"He sold his parents belongings?" Zeb repeated, shock staining his voice. After the heart to heart, Ezra had left for his cabin where he climbed into bed and rested; Hera had taken some time to regain control over her emotions, thanking Chopper for his attempt to comfort her, before making her way into the mess hall. As she was preparing her crew some dinner, she called for the others to join her; she didn't have to wait long before they all came filing in. Kanan noticed his Padawan's absent presence and asked about it, to which his partner had to take yet another moment to compose herself. This had originally worried her friends, but Hera began to explain what the boy had done for them. "That's what those errands he mentioned earlier today were" their captain stated while resuming her previous task, keeping an eye on the heated pan filled with a mix of vegetables and meat cooking away "he went through his old home, gathered anything he thought might sell and took them to the market". Turning to the crew, Hera found them all sat around the table, each looking at her with amazement, care and disbelief. Sabine was the first to ask their main question, but none were expecting to hear that Ezra had managed to get eight thousand credits for the lot. "And he got all of that for his parents old broadcasting equipment?" the young girl questioned, recalling how old the electronics were when they had used the house as a hide out. And she wasn't the only one. While Zeb and Hera had seemed to overlook that detail, Kanan had not and had a worry building up inside; he remained silent as his partner added that their youngest friend had found a few other items around the house which contributed to the high figure. "Where is he now?" the Jedi finally asked, his concern no hiding itself as he spoke; Hera motioned towards the door as she stirred the food "he's resting, going through his parents things took an emotional toll on him and the poor thing looked exhausted".
As the time passed and they continued to discuss what Ezra had done for him, Hera announced that dinner was ready and asked Kanan to get their friend from his cabin "oh, and don't mention what I just told you" she pleaded "he doesn't want a fuss and I think it might be a bit too much for him now, what with actually doing it". Promising to keep quiet for now, the man rose from his seat and made his way through the ship before stopping outside his Padawan's shared cabin; he knocked on the door and waited for a response, but he never received one. Using the master code on the panel beside the door, he watched it open and stepped in. His eyes roamed over the room before him before landing on the top bunk; he walked over and stepped up on the side of the bottom bed, holding onto the metal safety guard for the top as he looked over. Kanan couldn't stop the smile that fell upon his face as he took in the sight before him. Ezra was curled up under his blanket, his eyes closed as he slept ever so peacefully; he glanced at a material in the boys arms and realised that it was a blue shirt that he had hugged to his chest. Kanan was certain he had never seen it before. And based on what Hera had just shared with him, he could only assume that it was a shirt that once belonged to either his mother or father. While he didn't want to disturb the child, Kanan knew he wouldn't be all to happy about missing out on Hera's cooking. Reaching out, he gently grasped the boy's shoulder and lightly shook him, calling out his name. As soon as Ezra felt the movement, he couldn't help but wince as his eyes opened in surprise; he looked up at the man, noticing the sudden frown that fell upon his face. "Kanan?" the boy sat up from his bed, rubbing his eyes to rid them of sleep "sorry if I startled you kid, but Hera said dinner's ready" his Master explained, though there was the undoubtable concern laced within his voice.
Nodding in understanding, Ezra ignored his shoulder as it ached while moving over towards the ladder; he climbed down and turned to the man who had hopped down from the side of the bunks. "Are you okay?" Kanan questioned, watching the boy as smiled and nodded just as his normal self. But it didn't feel right. It felt off and almost acted "you seemed like you were in pain just then, kid" he pressed on. Ezra simply shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest as he assured his Master that he was perfectly fine "you just made me jump is all" he reasoned before adding how he may or may not had hit his shoulder when he also injured his lip "why didn't you say anything when we asked if you had hurt yourself anywhere else?" Kanan asked as the pair left the cabin and walked down the hall "it didn't really hurt then, but I guess after not stopping all day, it's began to show" the boy shrugged, insisting that it simply ached and that he would be fine by tomorrow. Knowing he wasn't going to much else out of the teenager, Kanan left it at that as they reached the mess hall. Hera smiled over at the two as she finished plating up the food; they all gathered around, thanking the woman before digging in. And while Hera had indeed kept her end of the bargain by telling everyone to not bring up Ezra's activities from the day, that didn't mean the rest of the crew were going to listen. Sabine was the first to speak, admitting her surprise that he had managed to get so many credits for the old tech; the captain sent a stern stare to the girl "what? We can't just move on as if what the kid did was nothing" she reasoned. Letting out a sigh, Ezra simply stated that he knew a guy from the market who bought nearly anything and everything "it's just a good job I know how to haggle I guess" he shrugged before taking another bite of his food. Zeb reached over and patted the kid on the back, forcing the teenager to hide away his pain from the strong yet friendly bows. Kanan glanced over towards his Padawan as a small wave of pain washed over him; Ezra realised his mistake and tried to cover it up quickly, reached over his shoulder and rubbing the area the Lasat had touched. It was a known fact that their strongest crew member sometimes forgot his own strength, so it didn't appear odd that his 'comforting' gestures packed more force then intended. With this thought process in mind, Kanan resumed eating his dinner, though there was a small worry that remained in the back of his mind that joined with another from their encounter back in the boy's cabin.
"At least now we don't have to worry about finding missions for awhile" Zeb smirked as he finished his food, sitting back in his seat as he glanced around the table; the entire crew could do nothing but nod in fond agreement. "That was the idea" Ezra muttered as he paused to take a sip of water. Reaching over to the boy, Hera placed her hand on top of his own, giving it a gentle squeeze as she reminded him of how grateful she, and now the others, were for his kindness. Sending a smile to the woman was all the boy had to do before a hesitant idea came to mind "...can you guys clear the table? I have something I want to show you" he announced once he realised they had all finished eating. Although confused, their curiosity was stronger as they each nodded. While Ezra retreated from the mess hall, they quickly placed all of the dishes in the sink. Since it was Sabine's turn to clean them, she promised to do so later. Returning from his cabin, Ezra returned to his seat but this time, with an old box in hand. "What's that, Ezra?" Kanan wondered, leaning against the edge of the table as the kid placed the box down before them "I found it at my parents, hidden under their bed" he explained as he hesitantly removed the lid "you guys have opened up to me about your lives before living on the Ghost at one time or another...I guess I'm sorta ready to do the same" he reasoned. Glancing around to one another, the crew realised the weight of the situation; Ezra was opening up to them in a way he never had before, let alone ever wanted to. But here he was, taking out the photos from the box and handed them out for them to look through. It was relatively silent at first, each taking the time to look at each photo thoroughly. Then Hera and Sabine couldn't help but awe and coo over the sight of baby and toddler versions of the boy sat beside them. "Who are these people?" Kanan asked, handing over one of the pictures to his Padawan; Ezra stared at the piece of paper for a moment, a smile creeping up as he rested it on the table to all to see. One by one, he pointed to each person: grandparents, his parents, Tseebo who the crew recognised well enough, and a few family friends that even Ezra couldn't quite remember. Though Hera did recognise one of them to be an old senator of Lothal, but his name escaped her memory. "I'd say that was probably a few days after I was born" he mentioned.
Moving onto other photos, Ezra did his best to explain what they showed; he found it was oddly easier going through them now then when he had back at the house, all on his own. "What about this person?" Sabine spoke up, handing the photo over to her young friend. It show the boy as maybe a two year old, but he was in the arms of a human woman; she had dark hair, was roughly the same height as Hera from what the photo showed and was a brown robe. Shaking his head, Ezra admitted to having no idea as to who she was; he had no memory of this person, meaning he never met her when it was older before his parents were taken. Holding her hand out patiently, Hera took the picture to take a look herself out of curiosity; her eyes turned wide and a small gasp escaped her lips. "Hera?" Kanan frowned with concern, but as the woman's eyes turned to return his gaze, they were filled with shock and sadness. Although reluctant, Hera held out the photo to her partner who took it; he had raised his brow in confusion towards her behaviour, but as his gaze dropped to the paper in his hand, he understood why. His eyes turned wide as his mouth opened ever so slightly; he felt as if all of the air in his lungs had been sucked away and all he could do was stare down. As his own worry began to creep in, Ezra called out to his Master, asking if they knew the woman. Surely it was the only explanation to both of their reactions. Shaking her head, Hera mumbled out with great difficulty that she did not "but Kanan did" she placed her hand on the man's shoulder, doing her best to comfort him without crowding him. Gulping down his own growing emotions, Kanan raised the photo as he looked to the boy "you're certain you don't remember this woman? Or how your parents knew her?" he pushed, but Ezra could do nothing but shake his head "I...I don't...I'm sorry" the boy's gaze dropped.
Letting out a deep breath, Kanan knew he wasn't being very fair. Reaching over the table, he gave his Padawan's hand a kind squeeze "don't be, kid...it's okay" he reassured, sending him a gentle yet somewhat forced smile. "Kanan...how do you know that woman?" Zeb questioned, though he tried to be careful. Such a reaction needed an answer and the Jedi knew that. Sitting back in his seat, the man's gaze returned to the photo as he sighed "because that is Jedi Master Depa Billaba...or was at least" he answered. Recalling the name only coming up a few times since they had each joined the crew, the two teenagers and the Lasat thought back to those rare moments "wait...that name...wasn't she..." Sabine was unable to finish her sentence, her words failing her as her own sympathy silenced them. But there was no point. Kanan knew what she was going to say "yeah...she was my Master" he admitted. Closing his eyes, Ezra mentally cursed himself for showing the crew the box of photos. Even when he didn't intend to, he upset his Master. "She never mentioned knowing anyone from Lothal though" the man stated, slowly smiling at the photo before handing it back to the boy who returned it to the box. Wishing to change the sad atmosphere, Kanan glanced into the box and noticed something at the bottom "aren't those holo-disks?" he asked. Moving the many photos out of the way, Ezra pulled out what was indeed a number of holo-disks "I didn't realise these were even in here" he confessed; Hera suggested they plug them into the table and take a peek, to which the boy shrugged and handed them over. Doing just as she had said, the woman pressed a few buttons on the control pad on the side of the table; they watched as a video popped up before them, but when Hera pressed play, all that could be seen was static. "Damn, I'm sorry sweetie" Ezra simply smiled over to the woman, thanking her for trying "I guess the dust and amount of time that's passed was unavoidable". Sabine kindly offered to take a look at the holo-disks to see if she could clean them up and get them working again, to which the boy simply shrug and handed them over.
"Thank you for showing us these Ezra, and for opening up" Kanan smiled, watching as his Padawan returned all of the photos back to their box; the boy merely nodded, admitting that it felt easier now than when he had tried to go through them on his own. "Well, we're here if you wanna do it again" Zeb light-heartedly offered, though they could all tell there was some seriousness to his words. As Ezra rose from his seat with his box in hand, all he said was "likewise" before he said that he was gonna get an earlier night "training tomorrow morning?" he asked, looking to his Master who simply nodded "seven hundred hours, sharp" he smirked. With a final salute, Ezra left the mess hall. All Hera could do was sit back in her seat, her arms resting over her lap while a bright smile beamed from her face "what's with you?" Zeb chuckled, but that didn't deter the woman from her happiness. "It feels like Ezra is finally trusting us, and more than what's mandatory just because he lives with us and goes on missions with us" she explained "you know when gave me the credits, he said he was sure his parents would be alright with him selling their things because it was to help his new family" she recalled. None of them could quite deny any of the smiles that joined the woman's, nor the warm and almost fuzzy feeling that over took them. "I'm gonna get to work on cleaning these holo-disks" Sabine announced, wishing the others a good night; Zeb followed suit, wishing to take a shower before thrashing the Jedi at another game on the holo-net. "You wish!" Kanan called out, chuckling as the door closed behind the Lasat. Turning her head to the man, Hera couldn't help but ask if he really was okay "I know it's hard for you, talking about your Master" she sympathised. Letting out a tired sigh, Kanan couldn't lie, especially to his partner. He admitted that he wasn't expecting to see Depa in one of the Ezra's photos; it was something that never even crossed his mind to be a possibility. "But...it was nice to see her again, even if it was in a photo from before I was even her Padawan" he smiled fondly. Hera leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to the man's cheek, allowing him to wrap his arms around her as they shared a much needed embrace. But while they remained without one another's arms, Kanan's previous thought returned "I think we should keep a close eye Ezra for a little bit" he stated, confusing the woman as she asked why he would think such a thing "I don't know, maybe it's just a feeling or something, but I can't help but feel like he's hiding something" he sighed. Knowing a further explanation was needed, Kanan recalled his encounter with the teenager when he had gone to his cabin to wake him for dinner. "You think he's lying? But he's just been opening up with us. And he didn't hide his pain from us when recovering from his blaster injury" Hera tried to reason with logic, but the worry in her voice was already .there. She knew Kanan well enough to know he wouldn't bring something like this up if he didn't have reason to do so; this was bothering him enough that he felt some form of action needed to to be taken. And for now, if that action was keeping a closer watch on the boy, that's what they would have to do. "Alright, but we do it subtly" Hera agreed, not wishing for the progress they had made with Ezra to reverse. They both simply hoped that they were worrying over nothing. But unfortunately, they did. For Ezra had another 'event' coming up the very next night.