Private Private Ceremony

[Cato Harth]

The Vonnuvi Enclave's council chamber had been cleared out this morning for a special occasion. The Harths had requested a private ceremony for Inanna's knighting, and the opportunity was granted with little holdup. The Harths had more than earned their keep as part of the Vonnuvi Enclave, and though they fit in nicely, they still had a very close-knit dynamic. Some of the other enclave members were well-acquainted, perhaps even friends, but the Harths chose to keep this ceremony just between them. They had gotten this far with just one another, may as well keep the trend going.

Ashur and Serena had both taken the opportunity to plop themselves into the plush council seats. Ashur was wiggling around, his movement impeded by the cushioning, while Serena was stood up and looking out the window behind her, where day to day duties of the Jedi were taking place in the courtyard. Beside her, their BD droid Expy was doing the same.

"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed." Cato recited with overly serious intonation, a lightsaber hilt held up in his hands. He clicked his tongue to get the attention of the children. They both snapped to attention, and climbed down to stand properly at attention. Cato ignited his saber, and began the motions, "Inanna Harth,

By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi Knight."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna knelt on the floor at the center of the chamber, surrounded by her family and the Masters of the Vonnuvi Enclave. She still couldn’t believe she was actually here, and kept blinking as if she expected to awaken from a dream at any moment. Taking her departure from the Order more than a century earlier into account, she had probably been a Padawan for longer than anyone else in the history of the Jedi. It had been a long road, full of twists and turns, obstacles and falls, but she had finally reached the end of the line.

She looked at the Masters standing witness over the ceremony. They were the ones who had deemed her worthy of knighthood. You’re making a big mistake, she almost wanted to say. I’m not ready yet. She had left all those decades ago because of her failure to meet expectations. It had taken a great deal of assurance to get her to come back, and even then her return had been marked by reluctance and caution.

Cato’s voice drew her golden eyes to him. When he first donned the traditional Jedi robes she had thought he looked a little funny, his lanky frame getting lost in yards of flowing coarseweave. But now that she was looking up at him, listening as he recited the ceremonial words, he seemed more dignified than silly. His overly-serious tone did sound unnatural coming from him, though. She might’ve giggled, if she wasn’t so nervous.

"Inanna Harth, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi Knight."

The lightsaber was lowered over her shoulders. Her vision swam as her eyes grew misty. She told herself she wouldn’t cry, but she just couldn’t help it.

And then it was over. The lightsaber was deactivated, the words uttered, the ritual complete. Silence reigned for a few moments, before Ashur impatiently asked, “Mommy, are you Jedi knighted yet?” as his big sister tried to shush him.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

As he continued reciting the passage, Cato's tone grew less exaggerated and more genuine. He wasn't here to make the moment about him, but perhaps it had defused some of her initial nervousness if nothing else. One the ceremony had completed, it was silent. Cato disengaged his lightsaber, and just waited. It was Ashur who spoke first, before being silently chastised by his sister. Some of the presiding masters chuckled, and thus the silence was broken and celebration began proper. Some polite applause, followed by Cato scooping Inanna into a hug, "I'm so proud of you." He said.

Two small children then wrapped themselves around his legs, joining in on the hug as best they could.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna welcomed Cato’s embrace, wrapping her arms around him. “I am too, a little.” A kiss would be too much, surrounded as they were by Jedi Masters and little kids, so she nuzzled his cheek, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, promises of what was to come.

“And I’m proud of you, too. You were nice and patient,” she said, stooping to hug and kiss the children.

“Time to go to McYoda’s?” Ashur asked. Though she tried not to make it obvious, Serena was clearly just as anxious to know the answer.

Inanna laughed, all her nervousness and tears forgotten by now. “Yeah, let’s go!” She led the way out, thanking the presiding Masters over her shoulder.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato set Inanna down, a bit redder in the face than he had been before. The kids were happy enough with mom's success, but the real question still lingered. McYoda's? The tension was palpable. But mom's eager response brought joy and relief to the hungry kiddos. With a few parting thanks to the council heads, the Harths were off to celebrate their own way.

---

Even the Vonnuvi could not escape the ever-present McYoda's. It was still a city, like any you'd find planetside, and thus you could find many of the same amenities. Greasy fast food very much included, no matter how healthy and green the Ithorians presented themselves. A twiggish keshiri teenager stood slouched at the register, "Can I take your order?" His voice cracked.

"Can I get uhhhh…." Cato dragged for a moment, despite him usually getting the same thing, "Double McYoda with cheese? Combo." He looked to the girl in his arms, "What do you want?"

Serena seemed a bit shy at first, but the prospect of food overcame that quickly, "Nugget!"

Cato chuckled and translated to the worker, "Tip-yip Nugget kids meal."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Next came Inanna carrying Ashur. “And what do you want?”

“Burger.” The toddler listed off each item he wanted, counting on his fingers, his pronunciation perfect. “Fries. Ice cream.”

“No ice cream yet. It’ll melt while you eat your food. But you can come back and order some afterwards.” Inanna amended the order to a kids’ meal. “McNuna sandwich combo for me, hold the tomato.”

Serena had already grabbed her cup and was using the Force to fill it at the soda fountain… by combining every drink they had available into an alchemical concoction. Inanna watched her do it, disapproval on her face, then said, “How’s it taste?”

The little girl took a sip. Her expression betrayed her disappointment.

“That’s what I thought.” Inanna took the cup and dumped it out. “Don’t waste drinks.”

“But you mix them!” Serena pointed to Inanna’s cup, which she was currently filling with two different drinks.

“Mommy only mixes the fruit punch and the Crystal Fizz, because they actually taste good together,” Inanna took a sip and smacked her lips approvingly. “You want some?”

Ashur, meanwhile, had his hands and face pressed to the glass door leading to the PlayPlace, which was dinosaur-themed. So basically paradise.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato paid for the meal and took their order number, filling in his and Ashur's cups with fizzyglug. He watched Serena's efforts with amusement, "I thought it tasted pretty good honestly," He admitted, referring to the grand concoction of all the soft drinks, "But I also haven't tried it since I was a hyperactive preteen." It seemed he was alone in that opinion regardless.

"You wanna sit in the PlayPlace, little man?" Cato said, stepping up beside Ashur. They had a few tables inside that section as well. The blue boy nodded his head excitedly, "Alright. But you gotta eat your food, can't just mess around the whole time." Ashur nodded again. Whether or not he processed the demand was in question, but Cato opened the door all the same, and went to claim a seat.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna’s head swiveled around to face Cato. “Well, now we know where she gets it from,” she said with a sigh.

She immediately regretted taking her eyes off of Serena, who took off like a shot following her brother into the PlayPlace. Inanna trailed behind them, somehow having ended up carrying hers and Serena’s drinks.

Both the kids had disappeared into the playset in record time, clambering unseen through the labyrinthine levels of colorful plasteel. Well, Serena had—Ashur was still trying to climb the bottom ledge, the waistband of his diaper visible as his shirt came up in the struggle. As soon as he managed to haul his body over the edge, he started on the next one. Tenacious.

Serena had at that point reached the bubble window, through which she looked upon her parents and the other peons below. Another family with three kids arrived, kicking off their shoes and clambering up the PlayPlace. They passed Ashur with ease; the toddler was still working on the second level, his dangling blue feet the only part of his body that remained visible.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato set their things down, some of them clinging to something slightly sticky still on the table surface. He reclined as much as his stiff, plasteel chair would permit, and watched the little Harths scamper into the PlayPlace. Serena took off quickly, while Ashur was struggling to ascend the oversized platforms. The little blue boy refused to give up, though. It was an admirable display. "Should tucker them out nicely," Cato assessed, taking a sip from his cola.

"So how's it feel, Knight?" A smirk, "From Knight to McYoda's in record time, no less."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Should tucker them out nicely."

“Lucky for us,” Inanna said as she slid into the seat across from Cato. Together they had a more or less complete view of the PlayPlace and could keep an eye on the kids no matter where they went.

"So how's it feel, Knight? From Knight to McYoda's in record time, no less."

“Business as usual,” she said. Her casual tone faded instantly as her voice dropped to an excited whisper. “I’m shaking. I want to hug the galaxy and beat up the bad guys and do everything a Jedi Knight can do.

“How did you feel when you were knighted?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato matched Inanna's excitement, leaning forward conspiratorially, "The same way. Felt like I had moved mountains. Could move mountains. By that point we'd been with the Jedi for years. I remember feeling, for the first time in a long time… Proud. Like genuinely proud of myself." He nodded, smiling at the thought, "It was also the first time in about a decade I took myself seriously. Didn't crack any jokes until after the ceremony was said and done."

Cato leaned back again, sloshing his drink around, "You're gonna do great. Think you'll pick up an apprentice?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna’s gaze was fixated on Cato’s face as he spoke, the warm smile in her eyes spreading to her lips. “That’s exactly it,” she said. “It’s so exciting, and a little bit scary too. I want to do so many things, but I don’t know where to begin.”

"You're gonna do great. Think you'll pick up an apprentice?"

“Master Tsilla talked to me about that—she brought it up before I was even knighted, if you can believe it.” Her tone was light but ever so slightly subdued as she cast her eyes down. “There’s this guy who recently arrived on the Vonnuvi from Coruscant. He’s older, rougher, and struggling with his training. She suggested I take him on, the logic being that one late-blooming former Padawan can help another.” She reached for his hand across the table, laying her fingers over his calloused knuckles. “I said I’d think on it.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato was surprised to hear Tsilla had already brought it up, "Really?" Inanna explained further, and he seemed to understand, "Well then. Sounds like you could do something for this guy," He spoke plainly, believing as much but not trying to force the responsibility on her. Cato laid his hand in hers, "Have you thought on it?"

In true fast food fashion, the food got there fast. The same wienery employee from before brought out their trays of greasy goodness, "Here you go. Thank you," He pitched before shuffling away.

"Thanks!" Cato replied back, then turned to look at the PlayPlace, "Hey! Kids! Food's here! Come on down!" Ashur hadn't even finished getting up the steps, tragically. "Serena, help your brother down!"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Really?"

She nodded over her drink straw.

"Well then. Sounds like you could do something for this guy. Have you thought on it?"

"A little," she said sheepishly. "It's just a lot to take in..."

For a few seconds Inanna seemed to zone out. Her eyes looked around, but she wasn't really seeing anything. It was finally getting to her, the complete changes she had experienced in her life over such a short period. The person she had been only a few years before seemed a complete stranger to who she was now. But she was happy.

The hot, greasy food being delivered to their table snapped her out of it. Cato hollered for the children and began passing out burgers, nuggets, and fries.

"Serena, help your brother down!"

Serena was slow to obey, picking up a fry and eating it as she made her way over to the PlayPlace and climbed up. Ashur had begun to descend, but it was almost as slow-going as his ascent had been. Serena resorted to lifting him from step to step until they reached the bottom. As soon as his feet hit the soft rubber, he hightailed it to the table, reaching up over his head to grab a handful of precious golden fries.

"Hey, those are mine," Inanna protested, though she didn't bother to try and confiscate the stolen goods, which were already cupped to Ashur's mouth. Instead she scooped him up and plopped him in the chair next to hers, with his own food within reach.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"I never had a padawan," Cato said plainly, "Never quite felt ready back when I was full time Jedi-ing. Didn't want the responsibility, didn't trust myself with it, never got assigned one. Never had a real master of my own either." He shrugged, "But I know the difference a master can make for a padawan. Sometimes I regret never giving it a shot. Not like I couldn't ever now, but, I dunno. I'm pretty happy where I am now," He looked at Inanna directly, "That's my way of saying I'll support whatever you do. Being a master doesn't mean much if you don't feel ready or interested in it."

Food was laid out on the table, and the kids soon arrived to claim their greasy meals. "What do you tell Serena, Ashur?"

"Thank," Ashur muttered through the fries he'd already stuff in his mouth.

"You're welcome," Serena replied, lifting a nugget slathered in sauce up to her mouth.

Cato took a bite of his double-patty burger, and hummed in satisfaction, "Mm. I know this isn't exactly gourmet food, but sometimes a McYoda's run hits right." Why bother with all the fancy stuff when a cheap, greasy burger will do? "Survived a lot of nights on Narsh thanks to McYoda's. After midnight, it's somehow even better."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Well, you’ve turned out to be a fine teacher,” she said sincerely.

When Cato said that he was happy, Inanna gazed at him for a few seconds longer than necessary. It was a tender, loving look—a bit strange to give to someone who was currently stuffing his face with a double burger, maybe, but not so unusual anymore at this stage in their marriage. With any luck in the coming years she’d eventually spend up to several minutes just staring at him like that.

"That's my way of saying I'll support whatever you do. Being a master doesn't mean much if you don't feel ready or interested in it."

“I know you will,” she said softly, sounding almost as if she were about to get teary-eyed. But then she remembered that she had her own food to eat, and the children needed to be minded at all times. She dug in with gusto, keeping an eye on the kids.

Quiet had descended upon the table as everyone ate. Serena kicked her dangling legs, eventually stretching out her leg so that her foot was resting against Inanna’s thigh, toes wiggling inside her sock. Inanna waited until she was distracted before tickling her foot.

"Mm. I know this isn't exactly gourmet food, but sometimes a McYoda's run hits right. Survived a lot of nights on Narsh thanks to McYoda's. After midnight, it's somehow even better."

“What’s Narsh?” Serena asked.

Inanna glanced over at her with raised eyebrows as the girl licked ketchup from her thumb. Of course she didn't remember Narsh. She was only a baby when they had lived there. "It was a planet we used to live on," Inanna answered. "A stinky, dirty planet with lots of criminals and nasty people."

On the other side of Cato, an oblivious Ashur was in the process of eating a kid’s hamburger that was almost half the size of his head. He had to hold it with both hands. While trying to point and ask for a sauce packet, he lost his grip on the burger, which completely fell apart on its way to the floor. “Uh oh,” he said, looking down at the mess.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato ate a bit more proudly, if you could describe eating in such a way, following Inanna's compliments. Family chatter took a backseat as everyone dug into their meals, but a side comment from him earned a curious reaction from Serena. She didn't remember Nar Shadaa. It mades sense he supposed, he just never really considered it. "We did?"

"Ashur didn't. But the three of us did."

Serena nodded, as if understanding. She did remember getting Ashur, and they were definitely on the Vonnuvi by then. The little blue boy was too busy with his burger to even recognize his name. But the moment he dared to remove a hand from the almighty patty, it went spilling onto the ground. At first, his reaction was rather neutral. But the more he looked at his ruined food, he seemed to grow upset. Recognizing as much, Cato quickly displayed his own burger to Ashur, "Have my burger, little man. Just make sure you hold it with both hands." It was halfway eaten by now, but it was about double the size of Asher's original burger, so it was more or less an equivalent exchange.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Judging by his pouting lip and the downward turn of his red eyes, Ashur was about to turn on the waterworks over his fallen burger. To appease him, Cato offered up the rest of his half-eaten burger. Force, he’s so sweet, Inanna thought, once again gazing tenderly at her husband.

Alas, Ashur wasn’t having it. “I don’t want it, I want my burger,” he wailed, bursting into tears.

“Aw baby, it’s okay,” Inanna tried to soothe him. “I’ll get you another one.” And if they don’t replace it for free, I’ll get you your ice cream cone, she thought. Not that they couldn’t afford to buy another kids’ burger, it was just bad business.

While she was headed back to the register to explain what had happened, it occurred to her that Cato was probably used to bad business on Bonadan and Narsh. Fast food restaurants cutting corners and refusing to replace spilled food, whether out of spite or because they simply couldn’t afford it. She wondered if his dad had ever done something like that for him or his sister. Then she wondered if Cato might think she was spoiling the kid… Well, she wouldn’t know for sure unless she asked him.

Ashur whimpered for a bit longer, especially when a droid rolled in to suck up the mess on the floor below his dangling feet. But as soon as Mommy returned with a fresh burger the way he liked it, suddenly everything was fine.

“Be careful not to drop this one,” Inanna said as she set it in front of him, sinking back into her chair. She couldn’t help but smile a little as she watched the kid oh-so-carefully take a bite, leaning down to plant a kiss on top of Serena’s head.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Unsurprisingly, Ashur was far too attached to his specific burger to accept his dad's offer. Inanna sprang onto the situation, and offered to rectify. Beneath his casual exterior, there was a piece of Cato that reacted hesitantly to the idea of getting another burger. It wasn't often in his youth that such things were affordably rectified. Normally, solutions came in the form of parental sacrifices, like the one he had tried to make now. But he shook that notion from his thoughts. They had good money now, and a good neighborhood. They could afford an extra burger from the cheapest fast food joint in the galaxy. Besides, a replaced meal was hardly going to spoil the kid.

"That's right. We won't be able to get a third," He still said, half-joking. Ashur had been pacified, and put all his focus on keeping the burger safe as he ate, seemingly ending the whole debacle. Cato went back to his own, and finished it off in only a few more bites. "That hit the spot. The spot being my gut."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna finished her meal at around the same time Cato did, finding it similarly satisfying. Then Serena finished her nuggets. “I want ice cream now,” she announced.

The mere mention of the word ice cream caused Ashur to look up, and in his ensuing excitement the second burger started to slip from his hand. This time Inanna was ready, using telekinesis to stop it from falling on the floor. “Boy, you’ve got a case of the dropsies today!” she said, laughing. “You’ll get some ice cream too when you’re finished. Don’t rush.”

After ice cream and a little more play time, they would go home and perform the same evening rituals as if it were any other day. The kids would need baths, would have to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. Inanna performed these tasks with her usual love and care, tucking them in and kissing them good night. The big event of the day, her knighting ceremony, had not been forgotten; there was a sense of strangeness lingering at the back of her mind, a reminder of its significance. But at the same time, it felt like very little had changed.

Closing the doors to the children’s bedrooms later that night, she paused for a moment. Her eyes sought out Cato, not sure what to say.

Cato Harth​