Jayanette Kenobi was the one Jedi, the one person, whom Mace Windu couldn't really figure out completely. She was an enigma to him; to her not so much. In fact, Jayanette was in love with her former Jedi Mentor but she knew that it was never going to work. For three reasons: 1) The Jedi Code 2) Mace Windu was her Jedi Master and 3) Mace Windu is respected Jedi Knight and Senior Member of the Jedi Council. Yeah, total relationship killers. But what Jayanette didn't know was that Mace was in love with her too. Somebody say "Love Dilemma on Festival Eve"? Oh, and speaking of Festival Eve….
"IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING!"
20-year-old Sabrina Jinn woke to the sound of Jania Skywalker shouting for joy. She stumbled out of bed and went to the main room in their quarters. She saw her Padawan Learner jumping up and down on the sleep couch.
"It's snowing, Master Jinn!" She exclaimed. "It's snowing!"
"Will you please get off the couch and wash up for breakfast?" Sabrina shook her head. "You act like you've never seen snow before."
Jania shrugged. "I haven't."
Sabrina chuckled. "All right, my very hyper Padawan. Wash up for breakfast. Your brother and Obi-Wan will be here soon. As far as my sisters, well…let's just hope they're breakfast doesn't get cold."
By midday, the Jinn & Kenobi Jedi Masters cleaned up the kitchen and discussed the plans for the Festival of Lights which was two days away. Sabrina Jinn not only had her cousin and older sister, Ni'Yosha & Sarallel, over but she also had the Kenobi Siblings, Leiasha, Obi-Wan & Cordiyelle over as well.
"Okay," Sarallel began. "Let's get to the matter of hosting dinner. Who's going to host it this year?"
"Not me," Ni'Yosha commented. Leiasha looked at her. "Why not?" She asked.
"Because I hosted the Festival Dinner for the last two years."
"Yoshi that was a long time ago." Obi-Wan observed. "You were 23 at that time, you're 28."
"Well, why can't you do it this year?" Ni'Yosha countered.
"I'm getting the tree." The 32-year-old Jedi smiled triumphantly.
"That doesn't mean anything." Sarallel imputed. "You can still host the dinner."
"No, I'm good."
"Why, because you're a man?"
"Yep."
Leiasha rolled her eyes at her younger brother. "Chauvinist."
"Children, please. Can we not argue?" Sabrina suggested. "Besides, Jayanette said she was going to host it this year."
"Jay?" Sarallel repeated. "Why Jay?"
"Because she hasn't hosted a Festival Dinner yet."
"I haven't either." Cordiyelle said.
"You hosted dinner with me last year!" Sabrina imputed.
Ni'Yosha laughed at Cordiyelle. Cordiyelle just stuck her tongue out at her.
"Where is Jayanette?" Sarallel asked. "She didn't show up for breakfast this morning."
"She went sparring," Leiasha informed. Sabrina was about to ask who when Obi-Wan interrupted her.
"Let me guess," He said. "With Master Windu?"
"Right on the money, honey." Leiasha nodded.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
Sabrina shook her head as she took a sip of her juice.
Sarallel & Cordiyelle started giggling.
Ni'Yosha just shrugged.
"I don't see what the big deal is," She said. "Jay was Mace's first Padawan Learner and they've been close ever since."
"Yeah," Obi-Wan mused. "They've been real close all right."
"OK, Obi." Sabrina said. "Can you go with me into town to pick up some items for tomorrow?"
"All right."
Sabrina clapped her hands in satisfaction. "Great! Now that's settled, who's going to cook the dinner?"
"I will!" Ni'Yosha volunteered.
"NO!" Everyone rang out.
"We want food, Ni'Yosha." Obi-Wan teased. "Not poison."
"Very funny."
"Let the kids cook it this year." Cordiyelle mused.
Sabrina's hazel eyes sparkled. "That's not such a bad idea."
Cordiyelle looked at her best friend, shocked. "Wait, I was just kidding."
Before she could say anything else, 18-year-old Ta'Kina Alena Jinn & 16-year-old Anakin Skywalker came rushing through the door. Their winter apparel covered with snow.
"What in the blazes happened to you two?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin & Ta'Kina looked at each other and then at the Masters.
And they said two words: "Snowball Wars."
Sarallel & Cordiyelle snickered while Ni'Yosha came over to the snow-splattered teenagers.
Obi-Wan leaned over to Sabrina and whispered to her: "Should you tell them or should I?"
Sabrina shrugged. "I'm not going to tell them. Let Sarallel do it."
Leiasha smiled at the odd couple. "Don't worry," She assured. "Those kids love this time of year. They'll be eager to do anything for this Festival if you ask them."
That Afternoon...
"WHAT?"
"THE WHOLE DINNER?"
"Whose bright idea was this?"
Sarallel Jinn turned to her younger sister who was getting out the ornaments for the Festival Tree. Sabrina Jinn felt a mix of shock and anger through the Force so she turned around to see Ta'Kina Jinn, Anakin Skywalker & Jania Skywalker staring at her.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"When did you suddenly come up with the idea that we have to cook the Festival Dinner?" Ta'Kina demanded.
"It wasn't my idea," Sabrina replied. "It was Cordi's."
Cordiyelle Kenobi stood up from her spot on the couch and looked at Sabrina in disbelief.
"What the hell kinda lie is that?"
"It's the truth!" Sabrina argued. "You said 'Why don't we let the kids cook this year.' That's exactly what you said."
"It was a joke!"
"And just for that little slice of humor, you're going to help them." Sarallel suggested.
The 19-year-old's brown eyes practically bugged out of her sockets.
"ARE YOU KRIFFING ME?" She exclaimed.
Sarallel just smiled a smug smile.
"Oh, come on!" Cordiyelle complained. "I thought I was going to help you all with the decorating." She turned to Leiasha, who was in the dining area. "Leia, tell them!"
"You're the oldest out of the kids," Leiasha reasoned. "You have to oversee the cooking. After all, it was your idea."
Cordiyelle screamed in raging frustration and stormed to Jayanette's room. Everyone looked at Cordiyelle as if she were crazy. Leiasha just sighed and shook her head.
"Don't feel bad, Leiasha." Ta'Kina assured. "At least Obi-Wan & Jayanette aren't crazy."
Just then, Obi-Wan stormed in the quarters with a grim yet angry look on his face. He strode right pass Sabrina and Sarallel and headed toward the cooler. Jania looked at Obi-Wan worriedly.
"Master Obi-Wan?" She asked. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, never better." He muttered. After grabbing a few things from the cooler, Obi-Wan slammed the door and headed his way out the door.
"Obi-Wan," Leiasha asked. "Where are you going?"
"To war, Leiasha!" Obi-Wan said, in a very scary voice. (A/N:Think of Christian Bale in Batman) "Quinlan Vos has won that Rancor Making Tournament three years in a row! But not anymore. I will pound his arrogant ass to the kriffing ground! And no one will stop me!"
Obi-Wan stormed out, laughing manically. Everyone just stared at him.
"Oh, dear." Leiasha sighed.
"Well," Anakin said. "At least Jayanette isn't crazy."
Then, as if on cue, Jayanette stormed in a furious rage, cursing up a storm.
"That no-good, kriffing, stiff-necked son of a…"
"Jay!" Leiasha scolded. "There are children here!"
"Don't worry," Anakin said. "It's nothing we haven't heard before." When Ta'Kina nudged his arm, he added quickly: "But it's still bad."
"What happened, Jayanette?" Sarallel asked.
Jayanette ignored the question. Instead, she'd just continued ranting: "Thirteen years. Thirteen years I was his Padawan Learner. We've been friends for nearly twenty! And now, I'm flaky? How dare he call me flaky! I am not flaky! Aayla Secura is flaky. Am I flaky?"
"Uh...well…" Sarallel began.
"Don't answer that! I'm going to get some air!" Jayanette stormed out of her room before anybody said anything else.
"Have fun!" Ta'Kina called out. Sabrina glared at her younger sister who just shrugged.
"Um… I think it's time you started feeling bad Leiasha." Jania remarked.
Mace Windu was in the Room of A Thousand Fountains where he goes there to clear his mind of… well, his issues. Ever since he saw her, ever since he chose her for a Padawan, Jayanette Kenobi was a ball of spunky optimism. She always found a bright side to every bad situation, the good in every person, if the occasion was drab, she would find a way to liven it up. Mace never gotten the mystery of the third Kenobi sibling. But ironically enough, she knew a lot about him. Mace rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Having trouble concentrating, Mace?"
Mace looked around to see Leiasha coming towards him. At age 37, Leiasha was the oldest out of the four Kenobi siblings. To Mace, it seemed like she was mostly level-headed. Obi-Wan was as well, but when you're Jedi Master to Anakin Skywalker, your patience wears thin quick.
"Leiasha," Mace greeted as he took a small bow. "Is there anything I can do for you this afternoon?"
"Can you help me with my sibling's problem?"
Mace grimaced. "All three of them? You're sisters and brother?"
Leiasha's eyes narrowed. "No. Just one of them, I'm sure you know which one."
Mace sighed. He knew which one. "Okay, before you get angry…"
"You called Jayanette flaky?"
"That…didn't come out the way it supposed to."
"Then how was it supposed to go? Because my little sister is somewhere in Coruscant, crying her eyes out and calling you names that I can't repeat here."
"I was going to say that she is a vibrant, spunky woman who is an amazing Jedi Knight and one of my exemplary pupils, my best friend…"
"If I didn't know any better," Leiasha interrupted. "I'd say you're in love with my sister."
Mace didn't say anything to Leiasha. He just smiled a sheepish smile at her. Leiasha's light gray eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped. Pretty soon, it was her turn to sit down and place her head in her hands. Mace looked at his friend in worry.
"Leia, are you all right?" He asked.
"I'm fine." She sighed. "But I don't think I can take any more bizarre surprises before this Festival."
Just then, 10-year-old Jania Skywalker came running through the garden along with her friend, 13-year-old Sartaan Talinda.
"Master Kenobi!" Jania exclaimed. "It's an emergency!" She caught Mace staring at her and gave a quick smile and bow. "Master Windu."
Mace bowed back. "Padawan Skywalker, Padawan Talinda."
Sartaan bowed. "Good afternoon, Master Windu."
"What's wrong, Jania?" Leiasha asked.
"Sarallel told me to tell you to get to the quarters immediately," Jania informed.
"It's an emergency." Sartaan added.
"Well, what is it?" Leiasha persisted.
"Ni'Yosha is thinking about making a Pallieberry Fruitcake for the Festival Dinner." Jania said, with a hint of fear in her voice.
Leiasha looked at Mace in horror and exasperation. He gave her a sympathetic look.
"Happy Festival of Lights." He said, cheerfully.
"Shut up." Leiasha sneered.
A/N: Hopefully, the actual celebration will go well. And Mace will say the RIGHT WORDS! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Oh, and if any of you have figured out the narrator of this story, review this story. MORE FUN, BELATED HOLIDAY-FILLED JEDI DISASTERS TO COME!
Z.R.