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Ahsoka is well aware that her Padawanship was considered odd.....or at least she was now on a more conscious level to others. That it was treated that way by others as well. Looking back she should have realized it a bit sooner.
*
She hadn't been with Master Skywalker long but she was determined to prove herself worthy to be his Padawan. He was the Hero with No Fear and The Chosen One, she knew she had a lot to live up to. He was brilliant on the battlefield and caring off it. But it was times like these that made itself known that he hadn't been prepared to teach everything that came along with training a padawan. Which led her to here, sitting with Master Obi Wan, in his room trying to meditate. Admittedly it was going a lot better then when she and Skyguy had tried to do it for a long period of time. She felt amusement in the force and opened her eyes to see Master Obi Wan giving her a small smile and eyes full of laughter.
He must have caught a thread of her thoughts for he replied, "Yes, Anakin's strong point has never been sitting still for very long. You, my dear, have already lasted longer then he would have before finding something to fiddle with."
Warmth filled her at his praise. "I suppose that's why he sent me here instead of attempting it again, huh?"
"Indeed. You'll see in time that he prefers moving meditation instead and I'm sure you'll enjoy that as well. However, it is still important to learn this way as well. One will not alway have the room or time to practice moving meditation. This form will be a bit easier to practice when limited. Plus it serves as the foundation of other forms of meditations I'm sure you'll encounter ." He explained kindly. She had grown used to his way of teaching in the short amount of time they had been together. It was always patient and kind. Willing to explain things in a way that made sense to her. She honestly couldn't imagine not having this anymore. If she had looked closer at herself she would see a bond, small but strong and still new, next to her own Padawan bond with Anakin, hum with contentment.
*
She hadn't seen the blaster bolt coming.
It had been a successful mission and spirits were high and all that was left was to go over the area and make sure they hadn't missed anything. She had let her guard down as they approached the end of their sector too clear. Confident in the knowledge that it was safe. She had turned to face her squad to share her joy that they were almost done when the sounds of blaster fire reached her. She was able to deflect almost all of them and make her way through the small droid group that had been missed when she felt a sharp pain on the side of her stomach. She crumpled before she knew it and heard the sound of her men calling her name before it went dark.
When she woke up it was on a bed in the Medbay. Medic Skul was by her side soon upon noticing a sound from her. She was unsure what to make of the Medbay as a whole but there was something unsettling about waking in such a place by yourself for the first time. Not to mention the pain she felt in her side. Her eyes widened as she remembered what had been happening before she lost consciousness.
"My men?", she rasped out. He helped hold some water for her to drink before he answered.
"They are all alright, Commander. More worried about you than anything else. Gave them quite a scare."
Relief filled her at the knowledge that she hadn't lost anyone. She tentatively reached through her bonds for Anakin and Obi Wan, receiving a surge of happiness from Anakin that nearly knocked her over and a gentle rush of warmth from Obi Wan that cocooned her.
Pain laced through her again. It must have shown on her face for Skul laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You managed to miss the worst of the bolt but it still hit you in a pretty soft spot on your side. The bacta will take a while to fully heal it and I'm afraid you'll still feel a bit of the pain. The medication will dull the effects of most it it though."
She nodded in understanding and resigned herself to it. "And Masters Anakin and Obi Wan?"
Skul stopped by the end of her bed and said, "I sent a message to your Masters that you were awake as soon as I noticed."
It didn't register that it was Obi Wan who was first through the door and by her. When protocol deemed that Anakin be notified only and see her first before other Jedi. It didn't register that the men must think that she was Obi Wan's padawan as well. All that mattered was that he was there and she could bask in his care and Anakin's glow of happiness.
*
The word Master was almost always spoken in plural for her that she hardly noticed it. It was only when others emphasized it that she took notice of it. She was on a diplomatic mission with Master Plo when a local politician brought it up.
The mission had been a simple one compared to the ones she had grown used to. A dispute had broken out among two political groups on an important Republic world and they had requested Jedi mediation. She had been Temple bound to finish some of her course exams and her Masters had been sent on another mission without her. Master Plo had offered to take her along instead of her waiting around for them to return.
"I must admit Padawan Tano that your ability to delegate the meetings had been quite a surprise for one so young." He had admitted to them as he showed them the sites of his city.
She couldn't decide if she wanted to take offense to that or not but settled against it at Plo's chuckle.
"Padawan Ahsoka's Master is Obi Wan Kenobi." His voice took a playful tone through the mask, "Perhaps you have heard of him?"
She didn't need the Force to feel or see his surprise. He immediately began to shake his head in agreement. "Of course I have. The famed Negotiator . I had just been under the impression that Jedi Knight Skywalker was her Master."
Ahsoka relaxed more. Of course Anakin's lack of political savvy would be well known and people would assume that as his padawan she hadn't the knack for it as well.
"He is." Ahsoka assured him.
The politician's eyebrow markings went up in disbelief. "Two Masters?", he seemed to say involuntarily. Quickly he forced his face back into a pleasant expression before adding, "How fortunate that you have two dedicated teachers."
"You'll find that they are one, Representative Di, should you ever meet them." A pleasant smile of his own behind his mask. Plo out stretched his hand indicating the strange looking building before commenting on it redirecting their conversation to it. The other left forgotten.
*
It was a rare break from the war effort and a much needed one. However it was something they were not used to and soon grew restless. Obi Wan was attempting to read his book on the couch, Anakin fiddling with a droid he must have taken apart and put back together a hundred times and Ahsoka well...she could only pretend to do course work for so long.
I'm bored . She sent down her bonds. Receiving joint agreement. One reluctant and the other equally expressed in boredom.
Obi Wan sighed before putting down his book and stroked his beard a bit. "There are some sparring tournaments happening today. Masters and Padawan teams against each other. Should draw a crowd."
Anakin abandoned his tinkering without a second thought and made to move towards the door before looking over his shoulder at them. "Well, you two coming or not?"
They scrambled after him.
Upon reaching the training rooms it was clear all in Temple pairs were here and many others as audience. Behind them they heard the distinct sound of a wooden stick hit the floor. They turned and were met with not just Master Yoda but Windu as well.
"Here for the competition, yes? Strong contenders there are." Nodded Master Yoda.
"Indeed we are, Masters." Obi Wan replied and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing we can't handle. Right, Snips?" Anakin said, laying a hand on her other shoulder. She nodded back and gave an energetic, "Yes, Masters!"
Yoda looked amused and Windu just seemed resigned as he looked at his data pad. "Tano and Skywalker will face Offee and Unduli in the first round. If she prevails, Obi Wan will be with her in the second and so on. Understood?"
"Crystal!" She answered before turning to tug at those hands on her shoulders. "Come on. Let's go warm up." Not giving them much of a chance to make their farewells. Yoda's crackle could be heard across the room.
No one batted an eye watching Skywalker and Kenobi switch in and out as Tano's partner. Nor was anyone surprised later when the three stood side by side as they accepted congratulations for winning.
*
Those moments should have all added up. Should have clued her in. But none of it ever did and it wasn't until Barriss pointed it out that it hit her just how different her padawanship was.
They had been relaxing in her room on board the ship on the way to another far off planet that she had felt the gentle prodding along her bonds.
She focused on them briefly sending back images of them lounging around, before receiving waves of peace. She opened her eyes with a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. Before it dropped at Barriss's inquisitive stare.
"Obi Wan and Anakin were just checking up on me." She explained hoping it would settle her friend's curiosity. It seemed to do the opposite for her brows rose.
"At the same time?" At her own confused look she elaborated, "They can communicate with you at the same time with no difficulty?" At Ahsoka's nod she continued, "And you with them?" Another nod. "Can they hear each other when they are both talking to you?"
"Yes. Where are you going with this?" Ahsoka asked. It's not like anything she had done was out of the ordinary.
Barriss tilted her head to the side before shaking it ."Nowhere I guess. I should have expected that from you three."
"Why us three?" She wanted to know why Barriss was just putting it off on them like that.
"You truly don't know do you?" Barriss said quietly. "It's just that a Padawan bond is only supposed to be with one Master. And only one should be possible to exist at a time."
Ahsoka was unsure why that mattered. She knew that already. "Yes and if you take on another Padawan bond the other brea-", she had been duly reciting Master Jas's Bonds lecture back until it hit her. She had formed a Padawan Bond with Anakin as was expected but she had also formed one with Obi Wan. And she knew that they still had their old bond too. None of theirs had broken. If anything they grew stronger.
"Oh." Was all that she said.
Barriss let out a small laugh. "You never questioned why no one batted an eye at Master Kenobi and Skywalker basically training you together? Or that everyone calls them your Masters, as in you have two? While the rest of us only has one?"
"Guess I never really considered it all. I'm so used to having them both in my mind almost as one. That to think of one as my Master and that the other is not is impossible. I never thought of any of it as different from anyone else's though. Huh." Looking back she should have seen it sooner. She closed her eyes and reached for her bonds sending a message.
Did you two know I had two Masters?
Almost immediately she received startled amusement from Obi Wan and delight glee from Anakin.
You're a little late in the catch up, Snips.
Leave her be. Yes, Young One, we did.
She sent back her own amusement and a swell of affection. She might not have been wholly aware of it but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
The waves of her own Masters' affections filled her.
No she wouldn't want a normal padawanship. Not if she couldn't have this.