Baze paused from his work, looking up at the person whospoke. Chirrut was standing next to Baze, arms crossed over his chest. Despitebeing only a year older, seven-year-old Baze was already a good head taller thanChirrut, and this switch in positions was a little unnerving. “I’m sorry tohear that, Brother,” Baze answered simply and turned back to his work. Chirrut’sopinion of him was not high on his list of priorities. He did not think much ofChirrut at all.

Chirrut’s dark eyes narrowed and his arms tightened aroundhis scrawny chest. “Don’t you want to know why?” Chirrut demanded. As heshifted in the dirt his right foot came down with a hard stamp.

“Nope,” Baze answered easily, pulling a seed from the bagnext to him and pressing it into the ground. As he pushed a small mound of dirtover the seed he whispered a gentle prayer over them. The seed could use allthe help it could get.

Baze could practically feel Chirrut’s eye roll next to himand finally looked over when Chirrut flopped onto the dirt in a huff, legsfolded under him as he laid on his back, stretching his arms above his head. “Youdon’t know how to have fun!”

The laugh that escaped Baze was loud and incredulous, andBaze was glad it was just the two of them there. Baze did not like being thecenter of attention. “What? I know how to have fun!” He turned to Chirrut fullythen.

“You never play the games with the other initiates,” Chirrutpointed out. “You’d rather go meditate, and all the grown-ups love you becauseyou’re so devout.” Chirrut’s nosescrunched at that.

“You look like a rabbit,” Baze pointed out, and thenungracefully shoved Chirrut out of the way so he could continue his work. “Ithink we just think different things are fun. I like working with my hands, andyou like looking stupid.”

The squawk made it worth it. “I do not look stupid!” Hescrambled up and shoved against Baze’s shoulder, glaring at him. “You take itback.”

Baze shook his head, swaying with the shove. He lookedtowards Chirrut again, and saw the red flush of his face. He wondered if he hadgone too far, but stopping now would give Chirrut the advantage to lash back. “Lastweek you did a head stand for so long you passed out. If that is ‘fun’ I don’twant to be having any of it.”

Chirrut let out a huff and he sat down away from Baze’sprecious seeds, crossing his arms again. “That’s not the only way to have fun…”

“It seems to be the only way you can have fun.”

Chirrut let out a huff. “I bet you’ve never even climbed atree. That’s fun.”

“There aren’t a lot of trees on Jedha,” Baze pointed out, plantinganother seed and saying his quiet prayer.

“There’s the uneti tree in the garden,” Chirrut said, andthen sprang to his feet. “Let’s go climb it! Me and you! Right now!” Chirrut’shands slid under Baze’s arm and he gave the bigger boy a sharp tug up.

“I’m working!” Baze said, but stumbled up to his feet,finally getting to glare down at Chirrut. “Why would you want to climb with meanyway? I thought you didn’t like me!”

Chirrut rolled his eyes. “Work can wait,” he said, tugginghis arm again and ignoring the rest. “Come on, the uneti tree is easy to climb,and it will be good for you.”

“You’re a pain you know that?” Baze grumbled, but herelented and followed Chirrut to the uneti tree.

The tree stood in the middle of the garden, and during thebrief rainy season it was full of leaves and flowers, but the native deserttree was bare for the rest of the year. It was a rare tree that was highlyprized for its strength, and was a symbol of life existing even in the harshestof environments. The thing was also downright ugly. Most of the branches wereknobbed and twisted, a few feet past the first sections and then the brancheswould twist and search for light.

But it was alive. It had been alive on Jedha for longer thanthe planet had been inhabited, or so the Disciples had told them. Baze was inawe of this tree, and its age. He could not comprehend what that length of timemeant, but he could try.

“Well?” Chirrut asked, impatient as he stood next to Baze. “Areyou going to climb with me or not?” And then Chirrut was rushing forward, usingthe lowest hanging branch to pull himself up, into the mass of branches.

“You know,” Baze said from down below, crossing his arms. “Icould just leave now! You’ve let me go and now I am free to leave!”

“You’re not going to though,” Chirrut teased without turningto look at Baze. “You’re going to follow me because this looks like fun!”

Baze let out a huff, watching the scrawny boy climb throughthe branches. It did, Baze admitted quietly to himself, look like fun. He letout a huff and then moved forward, pulling himself up and trying to climb upthe same way Chirrut did. It was harder than Chirrut made it look, the wood wasdry and rough and rubbed against Baze’s hands, turning them more red with eachpull up. When he skinned his knee against one of the branches, he consideredgetting down and going back to his work, but Chirrut’s high laugh above himkept him climbing.

Baze got to the top of the trunk, his hands stinging and asmall trickle of blood sliding down his knee, but he made it. Chirrut had madea small nest for himself in the branches, leaning back and looking over thegarden. Baze felt a little better about his own climbing skills when he sawthat Chirrut’s hands were also bright red. “Great view, huh?” Chirrut asked,face splitting into a grin.

Baze paused and he looked around. The tree was not verytall, just barely passing the lowest roofs. He was confident that if he were tojump down he would not even hurt himself. But it was a different view than hewas used to. Baze smiled and he nodded, looking at Chirrut. “Yes, it’s a niceview.”

Chirrut grinned and then reached over, gently shoving Baze. “Andwasn’t that fun?”

Baze could not have stopped his eye roll if he tried,sitting on a wide branch. “Yeah, yeah, it was fun, okay! Climbing trees is fun.”

Chirrut grinned and then pulled his knees up to his chest. “Hey,Baze?”

“Mm?”

Chirrut paused and then shifted closer, climbing over to siton Baze’s other side. The branch did not so much as wiggle. “Will you be myfriend?”

“I thought you didn’t like me,” Baze said with a grin,looking at Chirrut.

“I don’t,” Chirrut said firmly, but that grin was stillsplitting his face, and Baze felt no bite in that statement. “But I’d like tobe your friend.”

Baze’s grin softened and then he nodded. “I’d like that too.”

Chirrut grinned. “Last one back to the bottom is a rottenkiros egg!” Chirrut fell to the next branch before Baze had time to think.