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“Farzala!” The Zygerrian boy looked up from his holopad to see his best friend smiling at him from the doorway. Lula was wearing her pajamas, wrapped in a fluffy brown dressing gown and her bright blue scarf over her head. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, of course,” Farzala said, quickly shutting down the holopad and standing. His homework from Master Sy had to wait. There were more important things at hand. Namely toeing his feet into his tooka slippers.
“Nice,” Lula grinned down at them. “We gotta hurry. Zeen promised to keep them from starting without us, but I don’t know how long she can keep that promise.”
“We don’t want a padawan riot,” Farazala agreed.
They heard the padawan lounge long before reaching it; chatter spilled out through the still-open door. Inside, teenagers were everywhere, sprawled out on every available surface with pillows and blankets and wearing various species’ versions of sleep clothes.
“You’re late,” came a booming voice just to Farzala’s left. The imposing figure of Torban Buck was smiling down at them. They apologized in unison before Torban ushered them in, shutting the door behind them. They apologized in unison.
“Your friends got some good seats,” He pointed toward the front of the room, past Reath, Ram, Preeti, Imri, and his master Vern all squished together on one of the sofas, past Burryaga Agabury and Bell Zettifar had pulled two bean bags up in front of them, and Bell’s strange little dog lay across their laps to where Zeen, Qort, and Ishnar were in a nest of pillows and blankets, closest to the holoprojector.
“Finally, my padawan graces us with her presence,” Master Kantam teased as they sat down. Their friends had left space for them. Lula took the one closest to Zeen, and Farzala sat on Lula’s opposite side.
“Maybe don’t assign so much homework next time,” Zeen called, and Lula giggled. Kantam rolled their eyes. A few months ago, Zeen would never have been comfortable enough to say that.
“Everyone ready?” Master Kantam called, and a cheer went up throughout the room. They nodded toward Master Buck and the room went dark. A round of excited whispers fell silent when Master Sy flicked on the holoprojector illuminating them all in blue-white light.
This month’s holofilm for Padawan Holo Night was a romance. Master Buck was in charge of the poll to decide, and Naboo Nights had won by a landslide. Many of the padawans protested when it was announced. Privately, Farzala wondered how it could have won if no one would admit to voting for it. Some people were lying, or Master Buck had rigged the whole thing. Farzala didn’t really mind, though. He had always been partial to action and adventure stories. They were some of his and Lula’s favorites, but he liked romances when they were good!
And this was for sure a good holo.
He could tell because the way the couple, a dark-skinned human man and lavender twi’lek woman, looked at each other while he was teaching her to dance made Farzala’s cheeks heat and his insides feel gooey. He was a Jedi, and maybe he wasn’t supposed to feel like that, but they were sentient beings! Not rocks moved by the will of the force alone (or at least most of them weren’t).
Sometimes Jedi definitely did feel like that, he thought. Just look at Lula and Zeen.
The realization didn’t shock Farzala. It felt more like a storm that had gathered overhead, a gray sky of heavy clouds, the wind kicking up, the raindrops growing steadier until, yes, you could say it was raining. Lula and Zeen were in love with each other.
He looked over at his friends. Lula had fallen asleep. She had been one of the padawans who had claimed that the film would be boring until Zeen admitted to wanting to see it. Her head was pillowed against Zeen’s arm, but the other girl didn’t seem to mind. She was looking at Lula out of the corner of her eye with a bit of a smile on her face. She noticed Farzala looking and smiled at him and mouthed “popcorn?” reaching for the bowl between her and Qort. Farzala smiled back and shook his head, turning back to the holo.
Farzala told Qort the next day. He knew his friend wouldn’t be angry about it. They both had loved Lula for a long time and felt like they had loved Zeen for nearly just as long, even if they’d only met her a year ago. They’d been through a lot together.
Qort still found a way to surprise him, though.
“What do you mean ‘what should we do about it?’” Farzala asked. “We can’t make them stop liking each other.”
Qort sighed and shook his head.
Oh. He wanted to get them together. In the holo, the man in the movie’s friends had helped him and the woman get together by arranging a romantic private dinner for them. That seemed a little crazy, but it just might work.
Except, well, neither of them knew how to cook, and the Padawan lounge was maybe the least romantic place in the Outer Rim. It didn’t exactly set the mood, as Qort put it. The latter problem was easy enough to fix. They found some spare Life Day decorations in storage, and the Quartermaster gave them a funny look but agreed to let them borrow them.
That left food.
“We could ask Master Sy to make something. They know all of Lula’s favorite foods.” Farzala suggested unwinding the strand of decorative Life Day bulbs. They weren’t as big as the real ones Wookies celebrated with, but they looked pretty good.
Qort disagreed.
“I know we can’t tell them why but we could at least ask them.” He said, trying to turn on the bulbs. They flickered and then died. Farzala sighed. “And maybe we ask Ram and Ishnar for help too?”
“Do you really think Lula and Zeen are in love?” Ishnar asked, arms folded across her chest.
“Yes, kind of,” Farzala havered. He always found the Kajain’sa’Nikto girl’s gaze a little unnerving. It was intense, like she was looking through him in a way not even his master could. “I guess.”
“I didn’t think Jedi did romance.” She said, “I thought you didn’t have time for it with the diplomacy and the saving people and the meditating.”
“First of all, Zeen’s not a Jedi,” Farzala said, a bit grumpier than he had intended it to sound.
Ishnar quirked her head. “So it’s only against the rules if everyone involved is a jedi?”
“Well, not exactly but—”
“I’m learning stuff about you Jedi all the time. I’m in.” Ishnar’s grin made Farzala’s stomach flip.
This was for Lula and Zeen, he thought. Even though they hadn’t asked for it, he hoped they would appreciate it. He hoped Qort was having an easier time.
Kantam was just pulling their jam tarts out of the oven when they felt Qort enter the kitchens. While they were most in tune with Lula, each of their students had a familiar and unique presence, especially their padawan’s dearest friends. They turned to smile at the boy.
“Qort!” Torban greeted with his usual enthusiasm. He raised the piping bag from the cake he was icing. “What brings you to the kitchens?”
Qort replied, looking slightly bashful, under his skull helmet.
“Lula’s favorite food? Five-blossom bread. Did she ask for it?” Kantam furrowed their brow.
Qort spoke quickly and nervously.
“Of course, I’m happy to make it for her whenever she wants.” They nodded. “I was just wondering if I had missed some special occasion? It’s not her birthday. A Naboo holiday?”
“The moon festival isn’t for another fortnight.” Buckets provided. The piping bag he was holding dripped onto the counter.
Qort shook his head and made another request.
“Puff pastries and those cookies Zeen likes?” Kantam shared a look with Torban.
“Miss Zeen does enjoy my ginger snaps.”
“Please,” Qort pleaded.
“Give us four hours. Unless that’s too late?”
Qort shook his head and then thanked them. He hurried out of the kitchen then but not before swiping a finger through the icing that had dripped on the table and punching the air excitedly.
As soon as the boy was out the door, Buckets laughed deep from his belly, and Kantam sighed. “It sounds like Lula has a date.”
“Like Master, like padawan.” Buckets’ grin was contagious as always. “At least she didn’t have to run away and join the circus to do it.”
“Farzala, can I ask you a question?”
Farzala had the sinking suspicion that whatever he said to that, Ishnar would ask anyway, so he simply looked up at her. She had climbed higher on the ladder than he was comfortable with. Thus he was hovering near the base and not doing much decorating himself. He hoped Qort would be back soon. The droid they’d been able to commandeer was decidedly better at tightening screws on ships than setting a table, which was good for it and bad for them. It was currently spinning itself in circles to hang tinsel. They would have been better off stealing someone’s protocol droid, even if it got them in trouble.
“Is this all because of that holo we all watched the other night?” she asked.
“What?”
“All that dancing got your heart racing, and now you’re seeing the world through romance goggles?” She was smirking down at him.
Farzala sputtered. He knew that. Of course, he knew that.
“Life isn’t a holofilm, Farzala.”
“If you don’t think this will work, then why are you helping?” Farzala asked.
“Because I like you,” She reached up to affix the end of a silvery streamer to the ceiling.
Farzala’s stomach lurched, and he didn’t have time to reflect on why exactly because before he knew it, the droid had bumped into the ladder. The ladder shook, and Ishnar was too high up to hold on to anything. She fell. Farzala moved quickly, reaching out a hand to slow her with the force. Suddenly he was under her instead, catching her in his arms.
“Woah,” she blinked at him, her orange face so close to his. He could feel both of their hearts beating. Farzala blushed.
And then Qort was standing in the doorway, asking if everything was okay. Their heads snapped toward him, and Farzala put Ishnar slowly to the ground. “She fell. We’re good. How’d it go with Ram and Master Sy and Master Buck?”
Ram was ecstatic as he hurried forward. Qort had come to him with a mission!
He didn’t know that Lula and Zeen liked each other. Sometimes he wasn’t great at picking up on those kinds of things, but it made a lot of sense, and he was happy to help however he could.
It took him longer than he thought it would fix the lights, and he hoped he wasn’t late. He didn’t want to interrupt Lula and Zeen’s date. Qort said the lights were meant to “set the mood” and he heard some things “killed the mood” romantically and had never really understood what it meant, but he was sure him walking in on their date would do it. He walked a little faster as he rounded the corner and nearly collided with someone.
“Oh, sorr—Hey, Ram!” Ram blinked. It was Zeen, grinning at him. Ram’s heart leapt into his throat, and he thought of a word he would never say aloud.
“Oh, hi, Zeen,” Ram stammered out.
“What you got there? Life day decorations?” She nodded at the box in his arm. “Is it Life Day already? Do I need to get Burry a gift?”
“No, they’re for Farzala,” Ram shook his head. He was sure Zeen would be able to hear his heart beating.
“Farzala might be hairy, but he’s not a Wookie,” Zeen’s brow furrowed.
“He wanted them to ‘set the mood.’” Ram immediately thought of another bad word.
“The mood for what? Has Farzala got a d—”
“He’s throwing a party,” Ram said as quickly as possible. “In the padawan common room.”
Zeen’s face split into a grin. “A party? For the padawans? Tonight?”
Ram nodded.
“Wizard!” She gave him a thumbs up. “No wonder we haven’t seen Farzala and Qort all day. I gotta go tell Lula!”
Everything looked great. With Qort’s extra pair of hands, Ishnar and Farzala hadn’t even needed the droid, even if it was slightly awkward. The padawan common room had been transformed into the padawan common room with a lot of pretty tinsel and streamers. Master Buck had looked around the room with a satisfied air and told them it looked great when he had dropped off the food.
“It’ll look better with the lights,” Ishnar said, and as if on cue Ram arrived carrying the box.
“Hey, guys—”
“There you are!” Ishnar rushed over, grabbing the box from him.
“Yeah, I—”
“These will really set the mood,” Farzala said, pulling the strand from the box.
“About that mood—”
Qort was already climbing the ladder. He asked Ram to hold it steady, who readily agreed.
They had about half the strand up when they heard a knock at the door.
“Hey, we heard there was a party in here?” Bell Zettifar, Reath Silas, and Burryaga Agabury were all standing in the doorway.
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Zeen was telling everyone.”
“I heard from Preeti,” That was Imri Cantaros, popping his head between Reath and Burry. Half a dozen other padawans were gathered in the hall behind them.
Burry growled. He had heard it in the dining hall.
“Can you guys give us a minute?” Ishnar asked, and the four-party planners turned toward each other.
Farzala was frowning. Ram looked about ready to burst at the seams.
“I’m so so sorry…I was trying to tell you guys. I ran into Zeen in the hallway. I had to lie to her and tell her the lights were for a party and—”
“It’s not your fault, Ram,” Farzala sighed.
Qort agreed and tried to come up with a solution.
“We can’t send everyone away. There are already like 10 people here. Zeen’s probably told every padawan and their master by now! We’ll be turning people away all night,” Farzala sighed. “So much for my romantic date plan.”
“Hey! We can still save this!” Ishnar grinned.
“How?”
“I told you earlier, Farzala, not everything happens like in the holos, but parties can be romantic too, even in the holos! A little music. A little dancing.” Her brow wiggled.
Qort spoke up.
“You’re right! Zeen loves dancing!” Ishnar grinned. “We just have to finish hanging the lights. Ram, you think you can get that old astromech to play some music?”
Ram grinned. “Of course!”
“Alright. Let’s go. Chop. Chop.” They broke apart, Ram running over to the astromech while Qort went to finish hanging the lights.
Farzala stood, rooted in place, and stared at Ishnar, stunned. “You’re really something.”
“I’m a woman of many talents.” She winked at him, “Maybe I’ll teach you how to dance later.”
“You can dance?”
“You can’t work for the Hutts without picking up a few smooth moves.” She did a little shimmy. Farzala felt himself grin.
Master Kantam Sy walked into the padawan lounge, fashionably late for the party. Though that would imply that they had been invited or that there was supposed to be a party at all, and Kantam doubted that. As it was, the party was already in full swing. The music was blasting from the speakers. Some padawans were dancing. Some were talking. Burryaga Agabury and Qort were having an animated conversation in the corner, with Reath Silas and Bell Zettifer as a wrapped audience. Torban and Ram were playing Imri Cantaros and Vernestra Rwoh in a game of table bolo-ball. Kantam even spotted Farzala dancing with Ishnar Ti-Kharatal, a smile plastered on the Kajain’sa’Nikto girl’s face.
The tall blonde by the snack table, her back turned away from everyone, drew Kantam’s interest.
“If I recall, it’s been some time since you were knighted, Marshall Kriss,” They said. The Marshall of Starlight Beacon certainly did not jump out of her skin, but it was a near thing.
“Are you calling me old, Master Sy?” She turned to them with a smirk playing on her lips.
“I like my job too much for that,” Kantam said. “Simply wondering what brought you here.”
“I heard there were desserts and that you’d made them.” She grinned, holding up her little disposable plate. “It’s really spectacular.”
“Thank you. Five-blossom bread is Lula’s favorite.”
“Is the party for her? Is it her birthday?”
“Yes and no,” Kantam smiled, and Avar looked at him, intrigue evident on her face. Kantam wondered if anyone else on Starlight knew the Marshall was such a gossip hound or if that information was safe with Mann and Gios. Before they could sate her curiosity, there was a tap on their arm.
“Master Sy! Have you seen—” Farzala stopped dead in his tracks, as he recognized Avar. Qort and Ishnar had both appeared behind him, equally surprised. “Marshall Kriss, oh, er, sorry for interrupting.”
“No, no, Farzala, it’s alright,” Avar said. The padawan’s eyes widened at the sound of his name spoken in the Marshall of Starlight’s crisp Coruscant accent. “You weren’t interrupting anything.”
“Right– so, well, we were wondering…just wanted to know, you know,” a blush bloomed on Farzala’s fuzzy cheeks.
“Just spit it out,” Ishnar said with a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Why don’t you?” Farzala snapped, rolling his eyes at her.
“All of this was your idea in the first place,” Ishnar countered. The two descended into silent bickering with their faces before they remembered the Hero of Hetzal was standing there. Farzala’s face was practically purple.
It was Qort who finally spoke. Where were Lula and Zeen?
“I think Lula is down in the practice rooms. We were working on some advanced Form 6 techniques, and she wanted to keep going. You know how she is. Zeen is keeping her company.” Kantam explained. Farzala frowned.
“We should go get them,” Farzala said.
“You all so worked so hard on the party. You should go enjoy it!” They made a shooing motion. Farzala seemed let down, but Qort and Ishnar pulled him onto the dance floor. “They’ll be up soon.”
“Or not,” They muttered once the padawans were out of earshot.
Avar was looking at them, intrigued. “You’re going to ruin their fun like that?”
“Well, I think the purpose of this party, which was to finally get my padawans to have a romantic evening together, isn’t needed any longer. I walked in on them kissing about fifteen minutes ago. They didn’t even notice me. Much too occupied. I left them to it.” They said with a slight eye roll.
“Kantam!” Avar’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m sure Master Maota did the same for you and Elzar Mann.” Kantam smirked.
Avar’s eyes widened even more, and then her brow furrowed. “What were you saying earlier about liking your job?”
“That was before you said you liked my baking. Now, I’ve got job security.”