Star Wars Rebels Aftermath

Part 13

Extra update this month!

Jacen keeps his thoughts to himself, but makes a mental note to interrogate the two later on their suspicious behaviour. The small boy's stares doesn't move from the intertwined fingers winging back and forth, between the young adults. 

Only a moment passes by before their hands are forced to part, once they reach the ladder inside the Ghost. After individually climbing the yellow vertical row of steps, Jacen still clinging to Ezra's neck, they stumble into the cockpit. Sabine immediately slides her hand back into Ezra's for a second time in front of Jacen. Jacen clearly notices, but decides to keep his mouth shut on the particular subject. However, the awkward silence becomes strange for the small child and he thinks to give the man a personal tour of the ship he has lived in all his live. It doesn't quite occur to him that the man had also lived in the ship for many years.

'My bedroom is over there.' Jacen leans down to speak into Ezra's ear, after desperately tapping him on the cheek. Ezra smiles up at the boy and follows his gaze to the direction his tiny, chubby hand is pointing. 

Hera holds her palm against the sensor to keep the door open for the others. After walking through and letting the door slide closed behind them, Ezra presses his free hand against the unlocked button to Jacen's supposed room. The metal door parts from the wall slowly and reveals the bedroom. Jacen scurries down from Ezra's shoulders with the slight assistance from his human perch. Jacen bounces around excitedly and flops down on the lower bunk. Ezra quickly recognizes the room to be his and Garazeb Orrelios' previous shared room. The upper bunk bed that had been his own, is no longer attached to the lower one and is flipped upside down, laying beside the wall. It seems to be used not as a bed any more, but a desk for the child's drawings. 

On that note, Ezra gazes around the room to find the walls, roof and even floor painted in many bright colours. However, it isn't a chaotic childish decoration, but done neatly and professionally. It doesn't take Ezra long at all to understand the work had been done by Sabine, standing beside him.

He compliments her work with a warm smile before looking back at Jacen, who is laying dramatically on his bed. The boy's arms and legs outstretched with one baggy panted leg drooping over the edge of the soft mattress and just dangling above the lime green metallic floor.

'You staying here? Or you coming with us, little man?' Ezra asks Jacen as he stands by the doorway, ready to move on.

Jacen lifts his head quickly, making eye-contact with Ezra. Less than a moment is able to pass by before the young child is bouncing around with a death grip on the hand Ezra has free from Sabine. 

Jacen begins to come to the conclusion that he may have to fight for his new best friend. He is very close with Sabine as well, however. She has been like an auntie or even older sister kind of person to him and he honestly doesn't really want to commence a war, but he believes he might just have to. The closeness between Sabine and Ezra is concerning for Jacen. He doesn't understand what their relationship is, but is most concerned about whether it will affect his newly found relationship with Ezra. He can only be my best friend. Not Sabine's. Jacen quickly reminds himself not to hate on Sabine, since she has done heaps for him. 

'You planning an evil plot there, Jacen?' Sabine grins, nudging the small boy playfully against the shoulder. Jacen soon realises that he's been staring emotionlessly at the wall, creepily frozen while he's been stuck in his thoughts. He turns to face the two older people and feels an automatic tug upward at the corners of his mouth. This retrieves two looks of suspicion and amusement from his close friends.

Hera then calls out something from the other room, most likely from the kitchen. The three stare out in the direction of her voice, trying to determine what her muffled words were, and whether they were important. 

'WHAAAT?' Jacen suddenly spat, expecting her to repeat.

Ezra flinched back slightly at the unexpected yell from beside him. He hadn't heard a scream in years and got vague flashbacks from the times he, Zeb and Chopper would pull pranks on each other or the rest of the crew, which usually resulted in screaming death threats while thumping through these very halls of the Ghost.

'Jacen! Come here!' Hera calls out more clearly, her head poking out around the doorframe of the kitchen room. 

Jacen's shoulders slump dramatically in annoyance once he understands his mother's words. He knows he'll be doing chores around the kitchen. He debates between himself whether he'll be made to do washing up, or drying. Possibly to gather up ingredients for a new meal his mother wants to attempt to cook. He trudges forward and through the door into the main room between the hall and kitchen. Just before entering the room his mother is in, Jacen spins on his heels, makes sharp eye-contact with Sabine and pulls his small hand up to his face, pointing out his pinky and index finger towards his eyes then flings his hand in the same motion, directed at Sabine. Then the little boy disappears from view of Sabine and Ezra, into the kitchen.

Both Ezra and Sabine chuckle, confused at Jacen's action and walk into the main room, which is empty of people, taking a seat on the couch positioned around the Holo-Chess table. The two no longer are hand in hand, but sit extremely close. Ezra looks at Sabine in the corner of his eye as he lifts his leg -as casually as he can manage- and drops it on top of Sabine's. She raises an eyebrow slightly, glancing over at his leg, draped over her own, then to Ezra's face. She doesn't think too much of it but her face forces a descrete smirk.

Ezra and Sabine look at each other and he slowly leans his head in closer. Sabine doesn't argue and copies his movement. Their noses almost touch and they don't come to a halt. Ezra slightly tilts his head to get even closer, his arm beginning to snake around her waist. Sabine drags her hand up his chest until it reaches his jaw, and she keeps going. Her hand now around the back of his neck, and their lips at the most a single centimeter apart. 

Just as their lips are about to meet, a loud thud echoes throughout the room, making Ezra and Sabine jolt away from each other and glare in the direction of the noise. Their gazes both meet with Hondo Ohnaka's who is seated glamorously on the other end of the couch. The two wonder when he had gotten there, and how he had been so silent up until now. 

'Apologies,' The Pirate leans forward to scoop up an empty mug up from the ground by his feet. 'it was the monkey's fault.' He gestures to the Lizard monkey on his shoulder who is suddenly quite offended at the accusation. 'Carry on.' Hondo swats at the stunned Ezra and Sabine as though what they had been doing was completely natural to do right in front of him. 'Go on,' He continues to encourage 'Pikk and I aren't here.' He smirks, placing the mug on the Holo-Chess table and laying back, attempting to convince them that he is studying the posters and paintings around the room, on the walls.

Ezra and Sabine continue their stares at Hondo. They have no intention is continuing what they started moments ago with anyone in the room. Hondo sneaks in a glance their way, thinking they'd be in the middle of what they had previously been doing. When he only finds their eyes on him, he lets out a disapproving sigh and gives up. 

'Caffs, anyone?' Hera steps out of the kitchen with two mugs the same as Hondo had had, clutched under her arm. 

They agree and thank her before she retreats back into the kitchen, only to return a moment later with the mugs filled to the brim. She places them both on the table in front of Sabine and Ezra before sliding in between the two, on the couch. 

'So, catch me up to speed with the past five years for you, Ezra.' Hera gives a warm, motherly smile and pats his knee gently.