Ask Hearth & Home

[Leon Baudelaire]

Starlight Beacon was almost done. They were hours away from launching the ancient station the squad had discovered months ago. They’d actually seen it through. They’d been charged by the council to raise the beacon and they’d actually done it.

BZZZZZZZZZT!

“There, that should be the last one,” Leon lifted his goggles to his brow and checked his weld, “Hey Peetwo, I’m done down here, let Dash know the southwest lift shaft is fixed.”

The little BD unit twitter back over his comm and Leon laughed, “Wow, someone powered up on the wrong side of the charger this morning.”

Reluctantly, Peetwo obliged and Leon started his slow climb up to the next level. He slid out of the shaft and onto the floor of level 543. He pushed himself up and adjusted his pack when he realized he recognized the area he was standing in. A smile spread across his face as he spotted the directory they’d found when they discovered the place. Leon thought back to that adventure. They’d been at each other’s throats. Granted they were all reeling from the force attack they’d only narrowly survived… He shook the images of Ezra and Ferrin being invaded by thorn covered vines from his mind.

Today wasn’t a day to dwell on the past. It was time to look forward to the future. The next class of padawans deserved a temple they could feel safe in. The Order deserved a home. His fingers ran across the cool durasteel walls. He snagged his tool bag, closed the lift doors and slapped the out of order sign on it.

Okay it wasn’t perfect, but it’d be fine. They’d have a little time to get everything ironed out before the masses started to move in. After the hyperspace jump today they’d have a three week final maintenance check then it would be open. Leon jumped onto the next lift and got off at his floor. He stepped into his personal quarters and jumped into the shower. He was due on the bridge in about thirty minutes, but on his Skimboard he could be there in ten, so he wasn’t stressed. He couldn’t wait to brag to Maura about being the first one to skim it up in here.

Twenty minutes later he was strolling onto the bridge. The command room was alive with energy as a diverse cast of beings rushed around doing their final tasks. Leon smiled as he spotted Dash and Peetwo.

He stepped up beside his buddy and said, “Uh, can you believe this is real?”

Peetwo lept up onto Leon’s shoulder and nuzzled his neck, “Oh you’re in a better mood.”

“How’s everything looking up here?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The spacious bridge of Starlight Beacon was a hive of activity. Decades of dust and grime had been mostly cleaned off the screens and consoles, new tech had been brought in to supplement the old and a basic spray paint job had given the place a lift. There was even some new upholstery on some of the seating.

It was all a bit clinical for Dash's taste, but he was not here to interior design and it would do the job for now. Perhaps he could campaign for a little more pride in their fixtures and fittings down the road. He stepped to one side to let one of the many construction volunteers run past, brushing some dust off his robes. He had tried to dress serious for the occasion, but still with style.

Dash had been tasked with overseeing day-to-day reconstruction efforts and he had managed to play his part, though not in any traditional way. The Rhinnalian was not technically minded and he been little help with the work itself, aside from climbing into small vents the engineers could not fit in.

Instead, he had spent most of his time organising people and mediating disputes. It turned out long shifts and a diverse mostly volunteer workforce led to fractious exchanges at times and Dash had used a combination of creativity and charisma to resolve several flare ups.

The Sayvoomani had needed his attention too early on, showing up along the treeline suspicious of the newcomers and their project. Attempts to explain the work to them had utterly failed, but frosting a few trees had scared them off just as well as before. It gave Dash no pleasure to frighten the natives, but it was preferable to having to fight them.

Soon, they would be ready for take off and could leave such worries behind. Dash was inpatient to get going, eager to sample the station in its full glory once they were in orbit.

Peetwo came wizzing over, circling Dash's booted feet and chattering excitedly. Leon had taught the Rhinnlian just enough for him to understand. "Oh he has?" Dash crouched down to the droid's level, impressed the Adumari had fixed the lift so quick. "L is pretty handy with a hydrospanner eh?". Peetwo made some curious noises and Dash was fairly sure he was claiming the actual credit.

Leon turned up not that long later, rocking up on his skimboard. "It's pretty crazy" Dash agreed "gonna be even crazier when we're looking at stars out that window". He nodded toward the huge panoramic bridge windows, currently framing Eiram's jungle landscape. "They tell me we're about ready, but they better be right". The Rhinnalian was slightly anxious about riding an ancient relic into space, however much repair work had been done.

"Fancy a good walkabout when we get up there?" he suggested. It helped to focus on that, rather than the bit inbetween. There was so much riding on this launch and their names were all over it.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire wrapped the Rhinnlian in an air hug, because he was still covered in grease from the lift shaft. The Adumarian could see the anxiety in Dash’s features and only after checking his hand he put it on The Rhinnlian’s shoulder. Leon was confident that everything would be fine. Besides if it wasn’t, well then, at least they wouldn't have to live with the failure long.

“I’d love to take a walkabout," replied Leon with a grin. Peetwo put, what would be, his nose into the air, and then let himself into Leon’s pack.

The Adumarian looked over at Dash, “He’s been in such a weird mood recently,” then a thought occurred, “Uh, hey, I think I’m gonna pop over to the archive and kill some time, wanna join me?”

Recently, Leon had been shown a holovid from The Order’s first Grandmaster Tolon Kar. It hadn’t been easy to accept. As a matter of fact the mission he faced now was far more dangerous than anything he’d ever attempted on his own. From what he could tell, his current objective was something of a trial. His mission with Kali had put him one step closer to completing the first part of his task, but once he found the lair of the Headless snake, well, he wasn’t really sure what to do.

Maybe he’d be able to find something in the ancient archives here on Starlight.

Then he laughed looking down at his attire, “Actually, lemme run to my room and get cleaned up, meet you at the archive in thirty?”

30 minutes later…

Leon was already at a console in the archive pouring over a report on The Cult of the Headless Snake. He was dressed in his new usual. What did you think he was gonna start wearing robes? Beside him were two caf’s. Yes, they were single origin, no he didn’t get them from the starbucks on board.

As Dash approached, Leon would ask, “ ever had a long dead Grandmaster task you with a secret mission?” he laughed, “I’ll be real, it’s kind of a pain in the ass.”

Dash and Leon were the only two in the archive. Baudelaire had been basically living here when he wasn’t working on the station or on mission. The level of insight he’d gathered on The Order during the High Republic Era was staggering. Starlight was a huge part of The Jedi originally, and soon, it would be again.

Realizing that he and Dash hadn’t really had a chance to catch up since all the shit with Ezra and Ferrin Baudelaire asked, "Whatcha got planned once we get Starlight up and into space?"

He wasn't asking because he had a potentially dangerous mission that he needed a trusted friend on, noooooooooo that wasn't it at all.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

"Sounds like a plan" Dash replied, glad for an excuse to leave the bridge. There was probably a better, more scenic spot to watch the launch from anyway and it was not like he would be much use if anything went wrong. He would rather not have the consoles and flashing lights in his peripherals anyway, he only assumed each one was a major system failure.

________​

Dash stopped by his own temporary quarters on the way to the archive and caught up on some personal admin. He fired off a frenetic message to Ez, who would have been so much more use than the Rhinnalian right now. But his boyfriend was off doing his cool corporatey stuff which Dash totally understood...

He found Leon in the archive and was glad the place no longer triggered the sinking memory of Scrub Squad's altercation on the planet. They had come far enough for Dash to start to feel good about Starlight and all that had led to it.

"Looking sharp" he commented, sliding in next to Leon. The Adumari always looked simultaneously relaxed and ready for a quest of storybook proportions. It was a unique style Dash never saw anywhere else and it always brought a smile to his face. He was about to ask if Leon was after anything particular from the old repository when his friend volunteered a tidbit.

"Not a dead Grandmaster per se...." Dash replied. His ancestor Jadis had been fond of issuing him with edicts, before he had seemingly banished her spirit on Mortis. But her final command was still outstanding; the mountain on Kro Var. "But I can imagine, trust me" he covered. He watched Leon work, wondering whether to press past the humor or wait and see. Had the Adumari really been charged with something so heavy?

"Me? Well I guess I haven't thought very far past getting this place up there". It was true, Dash was so anxious about the launch he had not really considered what to do with the several days orbital tests were due to take place. "I suppose I was gonna check everything out...." he studied Leon's face, blue eyes narrowing. "Ok, out with it L. What's going on?". Dash held up a finger dramatically "and before you answer, we are really due some nice easy downtime. Ferrin definitely said he was into quests from dead Grandmasters".

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”Wow, just—WOW, Ya, know I understand why Ezra reacts that way, but you? That cuts deep, bruh,” he said, eyes still fixed to the console he was working on. If Dash was actually curious he’d see a pretty weird sight. All across the screen were articles and images about a group called: The Heinsnake Cult.

Their name didn’t really roll off the tongue, but their staple gigantic coiled snake tattoo was kinda cool. Baudelaire would rate these bad guys a solid 7/10.

The ramifications of The Sith Empire’s fracture were starting to reveal themselves. The displacement of the Sith Order had generated a mass increase in dark side cult activity. The one currently splayed all across Leon’s console just so happened to also be a trial he’d been tasked with dealing with thanks to Grandmaster Toland Kor.

“Ya know what, forget I said anything, you know me, always jumping at ghosts,” said Leon trying to laugh it off when he saw how serious Dash was about needing a break, which honestly, fair. Baudelaire wished he had it in him to just chill, as it turned out, he did not.

“We should get the crew together and take a trip to Ellora. I’ve got a place out there we can hide out at for a bit.”

Casa Del Baudelaire had become Leon’s base of ops when he wasn’t forced to be somewhere. The place was almost done, he just had to clear out that last room, and it’d be done. Hopefully his little distraction tactic had worked. That’s when he looked over and caught Dash’s icy expression.

“Well, my Lightsaber, Daybreak, is The First Blade. The first lightsaber ever created for The Order, and, Ole Peetwo here,” said Leon jerking a thumb up to the little droid who was crawling out his sling bag, “Used to be Grandmaster Toland Kor’s companion droid.”

Leon would pull up the scant knowledge there was on the former Grandmaster for Dash to see. The sum of the information was The Grandmaster had gone on a journey to find more Kyber crystals and never returned, but Leon knew it wasn’t that simple.

“Anyway, I—Well, I wasn’t coping with the loss of Ithor well, so I decided to take a long weekend on Ellora. While I was there, Peetwo showed me this."

Peetwo would look at Leon hesitantly, but Baudelaire was committed. He nodded and the little droid hopped onto the desk and projected Tolan Kor’s image on to the floor. Once the image stopped speaking Tolan's visage would wink out and a cryptic message would fade in: Infiltrate the nest of the headless snake.

Followed by that same coiled snake image all the members had tattooed on their chest.

Peetwo cut the projection and then looked up from Dash to Leon.

"Surprise?" said Baudelaire apologetically.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash scanned the information on the screen, his jaw hardening. While he was no expert on technology, he had studied much about the Force and its various adherents. These Heinsnake guys would definitely not be top of his list to meet.

Leon came out with the rest when Dash kept giving him the eye. The Rhinnalian listened closely, never really intending to simply dismiss his friend's burdens. But as Leon explained and the image of the Grandmaster spoke to them through the ages, Dash found himself holding his breath. This was big stuff and it went back a long way. He could not help but be intrigued.

"It's a surprise alright" Dash said, half-smiling. Who knew that finding the like of Daybreak on Christophsis would lead to this. "That's one hell of a secret mission, and nicely cryptic too". Like Jadis often done with Dash, the Grandmaster had been kind enough to be very light on detail.

"You think it's wise to even think about going?". Of course, now Dash knew about it there was no way he could let the Adumari go alone.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Dash’s half smile was more than Leon had hoped for. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure once you reach a certain level of understanding you’re forced to talk like yoda or some shit,” Baudelaire said with a chuckle.

“No, not at all, but when have I ever let that stop me?” he said, his little smirk settling on his lips. “I picked up a distress call in Imperial space and guess what I found?”

“Exactly, they’re mobilizing,” Leon waved a hand explaining, "I ran across a distress call in Imperial space, it was them. I teamed up with an Imperial Knight and we rooted out their base, but it's very clear that was one of many."

Leon rememberd the coffee he'd brought for the two of them, offered one to Dash, and took a sip of his saying, “I’m pretty sure it’s just coincidence that Tolan Kor wanted me to go after them, I mean he was a Grandmaster hundreds of years ago,” His brows reached for the ceiling as he worked through his logic, “—but with the fracture of the Sith Empire, there’s undoubtedly a massive surge in Dark Side cults.”

Baudelaire’s mind drifted to Ithor, then Serenno, then to Jayna. He’d hinted at what he was doing to her, but he hadn’t been totally honest. The whole reason he’d decided to do this was because they needed to prepare for the boogey man.

For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why no one was talking about it.

“Look, I’m not expecting you to just drop what you're doing and help,” he sighed, “I just needed to tell someone, in case…” Leon looked away, “Well, you know,” he finished with a shrug.

Baudelaire had a datapad connected to the console and began transferring a couple of reports to it for later.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Jokes aside, Dash listened closely to what Leon had to say. His friend typically came across upbeat and carefree, but there was a new anxiety in his voice and bearing as he explained the danger the Heinsnake Cult and others like them presented.

"Wow, you already took down one of their bases?". The Rhinnalian was impressed and a little in awe. He had never actually been part of an active offensive against Dark siders; the fact Leon had, and seen it through too, was huge.

"Maybe not a coincidence at all that the Grandmaster's log has come to you". While no Jedi could completely know the Force, Dash had at least begun to understand some of its ways more deeply of late. The possibility that all of this, including Leon now sharing it with Dash, might not be random chance was a lot.

"Truth is this is the sort of thing I want to help with" Dash said. Since Ithor and finding out about Darth Raze, he carried a new fear of the Dark Side coming for the Jedi, for him, for Ezra, for Leon and Ferrin. For everyone left that he knew and cared about. He worried he was not ready to face it down, but he was a Jedi Knight. He could not stand back any longer.

"I'll help L, course I will" he squeezed Leon's arm "but because we all need to pull together, not because you're going anywhere". He waved away the Adumari's reference to passing the intel on in case he was not around. "If you have any leads, then let's get on them once this place is up and running?".

Distantly, the sound of the station's engines firing began to reverberate through the structure. It was time.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”Eh, more like got into a scrap with their leftovers.” The smell that clung to him from that night still made his stomach turn at the thought. “Had the wonderful experience of chasing them into a sewer,” Baudelaire’s expression adopted that thousand stare, “They used body parts as, like, conduits. It was super gross,” he said, forcing a smile.

Dash’s support meant more to Leon than he knew how to express. He could feel his ears get hot and knew he was blushing so he just sorta scoffed and said, “Okay, okay, sheesh.”

Once he didn’t feel so embarrassed he’d follow up with, “Hey, seriously thanks. This is a big ask, but I can’t think of a better way to prepare for Raze than to just… get started.”

Then deciding a change of subject was desperately needed he said, “Oh, guess what?” Before Dash could possibly answer Leon said, “Me and Jayna are a thing.”

His little smirk was back in place and he was ejecting his datapad from the console as the indicator flashed “Download Complete.” He should also probably mention he’d taken on an apprentice, but there was more than enough time to reveal that surprise. Huh, it was only then that the amount of work he'd done over the past few months had been staggering.

Both of their coms went off, and Leon’s little smirk spread into an excited grin, “Looks like it’s time.” he gave Dash a playful shove, “C’mon, let’s get back to the bridge!”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash could not hide his distaste at the picture Leon painted of his encounter with the cult and his face twisted in a look of revulsion. The Rhinnalian was a little squeamish despite his medical training and Leon was a pretty emotive storyteller.

"You're right though" Dash said, trying to put the imagery out of his mind "we have to face up to this Raze and the other Dark Siders, even if we have to take the fight to them". He could not be part of sitting around waiting for more people he cared about to get hurt.

The news about Leon and Jayna had Dash's jaw falling wide open. "No way, really?" Dash felt a curious mix of emotions, but mainly a rather childlike excitement. If Leon and Jayna were an item, then he actually had an ally inside the Thorne bubble. Not that it was much of a bubble right now - with the shit with Ez's parents - but maybe he and Leon could help figure that out, together.

"So happy for you Mr" Dash went to high five his friend "and I know she's much more normal than Ez, but all the same, well done". He flashed the Adumari a wink. Only those who had dated a Thorne truly knew what an undertaking it was. Lots of things were starting to chime all around them, but he made a mental note to revisit this very soon. "When we've sorted this, you're going to tell me everything" Dash said dramatically, hoping L knew there would be nowhere to hide.

They headed back towards the bridge, but Dash was loathe to step back amidst the chattering engineers and busybodies. He spied signage pointing to an observation deck and pulled Leon that way, hoping to get a better view of their ascent without the drama.

Sure enough, they found themselves in a wide spacious compartment with a huge panoramic window. The internal comm chimed, technicians checking Dash's position. He told them where he was, though it seemed a formality. If something blew up or fell off as they took off, he had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

The low rumble of the engines grew and grew, until a loud roar could be heard despite all the control systems. There was a distinct shift in the gravity of the place as long dormant thrusters fired, lifting the station from the ground where teams had excavated in readiness. Dash grabbed onto Leon instrinctively, though as the structure turned the inertial dampeners took over as they began their ascent. "Well at least we got going" Dash breathed, cautiously taking a seat on the central bench.

Starlight Beacon took off in earnest, a structure part buried for centuries once again soaring into the sky. The rolling landscape beyond the window fell away, first to sky and cloud and then to the blazing beauty of atmospheric friction. The sight was breathtaking and for a long while all Dash could do was stand and watch.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

“I’ve really started to hate when people tell me I’m right…” he joked, trying to hide the actual anxiety Dash’s agreement had elicited.

Baudelaire was giddy as a schoolgirl finally getting to tell someone about he and Jayna. “Really,” he replied to Dash’s growing excitement. Leon laughed, hitting Dash’s high five with vigor. Leon scoffed, “Uh, let’s just say, if you ever need someone to vent too, I’ll always be here, no judgment, if you do the same for me.”

Both of the Thorne kids were batshit.

The two Knight’s agreed to circle back to this once they were in orbit. Dash pulled him into an observation deck. The immensity of this moment wasn’t lost on him. This was big. The force had put this into motion all the way back on Kashyyyk. Had they never met. Had the Scrub Squad never come together this might never have happened.

He looked over at Dash. He was proud of the Rhinnalian. He’d really busted his ass here.

Leon couldn’t sit. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Starlight Beacon rose through the atmosphere. The conflagration of hope this station would inspire would mark a new beginning for The Order. His verdant eyes lit up as the friction ignited out the viewport. The shifting shades of flame danced across the station as it continued to climb, eventually the friction decreased entirely, and they were aloft.

The viewport slowly spun like a top as it recalibrated itself. Eriam came into view just as it’s morning sunrise was starting to crest over the western hemisphere. They’d done it.

Starlight Beacon was in orbit.

Leon suddenly needed to sit down. Weeks and weeks of preparation, running, numbers, and making repairs, had culminated in this moment… and it was worth it.

“Wow…” he muttered in awe.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash’s mind wandered into the sentimental as the orange glow blazed around the observation window. Eiram was gradually coming into focus, the curve of the planet emerging against the blackness of space. With any luck, it would be the backdrop to Jedi life here for decades, perhaps centuries.

When did he become the grown up adult Jedi, inaugurating a new base of operations? On the one hand, it seemed bizarre. Yet, he was grown up. They all were. Everything they had seen, everything they had left to face, demanded they grow up first. Dash still had much to figure out about the Order itself, but he was increasingly confident in his own abilities at least and determined to protect the people and places that mattered to him.

“Exit trajectory complete” the bridge reported over the comm “burners disengaged, thrusters online. Geosynchronous orbit established”. It meant enough to bring a smile to Dash’s face even before the confirmation came. “All systems within normal parameters. Knight Pavan, we’ve done it”.

Dash punched the air silently to one side, bouncing over to the comm panel. “Massive well done everyone, let all the folks out. The real work starts now”.

Non-essential personnel had been restricted to quarters until it was clear take off had been successful. Now it had, it was time for everyone to get used to their new station.

“My job is pretty much done now” Dash shrugged “not everything’s open yet, but wanna see if we can grab a drink of some kind? I just have to hear about you and Jayna!”.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The voice over the com snapped Leon out of his revelry. His verdant eyes were locked on the console as the voice relayed that everything was good. Baudelaire punched the air with a jumping uppercut and whooped in celebration. Dash addressed the station and just like that they were done. Well, for today at least.

“I know just the spot,” said Leon.

A few minutes later…

Leon and Dash stepped into a dive bar just outside the Jedi Quarter called, Tally’s.

Even though all of the buildings in Starlight were brand new, Tally’s managed to conjure that familiar well worn, dimly lit feel found in any dice worth its salt. It was blue collar. Even now they could see several construction workers throwing back beers and cheersing the launch.

Baudelaire got a beer and slid into a booth. Once Dash joined him he’d hold his glass up, “To Knight Paven, lighter of Starlight Beacon!” He laughed, “Cheers!”

Once they clinked, Leon would take a drink and lean back in the booth. It felt like the weight of The Order had been lifted from his shoulders. So he couldn’t imagine the pressure his buddy was feeling.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Tally's was not even a day old and yet it looked like it had been open years. Apparently that was the vibe the designers were going for and, while it may not have been Dash's choice, the Rhinnalian could appreciate the comforting warmth of feigned heritage.

"Cheers" he clinked his glass with Leon, laughing at the Adumari's grandiose description of him. He had overseen the project, not piloted the place up into orbit himself. He still had slight imposter syndrome. "At least we got it up here!". He did not verbalise his fears about what a mechanical failure mid-take off might have looked like.

"So Jayna, how'd that happen?" he leant forward excitedly, before rethinking his phrasing. "Not that it's surprising or anything, you're a total catch L and she has always seemed nice. Bit more friendly than Ez, but that's not hard" he chuckled. Dash was reasonably empathetic and thought there might have been a vibe between them as far back as the Thornes coming to Ithor, but he wanted all the details. "Who made the first move, tell me everything!".

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon took a big swig off his beer and leaned back in the booth relaxing. He opened his jerkin, getting comfortable. Dash wasn’t kidding when he’d said he wanted to know about he and Jayna.

Leon’s face lit up like a Life Day tree. Suddenly he couldn’t look Dash in the eye and found something incredibly interesting on the table. Baudelaire was speechless.

Finally regaining some form of cognitive action he said, “Remember how She and I ran into one another back on Sullest he shrugged, “That’s when we traded numbers.”

To Dash’s second point he scoffed, “Who do you think?”

“I picked up a side gig as a bartender to make some extra cash, cause how the hell am I gonna ask Jayna THORNE out without being able to pay the tab, any way we crossed paths again at a party on Serenno, and…” he groped the air as if trying to coax the story out of his mouth as quickly as possible, “She came to my ship, and we—” he weighed his words with his hands saying, “We went on a date,” He felt like he was revealing some grand secret, but to be honest, Dash as the first person he’d told and just the admission made it feel less like something he’d dreamed up.

He lowered his voice and muttered, “Might have also stolen a sailboat, but that’s not important.”

Leon took another big swig of his beer and started fidgeting with his coaster. Dash would have zero problem seeing how bad Leon had it for Jayna.

“Your turn, what have you and Ez been up to?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash was loving this. The way Leon's little face lit up as he talked about he and Jayna's twisting story warmed the Rhinnalian's heart. The Adumari was in deep already, he could tell.

"Nevermind stealing a sailboat, you do that kind of stuff in your sleep" Dash smirked "but stealing a date with Jayna and making it a thing, that's big news!". He lent in, giving Leon a knowing look. The Rhinnalian could imagine how strong his feelings were right about now and he could see how seriously the normally carefree Adumari took it all. "Don't worry man, you've got it. I promise". Dash could just tell it was going to work out. If it didn't, he would eat his Rhinnalian wool hat.

He reluctantly let Leon turn it around on him. "We've actually been looking for a place" Dash said, still sounding surprised himself. "On Nubia. Ez is starting NIT soon and we're actually going to do it. Maybe not the lighthouse, or the other cool digs I sent him links to, but a penthouse I reckon". His wistful look hardened into a serious expression. "It's obviously vital you visit often, just to make sure we haven't murdered each other. Agreed?".

Dash took a swig of his drink, reassuring himself yet again that they would be absolutely fine. He had no worries about the big stuff, but the little quirks still gave him pause. The Thermostat Wars were a virtual certainty. "I guess Jayna will be calling round now and then, you might as well come visit together?". He smirked again, his cheeks hurting already.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon loved having someone to gab about this with. He was going through it right now and needed to get it out before he exploded. “Right? It’s unreal,” he said with a laugh.

Dash’s encouragement was appreciated. Leon couldn’t believe how thankful he was to have The Rhenellian to guide him in the ways of the Thorne.

“Right back atcha homie, bro in laws for life,” he said with a laugh holding out his fist to bump.

Leon eyebrows raised in surprise as the smile on his face widened. “O.M.G.” he said, as serious as a heart attack. “Dude, that’s awesome. I’m so glad I’m not you.” Baudelaire laughed. He was lying of course. He hella missed living with his bro. Of course, his proud Adumarian heritage prohibited him from ever admitting to that, cause ‘mmman. “Please tell me all the little fights you guys have been having, those are the best,” he chuckled.

Dash’s invitation was warmly received, “Duh, I actually expect a spare key,” he teased. Dash’s second invitation made him blush.

“That would be the weirdest double date, right?” he asked with a chortle of laughter, “Ezra would lose his mind!” Baudelaire belly laughed, “Oh, that’s good, yeah.. Yeahyeahyeah—” he fell into another peel of laughter. “Ow, my sides. Dude, he’d be so mad the whole time!”

Leon finally got over his laughing fit and sighed, “Man, I’m glad we finally had a minute to chill,” he shook his head. The gravity of this accomplishment suddenly dawned on him as he took another sip of beer.

“Hey, thanks for everything you did on this. You’re the real deal Knight Paven,” he said with a genuine smile, “I just wish the other two goons were here…” he let that linger for a moment then perked up saying, “I need another beer, you?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash met the fist bump with gusto. He literally could not do better than Leon for a brother-in-law. The Adumari was a sound guy with a heart of gold and he had been there since the start.

"Spare key yes, consider it done". Dash was sure he could wrangle one. "He would!" he almost spurted out his drink picturing Ezra's face at the prospect of a double date around their new dining table, especially if dropped on him. "But it's a perfectly normal thing to do....friends - no family - getting together. It's not like anyone is going to gang up on him....".

Dash smirked but he was joking more than he admitted. He could never be mean to Ez, not really, and he felt more empathy and adoration for his weird ways every day. He knew Leon understood the Thorne too, after all their time as dorm buddies, though how they were still friends when Ez couldn't bribe the Adumari in quite the same way was a mystery.

"I know what you mean, things have been mental lately". Dash downed the last of his beer. "Shove off, this is not my scene at all and you know it" the Rhinnalian chuckled, looking down at himself as the Jedi who oversaw the spacestation launch. When the hell did that happen? "You and the guys on the bridge did the hard work. I just hope I did ok". He knew Leon was sincere, that was the weird thing about hanging without Ferrin's jibes or Ezra's stoicism. There was virtually no subtext for once.

"I miss them too" Dash agreed, sliding his bottle from hand to hand. "Yeah, let's go for another. This comlink they gave me has stopped beeping, which I think means I'm off the clock". He waved his hands excitedly, more care free than he felt. There was something he could really do with Leon's take on, but once he said it then it was out there.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Family.

The concept was terrifying to the Adumarian. Of course, he’d become so adept at hiding his fear his mischievous little smirk never wavered. He stared down at the bubbles in his beer and felt his chest get hot. He wasn’t alone. He hadn’t been alone. It had just taken someone saying it out loud to make him realize what he had.

Dash tried to deflect his praise, but Leon wasn’t having it. “Please, I connected the red wire to the red socket.” he laughed, “You organized everything and kept us ahead of schedule,” he put a hand on Dash’s shoulder, “You did a really great job man, I’m proud of you.”

Baudelaire was the king of leaving things unsaid. He watched as Dash slid his bottle back and forth. They commiserate over their missing pals and then got up to get another round. There was a subtle shift in Dash. At first Leon dind’t think anything about it. They’d been busting ass since becoming Knights and now that a big job was done it was normal to feel a little empty. Rather than trying to pull it out of him, Leon decided to Dash speak for himself.

They reached the bar and Leon said, “I’ll have another beer and whatever this handsome fella beside me wants, please!”

The Barkeep went to work and Leon turned to Dash, “So, when are you taking a Padawan?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Hearing Leon was proud of him meant more than the Adumari knew. Dash had few people to be proud of him. His parents said it when he had chance to see them, sure, but they did not really know what he was doing out with the Jedi. Not really. Hera had once been his champion, but since his Knighthood she could not be in his corner quite as much. Ezra backed him up, of course he did, but usually in his own special way.

Leon had been there since the beginning and was one of the most earnest people Dash knew. "Thanks buddy, it's mutual. We've come a long way!". The Rhinnalian opted for another beer, even though he was more partial to a cocktail or something more exciting. He didn't want to lose his wits just yet.

"Oh, well I have news on that front" Dash smiled, genuinely glad to share it. "I met a girl called Tala, we ended up in a bit of a situation together" he explained, holding up a hand "a situation with a Sith. But she's a padawan looking for someone to hang with, and she's pretty cool". He took a swig of his beer. "More emotional than me if you can believe that".

"What about you? Will Peetwo let you have another sidekick?". Dash was genuinely intrigued. He had never quite imagined having a padawan himself, but events had unfolded unexpectedly with Tala. Leon, by contrast, seemed like a natural teacher.

@Zay