Chapter 41: The Calm

Walter smiled, appearing to find the little girl's attitude cute, and bowed back slightly, responding, “I'm Walter. It's a pleasure to meet our Senior Padawan.”

The little girl gained an eased expression and commented to Rey in a whisper, “I like the old one; he's nice.”

Able to easily overhear this, the other youth introduced themselves in kind, causing Fama to adjust herself into a meat sitting position on her Master's lap, trying to look regal. Rey rolled her eyes at this and spoke out, “Alright then, we will end here for today.” Her eyes grew serious as she added, “Remember, no Form VI. I'll be able to tell if you try.”

This last line was mostly a bluff, but the flicker of fear in the eyes of the youth was all she was looking for. They all bowed and said their farewells, though they appeared disappointed that they couldn't stay and learn more. At the door, Esher turned around and asked loudly, “Um, Master Rey. Could we come back tomorrow?”

The Jedi sighed as Fama snicker silently, though she responded, “If I have time, the Peace Talks begin tomorrow. I will be very busy.”

The boy seemed disheartened, though he was ushered along by Walter. As they left the room, Rey could hear him speaking to his peers, “Don't be sad, Esher, she really is a busy person. How about tomorrow we try out our new training method together.”

The door closed as muffled sounds of excited approvals filled the hall.

Fama turned back to her Master, very excited and a bit teasing, “You have your ‘There hopeless’ face on.”

Fully aware of the face Fama was talking about, she changed her expression to calm mixed with subtle irritation and responded, “No, I don't.”

The girl rolled onto the couch and chirped, “Yeah, you did; they must have been really dumb.”

Irritation with the little girl's attitude began to form in the Jedi's mind as she responded with a forced, gentle tone, “So what if they still have... A lot to learn. They're just beginners.” She then nudged Fama and added, “Plus, I wonder how you would know what my ‘There hopeless face’ looks like.”

Fama giggled and moved away, retorting, “Yeah, but I never got looked at that bad. Come on, tell me. What did they do?”

Rey groaned and got up, responding, “We're not doing this. I have a busy day tomorrow and need to get to sleep.”

The Padawan grabbed her Master's clothes and wined, “Please tell me, it could count in a lesson as what to do.”

The Jedi looked back and asked with forced calm, “Are you going to tease them about it.”

Fama appeared innocent as could be and responded, “Only a little bit, I promise.”

Rey did a quick analysis of how much effort it would take to calm the girl as opposed to just spilling the tea. In the end, she sighed and sat back down, groaning again, “Fine, but if they have questions, I'm sending them to you first.”

The girl nodded quickly, excited to hear the gossip, “I'll do my best.”

The Jedi let out a sigh and explained the situation to the child, who found great joy in listening to all the gossip. Fama had said oftentimes that her only entertainment, while her parents shielded cargo, was to eavesdrop on the crew and passengers. She had also quickly learned that her Master was rather liked and, with enough begging, could hear all sorts of interesting news and stories. Rey unknowingly ended up venting to the girl who deliberately responded to her tale in all the right ways. She was a little irritated but decided it was good for the girl to have a little cunning in her.

With a soft nudge, she ushered the child towards the edge of the couch and said, “Come on now; it's time for bed.”

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Fama stood up and grasped her hands behind her back, looking a bit impish as she asked, “Um, the daycare people said there was a big ball tomorrow, and children were allowed to come if they could behave.” She squirmed with nervous excitement and made baby doll eyes, “Could I go with you.”

Rey let out a sigh and rubbed her brow with a hand, having not expected such a speech attack. She wanted to say no on the spot since the event was so important, but after pounding, her opinion changed. Because the event was important, Fama should be there. It would show to the Galaxy that the Jedi were recovering. It was also the Jedi's mission to negotiate peace, and the Ball would be a great learning experience for her. At the same time, the start of these Peace Talks could go down in Galactic history; to deprive the girl of a chance to experience it would be cruel. The Master looked at the girl skeptically and asked, “Will you behave?”

The girl looked like her teacher had just deviated from a well-rehearsed script that included several hours of arguing and being. Her face then lit up, and she nodded quickly, “Absolutely, I'll be on my best behavior.”

Rey gave the girl a mocking expression and said, “Oh well, that's definitely not good enough.”

Famas' cheeks swelled with anger and turned dark green, and she grumbled, “I won't get in trouble.”

The Jedi nodded happily, finished teasing, and responded, “Fine, but only if Minerva says you can.”

Appearing elated but also wicked, she responded, “Oh, she already said I could go so long as you said yes.”

Rey glared at the girl for a second and grumbled, ”You sneaky brat.”

Fama stuck out her tongue then pranced away, calling, “I'm going to bed now, Master, don't almost die again.”

The Jedi was left speechless and irritated, though a bit of admiration and pride showed through. Fama was a bright girl, sneaky but without a hint of malice. She knew her skills as a teacher were limited, but the girl was still an exceptional student. Rey believed firmly the Force had brought them together for this very reason, which comforted her greatly.

Once the girl was off, Rey retired to her room to meditate and think. The soreness had mostly left her body from her attempt at Submergence, though she felt as though her consciousness was still covered in cracks. A small test confirmed she could levitate a small drink coaster, but even this caused a piercing pain in her head to emerge. Not having her Jedi abilities for so long in the past would have terrified her, though she had been doing her best not to depend on them in the last few months. A Jedi was meant to be wise in the ways of the Force, not dependent on it. Still, knowing what she did now about the Admiral, she wished she hadn't been so rash so that at the coming Ball, she could be at her peak. Rey didn't fear an attack, given how much security the Peace Talks had, but she would have liked to be able to peek at people's true intentions when they approached her.

Putting the matter aside, she contemplated both Finn and his Padawans. They all had their issues, and ultimately, it would be her job to resolve them. Luckily, even if he was older, Walter seemed dependable and capable of looking after the others. How she would deal with her old Padawan was another matter. The last time they talked, they had ended on bad terms, and then she had gone and made the videos Primidian had required of her. She knew he must be feeling betrayed and hurt. He, more than almost anyone she knew, had a grudge against the Empire and the ex-imperials. They had stolen his home, childhood, and family. They had put him through the hell of being a soldier who slaughtered the weak and defenseless. It was an experience that left scars in his heart. She had thought he had managed to put the past behind him as they had trained, but after being apart for so long, it looked like he had regressed. Rey couldn't help but wonder and suspect Marcus, the Chancellor, had something to do with it. A Jedi, as she had learned, was a great political tool. With Finn on his side, the man could rally the support of the people far more easily. Her brief encounter with the man had not been pleasant, nor had it been long enough for her to truly get to know him. Minerva trusted Marcus and even called him a ‘softy,’ meaning there must be more to him than met the eye.

Unable to come to a conclusion on the subject, she decided it would be best to try and talk things out with Finn, hopefully with Poe or Chewie as a mediator. It wasn't something that would be happening soon, and with more pressing matters, she put it out of her mind, though her worry for her friend could not be entirely quashed.

At this point, she couldn't help but think about the future and her dream of establishing her own Jedi Temple. Some place far away from politics where she could teach a generation of new Jedi. Together, they would travel throughout the Galaxy, resolving conflict and providing aid to those in need. It was a dream that had been on her mind for two years, though she had been lacking in so many necessities. She had no base, no way of finding students, and no guidance. But now, with the peace talks arriving, she would soon have everything she needed. It was an exciting idea that made her almost giddy.

Rey escaped this world of fantasy and got up. The next day was critically important, and she needed to be well rested. With great difficulty, she cleared her mind while lying in bed and let sleep come to her slowly. As her consciousness faded away, she could not help but think how calm the evening seemed to be, as though everyone on the planet was holding their breaths, waiting for the coming day.