Chapter 11

(five days later)

In the middle of a particularly busy morning, Jaina walked through one of the Jedi Temple's many cafeterias, carrying a breakfast tray with a bowl of oatmeal and berries in hand. She frowned, noticing some of the other teenage Padawans' whispers and glances as she passed by.

She eventually settled down at a corner table, pulling out her datapad to instead read the news...and hide her face.

Several minutes later, Ahsoka Tano walked through the cafeteria, carrying her own tray of sausages and eggs. "I'm surprised to see you here," she quipped, taking a seat next to her, without waiting for an invitation. "I assumed you'd be having breakfast at your quarters. I barely even saw you in The Negotiator mess hall on the way back from Teth." A small smirk crossed her lips. "I figured you hated any sort of social interaction."

Jaina snorted. "I do, and I'm starting to regret not eating at my quarters, actually," she murmured wryly. "Master Obi-Wan had a morning meeting, so I figured I'd try having breakfast out. Big mistake."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, glancing at the other tables . "Are they still talking about your whole incident with Ventress? Which time, Christophsis, or Teth?"

"I do not want to know, if I'm honest," Jaina muttered, sighing. A wry chuckle escaped her lips. "Well…they're talking about that and you being assigned to Anakin, of course. You're still the biggest news amongst the gossip mongers, thankfully."

Ahsoka made a chewing motion with her mouth, mimicking what the other Padawans likely looked like gossiping about the whole situation. She rolled her eyes. "The same younglings and Padawans who have yet to even see combat are sitting around, talking about my assignment? How ironic."

Jaina giggled softly, munching on her oatmeal.

Ahsoka smirked at her and then began to eat her own breakfast. "So, any idea what they've actually been saying?"

"Nope," Jaina said, scoffing wryly. "Do I seem like the type of person who engages in Temple gossip?"

Ahsoka laughed. "No. I don't think I ever even saw you spending time with anybody our age, back when we were younglings. Do you even have friends?"

Jaina wryly held up her datapad.

"That's not a friend," Ahsoka said, smirking. "I'm pretty sure that's an inanimate object."

Jaina shrugged. "Inanimate objects are less complicated." She took a bite out of a berry from her bowl. "What about you, though? I'm surprised you're not hanging around Bantena and Garrett and all the other guys you used to spend all your time with."

Ahsoka looked down at her breakfast plate, her eyes darkening slightly. "They…started treating me a bit…differently after my assignment to Master Skywalker."

Jaina frowned. "Oh…I'm sorry. That's…immature."

Ahsoka shrugged weakly. "It's okay. Their loss. They weren't great friends to begin with…Now I'm assigned to an amazing Master, and if I can grow to be even just half of how skillful and powerful he is, then that would be a dream."

Jaina smiled. "How's your first week been so far?" She asked. "I wish we had the chance to talk a bit more, in the middle of all that, well, chaos."

"It's been…a bit of an adjustment," Ahsoka admitted hesitantly. "Master Skywalker is very…opinionated. And quite…demanding. He squeezed in so many spars during the trip back here from Teth, and I was exhausted enough as it was. Every day since has been pretty much the same."

Jaina offered an understanding smile. "He's pretty intense, even just as a friend. I can't even imagine what he must be like as a Master."

"Especially whenever he fights or spars." Ahsoka snorted wryly. "There were so many moments this past week I found myself wondering if he was going to accidentally stab me."

"Probably why Master Yoda assigned you to him," Jaina offered. "You always were the top duelist in our year."

Ahsoka let out a small laugh. "I suppose you're right. It's just...hard to adjust to his teaching style. It feels like I get yelled at constantly."

Jaina grinned. "All part of being a Padawan."

Ahsoka laughed slightly. "I guess. Maybe I got a bit too comfortable at the Temple before I got assigned to him…After getting yelled at by Skyguy so much these past few days, I find myself actually missing the lessons we had from Master Yoda and Master Tachi and all the others."

"How's the off-duty time, though?" Jaina asked, taking a bite out of her oatmeal. "Have you two been getting to know each other a bit better, at least?"

Ahsoka smiled slightly. "A little bit, I guess," she shrugged. "I mean, I like him plenty, but he's a tough guy to get to know. He doesn't really open up much…Not to mention he spends all his free time just tinkering with stuff. There are spare droid parts littered all around our living room. He kind of just leaves everything lying around."

Jaina snorted. "Well, he never really did strike me as the kind of Master to have, shall we say, house rules."

Ahsoka laughed slightly. "Yeah, he leaves his stuff everywhere. There are tools all over our kitchenette, his desk is a mountain of papers, and holos." She snickered. "It's almost like he's intentionally trying to make the place as unsafe as possible."

"At least you know if an intruder ever comes in, they'll probably flee immediately." Jaina grinned.

Ahsoka laughed. "I suppose so, yeah," She smiled slightly. "…So does Master Kenobi have rules at your place?"

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

Ahsoka snickered. "Probably about a dozen of them, which he forces you to follow, under threat of being punished?"

Jaina giggled. "It sounds pretty dreadful when you put it that way."

"I guess with Master Kenobi being so serious about everything, I should have expected that from him." Ahsoka chuckled, then tilted her head curiously. "So, what are those rules?"

"Nothing I didn't already do as a youngling, thankfully," Jaina admitted, chuckling. "It wasn't too much of an adjustment for me—at least, if we're talking about domestic habits. Everything else definitely was."

"Does he give you a curfew? A bedtime?" Ahsoka snickered, taking a bite out of her sausage. "He seems the type."

Jaina laughed. "I do need to be in bed by 9, yes. Unless we're out in the field, of course."

"Oh wow, that's horrible!" Ahsoka laughed. "We finally get away from our clans and our creche-masters, and you still need to be in bed by 9?!" She shook her head playfully. "Master Skywalker doesn't exactly 'enforce' a time that I'm 'supposed to be' asleep. But he'll constantly schedule training drills at the crack of dawn. So I guess that's his tactic."

"Oh wow," Jaina chuckled. "That sounds both diabolical, and brilliant…Very Anakin."

"It is…So what exactly happens if you aren't in bed by 9?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"I don't know," Jaina answered, shrugging. "I've never tried."

"You've never tried?" She raised an eyebrow. "So, what are Master Kenobi's other rules? Have you broken them?"

"No, of course I haven't! And they're nothing too unreasonable," Jaina murmured, popping a berry into her mouth. "On top of my usual Padawan and GAR duties? Err, no eating in my bedroom, no locking my door, no dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, replace toiletries when empty." She munched on a spoon of oatmeal. "I'm on laundry committee, he's on kitchen committee…And I rather think I've improved our laundry protocol, if I'm honest."

"Laundry committee?" Ahsoka tilted her head. "Kitchen committee?…Laundry protocol?! Is that just a thing you two made up?"

"Sort of," Jaina chuckled. "We have this whole joke about how we run our quarters like how we run our bases—maintaining optimal efficiency and ensuring all supply lines are running and the like. It might sound a little silly."

Ahsoka laughed. "At least you both seem to have a sense of humor about how you run your place...Skyguy and I haven't really had much time to joke around like that in our off hours. He always seems very focused on training, or he tinkers with his droids…and when that starts, then I really can't talk to him."

"Hmm…" Jaina played around with her oatmeal. "What if you…offered to help him tinker? Would that help?"

Ahsoka looked at her as if she had just suggested the most outrageous thing humanly possible. "Help him tinker?" she exclaimed. "You mean work on repairing droids? In my rare free time?" She scoffed. "Besides, I'm no mechanic; what assistance could I possibly be to him?"

Jaina rolled her eyes, playfully nudging her shoulder with her own. "It's not necessarily about being helpful, it's about, you know—even just attempting to show some interest in some of his hobbies. Master-Padawan relationships are all about compromise, after all."

Ahsoka gave her a small smirk. "I guess that makes sense. I…guess I should get used to doing things for him." She paused, taking a bite out of her eggs. "And besides, if I get better at building and repairing things, then when we get sent out on missions, that'll probably be a useful skill for me to have."

"Exactly," Jaina took a bite out of her oatmeal. "And who knows? You might actually end up enjoying it."

Ahsoka chuckled. "Doubt it. I don't understand his fascination with messing with things, but you're right, maybe I should give it a try." She munched on her breakfast. "I tried asking him about it, you know. But he just said, 'because it's fun, Snips'."

Jaina snorted. "Nice Anakin impression."

"Thanks." Ahsoka snickered. "Not to mention the loud music he always blasts in the background while he tinkers…it drives me crazy."

Jaina shuddered and laughed. "Oh Force, the mental image of your off-duty days at your quarters—compared to how Master Obi-Wan and I usually spend ours, I mean—just about looks hilarious in my mind's eye right now."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "What do you and Master Kenobi even do during your downtime?" She paused, leaning forward and grinning. "I don't like not being able to picture it, and it's making my brain itch."

"Our days off are probably much…quieter than yours…" Jaina grinned. "We read, we play dejarik, we meditate, sometimes we do a puzzle." Her eyes lit up. "There was this one time, one of our matches lasted three whole hours—it was absolutely glorious."

"A three-hour game of dejarik is exciting?!" Ahsoka burst out laughing. "I'm sure Anakin would just love to hear about your routine when you're on leave. He would definitely find a way to comment on how boring you and Master Kenobi are." She chuckled mischievously. "Although…the two of you are a bit boring."

"Trust me, there is nothing boring about a three-hour match, it just means it was a well-thought-out challenge." Jaina retorted.

Ahsoka's eyebrows raised playfully. "Riiiight. A three-hour staring contest," she said sarcastically. "It sounds like a blast."

She playfully reached over for a blueberry, and tossed it at Jaina's hair. "I'm bored just thinking about it…And let me guess, Master Kenobi always wins?"

Jaina scoffed. "He's High General. Of course he does."

"I'm sure he's always pulling his punches with you though. He lets you win, doesn't he?"

"No, he doesn't," Jaina shrugged. "I've never won. Not once."

Ahsoka blinked. "...you've never won? And yet it's still fun for you?!"

"...yes." Jaina grinned. "It's even more fun for me, actually."

Ahsoka shook her head, chuckling. "You are…you are so strange, you know that?"

Jaina chuckled. "I know."

"But I imagine there are plenty of other things you and your Master do in your spare time, other than train, or play a boring strategy game?" Ahsoka glanced at Jaina with a wry and playful smirk, taking a bite out of her breakfast.

Jaina took a small bite out of her oatmeal. "Not really," she murmured thoughtfully, after a few moments. "We don't really have a lot of free time to begin with, he's at Council meetings a lot, and I help him with studying Cody's reports when they come in. It's a lot of administrative paperwork."

Ahsoka tilted her head to the side, raising a single eyebrow. "You…help Master Kenobi with his paperwork? Really?" She asked skeptically. "What, so you just sit there, reading all those numbers and graphs and reports about clone casualties and strategy? Forcing your brain to somehow make sense of them?"

Ahsoka chuckled. "I call bluff. There's no way your attention span could survive."

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really now? Two days ago, your own Master put in a requisition request for the 501st, didn't he? For six AT-TEs, two reserve battalions, and four gunships…Said requisition request was then partially denied, wasn't it?" She popped a berry into her mouth. "It was denied because two LAATs were on Ryloth, completing a scouting operation, while four AT-TEs were on Muunilinst, continuing the ground assault in the city."

Jaina chuckled. "I know this, because I help him sort through all the reports, evaluate risk levels, and do initial segregations and assessments."

Ahsoka paused, her eyebrows raised. She stared intently at her fellow teenage Padawan, a stunned expression on her face. "You're…not joking, are you?" She asked quietly. "You…really study and analyze all that data?"

Ahsoka shook her head and muttered to herself. "You're not just his Padawan, you're his partner."

Jaina blinked. "That's…the entire point of a Master-Padawan relationship. It's a partnership."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Master Skywalker doesn't really seem to think so. It's always 'the Padawan obeys the Master' with him, and I don't really have that much of a say in anything."

"Come on, you've only been with him a couple of days," Jaina chuckled. "Give it time."

Ahsoka frowned slightly. "He is an incredibly demanding Master, you know that." She glanced sideways at her friend. "He's not the kind of person who likes to wait. At all."

"I know, I'm not saying he's going to be any less demanding, what I meant was…" Jaina paused, considering her words. "It takes time. I had my own adjustment period too."

Ahsoka looked at her, pausing to consider her words. "I guess you're right," she admitted. "Still, your dynamic with Master Kenobi sounds pretty different."

"Because it is." Jaina smiled gently. "Every Master-Padawan dynamic is different. I have my own struggles with my Master that you may not understand. And your partnership with Anakin has its own strengths that I will never experience. That's just how these partnerships are. It's how people are."

Ahsoka smiled back. "That's…actually incredibly insightful…" She paused, taking another bite out of a sausage. "I guess we do see things a bit differently, based on who we're being trained by…I get the feeling if I ever disagreed with Anakin on how to handle something, he'd probably just laugh and brush it off, or scold me. But if Master Kenobi actually takes time to listen to your opinions and thoughts…"

"Which presents its own set of challenges, at times," Jaina admitted gently. "I can't just pull up these opinions and thoughts out of thin air. Everything with my Master—especially when it involves lives on the line—needs to be based on facts and logic." She paused. "Which means I need to be aware of a lot of things, simultaneously. At all times."

She shrugged. "Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka stared at her. "Do you…help Master Kenobi with high-level strategy? And the actual decision-making process?"

"I don't make the decisions, if that's what you're asking," Jaina chuckled, popping another berry into her mouth. "But I help him. He treats our strategy sessions like lectures. Like I said, he's always cultivated a very nurturing dynamic between us. So I've never really felt like I needed to hold back, if I had any questions, or recommendations, or proposals. Or even if I disagreed—provided, of course, that I always did so respectfully, and only behind closed doors, never in public."

Ahsoka raised her eyebrows. "So…Master Kenobi actually allows you to disagree with his decisions?" She asked. "And say something about it?"

"In private," Jaina repeated. "And don't get me wrong, just because I voice my opinions and my disagreements, it doesn't always mean there's any impact whatsoever to his decision-making." She shrugged lightly. "Probably 97% of the time—thus far—that I disagreed with him, I was wrong. And I accepted it, and I learned from it. That's the most important part. It was not a problem for either him, or me. The 3% I was right, it turned out I was able to see something he initially missed, or I thought a bit out of the box and provided a new perspective. It's always a win-win for us both, either way."

Ahsoka paused, listening intently. "So you're telling me that you get to voice your opinions, he listens to them, and—either you learned something because you were wrong, or you learned something because you were right?"

"Exactly," Jaina chirped, shrugging. "It's never really about who's right or wrong, for me. At the end of the day, if it helps our troops, and if I grow a little bit from it, then I'll happily be wrong. I learn from my Master either way, he's brilliant."

"But still, for that 3% you mentioned, he actually allowed you to tell him that he was wrong?" Ahsoka asked. "To say something he did or proposed was a bad idea?"

"Maybe because I never said it like that," Jaina said wryly. "I wouldn't even call it disagreeing, per se. It's more of…asking questions, I suppose? It's a habit I picked up from him too, he usually teaches me by asking me questions until I arrive at the answer on my own."

"So," she continued, "when I disagree, I do it in a similar way. For example, if I have a different idea that I think perhaps might work, I bring it up as a question instead—and ask why such a proposal would work, or would not."

Ahsoka nodded softly, looking at her fellow Padawan with a newfound respect. "So...it's more of a question to him, asking for guidance and for him to explain his reasoning…instead of outright stating that you disagree. Did I get that right?"

"Yes, exactly." Jaina smiled. "That way, we both learn from each other through discourse. There were—very—few times I saw things he missed, and most other times, I understood his reasoning behind certain decisions once we had discussed them."

"Wow…" Ahsoka murmured. "From what I've seen this past week, Anakin can get quite frustrated when things don't go his way, or when he feels that I'm questioning his judgment. It's honestly difficult for me to imagine how Master Kenobi can stay so stoic all the time. Is he ever angered or frustrated with you, at all, even in private?"

Jaina laughed. "I've been on the receiving end of my fair share of yelling, Ahsoka. He's not always stoic…which you'll probably find out on your own too, the more the four of us work together."

"...besides," she continued, smirking, "it's probably a rite of passage for all Padawans—surviving years and years of yelling."

"Then I guess I'll just have to…get used to it." Ahsoka sighed. "I guess there are worse experiences to have during a learning experience than being yelled at."

"It's only been a few days, Ahsoka," Jaina said gently. "Be kinder to yourself, you're still adjusting. Not only to Anakin, but to the war." She paused. "It'll get a little more…I won't say that it'll get easier, because that would be a lie. It doesn't. At least, it hasn't yet, for me. I will say that aspects of it get a little more…" she smiled softly. "Familiar."

Ahsoka considered her friend's words quietly, before nodding. "I guess you have a point." She chuckled quietly. "You know, I think I'm gonna follow your example of disagreeing. Instead of arguing with him, I'll ask him to explain his reasoning to me."

Jaina smirked. "I'm sure he'd prefer that too. From what I saw on Christophsis and on Teth, you both seem like a pair of hotheads, after all."

Ahsoka snorted. "Okay, fine, guilty as charged…but he's worse."

"Debatable," Jaina retorted.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, reaching over to pluck a berry from Jaina's bowl and toss it at her head. "Okay, okay I'll admit we are both pretty hot-headed."

"Hey now, toss your own food!" Jaina laughed, picking up the berry and munching on it playfully. "Food wastage is a crime."

"Nope, I like taking from you." Ahsoka replied sharply, a smirk on her face.

Jaina rolled her eyes, finishing up her last spoonfuls of oatmeal in thoughtful silence.

Ahsoka paused. "…Jaina?"

Jaina glanced up from her bowl. "Hmm?"

"Can you..." Ahsoka began hesitantly. "…Can you..tell Master Kenobi things...?" she asked quietly. "Like, how you feel?"

"...yes…" Jaina said quietly. "I can…"

Ahsoka sighed softly. "Does he actually...take you seriously? Does he actually listen to you, and acknowledge your feelings?"

Jaina's expression softened. "You and Anakin are both still adjusting to each other," she repeated. "This wasn't something Master Obi-Wan and I reached overnight either, it's been four months of…of difficult days."

Ahsoka frowned slightly, looking away. "Yeah, I guess…"

For a moment, she went silent.

"But it feels like...if I ever did open up to Skyguy…I feel like he wouldn't listen." She said quietly. "He expects me to be as strong and determined as he is, so any time I'm not like that, he can't tolerate it."

"Anakin cares about his friends very, very fiercely," Jaina said quietly. "He may not seem like the most…I don't know, emotionally available Master, but he shows his care in other ways."

Ahsoka sighed, thinking. "…Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Finding the right rhythm takes time," Jaina said quietly. "So does building the trust, the care, the respect—the bond. You two will get there."

"...Yeah, that's fair." Ahsoka nodded. "It's only been a few days after all, really. I suppose it does take time to really get to know someone, if at all."

"…if it helps," Jaina teased gently. "In my opinion, you two could not be a more compatible pair."

Ahsoka snickered a little at that, rolling her eyes. "Oh? And how'd you figure that?"

"Because the fact that you're so eager for your friendship to develop right away tells me that you're impatient," Jaina murmured, a wry smile on her face. "Last week, when the four of us worked together on Christophsis and on Teth, I assessed that you're stubborn."

"And the fact that you called him 'Skyguy' to his face when you had just met for the first time—and continue to get away with it—tells me you are fearless." Jaina smiled. "You have much more in common with him than you think, Ahsoka. Just give it time. You are right where you need to be."

"You're right, you're right. He does seem to laugh a bit when I call him 'Skyguy'..." Ahsoka paused, then blinked. "…wait...did you...do a whole analysis of me and my behavior that entire time we were together?" She asked, now a little confused. Her eyes narrowed. "…How often do you analyze me, Jaina Arden?" She asked. "What other insights do you know about me?"

"I analyze everything and everyone so…" Jaina innocently popped the last berry into her mouth. "No comment."

Ahsoka snickered, then shook her head and sighed. "…I probably should have seen that coming, you're such an uptight, overanalyzing nerd."

"Now that is offensive!" Jaina laughed, tossing a berry her way. "Hope this conversation helped you, at least."

Ahsoka laughed quietly and nodded. "It did, yeah. And it made me feel a bit more at ease…I was worried I was getting in over my head…Sometimes I think that's why I keep giving Skyguy so much backtalk…" She paused. "But thanks…I needed to hear that."

Jaina gazed at her empty bowl for another moment, then glanced back up. "If you ever need anyone to…you know, talk to…" she offered a small shrug and shy smile. "I'm around." She chuckled. "We Padawans with difficult Masters definitely need to stick together."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ahsoka paused for a moment. "…thank you. And the same goes for you, of course."

Jaina smiled softly. "It…has been kinda nice, having a friend."

Ahsoka smirked teasingly, gesturing at Jaina's datapad. "I thought you said you already had friends."

"Yes, well," Jaina grinned. "Maybe you were right. Maybe I do need to give non-inanimate objects a chance too."

"…Maybe," Ahsoka snickered, giving her shoulder another nudge. "Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to have a real, actual friend."

"Yeah…" Jaina smiled. "For what it's worth…I'm glad you got assigned to Master Skywalker, Ahsoka."