IV. Temporary Something

Other than my mandatory weekly sessions with Healer Stass, my life in the temple returned to relative normality. My teachers and classmates welcomed me back, I caught up on my coursework, and I returned to regularly assisting Master Tera with the younglings during my free time.

And I'd reluctantly shelved the idea of exploring Galactic City for a later time. Maybe for when I became a padawan.

It was one early afternoon that Aayla and I were exiting our classroom together; she'd invited me to study with her in the Archives in order to prepare for our exam next week. Amongst the flood of dispersing students, I caught sight of Anakin standing under the shadow of a pillar across the cavernous hall. He waved awkwardly at me. Even from this distance, I could sense his agitation.

"You should go," Aayla suddenly said, her gaze flickering between Anakin and I.

I frowned up at her. "But I need your help for the material we'll be tested on."

"I can help you tomorrow," she assured me. "You work too hard. Go on."

I nodded reluctantly and turned to walk in Anakin's direction.

His expression brightened.

"Hi, Nova," he greeted me as soon as I was within hearing distance.

"Hello," I said. "How are you, Anakin?"

"I'm all healed up," he cheerfully informed me. "Obi-Wan finally let me return to lightsaber training."

I smiled. "That's wonderful. Were you able to catch up with the rest of your coursework?"

"Oh, yeah. It wasn't too bad," he assured me with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I see."

An awkward silence descended.

Other than the one time Anakin had joined me and the younglings of my clan for nap time, we hadn't spent any intentional time together. Everything prior to that had either been due to coincidence, forced proximity, or dire circumstances.

"Have―"

"How―"

We stopped and Anakin gestured sharply towards me. "Um, you first."

"Okay…" It had been so long since I'd been friends with anyone, that for a moment, I was at a loss.

But even I could recall the bare basics. "Are you hungry? I was going to pick up some snacks from the refectory."

Anakin grinned. "I'm always hungry."

"Let's go then," I said and began leading the way.

Anakin was quick to fall into step beside me. "Was that the senior-level padawan class you were just in?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"You're friends with Aayla, then?"

"She's the one who's been helping me keep up with the class," I said. "You know her?"

"Our masters introduced us. Her master is a bit strange, but he's friends with Obi-Wan," he explained with a helpless shrug.

I tilted my head in thought. "Who's her master again?" For all the time I'd spent with her, I didn't actually know very much about her.

"Master Quinlan Vos."

"Oh, that's right," I said, recalling the information from my own memories. "Yeah, he's an oddball."

Anakin shot me a look. "You've met him?"

"No." I smiled. "But I believe you."

He seemed strangely pleased. "Thanks."

The refectory in the Initiate Hall was sparsely filled, the hour still too early for second meal. I took advantage and lead Anakin straight over to the bin full of packaged snacks, loading a tray with his enthusiastic help.

"Are you sure we have enough spiced crumblebuns?" I teased.

Anakin shot me an affronted look. "We can never have enough spiced crumblebuns."

"Leave some for the rest of the initiates," I scolded with a laugh and reached over to add some Kanali wafers instead. "Go check and see if they have bottled Moonberry juice."

Anakin twitched his nose in obvious distaste but did as I asked. While his back was turned, I discreetly added another package of spiced crumblebuns as well as some Blumfruit tarts.

Anakin then returned with a bottle in each hand, one Moonberry juice and one Muja juice.

"Perfect, let's go," I decided and turned, heading back through the arched entryway and in the direction of the Initiate Dorms.

"Huh? We're not eating here?" Anakin asked, catching up to walk at my side.

"No way," I said. "We'd probably get scolded for eating too many snacks before second meal."

He smirked as he realized, "You've done this before."

My rueful smile was confession enough. "No one's stopped me yet." Then again, it wasn't as though I did it very often. But sometimes, eating my weight in Blumfruit tarts while watching a mindless holodrama did more for me than any meditation session ever could. I doubted such an explanation would inspire much sympathy from any of the masters, but I had yet to be called out on it.

When we got to my dorm room, I set up the holocaster to project an action-packed holofilm I had recently watched. It had a few too many explosions for my tastes, but I figured Anakin would like it, and at my core, I was still a people-pleaser.

We settled comfortably on my bed, leaning against a pile of pillows I'd hoarded specifically for this purpose, happily munching away and watching the holofilm. Anakin appeared enthralled, more so than I'd expected, and it made me wonder how much non-educational holomedia Obi-Wan had exposed him to. Going by his reaction, probably not much.

I blinked, and then, we were waking up to the sound of beeping, the indication that someone was at my door. The projected holo had long gone silent, paused at the end credits.

"What time is it?" Anakin slurred.

Whatever answer I had was lost amidst a yawn as I pushed myself to my feet, shuffling over and palming open the blast door. Barriss Offee, the current most senior member of my clan, stood on the other side.

"Initiate Deraan, you are late for training," she said in that formal way she had of speaking. "Master Tera asked me to come and fetch you."

"Oh, thanks," I told her, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and calling over my shoulder, "Anakin, I have to go. I'll see you later."

Anakin mumbled something unintelligible as he sat up on my bed, but I didn't wait around. Instead, I grabbed my lightsaber and followed Barriss out, door automatically sliding close behind me.

"Lead the way," I said, shooting her a brief smile and dusting the stray crumbs off my robes.

She offered only a silent nod in return and we began our trek. But her emotions fluctuated strangely in the Force, and at last, her curiosity got the better of her. "...Was that Padawan Skywalker in your dorm room?"

"Yes. We accidentally fell asleep watching a holofilm. That's why I didn't show up for lightsaber training."

"I see."

I frowned, wondering about the irritation my words caused in her, but before I could make much sense of them, they suddenly vanished, dissipating into the Force as she released them.

Soon, I realized Barriss was not walking towards the training salles at all. Instead, she lead us to one of the outdoor halls we typically only used to run through our basic forms due to the lack of training mats. The pillars lining the circular stone floor were for mere aesthetic as they supported no dome above them, allowing us a clear view of blue skies and glittering Coruscanti traffic.

Across the hall, massive slabs of durasteel had been erected, and initiates, whom I recognized as the oldest from Clans Wolf, Clawmouse, and Hawk-Bat, were practicing their lightsaber cutting.

"Master Tera has instructed us to cut a circular shape big enough for us to fit through," Barriss explained.

Going by awful shapes that had already been carved out, it was clear not everyone was succeeding.

"Thank you, Barriss," I said and turned, walking off to find an unmarred wall of durasteel for myself and igniting my lightsaber.

It buzzed hotly in my hands and sunk into the wall with little resistance. Slicing it through the reinforced durasteel was another matter however. It was difficult to keep it steady and at some point, I nearly forgot about the size requirement.

With more effort than I'd thought, I finally reached my starting point and flicked off my lightsaber, using the Force to shove the cut shape out of place. I stared through the misshapen hole, edges glowing red-hot and resembling nowhere near a circle, along with the matching lump collapsed on the other side.

"Could use some work," I sighed and mentally prepared myself for a long afternoon.

When it came to lightsaber combat, Anakin was ruthless.

"Your reflexes are too slow," he was saying, the sting of his lightsaber in its training setting singing my robes. "You won't be blocking anything but a training drone at that speed. And you need to widen your stance, or else―"

I suddenly pitched to the side and hit the training mat with a wheeze, lightsaber going silent in my hand as the blade fizzled out.

"―you'll overbalance yourself," he finished, staring down at my slumped form with a bemused expression.

With a gasp of breath, I managed a weak, "Got it."

The humming of Anakin's lightsaber vanished and I felt, more than saw, as he crouched down by my head. "Nova? Are you okay?"

I mumbled something that hopefully sounded reassuring as I cataloged every critique Anakin had slung at me in the past hour. The upcoming tournament for the Initiate Trials wasn't for a few months yet, but I knew this was the one area where I did not excel in, contrary to what my masters told me. They believed I was better off because I relied on the Force at a level that my fellow initiates did not, but the reality was, I had to rely on the Force. Without it, I would hardly last a second, let alone a whole sparring session. I didn't have the natural athleticism required to keep up otherwise.

Fortunately, going to Anakin for help had been a brilliant idea. Even at thirteen he was a clear prodigy, both powerful in the Force and brimming with natural talent when it came to dueling.

I blinked open my eyes when I felt his finger prodding my cheek. "I'm fine," I said, finally having caught my breath. "Stop poking me!"

Anakin snickered, but thankfully let up. "Don't look so down. You're not terrible. For an initiate."

I sat up and brushed the flyaways stuck to my sweaty face. "That's why I need your help."

"You've already passed the trials once, so I'm sure you would be fine without my help," he said, thoughtful. "But if you wanna wipe the floor with them, I can absolutely help with that."

The reality was, I didn't need to be better because I wanted to earn an apprenticeship; I needed to be better because in six short years, we would be going to war. But since I couldn't say that, I settled on, "I want to wipe the floor with them."

Anakin grinned sharply. "Ready to go another round?"

Before answering, I happened to check the chrono on my wrist comm and immediately shot to my feet. "Shoot, I can't. I have to go."

Anakin jumped up and asked, "What? Where are you going?"

"They're hosting a field trip this evening to the Skydome Botanical Gardens," I explained, "but I still need time to go shower and change."

"Oh," he said, his disappointment practically tangible. "That sounds fun. Maybe we can meet up again soon."

I hesitated. I didn't really think Anakin would be all that interested in visiting the gardens, but still, I offered, "Would you like to come with me?"

His surprise wafted pleasantly in the Force. "Is that allowed?"

"The trip is mainly arranged for initiates, but padawans are allowed to attend if they happen to be in the temple." Healer Stass had been the one to bring the upcoming field trip to my attention during our last session and I had immediately signed up. Temple life was busy enough that arranging such outings wasn't that common, but they did occasionally happen, and I was all too glad to visit the city without having to break the rules this time.

"Then yeah, I'll go," Anakin said, smiling once again.

"Okay, we're meeting up in the northern lower-level hangar in half an hour. See you then!" I called, taking off. The training salles technically had refresher units with sonic showers in the attached dressing chambers, along with spare robes, but I preferred to wear my own robes for the outing, so I hurried off to my dorm room.

After taking a short shower, getting dressed, and styling my hair into a quick braid, I took off once again and came upon Anakin waiting for me just outside the hangar bay.

"You're late," he teased as I hurried to his side.

"Am not," I huffed and grabbed him by the wrist to pull him along. "Come on, before they leave without us!"

Fortunately, we found the transport shuttle still waiting on the extended docking pad, Master Plo standing beside the boarding ramp. "Nova-Li, Anakin," he greeted us warmly. "I am pleased to see you both could make it."

We bowed in greeting and said, "Thank you, Master Plo."

"Go ahead. You two are the last to arrive so we will be taking off now."

We scurried up the boarding ramp and joined the rest of the party, briefly greeting the masters chaperoning our trip, before going and taking our seats towards the back end of the shuttle.

"Oh, hi Barriss," I said when I recognized the girl I'd sat next to.

"Hello," she said, bowing her head politely in our direction. "Initiate Deraan, Padawan Skywalker."

"Uh, hi," Anakin said with an awkward wave of his hand.

"You can call me Nova-Li," I offered, hoping I hadn't offended her by casually using her name. By nature, we weren't especially formal amongst fellow Jedi. Even with our titles and ranks, we typically referred to one another by our first names.

"And you can call me Anakin," Anakin tacked on, friendly as ever.

For whatever reason, Barriss seemed flustered by the attention, but she smiled kindly nonetheless and said to Anakin, "Well met, Anakin. I am Barriss Offee."

"Barriss is in Wolf Clan with me," I explained to him, "but she's older than me, so she'll become a padawan like you soon."

"If I am offered an apprenticeship," she stipulated.

"You will be," I assured her without hesitation. Barriss was incredibly smart, hard-working, and kind; all the characteristics sought after in any potential apprentice. Besides, I recalled that it would be Master Luminara Unduli who would be taking her on as her padawan learner. "I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't."

Something in her expression softened. "Thank you, Nova-Li."

"What about you, Nova? If you're offered another apprenticeship, will you accept this time?" Anakin wondered, sounding a tad critical.

"If the Force wills it," I evaded. Truthfully, I doubted any other master could be worse than Pong Krell, so I would likely accept the next offer and become a padawan come the following cycle. But still, I was willing to bide my time for an additional year if the circumstances were dire enough.

Anakin's nose twitched. "You sound like Master Yoda."

"No, I don't," I said mock-sternly. "If it were Master Yoda, he would say it like this: 'If wills it, the Force.'"

Anakin slammed a palm over his mouth, muffling his snickers.

"Nova-Li," Barriss hissed, peeking over the backrests of the seats up ahead. "He could hear you!"

I doubted Barriss would believe that Master Yoda was capable of taking a joke, especially from a youngling, so I merely smiled at her before turning back to Anakin and elbowing his side. "Hush. It wasn't that funny."

Anakin caught his breath and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "It was pretty spot on. How'd you make your voice sound like that?"

I could hardly explain that I'd mastered the technique of mimicking Master Yoda in a previous lifetime, so I settled on, "Trade secret."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Not one you're willing to part with?"

I hummed in thought. "I can't afford to let it get traced back to me."

"I wouldn't rat you out," he scoffed. "Besides, I promise to use this power for only good."

I eyed him skeptically. "I sincerely doubt that."

Anakin spent the remainder of our ride expounding his many virtues, building an entire case for why I should teach him this secret power. And in the end, when he turned to me expectantly, I concluded, "You just want to prank Obi-Wan, don't you?"

Anakin beamed. "You get it."

"Fine," I relented and silenced his cheers with a distracted, "gloat another time. We're here."

At the direction of the masters, we got up and eagerly filed out of the shuttle. Night had already fallen and the colossal dome of the gardens glowed incandescently before us, not to be outshone by the many sparkling skyscrapers and gleaming university towers of the Fobosi District. Between Master Plo, Grand Master Yoda, Master Tera, and Master Zang, we were split off into four groups and lead inside the complex preceding the entrance to the dome. The shops and restaurants lining the lustrous halls were colorful and inviting, hosting all manner of Coruscanti elite, flooded with soft music and the murmur of a thousand voices speaking all at once.

Fortunately, Anakin and I got to stay together under the supervision of Master Plo, along with Trilla, a seven-year-old human girl from my clan who stuck close to my side, and a Mon Calamari boy a little older than me, who introduced himself as Nahdar Vebb.

At last, we reached the gate and were admitted into the gardens. The domed transparisteel overhead was nearly three stories tall, and still, it could hardly contain the eruption of alien flora, towering, climbing, and unfurling without regard for its diminishing space. I gazed around me in wonder, unable to identify most of the plant life blooming in tall, colorful bursts. Anakin, desert boy that he was, stared at the interlocking greenery above in similar awe.

As Master Plo guided us through one of the many pathways, he asked us, "Where would you like to visit first, young ones?"

Immediately, I piped up, "Can we go look at the crystal plant exhibit?"

"What's a crystal plant?" Anakin asked, sounding doubtful that any such thing existed.

"I don't know, but there's a sign over there." I pointed to the overhead placard further down the way, labeled Crystal Plant Exhibit in printed Aurebesh, suspended above the archway of an antechamber.

"Trilla, Nahdar, does that sound agreeable?"

"Yes, Master Plo," Trilla said, voice soft.

"Can we visit the poisonous plant exhibit next, Master Plo?" Nahdar asked. "We're learning about those in my medicinal herbs unit."

"Yes, we have plenty of time to visit both," Master Plo assured him and began leading us in the direction I'd pointed them to.

"Whoa!"

The glow panels inside the small exhibit chamber had been dimmed, allowing the crystallized plant life to shimmer in a rainbow of colors that refracted stunningly against one another. The smooth, fragmented surfaces were so clear and pristine, I caught strange glimpses of my own reflection, the natural lavender of my almond-shaped eyes distorted into a prism of colors.

I lifted a hand as we journeyed around the walkway, observing the rays dancing along the pale skin of my fingertips with fascination.

"Do you think those are edible?" Anakin asked me when we paused beside a tall, sparkling thicket labeled Dewdrop Trees, gesturing towards the fruit hanging from their branches like glittering gemstones.

"Do you wish to find out?" I deadpanned, eyeing the sharp, faceted edges of the crystal fruit suspiciously, imagining it would be akin to chewing on stained glass.

"I have heard that Dewdrops are actually quite delicious," Master Plo said. "Perhaps, we may purchase some as a treat before we return to the temple."

"Really? They don't look very soft," I said.

"I'd like to try one, Master Plo," Anakin piped up. "Which color do you think is best?"

"That, you will have to find out for yourself, young Anakin," Master Plo said with a chuckle.

"We can both get a different color and try each other's," I suggested.

Anakin grinned. "Wizard."

Per Nahdar's request, we moved on to the next, much larger exhibit, where he proceeded to educate us on every poisonous plant we came across, from the beautiful Kewafi flowers, to the extremely deadly Thornsuckles, to the eye-catching Purple Stingworts.

"Oh! They have Arool cacti too! These are actually semi-sentient―"

"Should we be worried that he knows a thousand different ways to poison us?" Anakin whispered near my ear as we followed after the others at a slower pace.

"No, we should be grateful he'll learn how to create antidotes," I said. "Assuming he follows the path of a Healer Knight."

"And if not?"

"Then we'll worry," I said, exchanging a snicker with him.

"You said you wanted to be a Clan Master, right?" he asked, voice quiet so as to not disrupt Nahdar's enthusiastic lecture up ahead.

"Oh, you remember that?"

Anakin smiled. "Of course."

"I do," I murmured, pushing the remorseful pang in my chest into the Force, before Anakin could make note of it. "I love the temple and everything Master Tera does for us. I wouldn't do it right away though."

"Why's that?"

"I want to see the galaxy first," I said, pretending for a moment that I would be free to do all the things I wanted to do. "I could do so as a regular Jedi Knight while serving the Republic."

"I do too," Anakin said, significantly more earnest than me. "I've already advanced through all the piloting courses for padawans and Obi-Wan even let me navigate the ship all by myself on our last mission. Once I'm a knight, I could fly anywhere!"

"Where would you fly to first?"

Anakin abruptly grew silent, withdrawing into himself, and all I heard for the next few minutes was Nahdar's dissertation on different kinds of acid plants.

I hadn't meant to make Anakin feel bad. I had personally thought of all the different star systems I wanted to visit and the question had slipped out without thought. Of course I already knew where he wanted to go. Even in the temple, it wasn't much of a secret. Which is why I was startled when it was Anakin who broke our silence.

"Do you remember how I joined the temple later than most?"

"I do," I answered simply, cautious of his disheartened feelings.

"If I could fly anywhere, I would return to Tatooine and I would free my mom."

I carefully did away with my own apprehension and smiled kindly as I said, "I'm sure she would love to see you again."

"Y-yeah," Anakin agreed tremulously, hurriedly rubbing at his damp eyes.

"Anakin, Nova-Li," Master Plo called to us from where they had already reached the end of the exhibit, "don't fall behind, please."

"Sorry, Master," we called back, quickening our steps to catch up.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't annoy you, did I?" Nahdar asked with an air of embarrassment.

"Not at all," I assured him. "It's really cool that you know so much! Anakin and I were just wondering if you wanted to be a Healer Knight."

Nahdar beamed at us as we exited back into the main pathways of the dome. "I do, actually!"

"That is an admirable career path indeed. I commend you, young Nahdar," Master Plo said kindly.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Now, we have time to visit one more exhibit. Anakin, Trilla, has anything else caught your interest?"

"Hm, what about the carnivorous plant exhibit?" Anakin suggested.

Trilla made a face. "But what if we get eaten?"

"Don't be silly! We're Jedi. A plant can't hurt us, carnivorous or otherwise," Anakin reassured her cheerfully, succeeding in making her laugh.

"Okay, then let's go," she decided, more confident.

"Then, if we are all amenable," Master Plo said, and with our mutual agreement, lead the way.

The chamber hosting the collection of carnivorous plants was the biggest yet, walkways twice as wide with extra ray fencing in place to keep visitors from stepping too close to the dangerous vegetation. The plants looked strangely docile in their spacious habitats, little Saava flowers and Thornsniper bushes that I wouldn't have known to be dangerous, if it weren't for the cautioning of the Force and the little placards that labeled them for what they truly were.

"Do you think any of the workers here have been eaten?" Anakin wondered.

I eyed the Fangvines wrapped around what I hoped was a non-sentient carcass. "Probably."

"That's bleak."

"Agreed."

We continued walking gradually through the exhibit, gripped by a horrific kind of fascination as we examined the bloodthirsty plant life.

Anakin was the one who stood closest when it happened.

A young initiate from one of the different groups appeared to have wandered off, stepping too close to the edge of the walkway, where a creeping vine laid in wait. Without hesitation, Anakin launched himself forward, shoving the Rodian boy aside just as the vines snapped forward, capturing Anakin in his place.

Master Plo rushed to grab the stunned initiate by the shoulder, pushing him back and gesturing for us to step away before anyone else could become victim. The placard that labeled the monster was half-buried at its roots, while high above us, the flailing limbs of the unveiled behemoth wrapped themselves around a struggling Anakin, fully pinning his arms and legs in place.

"Be calm, younglings," Master Plo said sternly, before anyone could give into their panic. "Breathe. Reach out to the Force and we may yet help Anakin out of his predicament."

Grateful for his direction, I did as he instructed. And as one, we lifted our hands, reaching out towards the flytrap head of the semi-sentient beast, using the Force to impart our joint will upon it. A collective peace settled over it, an overwhelming influence that caused its thrashing to slow and ease, until it calmed, a tangle of vines hovering around its head, eerily still.

And then, it unhinged its massive jaw, displaying a row of deadly sharp teeth, and promptly swallowed Anakin.

Someone screamed, before the violent thrum of a lightsaber pulsed to life, cleaving apart the carnivorous plant from the inside out, slicing it to shreds. It collapsed to the ground in a continuous and thunderous crash of dense limbs, the scent of scorched vegetation flooding the chamber, strangely familiar.

Anakin, doused in unidentified plant fluids, landed nimbly on his feet and grinned at us from amongst the twitching vines of the Endorian Flytrap carcass. "What'd I tell you, Trilla? A plant can't hurt us!"

I stared down at the smoking plant with a vague sense of sympathy. "Evidently not."

A/N: Here's some more slice-of-life because I don't know how to write anything else. As always, reviews are appreciated! :3