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Ezra held on to the handle of the dolly as he watched Caleb and Styles load it with crates. They only had a few more rounds to do before the end of their shift.
“Alright, kid,” Styles said. “We’ll get the next round ready.”
Ezra nodded, pulling the dolly back and then pushing it towards its destination. He had to go down a couple hallways and drop the crates off at the hanger for loading. Humming as he pushed, he would jogging a bit before stepping on the dolly and riding it down the hall. He was so much happier now that he could actually help Caleb and Styles earn money. His shields were finally strong enough that he could handle being in big crowds without panicking. It took a bit for him and Styles to convince Caleb that he would be okay, but it was more than worth it.
He got to the hanger bay and pushed it up to the large freighter. He stepped back as the workers started to do the unloading. Unfortunately he wasn’t quite strong enough to effectively carry the crates himself so he was delegated to just dolly duty.
One of the workers suddenly paused, looking up past Ezra with a look of surprise. “Oi, those robes… ain’t you a Jedi?”
Ezra’s heart skipped as he spun around. It couldn’t be. Why would a Jedi be here?
Then his stomach dropped at the sight of the familiar brown robes, the dark brown skin of their wearer, and her thick greying braids… It was Caleb’s master.
Ezra didn’t know what to do. So he bolted. Running as fast as his legs would allow, he ignored the burning of his muscles as he fled. “Caleb!” he shouted as he skidded into the distribution center. “Styles!”
They looked up from their task, Caleb immediately dropping his crate to run over to him. “Ezra?! What’s wrong?”
“Sh… Sh-She…!” Ezra was panting, trying to warn him. The Jedi were here. They were going to arrest them, drag them back to the Temple, and lock them up forever.
Caleb knelt in front of him, placing his hands on Ezra’s shoulders. “Just breathe, catch your breath…”
Ezra squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to do just that, clinging to the waves of warmth and calm Caleb was projecting. But before he could get another word out, Styles suddenly straightened, his hand shooting to the blaster pistol at his hip. “General.”
Caleb stiffened, his grip on Ezra’s shoulders tightening as his eyes widened. Ezra couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder, even though he knew exactly who was there.
“Hello,” Master Billaba said softly. She held her hand up placatingly. “I’m not here to bring you back to Coruscant. In fact, I’m the only one who knows you’re here.”
Caleb stood, pushing Ezra behind him. “How did you find us?”
She gave a sad smile. “Some things can never be broken.”
A strange myriad of emotions rose up in Caleb that Ezra couldn’t decipher all of them. All he could really understand was the bitter mixture of sadness, fear, and disbelief.
Master Billaba gestured to the crates. “I’ve been told you are done with your work after this. I would be honored if you would join me for some tea on my ship afterward. Grey and Mixx would be happy to see all of you again.”
“So you can just fly the boys back to Temple?” Styles scoffed. “No thanks. If you want to have tea, it’ll be on our turf.”
Ezra slowly stepped out from behind Caleb, looking at the Jedi Master through his bangs. She wasn’t hiding herself in the Force. He could easily feel her emotions. Like Caleb, they were complicated and difficult to parse, but one thing Ezra could sense was her sincerity. She wasn’t trying to trick them.
He looked up at Caleb, whose eyes were searching over her. He must be able to sense it too. “I can give you the coordinates of our lodgings,” he finally said.
She gave a light bow in acknowledgement. “We will see you there.” She turned and walked away, her robes flowing behind her.
“How in all the galaxy did she find us?” Styles hissed.
Caleb sighed, his shoulders relaxing. “Because we’re still connected,” he said quietly. “We always will be.” He turned to Styles. “But I trust her. If she wanted to apprehend us, she could have done so easily by now. Besides, she did let us go to begin with.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure that’s because you gave her the shock of a lifetime.”
Caleb gave him a soft glare. “It’s been over two years… she kept her distance for this long when she could have found us in days.”
Ezra looked over at Styles who had a deep frown. His hand was still firmly on his pistol as if he was ready to pull it out any second. “If it means anything… I-I think we can trust her,” Ezra added quietly.
Styles expression softened a bit as he glanced at Ezra. Finally, he pulled his hand away. “Well, you guys are the ones with the Force. If you think this is okay…” He still sounded doubtful but his fear wasn’t as sharp in the Force.
An hour later, they were back in their little apartment when there was a knock on the door. Styles stayed firmly by Ezra’s side, a hand on his shoulder as Caleb went to answer it. As expected, it was Master Billaba with two clones. Ezra didn’t recognize one - presumably Grey - but he remembered Mixx. Mixx had always been kind to him, like Caleb and Styles were.
Caleb stood back to let them in. Through their bond, Ezra could sense the same strange mixture of bitter emotions as before. But this time it wasn’t nearly as powerful… and it was tinged with hope.
Master Billaba had a small smile as she walked in. While she glanced at all of them, her attention was mostly on Caleb. “Thank you for inviting us into your home.” She offered him a small box.
With a small frown, Caleb took and opened it. His eyes widened slightly. “You brought Chalactan spice tea?”
“I hope you still enjoy it,” she said. “It’s hard to come by nowadays off Chalacta, so I thought I would bring some.”
Mixx and Grey stepped over towards Styles and Ezra. Mixx looked down at Ezra with a smile. “You look good, kiddo.”
Ezra gave a small smile back, even has Styles' hand tightened on his shoulder. “Th-Thanks.”
Grey was gazing at Styles with a neutral expression. “How are you, brother?” he asked quietly.
Styles just grinned back at him, giving no outward indication of the anxiety and wariness Ezra could keenly feel from him. “Doing great, Grey. Mixx,” he acknowledged with a nod.
Caleb went into the kitchen to brew tea that Master Billaba had brought while the others settled at the table. Ezra was sitting next to Styles, with Grey and Mixx sitting across from them. Master Billaba was standing to the side, her hands behind her back as she looked around their place. “Would you like any help, Caleb?”
“No, I’ve got it…” Caleb brought over a tray with the pot and several cups a minute later. Everyone was quiet as he began to pour out the tea. The tension in the room itched at Ezra’s shields.
Once everyone had their cups, Caleb sat down on Ezra’s other side. Tucked between Styles and Caleb, Ezra did feel a little more at ease.
“So…” Styles said, staring down at his cup as he traced a finger along the rim. “What exactly are you doing here if not the drag the boys back to the Temple?”
“Old friends can’t just stop by to say hi?” Grey asked.
“Is that what you’re doing?” Styles said skeptically. “Just ‘saying hi’...?”
“Actually, yes,” Master Billaba said, having a seat across from Caleb. “While there are those in the council who still believe that Caleb and Ezra belong at the Temple, most have come to the conclusion that this is for the best. So long as we didn’t hear word of any... incidents.”
She glanced at Ezra, and Ezra swallowed hard. The last time he had seen her was when Caleb gave up being a Jedi. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if she blamed him for that.
“Well, there haven’t been any,” Caleb said. He was trying to sound diplomatic, but Ezra could sense a hint of his annoyance.
“I…” Ezra took a deep breath. “I-I haven’t hurt anyone,” he added quietly. He felt it was important for him to say aloud to her
She turned to look at him fully, and he couldn’t help but quickly look away as his heart raced. He should have kept his mouth shut. If he says something wrong now she might change her mind and arrest all of them, and it would be his fault …
The Force hummed, and Ezra frowned as he felt a calming caress against his mind. It wasn’t the intimate warmth of Caleb’s presence but a cooling balm against the edges of his mind. It took a moment for him to realize that it was Master Billaba trying to soothe him. He hesitantly looked up at her and saw that she was gazing softly at him.
Ezra swallowed. “I-I’m a lot better…” he whispered.
“I know,” she said softly. “And I can’t tell you how… relieved and happy that makes me.”
Her sincerity continued to ring true in the Force, and a smile crept up on Ezra’s face. His body relaxed in relief and his stomach fluttered with the silent assurance from her that they were safe.
Master Billaba’s gaze shifted to Caleb. “It seems that your padawan is thriving under your tutelage.”
“Well, I’m not a Jedi, so I wouldn’t exactly call him my padawan…”
“Regardless…” Her smile widened, her eyes practically sparkling. “It is clear that you’ve grown into a wise and efficacious teacher. And I am honored that I get to see it.”
Caleb glanced down at Ezra, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. “Ezra’s just a good student.”
Ezra smiled, his cheeks warming as he felt Caleb’s pride flow through their bond. Ezra didn’t think he’d ever get used to the praise, no matter how many times Caleb said it.
The tension in the atmosphere slowly eased, and Ezra remained tucked against Caleb’s side as the conversation turned more casual. Even Styles had begun to relax, although he had also scooted closer to Ezra protectively. He didn’t mind. Between the two of them, Ezra always felt safe. And now with the knowledge that at least one Jedi in the Temple was in their corner, Ezra couldn’t help but feel just a bit more free.