A/N: What's up my dear friends?
How's your week going?
In case no one has told you today I just wanted to say, you are awesome and you deserve all the happiness in the world, I love you all!
On to the chapter!
Chapter 7: Discussions.
They sat and talked by the pond in the garden for a long time. When it started to get dark the finally decided it was time to go back to their room.
"You were gone for a long time." Waxer smirked and wiggled his eyebrow when they walked through the door.
"What? You jealous?" Cody asked and then blushed when his brain caught up to his mouth.
"A little bit, yeah." Waxer slowly looked Obi-Wan up and down. Obi-Wan, of course saw the teasing glint in his eyes and just shook his head at the man.
Before Cody could even think about a retort Boil had hit Waxer over the back of the head with a quiet but fond "Idiot."
"Have you two eaten yet?" Bones asked coming up to them.
"Not yet." Cody answered for them both.
"Come on then, we ate around an hour ago but we saved some for you." He showed them to the kitchen that was through a mostly hidden door to the right.
"You should try the meaty bun things." Crys indicated towards a plate on the table. "They are absolutely delicious."
Obi-Wan and Cody sat down and started to eat and after a while the rest of the vod joined them at the table. They started to talk about what they had done that day. According to Waxer the funniest thing that had happened was Novat, the young man that had helped in the healing ritual, flirting quite heavily with Bones.
"And Bones just stood there looking awkward, not knowing what to do." Waxer crowed loudly.
"It's not that funny Waxer." Bones deadpanned but you could see in his eyes that Waxers next medical check up would be a very thorough, unpleasant one.
"Oh yes it was. Longshot had to come and save you." Waxer smiled.
"Smile any bigger and your face will split in half." Bones grunted.
Before the teasing could continue there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Oddball jumped up.
"General, Commander, Satara would like to speak with you, privately." Oddball informed them seriously when he came back.
"About what?" Obi-Wan asked.
"She didn't say but she's waiting by the door." Oddball shrugged.
"Well, lets go se what she wants." Cody got up from the table after he finished chewing.
"Satara how can we help you?" Obi-Wan kindly asks. "Is there something wrong?"
"Its more of what I might do for you, but let us talk over here." Satara led them to a small office at the end of the corridor.
"What's this about?" Cody asked once they sat down around the table in the office.
"Two things: First I must apologize." Satara said. "I stumbled upon you both in the Shesa Garden and I watched you for a while."
"No need to apologize for something like that." Obi-Wan smiled with a headshake.
"And the second thing?" Cody wondered.
"When I saw you two in the garden you looked so happy and the mikoda around you was bright with the love you have fore each other, it was beautiful." Satara positively beamed.
"Thank you but why did you want to talk about that in private?" Obi-Wan asked with a blush dusting his cheeks.
"The private questions comes now and the answer to the first determine the other." Satara leaned forward. "Are you two married?"
"No, we are not." Cody lamented and both Obi-Wan and Satara could sense his sadness through the force. "I have thought about it and have wanted to ask but I've never been able to work up the nerve."
"Is marriage something you both would want?" Satara asked sensing Obi-Wan bewildered happiness at Codys confession.
"Yes." Cody declared strongly looking Obi-Wan in the eyes.
"Definitely." Obi-Wan smiled back at Cody, who's whole face lit up with happiness.
"You probably have your own traditions but I would like to offer you the opportunity to have a ceremony here on Astoria." Satara offered with a grin.
"How does an Astorian ceremony work and what is required?" Obi-Wan asked after having a silent conversation with Cody.
"We call it a Nixia Liin, Soul Binding, and it just requires two cloth bands in two different colors and an officiator to lead the proceedings." Satara explained. "One of the colors on the cloth bands should represent the first of the ones bonding and the other band should represent the second."
"Who would lead the ceremony and can there be witnesses?" Cody asked.
"Most of the time we make a party of it so if you want, we can have the ceremony tomorrow at high-meal, that way your vod can be there and after the partying have died down the shuttle should be ready to depart. And I would be honored if you would let me lead the ceremony." Satara offered humbly.
"Can we work in our own words in the ceremony?" Cody wondered.
"Of course! The ceremony works like this: you will stand facing each other and clasp each other's left hands, because that's the hand that holds the heart, I will then take both cloth bands and wrap them around your clasped hands, this is where we can work in your own words into it, after you've said your words I will tie the cloth bands together while asking the mikoda to bless your union, the bands will then glow and sink in to your skin creating the binding marks that to everyone else will look like black shimmering tattoos." Satara told them.
"Soul bonding sounds beautiful." Obi-Wan hummed.
"Yes, it does, but I must warn you, it is quite literal. You will bond your souls together and if one of you dies the other will feel like they are being ripped in two and then there will always be the feeling of missing half of yourself." Satara cautioned them.
"I can't ask you do to this Obi-Wan." Cady said sadly and then continued when Obi-Wan tried to interrupt. "We both know that for most of the Republic I am replaceable and just a clone. I do not want you to have to live with the feeling of not being whole."
"I love you Cody, more then I can put into words and even if we don't soul bond, I will still feel like I've lost half of myself should you die." Obi-Wan squeezed Codys hand.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cody asked him.
"I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life." Obi-Wan vowed.
"We would be honored if we could have an Astorian ceremony tomorrow at high-meal." Cody bowed his head towards Satara.
"I will have everything prepared for tomorrow and around an hour before high-meal I will send someone to come get you both. This is going to be amazing!" Satara squealed.
They stayed in the office with Satara for a few more hours to plan for the ceremony. One of the most important things they decided was the color of the cloth bands they would need, ocean green to represent Obi-Wan and 212th gold to represent Cody, Obi-Wan could feel the butterflies in his stomach and he couldn't stop smiling.
On the way back to their room Obi-Wan and Cody decided to not tell the others about tomorrow and leave it as a surprise.
"What took you so long and what did Satara want?" Was the first thing they heard as soon as they stepped through the door.
"She just wanted help to plan for tomorrow, that's all." Obi-Wan explained, technically it wasn't a lie. "We have also been invited to a ceremony/party tomorrow at high-meal and I said we all would be there."
As they sat around the coffee table with Obi-Wan leaning against Cody, he remarked quietly to himself on how he'd never been this happy before and he couldn't wait for tomorrow. No matter what the future brought, with Cody by his side and in his life, he would always have something to fight fore.
'The thing about love leading to the dark side is complete bullshit.' He thought and cuddled closer to Cody.
A/N: Chapter is done and there seems to be love in the air!
Until next time
XOXO
RL