* 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 / 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐.

ahsoka had stopped them by now, wanting to pay more attention to rex than everything around them. there was so many things to get each other caught up on outside of the this new time - the last time she saw rex was right before she was taken into a world between worlds … he and the rest of ghost crew would’ve been right to assume that she died by darth vader.

“ thank you, “ her blue eyes widened slightly. she squeezed his hand back. “ that … means a lot coming from you. “ ahsoka returning to the jedi order and calling herself a jedi was probably one of the most difficult things she decided to do. initially, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal but the jedi caused her so much grief and gave her so much trauma that she was still trying to unlearn. she was extremely apprehensive about rejoining and being made a master of all things but now she couldn’t see this new life of hers being any other way. 

“ of course, “ ahsoka nodded. everything he said made sense. seeing anakin was … a lot to handle, especially if you were one of the few who knew him as anakin and darth vader. “ do you need anything right now? “ she tilted her head a little. “ food? water? whatever you’re needing i could probably figure out a way to make it happen. “ even if he needed some space to adjust she’d be okay with it ( disappointed, but okay ).

-

rex bit their lip, knowing fully just how fraught ahsoka’s situation with the jedi had been. it was all rather traumatizing. he shared a lot of it, despite not being a jedi himself, despite just being a clone. he wished there was something he could do to help, but... clearly it wasn’t his place. as much as it bothered him, he couldn’t do anything about it. 

leia nodded her head. it was good to hear that ben and luke had a chance to talk things out. she hoped maybe it meant their family could come back together. they had all been so separate for so long now, it broke her heart. it was all leia wanted was to have them all together again and not literally going to war against each other. “ and how did that go? “ she asked gently. she didn’t want to pry but she was hopeful that maybe things were better between her brother and her son.

-

he gave a little shrug. ❝ started off a little dicey, but we turned out okay. i think once i was able to properly explain what was going on, he calmed down a little. i always knew that getting him with obi wan would do wonders for him. ❞ luke would never be half the master obi wan was -- not in his opinion anyway. ❝ i’ve yet to see hope. she must be busy. i don’t want to push things, i figure we’ll meet when it’s time. ❞

kaydel nodded along as he spoke. it was nice, having something to get out and do now that things were somewhat back to normal. she was always wary, especially after everything that happened but it felt nice to be able to relax. kind of. she didn’t think she’d fully relax until the war was over. being with kota though.. that was a nice break from it all and probably the most at ease kaydel had felt in a while. she loved. having these moments shared between the two of them. 

a soft giggle escaped her lips. she really was falling - and fast - for him. she could feel the butterflies starting to flutter in her stomach. “ you’ve been on my mind a lot too, “ she admitted. “ pretty much constantly , actually. i can’t seem to get you off my mind. quite distracting honestly, “ she added. 

-

he leaned in and kissed her again, playfully nipped her bottom lip. ❝ i’d apologize, but... i like knowing you think about me. do it more. ❞ it filled him up with pure ecstasy to know that kaydel thought about him. of all the people in the galaxy that he wanted to think about him... she was at the top. ❝ i think you and i are in pretty equal predicaments here. wonder what would solve it. i can’t really think of anything to fix it though, my mind’s too cloudy. ❞

ares laughed again and shook his head. “ nope - you’re stuck with me now. doomed to be together until you get patched up, “ he said. he tried to adjust her in a more comfortable position, but it probably wan’t going to improve much. at least she was used to the feel of beskar. it wasn’t exactly the softest thing in the galaxy , that’s for sure. 

“ it’s better than the alternative, “ he said. he didn’t mind the constant travel. made it easier for him to survive anyway. “ we’re like a family now, so it makes it easy. the ship feels more like home than anywhere else in the galaxy. “ 

-

she scrunched her nose up to act disgusted. ❝ gods. i suppose it could be worse.... ❞ she paused, pretending to think about it. ❝ mmm... no, i don’t think it could. wow. ❞ she liked bantering with this guy -- even though she felt as though she were fading a little, it was good to keep talking. it kept her head straight... well, straight as it could be as she bled out, of course.

❝ that’s good... having a... home. they’re hard to come by these days. ❞ one you chose. one you built for yourself. the resistance was as much of a home as mymsee could get -- it didn’t feel like one sometimes. she wasn’t sure she’d ever have a home, truly. she wouldn’t even know it if she found it.

Alyrisa laughed at her father’s state over the cat. “Dad, do I need to talk to Katie about how late you’re allowed to work? The cat does not talk. If it did, I like to think I would’ve known about it. I did spend an entire month monologging to it. I would’ve like it if he’d replied.

-

❝ alyrisa, what would i gain by making myself look crazy for a lie?? ❞ he questioned with sheer exasperation. ❝ he can talk, he’s literally spoken to me several times, he is purposefully doing this to make me look nuts in front of you and i will not stand for it anymore. ❞ he plopped the cat in al’s arms and marched to the kitchen to make himself some caff. ❝ that damn cat speaks. literally, in basic, speaks. he has a very distinct voice and he told me TO MY FACE that he planned on purposefully making me look insane to you because he thought it was funny. ❞

Alyrisa jogged up the stairs and opened the door, greeting Mug with a scratch behind the ears. “Hey dad, I kinda invited someone over for dinner, is that okay?” She asked with a bit of a grin. “And I swear it isn’t Skywalker.”

-

kota had just finished up making dinner and was washing his hands when al entered. he smiled and glanced at her. ❝ ‘course it is, kiddo. who’s the friend? ❞ he asked, pulling a dish towel to dry off his hands. 

finch entered and ran a hand through his curls, giving a little wave to kota. ❝ just me, ❞ he answered. ❝ i hope it’s alright, i don’t mean to intrude. ❞ kota was an... acquaintance. he wouldn’t ever call someone a friend. but he liked kota, he could tell he was a good, genuine man. and this was the first conversation they’d have since the last one went all... serious. so yeah, finch was feeling a little awkward, he couldn’t help it.

Anakin nodded and let the doctor take the glove off. His prosthetic had held up when he came back, and he was thankful for it. And parts hadn’t been too much of an issue. The kid at the droid shop was a regular genius and usually had bits small enough to refashion if need be. “Oh, uh… not really. I’ve been through a lot worse. Just lucky it isn’t short circuiting on me.” He said with chuckle and a scratch with his other hand to the back of his neck.

-

he went to his supplies and found some thin pliers that would help him, along with a few other tools just to ensure that it would all turn out well and he could keep things tuned up. sure, it was probably faster to do with the force, but he didn’t want to only rely on it when he needed to keep all of his skills sharp. plus... he didn’t know this guy. he knew he was force sensitive and very powerful, but he wasn’t going to risk anything. 

❝ that’s good to hear. you let me know if you start to feel any discomfort or pain, i know these prosthetics can be very temperamental sometimes. ❞

Castor nodded slightly and settled into a seat at the bar and watched Lona make him a drink. “I’ve been doing okay, mostly working. The shops doing well, I’ve been keeping myself busy. Mubo argues too busy but no matter.” He said with a shrug.

-

she set the drink in front of him and leaned against the bar with a little sigh. ❝ oh, my sweetheart. we really gotta get you doing stuff that isn’t just work! you’ll work yourself to the bone, that’s no good. ❞ she reached out and gave his hair an affectionate ruffle. ❝ we gotta get you some hobbies. or a lover to keep your attention on something other than droids. ❞

Atera laughed and stood up to meet her halfway. “I have done nothing but listen to Stormtroopers for several days, and haven’t been able to catch a break.” She said with a grin. “But I’m glad to see you, welcome back, and welcome to Batuu.” She said.

-

she rolled her eyes, ❝ oh please. everybody knows they talk about the same stuff over and over, you’re wasting your time, doll. ❞ she reached out and squeezed atera’s shoulder, not wanting to just take a hug if she didn’t want something like that. 

❝ thank you. i’m... i think i’m glad to be back. i haven’t really... decided yet. ❞ it was hard to say. she still hadn’t seen her sister -- honestly, the only time she left the base was when she was shot and had to go to kota. ❝ but i am glad to see you, absolutely. ❞

Ander had settled into Batuu mostly well. Some days he missed his apartment, but that was really it. He had his ship, a job, and Gerry; what more could he need?

Friends. He needed friends. The guy who had hired Ander, mostly going by Versay, was friendly enough if sometimes terrifyingly deadpan. He said shit sometimes and Ander had to wonder if he should be seeing the doctor that had popped by. But for the most part the work was good and kept him busy so he kept his nose out of it. 

He’d been working on his ship, the cooling system was acting up and the three suns of Batuu were getting warmer, so he let Gerry chill on the landing as he worked around the ship and in the interior. 

That was until Gerry slipped his lead and wandered off. 

“Dammit, dog…” he muttered as he wandered around town. “Excuse me, have you seen a lab around here about yay big, little bit of an idiot?” He asked when he managed to stop a passer by.

-

rye had been out and about searching for scrap. stars, with all the things going on in their life, it was hard to remember that they still had to help run a scrap shop, not just a jedi artifact warehouse. they were keeping up though, that was good. post-lockdown lull was... well, better than the alternative, they supposed. he was just trying to focus on training and keeping the dark thoughts at bay. that was all that mattered, right?

they were passing by when a man stopped him, asking about a dog. ❝ oh! no, i don’t think so, ❞ rye answered politely. ❝ the outpost is big, but not too big, so i don’t think he would’ve gone too far. ❞ it was pretty normal to see a stray running around here or there ( usually taken in by tiernan and held onto until the owner was found ), so rye was sure the dog could be found. ❝ do you... need any help? ❞ 

“Kota’s my dad, we’re having dinner at my house.” She said with a small chuckle. “C’mon in, we’re headed upstairs.” She added as she opened the door and waited for him to cross the threshold.

-

wait- this kid was the kid?? huh! finch didn’t put that together; kota had talked about his daughter before but he never realized that this was the same person. alright, well -- he supposed that made sense. he added that information to the files in his head and just entered the office, glancing around the familiar space. that actually put him at ease quite a bit, he liked kota and had been in his space many times, so now he didn’t feel so awkward that he was accompanying her for dinner. 

Castor chuckled slightly. “You were ranting to me the other night about seeing the world and whatever, and Mubo let me go early, so I figured I’d pop in before it got too busy y’know?” He said with a smile.

-

❝ well i’m proud of you, that’s wonderful! sit down, i’ll make you a drink. ❞ there was space at the bar where she was working so he was free to sit where he liked. once castor sat down and got settled, she got him his drink. ❝ so, update me! how have you been, how’s the shop? ❞

“Hi, I uh…” he raised his gloved arm and showed the piece that was stuck. “I need help getting this out and maybe help with the rewiring of the arm. I have a bit of difficulty reaching it.” He said with a bit of a chuckle.

-

kota’s brows furrowed for just a moment, curious as to how he got a piece stuck. ❝ right this way, ❞ he said, gesturing towards the examination room. kota went through his usual process of making sure everything was clean and ready before starting his work. 

❝ could i remove this? ❞ he asked, gesturing to the glove. once he got confirmation, he could see everything he was working with. kota had quite a bit of knowledge on prosthetics -- he often had to fit people for them himself so he knew how most models worked. this model was definitely older... pre-empire. ❝ this shouldn’t be too difficult to fix -- you’re lucky, if that piece hit up about an inch higher, you probably would’ve needed a full replacement. ❞ he gave a little smile to the man, just being reassuring. ❝ but you’ll be okay. are you in any pain? ❞

Alyrisa was coming home from the temple, something about meditating in the temple and under Kenobi’s eye occasionally made it easier for her, despite her and Kota’s training. She opened the door and found her dad screaming at the cat.

“Have you finally snapped?” She asked with an eyebrow raise.

-

❝ no! no, no no! i am so sick of this obnoxious ass cat ruining my life! and making me look crazy!! i’m not crazy, this cat is crazy!! ❞ he said, shaking mug in al’s direction.

mug gave a little meow.

❝ STOP THAT!! you know what you’re doing, don’t play dumb!! al, i am telling you, mug can TALK! ❞

Atera swore to the stars above if she ever got a hold of the Supreme Leader, she’d shake his shoulders violently and scream at him to let the Stormtroopers talk about literally anything else other than movements. She knew she had to, but stars, it was a pain in the ass. 

She sighed and leaned back in her chair and scanned the hall for a distraction: Beebs, K2, or Sariel if she could manage it. It wasn’t until she saw someone passing by that felt like she was looking through a fun house mirror. She’d heard rumors of her return, but hadn’t gotten to see her herself.

“Myms!” She called with a small grin.

-

mymsee perked up and glanced around, looking for the source of the call. when she saw it was atera, she smiled and jogged over. ❝ ‘tera! what the hell, you’re just keeping yourself holed up in whatever comm tent instead of coming to see me? ❞ she teased. ❝ pretty rude. ❞ obviously she wasn’t serious, the war would always matter more than she did so she wasn’t surprised that atera was usually focusing on whatever might be helpful.

“C’mon, dinner, food you don’t have to pay for, and a home cooked meal, what more can you ask for?” Alyrisa asked as he followed her. She bounced a little on her toes as she walked and headed back for home. “You don’t have a cat allergy do you?” She asked as they got closer, last thing she wanted to do was get him sick because of Mug.

-

❝ i -- no... i’m not allergic to cats. ❞ he hadn’t spent a whole lot of time around them to be fully clear on whether or not that was true, but he’d been around them just enough to know he wasn’t gonna die. he just kept following, still not really understanding what was happening but going with it anyway.

they arrived at the doctor’s office, and his brows furrowed. ❝ kota’s? why are we here? ❞ he thought they were going to dinner!

Castor really wasn’t sure about this. It wasn’t the first time Lona had tried to intervened, or even talked about intervening but it was the first time with actual energy and effort put into the matter. So he got off work, changed and went down to the Scarlet, hands shoved deep in his pockets occasionally messing with the washers that had ended up there. He convinced BB-6B to stay put for the night and tried to get there early enough. 

“Lona? Lons?” He called as he came in, looking around. He’d been in The Scarlet a grand total of twice. And he suppressed both memories for the most part.

@ofleadersx​ // Lona & the Female Frat

-

lona glanced up from the inventory she was working on. the scarlet wasn’t all that busy, so she could give herself some time to just work on the business stuff she’d been too distracted to work on. ❝ castor, baby! what’s up? ❞ she said, setting the papers to the side. she leaned forward, ready to help him out with whatever was bothering him. castor had always been something akin to a son, so lona would do anything for him.