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Chapter Text

The last bit of time in the fight with the Gamemaster had Quinlan stuck and unable to move. He was severely injured, and frozen to an ice spike, staring at the virtual sky, unable to even see what was happening below. He was unable to help anyone. 

He heard the cheers as the Gamemaster shattered. The game instantly started booting them all out as the Force rang out with a warning and an apology.

Quinlan went from freezing and dealing with the near killing blow and with the pain to screaming as the Force had to separate him and all the other Jedi from the game as it fell apart around them. 

They had won, but apparently they had integrated too well into the game with the Force's help. And they were going to have to pay for it, unlike any other player. It hurt .

And then it was over. He blinked up at the ceiling in confusion but then he realized. He could sense Jedi. He could sense the Temple. He could sense Coruscant. He could sense the galaxy beyond. He was home . 

He started crying with relief as he pulled the game gear off of his head shakily, only to yelp when it pulled on the wound he had received just before Obi-Wan managed to deal the final blow. 

Wait... He was out of the game, why was that still there?

"Quin?" The warmth at his side moved. "You're out! You're alive!" 

Quinlan blinked as Aisling hugged him and sobbed. His cousin was here? 

He weakly returned the hug. "Uh, hi Aisling... I am back but I kind of need a healer..."

"Oh right button..." She pressed the button and went back to hugging him and clinging.

"...Cousin. I'm pretty sure my side is bleeding."

Aisling yelped and looked. Sure enough, he was bleeding. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "How did that happen?"

"I got it in the game just before it fell apart and it followed me out I guess. Probably thanks to the Force. The Force followed us in..."

Aisling jumped up and promptly tripped.

"Ow..."

Quinlan knew that voice. "Fox?" he asked incredulously. 

Fox's head popped up. "What? I'm trying to sleep," he grumbled.

Quinlan started crying again. "We're not in the game anymore and you're here."

Fox blinked a few times and looked around as he stood up. "Uh... who are you?" he asked Aisling.

She glared at him. "I am Quin's cousin Aisling."

Fox stared at her then hesitantly wrapped his arms around Quinlan to comfort his friend. "Okay, I believe you. We're out of the game and somehow I'm here too. That's not going to mess with my head at all."

Quinlan chuckled and just leaned into the hug, grateful that Fox was here after all. That somehow, the Force had brought Fox out of the game. He had thought Fox, Cody, and all the other former NPCs would be lost forever.

A healer came into the room and froze at the sight of Quinlan's bleeding wound.

Aisling and Fox were forced to the side to wait as the healer took care of it. Quinlan was reeling from all the changes. He had scars from the game, but his body otherwise was the body he had left behind for five years, just a bit older and weak. 

He felt like his connection to the Force was stronger. He'd never had trouble with it before, but now it felt like he didn't even need to think and the Force was there. 

Fox was here too, and apparently his family had been rotating who was sitting with him, which was a few other cousins. That was nice.. but where was Tholme?

Just after the healer finished giving him the rundown on what his recovery would probably look like, Tholme burst in, out of breath and desperate to see his padawan. 

"Padawan!"

Quinlan grinned. "Master!"

"I am so sorry I was not here when you woke up but I was on a mission and... I'm sorry."

"It's only been like three hours... It's fine." Quinlan smiled. "I just wasn't sure where you were." He winced when Tholme pulled him into a hug. But he didn't protest. He had missed his master's hugs and he was not going to pass up an opportunity to enjoy them once more. 

Tholme pulled away and looked him over. "Where did all these scars come from? And... you're injured... where..." He paled.

Quinlan shrugged. "Force followed all of us Jedi into the game. Apparently the injuries came back with us. And some former NPCs."

"Former NPCs?" Tholme frowned.

"Uh, hi," Fox greeted uncertainly from the chair he'd ended up claiming once it became apparent that he didn't need to stay in a bed himself. He would be cuddling Quinlan later but Aisling had wanted to make sure her cousin was okay.

"The Force changed any NPCs Jedi hung around into player characters and then I guess made them real by bringing them out of the game too..." Quinlan smiled at Fox. "And that's Fox. He was a great help."

"Fox... yes, I remember seeing him."

That got Quinlan's attention and he turned back to Tholme, noting just how shaky his master was.

"Master Tholme...?"

Tholme let out a breath and turned on the tv. The news was showing clips from the fight with the Gamemaster, talking about the livestreamed fight, with reports flowing in about how everyone had finally woken up after being forcibly logged out of the game.

Quinlan's eyes widened. There he was, his identity obvious to anyone, fighting the Gamemaster.

"Do you recall how there was a setting for many places about recording outside your own screens, and similar options throughout the game?" Tholme asked.

Quinlan nodded slowly. "I kind of recall that." 

"Any time you had privacy on, or were in a place with privacy settings on, you were fine. But outside of that... anything could be randomly streamed and shown for the public on a website. The only exception was when the Gamemaster summoned you for that final battle and revealed your identity to fight him."

"Oh. The entire galaxy knows my face then, huh? No shadow work for me." Quinlan found that didn't bother him as much as it would have five years ago. Five years in the game, close to four years as leader of Clan Vos in the game, some time with other Jedi, and he thought he had different goals as a Jedi now. Maybe once it sunk in it would bother him more.

"That's what you're focusing on?" Tholme asked, surprised.

Quinlan shrugged. "First thing that popped into my head."

Aisling leaned forward. "You really had to fight the Gamemaster? You won?"

"With Obi's help." Quinlan grinned as thought occurred to him, something both he and Obi-Wan knew was inevitable. "You haven't met him yet, but he's basically my brother and I know Briel and Bernard are going to insist he get adopted. Obi's awesome."

Aisling blinked. "You've been around Briel and Bernard?"

"Of course. Clan Vos did become a thing in the game after all," Quinlan responded, a little teasingly.

"Why would you want to be around Clan Vos?"

Quinlan gave her a look. "There's the fact that I wanted to be Kiffar when that became an option and of course I was going to pick Clan Vos. There's also the fact... Well. Did you see how they treated Jedi? Being clearly Clan Vos and around the clan was a fantastic way to avoid that before we found the other Jedi. Or they found us."

"I think it was a mixture of both," Obi-Wan said from the door.

Quinlan whipped around. "Obes! Oh, ow, that looks painful." He hadn’t seen Obi-Wan get blasted in the face with fire. Thankfully, game mechanics meant that it was not nearly as bad as it would have been had that happened in real life.

"You don't say," Obi-Wan responded sarcastically. "Now move over. I convinced Master Qui-Gon to bring me here, I want cuddles."

Quinlan grinned. "I knew I'd get you addicted eventually!" He moved, careful of his own wounds. 

Obi-Wan immediately snuggled into his side and sighed happily. "This is better than in the game."

"Told ya--wait a minute. Something's not right. Obes?" 

Obi-Wan's eyes shot open. "Now that you say something..." Obi-Wan took a deep breath in and reached over to touch the railing of the bed. He let go almost immediately. "Uh..."

Quinlan cuddled him. "It's okay, we'll figure it out. There was a lot that happened, and the Force brought our injuries with, and Fox with, and I see Cody is here, so it makes sense that maybe other things came back too."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "Well. Cuddling is better in real life now, that's for sure."

"I think we're missing something."

Aisling frowned, not happy that she wasn't getting answers from her cousin. He wasn't acting the same, either. " Quin, how were Bernard and Briel? And the rest of the Clan? " she asked in Kiffi.

" They were fine, " Quinlan assured her. " Briel ran a ski resort and we stayed there every winter. He's fantastic ."

" Like an older brother, " Obi-Wan agreed. " And Bernard was fine, he took up being a trapper. Closest he could get to being an engineer. He still tried to avoid all the combat related mysteries. "

They both became aware that they had several people staring at them. Only Fox and Cody were unsurprised. 

Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly. "I picked up Kiffi after deciding to continue to be Quin's brother and also choosing Kiffar and Clan Vos?"

"I am so lost." Aisling sighed. "What happened?"

"A lot happened, cousin," Quinlan replied seriously. "It was five years." Then he sighed. "Master, can you find and play the full battle, from the moment he summoned everyone to that arena? I want to see what everyone else saw. I want to be prepared for reactions."

"Me too," Obi-Wan agreed, adjusting. "There was a lot that we might have revealed in that fight that could be used against us."

"Or just is not something we wanted people to know but we'll have to deal with anyways."

Obi-Wan nodded. 

Tholme sighed. "I can do that."

"In the meantime, would either of you two mind explaining what the cuddling thing is about?" Qui-Gon asked, bewildered and lost.

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged looks. Obi-Wan nodded.

Quinlan looked at Qui-Gon, taking a deep breath. He did not talk about certain things often, but years in the game had helped him grow more confident and less wary of sharing. "Kiffar need a lot more affection than the average human. If I don't get enough, I feel very uncomfortable, and at its worst, I want to claw my skin off because it hurts. They managed to somewhat replicate that and Kiffar psychometry when they added Kiffar to the game. Obi selected Kiffar once it was available, and aside from when he revealed his true face, stayed that way. We think it might have been possible, when coupled with everything else, that the Force brought those two Kiffar traits back with Obi."

"I did pick up emotions off the railing," Obi-Wan added quietly.

Aisling stared at him. "Please tell me you'll start from the beginning."

"The beginning was five years ago." Quinlan responded, then checked on Fox and Cody.

They were together, discussing the turn of events quietly and over all just being amazed that they were alive, that they were no longer in the game. For now, that was enough for them. They had a lot of adjusting to do.

Obi-Wan turned to Aisling. "You could do a video chat with the Clan? I'm sure Briel and Bernard would like to have some input."

Aisling sighed. "I'll check if that's possible."

"Here's the fight." Tholme started it. 

Aisling nearly dropped her comm when the Gamemaster called Quinlan and Obi-Wan the leaders of Clan Vos. 

Quinlan shrugged at her look. "You really think Bernard would say anything? You know he’s shy.”

Aisling sighed and went back to watching. Her eyes widened when Briel and Bernard joined the fight. Bernard seemed like an odd choice, but he didn't hesitate in starting to lay his traps, and he was a key part of the early part of the fight, along with a large part of how they won in the end.

Obi-Wan, Quinlan, Fox, and Cody surprised everyone by studying the fight intently. Not just for what was revealed, but picking apart their strategy and what they could have done better. They weren't even arguing about it. It was matter of fact, as if they were going to do it again. 

Aisling was struck speechless, while Qui-Gon and Tholme exchanged looks. They were not going to interrupt something that was so clearly a habit. But at the same time...

They were already running into proof that their padawans had grown up and matured. They were discussing things like seasoned Knights, not padawans. Even senior padawans might have trouble with analyzing a fight like that. 

And even as their padawans had grown up, they were also different. They had changed from their experiences, and maybe for the better.

Five years was a long time. They had known there was no way their padawans would ever be the same. It was still startling to see in person. 

Qui-Gon didn't know how he felt about that. He was even more uncertain when he received the message that Mace had already put paperwork in recommending Obi-Wan face the Trials as soon as he was cleared to do so. His padawan had still been a junior padawan five years ago, and now he was being put forward for the Trials? It was hard to wrap his head around.

Obi-Wan was thrilled to see Briel and Bernard when the call got started. They had been moved to the same bed, and their siblings had piled on with them. 

Quinlan was just as excited, chattering away in Kiffi. Obi-Wan kept up and filled in for Quinlan, sometimes even finishing his sentences. Most of Clan Vos was bewildered by how easily Obi-Wan fit in, even after seeing the livestream, but they accepted it, and were starting to understand why Briel's first words were about adopting Obi-Wan, someone none of them had ever met before. 

There was a lot to sort out, but for now, they were home, and they just had a lot of healing to go through after the last five years. 

And they still didn't know just how much the game affected them and all the other Jedi.

Chapter Text

Quinlan and Obi-Wan were in their first group physical therapy session after waking up. It had only been a few days, but everyone was ready to work on recovering and getting back to their full strength. 

All Jedi had been divided into groups of five so that there were ten groups. Quinlan and Obi-Wan were relieved that both Mace and Kit were in their group.

The session dragged on for the first thirty minutes, then they got a fifteen minute break. It was a bit of a struggle, but it was mostly boring because of how simple the exercises were even if that was the level they were at.

Obi-Wan walked a bit shakily over to Mace. Quinlan wasn't far behind. 

Mace smiled at them. "I'm glad to see you. Everything alright?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "As soon as we're cleared, Clan Vos wants to adopt me." 

Kit snorted. "Of course they do. How could they not? I saw how they treated you in the game. I imagine you caught everyone's attention easily."

Quinlan cackled. "They were a little confused about how easily Obi fit in, and how well he knows Kiffi but it worked out."

"Of course." Mace nodded. "And I suppose you were both also injured? I see scars."

Both Quinlan and Obi-Wan groaned. "It was a pain," Obi-Wan responded. "Hurt a lot. I'm just glad it didn't affect my eyes... I heard all the NPCs came with?"

"All the ones we'd converted to player characters, yes. Somewhere between five hundred and a thousand. The Council is trying to figure out what to do with them," Mace replied, amused. "I keep telling them that Ponds will want to stick with me, and some of them will want to help in other places."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Foxy is not gonna leave me alone any time soon," Quinlan said, glancing at where Fox and Cody were leaning on the wall and talking to their brothers. 

Obi-Wan hesitated then sighed. "We do have a concern though... well I do." 

"What is it?" Mace asked immediately. 

Obi-Wan shifted uneasily then sighed. "The psychometry followed me out of the game along with a few other Kiffar things... How much did we take with us?"

"That is a good question," Mace admitted. "But we really don't know. Other Jedi have reported retaining skills they picked up, as much as they can tell while we're recovering. I think you are the only one who chose to be something other than what you are, so I can't say for sure."

Kit frowned. "You know... it was painful to leave the game... The Force made things real to us. How did the Force do that? Did the Force integrate us into the game world and then had to remove us from the game?"

"It would explain an oddity one of the healers mentioned..." Quinlan mused aloud. "I don't think I was supposed to over hear it because well, I'm still a padawan, but one was talking to Master Tholme and Master Qui-Gon and mentioned that it was like our souls were entirely gone, and if they even thought about coming near us with even the thought we were dead already, the Force didn't let them touch us..."

Mace frowned. "And that is not something I have heard yet. But it is very important to this mystery. Sometimes I feel as if I am still in the game because it doesn't feel much different anymore. If my body wasn't still recovering..."

Quinlan nodded. "I know... Sometimes I lift my hand to activate the menu because I swear I'm still seeing floating character indicators and health bars and I stop myself just before I c-" He froze when the menu popped open when he actually completed the movement. "Uh... please tell me you're seeing this."

Mace was already opening his own menu, having not tried it yet himself. "This is going to take further consideration."

"This is strange..." Kit flipped through the menus and shook his head. "I don't understand how this is possible... All my items are still in the inventory... My skills are intact... health bar as normal..."

"Sometimes... I just want to go back to bed," Obi-Wan said dryly. "Because everything has been insanity since we returned. Oh, no log out button. Better not be. This is real life." He shook his head. "This is kriffing weird." He hesitated, then selected a small item from the inventory. Everything they had been wearing or using had ended up in the inventory as well.

He stared at the crown that appeared in his hands. "Okay..." He tapped the air above the item and put it back in the inventory. "I think I just want to get through the rest of this therapy session and not think about that for a while."

"You will have to adapt."

"I know... just. A lot to process when our break is about to end."

Mace nodded. “I understand. I'll see about getting group sessions for mind healing organized, especially since this is going to be something everyone is freaking out about if they have not discovered it already.”

“I'm surprised it hasn't popped up yet,” Kit mused aloud thoughtfully. “We all have a form of muscle memory from being in the game for so long. We have habits from that. And the Force has been responding accordingly... It would not be hard to not notice going for opening the menu and the menu actually opening.”

Quinlan shrugged. If he hadn’t opened it right there, he might not have said anything until he stopped being in denial about it.

Obi-Wan sighed. “Wonderful. I was already an unusual enough Jedi. Especially after that whole final fight being broadcasted to the entire galaxy. But now I get to worry about other things. I just want to take my Trials and be properly adopted and move on.”

Quinlan laughed. “Come on, Obes, you know it's not that easy.” He was pretending to ignore the reference to the final fight. That whole thing killed his ability to properly be a shadow. Shadows did the work of trying to head off problems before they were problems, investigations where they didn't admit to being Jedi, undercover missions to dismantle groups or find intel, looking for Jedi and Sith anything, especially things that could do a lot of bad in the wrong hands. He had thought about choosing another path, but now it was totally out of his hands, he didn’t have a choice.

So, Quinlan would not be able to be a shadow, not be able to blend in and be just another Jedi. Not after being one of the two Jedi that led the charge against the Game Master. Not after being leader of Clan Vos. Not after being one of the ones with the record amount of mysteries solved. 

Mace, Kit and Obi-Wan were all giving him looks. They all knew exactly where his thoughts had gone. 

Sure it didn't hit him as hard as it would have in the past but it still hurt that he would not be able to complete the training he had committed to when he first became a padawan.

On top of propelling him into being well known. He quite liked generally working from the shadows and people not cluing in that he was a Jedi, but that was impossible now. He doubted he would ever be able to go most places without someone recognizing him, which meant he had to choose his path with that in mind. Which was more the real problem than it killing his career as a shadow before it had truly begun. 

The physical therapy resumed and they put all chatter to the side to focus on strengthening their muscles and relearning some things along the way. 

Afterwards, Obi-Wan wobbled his way over to Qui-Gon. “Hey, Master. I didn't expect you to be here.”

“I wanted to be sure that you're adapting alright, Padawan. You are doing rather well.”

“I am trying. It can be... difficult.” Obi-Wan shifted uneasily. “And I'm still coming to terms with the fact people could watch us while we were in the game, along with other things.”

“I saw something unusual while you were talking on break, can you show me?”

Obi-Wan bit his lip uneasily and glanced to the side, finding Quinlan enthusiastically showing Tholme his menu. Obi-Wan sighed and pulled it up. “Here.”

“What is this?”

“This is the game menu that we used every day for five years.”

“What does 'GFFA' mean?”

“I don't know. That used to say Swords & Mysteries so I would guess it's some moniker for reality that actually makes no sense to us because we live in it.” Obi-Wan was not sure he liked that reality had some sort of unknown nickname, but he would live with it.

“That is as good a theory as any I suppose.” Qui-Gon hesitated, then tugged on Obi-Wan's braid.

Obi-Wan had been poking at his skills to see what was there and if it had changed at all. Or if it was the same. It seemed things were being translated to real life and that was just strange, seeing things quantified by game mechanics, but 

He looked up at the tug, smiling. “What is it, Master?”

“When I saw that Master Windu had put in his recommendation for you and Quinlan to face your Trials as soon as the medics clear you, I had my doubts. But the more I see you now, the more I am certain he is right. The five years in the game were in many ways good for you, and I have no doubts you will be a Jedi Knight I can be proud of. I was already proud of you for the record of solved mysteries, and for how you handled the Gamemaster, though I was worried about you the moment I recognized you when your avatars were stripped. But you handled that with a focus even many Knights find difficult to obtain.”

Obi-Wan blushed at the praise. “Oh... thank you. I have always tried my best to be the best Jedi I can be.”

“I know. And you are ready to be a Knight, no matter how hard it is to believe right now.”

“Thank you... Let's head back to the healing halls...”

“Oh, we're not going back there. They've set up a section nearby for all fifty of you to recover, because you're mostly medically cleared now... You just need to get your strength up so they want to keep an eye but there's no real reason to keep you in the halls.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Then let's go.”

Qui-Gon led him to the rooms. 

"I think they have you sharing with Quinlan, since you two have been near inseparable."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Good. I hope recovery doesn't take too much longer... I want to get back to doing normal things and living normally."

"I don't think you can live normally again."

"As normal as I can, I want to find a new normal." Obi-Wan sighed. "I know why recovery is going to take a long time. We were basically in comas for five years. That is a long time for our bodies to just waste away, despite best efforts to keep everything as in shape as possible. We gotta build it all back up and there might always be a problem. Especially since I was still growing." Obi-Wan sighed again. 

Qui-Gon patted his shoulder. "You'll get there. Just keep working as hard as you have been. Although we won't be able to hold off long on keeping you from the public. There's talks of there being some sort of event where all survivors of the game will be invited."

Obi-Wan groaned. "I'm aware... we've been keeping up with that. Mostly through Clan Vos. But some other friends we made in the game are still keeping up with us; the ones that aren't upset we kept being Jedi from them, anyways. They're good friends."

"Good. How is the mind healing? I'm a little concerned by how much you use we instead of I..."

"Oh." Obi-Wan considered how best to answer that. "It's going. Quin and I only had each other in the game at first, for like... two years. We didn't have Fox and Cody until they changed to player characters, and even then it took a bit to fully trust them the way we trusted each other. When Kiffar was finally added to the game, we joined Clan Vos and became leaders... things were better then, but we had a lot of responsibility to the Clan, to be good leaders. Briel and Bernard did their best to make sure we could act our age and take some of that pressure off, even though Briel just ran a ski resort in game and has a music shop in real life, and Bernard is not very good at people."

Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully. "You know, you are a lot more talkative now."

Obi-Wan blushed. "Sorry." 

"No, it's okay. I appreciate it. It was hard to understand you and what you needed before. Now I don't have to ask."

"Oh... I didn't realize..."

"It's okay. I realize that I contributed to your difficulty in trusting anyone, including myself. It's one of the reasons I'm so proud of you. You opened up so much because of that game. You interact with everyone so differently now."

Obi-Wan frowned, and thought about it. In the game, he'd felt free to be himself rather than worry about appearances. Kiffar were so unconventional compared to the rest of the galaxy, he didn't have to worry about them, either, despite being one of the leaders. He had gotten so used to it, that he had not even thought about acting as he used to when he woke up.

"I'm being myself," Obi-Wan admitted quietly. "I had spent a long time trying to keep up with classes, trying to prove myself worthy of being a padawan, trying not to let bullying get to me and failing, being rejected by many masters... and then I didn't want to ruin it when I was finally accepted. In the game, it was a chance to be myself. And after five years..." He shrugged. "I guess it just stuck."

"I'm glad, and I'm sorry you went through all that. I never considered that before. I only just realized how hard everyone has been on you these last five years."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Really? Why?"

"You were stuck in a game where you could die. I wasn't sure if you would survive so I kept going back to your records looking for reassurance that you had a chance, and I realized that you went through a lot more than you should have over the years. An unconventional padawanship, several missions where your lightsabers are necessary. You know, many padawans make it through to Knighthood without ever drawing their lightsaber on a mission."

Obi-Wan blinked. "...oh. I didn't know that. I thought it was normal."

"It's not. We're supposed to only use lightsabers if necessary, and for most missions, it shouldn't be necessary."

"Right. So you were looking at my records?"

"Yes. You had high praises from many teachers, but there were just as many concerns. Several of them from those who chose not to take you on."

Obi-Wan winced. 

"Obi-Wan? I need you to know something."

"What?"

"I did not reject you because I didn't think you could be a Jedi with your temper problem. I did not think that I could navigate the problem the way you deserved and ensure you came out alright."

"Because of Xanatos." Obi-Wan sighed.

"Partially. I don't really have a temper, and I did not know how I could handle it, but by the time I did take you on, you had started learning the control out of necessity in a situation I'd wish on no one."

"That makes sense. I never considered it from your point of view, either. I just knew that I was trying, I was always trying to hold my temper, and no matter what I did, I could never hold it as long as others prodded at it. Or sometimes I just had the final straw and lost any hope of controlling it. And no one seemed to recognize that I was trying. Everyone made it sound so easy, I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong." 

"You weren't doing anything wrong. You just were experiencing more and bigger emotions than most people. You were improving, but no one said anything to you. It was handled wrong. I'm sorry we all contributed to the problem."

Obi-Wan smiled. "It's okay. You're trying now, right? That's the important part."

Qui-Gon studied him. "You can always talk to me, okay? Even after you're a Knight. You can always come to me if there is any problem."

"Alright. I will." Obi-Wan hugged him impulsively.

Qui-Gon returned the hug.

Obi-Wan then started poking around the rooms curiously.

Quinlan entered the room and looked around, excitedly. "This looks great! We're going to have fun."

Obi-Wan laughed. "I believe we will." He sat down on the couch and leaned back. 

Quinlan joined him, happily cuddling. He pulled down the menu and started flipping through it. "Obes, look at this."

Obi-Wan looked. "Is that... no. No way." He opened his own menu and flipped through the skills. There it was. "We'd know... right?"

"We had good control though, and it's not like our bodies have been in any state for it yet..."

"Well, that's true." Obi-Wan sighed. "Well, only one way to test it." He closed the menu and shifted before moving his left hand in a particular pattern. He disappeared.

Quinlan poked him. "Yep. You're invisible."

Qui-Gon gaped at the space where Obi-Wan had been. 

Obi-Wan made himself visible a few feet away and returned to the couch. "Well, at least it's useful."

Quinlan nodded then flicked his wrist and watched a small ball of fire flare to life over his hand. "Nice." 

"We should check with Cody and Fox. They might have retained theirs, too."

"It's definitely possible." Quinlan stood and tapped his foot. He started floating. He let out a happy laugh. "Oh this is fantastic! We're going to have fun with this."

Obi-Wan nodded and flicked his wrist, watching ice form over his hand. He smiled. "I had missed the ice," he admitted. 

Quinlan leaned back and floated on nothing. "Yeah. I didn't think this would be possible. Are we ever going to figure out how this is possible?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "The Force seemed to want us to survive. And it did its best to ensure it.... something Dark was at the center of the game, and now we're out... but the sense of danger isn't quite gone."

Quinlan hummed. "Yeah, you're right. There's still a sense of danger I remember from the game when we were trying to understand what happened to Fox and Cody."

"So... we seem to have retained everything we picked up from the game. When we were in the game, it all felt real, we hurt, we bled, we ate food, and we had to stay in shape and do more physically than anyone." Obi-Wan summarized. "It hurt when we left the game, like we were being ripped apart."

"I overheard a healer say that it was like our souls were gone," Quinlan added helpfully. "So maybe what happened was the Force totally integrated our souls in the game, and then had to pull us out when the game ended, and that meant we took everything with us. Even the game mechanics. Which is still weird and I'm not sure I want to see how that translates to actually using them."

"I know! Me too!" Obi-Wan huffed. "Seems like it'll make things too easy."

"Maybe," Quinlan agreed. He was still floating on air.

Qui-Gon was looking between them, listening but also just astonished. 

"How did you pick up those abilities?" He asked.

"Oh. We beat a boss and got potions with 'permanent power' and took the potions. Gave me ice and invisibility and Quin fire and flight, and it seems to have carried over here, which is really really weird by the way," Obi-Wan was playing with ice again.

"That could be very useful," Qui-Gon said. "If you know how to control it."

"But it is another thing that sets us apart," Quinlan responded. "And not something I think we should share easily. It's bad enough that we all brought game mechanics back with us. A special ability like this is... not good."

"But you are not alone. We can figure out a plan."

"That is true." Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully.

The door opened. Fox looked around with raised eyebrows. "Not a bad place."

Cody stared between Quinlan and Obi-Wan. He looked down at his hand. He hesitated, then gestured. Lightning crackled in the palm of his hand and jumped between his fingers. His eyes widened and he then grinned, dismissing the lightning without a thought. He darted from the door over to Obi-Wan. To everyone, it looked almost like he disappeared before he stopped by Obi-Wan far too quickly.

"Whoa." He grinned.

"Nice, so you did retain your powers too," Obi-Wan said. "That's great!"

"Yeah. I can't believe it. Why?"

"We're not entirely sure. But try opening the menu?"

Cody did so and froze. "Huh... okay. This is both reassuring and a bit freaky." He had been adjusting to the fact that reality was not supposed to have menu options, and had thought the few times he opened it the first day or two was something he made up in his shock.

"Isn't it?" Obi-Wan smiled at him, and patted the couch next to him.

When Cody sat down, Obi-Wan kissed him. Cody hummed happily then pulled away to look at Obi-Wan. 

"Still okay with dating? We haven't..."

"We were okay with dating when we thought you would be lost at the end of the game. I am not going to dismiss the blessing the Force has given us."

Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "You did not mention that," he said, amused. 

"Oh. Oops. We are dating. I was going to let go. But the Force brought all of them out of the game so... we're just gonna continue dating. I've talked to the mind healer about it and we're going to do all the usual." Obi-Wan explained with a blush.

"I figured. Don't hurt my padawan."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Cody smiled at Obi-Wan. "He's wonderful. Deserves the best."

"Cody!" Obi-Wan protested.

Fox meanwhile was experimenting with metal, twisting it over his hand and smiling. He did get to retain something from the game after all. That was nice. He grinned wider and walked over to Quinlan. He picked Quinlan up out of the air easily. 

Quinlan yelped and flailed. "Oh, hi Fox." He grinned at Fox. "So, strength?"

"Yep, still as light as you were in the game."

"I don't exactly weigh much right now. Still putting the weight back on."

"True. But I should be feeling your weight more than I do so... Strength is still around apparently." Fox set him down. "Why do we still have our powers?"

Quinlan shrugged. "We're still guessing. The Force brought us out with our menus too." He demonstrated.

Fox stared then lifted his hand and yep, there it was. "Why did we not notice this before?"

"It's a very deliberate movement, and we don't need to check menus here? Information we need is on holopads not floating in the air." 

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at them as they bent their heads over Quinlan's menu and started whispering.

Obi-Wan leaned over to Qui-Gon, smirking. "They're not dating," he whispered. "Totally dancing around their feelings- before that was understandable. Sometimes I wondered if I was nuts too, but now it's just funny."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "I suppose we shall have to see what comes of it, then."

Chapter Text

A month passed. Everyone got stronger and readjusted to life in the Temple. Some even were cleared to go back to their rooms, though that needed several healers and their mind healer's approval.

They had several theories on why the game followed them into the real world but in the end, they just had speculation they could not prove. All the former NPCs had access to the menu as well. It was a strange experience, but for the NPCs, it was a bit of a comfort, having something they had always known around for them to use at any time.

After a month, it was time for the event for the survivors, thankfully hosted on Coruscant. None of the Jedi were certain they were ready to travel, considering all the changes they had gone through. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan were excited because several Kiffar were coming. Not all of the ones who were in the game, but most of Clan Vos, including Briel and Bernard. 

Many of the NPCs were staying behind because their existence could not really be accounted for. They didn't exist before the game, after all, though the Jedi Order was working on creating identities for them all so that they could move through the galaxy like anyone else.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan walked into the event, next to Mace and Kit. Fox and Cody were behind them; as the main fighters in the Gamemaster battle they couldn't skip out. They looked around the large gathering space. There was a table for name tags. 

They grabbed theirs and carefully pretended not to notice the looks of awe directed towards them. That was why they were sticking with Mace and Kit, at least until they could find Clan Vos.

They spotted a section of Kiffar mingling and casting a wary eye on the rest of the room. They weren’t the only group of people suspicious of others, of course. Not everyone was from the Republic in the first place.

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged grins and started hurrying over, eager to see everyone they had grown used to seeing for years.

Briel and Bernard met them with hugs, laughing and almost in tears. 

"I thought you were going to die," Bernard mumbled into Quinlan's ear. "But then Rex got that last blow and we were out and... I am so glad to see you again."

Quinlan returned the hug tightly. "I know, me too." He looked over the rest of the crowd before focusing back on Bernard.

This part of the event was just supposed to be survivors only. To reconnect with friends in the real world, exchange contact information, and reassure each other that they were out of the game. They had survived the death game in the end. 

There would be some talking and discussion of stats later. 

The second day was when it would be open to family and friends, with everyone being allowed two people into the event. 

Quinlan was certain that people were fighting over who was going to come the second day to see him and Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan laughed when Clan Vos could not contain themselves any longer and swarmed into a hug on all of them. Excited to see their in-game leaders, alive and well. 

Briel tugged at Obi-Wan's padawan braid. "So, when are you going to get rid of this?"

"That's my padawan braid," Obi-Wan explained, for the benefit of those around who didn’t know yet. "Everything in it represents some sort of accomplishment." He grinned and pointed. "This wire and all the beads on it represent the game and my accomplishments within. Anyways once I go through the Trials to become a Knight, it'll be cut off."

"Alright... and when's that?"

"As soon as healers clear me, apparently." Obi-Wan was still thrilled by that news. He was excited to become a Jedi Knight, and he was pleased that he had done well enough in the game that he didn't need to prove he was ready by taking more classes or doing more missions. Mace's recommendation probably helped.

Everyone was talking all at once, ensuring that they all caught up on everything they had missed.

Soon, they were joined by others. Many of them were those who had chosen to be Kiffar in the game, and had not been certain how to approach before seeing Clan Vos mob Quinlan and Obi-Wan.

Once it was clear who they were, they were welcomed with open arms, though many of the Kiffar still eyed the rest of the room suspiciously. They were only open people to those they trusted. 

Those that chose to be Kiffar in the game, and had chosen to learn Kiffar customs and had given them no reason to doubt them? They could be trusted.

Eventually they settled, and it was just Bernard and Briel left with Quinlan, Obi-Wan, Fox, and Cody.

Bernard smiled. "It's good to see you again. I'm glad I won't be the only one dealing with smothering soon."

"Wait... who exactly came with you?" Quinlan asked worriedly.

"Just about everyone. Only grandma, and uncle Wyatt and Aunt Kathleen stayed behind. And Uncle Evan and Uncle Bakari and all their kids too, but they're still on Alderaan so  they don’t count." 

Quinlan sighed. "That still leaves quite a few family members... I'm not going to have any peace, am I?" 

Briel laughed. "Don't forget my grandparents, and parents, and aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings."

"So, no."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Could be entertaining, Quin. Jedi don't realize what Kiffar are really like. And there's plenty to do on Coruscant too, aside from physical therapy we don't have anything to do right now."

Quinlan sighed. "Alright... it'll be nice to reconnect with family." 

Briel hugged Quinlan. "It won't be too bad. Besides, we'll probably spend most of our time in Little Kiffu. I have a music shop there."

"Oh yeah! I've been wanting to check that out since you mentioned it!" Obi-Wan said excitedly. "It'll be fun!"

Briel grinned back. 

Fox and Cody just stuck nearby without actually talking to anyone. They liked to stick around Quinlan and Obi-Wan but they didn't have much to say as adjusting to reality was strange. And they did not want to draw attention to themselves just yet.

.

It was a fun day.

The day after was where things got... interesting. 

All players were allowed one guest for this gathering that would eventually lead into a Senate meeting about the game. It probably was not going to be fun. 

Obi-Wan brought Qui-Gon along, and Quinlan brought Tholme along. They didn’t bring anyone else along, not knowing anyone they wanted around for this.

Quinlan was not surprised when Bran hugged him and picked him off the ground. 

"I was so worried when I heard you were in the game too. I panicked when I saw you in the battle against the Gamemaster, and then you brought Bernard and Briel in and... I am just so happy you're okay."

"I'm okay, Grandpa," Quinlan said quietly. "It was hard but we made it through."

"You did. Spectacularly. I am so proud of you." Bran looked down at Quinlan fondly.

Briel had brought his own mom. "Obi-Wan, this is my mom Cass." 

"Nice to meet you." She hugged Obi-Wan tightly. "You did so well and my son talks fondly of you." 

Obi-Wan was both surprised and unsurprised by the hug. Kiffar sure loved their hugs. He returned the hug happily, then pulled away.

"Nice to meet you too. This is Master Qui-Gon Jinn, he's the one who trained me before I got trapped in the game, and until I'm knighted, technically I'm still his padawan. Qui-Gon, this is Briel, and his mom Cass." 

"Nice to meet you." Briel grinned. "Now, can we talk about adoption."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "It'll happen as soon as Quin and I are cleared to visit Kiffu. The healers have some concerns because of Jedi craziness." 

"What kind of Jedi craziness?" Bran asked, arm around Quinlan.

"Not the kind we want to talk about openly," Quinlan responded, glancing around. "You'll have to wait until later."

"We're going to the Temple today after the meeting, and tomorrow we're going to go to Little Kiffu and take a look around."

"That sounds good," Quinlan agreed immediately. "What do you think Obes?"

"I'm looking forward to it." Obi-Wan smiled. "Hi, I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi... you must be Quin's grandpa Bran?"

Bran grinned and swept Obi-Wan into a hug. "I am and you are definitely going to be my grandson too."

Obi-Wan returned the hug. "I know. I'm looking forward to the adoption."

"I still can't believe you came home having adopted two as your brothers," Cass scolded Briel lightly.

Briel shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault they're so lovable and adorable."

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head. "Must you?"

"Absolutely." Briel ruffled his hair.

They found a table and got some food to eat and talked. Tholme had an easy time falling into conversation. He may normally be a serious Jedi master who was generally traditional, but he knew how to interact with Kiffar.

It was Qui-Gon who was out of his depth. Qui-Gon was still adjusting to all the changes his padawan endured over the five years, and now he was seeing Obi-Wan fit in well with Quinlan's family, joking and teasing Briel and Bernard without hesitation. 

It was a side of Obi-Wan Qui-Gon had never seen, a side he bet even most Jedi hadn't seen yet. He knew that Obi-Wan and Quinlan had yet to reach out to their friends in the Temple, preferring to stick to those they had been in the game with. Which meant Kit and Mace, an interesting combination with Quinlan and Obi-Wan, but they got along well. 

Qui-Gon was left wondering, again, how much Obi-Wan had grown during the course of the Game, and how much Obi-Wan had been hiding before that.

Regardless, Obi-Wan had flourished thanks to the game, and part of that included these Kiffar who wanted to adopt him. Qui-Gon knew the implications. He knew what it meant. Not that it changed much since Obi-Wan was already dealing with that on a lesser scale. 

Qui-Gon would just have to keep working at accepting that. He was not going to push his padawan to the side because he was feeling upset that he hadn't been able to bring out the best in Obi-Wan the way a game and some strangers apparently could. 

He actually wasn't surprised that Quinlan helped bring out the best in him because Quinlan had always been the one person who could bring a smile out of Obi-Wan. Had always been the one person who could get Obi-Wan to talk. The one person that understood what Obi-Wan needed.

No matter what the rest of the Jedi thought about Quinlan's supposed inability to respect boundaries, Qui-Gon knew the truth. Quinlan only pushed the boundaries that he knew he could push, and he knew Obi-Wan well enough to be able to shut up and give him space if necessary.

Qui-Gon was coming to realize that Obi-Wan had always wanted affection. Quinlan just made it easy for Obi-Wan to accept it by 'forcing it' instead of making it an option or a smaller gesture. 

Qui-Gon hoped that Obi-Wan continued to flourish. He was already so proud of his padawan. Obi-Wan was surely going to go on to do great things.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan and Quinlan joined Kit and Mace in the Jedi pod for the Senate meeting. They were nervous, but the Senate specifically requested they be there for this meeting. After all, they held records, and were the ones who led the fight against the Gamemaster. 

All players who had gathered were present, but only certain pods were given the right to speak, and there were few. The Jedi were one of them, and they only wanted four people there. 

There were other standouts allowed to speak, but Obi-Wan and Quinlan paid them no mind as they didn’t really know them that well. They’d always been focused on protecting themselves, then Clan Vos, and eventually continuing their training.

Mace smiled at them. "Breathe," he advised. "I know that dealing with the Senate is going to be a lot harder than being leaders for what Kiffar were in the game, but I do know you can handle this. If there is something you feel the need to speak up against, do so."

Quinlan and Obi-Wan stared at him, nodded. 

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Kit assured them. "Even if you do end up speaking. It's just the Senate being the Senate wanting to appear to have some care and control in this situation."

"Of course it is," Obi-Wan sighed. "They always seem to do  that. But we can handle that... I think. What's even the itinerary for this meeting?"

Mace showed them.

"Overview of the game development, release, and progression before the 'abrupt' end, slideshow of deaths, stats, and leaderboards, important videos from the course of the game, recovery, and then it's a discussion about moving forward." Quinlan frowned. 

"This could go any way. Why does the Senate need to have input on moving forward? So many people are from outside the Republic. Kiffu isn't part of the Republic. And 'moving forward' is such a... vague topic it could be easy to bring in issues."

"Which is probably their goal," Mace said. "They want to have some discourse. They had been blaming everyone they could over the five years we were trapped. They had the whole game company investigated and dismantled while we were gone. They blamed the Jedi Order for not figuring it out faster."

"But they never found the Gamemaster," Kit said quietly. "Which is a huge problem."

"It is," Mace agreed. "There's no telling where that conversation will go until we have it. So unfortunately, we shall have to wait and see what they want."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Wonderful. The Senate always has some sort of goal. Why did they pick us as the other two Jedi? Mace was on the Council and will be again the next time someone retires and Kit's a knight that was already gaining some notice since Master Yoda finished his training but what about us? We're just padawans."

Kit chuckled. "You forget, Mace and I ran our guild of Jedi and players more than any of the other Jedi in the game... and you two hold records in the game, you fought and defeated the Gamemaster, and you were the leaders of Clan Vos, considered kings by some Kiffar."

"...right." Obi-Wan sighed. "I keep trying so hard not to think about how many people are aware of what we did that I sometimes block it out entirely."

Quinlan chuckled. "Come on Obes, you know we did good. It's weird that we're padawans and they want to hear from us, but they do have several good reasons for it."

Obi-Wan sighed again. "I know, I know. I was just having a... moment."

They did not have the opportunity for more discussion before the meeting was called to order.

The overview was quite interesting, as it did have details about what the investigation turned up. Details that they had not known yet. They weren't too put out by that. That kind of thing happened, of course. 

The stats weren't really anything new, though those who gave permissions for their identities to be attached to their usernames in the game had their names alongside their in-game names. Some had their home planet or affiliations next to their name. All Jedi had a note that they were Jedi. 

There was a bit of a stir when people realized that yes, they weren't mistaken. The two who had topped the leaderboards for mysteries solved and fought the Gamemaster were indeed Jedi. This, for many, was the first official confirmation of that. 

On top of that, many of the leaderboards were half or more Jedi, easily noted by the colored dot by their names. Every Jedi appeared in at least one leaderboard, even those who had struggled.

After that came the videos from the game. Quinlan snorted when the first video of him and Obi-Wan turned out to be that time an idiot tried to challenge 'a couple of kids' and got his butt handed to him. 

There were many other videos that were shown, of many different players. Usually doing something impressive. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan noticed a pattern and started whispering over a holopad. They had noticed that a lot of the videos were the good points of the game, not the negatives, and those that were negative... often painted things in a way that did not look good for Jedi, or some other group. Those groups were not part of the Republic or at least looked upon favorably by the Republic. 

Both stopped when they heard one video that was not kind on Kiffar, and Clan Vos in particular. They exchanged looks and went back to what they were doing, with more of a plan.

Naturally, the last video was the final battle. They were not very interested in paying attention to the reactions to this one. They already had a good idea of how people felt.

Once the videos were over, it was onto discussions about the aftermath. How people were recovering after the trauma they went through. Where people received treatment, and distributions of funds to help ensure everyone could rejoin society. There were some other things brought up too, but Quinlan and Obi-Wan weren't paying attention. They knew they'd be studying the minutes later and making sure they knew the details. 

There was something more important they had to do during the meeting.

An hour's recess was called, so that everyone could take a break, stretch, confer, and then they would be back to discuss things moving forward.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan followed Mace, but they were whispering and planning the entire time, barely even pausing to greet Qui-Gon when he joined them.

Qui-Gon took one look at them and winced. "They're scheming. The Senate is not going to know what hit them."

Mace raised an eyebrow at him. "You believe Obi-Wan can handle it?" He knew Obi-Wan could, and was looking forward to it, but he also knew about Qui-Gon’s misgivings and struggle to accept the new reality.

"I'm still adjusting to how different he is, but yes, I believe he can handle it. He was already shaping up to be a fine negotiator. It would not surprise me if he became one of the default Jedi later, and I thought that before he got trapped in the game. His time with Clan Vos gave him a chance to hone his leadership skills. And they're leaders as well, which helps." Qui-Gon sighed. "But I also know those faces. That's Obi-Wan and Quinlan scheming to prank bullies who deserve to be taken down a peg. Only, I imagine it's some sort of speech and visual aid for the Senate." 

Kit winced. "Yeah, they won't know what hit them. Obi-Wan and Quinlan can be vicious when they want to be... and they do it with innocent smiles and somehow manage not to look like they're being vindictive even though it's very harsh."

Mace raised an eyebrow and looked at the padawans, then smirked. "Well. If they handle it well, I suppose that means they are guaranteed to be on the Council one day, when they're ready."

Kit grinned. "I always knew they both had potential most people missed."

"So do you." 

"I kind of figured when Yoda decided to take me on after Master Anah's death." Kit sighed. "Wait. You're not saying...?"

"One day, Kit. You're already basically at master level. You just need to pass some mastery tests."

Kit stared at him, then looked at Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Mace is the one who's worked with you for five years. I trust his judgment. Besides, from what Obi-Wan said, you were the two Jedi who trained him and Quinlan the most. Which means in a way, once they take their Trials, you have trained a padawan to knighthood."

Mace snickered at Kit's dumbfounded expression. "We're not going to use that reasoning, but Qui-Gon is right."

"...I am going to need some time to process that," Kit muttered, sitting down. He vaguely remembered it coming up once or twice in the game, but he hadn’t thought hard about it at the time, dismissing it as not important.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan were oblivious, deeply focused on their scheming, eating absently the whole time.

.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan listened to the different discussions going on regarding what to do about moving forward. It seemed the problems were the continuing recovering and integrating back into society, figuring out what to do about the Gamemaster, and if there was anyone else who needed to be punished.

Oh. And people on the leaderboards would be getting awards. Quinlan and Obi-Wan were not looking forward to that whole debacle, considering the general opinions towards Jedi, and outsiders.

Finally, as they expected, it turned away from moving forward, and discussing the root of the problems. Which meant looking at the past and soon turned into pointing fingers. 

They listened intently to find the perfect opening. 

"The Jedi should have been more open and helped more people! If anything they need to be doing more for the survivors!"

Quinlan pressed the button to speak. "The Jedi? We did the best we could. We could not have been more open without major risks to ourselves." He sent the first collection of videos out. 

The first of the videos showed the first time a Jedi was discovered. He was promptly attacked and almost killed just for being a Jedi. He managed to escape without killing anyone.

"That is Jedi Knight Pel. He is one of the Jedi who is lowest on the leaderboards and for good reason," Obi-Wan explained calmly. "He was quite traumatized after that horrific experience. I do not blame him for choosing the paths that would least likely get him recognized."

"He was very jumpy when we met him years later, and I don't think he's recovered fully yet. All because some people discovered he was a Jedi and therefore he must die." Quinlan clicked over to the next video.

All the videos in the first collection were the reactions to any discovery that a player was a Jedi. There were no good ones. 

"I know you're thinking, surely we're leaving some out, right? People being happy? Generally, that did not happen, and those that did find out and were happy... they were in the guild." Obi-Wan sighed. 

"Now look at this last one carefully. This one is when Padawan Kenobi and I were revealed. We found the camera angles that focused on the crowd a little more." 

There were very few happy reactions in the crowds. Mostly there was surprise, confusion, and even anger. There were clearly some who started booing.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan let that sink in for a moment before they continued with their points. 

"So, how exactly were we to be more open and help more than we already were? Revealing that we are Jedi just invited a huge risk of death and people wanting us out of town, if they didn't want us dead. We already were helping as best we could. Notice, every Jedi is on at least one of the leaderboards, and some leaderboards are at least half Jedi," Quinlan explained. 

"The guild that Master Windu founded, Protectors of All, is the guild that holds all guild records. Padawan Vos and I hold the record for most mysteries solved, on our own. I'm not sure what more you could have expected of us as a group. We all did our best despite the limitations of the game and those who would have preferred we died."

"What about the Jedi Order outside of the game, surely they could have done more?"

Quinlan scoffed. "They did what they could. They got us to the Healing Halls and took care of us. They checked to be sure no one else was caught up in it. For those of us who are in contact with family, they let our families know. They were dealing with their own sort of grief, too. Just like everyone who had family and friends trapped inside." 

"The Jedi Order cannot act alone. We are supposed to get permission for missions, for investigations. We are supposed to work with the oversight of the Senate," Obi-Wan continued. "So when the Senate requested the Jedi to investigate, to look into Swords and Mysteries, the Jedi Order immediately agreed." 

"The Jedi still could have done more!"

"And what, pray tell, do you wish the Jedi Order to do?" Quinlan asked coldly, standing tall with his arms crossed. "The Jedi Order only has ten thousand Jedi. There are two trillion people on this planet alone. They could not just drop everything to help with the investigation, not without putting several other things at risk."

"In the game, there were fifty of us. A game where just about every system had at least one person participating, and you're focusing on how much more we could have done," Obi-Wan stated. "How about we look at some of these people?" He put up a slideshow. "Let's see. That player was fifty and completed no mysteries and didn't do anything. She spent a lot of time heckling us for being Kings."

"This one was twenty seven, completed one mystery, but is in a video attacking a Jedi anyways."

They went on for a bit.

"And despite all of that, you want to blame the Jedi for not carrying all that weight. Those people? They could have helped. They could have been merchants, or blacksmiths, or they could have done like my cousin Briel and run some other sort of place," Quinlan explained.

"Instead, they relied on Jedi. Padawan Vos and I were teenagers when we entered the game, not even adults. Teenagers. And we did what all those grown adults did not. We carried the game."

"We did everything we could to ensure everyone made it out of the game, and it shows in the records we hold. We may be twenty three and twenty one now, but we were only eighteen and sixteen when the game started. And you're expecting more out of us than adults." Quinlan stared everyone down. 

"What would you have done if more of the fifty Jedi were padawans? If they were younger than us? I know there were padawans as young as thirteen signed up to play the game, we were just the ones who were able to get the launch slot. So what would you have done if there were mostly padawans? Still expected more out of us than the adults?" Obi-Wan was just as unimpressed with the Senate as Quinlan. 

"Considering how you're acting about this, probably. I'm seeing some people are surprised and alarmed by our treatment in the game, but there are just as many people who still look like they don't care. You'd rather us put ourselves at risk of death by other players than what we did."

"Which is just sad," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "We did everything to make sure everyone made it out safely, and yet... you don't care, do you? You just think because we're Jedi that we should have been doing more. You have the data in front of you. You have proof of the danger our identities posed to our own lives. What more did you want from us?" 

Quinlan sighed. "And what more did you want of the Jedi, dealing with the loss of fifty members? Including Master Mace Windu, a prominent member of the Jedi Council? They were doing the best they could, but there was not much they could do that they did not do."

"Especially considering the red tape and obstacles many of this body put in their way. It was all important to make sure the investigation happened, until the Jedi followed the trail to their system. And that's a matter of public record." Obi-Wan felt satisfaction in the way some reacted. He sent out the public records for reference. 

"So here we are. The Jedi are accused of not doing more, and yet, we, both those in the game, and out of the game, seem to have done more than anyone else despite the odds stacked against us." 

The Chancellor cleared his throat. "I think we get the point now, Padawan Vos, Padawan Kenobi. Thank you."

Quinlan nodded and stepped back with Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan was not certain they had really gotten through to them, but at least they had tried. And this was a public meeting, so that meant the galaxy would have access to their speech and everything they used.

Quinlan started shaking slightly and leaned on Obi-Wan as it hit him that they had just done that in front of not just the thousands of Senators, but the entire galaxy. He had never intended on being that sort of leader. But playing leaders of Clan Vos for so long had taught him how to stand up like a leader and it was now second nature. 

Mace gave them reassurances in the Force, mingled with pride. Kit was amused and quite happy with their speech.

Both padawans relaxed a bit when they felt that. Maybe the two Jedi weren't visibly showing it, but the padawans only needed the Force to know how they felt. 

The meeting dragged on after that, discussing the impacts on varying systems, and carefully avoiding the impact on the Jedi Order despite the two padawans having pointed out blatantly how badly it would have affected them with losing a key Council member for five years.

Eventually a recess was called with plans to resume the meeting the next day. 

Quinlan slumped once they were safely in the Jedi offices (meant for those Jedi speaking in the Senate to keep things organized and have a place to store what they needed). "I can't believe I did that."

"Neither can I, Padawan, and I am very proud of you." Tholme came up and hugged him. 

Quinlan returned the hug tightly. "I definitely can't be a shadow anymore... but we knew that."

"I know. You have the makings of a great leader. Maybe not the best way to handle everything, but you both meant everything you said and got your points across in a way that wasn't too offensive."

"And you said things that Mace couldn't have said," Qui-Gon put in, hugging Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan grinned. "True. He does need to uphold their expectations considering who he is. We can get away with saying stuff like that for now. I bet when we're older we won't."

"Most likely not," Mace agreed. "But I think it was effective. I checked social media, and out of all the things in the meeting your speech is trending the most. A lot of people seem to have not put together how few Jedi there are with how much we are expected to do." He was amused, and pleased all at once.

Obi-Wan blinked. "So the people are really listening?"

"It seems that way," Kit said. He was scrolling through and taking it in more than Mace had. "They're also pretty horrified by the videos you shared. It seems that either those moments were not streamed, or they were overlooked. It's likely the perpetrators had turned on privacy to ensure that they wouldn't be caught." 

"The smart ones probably would have done that. Some of the people we found were idiots though." Quinlan sat up. "So... what next? Haven't they covered everything yet?"

"They have covered everything that happened in the game and most of the effects. Which means tomorrow we will be discussing what moving forward looks like, and determining what will happen in the future. It will not go smoothly, since so many systems have their people affected, anywhere from fifty to hundreds. And that includes systems like Kiffu where they are not part of the Republic."

"It won't be pretty," Qui-Gon agreed. "Moving forward and recovery requires them to at worst agree to disagree, and at best totally agree on every course of action. But I am certain that there will be plenty of arguments. Even the best Senators believe that the Republic is the best and they tend not to understand why other systems do not want to join."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I wish they did. Maybe those systems would then want to join. Besides, aren't there systems that are starting to reconsider being a part of the Republic?"

"There's whispers," Tholme answered. "Rumors. No movements yet, but it's only a matter of time, especially when groups like the Trade Federation can get away with a lot. Many are not happy with how the Republic handled the game, and how they’re handling the aftermath."

Quinlan winced. "And Kiffu in particular is wary of the way the Republic handles slavery- as in, denying that any person who lives in the Republic takes part in that. When it's a blatant lie, and Kiffu does have proof."

Mace nodded. "All of that just makes our job harder. Which is why it is always good to draw attention to what we do for people, as they tend not to be aware of such things more often than not. For now, I think we should shelve all this discussion and relax. I believe there are people waiting for us in one of the guest offices."

Quinlan and Obi-Wan perked up.

"Oh that's right!" Quinlan grinned. "Come on! This way!" he said excitedly as he darted out the door. 

Obi-Wan was not far behind.

"Is this typical?" Qui-Gon asked Tholme.

"It was not. Before the game, Quinlan loved his family, and enjoyed learning about Kiffar culture, but he was always happy to be done after a month on Kiffu. He certainly would not have taken off and wanted to go meet them, in the presence of other Jedi before."

Mace snorted softly as they started down the hallway. "I can understand why after meeting them. They can be overwhelming to a person who is not used to it. As much as Quinlan is a bit over the top for the average person in the Order, I noticed that he did not nearly meet the levels of other Kiffar."

"But he, and Obi, did get close to those who were in the game. I'm certain he has a new appreciation for them after spending so much time with them," Kit said. "And I find them quite entertaining. We get along well."

"Because they introduced you to their version of parkour," Mace pointed out, lips twitching. "And you were quite happy to play along. I am certain that being good friends with Quinlan and Obi-Wan already also helped."

"It most certainly would have," Tholme said quietly. "They trust other Kiffar more than anyone else in the galaxy, because of how isolated they keep themselves in order to protect themselves from the rest of the galaxy. So being close to them already would have been something they appreciated."

Quinlan and Obi-Wan paid no mind to the conversation happening without them. They knew those conversations were happening frequently as their masters dealt with learning how much they had changed. How much they had missed their Padawans growing up.

Chapter Text

Quinlan hugged the first person he saw with Obi-Wan right behind him. 

By the time the other Jedi arrived, the Kiffar had thoroughly greeted the two padawans and the greetings had turned into an impromptu cuddle session.

"I am proud of those speeches," Bran said to Quinlan. "You both did a brilliant job, but I wish I had known how difficult it was for Jedi before."

"It's not something we like talking about," Obi-Wan said with a shrug. "Just like Kiffar don't like talking about the difficulties you face in the galaxy beyond what is necessary." 

"The difficulties we face," Briel corrected gently. "You're as good as one of us, Obi. And it will be official with the adoption when you get to Kiffu."

"Right." Obi-Wan nodded. "Sorry, I didn't want to minimize what you deal with by claiming myself as part of the group."

Quinlan poked him. "Right. Like being Stewjoni isn't a pain in the butt for you when people find out, and like being a Jedi isn't a huge freaking problem when people like slavers get a hold of us."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Obi-Wan chuckled. 

Bran smiled, then sighed. "I do have some serious questions. But they can wait for when the other Jedi are ready."

Quinlan nodded. "Alright." He resumed cuddling, happy to have the opportunity for cuddling like this. 

He had missed the family that weren't in the game, after all. After spending time as leader of Clan Vos, he had grown to appreciate them far more. Because how could he not appreciate his family after spending more time as a Kiffar and pretending he wasn't a Jedi?

Obi-Wan was still adjusting to the strange need for touch, and the psychometry. It was still a mystery how that had carried over. More Force nonsense. But that didn't make it any less real. 

He enjoyed the easy excuse for getting affection. He enjoyed how it felt when he cuddled with the safe people in his life, especially Quinlan and Cody. He was a little weirded out by psychometry and how it picked up echoes to varying strengths depending on how strong the echo was and how sensitive the skin in that part of the body. 

But he was starting to adjust. It was getting easier and easier as the days passed, and Quinlan and Tholme were a great help with it. With the Kiffar arriving, that gave him far more help than he had before. They had many different tips, some of which Bernard and Briel had to help Quinlan explain in terms Obi-Wan would understand. Since Obi-Wan had not actually grown up with it. 

It put things about how Quinlan acted into further perspective, and Obi-Wan hoped that Quinlan never suffered too much. But... he suspected it was a bit late for that. If he could ever get it out of Quinlan.

Bran waited for the Jedi to get settled around the room. 

Only then did he ask the questions burning in his mind.

"The Jedi aren't actually treated well by the Republic." His tone was slightly accusatory towards Tholme.

"No, we're not, not by the Republic as a whole," Tholme admitted. "There are... issues. Most of the time, the average Jedi doesn't get affected by it beyond maybe getting some bad intel or not getting back up when needed. It's the exceptional Jedi that have to deal with the Senate and their... shenanigans." 

Quinlan snorted at that description. "He probably never mentioned it because I was going to be a shadow, and shadows generally face difficulties such as torture but that's the hazard of the job and we know that. The Senate doesn't get to publicly call us out or do anything towards us that can jeopardize our mission. Our records are sealed for at least five years after the end of the mission, sometimes longer depending on circumstances, so no one knows who did those missions until they are unsealed. So... the problems that I was going to face? Were supposed to just be minor compared to what Obi-Wan is going to face."

"I'm training to be a crisis negotiator," Obi-Wan explained. "That's someone who is a trained diplomat who can mediate and help negotiate deals, while at the same time being prepared for things to completely fall apart spectacularly. Not all diplomats are good at fighting, so a crisis negotiator is called in when a fight is almost certain. Or sometimes there are other issues that put the pressure on, such as a natural disaster, and crisis negotiators are far more prepared to deal with the issues than normal ones who may not do so well under that pressure.”

"That is an interesting job," Bran said. "How often is that necessary?"

"Some part of the galaxy is always about to implode." Obi-Wan shrugged. 

"It happens fairly frequently in the lesser known planets, particularly the ones that are usually neglected by the rest of the galaxy," Qui-Gon explained. "But every so often we're needed with the more well known systems and it gets... interesting."

"Like the time a president's daughter was kidnapped and it turned out the opposition's son just wanted to take his girlfriend out?" Obi-Wan suggested with a grin.

Qui-Gon huffed. "You handled that one better than I did. I could barely keep a straight face." 

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I was the same age as they were and I thought they were being monumentally stupid considering the threats that were placed on the girl. I think they needed to hear the lecture from someone their own age."

"If it was anything like today's, I am sure it was impressive," Bran replied. He looked down at Quinlan. "And I am proud of you for how you handled that... all of it."

Quinlan smiled. "Thanks, Grandpa. We planned some of it. We knew that there was no way we'd be able to totally keep silent, so we planned out our response as best we could. Some things got dropped, and some were improvised."

"It was still impressive. Especially since you had no practice in such things before you and Obi took on leadership of Clan Vos in Swords & Mysteries."

Quinlan ducked his head, a bit embarrassed. "Obi helped a lot. He's used to speeches and stuff 'cause he does end up being a leader a lot..."

"Oh, yes, that does remind me of my next question. You mentioned how much they were expecting of you as padawans... is that normal?"

"Absolutely," Obi-Wan replied without hesitation. "Padawans are sometimes even trusted to teach classes to our peers depending on the subject."

"A lot of parents and people in general view the Jedi Order as a higher learning organization," Mace explained. "So they believe that at any age, a Jedi has superior education than the average educated person in their system. They expect us to be experts at anything, not just our specialties. Padawans often get the worst end of the stick, little respect for their age, but a lot of respect for being a Jedi, and high expectations to go with it. Not all can handle that pressure, so we try to keep them away from such situations, but it is not always possible, unfortunately."

"I've run into it myself," Kit spoke up, having been quiet. "I'm only four years older than Quin, so I also have the experience of the transition from padawan to knight, though I was barely a knight when we entered the game. The expectations for padawans are high, we're expected to do everything perfectly because we're Jedi, and yet at the same time, padawans who are visibly not full grown get treated with the belief that they cannot understand what is going on because they are merely children."

Bran frowned. "That is... not very good."

Quinlan shrugged. "That's Jedi for you. We're the good guys until they need someone to be mad at, and if we have wisdom they don't want to hear, they'll find some reason to dismiss it. Age is just the easiest way to dismiss it." 

"We put up with it because it is hard to redefine our relationship with the Republic right now," Qui-Gon said. "We live here on Coruscant. We cannot just refuse to abide by their rules. We cannot just up and leave, not with so many people, so many younglings in the Temple, and the Temple is our home. Unfortunately, dealing with the Republic is the best way to ensure we can help the most people. If there was a simple way to pull away from the Republic's whims and still help all systems in the Republic without much red tape, we would do it."

"That isn't to say we handle this the best way every time," Mace said quietly. "We are making the best choices we can, for our people, and for the galaxy. Right now, the Force is saying we should bide our time and we might find a way to loosen their hold on our activities. For now... it is what it is."

Bran frowned, but he looked down at Quinlan and Obi-Wan and sighed. "And you two are okay with it?"

"I'm meant to be a Jedi, Grandpa," Quinlan said with certainty.

"As am I. If it's not us, it's someone else who faces it. How can we not do what we can to help?"

Bran smiled. "Of course. Is there any way I can help?" he asked. 

"The best way to help us right now is to change the minds of people," Tholme said. "There isn't anything we can do against the Senate right now besides bide our time and hope less corrupt Senators are elected. Regardless of what we end up finding necessary, it will be a lot easier if the people understand us and are on our side."

"Understand you?"

"You saw how they reacted today. A lot of the beliefs the Senate has about us is exactly what the people have," Qui-Gon explained. "To many in the galaxy, we are child stealers, hypocrites... to some, we make things worse. We're the Republic's attack dogs."

"That's not fair... that is certainly not true." Bran crossed his arms, frowning. 

"It's what people believe," Obi-Wan said quietly. "We can correct it when we see it, and a lot of those we help do learn the truth through our actions and asking questions but it's not really enough when there’s so few of us compared to the many people of the galaxy."

"I understand. I will see what I can do." Bran frowned. "What do you think is going to happen now?"

Mace sighed. "Now? Now the Senate is going to argue itself to death over the situation before they all come to a vote on if we or any others are guilty of any crimes, usually with an individual vote on each crime, and then assign punishment accordingly. There are usually restrictions and fines."

Bran nodded, frowning more. "That is unfortunate. You believe they will vote you guilty?"

"They rarely let us get away on something bigger with nothing. And this is big and public. They'll want to be seen taking action, especially since they can't take action on the Gamemaster as they have no clue who that is." Mace sighed. 

Briel sighed. "Well, that sucks." He hugged Quinlan and Obi-Wan tightly. 

Quinlan patted his back. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. Even if the galaxy doesn't trust us, there are still people that do, and we have bigger things to worry about."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement but didn't elaborate. Beyond the issue of the NPCs coming back with them and establishing their identities, they had to worry about the game following them into real life, and then there was the intense certainty that the origins of the game were very Dark. The Force wanted them to investigate. But they weren't in a place to do so quite yet. 

Thankfully, after that, Bran and the other Kiffar went to lighter topics, wanting to hear more about the Jedi and about living on Coruscant. 

But eventually it was time to face the Senate again. 

It went about as well as before. Some senators were actually more vicious. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan both spent some time taking apart arguments, though they didn't make any more big speeches. Kit and Mace of course also fielded their share of arguments.

They didn't vote that day. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan didn't let it bother them. Instead, they just dragged Clan Vos to Dex's Diner, knowing it wouldn't be very busy at this time and surprised Dex with them.

Dex was thrilled to see them; as they hadn't visited since they got out of the game. They’d generally been focused on getting better rather than leaving the Temple.

They kind of regretted that. 

Dex's hugs were still the best, Obi-Wan decided afterwards. 

Eventually the voting arrived.

Surprisingly, the majority of the Senate didn't find the Jedi Order guilty of anything aside from some minor things that were clear desperate attempts to get them in trouble for something. This meant that the punishments were more minor as well.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan had one big concern when they were talking with the other Jedi later, going over the meeting and how they handled it. 

They of course waited until they were done with the main discussion to bring up their concern.

"So, uh, the Senator from Naboo? He was talking a bit like he was neutral or in our favor but... it sounded a bit more like he was just pretending so people like him," Quinlan said tentatively. He decided not to mention the strange way that the Senator was holding himself, as if he was hiding an injury. Why would he be hiding an injury?

"I got that impression too," Obi-Wan added thoughtfully. "He was playing up something, that's for sure. Usually people aren't like that if they're being genuine."

Mace nodded. "He is a strange Senator. There's been no problems with him in the past, and his record is clean. Cleaner than most Senators. It's hard to find out anything about his past before he became Senator." 

"I don't like it." Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "And I feel like the Force was telling me to pay attention to him." 

"I was as well," Kit said softly. "There was something about him... but I cannot figure it out yet."

Qui-Gon frowned. "I did not get that sense at all. The Force is usually rather neutral around Senator Palpatine."

"That was the case for me... before the game. Now, I get the same sense they do." Mace let out a sigh. "We haven't experimented much with it yet, but it does seem like all of us who were in the game did end up getting a closer connection to the Force than before. It's easier to listen to the Force, and easier to use it. More instinctual. It's possible that as a result, we are able to hear things you are not."

"Well, I suppose that is something to consider. But if it requires a closer connection to the Force to recognize that there is something about him to pay attention to... then that means that there might be something blocking our senses. I do not like that thought."

Quinlan let out a breath and sighed. "There's always the possibility he's connected to the Sith."

“The Sith?” Qui-Gon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Obi-Wan nodded. "We'd meditate on why we were in the game and the Force would take us to the 'heart' of the game, where we could feel the Darkness, and it was more sinister than anything I've ever felt."

"You're certain?"

"I am," Mace said grimly. "I cannot think of why such Darkness would feel so malevolent or so involved in the very structures of the game. What the Force did with us... it was intended to save us, to give us a chance to unravel what happened. We do not have enough to go on, but we do know that something is very wrong. The Council has agreed to start preparing for the coming Darkness. We do not yet know what form it will take."

"I see... what are we going to do, then?" Tholme asked. 

"Keep doing what we're doing and see if we can extricate ourselves from some of the more constrictive parts of the agreement with the Republic. What was originally meant as a check and balance so that we did not exert too much power has turned into an uncomfortable expectation of us following every order the Republic gives us, though that is against the treaty we signed centuries ago."

"Right." 

"Well. The Gamemaster hasn't surfaced yet," Obi-Wan pointed out. "So we have time to sort this all out." 

"We do. For now, you two need to focus on getting ready for your Trials."

Quinlan grinned. "Are we going to take them before or after we go to Kiffu?"

"I'd prefer after," Obi-Wan said. "I think I'd like to be a Vos when I become a Knight."

Mace rolled his eyes. He'd seen this coming. "Depends on when the healers clear you for both. It is probable you will be cleared for travel far sooner than you will be cleared for the Trials."

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged grins.

Chapter Text

Fox and Cody were a bit less lost these days. They, along with the other former NPCs were being folded into the Jedi Order like they had always belonged. A name for their group to avoid calling them NPCs outside the Order and outing their unusual origins had taken a while to decide before they landed on Academics, creating a branch of the Order that does not require Force sensitivity. Which the Jedi Order would claim they had been keeping under wraps as they tested out if it would even work. 

Being a part of the Jedi Order included classes, mind healing, and being taught skills they were lacking. Along with guidance on finding the right path for them. 

Fox and Cody both had long since decided they would be sticking with Quinlan and Obi-Wan as much as they were allowed, so they were both working on attaining that while the two Jedi were recovering. 

It meant they didn't see them as often as they'd like but that was the way it went sometimes. It would be worth it when they could properly help.

They still spent all the time they could with Quinlan and Obi-Wan anyway, more than most would.

.

Obi-Wan sighed. "You ready Quin?"

"No," Quinlan replied quietly. "We haven't seen our friends in more than five years. I'm glad they didn't try to visit us while we were recovering and I'm glad to see them now but... it's been a long time. We're both different. And the whole galaxy saw what we did in the game." 

"I know..." Obi-Wan sighed, slumping. "I've been trying not to think about it." He pulled Quinlan in for a hug. "But we can't keep putting it off. We have to go see them again. We can't just keep putting this off. They deserve the chance to meet us as we are now."

"And if they don't want to be our friends?"

"We have made plenty of connections with others. We have Fox and Cody and all their family. We're close with Mace and Kit, and decently close with all of those who were in the game. We have connections with Kiffar and other players in the game. Yes, it will suck to lose our friends, but we can't force them to remain our friends."

Quinlan sighed and nodded. "We grew up with them."

"We did," Obi-Wan agreed softly. "So it will hurt if they decide they do not want us to be their friends anymore. But we went through something they cannot understand while they worried about us from afar. But all we can do is acknowledge that we've grown apart."

Quinlan let out a breath. "That's true... I'm just... concerned. I know some only tolerated my presence in groups because you and others wanted me around... I'm worried that things will get out of hand."

"If it does, I'm on your side. Remember that, and just be calm.” 

"I will." Quinlan let out a breath. "You know, this would be easier if Fox was with me..."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Oh? Because you have a crush on him?" he couldn't resist teasing.

"No! Well. Yes, but he's... nice. He knows me and you're a bit biased so I know he'd tell me the truth if I'm not certain you are. But I doubt our friends would be comfortable with him around even if he wasn't trying to take all the classes."

Obi-Wan hugged Quinlan tightly. "I can get pretty protective." 

His menu popped up with an alert. He checked it. "Oh, Kit's decided he will be there."

Quinlan brightened. "Oh, good... it won't be just us, and sometimes I forget he was part of the group too. He's so much older than most of us."

"Whatever will happen will happen. I'm sure we can handle whatever everyone decides. We did our best. Our masters are proud of us. Our family is proud of us. Mace is confident in our abilities and he and Kit effectively took over our training once we met up. We're different and that's okay."

"Right." Quinlan let out a breath. "I keep forgetting that you're a lot different too. I mean, I think I've got the bigger changes but it's not like you haven't changed at all... they're going to be surprised."

"They are." Obi-Wan grinned. "So let's go surprise them." 

Quinlan laughed. "Okay, let's go surprise them," he agreed, grinning.

They arrived to find a few of their closer friends already there. Bant, Luminara, and Siri. Plus some others they weren't as close to. 

Bant jumped up and hugged them both. "There you are! I was so worried and then you showed up in that fight and I cannot believe you took on the Gamemaster like that and I'm just so happy you're alive." 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan hugged her back. 

"We're okay," Obi-Wan assured her. "Different, but okay. It was a long five years, that's for certain." 

"No kidding," Quinlan agreed. "Very long. It's good to be home."

Bant led them over to where Siri and Luminara were waiting. 

Quinlan hugged Siri, and Obi-Wan hugged her immediately after, then they both turned to Luminara to see which greeting she would prefer. 

She surprised them by pulling them both into a hug. "Why didn't you try to contact us sooner?" she asked after pulling away.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan shared a look then shrugged.

"Scared, I guess," Quinlan admitted softly. "It's been five years. How much have you changed when we know how much we've changed?"

"And we were dealing with the effects of being in a coma for five years. We're still not cleared to do more than light exercises, though we're getting better," Obi-Wan added. "It's kind of weird seeing people when so weak."

Siri scoffed. "Right. So, you two managed to get the record for solved mysteries in the game. You then managed to fight and defeat the Gamemaster. And you both stood up and lectured the entire Senate. But you were scared of seeing us ?"

Quinlan looked away.

Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly. "You know us. We've been friends for years, all of us. That was all us feeling like we had a responsibility to do what we could, even talking to the Senate. But you... you're our friends. All of that shouldn't matter... right?" he finished quietly. 

Bant hugged Quinlan tightly. "Of course not! It just makes me want to know more about what you went through. It sounds insane!"

"It was," Quinlan said quietly. "It was a lot."

"And what about all the rumors about the Force interfering and doing something to all of you?" Siri asked.

Obi-Wan and Quinlan shared a look, remembering the conversation they'd had with not just Mace and Kit and the others trapped in the game, but the Council about what to tell the Order, especially with the rumors going around. 

"Can we wait for Kit to get here?" Obi-Wan requested. "It'll be easier if we can all talk about it at once instead of catching him up on what we said."

"Alright. But there is something else..." Luminara said slowly. "You were both Kiffar in the game... and the Gamemaster called you leaders?"

Quinlan groaned. "Oh that. Um." He rubbed the back of his neck. "On Kiffu, I'm a prince. The only way to get rid of that title is to not be a part of Clan Vos, so I can't really escape it. My family typically respects that I'm a Jedi, so it's not usually a problem when I’m not visiting them."

Siri's eyebrows went up. "You? A prince?"

Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around Quinlan. "His grandparents are the current Kings, not that it matters since all that's required to be a prince is to be part of Clan Vos. Which I will be. Since they're adopting me." 

"Wait, what?" Siri demanded. "Adopting you? And that's being allowed?"

"There's a bit more to it than that," Kit said, having just arrived. He greeted everyone with a hug. "But ultimately, adoption or not doesn't really matter if Obi-Wan is committed to being a Jedi. It's just been decided to be the best option for both him and Quinlan."

Both of them shot Kit a slightly annoyed look before sighing. 

Quinlan shifted and looked around. "Well, if no one else is here and paying attention... I suppose we can trust you three." He glanced at the other friends. 

They were totally oblivious to the serious conversation, so there was no way they would overhear. 

"I trust them too," Kit said quietly.

Obi-Wan just nodded. 

Quinlan sat up. "Right. Let's start with the Force and how it affected us in the game before we get into why it's better for me to have family around." 

Luminara tilted her head, taking note of the phrasing but she nodded along with the others. 

"To put it bluntly, the Force seems to have taken our souls and put them into the game," Obi-Wan stated. "And when the game ended, we were thrust back into our bodies." That had been mostly confirmed by the healers as the best theory finally, and it did explain a lot of the oddities that had sprung up.

"It was quite painful," Quinlan added. "But because we were in the game and the Force followed us there... We were able to use the Force. It was slow at first, but eventually we could use the Force just as well in the game as in real life."

"That's why we came out with the Academics," Kit informed them. "They were NPCs but thanks to the Force's influence, just by being around us they became real with their own personalities instead of just being programmed." 

"The crazy thing though, wasn't that we could use the Force... but that things had become real while we were in the game. We could actually eat and taste the food in the game. If we were hurt, we bled." 

"It was difficult to hide at times, but we managed it."

"And then we left the game." Kit sighed. "And we are changed for our time in the game. We have a stronger, deeper connection to the Force after that experience.”

"There's also the fact that we brought the game back with us." Quinlan said. He lifted his hand and opened his menu. He went to his inventory and pulled out his crown. "This is the crown I used. When they added Kiffar to the game, they added the Clan system. Clan Vos convened and wanted to decide on the leader. Traditionally, descendants of the current king get first right of refusal, going from oldest to youngest. My older cousin was hiding because he’s shy and didn't speak up. Briel was next in line if I hadn't chosen to step up."

"After all, what better way to blend in than to be in charge of a whole clan?" Obi-Wan said. "We'd been posing as brothers up until then, and Kiffu doesn't do single kings- they have to rule with another family member if they're not married when they become kings... so they decided that it was okay for me to do it too."

"Of course, it helped that my cousin Briel was willing to help us out as an advisor. He ran a ski resort that became the Clan Vos home. And then my cousin Bernard helped too, he's actually a first cousin, while Briel is a second cousin," Quinlan explained. 

Siri blinked. "Wait, how close are you to your family?"

"After becoming a Padawan, and up until the game, I visited Kiffu for a month every year. I'd say I'm closer to my family after the game despite the fact that none of my aunts, uncles, and other first cousins were in the game as well."

"What about your parents?"

Bant and Luminara winced. 

Quinlan gave her a look. "My parents' murder is why I came to the Temple when I did. It was traumatizing to witness, made more so when I grabbed my mom's necklace and my psychometry did its thing."

"Oh. I don't think I had heard that before, sorry." Siri grimaced apologetically. 

"Anyway..." Quinlan sighed. "So that brings us to why it's good for me to have family in the Temple. All Kiffar are born with psychometry, it's not connected to the Force. The Force has enhanced mine, but I very much have it the Kiffar way. There is no controlling it. All areas with skin pick up something, and the more sensitive, the more I pick up. So feet don't get much whereas hands will get more."

"Oh, I had wondered. The way you act sometimes made me wonder if you had the typical Force psychometry or if something else was going on," Luminara said.

Quinlan smiled at her. "You were right. It's been a struggle at times. On Kiffu, everyone wears gloves when emotional to protect others, especially younglings, whereas here I had to wear gloves all the time and be prepared with plastic utensils because lips count as skin."

Then he sighed and leaned on Obi-Wan. "Kiffu is... different. It's one of those planets that gets a sort of energy or magic. Something not quite ruled by science and yet isn't the Force either. And all Kiffar are born with a connection to the energy of Kiffu.  It does have some perks, like when on Kiffu, I can use the energy to sense people and things around me. The energy is why Kiffar on average heal days faster than baseline humans."

Bant narrowed her eyes. "You don't heal faster than a human... and aren't you human?"

"Kiffar aren't human." Obi-Wan answered for Quinlan. 

"And..." Quinlan shrunk a little, leaning even more on Obi-Wan. "The energy is like... it's a pleasant buzz under my skin. But the longer I go without touch... the worse the buzzing gets until I want to tear my skin off. And when I get touch-starved like that, I don't heal as fast."

"In general, apparently Kiffar heal faster with touch, and their hospital beds accommodate at least three people to allow for cuddling at all times," Kit spoke up. He had made sure to find out as much as he could after it had been mentioned off handedly once.

"What?" Bant hissed. "You mean to tell me that if the healers had allowed cuddling like I know you requested you would have been healing faster?"

Quinlan nodded. 

"To make matters even more interesting, when a Kiffar is touch starved long enough, they don't heal at all," Obi-Wan said quietly. "And someone blood related and considered safe helps more than someone who is not. That's why family is everything to Kiffar." 

"What does this have to do with them adopting you?" Siri asked.

"You know how that blood adoption is a real thing that does work on some planets? Kiffu is one of them," Quinlan explained. "Like, our genes will still generally be different and yet when testing for family, we will show up as siblings. This would normally also have the side effect of giving Obes psychometry and the energy but..."

Obi-Wan sighed. "The Force already did that, as apparently being Kiffar was enough for it to carry that over outside of the game."

"What?" Bant asked while the others processed.

Quinlan threw an arm around Obi-Wan. "They programmed the need for touch and the psychometry into the game. And when we got out of the game... Well. Obi-Wan has psychometry and a need for touch most don't have."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I didn't even notice at first. Just thought I wanted to reassure myself that Quin made it out too... he noticed that something was different first." 

"So now you have psychometry? Why no gloves?" Siri asked. 

"What, you didn't notice that I don't have gloves anymore either?" Quinlan lifted a hand and waggled his fingers. "That was one advantage to being around other Kiffar. Got a chance to better get a handle on it from their experiences. For Kiffar, psychometry is an additional sense, it's natural, so I needed to approach it a little differently than Jedi, but had never realized that was part of the problem before."

"Oh." Siri stared at his hands. "Huh. So... you didn't learn to turn it off because you said that's impossible... What did you have to learn?"

"How better to process," Quinlan replied promptly. "It's actually a bit like how we sense things in the Force and filter it out, like white noise and hearing. If I'm feeling emotional, I’m going to wear gloves because I'll handle it worse. If I know something isn't going to be good to touch, I'll wear gloves. Just general stuff like that."

"You seem more settled," Luminara noted. "Confident. Both of you do, actually."

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged looks and shrugged. 

"I think leading a whole clan for close to four years will do that," Kit said with some amusement. "Once we knew who they were in the game, Mace and I primarily taught them Force techniques, and we figured out some interesting things that way."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Yeah. I was apparently never actually taught the proper way to let go of emotions. I was suppressing them instead of letting go, which really explained a lot. I'm not sure where I got mixed up, and how so many people missed it but..." 

"And I'm suited for a lot more than just investigations," Quinlan added nonchalantly. "I mean, investigations we knew because of my psychometry but it turns out that there's a lot of things I could be doing. Still working that out, though. My face is all over, not like I could be a shadow if I wanted to be. Which I don't, not anymore." 

"This is so weird," Siri stated. "You two are so different, and yet... still the same and I don't get how that works."

Obi-Wan and Quinlan just shrugged. "We're not sure either, but we're happy, now," Quinlan said quietly. "It's certainly an adjustment though."

They didn't get a chance to discuss further before more of their friends arrived and they were distracted. 

Luminara certainly noticed how Obi-Wan and Quinlan tensed and put on an act. They didn't stop being affectionate with each other, but they stopped being so obvious about it outside of Quinlan's typical obnoxiousness. Something Luminara suddenly was realizing was a show. 

It was interesting, seeing the difference between how they reacted to those they did not trust as much as they did Luminara, Bant, and Siri. 

It made her wonder how much of a problem this had been in the past. Just how much about them had she missed in the past? They seemed so cheerful and happy and yet... That wasn't always the case, was it? 

Luminara resolved to quietly observe and be ready to support as necessary. From the other side of things, she too had some trouble with friends. Even among Jedi, people who were totally reserved were not always people that others were comfortable with. 

After all, for most Jedi, the serene mask was just a mask, nowhere near their true personality.

Quinlan didn't fully relax around the more casual friends they had, but he did relax a little. They were mostly excited to see Quinlan, Obi-Wan, and Kit again, as they had missed them. And they wanted to know all about the game. 

The trio who had been in the game talked carefully about it. They stayed away from the parts that were traumatizing and that would give anything about the current situation away. None of them were certain they could be trusted, and it wasn't like the Council had decided on an official statement yet.

Then came the comments Quinlan was dreading. He knew it would come around to it eventually. As much as he pretended to play off their comments as jokes, he knew they were meant seriously. 

"I can't believe you managed to take the Gamemaster down!" 

Quinlan shrugged. "I didn't do it alone. And Obes did a lot of the work at the end, even if he didn’t get the final blow.”

"Yeah, but you were both leading the fight and you totally would have gotten the final blow if he hadn't caught you. Why do you always act so dumb?" 

Quinlan stiffened. "I don't act dumb."

"Oh come on, yeah you do. You're clearly not dumb. You're actually a Jedi after all." 

Quinlan took a deep breath in and let it out. "Unconventional Jedi are still Jedi if we pass all the tests and don't break the rules. Nothing says I have to have the same Jedi mask as everyone else, as long as I get my job done." 

"I guess, but being a Jedi never fit you. Seriously, I never expected you would end up being the reason everyone got out of the game. Thought you would've died within three years." 

Quinlan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. "I have always felt like I am to be a Jedi, regardless of what you or others think. I am a Jedi, as I am now. Maybe I don't fit your definition of a Jedi, but really, your opinion doesn't matter. What matters is what the Council thinks, and passing my Trials."

"Yeah? And when are you going to take those."

"They'll happen when they're meant to. I'm still recovering anyway. I'm not even cleared for sparring yet." 

"That's a long recovery."

Quinlan fixed him with a hard stare. "Five years is a long time to be unconscious. It took its toll on my body, and on everyone else who was stuck for five years. We will recover when we recover." 

Obi-Wan noticed that Quinlan was upset and joined him, offering quiet support by pressing his shoulder against Quinlan's. 

While Obi-Wan had always been skinny, Quinlan had always been a bit bigger, broader. The fact that he was almost as skinny as Obi-Wan was a pretty good indicator that he still had a long way to go to finish recovering.

And their friends certainly noticed, staring between them with wide eyes of shock. 

Quinlan pretended not to notice. He was a bit self conscious about how he looked now, though he knew it was a matter of time before he regained the weight he had lost. He just had to be patient and listen to the healers.

The conversation turned to other things. Unfortunately, they kept finding ways to insult Quinlan, mostly without even meaning to. He tried not to let it get to him. 

But it had been a long five years. He was different now. He couldn't ignore them as he had in the past. It hurt to know that they still didn't like his personality and need for affection much. That they still didn't think very highly of him despite the fact that he clearly was far more competent than they had ever thought he was. 

He put it out of his mind. He and Obi-Wan had discussed distancing themselves from poor friends after all they'd been through. Ultimately, they'd decided to try to see what things were like, then figure out the best course of action that would ruffle as few feathers as possible. Neither of them wanted drama.

Quinlan never went anywhere near these friends with his brand of affection, sticking with Kit, Bant, Siri, and Obi-Wan. And Luminara, though he knew her boundaries and kept to them.

And they still had snide comments about him being all over Obi-Wan and never giving him space. 

Kit was amused by how irritated Luminara was getting as she observed. He was prepared. He had recalled how people treated Quinlan, and Quinlan had talked about it in the game. Usually when the way Kit or Mace, or any of the Jedi reacted to him surprised him. He was prepared for something like this to happen. He didn't like it. Quinlan didn't deserve it. But it was good to see others make that same realization. 

He knew that Quinlan and Obi-Wan had far more support than they realized. It was just sad that they had never realized for so long.

Eventually the meeting with friends was over and they all went their separate ways. 

Quinlan flopped onto the ground in relief once he was certain they were gone. 

"That could have gone better," he groaned.

"I thought you handled that rather well." Kit poked him with his foot.

"I suppose. Better than snapping at them." 

"Exactly! And anyways. You don't deserve any of that. You are far better than they think. Don't ever let them make you think otherwise."

"Sure. I wish I could speed up the healing process though."

"You know it'll take time."

"I know. I'm really tired of not being able to spar, and having to be careful of what kinds of activities I'm doing. I just want to... live. And train. I miss sparring."

"So do I." Obi-Wan pulled him up. "I don't think it'll be much longer before we're cleared for that. We're all making good progress from what they've said."

"Are you okay?" Luminara asked, a bit worried. "I could see that their words were bothering you, though you hid it well."

"I'm okay. It's just hitting differently than it used to."

"Well don't let it bother you, they don't know what they're talking about." Siri frowned, glaring off at where people had left. 

"Thanks."

"So, want to keep hanging out?" Bant asked tentatively.

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged a look. 

"I guess we could... we were going to meet up with Cody and Fox," Obi-Wan responded. 

"Who?" Siri asked, frowning. "You mean those Academics?"

"Yes." Quinlan smiled. "They're great people."

Siri didn’t seem convinced.

Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around Quinlan as they walked. "It'll work out, I promise," he assured Quinlan quietly. "We can move away from being their friends, I wasn't too happy with how they were treating me, let alone you."

"I know..." Quinlan sighed, leaning in. "It's still difficult. I had wanted to believe we were better friends than that for years and yet..."

"And yet here we are. It's okay, Quin. I know you better than that. And so does Kit. And Mace."

"Can't believe we still have permission to call him by his first name," Quinlan muttered.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Me either. Watching their faces would have been funny... I should have talked about him." 

Quinlan snickered. "Oh, that would have been glorious. Next time."

"Next time," Obi-Wan agreed.

They arrived to find that Cody and Fox were not alone. Monnk, Gree, Rex, and Thorn were there as well. 

Obi-Wan grinned when Cody greeted him with a kiss. "Hey, Cody."

"Hi, Obi." Cody smiled and hugged him tightly. "How was it?"

"Could have been better." Obi-Wan glanced over at where Quinlan was hugging Fox and being theatrical about it.

Then he remembered. "Oh! Our friends... Knight Luminara Unduli, and Padawans Bant Eerin and Siri Tachi." He pointed at each of them in turn. "This is my boyfriend Cody." 

"This is Fox!" Quinlan exclaimed enthusiastically.

Fox rolled his eyes and waved. 

Kit introduced all the others, quietly amused by their antics.

"So... they were NPCs... WAIT. Obi-Wan Kenobi, you did NOT mention having a boyfriend." Siri glared at him.

Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly. "Oops? I totally forgot." 

Cody snorted. "Of course you did." 

Kit laughed at them. 

"Totally thought they were going to die when the game shut down," Quinlan said. "But we got a big surprise when we got out. Fox was near my bed. Near as we can tell, they all ended up near the Jedi they had been around most in the game."

Obi-Wan nodded. "And since we were never part of the guild, that meant just Cody for me, and Fox for Quinlan."

Bant crossed her arms. "And just when did you start dating him?"

Obi-Wan huffed while Quinlan cackled.

"We started dating while we were in the game," Cody responded. "We knew what was probably going to happen.... gave us a complete shock to show up outside the game. It's been an interesting adjustment."

"No kidding." Siri looked between them all in astonishment.

Obi-Wan sat down and pulled Cody down for cuddles, just listening to the rest of the conversation. 

"You okay?" Cody whispered.

"Just a bit overwhelmed," Obi-Wan responded quietly. "Everyone noticed we're different, though those three are the only ones we totally trust... It was a lot today."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay... it is what it is. But I'll be glad to move on."

"I can imagine." Cody hugged him tightly. "I'm glad you got to reconnect with friends, no matter how hard it was for you."

"Thanks."

Chapter Text

After months of recovery, and getting back to training, Quinlan and Obi-Wan stood before the Council, not sure why they were called to a meeting. They had been cleared, but there was no reason for them to be summoned for a mission yet. They were still trying to plan their trip to Kiffu, but things kept coming up. 

"Padawan Vos, Padawan Kenobi. It has been determined that you are ready for your Trials. The Force indicates that you would be best off traveling together on a journey. You will follow the Force to each of your Trials and return when the Force determines the time is right." 

"When do we leave?" Quinlan asked. 

"As soon as you can pack." 

Obi-Wan nodded. "There is a ship ready for us?"

"Of course."

"Anything else we need to know?"

"No, you will be given the usual supplies, then it is up to you and the Force to complete this journey."

"I understand." 

"As do I."

"Then may the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan and Quinlan shared joy with each other before they darted off to get ready.

They were being sent on a Trial journey.

They were rare. 

Most Jedi took their Trials in the Trial chambers. It was the simplest method. But sometimes the Force wanted to test them in other ways. 

And really, the Trials were not just tests. They were experiences. They were lessons. Padawans learned and grew from the Trials to become Knights. 

Trial journeys were difficult, and sometimes took years to complete. But they were always worth it for the Jedi who had to take them. 

For Obi-Wan and Quinlan, this would be the first time they left Coruscant in close to six years. The five years in the game, plus months and months of recovery made it seem like eternity since they had a chance to experience the galaxy. 

Both were extremely excited.

They said their goodbyes and made their way to the ship. 

Mace was waiting for them. He smiled. "Traditionally, you will be staying mostly out of contact for the entire trip. I've set up a chat for you to send me updates. Although, after being stuck in the game for five years, I do not think it would be amiss to stay in contact with those most important. Perhaps on a set schedule so you are still able to meet the spirit of staying out of contact."

"Of course." Obi-Wan responded. "We're really being sent on a journey?"

"Yes." Mace nodded. "The Force didn't even give us a chance to debate any other option. You both have great potential. I am proud of how far you've come."

"Thank you." 

They boarded the ship and took off. 

Quinlan stared into space. "We're actually doing our Trials. Now."

Obi-Wan patted his shoulder. "Yes, we are. And like everything these days, we're doing it together." 

"Right. I think the Force is trying to tell us that it's okay to be so close."

"You might be right," Obi-Wan agreed.

"But first... let's see where the Force wants us to go." 

Quinlan closed his eyes and let the Force guide him in selecting their destination. 

Obi-Wan chuckled in amusement. "It seems our first Trial will be with our family."

Quinlan stared at the coordinates then grinned. "So it seems... I know I need to do the Hunt, since I missed it."

"That's the rite of passage, right? Usually done at twenty?"

"It can be done as young as fifteen when siblings and cousins do it together. It's better to do it in groups than alone."

Obi-Wan nodded. "So... I'm going to guess... adoption, and then the Hunt, and maybe some other things before we move on?"

"Most likely. I wonder what sort of Trial we'll be facing with the Hunt."

"Who knows? We're doing it together."

Quinlan grinned. "Together. We're going to surprise our family," he laughed.

"It'll be hilarious," Obi-Wan agreed. 

.

Quinlan grinned as they landed the ship. They'd already informed their masters where they were going first. 

Obi-Wan was bouncing, an excited gleam in his eyes. "Come on, Quin. I want to see everything!"

"I know! First, family!" Quinlan laughed, grabbing Obi-Wan's hand to pull him out of the ship. Finally, they were going to adopt Obi-Wan and get to enjoy their family.

Quinlan saw his grandparents waiting as soon as he stepped off and he ran for them, still pulling Obi-Wan along behind him.

Obi-Wan hesitated to hug Bran and Erin, as they were not his grandparents yet. No matter how eager he was for that to be reality, he still wasn't entirely certain.

Bran pulled him into the hug.

Obi-Wan returned the hug, relaxing.

"We didn't know you two were coming today," Erin said.

"Yeah, sorry... we got sent to do our Trials in a not so common way, and the Force told us to come here first," Quinlan explained. "I think we're meant to do the Hunt before we go."

"Oh! Of course, you haven't done that yet. I'm sure no one would say you need to do it after the game... but if you want to..."

"I think we need to do it," Obi-Wan said firmly. "It's a Kiffar rite of passage, and it will better help us connect with Kiffu and the energy, right? How can we skip it?"

Bran smiled. "I understand, but first we have an adoption to do. Is tonight alright?"

Obi-Wan blinked. "If it can be arranged that fast, yes." 

"Then tonight it is." Bran hugged them both again. "The petition is ready, pretty much everything is ready. Grab some food, put up your bags, and get some new clothes, okay?"

Quinlan nodded. "Right, I remember where the tailors are." 

Obi-Wan grinned. "I can't wait for tonight."

 "Me either!" Quinlan beamed. "Officially blood brothers... it'll be great!' 

"Absolutely!" Obi-Wan grinned back at him.

They dropped off their bags then hurried to go join in for lunch and hopefully surprise everyone.

Briel noticed them first. He jumped up and tackled them both in a hug, laughing. 

"You're here!"

Obi-Wan grinned. "We're here! Ready for adoption and the Hunt!" 

"That's fantastic!" Briel squeezed them tightly. "But you couldn't have warned me?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Quinlan teased, then sighed. "In all seriousness, we actually got sent on our Trials. Apparently the best way for us to be ready for being Jedi Knights is to follow the Force across the galaxy."

"And the first place it picked was here," Obi-Wan added, smiling. "So, here we are for at least a month, if not more."

Briel hugged them again. "I'm glad. Now, when the adoption happens, we'll be adopting each other as brothers. It'll mean we'll all have an extra set of grandparents." 

Quinlan grinned. "That'll be fun." Then he laughed. "That also means you're more directly in line for King." 

Briel made a face. "I like my shop on Coruscant, thanks. And I'm almost recovered enough to run it again."

"That's great!" Obi-Wan beamed. "Then we can see each other more frequently. I hope we can, anyways." He sighed. "I miss being in the game, sometimes," he admitted. "It was a lot simpler in a lot of ways."

Briel nodded in understanding. "It was. Now, come on, you need to meet the rest of the family, Quin's first cousins, my first cousins, and my siblings, my parents... we're all here." 

The dining room was huge. Usually family units ate together at a table, but sometimes they chose to eat with more distant family members. It was good to maintain that connection, after all.

Bernard hugged them before they reached the tables. "I'm glad you're here," he said quietly. "Now the fussing can be more easily divided and I won't be the sole focus."

Quinlan laughed. "That is a good thing, Ber. Now... food? I'm starving."

"Introductions first," Obi-Wan said. "I want to meet everyone." 

He kind of regretted that after. He had gotten used to the way Kiffar did things but the more immediate family for Quin and Briel were quite a few people, and he was going to have a difficult time keeping them straight. It wasn't going to deter him, of course. He loved their family already.

It was just a lot to take in at once. But he was sure he would figure it out eventually. He did with the Clan Vos members that were in the game, though they were all more distantly related.

Some of the Clan were going to take a bit to warm up to him. They knew from Briel what Obi-Wan was like, but they were still wary. After all, Obi-Wan was mostly still a stranger to them. No matter how he had led the Clan Vos of the game alongside Quinlan. 

Obi-Wan was okay with that. Sometimes the easy acceptance threw him off. It was weird to be so easily accepted just because a few people vouched for him.

All too soon, lunch was over, and he and Quinlan had to go get their clothes for the ceremony sorted out. 

Afterwards, they discussed the Hunt and other plans with the family members that would help them plan. 

Finally, it was time for the ceremony as the sunset. 

Obi-Wan grinned with eager anticipation. He watched the glow start in the fountain, and the Clan tattoos glowed in its light. It was a fantastic effect, and he was pleased to finally be seeing it in person. 

The ceremony started, and at the end he was welcomed into the family, first by his brothers, then by his four grandparents, then everyone else. 

Obi-Wan was buzzing with energy. It was much stronger now that he was blood adopted. He could really feel Kiffu, and his skin crawled with the need for touch. It wasn't as bad as it'd been described though, likely because he'd had a milder version of it for three years.

After everyone had welcomed him into the family, it was time for dinner, then dancing, and then the Clan Vos cuddle pile. 

Obi-Wan fell asleep with a huge smile that night. 

The next morning, he got the Clan tattoos. It was the last bit he needed to truly feel a part of the Clan. 

The next few days were spent adjusting to everything, along with the family making arrangements for him, including his own crown.

After the first week, it was time for Quinlan and Obi-Wan to begin training for the Hunt.

It was tradition to take a month leading up to the Hunt to teach those doing the Hunt how to properly connect with Kiffu and use its energy, along with strategies on how to hunt the jagliar. 

It was difficult practice, but rewarding, and soon they were moving among the trees like any other Kiffar would.

Then came the day they had to enter the jungle for the Hunt. 

They bid their family goodbye and stepped inside, only armed with the traditional hunting weapons. They left their lightsabers behind. 

They took to the trees immediately, and didn't speak until they were a decent way into the jungle.

"What do you think?" Quinlan asked Obi-Wan.

"I think we need a strategy, and to listen to the Force and Kiffu."

"I was thinking the same thing." Quinlan smiled. 

They both closed their eyes to meditate. After a few minutes, their eyes popped open and they grinned at each other. They knew what they had to do.

The Force wanted them to practice all their skills. 

Obi-Wan shimmered and disappeared from sight. Quinlan started hovering above the ground.

Once both had their bearings, they set off to track a jagliar. Once they found one, they would need a strategy to defeat it.

Neither communicated verbally, relying on how well they knew each other and the Force.

They tracked a jagliar down and conferred quietly for a bit before they split up.

Quinlan sent fire at the jagliar. It backed away, only to get caught in Obi-Wan's ice spikes.

Quinlan took his spear and went for the kill... and hesitated. 

Obi-Wan frowned, then sighed and melted his ice spikes, watching them disappear into the ground.

The jagliar took the opportunity and ran.

Quinlan sighed and led Obi-Wan over to the river to sit. They dangled their bare feet in the water. They sat in contemplative silence for a bit, until Quinlan finally drew in a breath and let out a heavy sigh.

"I couldn't kill it," Quinlan said quietly. "I know we're supposed to. That's the point of the Hunt... but..."

"I don't like killing... and it's been worse since the game," Obi-Wan said quietly. "And... it's not like we're killing in self defense or for food."

"Yeah..." Quinlan sighed. "That's what got me, I think... I know that the jagliar gets used, that's why we bring the body back but it's still..." 

Obi-Wan nodded and wrapped an arm around Quinlan. "Yeah. Why don't we meditate about it?"

Quinlan let out a breath. "Yeah, meditation sounds good. I think we've discovered why this is a Trial."

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be easy."

"True." 

They closed their eyes to meditate together on the Hunt.

The Force reminded them that there were many reasons to kill. That the Kiffar had a good balance with nature on Kiffu. 

And then they felt Kiffu's energy rising up from the river. 

Both got up and sat in the river at Kiffu's urging.

When they opened their eyes, they were not in the river in the jungle, but a cave.

Obi-Wan looked around. Everything was glowing softly. The rocks were more golden than brown. There was a small pond in the center of the room that seemed to pulse, not just glow.

"No... no way... It can't be..." Quinlan gasped softly. "We can't be here." 

"I'm not sure where we are... what's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked Quinlan worriedly. 

"I don't understand," Quinlan said numbly. He shook his head and walked over to the pond. He placed his hands in the water.

Obi-Wan followed suit. He gasped at the way everything seemed to open up.

This was the Heart of Kiffu. And they could sense everything here. 

Everything had its place. Everything worked in the grand scheme of things. 

Jagliar were the natural predators of the Kiffar and hunted them down. If the population were left unchecked, they would overrun many towns and cities and kill many Kiffar and eventually all their food sources would disappear.

Kiffu would eventually become a barren place.

A Hunt that took place every time a Kiffar came of age, even done in groups, kept the jagliar population in check. It kept everyone safe. It was a way of giving Kiffar a better connection to Kiffu, keeping the jagliar from getting too populated and yet not decimating their numbers.

It wasn't killing for killing's sake. It was the will of Kiffu, in order to protect all of Kiffu from what would happen if the jagliar did not have to face the Hunt.

It was a necessary death that would see them into adulthood. 

Obi-Wan felt all of Kiffu, felt their family, felt the thick connection to Briel as their brother, and to Bran and Erin, the current Kings. 

Bran actually seemed quite startled, like he sensed them and this wasn't normal. 

"It's not normal," Quinlan said, awed and uncertain, sensing Obi-Wan's thoughts. "The Heart of Kiffu only shows itself for the Kings... I don't understand why it's showing us. The Heart has sometimes shown up for non-Kings... to appoint them Kings but that's... no. That can't be happening here."

"It's not. " The voice echoed around them. 

Quinlan jumped. "Okay..."

"Then what is happening?" Obi-Wan asked, a little shaky now that he understood the implications.

Kiffu showed them their time in the game, showed them moments where they led Clan Vos, and led other Kiffar clans. Them with the crowns they had worn. Them leading the mysteries. Them showing up to fight the Gamemaster... and winning.

"You led Kiffar when you were trapped outside of my reach, when they were out of my reach, and I could not help them... You two were their Kings."

Obi-Wan tilted his head. "That counts?"

"It does. You two were wonderful Kings, and I wish to honor that."

"How?" Quinlan asked, uncertain. "We're Jedi... we're not meant to be rulers... We're just... we're not even Knights yet."

"No, you were still younglings when you took that burden on, and that only makes what you have accomplished all the more impressive. You were not Kings in name only, and now I want you to feel what it is to be Kings of my people."

"It's not going to affect us as Jedi?" Obi-Wan asked tentatively. 

"No, it should not. The Force is in agreement, and this will not change much."

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force and was astonished to find how joyful the Force was. "Oh..." The Force’s will didn’t always work with the Jedi way, but it did mean it was more likely to work out.

Quinlan let out a breath. He was calming down, but still a bit startled by this whole thing. It was not something he expected to find when they went on this Hunt.

"So, what does this mean for us?" Quinlan asked quietly.

"You will be treated as all retired Kings. A deeper connection with me, a connection to the people of Kiffu, and some visible markers."

Quinlan blinked. "Like how Grandpas' crowns seem to glitter and glow?"

As he said that, a fountain of water sprung up and soaked them. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan found new crowns on their heads, a mix of the crowns Clan Vos had made for them, and the ones they used in Swords & Mysteries. They were dressed in fancier hunting clothes, flowers adorning their hair. 

Quinlan investigated the lingering tingling sensations and found... tattoos. He blinked and stared at the tattoo around his upper arm, the one he was supposed to be getting after the Hunt, to represent his spirit. He squinted at it and tried to get a better look before he realized what it meant.

Flight of courage and determination

Quinlan smiled. It was perfect. And given to him by Kiffu. He looked further, and over his heart, he found the crest of Kiffu, and his lightsaber. 

He found a couple of other tattoos in random places. All were in brilliant color, as if they belonged. Better than any tattoo artist could do. He looked over at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was looking at his tattoos in awe. He had mostly the same ones, though many were mirrored or personalized to him.

His Hunt tattoo proclaimed to all Kiffar Quiet and unnoticed until time to strike . 

It suited him as well as Quinlan's did. It was a little more than the average Kiffar had, but it was still them in a way they had not quite expected.

"Is this... this is amazing!" Quinlan breathed. Then he frowned. "I feel different."

"I do too." 

"You have my blessing. You can be considered Champions of Kiffu."

"Uh..."

"Champions of Kiffu are not those who protect Kiffu, but those who embody Kiffu and the values of Kiffar and help others. You are both kind, compassionate, and intelligent. You are leaders, yet you ask for help and listen to advice. You love your family, by blood and by bond. You are my Champions. I will help protect you in any way I can."

The weight of what that meant settled around Quinlan and yet... he found it was not as heavy a burden as it sounded. It was not much different than just being a Jedi Knight.

"Yes, it is not much different than what you would normally be doing. That is why you are perfect. I am asking you to do what you would already do. You do it by instinct, without a thought, even though it was not a responsibility."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said quietly. "We are honored."

Quinlan nodded. "Are you certain there are no... extra strings attached?"

"If something happens that I call for help, you will feel the call. If it comes down to that, however, that means that things have gone drastically wrong and the whole planet is at risk of dying."

"Which means it is a situation that might have called for a Jedi anyways," Obi-Wan finished quietly. "Thank you. That helps."

Quinlan nodded and looked down at all the tattoos once more. "Is there a reason you gave us all these tattoos?"

"It is common for Kiffar to get tattoos for special occasions or for things that have meaning. You are not on Kiffu often and I suspect you might not do more than the most traditional tattoos."

"Oh. Right. I had not considered that... This is better than coming up with something and sitting through all the sessions required..." And Quinlan had to admit that most of the tattoos were far more on the mark than he would have ever come up with for himself.

"Now what?" Obi-Wan asked. 

"Now it is time for you to finish your Hunt."

Obi-Wan gasped and opened his eyes. They were still sitting in the river.

Quinlan stood up and looked at Obi-Wan, then down at himself. "Well, guess that wasn't a dream. We are going to have fun explaining this." He offered his hand to help Obi-Wan up.

Obi-Wan groaned and took it, standing. "No kidding. We have fancy crowns and..." He shook his head. "Let's make a new plan for our Hunt." 

"Right. Hunt first, worry about everyone else freaking out later. At least we don't have to worry about anyone besides those who are here right now... We probably have months, or maybe years before we can explain this to the Jedi. Which will help us sort it out..."

Quinlan shook his head, realizing he got further off track. "Anyways. Right. Hunt. I have flight and fire, you have ice and invisibility, we both have the Force, and Kiffu is on our side." 

"We're still not to our full strengths, and we had said we didn't want to fully use our Force abilities for the Hunt, since that's an extra boost most wouldn't have to use. But invisibility and flight will help us out. As will ice and fire, and that seems to be the best route even if it is unusual.”

"We just need an effective strategy that works against a jagliar, works with climbing and Kiffu, and doesn't cause too much damage." 

"Right. I think I have an idea..." Quinlan started explaining it quietly.

Obi-Wan grinned as they started hammering out the details.

They started tracking down another jagliar, relying on Kiffu to help them. Eventually they tracked down a large one. It was old and scarred from fights with other jagliar, but not old enough to have started slowing down. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged looks. If this was the jagliar that Kiffu thought they should face, then face it they shall.

They attacked with their spears, following the strategy they had created. 

The jagliar was hurt, but did not back down. It swiped at them both.

Quinlan gasped when claws sliced open his knee. He jumped back and did not hit the ground, flying to ensure that he did not fall or hurt himself further. 

Obi-Wan growled and used ice spikes to drive the jagliar back while they regrouped. 

Quinlan sighed. "We knew that there was a chance our first gambit wouldn't work.”

"I can still be upset about it." Obi-Wan grumbled. "So, plan B?"

"Yep." Quinlan started distracting the jagliar with little bits of flame falling from the sky.

Obi-Wan went invisible and crept up behind it. He prepared his spear but the jagliar must have sensed something as it bit the spear before it could pierce skin. 

Obi-Wan shimmered into view briefly in his surprise and the jagliar wasted no time in going for his throat. 

Obi-Wan managed to prevent that but he was still rewarded with jagliar teeth sinking into his shoulder. He screamed in pain initially, then focused and brought his ice out, driving spikes into the jagliar's body.

He missed vital organs apparently as the jagliar just backed off and growled at him. 

Until Quinlan dropped an entire flaming branch on the jagliar. It roared and twisted. 

Quinlan hovered a couple inches off of the ground as he helped Obi-Wan up.

Obi-Wan rolled his shoulder and grimaced at the pain. "Let's finish this."

Quinlan nodded and gripped his spear as he flew at the jagliar.

Obi-Wan went invisible and approached from a different angle. He didn't have his spear so he used an ice spear to attack. 

The jagliar still fought them. But now it was slowing down. It wouldn't take much more. 

They still had to follow it through the trees until it spun on Quinlan and pinned him to a tree branch, swiping and biting. 

Obi-Wan dove at it to get it off of Quinlan.

The branch broke and they all went tumbling down. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan laid on the ground on their backs staring up at the canopy of trees above them.

"Did... that just happen?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah. Yeah it did. Ow." Quinlan checked on the jagliar and flopped back down. "We did it. It's dead." 

"Oh. Thank the Force." Obi-Wan sighed in relief. "I think we've proven ourselves now..."

"Me too. If, after talking to Kiffu we faced a jagliar like the one we faced before... I'm not sure I'd be convinced. Kiffu's champions... we have such an advantage."

Obi-Wan nodded. "We do. But we just defeated a whole jagliar... and we didn't use the Force, well, aside from our special game abilities."

"Yeah. Somehow, we pulled it off." Quinlan sighed. "Ow."

"Ow," Obi-Wan agreed. "But not at risk of dying... we should take care of what we can and get a move on... better to leave sooner rather than later... You saw the descriptions on how fast infection sets in with jagliar injuries."

Quinlan grimaced. "I know. I don't think I can walk... at least I can fly."

"Gonna be fun explaining that to our family," Obi-Wan realized.

Quinlan huffed. "Screw it... the closest family should know anyways. We've been meaning to tell Briel and Ber it came with anyways." He flicked his hand and tapped at the menu that appeared. "Ah-ha. Still got some of the basic potions." 

Obi-Wan blinked at him. "How did you ever find room in the inventory?"

"I never hoarded like you did. I bought just as much as I thought I'd need for the next mystery and that was it. Anything I picked up was a bonus and I rarely ever needed to discard anything... and when I did potions weren't the first things I wanted to get rid of."

"Oh, well, that is good for us now." Obi-Wan sighed. "Can I have one?"

"Sure. No idea how this will affect us in real life."

"We just fell from a tree and broke some bones. I don't care. But if I had to guess, it'll heal all injuries equally like it did in the game. A potion that heals the basic 20 hp will probably just make it look like it's been at least a few hours if not a day... But that is the boost we need to get started on moving, I think."

Quinlan nodded and tossed him a potion before taking one. He made a face. "Okay, that tastes way worse now."

"...it's like the nastier flavors of medicine," Obi-Wan said, mildly horrified. 

"I guess we won't be using them unless we're really desperate then," Quinlan said cheerfully. "Which is good since once we're done with the potions of all types in our inventory, we're done."

"Right..." Obi-Wan glanced at his hp bar, noticing the small increase. He checked his wounds and sighed in relief. The bleeding had stopped, and there was scabbing. There would still be a good chance of getting an infection, but at least he didn't have to worry about trying to keep bandages on everything.

Quinlan sighed. "Alright. I'm ready to move. I'm not sure we'll be able to make it out tonight but we can get as far as we can before we need to take a break."

Obi-Wan nodded. "You're right." He stood and tested out how much he could handle pain wise before he stood over the jagliar's body.

Quinlan started flying, not even bothering to test how much his knee could take. Most of his other wounds were on his torso, though at some point the jagliar had bit his calf in the confusion. 

"Alright, ready?" he asked Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan nodded and picked up his part of the body as Quinlan picked up his. 

"Oof. Heavy," Quinlan complained.

"Very heavy," Obi-Wan grunted. "Wish we had Fox here with his strength... could really use that right now."

Quinlan huffed. "No kidding. Not that he likes flaunting it." 

"He didn't even realize he had retained that ability at first," Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Nope. Like, us? That's understandable. We wouldn't try flying or going invisible normally. Cody wouldn't try going extra fast normally. But he still has to pick things up and he just... didn't notice?" They started walking rather than standing there with a heavy weight and exhausting themselves too quickly.

"Apparently not." Obi-Wan grinned. "So. When are you going to ask him out?"

Quinlan felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he spluttered. "I'm not going to ask him out!"

"But you do like him. And you don't need to worry about him dying because the game ended."

"I know I just..." Quinlan looked away. "We bicker more than you and Cody. We're not a perfect match like you two, and I... What if he gets tired of me?"

"Quin..." Obi-Wan sighed, suddenly understanding. He let out a breath. "Cody and I do have our issues. We are signing up for yearly couples counseling for a reason. The problem is that I try not to get my feelings all over everything, which means we don't bicker, but it also means that Cody is often more clueless as to what the problem even is and I'm giving him no way to understand."

"...oh. And I suppose Cody has the usual problems that the Academics have with fitting in here in the real world, because they don't have experience."

"Precisely."

"Okay. But still... what if Fox gets tired of me?" 

"Then he's not the person either of us think he is. He adores you, Quin, he's just not good at showing it. Fox isn't like those friends we had to drop. He's not. He's not going to get tired of you."

"You really think?"

"I do. I think you should ask him out because it's better to just get it out of the way than to worry and wait about something that may or may not be accurate at all." 

Quinlan sighed. "I know... But... It's... I don't know. It's hard. I've never felt like this about anyone before. You know? Emotions can be hard and I'm scared. I don't want to lose him. And what if adding a relationship to this ruins everything?" 

"And what if it improves everything?" Obi-Wan asked quietly. "You can't know unless you try. You have to ask yourself; can you really be happy living with the safe option... or is it worth it to risk what you have for something far better? Only you can answer that."

Quinlan sighed. "Right... good advice. How did you get to be so smart?"

"I watch a lot of romance dramas," Obi-Wan deadpanned.

Quinlan laughed.

"You have months. No way are we getting off the planet while we're still injured. And I sense we are nowhere near done with the Trial the Force has set for us here."

Quinlan sighed. "Right... I'll think about it. Thank you, Obi."

"You're welcome, Quin." 

They didn't really talk after that. 

When it hit nightfall, they realized they could sense the end of the jungle. An exchange of looks and they decided to keep going. They'd rather keep going for another hour or two than spend a night and wake up sore and still have to get out. 

They kept going, bolstered by the promise of family waiting for them. 

They finally stumbled out to where people were waiting.

Quinlan grinned and landed on his feet. His legs gave out immediately, leaving the weight of the jagliar to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan barely dropped it before he collapsed as well. 

Briel rushed forward, Bernard not far behind.

"Are you okay?" Briel demanded, checking over them quickly.

"Yeah... fighting a jagliar is not fun," Quinlan groaned. "But we got him."

"Yeah we did."

"Looks like you did well," Bran said warmly. "Although... it seems there is something we need to discuss."

"Yeah, where did you get the crowns?" Bernard asked.

"...that's a long story," Obi-Wan groaned. "Injuries first, talking later."

"Alright, let's get moving then." Briel picked up Quinlan.

Quinlan didn't protest, just leaned in tiredly. With the added connection to Kiffu, he felt even closer to his brother than before.

Bernard looked at Obi-Wan. "Carry or support?"

Obi-Wan was about to say support but reconsidered. He sighed. "Carry might be the better choice. I can walk but... probably not the best idea."

Bernard nodded and picked him up. 

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Bernard to hold on. "I'm glad you've recovered enough to carry me..."

"Me too. It was rough those first few months." 

"It was." Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm glad to be past that. And to have the full Kiffar experience, instead of what was in the game. And carried over outside the game because the Force decided that was a good idea."

"I did notice that Quin was flying." 

"Yeah, those carried over too." 

"Still say you should have used those abilities, especially at the end of the game."

"Mostly, it boils down to we were too scared to," Obi-Wan admitted quietly. "But there was also how people were viewing Jedi, I didn't want to know how they'd react to me using powers, even ones granted by the game. There had to have been others out there, even rare, but no one was ever seen using them... It wouldn't have looked good." 

Bernard sighed. "I know. You should have used them, it would have helped a lot but... he might have been prepared for them." 

"Yeah, that is a more rational concern," Obi-Wan agreed. 

"Well, what are you going to do about them now?"

"We haven't figured that out yet. We think we'll save them for when they're really necessary..." Obi-Wan yawned. 

"I'll stop making you talk. Get some rest. You're safe." 

Obi-Wan smiled. "I know." He cuddled and closed his eyes, sighing happily.

Briel respected Quinlan's silence and just carried him.

Bran stayed behind to make arrangements for the jagliar's body. It would be used as much as possible so that the killing wasn't for nothing.

Chapter Text

Quinlan woke up, comfortable and safe. The Force was light and happy around him. The energy of Kiffu buzzed comfortably. He could feel where his family was. They were all okay. Good. 

He dozed for a bit, then suddenly realized that he was feeling way more from the energy than usual and sat up quickly. He hissed at the pain.

"Good morning Quin," Bran said soothingly from his side. He ran a hand through Quinlan's hair as he set down his work. "How are you feeling?"

"...a bit less ow than I felt last night," Quinlan responded quietly, leaning in. "And a bit... confused. Things don't seem... right." 

"We'll talk about that later. For now, I just want you and Obi to recover."

"Of course... How long?"

"Shouldn't be more than a week or two. You did break a few bones. Doctor guessed you fell from a tree."

"...yeah we did that." Quinlan sighed. "Infections?"

"Of course. You'll have to take antibiotics for a few more days."

"Alright. ...What about my knee? And my calf?"

"They are a bit concerned about your knee. There is a possibility that you'll need surgery depending on how things heal. Your calf should heal fine, though it'll take a bit longer than other wounds because it was deeper."

Quinlan nodded quietly. "Thought so... knee couldn't handle any weight on it at all afterwards... Didn't feel right."

"If surgery is required, you should be on your feet by the end of the month. They don't think it'll be a bad surgery requiring months of physical therapy."

Quinlan grimaced. "I hadn't thought about physical therapy.. I don't want more of that... I've had quite enough, thank you."

"I don't think you'll have to. The fact they didn't immediately jump to surgery says it's not that bad. Unless they missed something."

Quinlan nodded and sighed. "We'll deal with whatever happens."

"What about me?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

"Good morning, Obi."

"Morning, Grandpa." Obi-Wan smiled at him over Quinlan's shoulder.

"They had to do a surgery on your shoulder, but they expect it won't have lasting effects. Shouldn't take you much longer to heal than Quinlan." 

"Alright. Good." Obi-Wan yawned as he cuddled more with Quinlan. "That was painful."

"Jagliar bites and scratches usually are." Bran smiled at them. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Something light?" Obi-Wan asked hopefully.

"Of course." Bran put in the order for breakfast. "I believe we need to talk."

"Oh. Right... where did you want to start?" Quinlan asked nervously.

"You were flying when you came out of the jungle."

"Oh. Right. That. Well. One of the times we defeated a boss in the game it gave us potions for special powers. I got flying and fire... we rarely used them for... reasons. And just like the Force carried everything else out of the game, those came with us."

"I have invisibility and ice." Obi-Wan went invisible then visible. "It's... interesting trying to determine the best way to use our abilities without making people upset." 

"I saw how they reacted to the Jedi in the game." Bran was not going to forget the presentation on that any time soon. He had nightmares about Quinlan and Obi-Wan being treated like that. "I don't blame you. Did you use them to help you in the fight?"

"We did." Quinlan smiled. "That was one tough jagliar... we couldn't have survived without our extra abilities, though that was without tapping into anything else from the game, including our swords." 

Bran nodded. "That makes sense. I won't ask anymore about the Hunt itself. That's your private experience to share if you wish."

"Okay."

"But I think we need to talk about Kiffu. And those crowns you came out wearing... and all the fresh tattoos." 

"Right... that... I can't believe that wasn't a dream." Quinlan sighed. 

"Me either," Obi-Wan added quietly. "Kiffu told us that we're considered retired Kings now... because we led in the game. We didn't even lead that many people." 

Bran hummed in thought. "You did impress a lot of people. I know many were asking if there was any chance you both would be our successors." 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan gaped at him.

Bran chuckled. "I know, I know, you're Jedi. I would never ask you to give that up. But it is a good indicator of how well you did that they want you to lead. Of course Kiffu would want to acknowledge that."

"But... there weren't many Kiffar... not compared to how many there are here..."

"It was still a good number, and you led them all, Clan or not, if they wanted you two to lead. You did a fantastic job and I am proud of you both."

Obi-Wan smiled. "So uh... can you help us? The connection with Kiffu... it's so strong now. I don't know what to do with it."

"Me either," Quinlan admitted. "It's... weird. I kind of like it but... at the same time... I don't know. It's a lot."

"It is a lot," Bran agreed. "Which is why we will go into it further once you are recovered. For now, just focus on here, not on what's outside of the room. That should help."

Quinlan took a deep breath and tried to do that. To his relief, he succeeded and the buzzing felt a bit less intense when he could sense less. 

Obi-Wan smiled, then his face dropped. "Wait, how do we explain the crowns?"

Bran grinned. "We don't. Everyone will make up their own stories. The only way we will ever explain it is if you want the truth to be out there. Outside of those who were there when you came out of the jungle, no one knows that they weren't made for you."

Quinlan relaxed. "Oh, that's good. I don't want them to know that anything is different."

"I thought so. It is a lot to deal with, and you are not going to be Kings as Kiffu even if you acted as such for years in the game, and would have continued to do so, no matter how long you were stuck."

Obi-Wan smiled. "True..." He let out a deep breath. "Kiffu said we're Champions now. I... I don't know how to explain it."

"I know what Kiffu's Champions are," Bran said quietly. "She must like you a lot. I can find some of the books other Kings have written."

"...there's really a secret library for Kings, isn't there?" Quinlan asked, half disbelieving, half excited.

"Yes, there is. And since you are now considered retired Kings, you can have access to it and study it all you want." 

Quinlan grinned. "That would be nice. Even if it still doesn't feel real."

"You deserve it."

"Well, it's going to be interesting to figure out what this means for us as Jedi. Being Champion does line up with what we'll be doing as Jedi anyways, but... It's still interesting."

Bran nodded. "If you need any help at all, let me know." 

"We will." Quinlan smiled.  

"Now... I expect the doctors will be here to talk to you soon, and then your breakfast will arrive, and we will be swarmed with visitors."

"Right. So... we passed the Hunt, what's next?"

"We'll have a party once you're cleared for it, because we'll throw parties for anything, and then... We have a festival coming up... and we will have you as long as you want to stay." 

"Right. Thank you. We'll see what the Force says," Quinlan said. "We don't know how long we'll be staying."

Bran nodded. "Alright."

.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan took their time recovering, often discussing the events of what happened, what they learned, and how to apply it to the Force and being Jedi. 

They spent time with family, and had fun. They avoided talking about anything to do with Kiffu and what Kiffu had told them. 

They enjoyed the festival and spending time with family. Most festivals on Kiffu involved spending time with family. 

Finally, they slowed down, and spent time with Bernard and Briel that wasn't doing something more active. 

Quinlan laid on the grass and stared up at the starry sky. "I love the Kiffu sky." 

"Me too." Obi-Wan sighed, flopping down next to him. "Better than the sky in the game." 

Bernard laid back. "Yeah. I got so used to it though, five years, that it's taken me a few months to readjust. I'm glad to be home though. Too bad you three will be on Coruscant." 

Obi-Wan chuckled. "You could always move to Coruscant," he teased.

"No thank you." Bernard laughed. "I do not want to live in that city. I will go nuts without more trees around."

"Absolutely fair," Briel said. "I couldn't get used to it. But now I have free access to the Jedi Temple and the Room of a Thousand Fountains, so it'll be easier."

Quinlan grinned. "Yep. I've been taking care of the Kiffu section myself. Obi's gonna help me when we get back."

"Good. You'll be knights then, right?"

"Yes. That is the entire point of this journey. We're going through Trials set by the Force itself."

"And the Hunt was one of them... that's actually pretty cool." Briel said.

"It was nice," Obi-Wan admitted quietly. "But it has left us with a lot of questions about what is next. What kind of Jedi we will be." 

"Why?" Bernard asked quietly, pushing himself up to look at them. "Does it have anything to do with how you came back with crowns and tattoos?"

Quinlan groaned. He opened up his inventory and pulled out the new crown. "Yeah. It does." He studied it and sighed before giving it to Bernard to look at. 

Obi-Wan followed suit, giving Briel his crown.

Briel examined it closely. "This looks like... this looks like a King's crown... Did Kiffu give this to you?" There were legends about Kiffu appointing Kings and giving them crowns, though it hadn't happened in recent history.

"Yes." Quinlan sighed, staring at the stars again. "Kiffu considers us retired Kings. Since we led our people in the game for more than three years. I can barely wrap my head around it." 

"So Kiffu gave you the crowns and the tattoos. Wow. So that's why you've been spending so much time with Grandpa... he knows more about it, and you now can know all the secrets." 

Quinlan nodded. "They're kept secret for a reason, too. It's bad enough that we have to let people know about our psychometry and need for touch frequently because of how it can interfere with things... no need for anyone to know it. It would only lead to ways they can capture everyone and... It's just not good to have it all be a widely known thing." 

"I bet it's weird, knowing so much about a planet and running the planet when you're Jedi and aren't even here all that much." 

"It is. It's one of the things we're dealing with. The other thing..." 

"You remember the legend of Siobhan the Whirlwind?" Quinlan asked quietly.

"The Champion who became an ambassador to the galaxy and vowed to put a stop to all slavery?"

"Siobhan is known to the Jedi as the driving force behind stopping the Zygerrian Empire," Obi-Wan said. "The Kiffar that kept up with Jedi and was unstoppable... not even death could keep them down." 

"What about it?" Bernard asked quietly, wondering where they were going with this.

Quinlan sighed. "Kiffu has made us Champions. Apparently, just being a Jedi fulfills the requirements, which is fine but it's..."

"It ties us closer to Kiffu and Kiffu's difficulties, even if we are not obligated to step in," Obi-Wan explained. "Not that we would have ever been expected to handle Kiffu, if they asked, we would have said the way Kiffu is, it's impossible for us to appear unbiased. We can be guides and explain cultural differences but even mediating isn't something we can do."

"And being closer than that... means we're walking the line between Jedi, serving the galaxy, and putting Kiffu above all that. I guess that's not going to be expected of us but... we're still walking that line. We're going to have a lot of questions to answer and we need to have solid explanations before we go back."

"What about the part of what the Jedi said, that Siobhan couldn't die?"

"Kiffu will favor us, and protect us," Obi-Wan responded quietly. "Which means it will be difficult for us to die. I... I have been having a hard time coming to terms with that."

"Me too," Quinlan added. "I don't mind being a Champion so much, aside from the philosophical side and that line, but being protected? That's weird... and I hope it's not noticeable. Considering Siobhan, it probably isn't, but that doesn't mean it might not be a problem."

Briel moved and pulled Obi-Wan and Quinlan into a hug. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it? Or is it something that you have to figure out on your own with the Force?"

Quinlan returned the hug. "Actually... we can talk to you, outside the stuff that has to stay secret."

Obi-Wan nodded, also hugging. "Yeah, part of being a Jedi is knowing when to accept help. We kind of need help and we can't check with Jedi over this."

"Alright. Tell us about it." Bernard joined the hug.

It took Quinlan and Obi-Wan a bit to find the right words to explain the dilemma.

Briel and Bernard listened intently, asking questions where necessary as they got lost. 

"And that's the whole issue we're dealing with," Quinlan finished, leaning on Bernard. 

Obi-Wan was cuddling with Quinlan and Briel.

"So... it doesn't mean that you're not a Jedi?" Bernard asked, just to be sure. 

"It doesn't, if we do things right."

"So... the problem is actually more in how you see yourselves than in how it affects you as Jedi, isn't it?" 

Quinlan opened his mouth and closed it, really thinking about it "...actually, yeah, that's accurate. How did you know?"

Bernard hugged him. "You know about my mental health struggles. It's why I wanted to play the game in the first place. I've had issues like that. Where I know the change doesn't really affect anything and yet it feels like everything has changed. Because my understanding of who I am and my place in the galaxy has changed."

"Oh... that makes sense." 

"So. What are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?"

"Your place in the galaxy has changed. What are you going to do about that?"

"I... I don't know. It doesn't change what I will be doing... it just changes who I am... I don't know."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Me either," he admitted. "Everything feels different. Being in the game was one thing. We knew we were changing. We adjusted as the game grew. Something changed? We adapted and moved on. Fight with the Gamemaster? Uh, sure, I guess, let's do it. Oh, now we're out of the game? Great!"

Quinlan nodded. "And then there was physical therapy while we adjusted to everything being actually real again but then how we were real in the game made the transition back both easier and harder, and the NPCs came back with us too and they are still adjusting and figuring out their place and the Jedi are figuring out how to hide the sudden existence of hundreds and I just... it was easy. We knew who we were. We lived it." 

"But we didn't live as real Kings. At best... we were like kings in exile. And now we find out we are Kiffu's champions with the perks that come of it? And we're not even expected to show Kiffu special treatment? It came out of nowhere. It slammed into us and now we just... have to deal with it, I guess. It's difficult." Obi-Wan sighed. 

"But you will figure it out. You're already on your way, and I am certain you will be able to move on from this. You just need to take some time and reassess what you know of yourselves."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Thank you."

"And I think maybe you just need to be more confident. You deserve what Kiffu has given you freely. You wouldn't have received it without that. You earned this by being you. Sure, you didn't know about that being a reward when it happened, but you did earn it."

Quinlan blinked. "That's... a good point. Still weird."

"Of course it's weird. Kiffu doesn't just acknowledge anyone. You two are special. But we already knew that." Briel grinned at them.

Quinlan made a face back.

Bernard laughed. "Why don't we keep relaxing, huh?"

"Sure, sure."

"Oh! I did mean to ask you... you kept the menus because of the Force? What's that like? I kind of miss having a place to store everything," Bernard explained wistfully.

Obi-Wan opened the menu. "It's weird. Keeping it secret is hard. But... It's nice. All the skills we picked up are intact too. Things we didn't know how to do before, we can do."

"And you kept the powers you never even used against the Gamemaster."

"For a multitude of reasons. Didn't feel right. And you saw how people reacted to us and to Jedi... can you imagine how much worse it would have been if we did that?" Quinlan shuddered. 

"Besides, we can't have gotten the only superpowers in the game, and yet, we never even heard a whisper of them. We aren't the only ones who decided to keep it secret."

"That is a good point," Bernard said thoughtfully. "We don't know about that, but it stands to reason considering just how many mysteries there were."

"Well, I'm glad you have it to protect you now. It'll help, even if it's different." Briel smiled at his brothers.

They grinned back.

"Oh yeah!" Obi-Wan turned to Bernard. "Do you mind if we see what happens when we send you a friend request? There's a lot we don't know and we're hesitant to try it on other Jedi."

"Yeah," Quinlan chimed in, "with the Force's involvement there's a good chance it would always work."

"So you want to see if it would work on me?" Bernard grinned. "What are we waiting for?"

Obi-Wan sent Bernard the friend request.

Bernard stared at the notification that popped up in front of him like he was in the game. He tapped accept. 

He gasped when his full menu appeared. "Um. I was not expecting that to actually work." He tapped around and found his inventory. "No way, everything's here... even the supplies for all my traps... stats page... skills page... Messaging? We can still message each other?"

"We've been able to keep in touch with Mace, Kit, Fox, and Cody easily," Quinlan confirmed. "Though, we're on our Trials so we're keeping it to a minimum."

Briel stared at Bernard and looked back at them. "I'd like it too. I miss it far more than I expected."

Quinlan sent him the friend request this time. Then he sent one to Bernard. 

Obi-Wan grinned. "The real test is if it works on people who don't have the Force and weren't in the game, but we're not sure who to ask. No way to know for sure without that."

"Craig. You have to do it to Craig. He'll love it, but he'll be really surprised. And it's easy enough for me to teach him without a problem."

"Great. The final problem is we're fairly certain those without the Force won't be able to send a friend request to someone who does not have a menu."

Briel hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense. The Force brought the game with you, and you need the Force to bring it to life for the people around you."

"That's the working theory, though again, we don't know for sure." Quinlan smiled. "Thanks for helping us."

"No problem. Anything for the babies of the family."

Quinlan groaned. "I am never going to lose that title am I?"

They laughed. 

.

They did end up testing the theory on Craig. When Quinlan sent him the friend request, he jumped and only poked the accept button out of curiosity. When it expanded into a proper menu he gaped at it. Then he looked up and saw their health bars, with the Jedi having an additional bar for the Force, and sat down, hard.

Bernard took pity on him at that point and explained everything as succinctly as he could manage

Quinlan and Obi-Wan had been there an additional two weeks when they finally sat down to meditate on what happened.

They chose the most comfortable spots and positions for themselves and settled in for their individual reflections with the Force. 

Quinlan enjoyed the feeling of being one with the Force and went straight to working through his feelings. The Hunt had been an experience that he was still working through. Feelings coming back day after day despite letting them go. That was normal. And it was good practice. The more he let go of them now the more he would be able to let go of them in the moment.

Then he got to the big tangle of feelings he was still slowly teasing out... what happened with Kiffu had changed a lot for him. His path had not really changed. He himself had not changed. 

He had always done what was right. He knew this. 

Being acknowledged for it by the planet itself was unexpected and threw him off quite a bit. He wasn't sure how to deal with it. But he was getting there. 

Maybe it was just that he still wasn't used to being famous. He and Obi-Wan had done a couple of interviews, and it was weird every time. They were considered heroes of the game. They had even received awards for it.

But everyone was skeptical. They wanted to know how two young adults, who were teens to start, had managed it. They kept asking who helped, how did they solve all those mysteries. They couldn't have done it on their own, right? Even if they were Jedi.

Quinlan would be the first to say they couldn't have done it completely on their own, with Obi-Wan just a beat behind him. 

But the way those interviewers phrased questions... it was like they didn't believe that Quinlan and Obi-Wan could have done anything. 

Maybe that was it. Kiffu went the total opposite direction and acknowledged what they did. That they had accomplished it themselves. Yes, they had help, but they still did it. They made the choices that led them to where they got. They chose to accept the advice they got, and they worked hard when training with people. They pulled their weight when doing mysteries with others.

Realizing just what it was that was startling, that shifted his expectations, that helped. 

Quinlan relaxed into the rest of his meditation, untangling the feelings, examining them, and then letting them go. This was an ongoing thing, with the aftermath of the game still lingering. The effects would probably be around for years. 

When he was done letting go of his feelings, he let himself be one with the Force, no direction, just being. It wasn't often he did that anymore, and it was nice to do so.

Quinlan opened his eyes at the end of the meditation and smiled. He felt a lot more at peace. It was time to move on. 

He could have his family. He could be a retired King of Kiffu. He could be champion of Kiffu. He could be himself. 

At the same time, he was a Jedi. He would always be a Jedi at heart, part of the Order or not. The most important thing was to do what was right. That was why Kiffu had honored him and Obi-Wan. They did what was right. They would always do what was right. 

When he talked with Obi-Wan later, he learned that Obi-Wan's thoughts had taken a similar track when it came to why they were so off balance from Kiffu's declarations. 

But Obi-Wan had other issues to work through, so their experiences were not identical.

Two days later, they bid their family goodbye, and left the planet to look for their next Trial.

They promised to keep in touch through the game menu messenger with those who had menus. Which included Craig, Conall, and Aisling now. They had a harder time adjusting to it, but then, they had not been trapped in the game. They liked the easy way to store things and communicate. Everything else was a bit baffling to them, though Craig was most enthusiastic about experimenting.

Chapter Text

Months after leaving Kiffu, Quinlan and Obi-Wan arrived on Lothal. They had been on many trials so far. Learning more about themselves, the galaxy, and their path as Jedi. It was enlightening.

Sometimes their Trials were done together, sometimes they were done apart.

But they were always what was necessary.

Quinlan felt more confident than ever he could be a Jedi Knight, and still be himself. That he could handle the burden of being a Jedi. He still was uncertain about some things, but the more he faced, the more he knew he was at the right level.

Obi-Wan was ready to tackle the challenge of being a Jedi Knight, and grow beyond where he was already. He felt more ready for his life ahead than he ever felt.

They had a feeling that Lothal was not the last Trial. But it was important . 

They landed near the mountains and followed the Force.

They found a Temple, though it was hidden. 

Normally, this Temple was best revealed by master and padawan, but two padawans on their Trials did well enough. 

After all, if one looked far back in records enough, the Lothal Temple was known as the Temple of Trials. It was a good place to test padawans outside the typical Trials.

They opened the Temple and entered. It was interesting. Just an empty room. 

They shared a look and sat down. It was pretty obvious they would need to meditate.

The Temple took them on separate twisted journeys until they found themselves together once more, walking on starlight. 

"Uh..." Obi-Wan looked down. "Where are we?"

"I don't know..." Quinlan answered, walking over to join him. "You hear that?"

"Yes, sounds like... voices? Familiar... and not."

"Yeah. This is where we're meant to be. We've passed all the tests so far."

"We have." Obi-Wan agreed. "These paths are interesting."

"As are those... portals? I'm not sure what we should call them."

"Me either. Let's take a look." Obi-Wan suggested. 

Quinlan nodded. They walked over to the closest one.

It shimmered and showed them... their first meeting in the creche. 

Obi-Wan placed his hand on the image and his fingers started going through. He jerked his hand away. 

"This is the past," he said quietly. "I would say these are gateways to another time."

"I think you're right... I wonder why we're here?"

"I don't know. But we should keep looking."

"Right." 

The next scene they found, Quinlan froze and nearly stepped through the gateway. 

Obi-Wan put hand on his shoulder. "We can't change the past."

Quinlan closed his eyes. "I know." He opened them and watched his parents get murdered. He eyed the murderers and his eyes caught the Clan tattoos. "Wait a minute..."

"What is it?"

"Look at their Clan tattoos." 

Obi-Wan looked, then looked at Quinlan's parents. 

"Your mother's clan."

"Our mother, everyone says she would have loved you," Quinlan corrected without taking his eyes off the murderers. "My own family... No wonder they refused contact with me. I wasn't supposed to live."

"I'm sorry." Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around Quinlan.

"It's okay." Quinlan leaned in. "I don't want to change the past anyways. How can I change something that is such a part of me? I don't know where I'd be now if I came to the Jedi Order in another way, and I wouldn't change where I am now." 

Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand. I'm just... I'm not sure why the Temple is showing us this."

"Me either. But it's good to know who killed my parents. No wonder I've never heard anything about that family. They hate me. Never going to bother to try contacting them again."

"I know." Obi-Wan cuddled. "Shall we see what we find next?"

The next few things they found were them in the creche, but sometimes the details seemed... off.

"Maybe... maybe this is a multiverse thing?" Quinlan suggested. "This isn't just time... it's time and space."

"That makes sense. I can't believe that means that multiverse theory is real... I mean I wanted it to be but I didn't think it would actually be real!"

"Me either."

They looked through the next few gates, not sure what they were looking for. They were not sure what was going to be the Trial here.

What did the Force want them to learn from this adventure?

Obi-Wan winced when he saw himself standing up and offering to detonate the bomb in the collar around his neck to get Qui-Got out.

"...that actually happened," he admitted to Quinlan. "It's why I was so... weird for a year or two."

"And why you were so determined to prove yourself. What changed?"

"I realized Qui-Got didn't see it the same way, that he had many reasons for me as a Padawan, even if it took him until that moment to realize I would never be Xanatos. I eased up when he stopped expecting so much... But we never did talk about it. Even now."

"Why not? It affected you a lot. You are still more likely to go for the self sacrifice play because you're willing for it and it's the safest, easiest path... You'd rather die willingly than let anyone else die."

"Yeah... I guess you're right. I don't know. Back then I was drowning in a need for validation, for people to see the real me... funny that it took Swords & Mysteries to finally get that."

"What do you mean?" Quinlan turned to face Obi-Wan. He thought he knew everything about his brother and what he struggled with, but every so often Obi-Wan surprised him.

Obi-Wan sighed. "You know how everyone handled my emotions, and my temper... And the bullying. I tended to be at fault for letting them get to me... and for striking first... and they'd get off lighter for only being the cause of me losing my temper."

"Right. It was like no one cared that the bullies knew how to push your buttons, that you would try your hardest, and that sometimes there was no way to get through it."

"Exactly!" Obi-Wan sighed. "After all the masters rejected me... I internalized it. I decided they were right. I was completely in the wrong. I tried and I tried to improve. I told myself I would hold my temper this time, not just try to. And I would always fail."

"And then you were sent away."

"Yeah. I still... that whole thing is still weird. But whatever happened there... it did lead me to Qui-Gon... it gave me a chance. And for the longest time... I was trying to prove myself. I was trying to prove he wasn't wrong to take me on. I wanted to be the best Jedi I could be, like the Force told me I could."

"You didn't need to worry about it though... you shouldn't have had to worry about it."

"Yeah, I've realized that now. At the time... well... I just thought since everyone was telling me I was wrong, I was wrong. I was desperate for the validation that I was right. Which I never got, not until we were in the game and Mace and Kit started training us."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. That was the first time anyone ever acknowledged my efforts to control my emotions and not let them get the better of me. First time anyone ever noticed what I was doing wrong, too."

Quinlan nodded. "I'm sorry. I wish I'd known."

"It's okay. I kept all that close to my heart... I was ashamed back then. There was a lot I was falling at... I didn't want to drag you into it too."

Quinlan sighed. "There was a lot I kept to myself too." He stopped at the next gateway. "And speak of that..." he nodded at it. 

It showed him being tortured as a fifteen year old. 

"Mission shouldn't have gone that wrong. But it did. I never gave them any of the information, but it stuck with me." Quinlan sighed. "It's why I accepted not being hidden in the shadows so easily. I think... I think without being trapped in the game I would have stuck with being a shadow. It's what I was good at, and I thought it might be the only thing I was good for."

"Wait, why?" Obi-Wan didn't want to interrupt Quinlan but he had to understand.

"Everyone said that my psychometry was best for investigations, especially the sort that shadows do. People didn't like me in general, so why should I try for other careers? I didn't think I could make it as a healer, not with how people don't like my personality. I didn't think I could ever handle diplomacy. I didn't even think of myself as a leader."

"And none of this showed in the game."

Quinlan smiled. "Yeah. I surprised myself with how much I was able to accomplish, how much I was wrong about myself. And then Kit and Mace started teaching me and for the first time... I really let myself consider other career paths. But I wasn't going to ask to change paths, I wasn't going to disappoint Tholme..."

"But then the Gamemaster gave us no choice."

"Exactly. It's nice that I can consider other paths, and that people aren't second guessing me anymore. I proved myself in the game, just as you did. But things were easier even after with Tholme, unlike you and Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Well, Qui-Gon is... tricky. He's a good Jedi. I think if he hadn't trained Xanatos before me he would have been perfect for me. And maybe if I was more secure too. That wasn't really my fault but we make a good team. It shouldn't have been so hard for me to get along."

"Probably not... but you made the best of it. And he's proud of you."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to talk to him after this. He still seems surprised by everything. Like he expected something different from me, even these days."

"Well, talking to him is probably good. He's still your master, and you still love him, and I believe he loves you. Might as well make sure you clear the air before anything else."

"Yeah. And I think we could both benefit from making sure we're on the same page. He's not a bad person... and one of us needs to do open communication first." 

Quinlan nodded. "Sounds about right."

They continued on, discussing what they found as necessary. 

Then came some future and yet, not their future, gates. 

They watched Obi-Wan get appointed to the Council. Watched the Jedi Order lead an army of clones in a war... clones that included Cody and Fox, and so many other Academics they recognized. 

"I think, even without the obvious lack of Clan Vos tattoos, this future is impossible," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Our former NPCs seem to be these clones, though they look less identical and just related instead."

"I suppose that means that they were always supposed to exist, but the game didn't exist in that universe, so they had to exist in some other way. Although… we never got nearly this many NPCs in the game…”

"Yeah. I don't like the look of that war. If there's any chance of there being a war here... we're not ready."

"I don't think it's the war that's important. I think it's the Sith." Quinlan frowned. "See? There's a Sith."

"None of these gates are showing any identities besides people we already know," Obi-Wan pointed out. "So we can't use it to figure anything out."

"True. But we know there's a Sith out there. Maybe there won't be a war, but the Sith is going to be doing something to get to his goal. The main difference between this universe and ours seems to be Swords & Mysteries. That can't be enough to change up the Sith's identity."

Obi-Wan stopped. "Quin. Remember? There was Darkness at the origins of the game... The Force showed us that."

"...you mean... The Sith made the game. So then we know for certain the Sith is taking a different approach... I wish there was something we could do about it."

"We can tell Mace, and start preparing. We can train our own padawans at some point. Be the best Jedi we can be. And always, always listen to the Force."

Quinlan brightened. "You're right. That's the best we can do. I wonder what else we can do..."

They continued their observations. Then they came back to the gate that brought them to this strange place in between.

"I guess it's time to go." 

"Guess so. But..." Obi-Wan stopped. "Let's meditate first." 

Quinlan considered that then nodded. "Sounds good. Let's meditate." 

They sat down and closed their eyes. They did separate meditations, going over all they had learned so far. 

Afterwards, they both felt settled, and at peace. They had confronted the past. They had confronted the way things could have gone. They even saw a future that was no longer possible and dealt with that. 

Now it was time to move on.

Getting out of the Temple was far simpler than getting into it.

Soon, they were in their ship.

"I think we're nearly done..." Quinlan smiled. "Finally... Months of this!"

"Yeah. But necessary months. We definitely needed it all to grow and settle. Confronting our past, and looking to the future."

"Yep. And I think... one last place and then we are going to be going home."

"Good. I cannot wait. All that time together and apart... I love you Quin, but I want to be around other people."

"Me too." Quinlan grinned at him. "It's going to be great to be back home. I can see Fox again!"

"And when are you two going to acknowledge that you're basically dating?"

"I'm not in love with him!"

"That's not what I said." Obi-Wan smirked. 

Quinlan groaned. "I hate you."

"Sure, sure. So. When are you going to admit your feelings?"

"I don't know." Quinlan sighed. "Fox is wonderful. But he deserves to be his own person. How can I be someone he wants to be so close?"

"Quin... Same reason that Cody wants me around. He does like you, and your personality. It does not bother him at all. But you don't need to say something to him. If you're happy with your friendship the way it is, then that's the way it is. I won't push."

Quinlan sighed. "I guess... I just... I guess the main problem is just... I'm not you. You and Cody proved that you can handle the risks that come from such relationships. You can let go. You were fully prepared to be forever separated. We had no idea what would happen."

"Quin... you can do it."

Quinlan shook his head. "Fox and I... we're needy and clingy. We'll hold onto each other tighter than you and Cody do. It won't be good for us."

"You can't know that for certain Quin. Look at how you handle our family. Look at all you've overcome. You can let go. It might be harder for you than it is for me, but you can do it. I know you can. Don't hold back from something like this."

"Why not?" Quinlan sighed. "I don't want to take the risk."

"Don't let being scared hold you back from happiness. If you're scared... Well. That's just another way to let the Dark side in. Base your decision on logic, not fear."

"Right..." Quinlan groaned. "Why do you always have to be right about these things?"

Obi-Wan smirked. "Because I'm the annoying younger brother and yet I have more experience in handling my insecurities? You pretend they don't exist until pushed."

"Right... That is something I need to work on." Quinlan sighed. "Surprised that it hasn't come up yet. Pretty much all your problems have come up."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "That just means I have a problem I don't know is a problem. So... We'll see what's going to happen. We do have at least one more place left... it could be the last one. Which means you may yet have to face those fears."

Quinlan groaned. "You're probably right. I guess I better prepare for that... I don't know how I'm going to handle it... My insecurities exist for a reason. You know how people view me. The entertainment, the slut, the..." he shook his head. 

"Our friends don't believe that. Not the ones that know you. The ones who don't? Can you really call them friends?"

"I guess not... I think... It's been a long day. Can we give it a rest? Looks like we have plenty of time to revisit. We're going across the galaxy again."

"True. Alright, let's take a break. But we will come back to this, got it?"

Quinlan sighed. "Got it."

Chapter Text

Quinlan and Obi-Wan landed on a swamp and got out of their ship. Almost immediately the ship started sinking. 

They stared at it, then looked at each other.

"Well, we should be able to get it back out... We can leave it for now, I think." 

"I could have sworn that was the only stable place to land."

"Maybe it was the most stable place. But there doesn't seem to exactly be a lot of open, sturdy places around here. It's all swamp."

"True... I don't recognize this planet. The navigation said it's called Dagobah."

"Interesting place. The Force is very thick here... Must be a good place for a Trial."

"Yeah... and I think this is one we do separately."

Obi-Wan hugged Quinlan. "May the Force be with you."

"Force be with you," Quinlan echoed. 

They followed the Force to different points. 

Quinlan stared at the menacing cave and took a deep breath. He patted where his lightsaber was supposed to be and froze. He had left it behind.

The Force reassured him that this was what he was supposed to do. He would not need his lightsaber for this Trial.

Quinlan set aside his anxiety, letting go of it as much as he could. Then he entered the cave.

It was dark, but there was just enough light he could see. 

And then... there was a figure.

"Hello?" Quinlan called, stepping forward. "Who's there?"

The figure solidified into... himself? With yellow eyes.

"Uh..." 

Quinlan stared at his greatest fear. He never wanted to Fall, but he was always afraid it was going to happen. He had used the Dark side in his grief when his parents died, when he was a kid with no understanding of the Force or what he was doing. He had just wanted the pain to stop.

Quinlan was horrified.

Dark Quinlan smirked. "Hello, me."

"What do you want?" Quinlan asked, shaky. 

"I want you to be me. You deny me. You pretend that you don't secretly want revenge on all those who doubt. You pretend you don't want to make everyone suffer. You pretend to be a good person. You know deep down you are not. Set me free."

Quinlan stepped back. "No. I will never be you!" 

"Oh... but you know you are deep down." Dark Quinlan circled him. "You know that everyone is right. You're just waiting for Obi-Wan and everyone else to realize it too. You will go Dark eventually. Why not do it now?"

"No! I can't let that get to me now... not when I'm so close to being a Jedi Knight." Quinlan closed his eyes tightly and took in a deep breath, reaching for the Force. 

He sensed his doppelgänger lunging for him. He dodged. 

"Ha! You think you can beat me? I am you. You are me! I know your deepest secrets. The things you refuse to even acknowledge."

Quinlan shook his head in denial again. 

"Come on, Quinlan Vos. Release your inner Darkness, let me come out to play and we will make everyone suffer instead of continuing to suffer. I am your worst fear and your salvation. I am you, honestly and fully. Embrace me!"

"I won't embrace the Darkness!" Quinlan shouted back, finding his voice. But in his fear, he tripped and fell, leaving him vulnerable to the next attack of his Dark self. 

Dark Quinlan pinned him. "So weak. So vulnerable. Why does anyone believe in you? How can you be the champion of Kiffu, someone Kiffu acknowledges as a former King? How can you be the best of your generation? That all belongs to Obi-Wan, he deserves those titles. You're just along for the ride. Let me in and you will surpass everyone!"

Quinlan took in a deep breath and let it out, trying not to let panic get to him. He wasn't going to give into the Dark side. He had to calm down and figure out how to get through this.

Why did his Dark doppelgänger have to be using all his deepest insecurities? The ones he preferred to pretend didn't exist.

He gasped in pain as his Dark self actually hurt him. 

"No..." Quinlan struggled, panic rising up. "I can't fail here!"

"Yes! Embrace that fear!"

Quinlan stopped. Fear? He closed his eyes and breathed, reaching for the Force for comfort. 

Oh . 

Quinlan opened his eyes and stared into the yellow eyes of himself. 

"Yeah, I'm scared of failure. Most people are. That's pretty normal. That doesn't mean I have to let it rule me." 

"You just need to embrace me and all will be well."

"No." Quinlan took a deep breath in. "You are me. I am scared, all the time. I know I don't fit in with everyone. I'm jealous of how well Obi-Wan gets on with others. I still cannot believe he is my brother. I cannot believe that I was one of those who took down the Gamemaster. But I did do it. That was on my own power. I did fight my best. I have earned this."

His Dark self backed away and watched him with glittering yellow eyes.

"But that doesn't mean I don't doubt myself. Of course I do. I was four when I tapped into the Dark side, even accidentally. Four years old and that irrevocably changed me. I could be you. That scares me. It scares everybody, I think. I remember hearing whispers even before I started classes at six in the creche about how I would never make it as a proper Jedi. I remember all those who looked at how I acted and said it was a sure sign I could not make it... and I remember all the Jedi, especially the Council who reminded everyone I was just a child, someone who was learning my way, and all I needed was to be secure. At least at that point."

Quinlan looked down at his hands, relaxing them out of his fists. "I struggled with psychometry. It gave me so many quirks that people my age didn't understand. On top of my need for cuddling, and my below average Kiffar chaos, which is still far more than the chaos of most of the galaxy as it is. I internalized all the rejections. All the snide comments. I knew, even as I hid that truth from myself that people didn't like me. I knew what they were saying. I wanted to prove them all wrong. That was why I was comfortable being a shadow. They could keep believing the worst, but I would always know I was better than them. In a way they couldn't tear down."

Quinlan sighed, closing his eyes. Tears squeezed out. "I hated myself at times. I couldn't stop myself from being me, but it left me with few friends, friends I didn't understand. Sometimes, after I ended up stuck in Swords & Mysteries, I realized I felt more comfortable with fellow Kiffar, with Clan Vos, than I ever had in the Temple. But it wasn't right for me. And I knew it. But that's okay. A Jedi is what I'm meant to be. What kind of Jedi? I don't know yet. We'll have to see. I'm happy to keep learning."

"But you still could embrace me, and embrace the Dark side!" 

"No. I will not embrace the Dark side. I am better than that. I do not need to give into the insecurities, the fear... the jealousy and anger and resentment. I don't need to give into that." Quinlan stepped towards himself, growing more sure of himself with each step. His Dark doppelgänger took a step back.

"Sure, I have those things, and I might never escape them. Now that I think about it, I guess I have a serious case of imposter syndrome. But that doesn't have to rule me. I don't need to let it rule me." Quinlan smiled. 

"I am-"

"You are me." Quinlan wrapped his Darkness in a hug. "I can't get rid of you. You are all the parts of me I don't like. The parts I wish didn't exist. The parts that I pretended don't exist. But you do. And I guess I needed to face that. I embrace myself. But not the Dark side. I think I need to be kinder to myself."

The solid form in his arms faded away into dark sand. 

Quinlan stared and then chuckled. "Obi-Wan was right. I am letting my fear rule me too much. I let it masquerade as logic. But it wasn't..." 

He hummed as he headed out of the cave, Trial done. "What are the negatives of telling Fox my feelings and getting rejected, besides the aftermath of my feelings?  What is the negatives of keeping them to myself, and letting things fester, possibly for the negative?"

He had a lot to think about. But he had never felt so comfortable and confident in his own skin. This was a confidence he had only ever felt fleetingly in Swords & Mysteries, when they were at the height of clue gathering or in the middle of battle.

Quinlan took in a deep breath and smiled. He was a Jedi Knight. He was where he was meant to be.

.

Obi-Wan frowned when he realized he didn't have his lightsaber. He normally put it on his belt on instinct, if he had not put it in inventory. But he had not put it on his belt this time. Why? Something told him he wasn't supposed to have it.

Wonderful. That sort of Trial.

Obi-Wan shook his head and followed the Force on a twisted path over the swamp. He had to utilize all his skills of climbing and jumping and with the Force to get through. And then... finally. A cave? Obi-Wan stared at the entrance. Okay... that was... that was a surprise. 

It was where he was meant to be. He sensed this was the final Trial. He would emerge a Jedi Knight, if all went well. Obi-Wan took in a deep breath and let it out. He could do this. He could. 

He entered the cave and looked around uncertainly. He walked in further and further, until a figure started forming out of... mist? 

When it solidified, he took a step back in surprise. It was himself. 

"Uh... hello there?" he said tentatively, trying not to think too hard about the yellow eyes staring at him.

"Hello there, Obi-Wan... or should I say... me." Dark Obi-Wan's lips twisted in a cruel smirk. "I have been waiting for you to discover me."

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath and let it out. It was just a Trial. This wasn't real. 

"What do you mean, discover you? You've been waiting?"

"I am the Dark side of you... strange... you've never really played with me before. You don't let me out at all. But I am you." 

Obi-Wan watched his doppelgänger step closer without flinching. He wasn't sure what the goal was for this Trial, but he wouldn't fear himself.

"You're me? A Dark me? I have never used the Dark side. I have never even thought about it."

"Oh, you've thought about it. You considered me years ago... but you've always been so determined to be the perfect Jedi. You never let me out to play... and I do so enjoy toying with everyone who has ever hurt me just so I can crush them later."

"Right." Obi-Wan stared at his Dark self. "What kind of test is this?"

"Test? Oh no, I am really here. I am you Obi-Wan. Let me free. Embrace the Dark side and play with me. You know you want to. You know you want to make all those who have ever hurt you suffer. You know you want to use me and make everyone pay."

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Ever the perfect Jedi. Perfect emotions, perfect expressions. Perfect words. Nothing affects you, does it?"

"Of course things affect me. I am but a person doing his best to be a Jedi."

"Let me play." 

"I will not hurt anyone if I can help it."

"Oh? What about the times you have messed up, hm?"

Obi-Wan took in a breath. "Those were accidents. I made the best choices I could at the time, and I learned to be better. That is no excuse to let you have free reign."

"Ah, but you do want to let me go sometimes." 

"I will not give in. I will remain firmly rooted in the light. There is no room for Darkness in me."

For some reason, this was when his shadow struck. 

Obi-Wan stumbled back, surprised, then fell into an easy rhythm of fighting. Even without weapons, or his special skills, this wasn't too difficult... aside from how vicious his Dark self was. How much his Dark self wanted to win.

Eventually, Obi-Wan found himself pinned with no way out. He desperately wished he had his lightsaber with him, but this was supposed to be a Trial. And that was not what he needed to complete this Trial. 

Rejecting the Dark did not seem to be what he needed either. So what was the lesson here? What was he supposed to overcome? Of course it couldn't be as simple as rejecting the Dark. He'd done that on a Sith planet. 

Obi-Wan thought, ignoring all the taunting his other self was doing. He was missing something. Why was he missing something? What could it be?

"Come on, little Obi-Wan. You know you want to let me free. It's simple. I'm you, after all."

"No! You're not!" Obi-Wan covered his ears, trying to better think. 

His other self smacked him in the head. Obi-Wan winced from the sharp pain, but didn't move his hands.

He couldn't think. He didn't want to think about how he could use the Dark side. Get revenge. He didn't want to think about all of that. He had always, always done his best to be a Jedi. He would never acknowledge the Dark side.

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath and let it out, ignoring the pain from his doppelgänger's attacks. Time to check with the Force to see what he had to do. 

He did not like the answer. He shook his head. "No... no. I can't... I'm not Dark. I refuse to be Dark."

Dark Obi-Wan pulled his hand away from his ear. "Oh, come on Obi-Wan. You know I exist. That's what scares you isn't it? That's why you won't ever truly face me. You'll just keep on rejecting me because I'm not you. I can't be you. You're a Jedi," he sneered. "But I am right here! And I am never going away."

Obi-Wan kicked him away and scrambled away, breathing heavily. 

He spent the next several minutes trying to avoid his Dark self. He kept denying that such a side ever existed in himself, and with every denial, his Dark self got worse and worse.

Why was this Trial giving him so much trouble? The Sith planet was easier than this. Poor Quin had nearly doubled over when they first arrived from the strong temptation. Obi-Wan had worried when they separated. But they had both overcome all temptations and obstacles on their way.

So what was so difficult about this one? Obi-Wan couldn't figure it out. He didn't want to acknowledge that he could ever be Dark. He couldn't bear to think about it. 

Not after all the difficulty he went through becoming a Padawan in the first place. Not after how terrified he was of being rejected. He did his best to not let that fear affect him, but he had been only thirteen. Those memories were a core memory for Obi-Wan, what shaped him as the years went on. What drove him to be the best Jedi he could be, what formed the foundation of his refusal of the Dark side. How he learned to keep his emotions from controlling him, and how, eventually, he finally learned how to let go. 

Obi-Wan's distraction cost him and he got tangled up in the old vines that were everywhere in the cave. He was stuck. 

His Dark self dislodged some rocks... and they fell right on top of him.

He cried out in pain. He was pretty sure he might even have gotten a broken bone.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he face this final trial? All the others were so much easier than this.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes tightly. He could not fail Qui-Gon. Not here. Quinlan had to be waiting for him by now.

"Ah yes... It always comes back to what Qui-Gon will think, doesn't it? And if not Qui-Gon, it comes back to whether or not it will hurt Quinlan, or Cody, or any of your friends. Such sweet selflessness. That's why you don't play with me... you don't take the time for yourself. You do nothing for yourself... even in your own relationship, you focus more on Cody than yourself."

Obi-Wan wanted to protest, but his Dark self was right. He did everything for other people. Because he did not ever want to be a bad person. He never wanted to be scolded again like he was in the past.

He reached for the Force, looking for comfort and answers. He was told the same thing, but the Force was reassuring. 

Obi-Wan felt tears start rolling down his face as he opened his eyes to look at his Dark self once more. 

"You've realized that I am right, haven't you?" Dark Obi-Wan smirked triumphantly.

"Yes... and no." Obi-Wan stared at his Dark self. "I do have a Dark side I don't like people seeing. I do avoid hurting people as much as I can. I do sacrifice myself for others as much as I can. Because I am terrified of not being a good person. I hate hurting people. I never want people to feel as I feel... so I let them hurt me so long as they're okay." Obi-Wan let out a breath. "But that's not really fair to us, is it?"

"Us?"

"You are me, the Dark side I don't like to acknowledge is there. It's easier to pretend I can make it as a Jedi if you don't exist. If you do exist... then all it takes is one mistake and it all comes crumbling down. I... I am so scared of hurting other people. I was so scared of never reaching my destiny, the quiet whisper of Jedi Knight. I was terrified that others would see right through me once Qui-Gon was convinced. I was terrified that it would take the smallest of mistakes for him to regret that decision. I have been terrified, even after everything I've been through to this point, that I would still somehow disappoint him. That I would follow Xanatos' footsteps. I have never wanted that."

"But we could wreck sweet revenge together!"

"You are me. I am you. You exist in me. I have a Dark side... I want revenge on the bullies. I want to, just once, to hurt others as I hurt. That is why I hold so tightly onto Jedi values because that terrifies me. I never want to give into it. But those thoughts exist. You exist. And I am not doing myself any favors by pretending otherwise."

"So you finally realize the truth."

Obi-Wan stared at his Dark self as he finally pulled free of the vines. He limped over. 

"I see myself. I see the terrified bullied kid who never seemed to be enough. I see the kid with the temper and no outlet. I see the kid who would get cornered, terrified, and lash out at the injustice of it all. I see the young Padawan, desperate to prove that his master had not made a mistake. I see myself... and all my flaws." 

He stared at his strangely silent Dark self. 

"I accept you. I will never let you out to play, but you are a part of me."

Obi-Wan let out a breath as his Dark self finally faded away. He flopped onto the ground and winced. Bad idea to flop onto rock.

He just needed a moment. He let out a breath. This was the hardest Trial of them yet. 

But it was necessary. It showed him just how deeply rooted his insecurities were. How much that transition from initiate to padawan had affected him. It showed him that he had a long way to go before he was his best self. 

But he could get there. He just needed to remember that he had a Dark side. That he did have bad thoughts he preferred to believe he did not.

...he was going to be stuck in mind healing untangling all the ways things affected him, all in his head or not, for years, wasn't he?

Obi-Wan groaned. He hated his life sometimes. He pushed himself back up. Time to go find Quinlan.

He had passed this Trial. It wasn't until he reached the exit that it occurred to him. 

He had passed the Trial... he was a Jedi Knight... flaws and all, no matter what anyone had ever said to him.

Obi-Wan could not stop the grin from spreading across his face even if he wanted to. That was the best feeling. He had proven them all, and himself wrong.

Nothing was better than that, really.

Obi-Wan found Quinlan already waiting by the ship.

Quinlan grinned at him. "You passed too?"

"Yeah. Had to face your Dark side?"

"Yep." Quinlan frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I was... very resistant to thinking about the Dark thoughts... and got several rocks dropped on me."

Quinlan winced. "Of course you did... You had a hard time?"

"Yeah." Obi-Wan sighed. "The way people reacted to my temper, and being rejected by so many masters because of my temper and other negative things had me in denial about anything like that, so... I was at a loss as to what I was supposed to do for a while."

"It was a tricky one to figure out, though I was never in denial of my Dark side... just never considered that I needed to accept that side of me."

"Oh, that's understandable." Obi-Wan nodded, leaning on his brother. "Now that we're Jedi Knights... can we get out of here and go home?"

"Home sounds nice. Let's get the ship out of the swamp."

"Right. Forgot about that." Obi-Wan sighed and turned with Quinlan to lift it out.

"That's okay. We just had a tough Trial. The final trial... not just saying no to using the Dark side, but acknowledging that we have one within us, even if we refuse to use it."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't expecting that... But now that I think about it, it makes sense. We're not infallible. Of course we have to acknowledge our weaknesses. Acknowledge the bad parts... acknowledge that we might struggle. But that's what it is to live."

"Exactly." Quinlan helped him into the ship. "I think we're going to be meditating for days over this one."

"Me too. But... I'm glad we did it. I know I need to do more work with my mind healer now... but I also know now that there is no doubt. I have earned this."

"And so have I." Quinlan agreed, smiling. "It's actually freeing to have acknowledged that Dark side."

"It really is." Obi-Wan agreed, grinning. "And now we can go home and be Jedi Knights."

"And see Fox and Cody and everyone else again!"

"That too!"

They boarded the ship together, excited for what the future held.

Chapter Text

Cody studied for hours each day. He was worried about Obi-Wan and Quinlan going away for their Trials. Months on a journey to become Jedi Knights.

Which meant, for the first time since he had started becoming real, he was not anywhere near either of them. In the game, they had hardly spent even a night apart. 

Once the game was over, he had stuck near Obi-Wan. He felt guilty that he, and the other former NPCs, his family, and all showed up in perfect health, while all those who had been trapped into game, were weak and needed therapy and careful diets to get back to full strength. 

Even now, most of those who had been trapped in the game had not gotten back to what their normal had been before the game. Obi-Wan wasn't back to normal, but he was healthy enough for the healers to agree to him and Quinlan doing the Trials.

Cody missed his boyfriend. Had missed Obi-Wan from the moment the ship took off. 

But... It was a good thing, according to everyone. Especially Fox. Cody saw their point.

He had never taken the time to explore himself. Obi-Wan had always encouraged him to pick up new skills and hobbies, finding things he enjoyed. But he had never taken it seriously, though he had at one point picked up a painting skill. 

Now... without Obi-Wan around... Cody was at loose ends.

He wasn't sure what to do. He never would have given it any thought if Obi-Wan was around. But he never thought he needed to, as he took things at his own pace.

Obi-Wan was always so patient and kind, far too selfless for his own good. He wanted the best for Cody, and encouraged him gently. 

Cody was glad Obi-Wan had others to keep an eye on him, so that it was not on Cody alone to make sure that Obi-Wan wasn’t sacrificing everything to make sure Cody was okay.

But... he was never certain what to do, either, when he felt like Obi-Wan was focusing too much on him.

Even two months after Quinlan and Obi-Wan left... he wasn't sure what to do with his life. He just... went through the motions.

Cody’s heart ached with how much he missed Obi-Wan. He wondered at times if this was what depression was.

He had not realized just how much he had relied on Obi-Wan before. 

He loved Obi-Wan. But without Obi-Wan around... who was he? Where did he even begin to figure it out? 

Cody followed Fox's lead and signed up for more random classes to keep busy. He ended up in a painting class he enjoyed, and then felt silly.

Obi-Wan had tried to prevent this. He had helped Cody pick up new skills as hobbies in the game. 

Cody just hadn't realized how much that meant.

And now that he was painting in real life instead of just by game mechanic, he found it much more enjoyable.

Yes, his skill from the game had carried over, but he still needed to learn how best to apply it. It didn't cover everything he needed to do with his skill to make a painting.

It was a nice way to express himself.

He quickly learned that he was not cut out for classes that required him to remember everything. 

Sure, history was fascinating. So was anything to do with strategy. But memorizing specifics? That was asking a little too much.

Cody's favorite class aside from painting turned out to be a class on constellations across the galaxy. It was quite enjoyable, learning about the stars in the constellations, and the myths that went with each constellation and star.

At the same time, Fox enjoyed picking up baking and crochet. He spent most of his time doing those things or in one of the training rooms sparring for fun.

Both Cody and Fox spent time getting to know their family, the brothers and cousins they hadn't had much of a chance to get to know in the game, though much of that was their own choice as they preferred to stick with Obi-Wan and Quinlan. 

As time went on, Cody found himself finding more and more ways to occupy his time beyond just integrating with the Jedi alongside the other former NPCs, the Academics as they had chosen to call themselves. 

Learning more about who he was and the things he liked... Fox found himself grateful for Obi-Wan and Quinlan going on such a long journey to become Knights. It was worth the time.

Cody listened to Fox go on about the subject, and tried to muster the same enthusiasm. Because he was pretty sure Fox was right, especially from everything he had heard from others.

But... as the months past the half year mark, and they drew closer and closer to it having been a full year... 

Cody missed Obi-Wan. He missed his boyfriend. He worried that something was holding them up, though he knew these Trials could take years if the Force decided it was necessary. 

He hoped it didn't. He wanted to see Obi-Wan again. Wanted things to come back to a new normal and to stop this feeling of inadequacy as Cody struggled to figure out what he even wanted to do with his life.

Fox just rolled his eyes at Cody and continued to deny his feelings for Quinlan.

Though he did admit them to Cody, when they were alone and having serious conversations. He would admit them, admit to not knowing what to do, if he could handle dating a Jedi with all their responsibilities. 

In the quietest of moments at night, he would admit to being scared of what dating Quinlan would mean. His feelings were already so strong. What would happen if he let himself date Quinlan? Could he handle the feelings getting stronger?

Cody of course would reassure him, but admit that things weren't that simple. Sometimes it was hard having such strong feelings, but that was why practicing the Jedi way of letting go had been so useful for Cody up to that point.

Fox still wasn't convinced. After all, this was also assuming that Quinlan felt the same way, that they were compatible as a couple, and some other issues Fox kept bringing up.

Since Fox always had a counter, Cody was starting to wonder if Fox was just in denial trying to come up with any excuse to hide from his feelings. 

After all, he did spend most of his time in denial, rarely admitting to the truth of his feelings, and even more rarely admitting to why he was in denial.

In the end, Cody decided to let Fox figure it out on his own. Everything Cody had seen about relationships pointed to that being the best option. Interference could just make things worse.

Finally... Just a few weeks shy of a year after Obi-Wan and Quinlan left on their Trials, they returned. 

Cody and Fox decided not to meet them when they arrived. They figured Obi-Wan and Quinlan would be busy giving reports and doing what needed to be done. 

As expected, Obi-Wan had a lot of things to take care of as soon as they arrived. But Cody was pleased to see that Obi-Wan looked well. A little older, a bit more content, and he seemed to have mastered Jedi calm. He hadn't quite mastered it before.

Cody decided to focus on the routine he had built over the time the Jedi were away. When Obi-Wan had time, they would be able to meet up and catch up. He could wait until then, though he was excited and just a little nervous.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan and Quinlan were put through quite a few sessions of questions and answers. They had to explain some of what they went through, and generally prove they had learned important lessons. 

Most of their Trials were private, and it was actually simple to test if they met certain expectations with things like meditation sessions and sparring sessions if they were not prepared to disclose what they went through.

They discussed the alternate timeline the two had seen, where there was a Sith, and he wiped out the Jedi Order.

Most of the Council was reluctant to believe the Sith was still out there. After all, the Sith hadn't made open moves for centuries. All knowledge of the Sith up until their disappearance pointed to them preferring to make themselves known.

Mace believed them. Like Obi-Wan and Quinlan, he had felt something Dark at the origins of Swords & Mysteries. Something the Force insisted was important to pay attention to. It could easily be a Sith rather than just a random Dark sider. 

Considering how long the Gamemaster had expected them to be in the game, and how many were killed... That was indicative of a situation where someone wanted a lot of deaths and suffering. Just like a Sith.

In the end, Mace, Plo, and Yoda convinced the rest to open an investigation. It couldn't hurt to keep an eye out for signs of the Sith. 

Obi-Wan stepped out of the Council room and stretched. "Finally done... now we can relax and figure out what we want to do."

Quinlan nodded. "What do you think of their suggestion we be a team, with Cody and Fox assigned as support as they're comfortable?"

"I like the idea," Obi-Wan admitted. "I think between the two of us we could handle any type of mission, so we could fill in a lot of gaps that way."

"And we're stronger together. It'll be difficult for them to fight us that way. We complement each other, and having Fox and Cody at our backs would fill those gaps, if they're interested in that. I heard they've been doing a lot of art classes."

"Good for them." Obi-Wan smiled. "If they're not going to be running missions, that's fine too. I want them to be happy, and to find themselves."

"Me too. They did kind of go from being NPCs to part of our team to here. If finding themselves means not working with us, I'm cool with that. As long as we can still be friends."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course." He grinned. "And now we're Jedi Knights!"

"Time to move out, right?" Quinlan grinned. "Mace did suggest we go to the Quartermaster to go get that sorted out." 

Obi-Wan hummed in thought. "There's a few different things we could do. We can each get a single. We can each get rooms meant for a knight and Padawan... or we could choose to share quarters and have two rooms, or two rooms for us and two rooms for future padawans."

Quinlan grinned. "Oh, I don't know... Padawans? Already?" he teased. "But you're right that we shouldn't forget about that. I don't know that I'd want to move again within the next like five years. Moving rooms is gonna be hard enough. Moving to move in with a Padawan would be a pain, so I vote whatever we decide has room for padawans."

"That's what I was thinking," Obi-Wan agreed, relieved. "I've never heard of knights living together and raising padawans together though."

"I think they usually keep it quiet... I'm pretty sure they're usually couples when that happens... And anyways... Plenty of Knights do choose to stay together when they're first starting out. Better to go to that than completely on our own..." Quinaln trailed off.

"That's actually the best argument for why we should room together," Obi-Wan replied thoughtfully. "We both need touch, beyond being brothers. We'll end up with sleepovers more often than not, so we might as well make that easier. And if we're in the same space raising padawans, then we don't need to worry about putting too much pressure on padawans to meet our needs. We can be responsible Knights."

Quinlan grinned. "Okay, I like that. Now, let's go see if there's any rooms with what we have in mind."

It turned out that most Jedi preferred to live in single or double bedroom apartments rather than sharing with too many people, so there were plenty of four bedroom apartments available.

They just needed to go through and pick out some furniture to furnish the place. Obi-Wan was hoping that Qui-Gon would let him take the desk, but beyond that he was looking for completely new things. 

Quinlan was very excited to find some things that reminded him of Kiffu. Obi-Wan was just as thrilled. He liked the feel of those things, so they would go well in their rooms.

Quarters and furniture sorted out, Quinlan and Obi-Wan decided to sort out everything else.

They were transitioning from Padawan to Knight, after all. There were quite a few things they needed to make sure were done to reflect that.

They also needed to make sure that their medical files included the update that they were brothers. 

Blood adoption on Kiffu was wonderful but a bit baffling as to how it even worked. But Kiffu wasn't the only place to have legitimate blood adoption, so the healers just confirmed with a blood test and put it in their files for future reference.

With that taken care of, there wasn't too much else to do. They'd already gotten new robes and started figuring that out. 

So, they split up to start the process of moving into their new apartment.

Qui-Gon was amused by Obi-Wan's excitement and how fast he had moved. He helped Obi-Wan out, including with the desk.

Obi-Wan happily flopped down onto his new bed shortly before dinner time. The bed was made. He had picked out all his favorite blankets and pillows. It was the best decision. 

Quinlan was doing the same in his room. 

There was a knock on the door.

Both fell off their beds, though Quinlan used his ability to fly to avoid hitting the floor.

Obi-Wan just rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up.

They met at the door and opened it to find Kit.

"I hear you two finally moved out?" he asked teasingly with a big grin. 

"Yep!" Quinlan hugged him and then pulled him into the room. "We like this place and considering my need for touch, it's simpler if a sleepover is just a short walk to the next bedroom."

Kit nodded. "That makes sense. Have you had any other visitors?"

"Not yet. Qui-Gon and Tholme helped us move, though," Obi-Wan replied. "And made sure we had plenty of tea and caf. Would you like some?"

"Tea would be nice," Kit agreed. 

Quinlan pulled out some cookies they had picked up earlier to share.

They sat down and caught up with what they had missed around the Temple.

"So... when are you and Fox going to get together?" Kit asked Quinlan.

Quinlan groaned. "Not you too! I’m not sure he feels the same way. And anyways, he and Cody have been busy since we got back. Haven't seen either of them." He looked down at the cup in his hand and started playing with it rather than refill it.

Kit frowned. "Really? You haven't?"

Obi-Wan gave Kit a look. "You know how the aftermath of Trial journeys go. There's tests and conversations, and making sure we do have certain skills since there's no telling how well those were tested out in the galaxy, and we've mostly just been in meetings, eating, or collapsed. We haven't exactly had the energy to seek them out. It does sound like they're busy, though."

"They're just taking classes."

"And that can be busy." Obi-Wan shrugged. "The cycle before Swords & Mysteries I was juggling so many classes that between those and the homework, I barely could do anything Qui-Gon wanted me to do. And I only did it to be sure Qui-Gon would let me play the game," he added. "Otherwise I would have taken at least one or two less classes."

Kit nodded slowly. "I see... I am surprised you haven't seen them yet today."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "If they're too busy, they're too busy. We're approaching dinner time anyways."

"Food sounds good." Quinlan nodded, not looking up from his cup. 

Kit sighed. "You're not okay with them not showing up." 

Quinlan winced. "No, I'm not... But one of the things I realized on our journey was that the four of us had spent so much time together... I didn't know how to do things without them anymore. It's easier with Obi-Wan but there were also Trials that required us to do them separately, and... I don't know."

"If we struggled with the separation, I wonder how they felt," Obi-Wan said quietly. "They became real with us, and then did not separate from us hardly at all until we left the game... and even then that was usually for a few hours, maybe a day or two at most. Not... almost a year." 

"I think they were at a loss at first," Kit spoke up. "But then they found things to do, and have been keeping busy since. I don't think this will change anything for you, though it is strange that they haven't at least sent you a message."

Obi-Wan let out a breath. "I'm supposed to be a Knight now. I don't like feeling anxious about this," he complained.

Kit laughed. "Being a Knight doesn't mean fears and insecurities get easier to handle. It just means that you're good enough at handling them to be a Jedi Knight. It'll still be work. And the most important part is what you do with those fears."

"So... not running away from them?" Quinlan asked. 

Kit shrugged. "If it's not affecting anyone but yourself, I wouldn't say running away from your fears until you're more equipped to handle them is a bad course of action." 

He watched the two Jedi for a moment then sighed. "But you two are in a better position here than they are," he reminded them gently. "You were raised here, and have always known you were a person. They were NPCs before they became real, and then their identities were tied to you, no matter how much any of us tried to help them find their own identity." 

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "So they could also be feeling uncertain, but they are not in as good a position to work past such things." He sighed.

Quinlan groaned and let his head hit the table. "I hate being the one to reach out," he mumbled. "All anxiety inducing, and on one hand, could be for nothing and it's kind of a let down, and on the other hand it's harder to control anxiety when it's been proven right at least once. So much easier when things are in the other's hands... but then... that's still running away from problems and avoiding it and ugh..."

Kit patted his back. "Trying to be a mature adult and good Knight sucks sometimes. Always trying to get it right, never sure if you got it, and it takes a lot of mental energy to be that person when you just want to conserve that energy for bigger things."

"Sounds about right." Obi-Wan finished his tea and refilled it. "Well. Tomorrow. I'll message Cody about meeting up tomorrow. Hopefully he's not too busy."

"I'll message Fox." Quinlan sighed. 

Kit smiled at them. "It's okay to worry about this. Everything is new to them. Of course there is the risk that they have changed and their feelings have changed. But, in the last year, you two have changed too, haven't you? If you really want to date, you'll make things work."

Quinlan sputtered. "I'm not dating Fox."

"If you want him as a friend, then. You'll figure it out, and if he wants you as a friend, he'll figure it out too. You just have to try." 

"I think we weren't supposed to try, do or do not," Obi-Wan said teasingly.

Kit groaned. 

Quinlan laughed.

Over their time in Swords & Mysteries, Kit had shared some of his least favorite parts of training with Yoda. 'Do or do not, there is no try' when Kit was improving but not fully succeeding was incredibly frustrating.

Of course (as Mace explained) the real lesson is that if one does not put full effort into doing something, and expects to fail they will never succeed. But if they aim to do, they are far more likely to manage it. 

The message can be useful, but sometimes one needs to be able to learn from mistakes in order to be able to succeed. 

That joke dissolved the tension and allowed them to go to lighter topics, including some of the things Quinlan and Obi-Wan were willing to share with Kit about their Trials.

Most of which was the parts that didn't involve the Trials, particularly the first few months when they were on Kiffu with family. 

Being able to relax with a friend helped put their worries out of their mind for the time being.

Chapter Text

Cody jumped when an alert popped up in the corner of his vision. 

He made sure no one was paying him any attention and tapped the alert. It was a message.

Hello Cody, we haven't talked yet. I find that I have a lot of free time while I determine what is next. Would you like to stop by for tea or caf and snacks this afternoon, and if you have time we could have dinner?

Cody smiled. There was that strange formality Obi-Wan sometimes used. Then he frowned. Didn't Obi-Wan mostly use that formality when he was uncertain or uncomfortable?

But why? He looked over the message again and didn't see anything that would tell him.

Hopefully Obi-Wan would explain when they got together.

.

Quinlan finished putting bread in the oven to bake. 

"Alright, that's done. How are you doing, Obes?"

"I think I've got everything as ready as it can be." Obi-Wan let out a breath. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Bread is baking, it should be done in time for dinner."

"Perfect. So we just have to wait."

Quinlan nodded. "You think it'll go well?"

"I don't know. I think we are as prepared as we can be though."

Quinlan nodded and started wiping the counter down. 

Finally, there was a knock at the door.

Obi-Wan jumped up.

Quinlan wasn't far behind.

"Hello, Cody," Obi-Wan greeted, smiling. 

Cody smiled brightly and hugged him immediately. "Hello, Obi. It's good to see you. Everything's sorted now?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "We filled out all the paperwork about the types of missions we're willing to do, how often we would like our breaks and so on. And we decided, since we cuddle at night more often than not, better to share quarters."

"Hey Foxy," Quinlan greeted, grinning, but he didn't throw himself on Fox like he normally would.

Fox's smile dropped a bit. "Hey, Quin. Nice place. Four bedrooms?"

Quinlan grinned. "We don't think we'll wait more than five years to take on a Padawan, and we don't want to move again if it's less than five years, so just getting a four bedroom space seemed like the best option."

"Oh, really? You're already thinking about taking on a student?" 

"Most Jedi end up taking on a Padawan within five years of Knighting," Obi-Wan explained. "Those that don't are often those who opted for the longer journey to the rank of master, and are usually not someone you want teaching an impressionable eleven year old, or anyone who isn't an adult. They might take on padawans who lost their masters and are in the last couple of years of their training, but some people just aren't good at teaching, even if they are good Jedi otherwise."

Cody nodded. "That makes sense... you're a good teacher."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Tea, caf, or another drink?"

"Tea, please," Cody replied. 

"For some reason he likes the tea that Quin introduced us to," Fox grumbled. "I don't know why."

Cody shrugged. "It's a weird flavor profile but it works. I like it."

Quinlan grinned. "I'll get that tea out. I wouldn't mind having some myself."

Fox groaned. "Still have some spicy tea?" he asked Obi-Wan.

"I do. I was thinking spicy might be the way to go today."

They all knew that Obi-Wan did not like Quinlan's favorite tea at all and just tolerated it. 

Fox smiled. "Thank you."

Quinlan and Obi-Wan got the tea ready. 

Fox tasted the tea. "This is a new one," he said in surprise. He took another sip to figure out the flavor. 

Obi-Wan grinned. "I found it on Kiffu and fell in love. Briel and Ber refused to let us leave without making sure I had a good supply of it and how to get more." 

Fox nodded. "It's a bit like that other one- a little sour and citrus... but not as off putting, plus it's a bit spicy."

Quinlan nodded. "I like that one, but I don't always like to drink spicy."

"Wait, you do like spicy though?" Fox asked, surprised. "I've never seen you eat spicy foods."

"I'm weird. None of the spicy food that has been available around you are the ones I particularly like. Besides, spicy food is only worth it when there's good flavors instead of it just being spicy for the sake of being spicy. And... Kiffar food tends to be wacky."

"Take Kiffar chaos and apply it to food," Obi-Wan added in, amused. "You know how a lot of Clan Vos delighted in competing for the best weird food combinations? They genuinely liked the best ones because that's just the sort of thing they do normally."

"Hey, you liked them too, Obes."

"I'm not denying that." Obi-Wan grinned. "It was an adjustment though. Kiffar just don't do things the same way the rest of the galaxy does. It takes all that and tips it on its head. It's better to not expect things to be what you're used to."

Cody nodded. "We're still learning what's normal, of course. Kiffar culture is just normal to us, as much as Jedi culture is... it's the rest of the galaxy that's a mystery much of the time."

"Of course." 

"So where did you go? What did you do?" Cody asked curiously. 

"We went to Kiffu first. Got Obes all adopted, and then did the Hunt and some meditating and self reflection."

"Most of the trip was meditating and self reflection based on what we found at our destinations," Obi-Wan added. 

"Sounds like you were pretty busy. It was a good trip?"

Quinlan nodded. "Definitely was needed. I hadn't been entirely convinced I was ready, but now I know I'm meant to be a Knight."

"That's great!" Fox smiled at him. 

"What have you been up to?" Quinlan asked them. "You’ve mentioned classes?"

"Oh, well... We wanted to learn more about well, everything. I really enjoyed the painting classes. I think I'm going to keep taking them, until I've taken them all.” Cody smiled, thinking of all the paintings he had made.

"Oh painting? I'd love to see some of your work! Is that what you've been doing since we got back?"

"Mostly, along with the other classes. But I wasn't doing much outside of classes."

"Oh, I see." Obi-Wan drank some tea to hide his feelings.

Quinlan took over the conversation.

Cody and Fox could not figure out why it got so awkward after that. 

They made it through dinner. Cody and Fox were very appreciative of the dinner that Quinlan and Obi-Wan had made for them. As they were eating dessert, though, it became too much.

"What's going on?" Cody asked before Fox could. "You've both been acting strangely, and Obi, your message inviting me was a bit formal."

Obi-Wan sighed and set the dessert he had made down.

Quinlan got the plates.

Everyone got their portion. 

Obi-Wan took a bite, watching them. He sighed again. "Alright... why did you not get in contact with us before? You knew we were back."

Cody blinked. That did not clear anything up. "You were busy. I didn't want to intrude."

"I sent you a message on our approximate arrival time and you were not there. Was that at a class time?"

"No..." Cody said slowly.

Obi-Wan nodded and grabbed his cup of tea, taking another sip.

"Alright, so are you avoiding us then?" Quinlan asked.

"No? Why would we?" Fox frowned, concerned, and confused. It wasn't like Quinlan to think the worst.

Quinlan took a deep breath in and let it out. "We would have liked to see you when we arrived. We didn't go right into meetings, we had a day to catch up and adjust to being back before the days of reports and tests, and it wasn't like they were all day every day. We had multiple hangouts with friends before this. You could have asked."

"To be fair, so could we," Obi-Wan put in. "But why we didn't is why we wanted to meet up and talk. Not getting a message... I felt like you weren't interested in talking to me, and I didn't want to push things by messaging and asking about it. So I did not say anything at all. I probably should have reached out. So, what is going on?"

Cody stared at Obi-Wan and thought back. In hindsight, not saying a word to either of them was a dumb move on both of their parts. They should have tried to communicate. He had wanted to see Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry," Cody apologized first. 

Fox was busy staring at Quinlan in disbelief.

Cody took a deep breath and let it out. "I should have sent you a message. It was... it was hard at first, and I didn't want to disturb you on your trip before, we had our set dates for exchanging communication and that was enough. And when you came home, I was a little busy but I could have come to see you. I should have sent a message... I just thought... everything you had said and I'd heard had indicated that you would be busy for days after that, so I didn't want to make things harder for you by adding another thing on your plate. I thought it might be stressful finding time. I didn't know it would be so easy."

Fox finally found his voice. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. That's where I was. I didn't realize how it would look and I never wanted to hurt you, Quin. I really thought it would be better to not say anything until you were ready for company."

Quinlan smiled and relaxed. "Alright. Generally it's good to send a message of interest and then wait and not pressure the people involved, but that's okay. I'm also sorry. We should have said something sooner instead of continuing to wait. It was kind of dumb of us to apply that standard to you when we couldn't follow it either. I can't imagine you would have any reason to know that etiquette yet, that's not something that's come up before."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm just glad that you do want us around," he said quietly. "I'm sorry as well. I should have said something, and I should not have let myself jump to conclusions on what it meant. I know you."

Cody smiled slightly. "Alright... So we're good?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "We're good," he assured Cody. "How's dessert?"

Cody tried it. "Oh! It's good. You made this?"

"I did." Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm glad you like it!" 

Cody grinned, relieved that things were going back to normal.

By the end of the night they were cuddling and talking as normal, catching up. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan had some great stories, and Fox and Cody had some of their own stories to share, especially about what many of their family were doing. 

.

As they walked to their quarters, Cody frowned. There was something bothering about their conversation, but he couldn't put his finger on it. 

The apology that Quinlan and Obi-Wan gave them for expecting them to message first instead of doing it themselves maybe?

Cody put it out of his mind. It wasn't a big deal. Bringing it up again would just make things worse. It wasn't a big deal. Right?

.

It was still bothering him the next day when he went to hang out with Ponds and Wolffe. Fox was there as well. 

They weren't doing anything special, just doing a puzzle while Plo and Mace talked on the couch, as Wolffe and Ponds were staying with Mace. Plo and Mace were together, so Plo was over quite frequently. He required his own quarters so that he could take off the oxygen mask to sleep, but he preferred spending quite a bit of his free time with Mace.

Cody let out a sigh.

"Alright that's it, spill, what's up with you two?" Wolffe asked irritably. He never did have much patience.

Cody hesitated, then decided that he had nothing to lose and explained everything.

Fox contributed in few words, acting aloof to the conversation. But they all knew he was actually listening to them despite all appearances.

"...You know I'm not sure I would have known what to do... but it sounds like you apologized, they apologized, and you had fun after. Why is this an issue?" Ponds asked.

"There's something bothering me... I'm not sure what," Cody admitted reluctantly. "It feels like we should have talked more, and that it was unresolved. And I think maybe Quin pointing out that we wouldn't know the etiquette is bothering me? But I don't know why?"

Wolffe sighed. "Time to ask the experts. I know you're listening," he added to the two Jedi. 

Of course they were listening, the puzzle was a mere four feet from where they were on the couch.

Plo pulled up a chair.

Mace went to get the cookies he baked earlier that day. 

"On Quinlan and Obi-Wan's part, I believe they took too much responsibility and are ignoring their hurt," Mace started as he sat down with the plate. 

Fox snatched a cookie immediately. "Ignoring their hurt? Why do you think that?" he asked.

"All their other friends were waiting for them. You two weren't. Cody, you're dating Obi-Wan and you didn't meet him or contact him for over a week. Many couples have broken up over that sort of lack of care," Mace explained bluntly.

Cody blinked and winced. "I... hadn't considered that. Why would he just put it to the side... Why would Quin, even if they're not dating?"

"Because they understand why you might not have known. Because they do enjoy both of your company and wouldn't want to let that get in the way of anything. They might not know how to explain their hurt. It is just something that is understood as part of friendships, families, and romantic relationships." Plo explained gently.

"I still want to know when I hurt Quin," Fox protested. "Why would he think it doesn't matter?" 

"We are Jedi, we are raised with a certain standard, and that includes being able to put aside our feelings. Unfortunately, this also leads to some misunderstandings at times," Mace explained carefully. "Particularly when Jedi are initiates it can be tricky to teach the balance of how to handle one's hurt when no harm is meant and it is understandable how it happened. It is very easy for children to get the wrong idea and learn to always put their hurt aside because they were wrong to feel that way."

Cody groaned. "So... Obi-Wan's difficulties in becoming a Padawan are part of the problem?"

"Most likely," Mace agreed.

"That doesn't explain Quin," Fox pointed out, frowning.

"Ah, that's right, you wouldn't know... I imagine the rumors are not as rampant anymore." Mace sighed.

"What rumors?"

"Many have believed Quinlan unsuited to being a Jedi for years, and at times used that to target him for bullying, on top of him being friends with another target. It would not surprise me if he got the same lectures on the subject that Obi-Wan did," Plo explained.

Cody groaned. "Seriously? That's..." he sighed. "Understandable but frustrating..."

Mace nodded. "Don't worry, I've been looking into that structure to fill in those gaps since we came back. After learning what Obi-Wan and Quinlan dealt with and the lessons they learned... Well, many padawans would not have been as well adjusted as they were, and would not have had as easy of a time learning the correct ways." 

Wolffe finally fit a piece he was struggling with into the puzzle. Then he looked up at Cody. "Wait... what did they say about you not knowing this?"

Cody repeated the words.

Wolffe frowned. "Kind of sounds like they're protecting you. Like it's something you should know better, but because of how we came to be, they're absolving you of it because we're still learning."

Cody frowned. "...yeah that's what's been bothering me. It feels... Uh... I don't know. But it doesn't feel good that they decided to protect us and brush aside their feelings just because we're still figuring things out."

Fox nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's really frustrating. I don't know why they don't think we can handle it. We made a mistake, we should own up to it and acknowledge how much it hurt them."

"But they didn't let us." Cody crossed his arms and looked down, thinking about it further. "Which is... I don't like it." 

Plo hummed. "It was not a wise decision, but it is currently a difficulty the Council is having right now. Navigating the Acadmics, integrating you into the Jedi Order or helping you find lives as you wish, and doing it while making sure you all have as much information as possible, so we know we are not taking advantage of your lack of knowledge and the... uncomfortable position you have been in."

Fox sighed. "But why haven't they talked to us about it?"

"Because they don't realize the conversation needs to be had. And keep in mind, this was the first time you saw them in almost a year," Mace pointed out. "They're probably thinking of you as closer to who you were when they saw you last. Would that have been the right decision then?"

Cody grimaced. "Yes," he had to admit. "I was... very sensitive to making sure I wasn't hurting them. We were very aware of their flaws and insecurities and they were aware of theirs and ours... them taking full responsibility because we were ignorant of certain things... that helped." He fell silent, thinking about how he hadn’t realized he had changed that much over the year.

"It gave us time to work through it at our own pace without feeling crippling guilt," Fox agreed. "But that time apart taught me how to take ownership of what I did wrong and brought me some extra security."

"So it was necessary."

"I think we could have figured it out together if they didn't leave," Fox responded. "We had been figuring it out slowly before then. It just forced Cody and I to step out of our comfort zones when we didn't think we were ready instead of us taking our time... it probably would've taken a few years to get to this point otherwise." 

"You should probably talk to them about it," Ponds suggested. "Better that they know now than for you to blow up at them next time."

"Right, good point. Thanks." Fox nodded, already thinking about how they would explain it. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan were always good at hearing them out. It should be an easy discussion.

.

Obi-Wan was still wondering, even days later, exactly why Cody and Fox had chosen not to at least greet them.

Sure, the fact that they didn't know was an easy and probable explanation. But he couldn't help the niggling feeling that there was something more to it. 

He just wasn't sure what. Assuming it wasn't his anxiety getting the better of him once more. That was always a possibility that he had to keep in mind.

Quinlan came in from a sparring match. He looked a little dazed and bemused.

"How was it?" Obi-Wan asked him. 

"Way too easy. I beat him in all bouts, easily, and there were others watching... and I beat them too. I wasn't more than average before... how?" Quinlan dropped into a chair and sighed happily as he sank into it.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Swords & Mysteries taught us different ways of fighting. I've noticed it helps me with improvising. I have a lot of tactics most other Jedi don't expect, if they weren't in the game. The other Jedi who were in the game fare better against my tactics. But at the same time... I think you were better than average. You were just one of a group of us who were really good. And you still beat us sometimes. You just couldn't do it consistently. It was pretty amazing actually."

Quinlan grinned. "Okay, you got me there." 

"Any sign of Fox or Cody?"

"Unfortunately no. I don't know why... I know they're busy... and I'm glad they're getting their feet and starting to branch out a bit. I'm glad they're not relying on us anymore but... I didn't expect them not showing up, or them just... ignoring us in general to hurt so much."

"Me either." Obi-Wan sighed. "But it's their lives. If... if that's what they want, then we have to respect that."

"Of course. But that doesn't make it any easier to handle. Sometimes I miss being in the game. It was so much simpler. We knew our goals at all time and everyone was on the same page. We just never thought about what after would look like."

Quinlan nodded. "Sounds about right... You know, I beat everyone I sparred against after our session? My only loss was against Cin Drallig and it was still a close bout. How did I get to that level and not realize all the improvements?"

"We spend most of our time sparring Kit and Mace."

"Oh right. That's why. Heh." Quinlan shook his head. "I guess that really made a difference."

"It seems it did. Good job."

"Thanks. You have fun relaxing?"

"Yeah. Mostly."

"Stressing about Fox and Cody again?" Quinlan knew he was right, they were just discussing it before attempting to talk about other things.

"Unfortunately." Obi-Wan sighed. "I just... I just want to figure out what is going on and get to a new normal... if they want to leave us behind, fine. I just want to know."

"Yeah. Me too." Quinlan sighed. "I thought we taught them that communication was important and yet... I've sent a short message every day to say hi and good night, no response. I don't understand it."

"Me either." Obi-Wan moved to join Quinlan and cuddle. "I miss them. I just want to know what they want so I can move on."

"Me too."

They stayed like that for a bit. Just when they were considering what to do for dinner, there was a knock at the door.

Both jumped. 

Obi-Wan got up to answer the door. He smiled when he saw Cody and Fox waiting on the other side.

"Cody! Fox! Do come in."

Cody stepped in first. "Um, we wanted to talk."

"Of course. Tea or caf? Water?"

"Caf," Cody decided. 

"Caf," Fox agreed.

This time they sat in the living room and snacked on some fruit bread.

No one said a word at first. Quinlan and Obi-Wan were waiting for Fox and Cody to speak first, since they had been the ones to say that a conversation was needed.

"Why did you act like what we did was no big deal? We clearly hurt you. I'd like to be able to make up for that... but you don't want to let us. Why?"  Fox took the lead, as he and Cody had discussed.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan exchanged surprised looks. 

Obi-Wan decided to speak for them both. "I suppose there are a lot of reasons. Most prominently, we prefer to err on the side of taking too much responsibility, especially when we feel like we might have been overreacting to begin with."

"Feelings are always valid," Cody said quietly. "And you didn't spill them onto us... you just... acted like we didn't have any part in the misunderstanding at all."

"I'd say your part is more understandable," Quinlan said. "You don't know what you don't know... and you're always willing to make up for it. If you didn't know that meeting people when they arrive is expected, why would you do so without someone mentioning it first? And we definitely could have tried to reach out as well. We can't be too mad at you for not communicating when we weren't communicating either."

Fox frowned. "We're not babies."

Quinlan was confused. "I never said you were."

"Then why are you treating us like we can't handle anything?"

"That's not-"

"Oh come on. You didn't give us a chance to take ownership of what happened, just jumped straight to us not knowing and explained it. We're not stupid." Fox shot back.

Quinlan frowned. "Why do you think we have any of those sorts of intentions? We just want you to be happy and be able to be yourselves."

"Right, so you just shield us from our own mistakes instead." Cody huffed.

"There is no reason for you to feel guilty. No one communicated and we had resolved it. Why are you so upset?" Obi-Wan asked. His hand was tapping the side of his leg, betraying some of his feelings.

"Because you're treating us like we're fragile, like we can't make mistakes... because we're just some NPCs."

"What? No, that's not true... That's no-"

"Well it is!" Fox snapped. He angrily set down his mug before he broke it. "You think we can't handle it! Because we used to be NPCs. But we can handle it! What do you think we've been doing for the last year?"

Quinlan blinked, startled by the outburst. He set down his own mug. "I mean... A year isn't enough to learn everything... and it's not like you've talked a lot about this part of it. If you don't want us to treat you that way, I won't do it again."

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place," Cody said quietly. He finished his mug and set it down. "We're not fragile. We don't need protection."

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized. "You are in a weird position and the dynamics have been... strange between us because of your origins. Ethics says we shouldn't be in a relationship, so I have always been cautious."

"And you couldn't have told me that?" Cody burst out.

"I thought we did discuss that it was a strange dynamic..." Obi-Wan stared at him in confusion. 

Cody hit his hand on the table. "Come on! You didn't specify exactly what you meant! I didn't realize that was what you meant! I don't want you to baby me anymore. That's no relationship either. Give it to me straight." 

Obi-Wan stared at him. "Very well. What do you want me to tell you?"

"Were you hurt that I wasn't there to greet you?"

"Yes." 

"Did you know why?"

"No." 

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I could think of a few reasons and my anxiety was getting the better of me. Once the initial chaos had died down I was able to think clearly enough and talk with Quinlan. We concluded we needed to try to talk with you before our minds went too wild."

Fox frowned. "Is that the same for you?" he asked Quinlan.

Quinlan nodded. "It is. Our insecurities lined up this time."

"And what are your reasons, then?" Fox asked. He already knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan shared a look.

"Well, most of them revolved around the same idea..." Obi-Wan said slowly. "With some variations."

"Which is...?" Cody asked impatiently.

"We were wondering if with the time apart you had decided that you did not want to be friends anymore and had decided to ghost us instead." Quinlan braced himself for the explosion he was sure was coming. 

If Fox had not already been worked up, he might have received it well. But he was worked up. And if he exploded, Cody would follow, as they had similar tempers.

"What! Why would we do that?" Fox demanded. He got up and poked his finger in Quinlan's chest. "You should know me better than that!" 

"You basically ghosted me!" Quinlan protested. "You haven't even responded over the last few days. You could've at least just told me you needed space instead of ignoring me."

"Oh come on! We kept every scheduled communication! Why would we change just because you got home?" Fox demanded. 

"I don't know!" Quinlan responded, throwing his hands up. "Insecurities aren't always rational! Which is why we were trying to talk to you once we got up past the anxiety to determine what was going on, rather than just accuse you of that!"

"So you weren't even going to tell us?" Cody asked softly.

"My anxieties, my insecurities, are my problems to handle. I shouldn't be accusing you of anything without proof, and there is no reason for you to feel like you always have to accommodate that." 

Obi-Wan sounded calm, but inwardly he was anything but. He could feel his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He had never broken down in front of Cody like this before, and he didn't want to start now, so he acknowledged the feelings and shoved them back in their box for now.

Cody scoffed. "So you would never tell me just how badly my actions are affecting you? How badly I hurt you by being so stupidly ignorant? Instead you just thought that I would... leave you without a word?"

Quinlan jumped up, noticing Obi-Wan's distress and shifting to partially block him from view. "We don't know! Neither of you have been communicating. Very easy for imaginations to go wild with no communication. And anyways. A lot of warning advice about relationships and even friendships is that sometimes you think you know someone but you might never truly know them, not until they do something insane like that."

"Really? So you're just waiting for us to screw up?"

"No!" Quinlan was quick to respond. "I just... It's always at the back of my mind, you're new to this, there's no precedent on how this should go since you're NPCs who are now really working on integrating with the real world and... All it takes is a little communication."

Fox growled and shoved Quinlan.

Quinlan stumbled and fell into his chair, staring up at Fox in astonishment. His eyes burned with tears but he ignored that.

"What was that for?"

"You're insufferable. You always think you know better than us!"

"That's not... that's not my intention."

"You always come out right in the end!" 

Quinlan stared up at him, astonished, eyes burning more. He rubbed his eyes, annoyed by the tears. 

But it was Obi-Wan who found his voice first.

"We do not try to come out right, and I'm sorry for giving that impression. Can we please calm down and talk this out calmly?" Obi-Wan asked. 

"No!" Cody snapped. "We're not doing this your way this time."

Obi-Wan flinched and took in a deep breath. "I see. Then what way do you want to do this?”

The argument got a bit vicious after that, with Cody and Fox pulling up old memories, some of which Obi-Wan and Quinlan had quite forgotten. They talked about how they were always seen as a pair, and Obi-Wan and Quinlan were a pair, and how Obi-Wan and Cody were a pair and Quinlan and Fox were pair and they were a group, and they were rarely seen as individuals until they started taking different classes and Quinlan and Obi-Wan left on their classes.

Fox and Cody spent a lot of time making big gestures and occasionally knocking into things as they paced. They broke more than one thing in their anger, though they didn’t get more violent towards Quinlan and Obi-Wan than shoving them away. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan tried to listen, but at times they defended themselves. When they did so, their desperation sounded much like anger, especially as they got more and more emotional

Eventually, Fox and Cody left, leaving the two Jedi sitting, stunned at the turn of events.

Quinlan numbly went to start picking up the shards of the mug Fox had knocked down. He wiped his eyes.

He picked up a shard and dropped it immediately, horrified. 

"They weren't wearing gloves... the echoes are going to be everywhere they touched... and they were so angry it might lightly be in some places they didn't touch..."

Obi-Wan sat up, wide eyed. "Oh no... that's going to be hard."

"Yeah." Quinlan took a deep breath in and let it out. "We screwed up. They're never going to come back, are they?"

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said softly. "But it certainly sounded that way." He pulled on gloves. "Let's get everything cleaned up and then we can hang out in your room? Or my room?"

"Yours, I think. Better for feeling sad and cuddles."

"Good point." Obi-Wan gave him a small smile.

They cleaned up the mess and retreated. They avoided the living room any time they emerged. Neither wanted to risk catching the feeling of Fox and Cody's anger.

Anger that they were right to have. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan felt like they truly had screwed up. Fox and Cody had some very good points, and they felt awful to have not realized it before.

Chapter Text

No one realized anything was off at first. It was a change that came on gradually.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan spent more time out of their quarters than before. They were both looking more and more exhausted each day. 

And still, they kept going as they always did. 

They were letting go of their emotions, and slowly working through what had happened.

Neither knew what to do, exactly. Cody and Fox had been furious.

At first, space was definitely needed. But could they talk it out?

Both were afraid they wouldn't be given that chance. 

Apparently, what they had done had been festering. Fox and Cody had been quite furious. Sure, it was a bit of a tantrum and more suited to a kid, but sometimes that happened when people were not dealing with their emotions appropriately and let resentment build.

Neither of them knew how to deal with this. They didn't seek advice this time. The last time the advice didn't work out so well anyways. 

They should be able to handle it. They were Knights. They just needed to give Fox and Cody space and wait to see if this would change things forever. 

They thought it would. Neither were certain this would work out. 

At least they were making progress in working through it and letting go for their own sakes.

.

Quinlan was exhausted but he couldn't sleep at home because he knew that he had to be careful every time he left his bedroom and he couldn't handle that. He woke up in the middle of the night sometimes and needed to sleepily grab things. 

He couldn't stop thinking about how much they had messed up. He couldn't stop thinking about how angry Fox was.

So Quinlan just went to the one safe place he had. He was getting naps in there. It was peaceful.

It was the Kiffu section of the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

He took some time each day to make sure each plant and tree was doing well before climbing a tree, laying down on a thick branch, arms and legs dangling. There he took a nap.

He had started taking an interest when he was a padawan when he realized he could bring saplings and plants back after visits, and then work to grow them.

It had been a bit more difficult than he expected, and it had taken him a while to find the right balance, but he persevered. It helped that Tholme had worked to maintain it while he was stuck in the game for five years.

Quinlan woke up from his nap when he felt another person nearby. He poked his head over the branch and sure enough, there was Qui-Gon. 

He considered Qui-Gon, then shrugged and got down. He was at his limit for napping for the day anyways. Once he was wide awake, he was up and wouldn't be able to sleep again until bedtime.

Qui-Gon didn't jump. He just smiled at Quinlan. "Hello. Taking a nap?"

Quinlan nodded as he stretched. "Kiffu trees are perfect for napping. What are you doing here?"

"I was checking on things... I helped Tholme while you were away."

"Oh. Thank you!" Quinlan smiled. "It's usually just me working on it."

"You do a good job. I don't see any issues right now. But you seem to have been here more often lately, and you look exhausted."

Quinlan shrugged and looked away. "Just a... argument."

"Why don't we talk about it and garden? I could use some help transplanting some flowers over in the Naboo section."

"Oh..." Quinlan bit his lip, then sighed. "Alright. Let's do that." He followed Qui-Gon over to the Naboo section and started helping.

"Is there any particular reason you are not currently comfortable with talking?"

Quinlan shrugged. "I don't know... Just feels... weird being a Knight and feeling like I need to talk like a padawan." 

Qui-Gon chuckled. "You will never fully outgrow that feeling. I still sometimes have to tell myself I am a Jedi master with decades of experience, I am the one in charge. But I also do still go to Yoda and others for advice. As you get older,  you'll find that there's more and more who can offer experienced advice, and eventually they even start getting younger than you."

Quinlan looked at him, surprised, then he looked down at the hole he was digging. "Even when it's something that a Jedi should be able to handle?"

"Everyone struggles from time to time. The important thing is how you handle it. Does it affect others? Does it affect your job? Are you at risk of using the Dark side? And so on. If it's something that's mostly just affecting you, then you can take your time, or seek mind healing."

"Oh..." Quinlan sighed. "I don't know how much it affects others... but it's a problem for me and Obi-Wan... It's... Fox and Cody are angry at us, and I get why..."

Qui-Gon listened patiently as Quinlan explained the whole sequence of events.

"And they didn't wear gloves so their anger is all over everything they touched, and some things they didn't because it was so strong, and I can't stand being in that area right now because I shouldn't have to wear gloves in my own home."

Qui-Gon hummed. "That explains why both you and Obi-Wan look so exhausted. Do you have a plan?"

"No, not really... Obviously they need space but I don't know how to approach this situation because of course they're right to be upset with us but it still hurts the way they exploded... If this is the final straw, then obviously I'll let them go... yet after all this time... that's what's going to be the problem? But I don't want to make things worse and I'm not sure I can move on without talking about how much I hurt... it's hard to trust again after something like that, no matter how understandable."

"You have a good head on your shoulders. It is difficult to navigate being a Jedi, and letting go while still allowing yourself your feelings and processing them in your own time. I have struggled with it myself at times. It's hard to know how much is too much. It is hard to know if you're doing the right thing. But that's when you ask for help. And maybe seek a mind healer if it is troubling you that much."

Quinlan nodded slowly. "Oh. Thank you...?"

Qui-Gon chuckled. "You're doing just fine for your age, Quinlan. I think you need to give yourself more credit for your hurt. You were hurt. It's okay to acknowledge it, and to want those you care about to acknowledge it. Of course it's going to hurt when they do not. Of course you're going to mishandle things when you are hurt. Of course them acting like children is only going to make it worse, and you can’t forget that they declined to talk about it calmly."

Quinlan nodded slowly. "I guess I have been trying to hide my hurt..."

Qui-Gon stopped and sighed. "I recognize those signs... Quinlan, how often have you had to hide your hurt because others refuse to acknowledge their own fault in a situation and only acknowledge yours?"

Quinlan frowned, and wanted to deny it ever happening. But... He trusted Qui-Gon. He gave it some thought, and realized that yes, that had happened, he had just never registered it as such. 

"Oh... I never noticed," he said softly. "Obi doesn't do that to me, our closest friends have never done that either... But the wider group of friends...? All the time. I always told myself it was because I'm obnoxious, I'm not a good friend. Why would anyone want to tolerate someone like me? Of course I'm the problem." 

"Ah, that is more complicated than I expected. It's hard when a lot of people are always acting like you are the problem. But I do not think you are the problem."

"I'm terrible with boundaries, I'm too loud, I don't know when to quit, and I don't act like a Jedi." 

Qui-Gon gave Quinlan a look. "No, I think that's wrong. You are overly paranoid about boundaries, just like Obi-Wan. You push a bit more than he does, and you’re more likely to ask instead of default keeping your distance, but people do not make their boundaries clear enough before you go too far so you are always left facing the consequences, and they're left thinking you do not care. But you do. The hard boundaries you obey- you never do more than an initial greeting with Luminara, you let her initiate all contact. Someone who doesn't care about boundaries would never do that."

Quinlan focused on the planting, surprised by the observation. He hadn't thought about it like that. Yeah, he was paranoid, he just hadn’t realized it was noticeable.

"You're too loud? Yes, you do have a problem with volume at times, but you always try to correct yourself when people say something. You don't know when to quit? That's actually a good trait when on missions. It also means that you ensure that you have left no stone unturned before deciding that you have tried your best."

Quinlan patted down the dirt around the first plant and sat back.

"As for acting like a Jedi... There is no one way to act like a Jedi. The important part is that you follow the Force, never let your emotions get the better of you, and accomplish your missions to the best of your ability. You don't need to act all calm and serene to do that."

Quinlan nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Thanks."

"Do you want my advice?"

"Um. Yes? I guess?" 

"Then I think you need to stop and acknowledge that they hurt you. You reacted the way you did initially because sometime when you were growing up, you learned that your feelings didn't matter as much as making things right, just like Obi-Wan did."

Quinlan stared at him.

Qui-Gon smiled. "It took me a while to realize I was contributing to that particular problem. There is a reason that Obi-Wan didn't trust me entirely. That's okay. What is important is that you make sure you take care of yourself. If you want to be with Fox, you can't let him do this again. You're allowed to be hurt, he's allowed to be angry. The important thing is coming together and solving it calmly, if you want things to work out, not him exploding with yelling and violence."

Quinlan groaned. "Not you too..."

"The advice works just as well for friendships." Qui-Gon was amused. "Friendships can just as easily go bad over the same issues, people just don't see it as bad because of how everyone views romance."

"Oh... Okay." Quinlan relaxed a bit. "I mean... you're not wrong though... I do want to be with him... I was thinking about asking him out but then we got here and he wasn't there and... all my courage for that left. It’s a bit worse now, of course. I don’t think he’s a bad person, he rarely loses it, and I’ve never seen him act like that. I want to believe he will do better in the future, if we talk it out."

"That's understandable. I think you should give yourself some grace and time. Talk to Fox when you're ready."

"I will." Quinlan smiled slightly. "I hope you're right and we can figure this out."

"If you can't, you already were prepared to move on. Giving it a try shouldn't change that."

"True." Quinlan felt a lot better as he resumed planting. It was nice to talk to someone sometimes after all.

.

Obi-Wan was walking through the halls when Tholme approached him.

"Obi-Wan, is everything alright?"

Obi-Wan blinked at him, surprised. "What makes you think things aren't alright?"

"You're wearing gloves," Tholme pointed out gently. "And you have a look that I've seen Quinlan wear many times. Why don't you come have some tea with me and we can talk about it?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, then nodded. "Tea sounds nice," he agreed.

He didn't say anything the entire way to Tholme's quarters, nor did he say anything other than a quick 'thank you' when Tholme prepared him some tea. 

Tholme sat down next to him on the couch. 

"What happened to cause you to be overwhelmed by your psychometry?"

Obi-Wan looked at him, surprised.

"You're wearing gloves, you're exhausted, and you're tightly controlling your emotions. Those are all signs Quinlan shows. Now, do you just want to sit and have tea, cuddle, or talk about it?"

"...all three?" Obi-Wan requested sheepishly.

"Of course." Tholme moved and wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan sighed and leaned in. It took him a few more sips before he was ready to talk about it. He started talking about the impressions that Cody and Fox left, but he then realized he needed to give Tholme all the background on what happened. So he explained. 

Tholme finished his tea after Obi-Wan finished, thinking about it seriously. 

"Let's start with the psychometry overload... is it your first time?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "It wasn't nearly as strong in the game or before adoption, and after, I was always careful. I never got in a situation where I couldn't avoid it before..."

"And you've never experienced such strong emotions before, have you?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I think it's worse because I know Cody and Fox, and I'm dealing with my own issues on the argument and... I hate having to wear gloves in my own home. Quin's better at remembering to wear them and he hates it too, but I keep forgetting.” 

"And so, you're getting unnecessarily overwhelmed."

"Yeah." Obi-Wan sighed. "And I don't know what to do... It hurts and it won't leave me alone... Our family tried to teach me some of what I needed to know but it's not enough. I'm still struggling."

Tholme sighed. "It is difficult, I know. What you can do is remember to ground yourself. In the moment, in whatever else you're touching, in what you're hearing."

"Like... dealing with anxiety." Obi-Wan said, eyes widening. 

"Exactly." Tholme nodded. "I can teach you a few things that helped Quinlan a bit, and I think will help you more than they helped him. But let's discuss the rest of the argument, which will help you handle the emotions from psychometry, okay?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Okay."

"I think the problem is that you're not trying to treat them as lesser... because you're trying to put their feelings above yours. You had a hard time with your emotions and I know you learned it was better to apologize and try to do better instead of explaining why and trying to work with anyone else on preventing it from happening."

Obi-Wan winced. "I did have a temper and reacted poorly to bullying."

"And that experience is not helping you now. Because Cody and Fox proved not to care about your feelings, they didn't seem to fully get what they had done. They had disregarded you when you arrived. So you defaulted to trying to handle it yourself. Even though you did nothing wrong, and were trying to solve it."

"I... yeah. I guess that's what happened. I should be better than this."

"No person gets it right all the time. And it's difficult to handle the feeling of being neglected and ignored, forgotten. Wondering if they forgot, didn't want to meet you or if it was something else. You did the best you could, it came off as condescending and they reacted poorly later. Which blindsided you."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Yeah... so what do I do? I don't even know the best way to handle this... I don't want to lose Cody... we went through too much in the game to just give up... but he was so upset, and feeling his anger... I wonder if he would ever forgive me. Why would he forgive me when he was so furious?"

"If he cares about you at all, he will try to make it work. Giving him space is a good way to handle it. It helps to leave a message to that effect, but it also is good to take care of yourself. Would you have handled it well if you did not give him space?"

"No... But I don't know what to do now."

"First, deal with your own emotions. Then deal with the psychometry. Then consider your options and how best to talk to Cody about this."

"Oh... Okay." Obi-Wan let out a breath. "It hurt so much that he didn't show up at all... that he didn't message at all, and then I had to be the one to message... And I didn't really have the brain space to be the one to initiate with all the things we had to do, we were busy for most of each day. I wish they hadn't assumed."

Tholme nodded. "Communication is a two way street and it shouldn't always be on you... shouldn't always be on them either, but you've acknowledged that."

"Being an adult is hard," Obi-Wan groaned. "Being a Knight is hard."

"You're doing just fine. This kind of thing is always difficult to balance."

"Is it?"

"Emotions don't go away with age, you just get better at controlling and handling them. Everyone still has limits, too, even if they're always growing. It's not uncommon even for me to meet my limit at times."

"Oh... that helps, actually." 

"Good."

After some more talking, Tholme took Obi-Wan to one of the meditation rooms.

Obi-Wan looked around curiously when he entered. He didn't remember ever checking this one out before. It had a light breeze, wind chimes, and a big window.

Tholme went up to the window controls and pressed a few buttons. Some of the panes turned different colors. 

"Whoa..." Obi-Wan gasped. 

Tholme smiled. "This is one of my favorite meditation rooms. Some Jedi find it to be too much as there is a lot going on at once. Others find it to be a nice challenge... Quinlan finds it to be good for calming down when he's being easily distracted because these distractions are so minor. I just find it a nice change of pace for meditating, and I think you will find it to help you. You get distracted just as easily as he does, but you need a little distraction from how bad it is in order to deal with it."

Obi-Wan nodded absently as he settled in to meditate, taking in everything.

Tholme smiled. He settled into meditating himself, knowing that Obi-Wan would ask for help if he needed it.

Obi-Wan started meditating, focusing on dealing with the negative emotions his psychometry had picked up. He had known the theory of dealing with it, but actually dealing with it was a bit of a surprise.

Now that he had a good place to meditate, and had talked out some things, he felt more equipped to handle it. 

Now if only he could figure out the best way to approach things with Cody.

.

Cody frowned, watching Obi-Wan walk away from him quickly. After a bit, he decided to go talk to Fox.

Fox was in the middle of baking a new recipe. "What do you want?"

"I think Obi is avoiding me..."

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?"

"He saw me and started walking quickly in the other direction, and our paths haven't crossed in days."

"Well, we did have a bit of an argument last time we saw him and Quin. I haven't been able to catch Quin either."

"I have never seen them avoid anyone they get in an argument with. The last time I saw either of them in an argument with someone, they made up within a day... The worst one I saw was them yelling at each other and they made up within hours."

Fox's shoulders slumped. "I've been trying not to think about it," he admitted. "They haven't apologized, and they're avoiding us... that's  not... Maybe we need an outside opinion. Mace is good, but he doesn't know them as well as Kit does, but I think Kit has heard their side..."

Cody straightened as he got an idea. "Do you think that Briel knows anything? Maybe he can help."

Fox nodded. "Good idea.. let me finish these cupcakes and if they're any good we can bring some to share."

.

Briel greeted the newcomers to his shop with a smile, then froze when he recognized Cody and Fox. He hadn't seen them in a while. Not since he had returned to Coruscant anyways. He grinned widely once it sunk in.

He welcomed them to the back and happily took one of the offered cupcakes. 

He waited and sure enough, the story spilled out of them after a few minutes. 

Briel took another cupcake as they finished up and ate it to give him some time to think. 

"I think... I think you need some perspectives on how they think. They confided in me and Ber quite a bit when it came to things you didn't have the frame of reference to understand. Especially since for everyone Swords & Mysteries were a matter of life and death and their problems generally were not. So, I am going to call Ber... Fox, he knows Quin a lot better than I do. I'll have you talk to him while I talk to Cody."

"Oh, I guess that works." Cody nodded, seeing that Fox didn't seem interested in talking.

Briel gave them a sympathetic smile. "I don't agree with everything they've done here to react, but I understand it based on what I do know. And I understand your reactions. Although... I do wonder... when you were confronting them... how much did you talk about hurting them?"

Fox stopped and stared at him then looked down, thinking about it. They were upset that they weren't being allowed to take responsibility for their faults... and then didn't actually consider Quinlan and Obi-Wan's feelings, which had caused the issue in the first place. 

Briel called Bernard. 

"Hello?"

"Hey Ber, I need your help. I hope you're not busy?"

"Nah, not right now. What's up?"

Briel explained everything that Fox and Cody had told him.

"Oh boy... this is a problem."

"Yep."

"Let me talk to Fox."

"That was what I was thinking." Briel turned to Fox. "My apartment is upstairs, I'll close the store for now and we can go upstairs, you can choose to use my guest bedroom if you want more privacy."

Fox took the comm. "Thanks." He waited and then followed Briel upstairs.

He only waited around long enough to grab caf and snacks before ducking into the guest bedroom where he settled on the bed and started sipping at the caf.

"Ready?" Bernard asked him gently.

"As ready as I can be," Fox sighed. "I... I don't think we're wrong to feel the way we do... but... Quin's avoiding me now. He's never avoided me, even when he's having a bad day. I want to fix this. He's a fantastic friend."

Bernard nodded. "He is. Okay... Tell me more about it from your point of view, then I can offer insight into Quin, if you want."

"Alright. I just... I just want to be friends again. I don't want this to be the thing that tears us apart after everything." Fox looked down and then took a deep breath before he explained what he remembered, how he felt, how he had been unsettled though maybe not as unsettled as Cody by how it'd resolved, how the Jedi put some things in perspective, and how their brothers pointed out some strange things... and how he wanted to confront them.

"I don't know how it got so out of hand. We were talking okay, I think... and well, pretty sure it was either Cody or I who started raising our voice first, we should have had more control, but then they started responding and I think it just... devolved into vicious barbs being traded because all of us were hurt and we couldn't stop. I don't know why I did that." 

"I can't speak to why you did that. Sometimes things like that happen. Now that it's happened, you need to decide how you're going to do better for your part next time. How you will keep your hurt under control and not lash out."

Fox nodded. "I suppose that makes sense... but that doesn't help me fix it."

"Right. Okay, understanding Quin." Bernard sighed. "He never showed you all of himself. He leads with his worst foot forward, to scare off people he absolutely would not be able to trust as a friend. But... he doesn't reveal his deepest insecurities. Obi wears his heart on his sleeve. Quin only appears to do so. He's open and excitable but he still... he still has insecurities that he would never tell anyone, not without a good reason, and not without a healthy amount of trust."

"Why? Why weren't we at that point?"

Bernard sighed. "I think during the game, he wasn't sure what to do since you were an NPC. Sure he could trust you, but would you understand why he was insecure when you've never experienced the real world? Then we all got out and he was dealing with recovering and physical therapy, along with sudden fame, and politics, and hiding that the game followed the Jedi out... along with hiding your origins. It would have been a lot for him. And then, just when things were settling into a new normal, he and Obi were sent off on their journey, and when he got back..."

"...I wasn't there to greet him and didn't do anything to reach out. Of course he wouldn't say anything then." Fox groaned. "Okay, what am I dealing with?" 

"I wouldn't say you're dealing with anything. You don't have to treat him any differently. I remember him telling me when they were on Kiffu at the start of their trip that his insecurities were his to deal with, and he didn’t want people to have to cater to them. You don't have to do anything about his insecurities. Or you could be sympathetic and understanding and do your best to help him out, giving him some grace while still holding him accountable. He would always feel guilty if you excused everything he did... And I think you can understand that."

"Right. But what can you tell me?" Fox asked desperately.

"I'm getting there... You know the basics of Quin's life. His parents were murdered in front of him, his psychometry coupled with his Force sensitivity made things difficult and he desperately needed Jedi help, which led to him joining the Jedi. He quickly became friends with Obi-Wan, and eventually started training to be a shadow under Tholme, until he was stuck in the game."

Fox huffed at the summary but nodded anyway. It was a good reminder. He hadn’t considered looking deeper, to look at all the background.

"Quin is Kiffar."

"Yeah?"

"How do you think the initiates reacted to a Kiffar youngling? He's not like a lot of our cousins, but he's not like me or Jas either." Bernard was referring to how Quinlan was below average when compared to the chaos of the average Kiffar, but not as mild or introverted as Jasmine and Bernard were. Bernard in particular was shy and anxious on top of that.

"Oh... he is a bit more... chaotic and a lot for the average person... and the Jedi seem a bit... quieter than the average person of the galaxy at the same time... Did he struggle to fit in? That would explain why he prefers to lead with his worst foot forward... He knows he's a bit much and just wants to avoid that... Wait... that's where the insecurities come from, isn't it?"

"Some of them. If you asked him how many friends he had, do you know his answer?"

Fox sighed. "Not many... we've had that conversation before... I should have listened better..."

"Having few friends means that when one hurts you, it hurts far worse than when you have many."

"That makes sense... what else is there?"

Bernard sighed. "I'm trying to figure out how much I can tell you without betraying his trust," he admitted. "But... let's just say that Quin's dealt with his fair share of screw ups, bullies, and then there is how he entered the Jedi in the first place. That messed him up. He sees mind healers regularly, and he wasn't sure what kind of Jedi he was meant to be after the game since he couldn't be a shadow anymore." 

"I don't know where you're going with this."

Bernard groaned. "I'm so terrible at this... I wish Jas could do this. But... I do know Quin the best after the game... I just don't know how to put it into words without screwing up."

"Breathe." Fox sighed. He should have known. Bernard was a very anxious person, and very introverted. This wasn't going to get him answers, was it? 

Bernard took a deep breath. "Okay, here's what I think happened... From Quin's perspective, he thought he had a good solid friendship with you. You not showing up made him question it. But he's good at rationalizing these things, anxiety and insecurities mean you learn to deal with these things with logic, even if it never fully works. Oh, Fox was probably too busy, I'll see him later. He'll message later."

Fox nodded slowly. "But... I never reached out to him, and he did say he bears some of the blame because he could have done so sooner."

"He could have when he had time. But these anxieties, these insecurities... they're insidious. They make you doubt everything. Second guess everything. You stop and think too much. If you have no good counterpoint, no proof that the voices are wrong... then it is so much harder not to give into it. Add in that you're right, he was busy, and communication can take a lot of thinking and second guessing when all you want to do is turn your brain off. It would have been easier for him if you'd just sent a message acknowledging he was back and busy and you were willing to connect when he wasn't busy. If you truly couldn't meet him when he arrived." 

Fox winced. Bernard didn't sound accusatory but it was still an uncomfortable truth he had been avoiding.

"I think... I was uncomfortable by him taking so much responsibility like I don't know any better and can't learn to be better, and don't need to own up to it, but at the same time... I think I was relieved not to have to deal with it. Because I knew the moment they mentioned they were hurt we screwed up. I knew that I would never make that mistake again. I'd at least check in on if he needed space in the future and for how long. But I didn't want to face that I made him hurt... as long as I could focus on something else... It meant I didn't have to face that I hurt Quin... I never wanted to hurt him."

"I know. You love him."

"Yeah. He doesn't-Wait," Fox sputtered. "I never mentioned love."

"But you responded to it anyways," Bernard responded smugly. "Now... running away from the problem isn't a good thing, hiding from your mistakes isn't a good thing. But it is good that you knew you weren't going to make that mistake again, that you did learn from it regardless. You'll need to remember to face up to your part in it in the future."

"Why did Quin take so much responsibility? I agree that he did mess up on communication but you're right that it would have been far harder for him than me, yet he was acting like it was all his fault."

Bernard sighed. "Quin doesn't like screwing up. He doesn't like hurting people. He wants to move on and move past things, and learn and grow. The line of how much responsibility is yours can be skewed, especially since so much of the media likes to portray it as one side is more wrong than the other, even over a simple miscommunication where both sides could have done better." 

Fox nodded slowly. "I can see that," he admitted. "But he was hurting... would he have been able to move past it?"

"Eventually, if it didn't happen again."

"But... that's not fair to him. Wouldn't he just... keep hurting?"

"He's good at letting things go, eventually, if it didn't happen again, it wouldn't bother him anymore."

"And... if it did happen again?"

"Then he would try to communicate again, take his share of the responsibility, which knowing him and his tendency to try to be the best person he can be would be once again most if not all of it, and try to move on, and it would repeat until he couldn't handle it anymore. I don't know what form that would take, though. An angry outburst, a meltdown... who knows."

Fox sighed. "I don't want to be the cause of that. How do I help him?" 

"I'm not entirely certain. Listening is always a good place to start. Validating his hurt too... even if he was actually primarily at fault, that doesn't erase how much he is hurting. I hope he will validate your hurts as well."

Fox nodded slowly, considering taking notes at this point so that he didn't forget. Then he remembered that the game menu did have a section that was meant for taking notes and journaling, though he had rarely used it. That would work for now. He started adding things.

"Now let's go over the argument, do you want to go over how he hurt you or just how you hurt him?"

"I think I can advocate for myself, and it's not like I didn't deserve it considering how long he held onto calm before starting to get vicious right back." Fox frowned. "And... oh no, he did tell me about it mostly being insecurities, but Cody and I just... we went right past it and turned it into them not trusting us and waiting for us to screw up."

Bernard winced. "Oof. Yeah, I noticed that from what you described. Now, you're not necessarily wrong. Giving into anxiety and insecurities like that definitely looks like a lack of trust and it can be a lack of trust in fact. Usually, for myself, and I think for Quin and Obi, it's more of a lack of trust in ourselves than in the person we're expecting to treat us poorly eventually."

"They thought we'd ghosted them though they hadn't tried to reach out... but considering... it's not actually as big a leap as I thought. I think I've seen worse... from them. Not directed at me, thankfully but... I've seen worse insecurity drawing conclusions that are just leaps and assumptions."

"Yeah. The most annoying thing about the anxiety and insecurity leaps in logic is that they really seem logical, even if they are emotionally driven. Until I can take a step away from my emotions and look at it logically and then it's like 'was I on something?' But for you ghosting them... Yeah, that's not a terrible leap in logic aside from the fact they hadn't tried to reach out up to that point."

Fox nodded and made a few more notes, then he sighed. "I can't believe I shoved him and told him that he's insufferable and that he always has to come out on top. I mean, he does come out on top, but I don't think he tries to. He just argues his point so well I usually come around to his side rather than the other way around, and even then, I've noticed that he does take what I say into consideration."

"Yeah, he's not going to have taken that well. He tries not to be a know it all, and he probably thought you were having a friendly debate, and didn't mean to actually 'win'. And insufferable... He's been called that by people who are not friends."

"Bullies?" Fox asked, scowling. "I wish I hadn't resorted to that... but he was still pretty calm, if a bit shocked at that point. It wasn't until after Cody said we're doing this our way not their way that they started lashing out, and even then, it wasn't like we were trading barbs, it was more like, Cody and I weren't being nice and were getting quite cruel, and they only responded viciously or angrily or otherwise lashed out to the particularly bothersome comments..."

"Sounds like you handled it pretty poorly."

Fox sighed. "Yeah. We wanted them to take us seriously, and I think we just appeared immature and stupid instead."

"Not stupid. You're still figuring out the galaxy. Did they need to give you more room to take responsibility? Yes. They shouldn't be sheltering you, especially considering everything you four went through together. But they are right to give you more grace and understanding than they might give any other person for your actions."

"I... they're too good for this galaxy," Fox groaned. "I swear, they would forgive a serial killer and give him a chance. I mean they would be totally prepared for a fight and to kill him if necessary but they would still risk it. They should stand up for themselves more."

"They should, but they won't. That's just not who they are. They will protect each other and you and everyone they love, and anyone who needs protection to their dying breath, but they will accept anyone hurting themselves directly and turn the other cheek."

"Well, I'm not sure they'll protect each other if they're on the same page about what's happening... but everything else is accurate."

"You're right about that. So, you got vicious when talking to them. What about?"

"I... it's mostly a blur," Fox admitted. "I was grasping at anything to throw at them because I was just so angry and feeling so small compared to them and their understandable reasons and... yeah. I think I might have brought up some mistakes from the game. I think I might have made some comment about how they weren't brothers really? Not like me and Cody."

"Ouch. You know Obi is adopted officially now."

"I guessed based on the Clan tattoos. I think that made me angrier... I think... It's so hard to fit in sometimes, trying to figure out who I am... I only had Cody and we've been trying not to be codependent, and they make everything look so easy. They were not related but they became such close friends that they played brothers in the game and got so close that your family was willing to adopt Obi as Quin and Briel's brother and... I'm jealous. I don't know how to reach out to people that they don't know and make friends."

"Yeah, making friends outside the comfort zone is hard. But, in my experience, the best friends I've made have been when I wasn't trying to make them."

"Really?" 

"Yep. Two of my closest friends are from when Craig and I started designing a disability community center after I woke up. We interviewed a lot of people, and recruited those who could help, and next thing I know, we're working on making it happen, and we get the building up, and they never stopped staying in contact. It's been nice."

"Oh... that makes some sense. I've been volunteering in the creche and some of the Jedi there are nice... and they actually allow others to volunteer, as long as they follow certain rules and a Jedi is with them at all times... and the Jedi do have a ton of charities on Coruscant. I could help with some of them... I'm getting into painting, they could always use painters... and I’m sure there’s other things…" Fox felt a lot better about meeting new people. Maybe friendships would happen from there, and maybe not, but it gave him hope.

"There you go, now you have a plan for dealing with a jealousy situation. Now you need to think about how to make up with Quin."

"He's avoiding me. I don't know how I'm supposed to get him to talk if he's avoiding me. I mean, I want to respect his boundaries." 

"I'd start with asking to talk and maybe setting up some gift or something you know he likes to help him relax and go from there."

"And... talking about it?"

"Hmm. The thing about talking about these issues is it's always best to start with an apology. The problem is that people like to say that there's no good way to apologize and make it far harder to apologize when you're worried about making excuses, making them feel like they have to forgive you and all that. But, Quin is pretty straightforward. He likes honesty. Be honest. Share your feelings, explain yourself, and share your plan. Ask him for help if you think you need it, and then ask him how you can help him."

"Uh... can I have a script?" Fox asked nervously as he wrote that down. "I'm not good with emotions."

"He'll see right through it. This kind of thing has to come from the heart. He would however accept it if you wrote a letter ahead of time and read it aloud, and I would be willing to read over it once and let you know if there's anything that will make things worse."

"Okay... well... that's better than what I had." Fox let out a breath. "Thank you. Can... Can you tell me more about the Quin you know? I'm getting the feeling the Jedi know a different Quin than I do, because all the Jedi who weren't in the game are constantly surprised by him, even now after a year on a Trial journey!"

Bernard hummed. "I can do that. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that he'd like to keep secret."

"Thank you." Fox smiled gratefully. "I need a break from thinking about all this. I think my brain is going to melt."

"That's a good sign that it's time for a break," Bernard agreed. "And yeah, emotions are hard, thinking about other people and trying to put aside your own biases and experiences is hard. But if you love Quin, if you want him to remain your friend, you do need to meet him part way. He will appreciate it, but I suspect since he's avoiding you there may have been something else you didn't think of."

Fox frowned. "I think I broke some things... that would have been a terrible mess to clean up... Cody too." 

Bernard winced. "Oof, well, as long as you were wearing gloves I don't think it-"

"Kriff! We weren't wearing gloves!" Fox exclaimed. "How badly would that affect them?" He put his head in his hands. How could he be so stupid?

"Oh kriff, no wonder they're avoiding you." Bernard took in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. You were angry. Your emotions are on everything you touched in that moment. There may be a memory echo attached if your emotions were strong enough or your thoughts were clear enough. That means that at minimum, they felt your anger and Cody's anger towards them. Maybe it was just temporary and you cooled off pretty quickly and didn't actually think that way afterwards. But those emotions towards them? That's going to stick with them. Worst case? They got some clear memories of you being angry and breaking things and hurting them. Which means now they have the same memories of the argument but from your point of view where you think you're totally justified. They have to figure out how to deal with that." 

Fox flinched. "That's... that's not what I wanted."

"I know. But that's what happened to them. I imagine they don't feel like their own living room is safe right now."

"What? ...how long do these echoes last?"

"Anywhere from a few hours to weeks, depending on how strong the emotions were at the time. Quin mentioned once that the Force can make them stick around longer. You and Cody were created with the Force, and you were in the Jedi Temple. Arguing with two Jedi. Who knows how long it will be before it's safe."

"Is... is there any way to get the emotions to fade faster?"

"Yes, cover it with positive emotions, but that can be incredibly difficult when you have to touch the anger with your bare hands and be thinking positive."

"Oh... oh kriff. No wonder they're not sleeping well... they're barely safe in their own home!"

Bernard raised an eyebrow. "How do you know they're not sleeping well?"

"Quin actually looks tired. He never looks tired unless he's overdone it, the only way I know it's time to make sure he gets sleep when he's procrastinating on bed is if he starts yawning... otherwise I can't tell that he's tired."

"Oh, yeah, that's a Kiffar thing. We have too much energy. It's totally possible to be yawning every minute and still have so much energy we don't feel like we need sleep. The crash when we don’t go to bed when we yawn in that case is absolutely horrid but that's not important right now. He actually looks tired? That's not good."

"Yeah." Fox sighed and rubbed his face. "I need to figure out how to talk to him. But thank you... You've given me a lot to think about."

"And your brain is melting. How about some lighthearted stories about Quin and then we can wrap this up if you need anything else?"

"Works for me." Fox got comfortable and finished his now cold caf while he listened.

.

Cody shifted, uncertain. 

"Alright. I'm ready. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I am." Cody sighed. He accepted the offer of caf and drank some immediately, ignoring the burn.

"Alright. Tell me more about what was said and everything else you remember."

Cody explained everything. 

Briel nodded thoughtfully. He leaned back against his chair. "Sounds like everyone handled it poorly. Understandably so, a big miscommunication on all ends." 

Cody nodded. "I'm not sure how to do better. And I don't know why Obi-Wan was acting like that... He's got some insecurities but he usually has them under control." 

Briel sighed. "Under control doesn't mean the emotions don't usually affect him. And, unfortunately when it comes to Obi and Quin, they aren't needlessly insecure. These are learned things for them."

"Oh. Right." Cody took in a deep breath and let it out. "So what does that mean? What did I do?"

"All the worst possible things you could do. That's not to say Obi-Wan is entirely blameless, but if you want to fix this... you need to understand."

"I want to understand." Cody said. "I don't know what I did wrong, I don't know what insecurities I hit and I want to know so I can do better."

Briel studied him. "That's a good attitude to have. Do you want to be happy or do you want to be right? On top of that, communication is key. You will want to work on that. Obi too."

Cody nodded slowly. "Okay. So... the insecurities?"

"Obi... Obi struggled when he was younger. From what he said, and from some conversations with other Jedi, I think he just slipped through the cracks. Every organization and family can have the best support they can manage, but at least one person will go unnoticed as needing that support at some point despite best efforts."

"What does that mean for Obi?"

"Obi has more intense emotions than most, and he was years behind in developing emotional regulation skills compared to most of his peers- Quin being one at the same development rate but that was more of a Kiffar thing so he had support while Obi just looked like wasn't trying hard enough."

"What do you mean by that?" Cody asked, though he thought he knew where this was going. He remembered how much Obi-Wan had relaxed and thrived after meeting up with Jedi who helped him with some missing skills. He remembered some comments about emotions he didn't quite get at the time but now he thought he was starting to understand.

"Obi would struggle with his emotions. If he got angry, he couldn't handle it. He was known to have a temper. Bullies targeted him to purposefully make him lose his temper. They would get off with little more than a warning, if that, and Obi would be dealing with more and more consequences and no understanding of how to do better."

Cody frowned. "But the Jedi aren't like that..."

"From what Mace said, I believe it is just a misunderstanding of what Obi was dealing with, Obi not understanding some instructions correctly and therefore handling his emotions incorrectly, and no one recognizing that he was making slow but steady progress. Taking one minute, then two minutes, then five minutes to blow up. If they had handled that better, I suspect he would not have as many insecurities."

"What about the bullies?" 

"From what I understand... They just thought he was an easy target, and never received enough consequences to believe they were doing anything wrong. Obi struggling with many things, not just control of his temper, had them convinced they were right. He would never make it as a Jedi."

"But he's a hero now! They were wrong!" 

"I know. Obi knows that. But... he struggled with his emotions and with being bullied, and many of his classes did not come easy to him. The classes he was best at were any to do with languages... and lightsabers. That meant that one of his best classes was fighting, and some masters didn't like that. They thought it was a sign he was arrogant and too focused on violence. Although, Obi did tell me that he used to be very proud and brag about his skills as a lightsaber and that probably contributed to being seen as arrogant. Considering how much he was struggling, it sounds to me like he was just over excited about actually succeeding in something for once and everyone took it the wrong way."

"So was that going on until the game?"

"The worst of the bullying was while he was still an initiate though it did get worse after he turned 11, which is the youngest initiates become padawans, and it is generally understood that after two years they are trained in other things, with the possibility of earning the attention of a master in the Corps and becoming a Knight that way."

"Right. Obi mentioned that while it makes more sense now to focus on different areas than a Knight and it would fall into place, as an eleven year old with a certainty he would be a Knight, dealing with the idea of having to go to the Corps seemed like giving up and against that path."

Briel nodded. "A lot of masters tried to be helpful in telling him why they weren't picking him, if they had felt in the Force he was a good match... But it basically boiled down to him being too emotional, too angry, and too violent. There were other complaints, and for the most part, it all boiled down to things he didn't understand how to change, and in some cases, couldn't help at that age. A few masters even chose to do this publicly even when he tried to start a conversation quietly. I know I heard Mace muttering to himself about creating guidelines for turning down initiates in a way that wouldn't make things worse."

Cody nodded slowly. "Because everything was only making his frustrations worse, it heightened his emotions, giving him more to have to control, and all in all made it harder for him to meet their standards."

"Exactly." Briel nodded. "He turned thirteen, and was sent to the AgriCorps."

"The AgriCorps?" Cody said incredulously. "I could see him making it work but he'd get so bored unless they had him doing all the research and occasionally getting out and doing something physical but not monotonous."

"I think his paperwork must have gotten mixed up, because you're right. It could just be the will of the Force. Not a good comfort, but it's possible that it was the only way for Obi to get the best master possible."

"Qui-Gon Jinn."

Briel nodded. "Unfortunately, while they were a good team, Qui-Gon Jinn had some... issues that made him not that great at first at having a padawan. He didn't want Obi at first because he didn't think Obi would make it, and he didn't want to risk having another padawan Fall."

"Well, at least he was smart enough for that..."

"Of course he was the last master to publicly reject Obi."

"And there goes the respect."

Briel chuckled. "Yes, based on some things Obi has told me and mutterings from Mace and some of the other Jedi I expected to hate him on sight. He's better than I thought. Anyway, Obi, being the trouble magnet he is, immediately ran into trouble and during the course of that trouble, proved himself to Qui-Gon, which led to him finally being taken on as a padawan. The first couple of years were filled with Qui-Gon making questionable decisions and clearly not thinking about his young padawan. They clashed more than once before things settled and they became a team that worked together."

"But it was too late to stop Obi from having insecurities... He's always going to feel like he's not good enough, that he has to be perfect, and can't let anything affect him, isn't he?"

"Most likely."

Cody sighed. "He deserves better than me."

Briel studied him for a few minutes, debating which of his thoughts to go with first. 

"Yes. He does. But that doesn't mean you break up. That means you become who he deserves."

Cody blinked at him. "What?" 

"You love him. You're struggling to understand him and meet him... that's why you're here. You can make this work, you just have to try."

"Oh." Cody took in a deep breath. "Right." 

"I think I want to stop talking about Obi for now and talk about you. This is deeper. Why do you think he deserves better than you?"

Cody downed the last of his caf and set it down, not sure how to explain.

"I... I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. "I barely have started figuring out anything about who I want to be... it was kind of nice getting space to figure it out, and I have picked up some hobbies, but I missed doing things with Obi and Quin and Fox. I don't know what kind of career I want. I don't know what I can contribute to a relationship. I get nervous over the stupidest of things, and... I thought there was no point in meeting him, if I'd known others were meeting them, I wouldn't have skipped it, but I didn't and then I got a message from Obi and I noted it was phrased weirdly for him and didn't think anything of it, only to learn I ruined it for us... and yeah, Wolffe and Ponds did have good points, but I just used that to hide from the fact that I failed as his boyfriend. I love him. We're dating. I should have known better. So I failed Obi. And Fox had some good points so we went to talk and we lost it and... I just want to be able to date Obi again, I missed him. It was a whole year, after the first five years of my memories had him in almost every day. And we ruined it by giving them space when they were busy instead of at least letting them know we were thinking of them and..."

"Breathe." Briel put his hands on Cody's shoulders. "You're still navigating this. You just said it yourself, you only have six years of memories. You may be an adult but you didn't grow the way we did. You're still learning things, and even those who grew up in this world struggle with some of those social rules."

Cody breathed and calmed down. He rubbed his eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly. "I just... I feel so useless sometimes."

"I'm positive. I know there's no one Obi would rather have at his side."

"Aside from Quin."

"Aside from Quin. You fit with him well, and you work well. When you're confident. Why aren't you confident?"

"I-I don't know. Fox is. I've been jealous of him. He makes everything look easy. He gets this determined look and does it. Sometimes he doesn't do it well but he does it right, at least, but I can't always manage to get it right and... Yeah. I'm jealous of him. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why can't I do things? If I can't do things... Does that mean I can't be a good boyfriend? How can I be a good boyfriend if Obi keeps taking full responsibility instead of letting me in on how hurt he is? How can I..."

Briel hugged him. "I'm going to stop you there," he said quietly. "There is a lot to say, but first of all... everyone is different. Fox may look confident, but maybe he's worried about it on the inside. He does make mistakes. He made the same mistake with Quin that you did with Obi. I understand why that's hard, though. I think you can handle it, Cody. You love him, he loves you, you're not incompatible, you just need to communicate your needs better. And you start by apologizing, explaining something of the situation without over-explaining it or excusing your actions, and you tell him you're ready to talk when he is, and then you step back, and wait for him to be ready to talk."

Cody nodded. "Okay... okay, I can do that." He let out a breath. "I've been insecure too... that's why I handled it all wrong. I was only thinking of me, and not how hurt he was. Of course he was hurt that I didn't show up. And of course he would take full responsibility, even without considering that being provoked into losing his temper always resulted in the fault fully laying with him, Obi never likes hurting people. He's too good a person, and he doesn't like seeing the fault in others. He will take full responsibility so that he can fix it, and I bet he would react the same way even if I had been a normal person. He might have been giving me a bit more grace because we didn't know, but he'd still handle it almost the exact same way... It probably never occurred to him how it looked."

"Most likely." Briel sighed. "He and Quin got news on Kiffu that surprised him. They acted as Kings in the game, and they found out that most of the Kiffar in the game would be happy for them to be the next Kings. I'm glad they came to Kiffu first so that they had months to come to terms with that before getting back here."

"Oh, oh wow... It would suit them though, if they didn't want to be Jedi. If they weren't meant to be Jedi." Cody said. He paused. "You know... A lot of the other Academics have been transitioning into being Jedi, as a part of the order officially, even though we cannot use the Force the same way."

"The same way?" Briel raised an eyebrow. 

Cody summoned the menu. "Apparently this is only possible through the Force, even if it can be given to non-Force sensitives."

"Oh, that makes sense." Briel nodded. "Ber, Craig, and I have it, since Quin and Obi wanted to try it out before they left, and they determined that only Jedi could give it, but that after that, the Force doesn't need a Jedi around to maintain it." 

"Oh, nice. I know the Jedi want to keep it as secret as possible."

"Yeah. There's not many outside the Order they're trusting with it. Obi and Quin keep us updated on it. We're keeping it to immediate family only right now. I will say it has made a lot of things in my life a lot more convenient."

"I wouldn't know... I never knew life without the game..."

Briel nodded. "I think you should try to be a Jedi. You want to support Obi? Maybe you should see what you can do for that. What works about you two working together?"

Cody blinked. "I... I don't know," he admitted. "I'm good at strategy? Fox is better at investigating, but... I don't think Obi really needs that... I'm not good at healing, that's something that Quin is good at..."

"Think about it... Do Jedi have career counselors?"

"Oh, yeah, I think so. Like, not officially but everyone knows who to talk to about this stuff... I can find one to talk to."

"Good. That will help you."

Cody smiled slightly and nodded. "Any ideas on how to talk to Obi? He's avoiding me."

"You can start by sending him a message. Maybe give him emojis or a code he can use to let you know where he's at, if he wants to leave you alone and so on, so he doesn't have to try to come up with something but you know what the expectations are for you."

"Oh. That could work." Cody nodded. "And I suppose I need to keep giving him space if he doesn't answer."

"That is the best option. Maybe give it some time, and then give him a short message that just says you'll be available to talk but you don't want to push so you won't send another message until he says something."

"Okay, that's good then he knows why I stopped... I just wish I knew why he had been avoiding me."

Briel shrugged. "Could be a lot of things. I don't think he likes confrontation and conflict in the people he's close to. He's had too many issues with that between the bullying and the rocky start to being a padawan."

Cody grimaced. "That's true. He can face down a boss battle like he's done it a thousand times, but put him in the position of even having to consider telling someone he's not comfortable? Forget it. Good thing Quin knows him so well, or I would have been lost long ago. He's been better at communicating issues, too."

Briel nodded. "For myself, well, there's a reason I run a music shop here on Coruscant. I love my family, but my own immediate family with two older siblings and many first cousins... well, there were a lot of arguments. My parents were not the best at curbing arguments and tended to make them worse when they joined in. They would bulldoze over whichever people they perceived as wrong and supported the 'right' people. And they would forget to put their gloves on, as did everyone else, even as we all got to be adults, which just meant that arguments lingered."

"...gloves on?" Cody asked with a sense of dread. "Oh no."

Briel looked at him and then winced. "Neither of you had your gloves on, did you?"

"No, we didn't. It's their psychometry, right? They can feel that we were angry? And get memories... oh no."

"Precisely. Gloves are meant to make every space on Kiffu a relatively safe space, and younglings forgetting gloves feels drastically different than an adult. If you were feeling intense anger, they are likely avoiding parts of their apartment."

"They do seem to be losing sleep... Obi looks exhausted all the time." Cody groaned. "That's going to be difficult to figure out. That's not something that just communicating and working to do better can fix, that's something that's going to be bothering them for a while."

"It is. There are a few things you can do, such as making sure happy memories get left there if they ever let you back. Maybe wear gloves until they trust you. It would at least assuage any fears that it will happen again."

Cody nodded and looked at his hands. "I can't believe that I forgot... I should have remembered. I won't forget again. Oh, wait, what was your point?"

"My point... Oh, that's right. I found that my family was often focused on who was right, rather than on the nuances of the situation."

"What's the difference? Why is being right a bad thing?" Cody asked. 

"Well, nuance means acknowledging not just all sides but all factors and seeing where the good is and where improvements can be made. Being Right means every action taken was the right one. It means that no matter what, everyone else is Wrong. Even when their feelings are valid and you hurt them, being Right means that it doesn't matter, and you're not focused on improving anymore, just on winning and getting away with whatever negativity you contributed."

Cody blinked a few times. "Oh... that makes sense. So, it should be about overcoming the current issue, and even if emotions seem petty, it should still be acknowledged, and we might need to come up with a compromise?"

"Exactly. Sometimes there are conflicts where compromise is impossible so you need to decide what's most important, and if it's what you want, is that worth it? Or is there something you can do that can always prioritize the most important need, but still allow you some of what you want?"

Cody nodded thoughtfully. "Relationships are about give and take. If one person is always taking, always right, the other person doesn't have much room to be heard or get what they need. They don't get much out of the relationship."

"Precisely. I think you and Obi can work through this. I have seen you two work together for years. He's always been respectful of anything you need, and you have always been willing to learn so you can do better. This is just another snag on your journey."

"Right. I got so caught up in the uncomfortable feeling of them implying that we don't know any better therefore we don't get any responsibility, that I didn't consider that this was a learning opportunity and even if he was taking full responsibility, I could have acknowledged his hurt and worked to get better. Instead..." Cody sighed. "I kind of let others dictate my feelings... including Fox."

"Fox has a strong personality, and is rather stubborn. You're still finding yourself, and you like understanding the world around you. You're curious, and you're more inclined to make people happy, you're something of a people pleaser like Obi while Fox prefers to be a little more selfish and make sure he's doing things for the right reasons instead of just to make people happy."

Cody nodded. "I follow his lead too much, I think. We're too different, and Quin and Obi are too different, for that to be totally effective... at least I can take comfort in the knowledge that we were both idiots, and he was the one who threw out some of the most vicious comments, I'm not even sure how he came up with those insults."

Briel winced. "And Quin can be pretty sensitive to that sort of thing... Fox is going to have a hard time making up with him."

"Well, that's his business," Cody decided. "I'm going to focus on Obi and myself and maybe something will work its way out." He paused, then sighed. "Was it really for the best that I spent so long away from Obi?"

"Most people would say yes," Briel said softly. "But, being Kiffar, I have to disagree. Yes, not being able to find yourself on your own, knowing who you are by standing on your own two feet and living mostly on your own and living a single life, is a great way to be established and comfortable for the rest of your life. Yes, having none of that experience is more likely to lead to toxicity and regrets as you get older... but Kiffar tend to be codependent by the galaxy's standards. We're okay. A lot of Kiffar start courting before twenty, and then marry that person as soon as it's reasonable. A lot of Kiffar never stand on their own. They go from living with family, to living with a partner, if they ever move out from their family’s main house. But we're okay, we know who we are. We don't need to be alone. Space can help, but sometimes the best way to grow is with a person that totally gets you, and I get the feeling that Fox just... doesn't get you the way Obi-Wan does, and neither does anyone else."

Cody fell silent. "Oh... oh yeah, that... that makes total sense. You're right."

"Alright... are you ready?"

"No... not really, but I don't think more talking will help me be ready." Cody sighed. "I just hope Obi is receptive... he looks so exhausted all the time. I might need to start talking then make him take a nap before we continue."

"That is an option, yes. Just be careful, considering the issue that led you here." 

"Of course." Cody nodded. "Thank you, Briel. For talking and comming Ber... that really helps."

"Of course. You're welcome. If you need any more help..."

"I'll let you know."

Chapter Text

The initial attempts at communication via menu message were a bust. Neither got a response, which meant they didn’t know how much space Quinlan and Obi-Wan needed.

Fox could not find the right opportunity to talk to Quinlan for a few days, but then he finally caught Quinlan in a tree in the Kiffu section of the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

He hesitated when he saw how Quinlan was lounging then took a deep breath and climbed up to sit on the tree branch near him.

Quinlan stiffened the moment he sensed Fox climb the tree. He didn't look at Fox, even after Fox settled in.

He didn't want to be the one to start this conversation. He wasn't even sure why Fox was there; it was pretty clear to Quinlan that they couldn't be friends again. Even if Fox had tried to reach out before.

Fox took another deep breath in and let it out. "I'm sorry."

Quinlan started and turned to look at Fox in astonishment. "What?"

Fox winced. Clearly Quinlan had not thought that he would apologize. 

"I'm sorry,” he repeated. “I shouldn't have let it get out of hand. I was... I was upset that you were willingly putting yourself down to let me off the hook, because you were being so understanding of how we might not have known how these things are supposed to go. Which we didn't, and I get why you weren't blaming us. But that doesn't mean it's all on you. It's not on you to make sure we know these things. We could have consulted someone. We still hurt you with our ignorance. I'm glad you reached out, but we never should have put you in that position in the first place."

Quinlan had been laying on his stomach on the branch he was on, limbs dangling, but now he sat up. 

"Fox... I am sorry, though. We could have handled it better."

Fox groaned. "Yeah, but so could we. I am sorry that you think you have to keep apologizing. I want to work this out but we can't if you're just going to keep apologizing and acting like it's all your fault."

"But... I know how you feel and you're not wrong. You're fully justified. I don't... I can't take that away from you."

"Oh, right... the echoes... but Quin, that doesn't make your feelings less valid either. I hurt you, I shouldn't have let my feelings get all over your safe living space, and I should have been more careful. You deserve better than that with how patient you've been with me." 

Quinlan sighed. "Maybe... I just..." He bit his lip. "Ever since Obi and I realized that you and Fox had become real, that you could feel and all that... We were painfully aware that you were growing into your own people, and we didn't want to interfere with that. We didn't want to make it harder for you. I wanted you to be able to grow at your own pace and be independent and... Well. You only had me and Obi at first for examples, then you had others, but you still spent most of your time with us. We were your examples on what it meant to be real for the longest time. We didn't want to screw that up. And... it's hard to know what you need now because it's hard to tell if you're caught up or if you're still behind." 

"I think I'll always be behind. I simply wasn't born, and I didn't grow up. I grew from code into a thinking, feeling person who only existed in the game. The fact I can exist outside the game... I'm still wrapping my head around that. But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to try, or learn. I just need you to help me and to tell me when I'm doing wrong. So we can move forward together."

Quinlan nodded, uncertain. "I can try... You did really hurt me though, with that argument."

Fox winced and looked down. "I know... I wanted to, at that moment. You were being too good, too perfect. I wanted you to fight back. And when you did... you weren't really aiming to hurt that much. Don't get me wrong, it did hurt, but... you never got cruel like I did. And you didn't deserve it."

Quinlan nodded slowly. "Then what do you want to do from here?"

"I don't know. I'm new to this. How do people usually make up?"

"Well, it's different for everyone. But the important thing is we're on the same page on what went wrong, where we both got hurt, and  then a plan for how to fix things and avoid the problem in the future. And we should probably talk to Obi and Cody too, after, to be sure all four of us are on the same page. After all, Obi and I are brothers and live together, so we'll be running into conflict with the four of us more."

"Maybe that's part of the problem. We've been a quartet, and sometimes it's me and Cody and you and Obi, but it's not often we go you and me and Obi and Cody even though they're dating."

"And since it was me and Obi having an issue with you and Cody... yeah, that makes sense. We'll work on it." Quinlan didn’t point out it had been brought up in the argument previously.

Fox nodded. He took a deep breath. "Okay, so the problem started with not meeting you when you arrived, and then further not contacting you until you contacted me."

"When Obi and I talked about it, we downplayed our feelings and gave you and Cody too much leeway for not knowing things and took full responsibility." 

"Which didn't sit well with us, and we talked to others about it. Despite someone pointing out that we did hurt you, I focused on how you had handled it and how upsetting it was to be treated like a kid who didn't know any better instead of being held responsible."

"Which led to a confrontation where Obi and I defended our approach because we thought we were being reasonable, but we were still willing to take on everything as our fault, ignoring our hurt."

"I grew angrier and argued, aiming to hurt. I let my anger get the better of things and threw things. I could have hurt you."

"And the echoes are still lingering. Which makes it hard to be in the living room of the apartment and makes life difficult. Almost couldn't get the dishes washed and the mess cleaned up afterwards. Still need to be careful of some of it."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Make sure you get some sleep, give you peace of mind, anything?"

"Well, the usual way to cleanse it for Kiffar is to spread good echoes, but usually we wait for the intensity to fade a bit, then we start handling it, slowly as much as we can handle. I still can't touch anything you touched that day."

Fox winced. "I am so sorry. That was very unfair of me... if the echoes can be replaced... Maybe I can do that. I can handle the objects and try for happy emotions." 

Quinlan nodded slowly. "That works."

"Good. Okay, so that fixes the problem, we've apologized, so all that's left is making a plan for the future?" Fox asked hopefully.

Quinlan nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Yeah. Okay, I'll communicate with you like I might with Obi, and wait until you ask for clarification to explain things you might not know. From there, I'll let you decide how much responsibility you need to take, so long as you understand that if you don't know, there's not much you can do about it beyond learn and grow."

Fox nodded. "I can accept that. I'm sure we'll probably argue over how much responsibility each person has in the future, and it might be good for us if we're trying to take on too much, but I doubt we're ever going to have an issue where only one of us has responsibility."

"You're probably right about that." Quinlan grinned. "I'd like it if you could get a handle on your temper. You have super strength so that could go wrong very quickly, and I'd prefer to avoid that."

"Right. You're not wrong about that." Fox nodded. "I can handle that." He hesitated. "Can you... I know you might not be ready to tell me why you were so willing to jump to the conclusion I didn't want to see you anymore when I didn't get in contact... But... I'm not sure how to help you there. I'd like you to just... get in contact with me and see if a plan will work next time rather than wait and assume the worst. At the very least make sure you talk to me and listen to me before that."

Quinlan nodded, sighing. "I know. It's something I need to work on. There is a reason I have a mind healer. But I can at least try to talk down the anxiety that everyone hates me."

Fox frowned. "No one hates you."

Quinlan sighed. "I don't like talking about it," he said quietly. "But there are regularly padawans in training to be shadows... They didn't think I should be one of them, and were resentful of the fact that I was pretty much a prodigy. My psychometry gave me a leg up, but I'm also a natural at investigations and blending in. They hated my talent and records."

"You were bullied." Fox sighed.

"It was worse than that," Quinlan said quietly, looking away. He pulled one leg up on the branch and hugged his knee. "I'd make friends amongst padawans I hadn't met yet, and everything would be great... and then one day, it wasn't. I'd act the same way as always, and suddenly it was a problem. Some of them... I think they were bullied into avoiding me. Others... they just got so angry about me being me. Some of them would change over the course of one mission. I was so happy when Swords & Mysteries came out, and while I tried not to think about it... It was a relief not to have to come back where I faced people not accepting me, within my own section of the Jedi Order. And of course, I was further relieved when we got out to realize that I didn't have to deal with them ever again, and being able to be a Knight almost immediately meant avoiding the whole drama and politics of being a padawan and being a shadow padawan in particular."

"Didn't you tell anyone?"

Quinlan snorted. "Tholme believed me but everyone else... who are you going to believe about bullies in an order where bullies aren't supposed to be able to thrive... the rambunctious padawan you only accept because he's a prodigy though he gets on your nerves, or the normally well behaved padawans who you never catch at it?"

Fox frowned. "That's not fair."

"I'm aware. Don't worry, Mace and others are already looking into it. They were not impressed when they got it out of me while we were in the game."

"Good. I don't like that you suffered... you shouldn't have to worry that a lack of contact means I now hate you."

"I know. Sometimes people fall through the cracks despite the best effort. Unfortunately, Obi and I are two of those that did so. But unlike others, we were determined to keep going, and we also did eventually get the support we needed, even if others failed us when we were younger. A lot of those who slip through the cracks like that... they end up giving up. If they do make it to being a Knight, they still never get the support they missed when they were younger."

"Yeah, but it still happened to you. It doesn't matter if you and Obi made it through where most wouldn't. What if you hadn't gotten to play Swords & Mysteries? What if you hadn't been so determined?"

Quinlan sighed, looking away. "I've thought about it a lot," he admitted quietly. "And I've never been comfortable with the answer..." He looked back at Fox. "But that's why Mace and the Council and others we trust are looking into it. That's why Obi and I are thinking about teaching class cycles when we're on Coruscant... oh and helping out in the creche. The more support younglings get, the harder it is to be missed."

Fox nodded, then frowned. "What's a class cycle? I've heard the term used before but I've never been able to figure it out, beyond referencing a session of classes?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know it, would you?" Quinlan smiled at him. "All the senior padawan and up classes have varying lengths, even if most are a quarter of a year... So, for junior padawans and initiates..."

"Remind me what the difference between a junior padawan and senior padawan is," Fox interrupted. 

"Oh, right." Quinlan nodded. "A junior padawan is under the age of eighteen or species equivalent if aging is vastly different from humans, and they're still taking regular classes. They're expected to spend half the year on Coruscant and the other half doing missions, though unless missions run too long, that's done in quarters, or class cycles. One class cycle is a quarter of a year, and junior padawans typically do one class cycle, then the next cycle they're on missions, then back for more classes. There are classes that can be taken on missions, but teachers generally prefer not to add that stress to junior padawans who are still learning how to do missions in general anyways, so it's mostly more advanced classes."

"Right."

"Senior padawans are padawans that are over the age of eighteen, have passed all junior padawan required classes, and have also met some standards the Council, and often their master, have set. This usually includes good mission records, doing some volunteer work with their master around the Temple and out in Coruscant, and so on. Senior padawans are padawans that are starting to prepare for their trials, which can happen as soon as a year after the promotion to senior padawan, though it is not common."

"Why not?"

"Senior padawans set their training. They decide what their goals are, they ask their master and others for help. The Council sends them on more missions with other Jedi, and on the occasional solo mission. Senior padawans are the ones to pick their own classes, if they determine they need classes. If they can prove themselves able to learn on their own, able to ask others for help, able to do missions solo or with other Jedi, on top of meeting basic knowledge and skill requirements, then they are ready for their Trials. Which is really hard to prove in a year unless they're particularly talented at something, whether that's multitasking, the Force, their chosen career... or just learning in general."

Fox nodded slowly. "That's why Mace was certain you and Obi were ready, wasn't he? Obi wasn't a senior padawan, but both of you set your path every day in the game, you asked for help, you did things solo, you worked with others, and you mostly dictated your lessons with the other Jedi, which things you wanted to learn most."

Quinlan nodded. "Precisely. We proved ourselves ready, even if the circumstances were weird. From what I've figured out from researching and others, sometimes it's better to prove oneself ready for Knighthood that way rather than meeting minimums. After the Trial journey... I know that I wouldn't have been convinced by the Trials that I was ready to be a Knight... After everything I did... it took fighting a Dark shadow of myself to convince me."

"Really? That must have been some fight."

"Yeah. Of course, it turned out I didn't need to win, I just needed to accept that I do have Darkness in me and always will. It's like the anxiety- it's there, and I will always struggle with it, but the important thing is what I do with it... not to pretend I don't have that side of me. Because it is a part of me." Quinlan sighed. "Which was just a reminder I need to try not to let my insecurities get to me, and I was ready to try and ask you out and then you weren't there when we arrived and you didn't even message and all the courage disappeared."

Fox nodded along, thinking about how to respond. Then he was about to apologize for the last part when he registered just what Quinlan had said.

"Wait, what?" He asked, blinking a few times. "Did you just say..."

Quinlan looked at him blankly then thought back to what he said and groaned, slumping down as he covered his face with his hands.

"Yeah, I did," he mumbled, embarrassed by his slip. That's what happened when he tried to communicate and be as honest as he could about his feelings.

Fox stared at him. "Were... Were you really planning on it?" he asked tentatively, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

Quinlan nodded silently. "After months of Obi teasing me and asking me when I was going to do it and trying to talk me through why I wasn't willing to yet... I fought my Dark self, realized I shouldn't be trying to destroy myself but accept myself and I realized I was letting my anxiety hold me back and I thought about how I was going to do it quite often on the way back and now I've gone and... so stupid." Quinlan groaned. 

Fox moved to sit next to Quinlan. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed Quinlan's hand. 

Quinlan looked up startled at the feelings coming through, loud and clear.

"I... I would love to go out with you. I'm sorry about how I handled things before now. I should have thought through it more. I should have known that you felt the same way... we were kind of dancing around each other a lot. Enough that even Wolffe commented on it."

"Yeah, others noticed too, I just got the worst of the teasing from Obi, of course, since he's my brother. So... you really want to go out with me?"

"Absolutely. I think we can handle it... if we can keep communicating and aren't so dumb next time something like that happens."

"I think we can learn from this." Quinlan grinned. "You're amazing." 

"You're amazing." Fox returned. "You went on a whole journey to become a Jedi Knight and you came back one and you've overcome so much in your life."

"I guess. So... We're good now?"

"Yeah... we are. I think... I think we're going to need to keep talking to make sure we stay on the same page, but... I want to date, and we've both apologized and I think we both understand where the other is coming from."

"That's fair." Quinlan leaned on him. "We do have a lot to work through... but I like that we're starting from a better place."

"Me too." 

"We should probably talk with Obi and Cody to be sure we all are on the same page."

"Probably. But... let's just... Can we stay like this for a while? I missed this."

"Me too."

.

Cody spotted Fox talking to Quinlan and hoped it was going well. He still hadn't been able to find Obi-Wan in order to talk. Sending a mission hadn’t helped. But, maybe one final attempt would help? 

A few minutes later he sighed in relief. On his way out of the Room of A Thousand Fountains, he found that Obi-Wan was sitting by the waterfall, alone. 

An opportunity. Strange, he wasn't actually looking for one this time. He was just walking to clear his head after days of no luck, and to try to strategize a better way to get Obi-Wan to respond.

Cody walked over to Obi-Wan and sat down next to him, dipping his feet into the water. 

Obi-Wan jumped and looked up at him. "Cody."

"Obi. I owe you an apology. I don't know exactly why you have been acting the way you did... I don't know entirely how we hurt you. But I don't want to keep on like this... And I know I should have used gloves, when things got out of hand."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I forgive you."

"What?"

Obi-Wan gave him a half smile. "I'm a Jedi, we believe in forgiveness as letting go of any resentment and anger towards a person for the harm they've caused. Forgiveness is for us, but not necessarily for you. It just means that I will not be petty and I will give you a chance."

Cody nodded. "That's fair. I'm sure we hurt you quite a bit."

Obi-Wan nodded. "You weren't as bad as Fox, at least. Poor Quin..." Obi-Wan sighed. "But... I would like to hear your side?"

"Of course." Cody sighed, kicking the water a bit as he thought. "So... I was... I don't know. A lot of people think it's a good thing we spent time apart because I have hardly spent even a night apart from you since I became real... even after we came to the real world, not until your journey. And.. that means that I hadn't had a chance to explore who I really am. I tried to embrace that thinking. And... I realized I didn't give some things as much of a try as when you were around, and maybe it was a good thing but..." Cody sighed, staring at the water rushing around his feet.

"It wasn't actually a good thing, was it?" Obi-Wan asked quietly. 

"I was in denial. I wanted to believe they were right. But I missed you. I don't think I really needed to find who I am. I mean, I thought I knew it. And... Now I'm not so sure. I know that I love solving mysteries with you. I like fighting side by side with you. I love my lightning and being fast, I am very relieved that the menus followed us out as the only way I know how to live. I enjoy art, and I like sketching and using oil pastels and sometimes painting most of all, but I don't want to spend all my time doing that. I want to go out in the galaxy with you. And... being apart threw that all into question. So when you came back... I wasn't sure what that would mean for me, for us, and I just... I decided to wait for you to contact me... and then I mostly just followed Fox's lead when we got advice and... I let it get to me. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay." Obi-Wan patted his knee. "There's some truth to it. A lot of people don't do well when they don't get the chance to grow on their own. Because they put too much of their identity into who they are as a couple, or tie who they are too much to their partner. And I never wanted that for you."

"Oh... Well, I don't think you need to worry about that. I think I can be without you. I just don't want to if there' s no reason to. And I will be a good person with or without you. But... Now I'm worried."

"I understand but... you're right about what you like. No one can take that away from you. And you're right about who you are. You're a good, kind person. You're a bit stubborn, but so am I. You complement me in a lot of ways. You complement Fox in a lot of ways, too. But most importantly, you are your own person. And it is so easy to tell, from your Force presence, to how you act. When I left, I had little worries about how things would change. I was a little worried about you deciding you didn't want to date after so long apart, but I had no worries about you discovering yourself, and I didn't have too many worries about it beyond a lack of interest in trying new hobbies if the journey didn't happen... I'm sorry it wasn't all good for you, though."

Cody sighed. "Why wasn't it all good for me? Why wasn't it a good thing?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "People are all different. You and your family, you all came from programmed code with just lines of dialogue, no real personality, and you are all so, so different, even you and Fox, for all your similarities."

"Oh... Yeah... now that you mention it... You're right. I never thought about it that way... so... what is fact for most people doesn't mean it's fact for all."

"Exactly, and it's unfortunate to be the one that advice doesn't apply to. You wonder what's wrong with you, people keep insisting you don't know yourself and that you'll see they're right eventually."

"You're speaking from experience, aren't you?" Cody asked, thinking about his talk with Briel.

Obi-Wan nodded. "That's how I felt, for a long time. Everyone told me I'd outgrow it, or I'd figure it out if I just tried harder. I needed to be more responsible. I needed to..." he shook his head. "It was... it was hard. Being me, growing up. But I did my best, and now here I am. It took Swords & Mysteries and then the journey to finally accept myself, though. To finally be okay with not being normal. Even if it did mean that I was not treated I should have been."

"It's not fair. I want that advice to work for me, I don't want to face judgment and I don't want people to get the implication that we have some sort of codependent relationship, when that's something you have been determined to avoid... And I just... I wish there was more we could do."

"I know... I know." Obi-Wan sighed. "If it helps, I know that Mace has been looking into how things went wrong with me after working with me in the game, and he and others are working with your brothers, trying to help them grow in understanding like you've been making an effort to. And well... They know that we are not codependent. They've seen us work together. If we were codependent, we would have both suffered a lot at least initially when I left the planet. But we didn't. We could have struggled with the fight against the Gamemaster, but we were both focused on what we had to do, not on losing the other. That, more than anything, proves that we are at least working on a healthy relationship, even if we haven't achieved it yet."

"Okay... that makes sense." Cody smiled. "I like that. You're probably right. We can keep growing and doing better."

"Yep. We can. And we can definitely fill out the paperwork that will let us work together for missions, too. I would love to work with you. We may be working with Quinlan and Fox too."

"I can handle that, though we'll need to talk to them too."

"Of course. Later."

"Later." Cody agreed. He frowned. "You accepted my reasoning pretty easily."

"It gave me all I needed to know to understand what happened. It fit with what I understood of your emotions, as well. You have been struggling, and your brother has not. You needed something to be angry at. You needed something to make sense. So you followed Fox's lead because that made sense and let you be angry. But... I'm guessing, once the anger left, you just felt hollow because you missed me, and you were even more uncertain about your identity than before."

Cody stared at him. "...Yeah, I suppose that's accurate." 

Obi-Wan smiled. "I do know you, Cody. And you know me, don't you?"

Cody sighed. "Yeah. I talked to Briel, he told me some things you've told him... but I didn't really need that. I just needed someone to say it all differently. But, in the end... It helped. And I get it, Obi. You dealt with a lot growing up, and that shaped your experiences. You're used to taking responsibility for things you shouldn't, and you didn't want to place too much blame on us as we're still learning, and we have shown a willingness to do better. Of course you wouldn't want to say anything. And... It's hard to figure out exactly how much responsibility does lie with you when emotions are involved. Of course you wouldn't reach out when we didn't show up or reach out. That sends its own message even if we didn't understand what we were doing wrong at the time. And... I am so sorry for that. You deserved better than that, and I am grateful that you can be so understanding."

"Of course." Obi-Wan smiled gently. "We'll work on it together."

Cody smiled back. "Together. You know... this was way easier than I thought it would be."

"We're both stubborn but we know how to actually talk. Fox and Quin on the other hand..."

Cody winced. "Yeah, that's... I'm glad we're not them."

Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around Cody.

"Can I help reduce the impressions? Maybe I can do something to change the echoes? That way you don't have to touch them."

Obi-Wan gave him a hopeful look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It's my fault those echoes are there in the first place, so it's my responsibility to fix it."

"It's not only your fault... but thank you. That means a lot to me."

Cody smiled. "You're welcome. You... you mean a lot to me, you know? I just... I don't want you to suffer. And I want us to get back to a new normal. I missed you. So much."

"I missed you too." Obi-Wan pulled Cody into a kiss.

Cody wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and returned the kiss.

They kept kissing for quite a while before they broke apart with soft smiles.

"I never did tell you that I love seeing you with the Clan Vos tattoos again. They suit you, and I'd missed them. I'm glad you were able to be adopted."

Obi-Wan beamed. "Me too. The leftovers from the game, from claiming Kiffar, are a lot easier to handle now that I'm officially adopted. It feels more natural, feels right, and doesn't feel so much like the ghost of a feeling anymore."

Cody nodded. "That makes sense. Anything else you want to tell me about your journey? I'll tell you about some of the things I did."

Obi-Wan beamed and started telling Cody some of what happened on Kiffu. 

"And there's some stuff that needs to be kept secret. It's nothing really bad just... Not meant for you, right now."

"Right now?"

"I got the impression that if we ever got married I would be able to share it with you with little worry, but that's probably a long way off."

Cody snorted. "You don't say. Well... that was quite an adventure for your first stop."

"Oh, yeah, definitely. But it was also necessary. It helped Quin and I define who we are as Jedi, when we consider how the galaxy views us, and the reality of being part of Clan Vos on Kiffu, even if most of the galaxy is unaware of what that really means." 

"Were all the trips necessary?"

"They were all necessary, but not in the same ways, and many were not as big, but just as important. But... I would say the last stop was the most important. Nothing like facing a Dark version of myself to understand what I need to know about myself."

"What do you mean?"

"We're taught as Jedi to reject the Dark, reject temptation. To hold ourselves to a high standard. Not just because morals are good, but because if we're not careful... things could get really bad otherwise."

"Okay..."

"So, when I first faced my Dark self, I rejected him. I rejected any Darkness in myself... but that was the wrong thing to do. I can't reject who I am. But I can accept that there is Darkness in me, and that I can choose to let it out or not. And of course, I will always choose the Light. I just need to acknowledge the potential for Darkness, and acknowledge the temptation, even as I make my choice to reject it."

Cody nodded thoughtfully. "It's like the thing you told me once. All emotions are valid, the problems come from what we do with the emotions. So, fully rejecting the Dark, is rejecting yourself?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "There is a part of me that will always be angry and resentful of what happened growing up. There is a part of me that will always be tempted to play with the forbidden. Rejecting all that, is rejecting who I am. I can acknowledge those parts as I let go and move forward, rather than pretend that is not me at all."

"An embrace who you are sort of situation." Cody nodded. "That makes sense. I'm glad you figured it out."

"Me too. It made handling our argument a lot easier. Because it was also a reminder that my emotions are very valid, even if I should not let them get the better of me."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense." Cody sighed. "Can you be a little less... responsible for problems when it's something I don't know? It's not just on you to make sure I know those things. I could learn it on my own. Others could teach me. It's not just on you, okay? Anyone could have quietly told us we should show up when they realized we weren't waiting for you."

"That's true." Obi-Wan smiled. "I can do that. I just struggle in finding the balance between acknowledging my faults and taking care of my emotions. Because there is a point where taking care of emotions goes too far."

"I'll let you know if it does. But I think it's not going to happen often because you're too careful and selfless for your own good, sometimes."

"I can't argue with that," Obi-Wan admitted sheepishly.

Cody chuckled. "We'll figure this out. Together."

"Together." Obi-Wan agreed. 

Then he pulled Cody in for another kiss.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan watched Cody poke at things in the living room while he made some snacks. He had already informed Cody where the biggest problems were, but he wasn't sure Cody would succeed in covering them up. He hoped Cody managed it though.

At least the worst of it were things that had been broken and were thrown out.

The door opened and Fox and Quinlan opened, holding hands.

Obi-Wan grinned at Quinlan and raised an eyebrow. 

Quinlan rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "We talked... and kissed... We're dating."

"About time," Cody said from where he was still touching the caf table.

Both Quinlan and Fox jumped and stared at Cody.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, we talked too. We should all talk."

"Yeah, we should," Fox sighed. "I hate talking," he grumbled.

Quinlan laughed and patted his shoulder. "But it helps out so much."

"That it does." Fox sighed. 

Cody nodded and stood up. "Obi is making some snacks... we can snack and talk?" he suggested.

"Good plan!" Quinlan smiled as he joined Obi-Wan in preparing snacks, as that double the amount Obi-Wan had been preparing was needed.

Obi-Wan leaned towards him. "Everything good?"

"Mostly. We still have to talk some things through, I think, but we've come to an understanding."

"So have we." Obi-Wan smiled. 

"Good. I still can't believe Fox approached me despite never coming up with an answer for him..."

"Cody approached me. I'm glad you two finally kissed."

"It was so dumb though," Quinlan complained. "I let it slip when I was explaining my mindset, that I'd finally resolved to ask him out and tell him my feelings only for him to not even message after we got back."

Obi-Wan winced. "Well... it seems to have ended well, at least."

Quinlan smiled. "It did. Which is pretty nice. I'm glad we're all working things out. Think this group conversation will go well?"

"Yeah, I think so... should be mostly about us all getting on the same page, right?"

"Should be, yeah."

Obi-Wan nodded and concentrated on the snacks.

At the same time, Fox joined Cody in attempting to start changing the echoes. 

"How'd it go?" Fox asked Cody. 

"Good... I realized some things... and I guess that helped Obi. We're going to be working through this for a while, I think. I really hurt him. What about you?"

Fox nodded. "Quin barely wanted to hear me out... His psychometry helped a bit, though. And then he let his feelings slip... I feel horrible. I basically ghosted him when he had just decided he was going to tell me his feelings."

Cody winced. "Oh, that's rough."

"But... I think he understands our side too. Maybe too well."

"They're way too understanding," Cody agreed. "But that's why we need to be more careful about how we approach disagreements. If we want to blame them, they're not going to argue hard about it, not unless it involves being a Jedi, which they will defend."

Fox groaned. "I hate that you're right. I don't want to think about others feelings. I just want to have my feelings."

"I think that's what's so important about how we approach this though."

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, they're always letting others get away with things, taking too much responsibility. As Obi said, it's hard to balance the line of taking responsibility and having feelings. And if we don't acknowledge our share of the problem, they'll just take responsibility. Worse, if we don't even validate their feelings, they'll just deal with it and probably feel even worse, because that means we think it's all on them, to the point they can't have feelings."

"You're not wrong." Fox groaned. "They never seemed so emotionally insecure in the game. They struggled at times, sure, but..."

Cody shrugged. "In the game, they were basically different people, and they were leaders. They had a goal, and we had an understanding. We weren't supposed to make it out," Cody reminded him. "So they didn't really have anything to be insecure about. And from everything we know... they were getting support into place, things they were missing here. And that's not a replacement for the years before it. They're doing better than they were, too, from everything I've heard."

Fox sighed. "You're not wrong," he admitted. "But it's still frustrating. I feel like this took me by surprise."

"Me too. But, if we love them, we'll do what we can to meet them halfway, so we can maintain our relationships. I'm sure we will be fine. It's worth it."

Fox looked at Quinlan and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

Obi-Wan and Quinlan put the snacks on the table. 

Fox and Cody joined them.

They started eating, and no one said a word at first. No one was sure where to start.

"Well, that was a mess," Quinlan said finally. "A whole mess of miscommunication and misunderstandings that could have been fixed with clearer communication." 

"Yeah. And it affected all of us in different ways..." Cody said slowly. "I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Well... I was thinking that we should think about how we relate to each other? When we're in a group like this, we kind of gravitate towards pairs. Quin and I, you and Fox, or you and me, and Quin and Fox... never me and Fox, and you and Quin, and we don't always interact individually. Maybe we should work on that," Obi-Wan suggested. 

Cody blinked, then nodded. "That makes sense considering..."

"Considering what?" Fox asked, looking a little worried.

"I'm not like you," Cody said bluntly. "You did really well, just fine without Quin around. You adapted and found out more about you. I branched out yeah, and Obi being gone forced me to try more things faster than I would have otherwise, but..." Cody sighed. 

"I hated every minute of it. I was fine being with Obi, and I didn't need the experience of being separated from him. It's not that I don't feel complete without him... I just knew who I was, and him being gone... threw it all into question, and everyone acts like it's a good thing, and it's not. I didn't change. I would have discovered the same things I discovered with him gone if he was around, just... probably would take longer."

"Still doesn't sound healthy," Fox pointed out. "It's not like we've had experiences without them."

"I'm fine being without Obi, but I didn't need the space and I was struggling, and you weren't, and I couldn't understand the big deal everyone was making. I felt horrible because it wasn't this big revelation and Good Thing that everyone said it should be and you seemed to be experiencing. I did fine without Obi, but it wasn't just this..." Cody threw up his hands at Fox's stubborn expression, giving up.

"I get it," Quinlan jumped in before Fox could say something that would start an argument. "Kiffar can be a bit like that, we're all clingy and we grow together, we don't need to be apart to grow, and well, due to the need for touch, we can't really be apart from people we trust anyways, so we do best staying in groups of people we trust. It doesn't mean that we're codependent, or tying our identities to the people around us, though it does happen, it's just the way we handle things."

Fox relaxed a bit, deciding to change his focus. "So... why didn't you say anything?" he asked Cody.

"I thought there was something wrong with me that it wasn't having the positive effect on me everyone said it should. So I tried harder and pretended, but it didn't work, and then they came back, and I ended up following your lead because clearly I was doing it wrong." 

Fox stared at him. "...you're kind of an idiot for that, you realize?"

Cody shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. It didn't quite click until I was talking to Briel and then Obi. But I could have done with a little more room to feel differently."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that..." Fox sighed, then looked away. "I'm sorry. We really are different, and need to consider different approaches. We're not just a pair of brothers, even if we often act the same or do things together."

Cody nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry too... I was pretty resentful of you and I'm sure I took it out on you at times. Which wouldn't have been fair of me, if I did. I'm definitely sorry for that." 

"Okay." Fox sighed. "I can't believe I never considered just how different we are."

Quinlan chuckled. "I can. You've seen me and Obi. We're so different but we act so similarly and get along so well, sometimes we do forget that we're not nearly identical in personality and how we handle emotions. If there's nothing that directly shows how different you are, why would you consider it?"

Fox nodded. "You're right. We'll have to work on that." 

"We will." Obi-Wan agreed. "And I think one way we can do that is by spending time as a group and in different pairs or even as a group of three. I think that will help. And anyways, now that Quin and I Knights, we won't be doing everything together, we'll be teaching classes separately for one. And you won't be helping us with that either, most likely."

Cody nodded. "But I do want to work with you in the field... Although I suppose that will depend on the mission?"

Quinlan hummed. "Mostly. They do like to keep those who work together well as a team as much as they can, especially on the missions that hit specialties. Sometimes teams will be split up if only one or two are needed and the rest are on backup or their own mission at the same time, depending on risks. Obi and I are going to be a team, and we've been asked if you two will join us, since we were so good together in the game. There's still time before we have to finish submitting all that paperwork."

"Of course." Cody nodded. "I've been thinking about it and I would love to do that. I'm looking forward to it." He wondered why Obi-Wan hadn't mentioned it earlier.

Fox was more hesitant. "I'm not sure... I like what I've been doing... And I'd like to help out... but I wouldn't want it to be an everyday thing..." 

Quinlan nodded, smiling. "That's okay. There's an option to ask if your presence isn't necessary." 

"Okay, good. Let's go with that for now. Once I understand better how these things go... I'll be more prepared to commit to a frequency."

"Understandable," Quinlan nodded. "We'll go with that."

Obi-Wan snacked a bit more. "So... the whole argument... let's talk about that as a group?"

Fox groaned. "I guess we have to. I'm sorry... I hadn't really considered your point of view much, and once I realized exactly what it was about you taking too much responsibility that bothered me, I didn't think of anything else, and I totally forgot that we hurt you both." 

Cody nodded. "Me too. And we should have remembered that you usually default to taking too much responsibility."

"Yeah... we didn't handle that the best either," Quinlan agreed. "We weren't trying to be condescending or anything, just give you room to learn to be better without being accusatory since you couldn't have known any better the way things had been going."

"I know." Cody sighed. "I should have known better. You care about us, but you've never treated us like we're incapable or that we couldn't learn at all."

"No, they haven't," Fox agreed quietly. 

Obi-Wan smiled. "Well, we have a start. We can keep discussing, we can talk about what's next, or we can talk about other things."

"You sure it's okay to move on now?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm kind of emotion-ed out right now," he admitted. "I'm good going more light hearted if we agree to revisit it later, and that we're transparent if any of us comes up with something else to say about what happened and how it affected us."

"That's fair," Cody agreed, a bit relieved. Talking about it was getting harder. He really needed a break, at least. It wasn't like him and Obi-Wan had been kissing for long before they decided to come for snacks.

Quinlan was also relieved. He was still trying to figure out the best way to explain things that were fact to him. He knew he was going to miss things because he wouldn't know any better. It was hard to fill in the gaps of knowledge that Cody and Fox had, that was why they were so willing to take responsibility after all.

"Great... maybe a movie?" Cody suggested. "We can protect you two from bad impressions if there's a problem."

Obi-Wan smiled. "That sounds like a plan. I wouldn't mind a movie."

.

A new normal emerged. Quinlan, Obi-Wan, Fox, and Cody continued to practice their special abilities in secret and use them sparingly, when they could get away with it, or in emergencies. So far, no one outside of those they trusted with the information had picked up on those special abilities.

As for the game menus, it was slowly spreading through the Jedi Order, with new rules being put in place about their use.

No initiates were allowed to get a game menu. It was to be kept as secret as possible from initiates, to avoid them begging for access. 

Padawans could receive one, with permission of their master, whether because their master had one and could pass it on by friending their padawan, or through another person with the menu. 

No one was to rely on the game menus if they could help it. Yes, the inventories were useful, but it was suspicious when Jedi didn't pack anything for missions. Having tangible proof and being able to explain things was far more important than saving space or time.

Outsiders were not to know of it without special permission or an unavoidable circumstance. Such as being trapped with the person they were protecting and needing to use the game menu to send someone a distress signal. 

All in all, game menus were shaping up to be just another part of what it meant to be a Jedi, though not all opted to use them.

Chapter Text

By the time Quinlan was twenty seven and Obi-Wan was twenty five, almost two thousand Jedi had menus, including all of the Academics, both former NPCs and new recruits. 

It was then that Quinlan finally decided to take on the twi'lek initiate that had caught his eye during a few of the classes he taught on occasion. 

Quinlan led Aayla to the apartment. "These aren't the normal Knight apartments, there's four bedrooms," he explained. "My brother Obi-Wan has one, you'll get one, and if Obi takes on a Padawan, that padawan will get a room as well."

Aayla nodded. She was still in shock that Quinlan Vos wanted her as a padawan. He was one of the most well known Jedi in the Order. He was the reason that Swords & Mysteries was beaten. He was a hero, and he wanted her as his Padawan. 

Quinlan smiled at her. "Alright, here we are."

Aayal walked in and looked around curiously. 

"That's my room, that's Obi's. Pick one of the other two."

Aayla checked both of them out before picking the one with a slightly better view. 

Quinlan helped her unpack and get settled in, then sat down on her bed. He patted the bed beside him.

"There's one last thing we need to talk about."

"What is it, Master?" Aayla asked curiously.

Quinlan smiled. "You know about Swords & Mysteries."

"Everyone talks about it! You helped beat it! I've seen that battle, it was awesome!" 

Quinlan smiled. "It was pretty epic," he agreed. "Although it was also terrifying, since if we died there, we would be dead for good."

Aayla winced. "Oh, right. That's why it was so important that the game was beaten, not just that you were trapped but..." 

Quinlan wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah. It was scary. I'll be willing to tell you about it as you get older, but right now... I think you know enough."

"Why bring it up then?" Aayla asked curiously.

"There is a secret we've been keeping. Most Jedi know, just not initiates, and only a select few outside the Order know." 

"Oh..." Aayla frowned. "What is it?"

"The Force followed us into the game. We could use the Force, and it made things real for us. It was... hard to keep it secret, but we did our best."

"Whoa..." Aayla gasped. "Did it help?"

"It did. That's where all the original Academics came from. They used to be NPCs but spending time with us, with Jedi, made them real. And there's other secrets too."

"Like what?" 

Quinlan smirked at her and opened his menu.

Aayla gasped. "What's that?"

Quinlan sent her a friend request. 

She stared at the floating box in front of her and looked up at him.

"Go ahead." 

Aayla tapped 'accept' and gasped as a menu opened up in front of her. "What is this?"

"This is the game menu from Swords & Mysteries. The Force altered the way those of us who were trapped interacted with the world permanently, but it is something we can give to others. You just need to accept the friend request, and you have it."

Aayla was busy exploring the menu already. "This is so cool!" She saw her stats page, her skills page, the inbox. "We have to keep this very secret, don't we? People would be incredibly jealous if they know we have this."

"You're right," Quinlan agreed. "That's why initiates don't know about it. And only padawans with their masters permission can get it.   And as your master, you have my permission... it'll make missions easier.”

Aayla nodded, awed. "This is so cool... wait, does this mean you still have the weapons you used in the game?" 

Quinlan chuckled and pulled out one knife.

"Whoa!" Aayla stared. "They look sharp."

"That's because they are." Quinlan smiled at her. "Now, not every padawan knows about this, and even among those that do, they don't always have the menu, so try not to show it off, alright?"

Aayla nodded. "Is it easy to rely on it too much, like we can rely too much on the Force?"

"It can be." Quinlan nodded. "Which is why we're going to be working hard on ensuring you learn things thoroughly and don't just rely on the game mechanics to make it easier."

"Is there a difference?" Aayla was looking at her skills, which included meditation and Shii-Cho at about where she thought her skill lay.

"A bit. The game mechanics will guide your movements to help you achieve the skill. But that's not all you need to succeed. You need to be able to follow through, when you move too fast for the guide to kick in. You need to be able to think outside the box and not just do the same movements over and over. But, in the end, there is not much difference, it’s more that the skills quantify what we can do, and mostly we just need to make sure we're not pulling up our menus in front of people. Basic alerts only appear to us, so most people won't be able to tell that something is up most of the time."

Aayla nodded seriously. "Understood, master. What does GFFA mean?” She pointed to where her menu said that.

“We’re not sure. When we were in the game, that’s where it said ‘Swords & Mysteries’ so it’s probably just a nickname for our world, of some sort. We don’t know what it means.”

“Oh.” She thought about it a bit, still poking around. Then she grinned. “Where do we start?" she asked eagerly.

Quinlan grinned. "With meditation and food. Come on, daily life still exists even with the excitement."

Aayla pouted. "Okay."

"And you'll get to meet Obi, he lives here, and our boyfriends. My boyfriend is Fox, and his is Cody. You've seen them around, right?"

"Yeah! I like them." Aayla brightened.

.

Seeing Quinlan with a padawan had Obi-Wan consider taking on a Padawan. Whenever he meditated on it, he got a 'soon, but not yet' general response. 

Which meant he started paying more attention to the initiates. He was not particularly drawn to any particular initiate, aside from Anakin Skywalker. 

But there was an edge of warning in the Force whenever he looked at Anakin. He had to be careful with that one, even as they were compatible and would make a good master-padawan pair.

Obi-Wan checked into Anakin's background. 

Anakin was brought to the Temple when he was six. He didn't seem to have many memories of his life before, and often seemed confused and disoriented by the way the Jedi did things.

Digging revealed that he had been born a slave but records disappeared shortly after that. No one was certain what that meant for his childhood, but they were careful to look out for warning signs.

As time went on, Anakin adjusted and seemed just like any other happy initiate in the creche.

There were some of the typical issues of a six year old joining the creche. Six was the absolute oldest they allowed, and for a good reason.

The initiates already in the creche around that age didn't always take to newcomers well. 

It was harder for a six year old to adjust than a younger child, though not impossible. 

Proper classes typically started at age 6, so an initiate joining at the age of 6 might find themselves a little behind their peers.

And so on.

Anakin still didn't have too many friends, though one of the friends he had made, it seemed, was Aayla. 

Obi-Wan made note of all of that, and continued observing, looking over all the initiates of all ages to see if there was any that caught his attention, and the Force agreed with.

There was a young togruta that seemed to be a good fit, if he waited a few years longer. 

But... Obi-Wan had a feeling that Anakin needed him. He thought that Anakin had the potential to be a Knight, he was a generally good student. He didn't get into too much trouble, and handled bullies far better than Obi-Wan did at his age.

Obi-Wan still waited. Anakin needed to be at least eleven before he could be a padawan. It was also good to see if anyone else was interested in him.

There seemed to be passing interest in Anakin. But no one seemed to click with him when they interacted. 

Obi-Wan only ever interacted with Anakin in classes he taught. He never sought Anakin out to talk to, just watched him from a distance when he could. 

Once Anakin was finally eligible to be a padawan, Obi-Wan waited a bit longer.

He wanted to see how Anakin fared in the Initiate tournament, and if anyone showed interest.

Anakin did well, but surprised Obi-Wan by showing a bit of arrogance leading up to the final match. 

It was a well earned arrogance, as Anakin did win that one as well, but it was enough that it turned away many who did have an interest in him.

But for Obi-Wan, it reminded him of when he was younger. Arrogance was not the best thing, but it wasn't the worst, either, if one could recognize that they needed help, and accepted that help. 

Anakin hadn't shown that arrogance when it came to mechanics, which was where his real talent lay. He was beyond good and into prodigy levels for mechanics, while he wasn't quite good enough to be a prodigy in lightsaber play. 

Obi-Wan meditated one last time and made his final decision. 

He went to the creche and found that Anakin had disappeared after he had been given a mild talking to for being arrogant. 

Obi-Wan joined in the search after informing Anakin's crechemaster of his intentions.

He'd already gotten most of it arranged anyway.

He found Anakin in the Room of A Thousand Fountains. Everyone was searching the hangars and the workshops, thinking he was going to tinker.

But Obi-Wan had noticed that Anakin didn't always go where people expected him to. Not when he didn't want to be found.

So he found Anakin in the hottest part of the room, laying in a desert. 

"Initiate Skywalker," Obi-Wan greeted him.

Anakin shot up looking around. He only relaxed slightly when he saw Obi-Wan. "Knight Kenobi?"

"I was at the tournament earlier."

Anakin flopped back, groaning. 

"You did well." Obi-Wan laid down as well, wincing at how hot the sand was. Ever since he rediscovered his ice ability, his ability to tolerate heat had gone way down, though he could adjust given time, which was useful for the missions that took him to hot places.

"Thanks. I guess." 

"So, why did you choose this part of the room? You could have chosen the waterfall, or a fountain, or really anywhere, but you chose a desert."

Anakin sighed, propping himself up to look at Obi-Wan. "I don't know. I think... I have early memories. Really early, like before I was two... I remember being in a really hot place, with a lot of sand... and a woman, my mom? She really loved me and she sang me a lullaby about the sand." 

He was fidgeting, like he didn't think he would be believed. Or maybe he was hiding something more, but it was his business. Pushing him to talk would help no one.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Sometimes those things make a huge impact and those brief moments can stick with you for life. Of course you'd find comfort here."

"Yeah." Anakin sighed. Then he frowned and squinted at Obi-Wan. "Why are you here? You don't really know me or anything."

"Why don't you sit up so we can talk face to face?" Obi-Wan suggested, sitting up. 

Anakin sighed again and sat up, facing Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "Initiate Anakin Skywalker, would you like to be my padawan?"

Anakin stared at him, disbelieving. "You... want me? Even though I was arrogant?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "I've been watching you for a while, Anakin. I think we will make a good team. Arrogance is a flaw to work on, yes, but that doesn't mean it has to rule you. You're not arrogant when it comes to other things you're good at. Arrogance is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you're not getting proper challenges." 

Anakin stared at him, then beamed. "Yes! I'd like to be your padawan, Knight Kenobi!" 

Obi-Wan smiled. "How do you feel about hugs?"

"I dunno... never seemed interesting to me..."

"Would you mind if I gave you a hug?"

"Um, okay." Anakin gave him an uncertain smile.

Obi-Wan hugged him gently.

"Oh..." Anakin leaned in. "This is kind of nice."

"Good. I like hugs. So does my brother. We're usually rather affectionate, but if you don't want to be affectionate, you don't have to be, just communicate what you need, okay?"

Anakin nodded. "Okay!"

"Now let's get everything sorted and then we can go talk more, alright?"

"Alright! You share quarters with Master Vos, right?" 

"I do. We have four bedrooms, you'll get the ones not already taken."

"Oh! That means I get to live with Aayla."

Obi-Wan smiled. "It does. I take it, you're happy with that?"

"Yeah! Aayla's great!"

"Great! Are you ready?"

Anakin nodded. "Let's go!"

.

Everything was settled before Obi-Wan sat down with Anakin in his new room and explained what happened with the game, much like Quinlan had explained it to Aayla. 

Anakin poked around his menu for a bit. "This is so cool," he whispered reverently. "I really get to use this?"

"Within the rules we set, yes," Obi-Wan confirmed. 

Anakin went back to poking and exploring.

This occupied him until dinner when he met Cody and Fox. 

He eyed them suspiciously. "You were NPCs?"

"Yes, we were," Cody answered as he was less offended by the question than Fox. "But by all accounts we're real people now, even if we shouldn't actually exist."

"Really?"

"We have the medical records to prove it," Fox replied grumpily.

"Huh... that's so cool!" Anakin responded brightly.

Obi-Wan smiled at his padawan as Aayla started telling him all the things she'd been dying to share since she became a padawan. 

He put dishes away with Cody.

Cody wrapped an arm around him. "I love him already. He's a good fit."

"Me too." 

"There's something bothering you, though," Cody said quietly.

"Just a weird feeling in the Force, nothing more."

Cody gave him a raised eyebrow.

"It feels like a warning of what might come years from now, but that doesn't have much to do with who Anakin is today." Obi-Wan admitted quietly as Aayla dragged Anakin off.

Quinlan and Fox brought over the last of the plates. "Then we'll face it together. I'm sure it'll be fine. He seems like a sweet kid who just needs some extra guidance. Like you did."

Obi-Wan huffed and shoved his brother lightly. "Oh, shut up."

Quinlan cackled.

.

Anakin was very careful as he left the Temple during free time. He knew Obi-Wan's schedule by heart already. He wouldn't notice. Nor would Quinlan or Aayla or Cody or Fox.

He found his way to the usual meeting spot.

"There you are, apprentice."

"Sorry, Lord Sidious." Anakin bowed. "Knight Kenobi took me on as his Padawan and I have had to change my routines to avoid notice."

"Oh? One of those heroes that defeated Swords & Mysteries? Now this is a delightful turn. Our plans will go much smoother."

Anakin smirked. "There's actually a few secrets they've been keeping from everyone, my lord. You know the Academics and how they appeared almost immediately after the game dissolved? They were NPCs from the game, but the Force apparently made them real and brought them out of the game."

"Intriguing... I had wondered, but that does explain a lot, particularly the timing of their appearance, and how familiar some of them seem." 

Anakin nodded. "There's more." 

"Oh? You have already impressed me, Apprentice, getting one of those who ensured I would be crippled as your master, so we can make sure we get our revenge."

Anakin smirked. "He's been watching me for months, I just didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure he was going to take me on. I didn't really expect it to arrive when it did, but within months."

"Good. Is there anything else you can share?"

"He's close with Vos, they're definitely brothers. They are close with their NPC boyfriends... Kenobi is with Cody and Vos is with Fox. I think there are more weaknesses to be found."

"Good."

"There is one other thing..." Anakin raised his hand and opened his brand new menu, smirking.