A/N: If any of you are interested in how Eeth fares with his first padawan, Lakhri: two stories on this has just been uploaded to the author profile of Livia Yoran. The first of them is called "Gratitude" and takes place a bit more than a year after Eeth has taken Lakhri as a padawan. The corporal punishment it contains is comparatively light, by Eeth's standards, and it contains some comfort and character development, if you're looking for that kind of thing. ;) The second is called "Bravado" and takes place when Lakhri is 22. The corporal punishment in this is rather harsh but there's also some bonding. Enough advertising. Now enjoy reading this chapter in which Eden gets his comeuppance for the unauthorised boat ride!
When the sky had just begun to brighten, Eeth shook the boys awake. It was early and they needed to get a move on, "Get up," he said. "We really should get going. And maybe take a quick swim to get clean before we leave."
"Master, please," Eden groaned; he was still half asleep. He woke fast, though, as Eeth gave him a slightly firmer shake. For a moment, he did not remember where he was. Then Eeth's Force presence and his face came into semi-focus, and the past few days flashed through his mind. Eeth, Ellis and himself were camped out on a stretch of coast somewhere between their landing point of B'tik and the northern end of Taktaw where they were hoping to find some cryonic acid. The boy's eyes widened very slightly when he realised what he'd said. Quickly, he shook off the fogginess of sleep and got to his feet. "I was having a weird dream about being taken hostage by slavers. They were forcing me to work," he offered in way of explanation for the term of address he had used with Eeth. He gave Elis a grin and looked up at Eeth. "Probably some truth to that this trip." Not wanting to press his luck so early on in the day, he quickly went about doing as he had been instructed, helping to pack the boat and cleaning up after themselves so as not to leave anything that might be harmful to the environment or its local inhabitants.
Fortunately, If Elis thought anything of Eden's slip, he didn't let on. They had a quick breakfast of goya nuts and energy bars. Then Eeth insisted they take a swim, which Elis, after having grumbled a bit, realised was just the thing he needed after having sat still inside a waterproof jacket for most of yesterday. He felt wonderfully refreshed after that and ready for the rest of the trip.
They left shortly thereafter, speeding along the coast. Less than one and a half hours later, the building site came into view. Eeth steered the boat towards a jetty where a supervisor came to meet them. He had been expecting Elis and promised to bring the boy to the distant relation who was going to look after him and see to it that he got settled into his new work.
"Bye, Eden," Elis said cheerfully. "Bye, Eeth. Hope you find your cryonic acid!"
"Goodbye, Elis. I was glad to have met you," Eden replied. He had honestly been happy to spend time with the teen. He was fun despite the trouble they had gotten themselves into. He found himself briefly wondering if – unlike himself – Elis would have the option to forego telling Leif or his caretakers about their boat ride. He kind of hoped he did. They'd both gotten the backsides paddled off of them for it, after all, or so Eden would claim. Oh well, no point focusing on the future when his attention ought to be here.
According to Elis' supervisor, they would be able to find what they were looking for in the central hub area. It was a small gathering of machinery and parts shops that had been constructed solely to service the build, and stood out like bantha balls in comparison to the other village shops. Eden took a quick look around and then glanced up at Eeth, waiting for instructions.
Eeth nodded for Eden to follow him and made for the most promising-looking shop. To his pleasant surprise, it offered large stores of cryonic acid at a moderate price. Up until now, it had started to seem as if nothing was going right on this mission; finally, it seemed as if things were working out. Eeth purchased two vats and payed for them. Then he told Eden: "I will see about transporting them back to the boat. Could you buy us some provisions for the ride back? Enough to last us for two days, maybe with a reserve."
"I can," Eden replied and pocketed the credits Eeth gave him. They did not have a lot left, nor did they have infinite space in their packs, so he shopped around. First, he went to a small hut that smelled of smoked meats and bought several long strips of salted fish. The store owner thought him handicapped thanks to his eyes and thrown in an extra piece for free. Eden was about to object, but he really could use the extra food. He was always starving, after all, and Eeth had eaten roughly the same amount as he during this part of their journey. He thanked the woman for her kindness and made his way to the next line of stores. Given that the vendors came from a nearby fishing village, it was mostly fish, grains and a lot of fruit. There was also a small amount of meats available, especially some sort of roasted fowl which looked too delicious to pass up.
When he returned to Eeth an hour later, he had gotten quite a selection. "Salted fish, dried fruits, fresh roasted, uh, I think it's a bird of some sort, a packet of tea, a bag of nuts and a large chunk of dense, thick bread. That should feed me. What are you going to do, though?" he joked.
Eeth raised his eyebrows. He recognised the joke, but he never knew how to deal with jokes, so he usually pretended they did not exist.
"If we are fortunate," he said drily, "we will find more goya nuts on the way back. Else, we will have to catch fish or go hungry."
By now Eden half expected his humour to fall flat and just gave a small snort when it did.
It was not even noon by now. Eeth saw some workers passing by the jetty with what looked like thin stuffed loaves of bread. He looked for the food stall where they had bought them and found that they were inexpensive, so he bought two. Returning to the boat, he handed one to Eden. "Let us eat this and have a drink," he said. "After that, we will set off." The bread wraps turned out to contain chunks of fish, decorated with a sprinkle of something greenish that was spicy-hot. Eeth rather liked it; he often found human food too bland for his Zabrak taste buds.
"S' HOoodt!" complained Eden. He had his mouth open, tongue hanging out as he fanned it with his hand. That green stuff was hot and not something he was used to, not that he cared; the kid would eat absolutely anything.
The day was starting to heat up by now. So far, their trip had been anything but straightforward. They'd been forced to make an emergency landing in the Niwago islands, worked their way from Mauwag to B'tik on a long-haul ship, talked their way into renting a speedboat and picked up an unlikely passenger to ferry into Taktaw. Now they were looking to make the return journey. Eden wrinkled his nose. This was turning into a bit of an adventure, and if he were honest with himself, he would much rather be out doing something like this than heading back to the Temple where he would be lumped with a bunch of school again.
Eeth, however, was adamant about leaving this planet at the earliest opportunity. He had tried to gather some information on events in the capital, but what he had heard was rather sketchy. Apparently, the situation was deteriorating and there was fighting in the streets. It was definitely a good thing to have removed Eden from the capital area, even if they were still stuck on Antaeus.
He ordered Eden back into the boat and switched the motor on. It occurred to him that there really might be time to let Eden drive for a while and teach him something about boats and currents, but he decided to postpone that until after Eden had taken his punishment for driving said boat unauthorised. Anything else seemed too much like rewarding the boy for bad behaviour.
"Can I drive?" Eden asked when the same thing occurred to him. They had been travelling for a couple of hours now, and the kid was getting bored. It was also at the point where they were almost out of the calmer waters and into the more choppy sea; the wind would pick up, and the boat would become more difficult to control. He knew there was more chance that Eeth would let him drive it now, then in another couple of hours in the rougher oceans.
"Not today, no," Eeth replied. He wanted to make the most of the afternoon; that way, they might leave the rough waters behind themselves by late afternoon and would not have a full day's trip left for tomorrow. Eden would get to drive then, but Eeth was not going to tell him that now. He presumed that this trip was rather boring to the boy, especially since he had no company now, but that could not be helped.
He revved up the engine and steered the boat out into the sea, both to cut a cross a large bay and to avoid rock clusters that lined the shore for the next dozen kilometers or so.
"Why not?" Eden asked plainly. Sure, it was a tad brazen of him to ask after yesterday's joyride, but he was bored.
"One, because the sea is too rough for a beginner along this stretch of coast, and two, because you do not deserve to be rewarded for your poor behaviour yesterday," Eeth yelled against the sound of the wind and splashing waves.
Eden wore his best fart face at hearing those reasons, but that was the extent of his retaliation. Besides, it was hard to talk, and any well-constructed arguments about how he'd already been punished would lose weight if only half of it were heard! He sat there for another hour or so without a word; then the seas started seriously picking up. Water was spraying up in sheets from the bow and subsequently slowly filling their boat. Eeth ordered him to get the bilge pump which was stowed under a seat. He didn't have a clue what he was doing, but with instructions, he managed to operate the pump and keep them from sinking while Eeth steered them on.
The sea was decidedly choppier than it had been yesterday. Eeth decided that he needed to move the boat further inland, despite the rocks; he would just have to rely on his sense of the Force to avoid them. At least, there was no non-Jedi here to witness this today.
"Brace yourself," he told Eden and made an about-turn. He headed for the shore, keeping the boat at a sharp angle to the waves in order to take on as little water as possible, closed his eyes and entered a light meditative trance, steering on what his instincts told him. The boat swerved and curved, tilting from side to side; but the rocks offered protection from waves and they stopped catching water.
Finally, towards the late afternoon, they reached a bay that Eeth remembered having passed yesterday in the early afternoon. If they landed here, they would be sure to manage the remainder of the trip comfortably tomorrow. Eeth steered into the bay and looked for a place to land. He told Eden: "Pump out the remaining water, please. I'll find us a place to spend the night."
"Aye aye, captain," the boy replied, offering a mock salute. By now, he kind of knew Eeth lacked a sense of humour, and if he did have one, well, it was very different from his own.
It took Eeth a while until he found a good place to land because the water was so rough and he needed some kind of shelter for the boat. Finally, he found a small alcove surrounded by reeds. He drove the boat as far into the reeds as he could, jumped out and hacked his way through them, creating a path to the beach. Then he returned to the boat. Eden, he could see, was nearing the point of exhaustion, but he was doggedly continuing the work he had been told to do.
"You may get out," Eeth told him, taking over the pump. "I will finish up here. If you like, take the blankets and the food and find us a good place to spend the night. There should be enough firewood at the edge of the beach to heat some of our food and make tea. I will be with you as soon as I have emptied the bilge."
"Thank you." It was heartfelt, too. The boy's arms were burning, and he was sore, itchy and uncomfortable from all the salt water. It had somehow crusted on the inside of his tunic and was sticking to the tiny hairs on his back, making him feel all icky. He jumped out of the boat, using the Force to well and truly clear the small waves lapping at the shoreline. It was still an hour or so until dark, so Eden removed his lightsaber, clipped it to his belt, shouldered his pack and took off into the tree line.
Twenty-five minutes later he had found an oasis, of sorts. Well, it was hotter than the surface of Mustafar, but the water was fresh and, according to the scanner he had taken from Eeth's pack before leaving the boat, drinkable. He was not sure about the heat, though. It seemed to be coming from the ground rather than the sun. Still, it provided what they needed so he ran back to the boat, eager to convey what he had found.
Eeth had finished by that time and tied up the boat securely. He gathered the remains of their luggage and equipment and started to make his way towards where Eden had gone when the boy came running back to him.
Just like Eden, he noticed the unusual heat immediately. These islands were on the planet's equator, meaning that the temperature did not generally vary much. Frowning, he reached out with the Force and discovered a high amount of volcanic activity. There did not seem to be any immediate danger, though. "We could take a bath here," he proposed, "and then take some drinking water back to the beach. The sun will set soon, and it will be cooler and more comfortable there. What do you think?"
"I think that's the best idea you've come up with since we last ate," the boy agreed, a huge smile on his face as he pulled the water canister from his pack and clipped it to his belt.
It was not exactly comfortable. It was muggy. The canopy of trees seemed to hold in the heat and walking with a water bottle, with his lightsaber clanging against his legs, was annoying. He endured. "We might not even need a shelter; it doesn't look like there is rain around and, the beach seems free from predators, and it's freaking hot enough. Oh, did I tell you about goar sharks? Well..." He started to explain what Elis had told him as they filled their canteens.
Eeth nodded. "That should not be a concern to us on the beach," he said as he pulled off his shirt. They were both covered in crusts of dried salt and needed to wash it off. The water in the small lake was warm and a little muddy, but it was better than nothing.
"Let us take a path through these rocks," Eeth said, pointing at a hill to their right as they made to return to the beach a little later, laden with water-filled canteens. "It looks as if there might be a source of fresh water, which might be better than the one from the lake. If not, we will have to make do with what we've got."
Eden shrugged. He did not particularly mind exploring, although it was really, really hot here. He followed Eeth through the growth and noticed there were some worn paths, possibly made by animals making a regular visit to a particular spot.
Eeth started gathering firewood while they climbed across the rocky hillside. It was cooler than the oasis, and it held several sandy dips. Eeth's scanner also showed water in the vicinity; and indeed, a small trickle of sweet water came down one of the rocks. Eeth tested it, and when the test showed that it was drinkable, tasted it. "A little metallic, but cooler and less muddy than the water from the oasis," he said. "I will leave it up to you which one you prefer to drink. It might take a while to fill a flask from this source." He looked around himself. The sun was just setting, and darkness would soon settle over the rocks. They were in one of the sandy dips between the rocks, with a view of the beach and their boat. "I think," he said, "we should simply stay here for the night and go down to the beach tomorrow morning. This place is safe from the rising tide, and we will have running water at our disposal." Besides, being from a desert species, deep down he felt that he had had enough of the sea for one day, but Eden did not need to know that.
The water Eeth had found was indeed clearer than that which they had in their canteens, and Eden didn't mind the taste. He stood by the trickle for about five minutes taking a long drink. Then he turned to admire the view. It was indeed a wonderful sight. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting an orange and purplish glow on the ocean. Their boat was bobbing around gently by the bunch of reeds Eeth had tethered it to, but it wasn't in danger of floating away. "I haven't seen anything like that before," the kid remarked, pausing for longer than most eleven-year-olds. Having been raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, he had seen such things only on holos. He sat next to Eeth, watching as the man started to stack the firewood in a tipi style, pitching each stick against the other. "Can I do something?" He was tired but didn't want to leave everything to Eeth.
Eeth gave him a brief smile, pleased with the boy's willingness to help despite his obvious fatigue. "You could unpack our food and help me prepare some dinner," he said.
Eden did his best to put something edible together. Personally, he didn't care as he'd have eaten anything.
A little while later, they were eating an assortment of the things Eden had purchased, with some left for breakfast next morning, and drinking tea. Eeth waited patiently until Eden had finished, then leaned back against a rock and said: "Now tell me, padawan Eden. What made you think that it might be acceptable to take the boat and drive it while I was away?"
"Please, do we have to go over this again? You already beat my ass with a paddle and refused to allow me any fun. What more do you want from me? I said I was sorry already." Eden got to a kneeling position, hoping that his show of contrition and tired out expression would convince Eeth to just let this one go.
Eeth raised his eyebrows.
"You were disobedient, irresponsible, you used a very expensive borrowed boat of which I had been put in charge, behind my back, and you think a dozen swats with the paddle are sufficient response to this?" he asked. "Is that what your master would think as well?"
Much to Eden's consternation, Eeth was not buying his efforts, so he sat back on his heels and huffed. Did he think Eeth's response sufficient? Well, yeah; the paddling had hurt him, after all. Besides, he was still in the bad books as Eeth had not let him drive the boat either. Unfortunately, Eden knew that his own master would have probably done a lot worse and so he was forced to acquiesce at Eeth's second question. "No, Sir. However, it was enough for Elis, and he's years older than I am." Of course, Eden had a feeling how this response was going to be answered. His master had often told him that the Jedi were held to higher standards and why that was. Eeth was new, though, so Eden thought it worth a shot. Deserved or not, he did not want his ass handed to him again. It was to be avoided at all costs which was what made it an effective deterrent for most apprentices. Apparently, he hadn't been thinking along those lines when he made the decision to take the boat with Elis.
"Elis," Eeth said sternly, "is not in my charge. You are. My only concern with Elis was to get him to behave until our arrival. With you, it is different. You are raised to become a Jedi Knight, and you will need to learn that disobedience, impulsive behaviour and recklessness are unacceptable. Even at eleven years of age, you are expected to show more of a sense of responsibility than you did yesterday. I would have much preferred to deal with it there and then, but I thought you might appreciate it if you did not have Elis around for an audience. Or shall I dispense with such niceties in the future, if there is a future occasion on which this matters?"
Eden had expected that response. He had not expected to hear Eeth would have truly gone to town on him had Elis not been there. How he would have sat in the boat after that, he did not know. He assumed that, like his master never tired of reminding him, he would be expected to endure far worse things in his chosen career than a sore ass. "No. It was embarrassing enough as it was," he replied after a lengthy pause. He wasn't eager to reach the business end of this conversation, so he added: "The truth is, had I been alone, I wouldn't have even thought to do it. I was hoping you wouldn't catch us; then there would have been no harm done." Eden looked down again. Suddenly the fabric of his trousers was fascinating. He knew that last statement was not entirely true because the guilt of disobeying would have bothered him.
"Except for the fact that you had no way of knowing whether Elis knew what he was doing with that boat," Eeth snapped. "And had something gone wrong with the boat, we would have had a number of problems. Serious problems. We are trying to get our ship back to working order, padawan Eden. This is no child's play." He pushed himself up to sit on a rock. "Bare your bottom and come here," he ordered.
Eden tracked Eeth's movements, then swallowed as the knight settled himself on the rock. No, their mission was not child's play, but, Jedi apprentice or not, Eden was still a child, and sometimes he struggled with his control. Now was one such time. The boy let out a frustrated grunt and punched at the ground with his fist. He sat there for a moment, brooding, his arms folded tightly about his chest. Then, realising that he probably wasn't doing himself any favours, he grudgingly stood and dragged his feet to the man's side. He did not want to put his ass anywhere near Eeth, but it didn't look like the man was giving him an option because the moment he had his bottom bared, Eeth pulled him down and over his lap.
Eeth pulled out his paddle and started swatting his bottom with it. Since Eden was human and this was only the prelude, he restrained himself, making the swats relatively light; but there were a lot of them. He wanted this experience to sink in.
"Ow, OW owww! Ah!" The boy hissed each objection through gritted teeth. It stung. He was now certain that this paddle was carved from a firethorn tree; it was just horrible. His muscles tensed, his face scrunched up and eventually, he started kicking his feet on the ground.
Unperturbed by Eden's struggles, Eeth continued to spank. And spank. And spank. This had been serious misbehaviour, and he wanted Eden to realise that, as fully and completely as he possibly could. Therefore, he had no intention of leaving Eden's dignity intact.
That Eeth was still nailing him with that paddle after what felt like an hour made the level of his displeasure crystal clear to Eden; it hurt! He tried to keep from struggling, really he did, but it hurt so much there wasn't anything he could do to stop himself. He kicked frantically, arched his back and tried to twist his way free. When none of that worked he resorted to his last remaining option, begging! "Please, OwwAH! I'm sorreee! plee-OWahh-lease! Oww!" he begged. When nothing seemed to work, he dropped his head and cried.
It was at this point that Eeth finally dropped the paddle. But only to open his belt with his right while his left was still holding Eden securely across his lap. This was a punishment for a serious offence, after all, and he wanted no doubts left about that fact.
When Eeth finally stopped, Eden had broken out in a sweat from both the pain and his efforts to struggle out of Eeth's grip. It had been exhausting, and he knew it was not nearly over yet. He lay limply, his tears stinging his eyes and running into his mouth. The boy spat it to the ground, twisting his neck so he could wipe his nose on his shirt sleeve. He did not move when Eeth went for his belt; he knew he had that coming. He wanted badly to draw on the Force to help him block out the next few minutes but, and like all Jedi apprentices, he knew to do so would probably earn him more. "I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry," he tried. It was heartfelt, too, as there was nothing like the threat of a belting to bring out remorse, regret and genuine contrition.
Not deigning to respond, Eeth folded the belt over and brought it down onto Eden's bottom at moderate force; but then, his belt was thick, wide and heavy and did not need to be wielded with much force in order to leave an impression, especially not on an already thoroughly paddled bottom. Tightening his grip around Eden's waist, he systematically laid down twelve stripes, one right below the other. He was aware that the boy was in considerable pain, but that, in his opinion, was rather the point and entirely Eden's own fault.
The sounds that emanated from the kid were deafening and would have surely scared off the wildlife within a kilometre radius. He kicked and struggled, doing his best to escape the next swat but they just kept coming. By the time Eeth meted out the tenth, all the fight had left him, and he lay limp and howled. At this point, Eden was sure that he had never caught it this badly before, just as he was certain that he was never going to disobey another order as long as he lived.
Unperturbed by Eden's reactions, Eeth completed the dozen. It simply felt right to him to do so. When that was done, he dropped the belt on top of the paddle. He was not entirely sure how to proceed from here, though. When his master had punished him, he had always withdrawn to his room for a while to regain his composure before he had approached her again. That was not possible here, and Eeth was not sure whether this was what Eden wanted either. He rested his hand on the boy's back and waited for some sign of what he might expect from him.
Having his ass whaled off in the middle of nowhere had not been among Eden's finest of moments; he was decidedly unhappy and feeling rather sorry for himself. He lay there for a while, unable to do much more than cry. When he started to regain his composure, he registered the hand on his back. Jay always comforted him after punishment, but so far, Eeth had not given him the impression that he was willing to do that. So it was that the boy pushed himself up, knelt gingerly on his heels and met the man with tear filled eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry," he managed to stutter out while dragging a sleeve under his nose.
True to his resolution, the last time he had punished Eden, Eeth had remembered to pocket a couple of handkerchiefs; he produced one and handed it to the boy. "I accept your apology," he said a little stiffly, but sincerely, and briefly rested a hand on Eden's shoulder. "And I trust there will be no more such pointless disobedience during this mission." Truth be told, Eeth had a hard time understanding what drove youngsters to display such behaviour. It was not that he himself had never disobeyed his master; but he had never done so just in order to have fun or to do something that seemed as if it would be more enjoyable than what he had been told to do. In theory, from his experience with other Jedi children and adolescents, he understood what had motivated Eden, but he still found it difficult to grasp.
The handkerchief was a surprise, and Eden accepted it gratefully. His face was a train wreck, covered in snot and tears. And as if that was not bad enough, sand was sticking to it all and making a bigger mess. The kid cleaned himself up, one hand rubbing lightly at his backside as he did so. The skin was hot to the touch, and he could feel a number of welts, some that were still raising and some that were worse than others. The ones that had nailed his under curve felt the worst. He traced the outline of one and started sniffling again, his head down. What was his master going to say about all of this? Jay would be disappointed that he'd put his want for fun before his duty; this caused another sniffle. Eden missed his master now more than ever. Not thinking about anything more than his own needs, he moved forward on his knees and wrapped his arms around Eeth, burying his head into his chest; he wanted the comfort.
Eeth was rather horrified to suddenly find a teenager hugging him. He was not so much worried about the snot and tears; his clothes had seen worse on many occasions. It was more the emotional need that he saw in the boy and sensed from him that overwhelmed him. He was not sure he was equipped to deal with it. On the other hand, he was never one to shirk his duty, and his master had taught him to recognise duties of this type when they stared him in the face.
Eeth tentatively rested a hand on Eden's back and patted it a little awkwardly. "You are forgiven," he said, as gently as he could. "I will provide some healing a little later. And I am sure we will be on our way back to Coruscant soon."
Given that Eeth was not telegraphing his discomfort, and was well able to maintain his personal shields, Eden did not detect his unease. He did, however, pick up on the slightly awkward way in which his hand rested on his back. It was a little robotic. Well, it wasn't the comfort Jay would have offered, but then again, Eeth wasn't Jay. Thus, Eden stayed there for a little while longer until he had managed to compose himself. Then he withdrew to kneel once again. He twisted to assess the state of his backside because if it looked anything like it felt, he was sure there was going to be blood and everything. There wasn't. Eden was almost disappointed. He had expected some horrific battle wounds from such an encounter, but apparently, it was not to be. "Ow," he complained, his eyes squinting for a moment as he rose to his feet. "Can I just go to bed, please?" he asked.
"First, I want you to meditate for half an hour," Eeth said firmly.
"Meditate?" Was he serious? One look at the man's expression said that he was. "But… I don't know if I can," Eden replied honestly. Sure, his mental discipline was high compared to that of his peers, but then again, his ass was also very sore.
"I am sure you can," Eeth said evenly. "I am equally sure that you will not find it easy to accomplish, but that is quite different from not being able to. After that, I will offer sufficient healing to allow you to go to sleep - and to make it through the boat ride tomorrow. If there is no further trouble and the sea is calm enough, I might teach you how to drive the boat." He had not actually planned on announcing this, but somehow, it had slipped out. This slightly annoyed Eeth because he was not usually the type to have information slip out that he had not intended to make public; but on the other hand, it was not as if there was any harm done, he told himself.
"You will?" It was rhetorical, and Eden did not expect an answer. That Eeth was even considering it meant he was back in his good books, or so he assumed. It also meant that he had something to look forward to and that helped the kid to focus on the positives and not the immediately painful negative. He bundled his trousers to protect his knees from the sand and dirt and then knelt to do as he was told. It was hard, very hard, but eventually, he managed to take his mind off the fire raging across his ass and focus on releasing his emotions into the Force. This was something he was not overly proficient at just yet. His master had been focusing on his flaws as opposed to his strengths and it was a struggle. He had not thought to set his watch this time so when Eeth placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing him from his trance, he was grateful.
"Get ready for bed and lie down," Eeth said softly. "I will heal your bottom, and then you can go to sleep."
They did not need to leave excessively early the next morning. Eeth was not exactly planning on sleeping in, but he would not wake Eden at the crack of dawn either. There was more than enough time to reach their destination by nightfall, boat driving lessons included.
Eden nodded at the instructions and took off his shirt, swapping it out for a singlet. Then he grabbed a pair of sleep pants from his pack and pulled them up. Carefully. He had brought a change of clothing which he was grateful for now since his trousers were filthy, as was his shirt. At least he would have clean clothing to change into tomorrow which would go a way to making him feel more comfortable. It did not take him long to roll out the small mat that he had coiled and hanging from the base of his pack. It was just thick enough to be practical and would be far better than sleeping on the ground. Once he was lying down, he dropped his head onto his forearms and waited. He wanted badly to ask why Eeth was such a hard-ass, but instead settled on: "Have you always been this rigid?" The knight had said very little about himself since they had met, which was also something Eden had noticed.
Eeth paused at that, unsure how to respond. That was partly because he was not certain what it was exactly that Eden was getting at. Nothing he had done during this mission struck him as particularly unusual. "What do you mean by 'rigid'?" he asked.
"You know, a hard-ass? So strict and all. If I were your padawan, I'd probably never sit down," Eden elaborated. He was not entirely sure it was such a smart idea to bring this up while the man was healing his ass, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
"I am sure you would," Eeth said drily, the idea of having a padawan seeming quite far-fetched to him. "I am currently healing you, after all. Do you think I am excessively strict? Would your master have handled anything differently from what I did, then?" He was really wondering. In his experience, Jedi padawans were generally being held to high standards, and transgressions were not normally tolerated. Had he really been so much stricter than the average Jedi?
"Jay would have done the same," Eden admitted, leaving out the fact that his master never healed a punishment. What Eden was noticing but had yet to put his finger on was the man's lack of humour, affection and his stoic personality which, overall, made him seem 'stiff.' He shrugged and looked over his shoulder. "He is not going to be happy with me if he finds out that I caused problems. What are the chances of keeping that between us?" he hedged.
"None whatsoever," Eeth replied bluntly. "But I will also tell him about the punishments you received at my hand. Does he usually punish you a second time when you have been punished by someone else?" Eeth's master had never done this unless it concerned behaviour she had specifically warned him about, but he had heard that others did. He had always considered it somewhat unfair, especially when the original punishment had already been sufficiently severe.
"No. But that doesn't mean he won't be disappointed and start lecturing. I don't usually get into much trouble, you know. Then again, I haven't exactly been out of my master's sight on a mission before; this is the first time." The boy dropped his head once again and blew out a long sigh. "He has every right to be disappointed in me. I don't know why I disobeyed you. I know my duty, but…" He paused, scrubbing a hand across his face. "It was new and exciting, and I wanted to do those things more." Eden knew how that sounded, but it was the truth.
Eeth finished his ministrations to Eden's bottom and sat back. "In my limited experience," he said, "eleven-year-old boys are bound to make mistakes. You did make some mistakes during this mission, but none of them were unforgivable. And I will also tell your master that you were a real asset to this mission. You have generally been quite helpful and worked hard." This was more praise than Eeth normally felt comfortable handing out, but he found that he really did not feel Eden should be punished any more for his misbehaviour. Eeth had properly taken care of that, after all.
"You mean that?" Eden asked, but the question had been rhetorical and he didn't expect an answer so he continued. "Thanks. This mission is the first time I've been separated from Jay since becoming an apprentice." He smiled a little although Eeth couldn't see it. He missed his master, but rather than admitting as much he decided to ask it of Eeth instead: "Do you miss your master now that you're knighted? It's your first mission alone, after all."
Eeth frowned at the personal question. "It has not occurred to me to miss my master," he replied truthfully. "I have been trained all my life to undertake missions on my own, after all. Besides, we will be back at the Temple shortly where I will probably see her. Unless she has been sent on a mission herself."
As he said that, he realised that the last bit bothered him more than the fact that he himself was alone now. Who was going to look out for Fenya, if not him?
Now it was Eden's turn to frown, but it was more out of surprise than discomfort. "How could it not occur to you?" he asked almost immediately and without thought. Emotions weren't something that occurred to Eden, they just were; Eeth made it sound like the concept of missing his master was a function that could be switched on and off at will.
At this point in his life, Eeth was well aware that he was different from a lot of other beings. He had long ago ceased to take offence over this. But it still annoyed him that others insisted on treating his innate emotional responses as "not normal." "I do not require my master's company for my emotional well-being," he said stiffly, "nor do I take issue with being alone. Besides, I am perfectly able to be fond of her without needing her presence. Nor do I think that this is unusual for an adult. Most beings who live in biological families leave their parents at some point, after all."
Who said anything about needing her presence, thought Eden. To him the concept was too far out of his scope to comprehend. It did get him to thinking, though. Did he need Jay, just miss his company or was it both? He guessed as an adult things would be different and so he said nothing in response; Eeth didn't sound like he was enjoying this particular conversation, in any case.
And indeed, Eeth was less than comfortable with talking about his feelings. He had never been good at it and had tried to avoid it at all cost. His master had been the only one who had sometimes managed to make him confide in her, but even Fenya had needed to bully him into doing so. He had rarely done it of his own accord.
"Let us sleep," he said, wanting to end this conversation before Eden could come up with more questions of a personal nature. Besides, he was tired and that was doubly true for the boy. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.
