Lord Darth Yoda - Good spot. Bad editing on my part. Yeah Nara makes for a great foil for Sascha, she's not a stand-in for Tyra in any way, she's (as you said) in a much more similar spot in her own life so its only natural that she and Sascha get along so well. I think Sascha's remarked on it a few times, but there was always this perception in his mind that Tyra was 'older' than he was. Now Nara's a year younger than him, so its kind of a flip on that dynamic.

thejoker122- Winter seems really far away when it's 30+ degrees outside! I live in Canada, it's not supposed to be this hot!

SpeechbubbleMe - You had to mention starting college...That makes me feel old! But seriously, enjoy college, go out, have fun - these are the best times in your life (though it sometimes does not seem like it at the time.) Just publish when you can and know you'll always have at least one reader.

A/N - I've got nothing!

Please enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 11: Happy Returns

It was good to be home.

That was what Aurine Brynar was thinking as she watched Tiplee bring their ship in for a perfect landing in the hangar bay of the Jedi Temple. Their mission had gone according to plan, which had been a nice change from the chaos and unpredictability of her last two missions. She and Tiplee had been able to have a nice, quiet settlement conference between the mining guilds, headed by Heuristic Mining, and the largest union of workers on the planet.

It turned out, that when the two sides got to meet face to face, they weren't as far apart as they had seemed.

Of course, that might have been because of the moderator. During the conference, Tiplee had simply sat in between the two sides and held court. The Jedi Knight had managed to both be perfectly fair and neutral as well as intimidating, cutting off both participants when they started leveling accusations at the other. It had been, in Aurine's opinion, a masterclass of arbitration. Both sides had gotten small victories that they could present to their stakeholders, and both sides had left more annoyed by the Jedi than the other side. But that was fine. Tiplee could take their stares and muttered words without losing a wink of sleep over it. What mattered was that there was peace and a lasting solution.

While the Rishati angled the ship so it could fit into their assigned landing spot, Aurine, who was beside her in the co-pilot's chair, searched for and found their two apprentices. Sascha and Nara were in the distance, waiting patiently for them with their hands folded behind their backs. It didn't take more than one look to determine that something had changed with her apprentice. He seemed…comfortable in his own skin again. A quick probe into the Force showed her that Sascha's Force presence had generally returned to as it had been before their mission to Bothawui.

It seemed as if Tiplee's plan may have just worked.

Yet there was something about watching Nara and Sascha standing there together that caught her eye. There were an interesting pair, both were about the same height, if you included Nara's montrals that gave her a bit of extra stature, and there was something about them standing there that seemed…right, as odd a word as that seemed to be.

As she watched, Nara turned and nudged Sascha impishly in the rib. Sascha, to his credit, didn't flinch, but he did smile at the Togruta's mischievousness. Aurine found herself nodding and smiling, this was much more like the Padawan that she had chosen to be her apprentice, an intelligent, light-hearted boy that was probably too emotional for his own good, but who was someone who seemed to have been born with no deeper purpose than to help others. It seemed like, just maybe, Sascha Whitestar was back.

Thank the Force for that, she thought.

Though a small piece of her speculated that they may have just conspired to replace Tyra with Nara, and she wondered if Sascha would soon find himself attracted to the Togruta. Nara and Tyra were two very different young women, but there were enough similarities between the two to suggest that Sascha might fall hard for Nara, especially if he was looking for some sort of surrogate for his old friend Tyra Harker.

She and Tiplee had watched the recording of Sascha and Nara fight against the four Initiates while on their flight back. Watching Sascha and Nara fight together had brought back memories of watching how Sascha and Tyra had once fought together on Kuat. But because Sascha was usually so open with his emotions that he was able to forge strong partnerships with other Jedi that he worked with quickly, it was just one of his talents.

A slight bump indicated that they had landed and her companion started going into her post-flight checklist. Tiplee noticed her staring out the viewport, "A good pair, are they not?"

"I was just thinking that there was something about them standing there that seems right. I don't know why that word came to mind, but I can't get it out of my head."

The Rishati nodded, "Perhaps if their friendship is as strong as it seems, we may see more of each other on missions."

"I'd like that, Master Tiplee." She had enjoyed Tiplee's company more than she had expected, while the mission itself had been straightforward, they had worked well together. The Rishati was an amiable, if sometimes stern companion, not the friendliest Jedi ever, but hardly the least-friendly either.

Post-flight procedure complete, the two Jedi Knights walked down the ramp of their ship and towards their apprentices, "Welcome back, Masters," they both said in unison.

Aurine raised her eyebrows, "Sascha, you seem better."

He nodded, "Yes, Master."

"And Nara, I see you've made a change of wardrobe," said Tiplee. Aurine rather liked the new look that Nara had. While it would have been hard, if not impossible, for any garment to contain Nara's buoyant personality, the Togruta certainly looked older and mature in her new gray robe. Though she didn't know why Nara had chosen to make such a change, she had a feeling that Sascha may have been a part of that decision.

"I have, Master Tiplee," replied Nara.

The Jedi Knights shared a brief look and a covert smile, "It seems like we have much to discuss, Padawans. Perhaps we should find a room and talk about what transpired while we were gone," said Tiplee. Sascha and Nara shared a smile of their own and fell into position beside their respective Masters.

She and Tiplee found a large meditation room that was empty and all four Jedi sat in a loose square formation, though Aurine noted that the Padawans situated themselves closer to each other than their respective Masters. She filed that away for potential use. The nice, cool carpeted floor was a welcome change from the rigid co-pilot's chair she had been in for the last several hours and she stretched her legs out in front of her as she relaxed.

"Are we going to be meditating?" Nara asked.

"Perhaps later," Tiplee replied, "but it appears it was an eventful week for both of you."

Nara and Sascha glanced at each other, "I think it was a good week for both of us," said Nara.

Sascha sat straighter, "I'd like to start if I may," her Padawan received nods from the other Jedi. "First, I want to apologize," he said.

"Sascha…there is no need to make a public apology for anything you've done," she cut in.

"With respect, Master, I don't mind sharing this with Nara and Master Tiplee."

"Go ahead then, my apprentice."

A little smile played across his face upon being referred to as her apprentice, but he quashed it quickly, "I need to apologize to everyone because I let everyone down. I let myself become overwhelmed by my problems, but instead of leaning on the people that care about me, I decided that I knew best. I did not know best. I was selfish and stupid and pigheaded and intransigent…and I need a bigger vocabulary to describe how much I screwed up."

Sascha turned to her, "Master…there are no words that I can use to express my appreciation for you sticking with me while I acted like a petulant brat. I have been a terrible apprentice to you this past month. I've let you down again and again, but yet you've stuck with me. I've promised you before that I will be better and I haven't lived up to that promise." He shook his head at himself, "but instead of being weighed down by that failure, I will learn from my mistakes. I will be the apprentice you want me to be, and I'm willing to put in the work to make sure that I can live up to your teachings."

Aurine was very, very happy to hear what Sascha had to say to her. It seemed as if Sascha had come to terms with himself again. Still, she couldn't go all mushy on him just because he seemed to be back. She held his gaze and nodded sharply to him, "You will need to regain my trust, but you know how to do it."

His soft brown eyes looked back, showing his contrition, "That's all I ask, Master Brynar."

Sascha turned to Nara, "I treated you, and my other friends shamefully, and I am indebted to you for not being pushed away, for being the friend that I needed, for being the person who showed me the errors of my ways. I thought that because I lost one friend due to my own mistakes, that I could not afford to weigh down my other friends. It was…" he clenched his fists, "idiotic of me. Strength through connections is written on my lightsaber, and it is up to me to ensure that there is strength in those connections and not allow them to become weaknesses. Obviously I failed in that task."

"I'm just happy you are back to your old ways Sascha," said Nara with a smile, "and as far as debts go…let's just say we are even."

"Thank you, my friend," responded Sascha, smiling warmly at Nara who responded in kind.

"I wanted to apologize publicly as well," declared Nara.

The Jedi Knights shared a look of surprise, "I was not aware that you have done anything that required an apology, Padawan," said Tiplee.

"And yet I still feel obligated to apologize. Master Tiplee, I have not been the apprentice that I should have been, and Sascha has helped me see that. With Sascha's help, I was able to see that I was stuck in the idea that I was unworthy of being a Padawan, and this has affected the way I act on missions. I haven't seized the initiative because I felt unworthy of the responsibility you've given me. That is why I'm not at my best when we leave the Temple."

Nara bowed her head, "Master Tiplee, I wanted to apologize because I think I needed to humble myself in front of you and my peers. Despite what I have thought in the past, I'm not superior than any of my fellow Jedi, in fact I'm much worse. But I know that with you, Master Tiplee, that I can be the Jedi that everyone thinks I can be."

Aurine was surprised by the confession from Nara. Although Tiplee had expressed that she felt that Nara was perhaps not fulfilling her potential, Aurine had not expected such a fast turnaround. She shrugged, thanking the Force for small miracles.

Tiplee seemed moved though, "I had hoped for you to realize as much, but I am overjoyed to hear you come to that realization yourself." Tiplee glanced significantly at Sascha, "Or, perhaps do I have another Padawan to thank?"

He shook his head, "We may have talked, but Nara came to these conclusions herself."

"Then I look forward to many more productive conversations with you, my apprentice," Tiplee said to Nara. The Togruta bowed her head gently in acknowledgement.

There was so much positivity swirling around the room that each Jedi took their time to bask in it briefly. For her part, she was overjoyed to see Sascha acting like his 'normal' self again, and while she wasn't sure that he was completely back to his best, he at least seemed capable of getting there. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her, and she was delighted to get the chance to resume teaching her Padawan. Yet, there were some moments of interest still to discuss.

Tiplee started up the conversation again, "Why don't we start with the sparring drill with you two facing off against those Initiates that we arranged Master Drallig to run?"

Sascha shook his head in confusion, "Wait…you arranged that?"

Tiplee inclined her head briefly, "I knew that Master Drallig wanted a Padawan to run his Initiates versus Padawans drill and I suggested Nara be one of the Padawans. It wasn't hard to see that she'd pick you to be her partner."

"Why the deception, Master Tiplee?" asked Sascha.

"If it seemed like you were being pushed together, you would have resented it, but if it seemed like happenstance…well the possibilities seemed endless. Though perhaps I may have overthought it," Tiplee said with a faint tinge of embarrassment.

The two Padawans shared a brief look with each other, but Aurine could tell that they were not bothered at being subject to their Masters machinations. They both seemed to find it fairly amusing.

Sascha spoke up, "Even though I was…I am massively out of shape, we really fought well together. It surprised me to be sure."

"It surprised me too," Nara chimed in. "It really seemed like we had a strong connection in the Force, though I'm not sure why."

"It makes sense to me," said Tiplee. "You two have history together and a burgeoning friendship. Even in combat, the two of you complement each other. Sascha is more defensive, more intellectual, and he has a good mind for seeing the bigger picture. Nara you are more offensive, and instinctual. So you balance each other. In addition, neither of you see each other as superior nor inferior to yourselves, so you are able to subvert yourself to the other if the occasion demands it."

"I suppose that makes sense," agreed Sascha.

"We sparred against each other yesterday as well," said Nara.

"I'm fat, she crushed me, nothing to learn from that," Sascha replied flatly. The two Masters smiled. While by no means was Sascha fat in the traditional sense, in the Jedi Temple, where being in peak physical shape was the norm, it was obvious that the young human was fairly out of shape.

"So, Padawan Nalto, how did you get Sascha to talk when all other attempts to get him to talk failed?" Aurine asked, very curious as to the answer.

The red stripes on Nara's montrals and lekku flared brightly for a moment, "I…um…may have entered his room without permission, then tackled him and pinned him to the ground until he agreed to talk to me."

"I assume you fought back, Padawan," commented Aurine.

This time it was Sascha's turn to blush, "I resisted briefly, but poorly," he admitted.

Tiplee blinked slowly, processing the information, "And what made you think that physically assaulting your fellow Padawan was a good course of action, apprentice?"

"I thought that by flirting with him, I might get him to open up and talk to me…I made a mistake," admitted Nara, clearly very embarrassed at having to tell this story.

Sascha put a hand up to forestall further comments, "It's okay…I needed that sort of wake-up call. I wasn't hurt and I accept that Nara did what she did in good faith."

Aurine shrugged, "She could have held you at blaster point for all I care."

"That was going to be my next course of action," Nara replied sarcastically.

"So what did you talk about," prodded Tiplee.

"We just…talked. I told her everything that had happened to me, all the fears that I had, and we just talked through them. She made me see things in a different light, and I was finally able to make sense of it all."

"I told him he was being stupid," said Nara, who gently shoved Sascha with her left arm.

"She used slightly nicer language than that," replied Sascha. "But I also think that being tackled by one of my good friends was something of a symbol of how low I'd fallen. As crazy as it might seem, I think I needed that."

"We should call it physical therapy," Nara joked lightly.

How odd was it after all the conversations that Sascha had been given over the past month, conversations with Jedi Masters and Jedi healers, that it was this one conversation with a fellow Padawan that had changed everything. Maybe it hadn't just been that conversation, Aurine thought, maybe it had just been an accumulation of everything. Maybe Sascha had just needed that last month to calibrate himself to a new, Tyra Harker-less reality.

Or maybe he'd just replaced Tyra with Nara.

But that seemed like a battle for another day. Today she was willing to take this victory for what it was worth.

"We also meditated together," said Sascha.

Tiplee smiled indulgently, "You got Nara to meditate? You must tell me how you managed that."

"I wanted to help my friend," said Nara. "And I was willing to do something that I don't like to do so. It...wasn't bad, really," she admitted.

"That is what I've been trying to tell you, Padawan," said Tiplee lightly.

"Maybe I'm learning," said Nara. "Maybe if I need some pointers about meditation technique I'll talk to Sascha."

"I'll be happy to provide them, my friend," said Sascha.

"I'm curious as to what caused you to change your wardrobe, Nara," said Tiplee.

Nara looked at the ground for a moment, "It was something Sascha said. It made sense so I made the change." Nara sighed, "I'm starting to realize that I really just needed someone to talk to," she admitted, "not that I couldn't talk to you, Master," she added quickly. "Having someone my own age is just different to talk to. It's talking to someone that understands what I am going through."

"I'm not offended Nara, a Padawan should have people other than her Master that they can talk to," replied Tiplee. "Was anything you talked about particularly helpful?"

Nara considered for a moment, then shook her head, "I don't think our talk was that significant actually, I just had all these ideas bumbling around in my head, and just by talking to someone I was able to sort them out. At least Sascha didn't have to tackle me to get me to talk, he just needed to be willing to listen like a good friend."

"I'm pretty sure if I tried to tackle you I would have ended up in some sort of unpleasant joint lock," Sascha joked amiably. "I'm always happy to help, Nara."

"I know that now Sascha."

Aurine was beginning to feel uncomfortable at the warmth displayed by the two Padawans. While she detected no deception in either of them, and no feelings stronger than friendship, the similarities between Nara and Tyra were too obvious to ignore. She decided that she would fire a warning shot across their bow.

"I am pleased for this new friendship," she said, striving to keep a neutral tone, but speaking sternly, "but I must warn about the dangers of attachment. You two are flirting like new lovers walking alongside the river of lust on Geldron." Tiplee shot her an odd look, but the two Padawans seemed appropriately chastened. Then at some sort of signal that she could not detect, they both burst out in laughter.

"I win," said Sascha with a smile, "You have to do my laundry for the next week."

Nara wrinkled her nose in disgust, "A fate worse than death."

"I don't smell that bad," Sascha replied defensively.

"Maybe not to you, but my sense of smell is much more sensitive than yours. You, Sascha Whitestar, stink. You just don't know it."

"Hey!"

"Well, at least you aren't as bad as Trigg, now he smells terrible..."

Both Padawans laughed hard, "Yeah, even I can smell him sometimes..." remarked Sascha.

Aurine raised a hand like she was a student in class, and Sascha acknowledged her with a nod, "Will someone fill me in on what this conversation is about?"

"Trigg smelling bad?" asked Sascha, suppressing a laugh.

"No, what you were laughing about earlier," she said, some frustration accidentally creeping into her voice.

Sascha smirked in Nara's direction, "Oh, I bet Nara that you'd bring up attachment in the first conversation after getting back."

Nara shook her head dejectedly, "I thought that she'd at least have the grace to go more than one conversation without bringing up attachment."

"Spoiler alert; I know my Master better than you do," Sascha said triumphantly.

Aurine felt her cheeks warming in embarrassment, and cursed herself for being so protective. Tiplee covered for her smoothly though, "I think you should answer Master Brynar."

Nara sat up straighter, "I flirt, you know this Master Tiplee. I don't mean anything by it. It's just...playful. Fun. Besides, Sascha isn't my type, I'm looking for a male Togruta that is at least six inches taller than me, has beautiful markings on their lekku, and has a skin colour that complements mine."

"I don't appear to fit any of those criteria," noted Sascha wryly.

Nara laughed briefly, "Don't worry about it Sascha, you're a reasonably cute human male…but humans are just so…boring. Hair. Pale skin. No lekku. No montrals. So plain. I actually feel sorry for you."

"I'm not worrying about it," Sascha replied.

"You don't find me attractive?" Nara asked jokingly.

Sascha shrugged nonchalantly, "You're a perfectly acceptable looking female Togruta. I haven't spent much time thinking about it, since I'm trying to get over being in love with my best friend."

Aurine was trying to keep pace with the fast-paced conversation between the two Padawans. While the two were certainly doing some light flirting, it did seem to be mostly harmless. "You've made your point well, Padawans, but remember to guard against attachment. I would hate to see a friendship as promising as this one be put asunder for feelings you both should know how to control."

Sascha nodded soberly, "I will, Master."

"I will too, Master Brynar," Nara said solemnly.

"Good," she said, "What remains of this evening is yours to do what you wish, but tomorrow morning we will resume your training."

Sascha bowed obediently, "I look forward to it, Master Brynar."

Nara nudged Sascha, "Do you still want to learn some of the Force skills I know?"

His eyes brightened, "Of course, Master Nalto," he said playfully.

Nara smiled and turned to both Jedi Knights, "By your leave, Masters." Aurine and Tiplee both nodded that they could go, so the two gray robed Padawans made their way out of the meditation chamber and down the hallway.

Once the door was closed, Tiplee leaned backwards, "So, that went better than expected."

Aurine nodded, "Sascha seems to be back to his normal self, and Nara seems to have made a breakthrough as well."

"She seems to have grown up significantly over the past few days," agreed Tiplee. The Rishati smiled wryly, "Does this make me a good Master, for finding the person that would have this sort of effect on her, or a bad Master, as I was unable to get her to see the errors of her ways myself?"

Aurine considered the question for a moment, "If there has been anything that I've learned about having a Padawan, its that you can only have so much influence on them. At a certain level, we are just guides."

"Hmmm. Well I seem to be guiding my Padawan in the right direction then."

Aurine shifted her shoulders slightly, stretching her neck, as it had developed slight cramp after being in the co-pilot's chair for several hours, "I'm a little worried about how...friendly they are," she admitted.

"You mean you are put off by their flirting," stated Tiplee.

"I know I must seem like an old grandmother, but yes. I don't think they are being more than playful with each other...right now. But given Sascha's history with female friends, I can't help but be wary."

"Let's see if I can put you more at ease then. I can tell you this about Nara...she doesn't mean anything by her flirting. I can tell you from observing her that when there is a boy she actually likes, she tends to act shyly around them. And she wasn't kidding about liking male Togruta either – she tends to get dumbstruck around good-looking Togruta males her age. Quite amusing to watch actually."

"So you are saying I shouldn't worry?"

Tiplee held her hands up, "I'm just saying that it would be absurd to worry over something that isn't happening. Padawans are allowed to flirt with each other. We should not be telling them to stop, otherwise they'll just continue to do it when we aren't around. And besides, if they were truly attracted to each other, do you think that they would flirt in front of us? No! They'd be skulking around, meeting up in secret. They are just a young man and a young woman enjoying a strengthening friendship."

There really wasn't much Aurine could say to that. She was probably just being overprotective. "Well, I think we should salute new friends and new beginnings."

The Rishati looked back at her, a smile on her lean features, "To new friends."

Aurine smiled back. Today was shaping up to be a good day. Tomorrow would hopefully be even better. For the first time in a month, everything seemed to be exactly as it should be.