18

"Why do I have to do this again?"

Phee gave Saedii a look as she held up a couple of different outfit choices – ranging from frilly, ruffled dresses to dresses with terribly puffy sleeves. Each one was worse than the rest.

"You want to look pretty, don't you?" Phee held up one of the dresses against Saedii, measuring the fit. It was a terrible shade of turquoise and had something glittery around the hem.

Saedii waved the selection off. "I don't see why I need to. You said he already thought I looked pretty."

"It's just what you do for dates." Phee tossed the dress onto her bed.

Phee's room was nothing like Saedii had expected. It was long and wide, with dozens of mismatched, expensive looking rugs adorning the floor. A wide four-poster bed floated underneath a massive painting of an alien-looking planet. A set of couches – one red, one yellow – sat before an open door that led to a small private balcony overlooking the island.

By the windows, a vanity made of a dark pewter was scattered with makeup and rich-looking jewelry. Currently, Saedii was sitting in the chair in front of the mirror, eyeing the selection that Phee had spread out for her, while Omega watched from the couches.

Omega was enthralled by the whole thing. She'd even gone with Phee into the market to pick out possible date outfits.

"I like the pink one," she supplied, pointing to the one with mountains and mountains of ruffles.

Saedii scrunched her nose in disgust. "Why can't I just wear my robes?"

"Because I said so." Phee held up another selection – this one yellow.

"I don't wear yellow. Or dresses."

Phee turned a disparaging look to Omega. "Is she always this stubborn?"

"Yes," Omega said cheerfully. Saedii made a face at her.

A soft breeze smelling heavily of brine drifted in through the window. It was a warm night. Perfect weather for a date, as Phee constantly reminded her. From somewhere down in the village, music was trickling up, along with the faint sounds of laughter. Sitting on the railing, a moon-yo had its big yellow eyes turned in their direction, as if it, too, were enjoying the show.

Phee heaved a sigh and dropped the yellow dress on the bed. She was dressed up herself, though Saedii noted with disdain that she wasn't wearing a dress – just a new pair of pants and a new flight jacket. An intricate pair of earrings hung from her ears, crusted in what appeared to be diamonds. She'd let her hair down so that it fell about her shoulders.

She'd made Saedii leave her hair down, too. Omega had helped her braid back the pieces at the front of her face into a crown around the back of her head, leaving the rest around her shoulders.

It felt weird to have it down. Unconsciously, Saedii kept reaching up to play with it.

"What about this?" The dress Phee held up was a deep scarlet and floor length. And utterly ridiculous.

Saedii shook her head.

Phee made a face. "Fine. Why don't you tell me what colors you do like and we can start from there?"

"She wears a lot of grey," Omega said. "Black and brown, too."

"Not exactly cheerful, but I might have a grey dress here." Phee started rifling through the selection. It was far bigger than Saedii had originally realized. Just how many dresses had Phee bought anyways? "Here we are! This would look nice with your skin tone."

The dress she held up wasn't as bad as some of the others. It was short sleeve and cut off around the knee, made of a subtle silvery material that looked a bit like steel. It was pretty plain. No ruffles or sparkles to be seen.

Still, Saedii didn't see the appeal of a dress. What happened if she needed to fight or run? How was she supposed to move in that thing?

Her thoughts must have been pretty obvious, because Phee put her hands on her hips and snapped, "You have to pick something. I'm not letting you wear your Jedi robes."

"Why do you even care? You were willing to blackmail me just a few days ago."

"I already told you that was nothing personal. Just business. Believe it or not, I actually like you, kid."

"I don't believe you. Not with those dresses you picked out."

"So you don't like ruffles. Noted."

Omega touched the grey dress. "I like it. It's pretty."

Phee tossed it to Saedii. "If you won't decide, then Omega's picking for you. Put it on."

Sighing, Saedii took the dress into the adjourning bathroom and put it on.

It wasn't as bad as Saedii had thought. A bit tighter than she'd anticipated, but not in an unflattering or inappropriate way. And Phee had been right – it did look good with her lilac skin. At least it wasn't sparkly.

She clicked her utility belt on top, securing both lightsabers into the clips. But as soon as she went back out, Phee shook her head and insisted, "No lightsabers."

"I never go anywhere without –"

"No lightsabers." Phee leveled her with a look. "This is a date. Not a battlefield."

Grumbling, Saedii took off her belt and handed it to Omega.

Phee was there a moment later, dabbing something on Saedii's cheeks. Some kind of mauve powder.

Saedii pulled away. "What is that?"

"Blush. It makes your cheeks stand out."

"Why do I care if my cheeks stand out?"

Phee ignored her, pulling a small silver tube from the vanity. Omega leaned forward curiously as Phee pulled out a tiny felt wand and began to dab a little clear gel on Saedii's lips.

"What's that?" Omega was wide-eyed. "It's so sparkly."

"Sparkly?" Saedii croaked.

"It's just a little bit of lip gloss. It won't kill you." Phee finished applying the gloss, then pulled something else from the vanity. "Here. Put these on."

She put a pair of earrings in Saedii's hand – two small, silver hoops. Nothing flashy.

"Now we just need to find you some shoes –"

"I'm wearing my boots." Saedii's tone bridged no room for compromise. She was already wearing a dress and makeup. There was no way she was giving up her battle boots, either. Just in case.

There was a disappointed turn to Phee's lips as she observed Saedii's outfit. "You want to wear combat boots on your date?"

"Yes."

Phee heaved a defeated sigh. "Fine. I guess you're done then."

"You look nice." Omega was smiling. A real smile – one that Saedii hadn't seen on her in a while.

The sight made Saedii smile, too. Just a bit. "Thanks, Megs."

From the doorway, Phee called, "Come on. It's almost seven."

Wishing that she were marching towards a mission instead of dinner, Saedii followed, Omega close at her heels.

The rest of the Batch were waiting downstairs. Hunter and Wrecker were on one of the white couches in the living room, watching a transmission of some kind of sports game from a planet lightyears away. Echo was there too, though he had his eyes closed. Behind them, Crosshair was pulling apart one of his snipers to clean at the table in the dining room. All of them looked so relaxed. At ease.

Standing by the front door, looking uncharacteristically anxious, was Tech.

He'd changed out of his armor. A casual pair of pants, tucked into his walking splint, and a long-sleeved shirt beneath his usual auxillary vest, packed full of gadgets and tools. Someone had helped him comb his hair – which, Saedii suddenly noticed, was getting longer – and he'd cleaned his goggles.

A very strange collection of seagrass, pink flowers, and weeds was clasped in one hand, slightly wilted. In the other, he was furiously reading over something on his holopad.

Phee brightened at the sight of him. "Don't you look dashing, Brown Eyes. Are those for me?"

"Yes." Tech held the flowers out abruptly. "I read that it is customary for the male to procure aesthetic flora in casual courting rituals."

Behind them, Echo opened his eyes and exchanged a very weighted look with Crosshair, who shook his head.

"Thanks." Phee had a half-smile on her face as she accepted the mix of plants.

"I believe it is also customary for me to provide complimentary remarks on your appearance," Tech said, eyes flicking over his holopad. He glanced up, giving Phee a once over, before concluding, "You seem presentable."

Saedii choked back a laugh. From the couch, Hunter ran a hand over his face.

For her part, Phee only looked amused. "Let me put these in some water."

As she slipped by towards the kitchen, Omega gave Tech an encouraging nod.

"Well, look at you two." Echo was smiling as he joined them in the main room. Behind him, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair followed. "You both cleaned up."

Tech frowned. "I don't understand the context of your statement. Cleaning does not have anything to do with –"

"Don't encourage him." Crosshair put a hand on Echo's shoulder.

Hunter was looking at Saedii. Pride was heavy in the Force around him and his tone was surprisingly gentle as he said, "You look nice, kid."

"Thanks." As frustrated as Saedii was with this whole date thing, it was still nice to hear Hunter say that. It reminded her of Plo in a way.

There was a knock on the door then. Saedii couldn't help the flash of annoyance that came across her face. She knew who was waiting on the other side.

"Be nice," Hunter warned.

"No promises."

Wrecker answered the door, exclaiming, "Hey, kid! Nice to see you!"

"You as well." Aren's tone was very cordial. When he stepped inside, Saedii was surprised to see he was dressed quite nice. Dark grey slacks and a jacket, with a button up shirt. As loathe as she was to admit it, she was suddenly glad Phee had bullied her into dressing up.

Aren's face lit up as he caught sight of Saedii waiting for him. "Hello, Saedii," he said brightly. "You look lovely."

"Thanks." It was an effort to keep her voice civil. At the look of urging that Echo shot her, she unwillingly added, "So do you."

In his hand, a small bouquet of purple star lilies was tied off with a silvery bow. He held them out to her with a flourish. "These are for you."

"Tech was right!" Omega said with glee.

A very smug expression slid over Tech's face. "I usually am."

Saedii took the flowers slowly. "What do I do with these?"

Crosshair snickered under his breath. Echo elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Uh, you put them in water." Aren's smile faltered a little. "And you can put them in your room, if you want. Or anywhere, really."

"What do they do?"

"Uh...what do you mean?"

"I mean what's the point of these flowers? Can I use them for anything?"

A flash of uncertainty crossed Aren's face.

"They brighten up your room. For decoration," Echo supplied. His tone was disparaging – the same he used when he was disappointed in her.

Saedii frowned. "But we won't be here very long. I won't need them."

This time, both Hunter and Echo shook their heads at her. Behind them, Aren's smile died.

"I've got a vase you can use." Phee appeared from the kitchen, taking the flowers from Saedii's hands. Discretely, she shot Saedii a look as she said, "That was very kind of you, Aren. I'll make sure to put these in Saedii's room for her."

That seemed to restore a bit of Aren's confidence. He perked up and turned to Hunter and the others. "Don't worry, Sirs. I'll have her back at a respectable time."

If the floor could have swallowed Saedii up in that moment, she'd have been grateful. She very quickly adverted her gaze, too embarrassed to see the flash of laughter that Wrecker failed to hide.

"Uh...right." Hunter ran a hand over the back of his neck.

But Crosshair stared Aren down and said, "You'd better."

"And you don't have to worry about anything untoward happening. My intentions are completely respectable."

Maker, make it stop.

To her surprise, Echo gave a dangerous sort of laugh. "We're not worried about that. If you do anything she doesn't like, she'll break your jaw."

Aren gulped at the sinister look that passed Saedii's face.

"Or your neck," Crosshair added low under his breath, where only Aren and Saedii could hear.

Aren blanched. Saedii had the feeling that he was starting to regret asking her out.

"No one's going to be breaking any jaws tonight," Phee said with exasperation. "It's just a date. Hurry up before you miss the opening fireworks."

Looking a lot more apprehensive than earlier, Aren held out his arm and asked, in a very high voice, "Uh, shall we go?"

Saedii stared at it, brow furrowing. Was she supposed to stick her arm out, too?

Leaning in, Tech whispered, "It is customary for the female to take the male's arm and allow him to escort her."

Oh, she so did not want to do that. But as she opened her mouth to tell him to put his arm down, Phee caught her eye and made a very aggressive gesture for Saedii to take his arm.

Very slowly, and with a look of the upmost torture, Saedii grabbed his arm.

Wrecker and Crosshair both chortled. But Omega was watching the exchange with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

"Have fun." The way Phee said it almost sounded like a threat. Like Saedii had no choice.

Saedii grimaced.

Outside, the cool air felt nice against her flushed skin. She hadn't even realized just how hot her face had grown. Saedii forced herself to take in a long, slow breath of air as she stuffed the embarrassment down deep in her gut.

"I, uh, thought we would start by visiting the food vendors," Aren said nervously as he led her down the main road. When they passed another couple – also hand-in-hand – he smiled and waved.

Saedii purposefully kept her mouth closed. She was sure that if she tried to speak right now, something mean would come out.

Along the main road, streamers had been hung up around the twinkling lights that crisscrossed overhead – all different colors of green and blue and white. Paper lanterns with intricate patterns had been strung up as well, glowing softly from the candles flickering inside.

The villagers had decorated their houses, too. Yards were covered in expansive collections of seashells ranging from tiny white ones the size of Saedii's finger nail to massive swirling behemoths that she could sit on. Paper cut outs of fish, covered in what appeared to be sparkly paint, were hung along every door.

But there was a distinctive difference between houses. The further they walked, the more Saedii realized that each house had its own spin on the decorations. One house might have all white shells and a simple fish above its door, but the one next to it had wild colorful creations designs. Another had arranged its shells in what appeared to be the likeliness of an ancient god.

"The Spring Tide Festival is something my dad came up with when we first moved here," Aren explained when he noticed her looking. "He thought it would be fun to create our own tradition here on Pabbu, but he wanted to do it in a way that everyone could express their own culture. That's why the yards all look so different."

"It's beautiful," Saedii conceded, eyes trailing over a tiny yard with an impressive collection of pearlescent conch shells in the garden.

"Wait until you see the square."

As they got closer towards the village center, the street grew more crowded. Vendors selling everything from seashell necklaces to lush tapestries lined every corner. Shoppers – all dressed similar as she was, Saedii realized – were perusing through the selection, eyes wandering over the wares as they all chatted excitedly. Little flocks of children with face painted to look like fish ran through the gaps in the crowd, laughing and pointing.

Music soon began to swell in the air. Soft gentle music – wood flutes and djembes and khim – spilled out from the village square. The air had suddenly grown heavy with the scents of roasting meat and butter and spices. Up ahead, Saedii could just make out a faint glow.

Saedii actually gasped as they entered the square.

Along the paved road, bioluminescent paint glowed under their feet – painted in long, swirling swaths like waves, with little bobbing figures of fish in between. At the very center, a wide stage had been set up, decorated with pearls and shells and pale green beachgrass. Overhead, glowing blue paper fish were strung across the square, rippling in the sea breeze so that it looked like they were swimming.

The square backed straight up to the water. Tonight, it was so still that it looked like stained glass, reflecting rich reds and pinks and blues of the setting sun. A very fine mist hung in the air from the tiny waves that lapped at the rocks at the edge of the square.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Aren seemed back to his earlier cheer. He looked around the square proudly, gaze lingering on the band that was providing music at its center. "My dad built all of this for the people of Pabu."

It really was incredible. They'd had celebrations in the Temple, of course, but they'd never been anything like this. All the decorations – bioluminescent and glowing softly in the dying sunlight, shells and beachgrass – and the vendors and music were like nothing Saedii had ever seen before.

"Come on! Let's grab something to eat."

Aren led her towards the far side of the square, where the majority of food stalls seemed to be. There was a wide selection of foods – spun sugar cones with chunks of cooled caramel, whole roasted fish glistening with oil, vegetables on sticks with spices, bowls of sticky rice. The smells swarmed around her, pressing against Saedii's skin so that she could have sworn she now smelled like garlic and oil and cinnamon.

Aren stopped in front of a stall with a painted sign in some language Saedii didn't know. A tall female Utai waited beside it, watching with eyes the size of dinner plates.

A series of squeaks and whistles came out of the Utai's small, pinched lips. Aren nodded and said, "Thanks, Usara. We'll take a plate of the dyi fish."

There was a clink of credits as Aren placed a few on the table. Saedii flushed as she realized that Phee had been right. He had paid for her food.

Trying to ignore how that gesture made her both embarrassed and a little flattered, Saedii asked, "You can understand her?"

"Of course. I've learned the native language of everyone on this island. I figured it must be hard to leave their home behind, so they shouldn't have to lose their first language, too." Aren gestured Saedii towards a small candle-lit table by the edge of the square, at the water's edge.

As Saedii went to take her seat, Aren rushed over and held it out for her. Flushing even brighter, Saedii mumbled her thanks and sat down.

The view from their table was indescribable. Gentle waves lapped only inches away from their feet, so close that Saedii could feel the delicate spray in their wake against her legs. Pinks and purples bled into the water with the last dying rays from the setting sun, and Saedii had the strangest sensation that if she reached out and ran her fingers along its surface, it would feel like glass.

The Utai approached the table, setting a small vial of bright blue liquid in front of each of them. Saedii grabbed hers and took a tentative sip.

Then coughed and gagged.

Maker, it was like drinking liquid fire. It burned all the way down her throat – too hot and too cold all at once.

Aren watched the whole thing with incredulity. "You don't drink that. It's for washing your hands."

"But I already washed my hands."

"No, after the fish. Your hands get sticky from the sauce, so the teika fluid cleans them."

Glowering, Saedii put the vial back down. The way Aren said it was like it should have been obvious.

A few moments later, the Utai returned carrying a long, narrow plate with a single row of sliced fish. It appeared to be raw and was bright orange in color, with a thick, honey-colored sauce drizzled over the top.

Aren grabbed a slice with his fingers and popped it in his mouth. After a moment's hesitation, Saedii followed his lead.

The fish was soft and buttery, but the sauce was sweet with the slightest of spicy kicks at the end. It felt warm in her mouth and gave her the strangest feeling that she was taking a bite of the sunset.

"Good, right?" Aren said in delight as Saedii reached for another slice. "They make the best sticky sauce on the island. I always come here with my dad."

"It's delicious," Saedii agreed.

As the two of them finished off the plate, taking turns grabbing a slice of fish, Saedii's attention drifted back towards the square. All the way across, lingering around a jewelry vendor stall, she caught sight of Omega and Hunter – Omega who was pointing excitedly at a seashell bracelet and Hunter who was smiling softly. Further away, at the food stalls, Wrecker was carrying half a dozen plates over to a long table, where Crosshair and Echo sat, each with a large glass of some amber liquid.

Saedii couldn't help but smile at the sight. It had been so long since their team had been able to do something fun like this. She was suddenly glad that they'd stayed – glad that she was here with Aren, enjoying a nice plate of a local dish.

When she turned back to her date, she found him staring at her metal arm.

He quickly looked away, pretending to look at the fish.

"I lost it in a lightsaber battle," Saedii said. She could feel his curiosity. Knew that he wanted to ask, but was too polite.

Aren's eyes widened. "A lightsaber battle? You actually fought in the war?"

Saedii flexed her prosthetic hand, watching as the silvery fingers curled. "This didn't happen in the war. It happened after."

"But I thought the Jedi were gone?"

"We are," Saedii said sadly. "But those of us that are left are being hunted by other Force-wielders. That's why we came here. To hide for a little while."

A thoughtful expression passed Aren's face. Almost reluctantly, he pressed, "Do you like being a Jedi?"

"Of course," Saedii said at once. Surprised that he would even ask such a thing.

"I only ask because...well, don't take this the wrong way, but it doesn't really seem worth it to me."

"Worth it?" Saedii frowned. "I get to save lives. I think that's worth everything."

Aren's eyes were sad. "I mean is it worth your own life. You lost an arm. Your people were ruled traitors and now you're hunted like criminals."

Saedii gave a little shrug. "It's not so bad."

"What about all the things you missed growing up?" He gestured to the festival around them. "From the way you've been watching everything, you've never been to something like this. And I know you've never been on a date either."

Anger and embarrassment flared. Why did everyone keep pointing these things out? So what if she had missed out on a few things during her training? "There are more important things than festivals and dates."

"No offense, but you seem kind of young to have to make that decision," he murmured.

"I'm your age."

"Exactly my point."

She shot him a look. "Being a Jedi is the greatest honor of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

He was very quiet for a moment. Pity swirled in the Force around him and she sensed that he had more to say.

Instead, Aren tipped a small dallop of the bright blue liquid into his palm then rubbed his hands together."If you're done eating, let's go play some games. They give out prizes when you win."

Saedii had a feeling that Aren was only changing the subject because he didn't want to argue. Which was fine by her. She liked him better when he'd been ogling her instead of pointing out all the ways she was different.