know it," she chided before vanishing back into the kitchen.

"Of course," Obi-Wan said, smirking. "I meant; yes, tea helps everything." He swiftly dodged the rag Rae threw at his head, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Are you saying that's not what you meant, my dear?" he asked. She glared for a while longer, then sighed and crossed the room to reclaim her rag.

"Fine. Tea helps the aftermath of just about everything," Rae relented with a smile.

"Is that why you kept bringing hot tea to our little meetings? After the Battle of Naboo?" Obi-Wan asked. Rae sighed.

"That... was some difficult aftermath to deal with, Obi-Wan. Even with all the brewing and baking and talking and crying I did... I'm still dealing with the fallout of that month," she said.

"You didn't even know those who died well," Obi-Wan said slowly, as though he were being careful of his tongue. She scoffed.

"When did knowledge of the stories of the dead become a prerequisite for grief, Jedi?" she asked, scathing. "Besides... I know what Qui-Gon meant to you. I know that every man, woman, and child who perished in that farce was someone's beloved, someone's other half, someone's child... and that they never returned home to their families. Just as I never returned home and never shall."

"Is this not your home?" he asked. She sighed and gave him a sad, sad, smile.

"I have called it such, but I shall never forget that I am an alien in this world. Four years is far too short to form the memories and ties of a lifetime," she told him. The kettle choose then to whistle and Rae strode off to finish preparing the tea.

/*/

Obi-Wan sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Rae had practically fled from their conversation. He was 'emotionally repressed' not blind. She had been glad for the distraction the tea provided her with. After all this time, Obi-Wan had thought they were fairly good friends and yet... He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. What was he doing? What was their relationship? Her classmates had said something about him 'having it bad' before they plied him with alcohol and an empath. What did he have bad? Somehow, he didn't think they had been talking about his emotional state at the time. The smell of Earl Gray drew him out of his thoughts as Rae held out his mug. "Earl Gray is my favorite comfort tea," she told him with a soft, but thankfully genuine, smile. "It's the one I make when I need to calm down and get my emotions in order. With the guys setting Jal'Shalith on you, I figured that was what you needed." He gave her a ghost of a smile and accepted his mug.

"Is that why your... reminder... is effecting me so strongly?" he asked. She hummed as she settled on a Meditation Pillow in front of him, slender fingers curling around the warm ceramic of her own mug, the skin around her eyes tightening slightly in thought. Obi-Wan took the time to take in her appearance. Her dark brown hair, which she generally kept up in a tight ponytail, fell loose about her face. In the past month or so since he'd seen her it had grown some and now lay against her collarbone. Her dark blue shirt was loose, likely something she'd wear to bed. Her loose, soft pants lent some credence to that theory. Four years of training at the Temple and against the Bouncers had hardened her and somewhere along the way she'd earned a few pale scars on her face and arms. Rae looked back up at him and he noticed the age and sorrow in her gray hazel eyes. What had she seen since arriving in this galaxy to give her such eyes? What was she hiding, even now?

"Perhaps. Jal'Shalith drew your emotions to the forefront. And, from what you said, he seems to have induced some as well. So... yeah. I'd say your emotional control is at an all time low and you're still new to the whole 'feeling isn't bad' thing. Your mental state can't be too good right now," Rae said, drawing Obi-Wan out of his observations. He hummed and took a sip of his cooling tea. "So... want to talk about it or sit in companionable silence while you sort yourself out?"

"I... I think meditation would do me some good," Obi-Wan said. Rae nodded and set her tea down.

"Then I'll grab a book. Be right back." She got up, then paused and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Drink your tea. It'll help," she said with a faint smirk before giving his shoulder a light squeeze and moving past him to her bedroom. Obi-Wan sighed and took another drink before claiming the pillow Rae had just vacated and taking up a meditative posture. He closed his eyes and sank into the calming eddies of the Force. It seemed to raise up to greet him, pulling him in. His awareness spread from himself to the rest of the apartment. Rae came back into the living room and reclaimed her mug before settling into the couch, one leg curled under her while the other stretched out across the length of the seat. The Force seemed to swirl and dance around her head and through her chest. Her heart, Obi-Wan realized. He didn't want to focus on his host for the moment, however intriguing the Force's interaction with her may be. Dimly, he noted that this was the first time he actually meditated around Rae. Still, he turned his focus inward. These emotions... he really needed to sort them out. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no death, there is the Force. There is no emotion, there is peace. No emotion, there is peace. No emotion... Rae stifled a laugh and Obi-Wan's attention shifted back to her. He could see her form in shades of blue and gray, the Force swirling and dancing around and through her in bright strands. The Force dancing around her head was bright and gleeful while the currents swirling through her heart were light and almost playful. He reached out toward them and felt amusement and happiness. Drawing back slightly, the emotions dulled, yet lingered. The current around her head diverged and swirled through him, including him in the dance. Flashes of unfamiliar people and place filled his mind's eye before it shifted and he saw himself, sitting on Rae's pillow with a small smile on his face. Suddenly, the lingering emotions he felt from Rae strengthened, though now he felt... fond sorrow? The Force retreated and Obi-Wan pondered what it was trying to show him.

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no death, there is the Force," he breathed. The Force swirled in... agitation? Words in an unfamiliar voice filled his mind.

"A Jedi does not act for personal power or wealth but seeks knowledge and enlightenment. A Jedi never acts from hatred, anger, fear, or aggression but acts when calm and at peace with the Force. Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use the powers to defend and to protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect life, in any form. Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training." He pondered these words. They did not contradict the Code he had learned by heart, merely added to it. Why would the Force tell him this?

"Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity, Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force," he heard Rae say softly, though he wasn't sure if he heard her with his ears or through the Force. "I like that version of the Jedi Code better, as it does not cut you off from a part of yourself. I am emotional, yet I have peace. I am ignorant, yet I have knowledge. I am passionate, yet I can find serenity. The world is chaotic, yet there is harmony. Everyone dies, yet there is the Force." Obi-Wan hummed. He could understand, in part, what she was getting at but something was keeping him from fully grasping it. A deep breath, relax. He needed to stop thinking so much and just... be. The Force swirled with unknowable energy and Obi-Wan found it made him restless. Releasing his meditative state, he opened his eyes and reached once more for his tea. He hummed in displeasure at discovering it had gone cold. "Three chapters... Yeah, not surprised your tea went cold, Obi," Rae remarked dryly. This time, he knew she was actually speaking. He looked up and saw a teasing glare on her face. He smiled faintly and drank his cold tea.

"Perhaps I like it better that way," he remarked. Rae quirked an eyebrow.

"So... You get your head squared away?" she asked. He sighed and uncurled his legs.

"Not really. The Force is... restless. I focused on the Code in an attempt to quiet my thoughts, but then..." he trailed off and shook his head. Rae hummed and set her book aside.

"What did the Force tell you?" she asked. Obi-Wan told her what he'd heard and she sat back with a thoughtful noise, blue-green eyes darkening with thought as they drifted half closed, gazing unseeingly at the rug. Her legs were drawn up under her now, crossed at the ankle, while her chin rested in her right hand. "Well... I can agree with the... let's call them tenets, more than I can with the standard Code. Only the Creator knows all, so that makes 'there is no ignorance, there is knowledge' false. I simply don't agree to a life without any kind of passion. I believe I've made my opinions clear on the 'there is no emotion' line. Death and the Force... that one I'll let go because I have no real issue with it."

"Yes, you've certainly made your views on the Jedi Code quite clear," Obi-Wan remarked with a smile. Rae huffed and went to take a drink of her tea... only to scowl at her mug.

"Well. It's getting late. Anakin will start to worry. Call and tell him you're staying the night," she said, standing with her mug. Obi-Wan blinked and looked at the clock on her end table. He winced at the hour and stood as well. Reaching for his mug he blinked to find it gone. Shaking his head, Obi-Wan moved to the kitchen and leaned around the door frame.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Rae," he said. She nodded from the sink where she was already washing their mugs.

"I expect you and Anakin for Sunday Dinner next week," she informed him. Smirking, Obi-Wan promised to be there and set about pulling out the couch-bed. "There's some sleepclothes for you in the hall closet! Above the towels! Feel free to take a shower too, you seem like you need it!" Rae called after him. He blinked but re-routed to the hall closet and sure enough, there were two sets of sleep and under clothes sitting on the top shelf. He pulled down one and found that they were in Anakin's size.

"Aren't you prepared," he remarked, earning himself a laugh from Rae.

"Always be ready for the unexpected and you can fool the world into believing you'd anticipated just such an occasion," she said as she brushed past him with a smirk. He chuckled and shook his head, accepting her words of wisdom.

/*/

Rae sighed as she heard the 'fresher click on. "Those idiots, forcing emotion on my Jedi like that. Who do they think they are?" she muttered, pulling off her work shirt. She shook her head and put her grumblings aside for the time being. All the same, as she lay in bed, waiting for sleep to claim her, she couldn't help plotting. The first meeting of her Jedi and her classmates might have gone side ways, but she did want them all to get along. So, logically, she was going to have to monitor their interactions next time. Of course, it wouldn't be Obi-Wan's fault if he got the time wrong and Rae was left with her 'mates for the first... half hour? Maybe more? Besides~! She was rediscovering her interest in fighting, her 'mates were guards, it wouldn't be unusual for them to greet each other with a spar now would it? Plan made, she fell asleep with a decidedly dangerous smirk on her face.

/?/

A/N: This... This spiraled way out of control. I had meant for it to be lighthearted and funny and just a bunch of guys gossiping about a mutual acquaintance and then... this! Empaths and Force baseball-bats-to-the-head and a brush with PTSD! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Fun fact though, my friends to tease me about having a tea addiction. Of course, I'm one of three 'tea snobs' in the group so... it's all in good fun.