"I can't believe he actually picked me!" Now a Jedi Padawan, Nicole Kraell grinned at her friend "Mace Windu seriously picked me!" she squeaked.
"I'm really happy for you" Shyma smiled. A bittersweet smile. Mace Windu had approached Nicole even before she arrived to the party and asked her to be his padawan. She of course said yes immediately and he gave her some time to spend with her friends before they informed Master Yoda and made things official.
And still no one had approached Shyma. She thought she had performed pretty well. But no one had asked her … yet. She saw them looking at her but none of them came to her.
"Hey, they'll come, believe me, you where fantastic tonight" Nicole smiled putting a hand on Shyma's shoulder.
"Thanks Nicki" Shyma smiled "I'm gonna go see if I can find Luke."
"Sure" Nicole grinned "And I'm gonna go see if I can find my master" And with that Nicole dashed away.
Shyma shook her head and smiled at her friend's sheer excitement. She figured she should actually go find Luke.
Shyma turned around and took a step forward. But instead of moving ahead, she ran into the rock solid form of Knight Kenobi.
"Oh, erm-sorry master" Shyma muttered quickly before taking a step around him.
"Wait" Tommy said trying to hide the urgency in his voice.
"Yes master?" Shyma stepped back in front of him.
"Initiate...you put on an impressive show tonight. Good work" Tommy stalled.
"Thank you master" Shyma tried to smile but failed miserably "May I go?"
"No, wait I-" If he where not in public Tommy would have slapped himself. What happened to his cold stoic form??!! He took a deep breath and slowly continued "Initiate Lupin, would you like to be my padawan learner?" Tommy fought very hard to keep eye contact with the young girl.
Shyma on the other hand just stared at him. Eyes wide. Mouth hanging open. She just stared at him. She was shocked beyond belief. And even that was an understatement. She felt as though someone had just shot a couple of thousand watts of electricity up her spine.
She couldn't believe Jedi Knight Thomas Bierfeldt Kenobi had just asked her to actually be his padawan. Of all the people to have possibly asked her...it was him.
Tommy took her silence as a sign of rejection and said rather quietly "I understand if you don't-"
"NO! No...I would be honored....to be your padawan" Shyma quickly cut him off. She mentally slapped herself the second she realized what she had just said, what she had just committed herself to. She had made such a big decision so fast...And Luke! Force...what would Luke think?
"Luke would be more than happy to see this" Tommy stated.
Shyma barely suppressed a gasp. Did he just read my mind?!
"Seems it is a connection we have both overlooked" Tommy answered.
"Oh..." Shyma turned a bit red.
"Would you like to inform Master Yoda now, or would you like to stay her a bit longer?" Tommy asked breaking the awkward silence that had come over them.
"We should tell Master Yoda now. Oh wait-I have a few people I need to talk to" Shyma said quickly before she dashed off.
Tommy's eyes followed her and watched as she ran over to his friends.
Ferus held his arms out and the new padawan launched herself into the embrace. She went around squeaking thank yous to them and giving hugs.
Tommy chuckled to himself and shook his head. He should have known they where involved in this somehow.
He watched as the initiate-…padawan, ran back to him "Ok, let's go."
"Of course" he said as he began to lead her out of the party.
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"Come on master, even Tommy isn't thick enough to take this long" Luke groaned "And I thought Ferry and the other guys where supposed to make him guilty till he picked her..." Luke sank lower in his seat. This was getting ridiculous. It has been a good two hours since the party had started and still no sign of Tommy or Shyma. Luke was getting tired. And if they took any longer he would march into that party and force Tommy to pick her. By any means necessary.
"Patience young Luke, patience" Yoda murmured "Just like your father you are, stay calm and collective for one moment you cannot."
Luke pouted. Whereas normally he would have loved being compared to Anakin, this was just not the time or place "How could I be patient?! My two best friends' lives are on the line!!!" he yelled throwing a fist in the air.
Yoda just chuckled.
"Master?"
A voice behind Luke made him jump up a good 5 inches. He spun around and saw the form of his best friend. "Good kriffing lord Tom, you just almost kriffing killed me right there!" Luke gasped. Then he spotted the young girl standing next to Tommy....and barely suppressed the urge to jump up and scream and cry in sheer joy and happiness.
"Hey kiddo, great job out there" Luke squeezed all his excitement into that one sentence.
Shyma just smiled back at him.
"Speak to me, you wish to?" Yoda said, not turning to face the young knight.
"Yes master" Tommy muttered. When Yoda said no more, Tommy continued "I wish to take Initiate Lupin as my padawan-"
"Sithing hell Tom, it's about kriffing time" Luke grumbled rolling his eyes at his friend.
Tommy glared at Luke for a moment before looking back to Yoda.
"Accept this offer do you young one?" Yoda said slowly.
For a second it slipped Tommy and Shyma who exactly he was referring to as 'young one.' But eventually they made sense of the sentence and deducted it was being spoken to the younger of the two.
"Yes master" Shyma said after a while.
Yoda nodded and finally turned to the two.
"Then master and padawan you shall be" he spoke slowly and clearly.
"Thank you master" both master and padawan said in unison.
"Yes! Finally!" Luke yelled as he jumped over the back of his seat "Finally finally finally!" he pulled his friend into a bear hug, which Tommy hesitantly returned.
"And you" Luke said releasing Tommy and crouching down to Shyma's height "You don't know how proud I am of you" he smiled through the tears that threatened him at the thought of giving his little girl away to someone else. Even if he trusted that person with his life.
Seeing this made Shyma feel terrible. She teared up as well before launching herself at the man that just as good as raised her.
Luke most definitely did not hesitate to return the embrace.
And Tommy and Yoda made no efforts to stop the moment.
But after a while Luke pulled back far enough to see Shyma's tears streaked face. He'd never imagined this moment to be so heartbreaking.
"Hey...hey. Don't cry. Listen, you're a padawan now. You gotta toughen up you know...you gotta prove yourself. And I don't think you can impress Tommy here by crying up a river, kay?" The two knights exchanged small smiles at the last part of that.
Shyma nodded with a sniffle.
"Well" Luke sighed, standing up "Tom, you should probably go help your padawan move in eh?" he smiled at his friend.
"I...I have a few things to attend to tonight. You don't mind helping her move in, do you?" Tommy asked "You have my spare pass key don't you?"
"Yeah...yeah I do" Luke replied softly.
"Go on then" Tommy gestured towards the door.
Luke ushered Shyma out before muttering a "thanks Tom" as he walked past his friend.
Tommy sighed and headed out himself after a while. He hadn't lied when he said he had things to deal with.
Like a bunch of meddling friends.
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Tommy walked back to the party only to find his friends laughing and enjoying themselves, just as he had left them.
He quietly approached their table and once he was close enough, spoke in a low, dense voice:
"You planned it out."
More than half his friends jumped up at the sound of his voice.
"Seriously Tom, you just physically killed us. I mean, me, Dave, Ferus, Mike and Lou are like one with the force now. Thanks a lot" Adam rambled.
"And yes, we did plan it out" Michael grinned before Tommy could reply to Adam.
"Why?" was the youngest knight's simple question.
"Because you're so thick you couldn't tell a feeling from a fully developed bond" David shrugged.
Tommy had no reply to the direct assault on his pride, and remained silent.
"Guys, stop it" Nancy spoke up "Come on Tommy, you finally have a padawan. You should be happy!" she said pulling him into the circular booth. He hesitantly sat down.
"Hey, loosen up kiddo," Lou laughed as he slid a cool glass of Adamantine over to Tommy.
Maybe staying a little wouldn't hurt….and besides, Luke and Shyma would need their time.
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