Two more today. Enjoy!
A Foreign Language
"So, uh, you never told me about how you know Shyriiwook." Jinx pointed out, trying not to betray his growing discomfort at his situation. What was wrong with him? He'd reverted to the point in his elocution lessons where the word "uh" made at least one appearance in each sentence, and he couldn't seem to figure out anything to say that didn't sound completely lame.
Ahsoka didn't seem to notice, however. She sat across the table from him in the Resolute's mess hall, enjoying her lunch, like he was trying to do. "Master Plo was trained by a Wookiee Master when he was a Padawan," she said with a shrug. "I met a lot of his friends growing up."
The mess hall was crowded with clones; more than he thought were supposed to be there at this time, in the middle of the afternoon shift, with no changing of the guard imminent. It could be just the lingering after-effects of Wasskah making him paranoid, but Jinx was fairly certain that he was being watched. Closely. With the gimlet eye that Commander Bly had been wont to unleash on grabby Twi'lek males when Aayla was assisting the Ryloth relief effort two months back.
"Do you know any other languages?" Ahsoka asked, getting the conversation started again. She looked so innocent sitting there, completely unaware that about thirty of the galaxy's finest soldiers were staring at her rather possessively.
"Actually, I'm beginning to think my, uh, 'native' language is a foreign language," he supplied, suppressing a shudder at the cold glance of one particularly "inquisitive" clone. He did not add that Basic was beginning to feel like a foreign language as well around her, due to the fact that he really did not want to die at the hands of an impromptu firing squad. That, and it would be embarrassing to admit such a thing in front of a pretty girl, but the firing squad threat was much more intimidating.
She smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. I went to Ryloth, and I found out that they, uh, we call our lekku 'tchun-tchin.' Tchun for left," he said, moving the corresponding lekku, "and tchin for right. I got a lot of weird looks when I said 'my left tchun-tchin.'"
That comment brought out a laugh. Success! "I feel the same way on Shili. They don't generally say lekku for these," she said, gesturing at the long, beautiful head tails that rested on her shoulders. "I forget the word they use…monpleki, that's it."
"What happened when you used lekku?"
Those beautiful blue eyes lit up in amusement as the memory came back. "They didn't stare or anything, but a lot of the little girls got it into their heads that I had married a Twi'lek. I still can't figure out how."
The clones' attention became even more fixated than before, and the feeling of sixty eyes on him ceased to be merely uncomfortable and became truly frightening. "Good thing that hasn't happened, right?" he said in a shaky voice, a bit louder than necessary.
Ahsoka looked at him oddly, but before she could inquire as to what was wrong with him (Good question!) another clone entered the mess, one whose blue-streaked armor bore officer's stripes.
"Torrent Company! Report to the bridge, General Skywalker's got a mission for us."
With a flurry of yes-sirs and brisk salutes, each and every one of the clones filed out of the mess in a hurry. Saved by the bell...
Well, the "bell" had the unfortunate side effect of calling Ahsoka away, since she was commander of Torrent Company. "No time to call us on the comm, Rex?" she asked as she walked through the door.
"I received the order as I was coming to the mess, Commander, nothing more."
With little more than a soft hum and a mildly suspicious glance, she let the matter pass.
Captain Rex lingered a moment after her. Catching Jinx's eye, he removed his helmet with his left hand. Making a V of the pointer and middle fingers of his right, he gestured to his eyes, then at Jinx's head. Wordlessly, he replaced his HUD and walked out.
Jinx gulped. Sure, Twi'leki was a bit of a stretch for him anymore these days, but clone body language read loud and clear.
This was supposed to just include the conversation about Shyriiwook and other things, but Rex and Torrent Company demanded an appearance. Ah, the clone expression of brotherhood: "Break her heart and I'll break your face, kid." Gotta love 'em.
Oh, and "monpleki" is a term I invented. It isn't canon; canon calls Togruta head-tail thingies "lekku." Which doesn't make sense, given they are two different species, hence the reason I invented the term...