Chapter Text
Zatt leans against the glass window in the side of the ship, watching the stars blur by as the ship traveled through hyperspace. His face is pressed against the cold glass, his head-tresses twitching and pressing against the glass before pulling away. Zatt stifles a yawn as he watches the hypnotic streaking blue lights go by. Zatt is ready for a nap, but he isn’t sure he was ready to sleep yet.
“Zatt?” Katooni calls to him, and Zatt jumps. He hadn’t noticed Katooni come into the room, too tired to hear her or to feel her in the force. “You alright?” She asks him, and Zatt suppresses a yawn.
“Yeah, just I’m just tired.” Zatt responds, and Katooni sits down next to him on the bench.
“Are you alright?” She asks, her tendrils swaying as she tilted her head. Zatt shrugs, gesturing a hand towards the sealed crate that is only kind-of glowing beside the door.
“I don’t know what could possibly be keeping me up at night. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the 300-year-old powerful idol we picked up or the ghost assassins that were also hunting it.” Zatt deadpans at Katooni snorts. Her mouth twists upwards into a grin which dances in her eyes as well.
“Oh yeah, there’s no reason that should freak you out at all.” She shoves him a little, grinning. Zatt elbows her right back, somehow feeling much less tired in her presence than when he had been alone.
“Zatt! Katooni!” Master Bant’s voice echoes through the small ship they’re on. They both exchange guilty looks at that as if they were kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Zatt isn’t quite sure why, he’s not aware of anything he’s done wrong, or that Katooni has done wrong either. Still, he feels Master Bant’s force signature approach.
“Am I interrupting something?” She asks, a sly grin on her face. Zatt just raises an eyebrow at her. Zatt projects his confusion back at her. She snorts.
“Of course not!” Katooni adds. Master Bant shakes her head, a grin on her face.
“Come on you two, according to my chrono, it’s sunset on Tython.” She says, and it takes Zatt a moment to remember why she’s bringing that up. He sees the realization grow on Katooni’s face at the same time as it hits him, and a smile breaks out across his face.
“Already? I thought the first night of Zaar’heer[1]
was tangursday.” Katooni comments in surprise.
“Katooni, today is tangursday.” Zatt elbows her playfully. She shoves him back, a grin on his face.
“No.” She responds.
“Zatt’s right.” Master Bant chimes in.
“We were on that planet for six days?” Katooni asks, and Zatt snorts.
“Believe it or not.” Master Bant jokes. “Grab the candles and meet Master Allie and me in the kitchen?” She offers, and both Zatt and Katooni nod. The door closes as Master Bant leaves the room. Katooni flicks her hand, and a box of candles flies across the room to her open palm. Zatt snorts.
“Inappropriate use of the force.” Zatt teases her. She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. As the two of them walk out of the door, Zatt swipes the candles from Katooni. He pulls two candles from inside the box, then passes it back to Katooni. They enter the kitchen as Katooni pulls a pair of candles out as well. Master Bant is there, standing next to the table, which she has pushed to press up against one of the windows on the ship. Master Allie is sitting on a stool beside her.
Resting on the table are two iin’lani.[2] Zatt recognizes his and Master Bant’s, the nine red coral branches reflecting the blue streaks of light from hyperspace. The other one looked to be carved from a pale blue wood. That one must be Katooni and Master Allie’s.
“Here.” Zatt passes the green candles he was holding to Master Bant. She slips one into the branch to the far left, and a second one into the tallest branch in the center. Master Allie takes the two grey candles from Bant. She slips one into the tallest branch on their iin’lani, which is on the farthest left branch for them, and then puts the other one in the slot direct to it’s right.
Master Allie takes the lighter from the table and ignites it, using that to light the candle on the tallest branch on her iin’lani. Then, Master Bant takes the lighter from her and lights the highest candle on theirs. Then Zatt and Katooni each remove the light candles from their respective iin’lani, holding them in their left hand. Master Bant tips her head to Master Allie, who begins reading the familiar recitation.
“This candle we light to represent the Akar Kesh, the Temple of Balance. It was from that balance that all other aspects of the order were born.” She nods at Master Bant, who gestures to Zatt and Katooni before continuing.
“On this first night of Zaar’heer, we light one more candle. We light this candle to represent the Padawan Kesh, the first academy for the first students of the force.” As Master Bant speaks, Zatt and Katooni light the other candles and then return the candles from their hands to the iin’lani. Zatt takes a step back and admires the flickering candles against the blue of hyperspace. As he does so, Master Bant’s hand finds a way into his left, and Katooni’s hand into his right. He squeezes both, holding them close.