Chapter Text
Chapter 7; Master Fay
Jon would never admit the small bit of pride he felt when he finally managed to extract himself from the clingy Mandalorian without waking the man up. It felt like an achievement. Especially drugged up and operating at 10% of his usual grace. The Mandalorian must be a heavier sleeper than Jon anticipated.
His usual clothing was still at some undisclosed location and since Jon could already feel his fingers getting colder he knew he should probably find something to keep him warm.
But the Force was being insistent and yanked at him until Jon got moving. Barefooted and without proper layers, Jon let out a breath and called the Force to keep him warm as he slipped out of the apartment and looked both ways into the hallway he now found himself in.
There were gaps in the Force moving around, two of the many just so happened to be about to round the corner and stumble upon Jon which made the choice of what direction to go into rather easy.
Moving lightly, Jon turned left and rounded the corner on the opposite side of the hallway just as the two Mandalorian guards rounded the other one. He missed being spotted by a split second.
Ignoring the biting cold, Jon weaved through corridors and hallways, avoiding the blank spots and letting the Force guide him as he went. This better be something important because he was freezing his toes off for whatever the Force needed him for.
He was guided up stairs and eventually found his way on the wall that seemed to be surrounding the Keep they were in. When he walked out and felt the cool stone below his feet, Jon narrowed his eyes.
There was a tiny armoured being trying to fend off a much taller and broader Mandalorian.
What was it with Mandalorians and them fighting within their ranks? Regardless, Jon should step in, the Mandalorian young one couldn’t be older than fifteen and it was clearly the adult who was the aggressor.
Sprinting up, Jon loomed over the teen and pushed the adult off the kid with an open palm and a good amount of force. The Mando’s grasp on the kid broke out of surprise, leaving Jon to catch the teenager and nudge him behind his form. Dodging the attacks coming his way, Jon tilted his head and kept pushing the Mando back.
It was clear they were startled and failed to notice his own surroundings.
Which led to the Mando’s unfortunate downfall. Literally.
Stumbling back, the Mandalorian failed to realise just how close he was to the ledge of the wall and as he started to take aim for a shot at a weaponless Jon, he fell back and flipped over the edge.
That was not how Jon had expected this to go. Clicking his tongue, Jon walked over and peered over the wall and spotted the broken shape of the attacking Mandalorian’s unmoving form. They were going nowhere. Not anymore at least.
“How– What did you do?!” The boy looked at the Mandalorian that had attacked him with wide eyes.
“Nothing you can prove.” Jon replied calmly, slipping into the darkness as easily as he had appeared from it.
For a moment, Jon thought he could get away unscathed but when he heard tiny footsteps running up from behind he knew he wasn’t that lucky. “Oi! Wait up! Aren’t you buir’s Jetii ?”
“ Buir … What is buir ?” Jon asked, not slowing down to allow the teenager to keep up without stumbling.
“ Buir? Ehh… It’s Jaster. My… parent? Yeah, parent.” It was clear Basic was not the boy’s first language.
Jon found himself observing the boy, “Then your sister must be Arla?”
The kid nodded. “I am Jango Phett !” The teen proclaimed proudly.
“I am not Jaster’s anything.” Jon pressed himself against a nearby wall, carefully slipping by a holocamera unseen. “Run off, little one. Find your sister, or Skirata to tell them what happened.”
“Shouldn’t you be with Jas’buir ? I thought Mij had you locked up in Jas’buir’s apartment.” Jango asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed? It is long past a young one's bedtime.” Jon retorted.
“Hey–!”
“Shh.” Jon hissed, aware of how the noise could attract unwanted attention their way. “Quiet. I do not wish to suffer a Healer’s wrath.”
Jango got a smug look on his face, “I’ll tell on you.” He claimed, “You should be nicer to me.”
Ah. He was a brat. How fitting.
“You and what proof?” Raising an eyebrow, Jon peered down at the teenager, “No one will believe you.” He informed before turning and leaping up, using the Force to boost him to the balcony window four stories up.
With Jango’s protest far behind him, Jon sprinted to Jaster’s apartment and barely avoided the night watch as he slipped back inside and closed the door behind him.
It felt a bit odd to slip back into the sunken living room only to be immediately drawn against the still sleeping Jaster. The man was very… touch-ey… His touch pickled his senses slightly uncomfortably. Touch usually did. Then again, Jaster was warm and Jon had grown incredibly cold after his small outing.
Jaster had some interesting and oddly feral younglings.
Jon should try to heal some of his injuries a bit while he rested. It was always less painful to so that during meditation.
—---------------------
When Jon woke up again, Jaster was still holding him. His head was resting against the Mando's chest. He was having a hushed conversation with someone who did not take into account that Jon was trying to sleep.
Giving up on clinging to his restful slumber, Jon blinked awake and honed in on the conversation.
“– Jan’ika , I think I would have noticed if the Jetii left the Karyai in the middle of the night.” Jaster whispered, “Now lower your voice. Jon needs his rest.”
“Yeah! Because he threw my attacker off the roof while he was supposed to be on bedrest!” Jango yelled. “I swear, Jaster!”
“I am not saying you weren’t attacked, your black eye speaks volumes to that, but Jon couldn’t have been there. I was with him the whole time.”
The teen sounded outraged. “You were sleeping!”
“ Jan’ika , please. Even if I wouldn’t have noticed then the night patrol would have.” Jaster pleaded. “Kal is investigating the matter, if you truly believe that Jon had something to do with it, it will be uncovered.”
They wouldn’t.
“He said no one would believe me.”
“Let’s discuss this at another moment, Jan’ika .” Jango huffed, puffing up as he stomped out of the room to cool down. Jaster sighed, adjusting his grip on Jon as he let the Jedi rest against his chest. “Sleep well?”
“I slept, yes.” Jon replied, unable to find it in himself to move.
“Did you sleep well, though?”
Jon frowned a bit, “Does that matter?” He asked.
“Humour me.” Jaster sighed, slightly exasperated.
“Well enough, I suppose.” Jon muttered, “I still feel drowsy.”
“Mij is keeping you partially sedated. That ought to explain it.”
It didn’t feel good. Jon liked being at his full awareness. Sedatives might not work as well on Jon as it would on a Force Null but it surely packed a punch. It wouldn’t surprise Jon if Mij already gave him a higher dose to make up for that.
His muscles felt strange, oddly so. His healing had done him some good at least. Jon was pretty sure he managed to fix his ribs.
Letting out a long breath, Jon did actually feel a little less hurt. His meditation had done plenty of healing.
Which is how he spends his next few days. Slumbering and meditating for hours. Not noticing as time passed in favour of stimulating his healing. It took longer this way but he couldn’t get scolded.
His checkup the following week still seemed to displease the Healer.
“Wha– How– How the kriff did this–?!”
“Mij? What is it?”
“His ribs are healed and his stab wounds look like they have been healing for several more days than they are supposed to.” Mij pressed against Jon’s ribs, “They’re a bit weak still but definitely healed.”
“Does that mean I am allowed to walk now?” Jon asked. “Fresh air would be nice…”
“It’s only been a few days!” Mij exclaimed, “This should not– you shouldn’t be able– No walking. Your ribs might be miraculously healed but your stab wounds sure aren’t. You will rip them again.”
Jaster shrugged, “I can carry him.”
Jon startled, “Well… I don’t–”
The medic glared at Jaster, “If you drop him I am taking him to the medbay.”
“Wait–” Jon protested but Jaster nodded.
“That’s fine. I won’t drop him.”
Going to argue again, Jon held up his hand but Jaster was already kneeling next to him to scoop him up. Stiffening, Jon was surprised with the ease Jaster picked him up. The Mandalorian straightened with ease and started climbing out of the karyai.
Jon’s nails dug into Jaster’s shoulders, making the man wince a bit– he wasn’t wearing a part of his armour which was something Jon hadn’t noticed until he accidentally left the imprint of his fingernails behind.
“Careful there, cyare , you’ve got some sharp nails.” Jaster chastised. “I won’t drop you.”
“I am not used to being carried.” Jon remained tense as Jaster walked him through the hallways and in the direction Jon had gone into on his little midnight adventure.
“You don’t say.” Jaster was clearly amused but Jon was not enjoying the experience as much as he was.
Eventually they made it outside onto a courtyard that was used as training grounds. There was a round structure in the middle, large and clearly important. Several Mandalorians were training and seemed occupied with their drills.
Jaster walked down a few stairs before turning and setting Jon down on the steps before taking a seat next to him.
“You do know I am fully able to walk, right?” Jon asked.
“You carried me before.”
“Because you couldn’t walk. I can.”
“But you shouldn’t walk. You are still in recovery.” Jaster argued, clearly amused.
Jon just sighed. Another argument he was unlikely to win.
Why a Mandalorian was this concerned about his health was anyones’ guess.
—----------------
It was a few days later when Jon and Jaster were once more seated in the courtyard that something of interest came up.
On a morning like any other, one where Jon was actually allowed to walk if he did so with care, a commotion caught their attention. Jon was wholly unconcerned with it. If it was something dangerous the Force would have told him.
His connection with the Force was still hazy due to the amount of sedatives Mij kept insisting he should take but danger always managed to poke through. It had when Jaster’s youngling got into trouble and Jon was way out of it back then.
Jaster did sit up, setting his almost empty caff mug off to the side in favour of paying attention to it while Jon didn’t bother dropping his tea from where he held it up to his lips.
“An aruetii is… walking into the Keep?” Jaster asked, catching Jon’s attention as he held a comm to his ear. “How? Are you letting them?”
Jon glanced at Jaster, catching the moment Jaster’s face dropped and his eyes turned to look at him.
It was something to do with him then. Interesting.
“Are you sure?” Jaster asked, listening to the answer before adding, “A Jetii Baar’ur ?”
Straightening a bit, Jon set his cup down as he focussed on his surroundings, honing in on Force Signatures around him. Another Jedi was here and they were walking through the Keep with several blindspots all around them.
It took a moment to recognise them in the Force but once he did, Jon shot to his feet. He ignored Jaster’s noise of protest as he rushed to meet his good friend. There was a slight pull at his injuries as he picked up speed before coming to a sudden halt as he spotted a large group of Mandalorians and in the middle of them, the form of Jedi Master Fay.”
“Master Fay.” Jon pushed past Mandalorians in order to get to her.
“Ah, Jon! There you are my dear.” Fay beamed her fellow Jedi as she strolled up to him, uncaring of the blasters following her every step.
Bristling, Jon tensed up and glared at the Mando’s, straightening to his full height and letting his displeasure wave around him through the Force. Something that could even make Force Nulls uncomfortable and on edge. Jon didn’t use it often, the intimidation strategy was rarely favourable but in this case it would probably get the message across.
Fay all but floated over and wrapped her arms around Jon’s waist, giving Jon some time to process the contact and return the hug. Jon’s eyes scanned the crowd, glaring dangerously at everyone until they lowered their weapons.
“Are those bandages?” Jon glanced down at Fay who had taken a step back and picked up Jon’s hands. “These must have been quite the injury if you bandaged them.”
“Just cuts… They have a Che.” Jon replied. “I had little choice but to comply.”
“Well, isn’t that a rare thing?” Fay smiled, “Come, show me, I will save you from what you refer to as wasteful bacta use.”
Jon, who had his gaze back on the Mando’s that had dared to threaten Fay, allowed the woman to steer him back onto the stairs and started to unwrap the bandages and heal the cuts.
“It is wasteful.” Jon muttered. “Thank you.”
“I assume you have more?” Fay prompted.
Grumbling unhappily, Jon nodded, “Some.”
“Always a difficult patient.” Fay mused, “I can’t heal what you don’t show me, dear.”
“Most of them are gone. Their medic is just keeping me on a leash.”
Glaring at the Mandalorians, Jon allowed Fay to nudge him to sit and let her unwrap his bandages to see the injuries. It was clear that Jon’s open hostility to the Mandalorians around them was getting shifty. That was his goal. The more blasters were aimed at him, the less would be aimed at Fay.
Enduring the proding once more, Jon let Fay do her thing without too much complaint.
“These are healing quite nicely. I suggest you let them heal naturally however. Force Accelerated Healing is not too meant to be overused, after all.” Fay shot Jon a warning look as she prodded one of the scars Jon had healed himself.
“It works just fine.” Jon replied.
“Jon.” Fay warned. “You made me a promise.”
Sighing, Jon nodded, “Very well, I shall let them be from now on.”
“Jon.”
It was annoying how much his name was used nowadays. Turning to Jaster, Jon got back up and retook his spot at Fay’s side. “Mereel, this is Jedi Master Fay, a nomadic Jedi and a Healer.”
Fay nodded her head rather than a full bow, “ Su cuy’gar, Mand’alor Mereel. The Ka’ra is fond of you. As if the Force.”
Those were kind words. Jon was aware of Fay’s experience with Mandalorians though he did not quite understand how that experience came to be. With Fay’s long lifetime it was hard to get her to speak about specific moments in her history and Jon wasn’t the one to push for a story. He listened when one was presented but he rarely asked for one.
Jaster was surprised by Fay– most beings are when they converse with her, “ Su cuy’gar? ” Jaster replied, “You speak old Mando’a.”
“Is it considered ‘old’ already?” Fay laughed, a twinkle in her eyes, “It was only a few centuries ago that I last spent time amongst your people. Here I thought Mando’ade rarely changed.”
The flabbergasted look on Jaster’s face all but made Jon’s day.
They shared a look in which Jaster tried to find any sign of a lie while Jon just looked amused. “Fay has been serving the Force for a long time.” Was all he said.
“...How long?” Jaster’s curiosity was more than clear.
“It is impolite to ask a woman her age.” Fay chastised before turning to Jon. “I see the Force brought you to your Mandalorian again.”
“I suppose it did. It is hard to judge without having my usual awareness.”
Fay smiled, “It will get better. Once your injuries heal.”
“It would go faster if–” Jon cut himself off as Fay’s pleasant smile got a dangerous glint to it.
“Patience, Jon, patience is what is needed to heal. You are allowed to rest, my dear.”
Again, Jon knew better than to fight Fay on this. Patience he had learned the hard way. Patience when healing was not something that his Master had accepted and breaking through her teachings was not easy. Fay tried to help him but ultimately Jon needed to learn how to look past his training by himself.
—-----------------------
Jango: *After watching Jon scare an enemy off the ledge*
Jango: What the kriff did you do?! ( ˶°ㅁ°)
Jon: …
Jon: Nothing you can prove in the court of law. (ᵕ¬_¬)
Jaster: What do you mean a stranger is walking into the Keep without any care?
Jaster: What do you mean she is telling Verde off in Mando’a and asking where Jon is?
Jon: …That sounds familiar.
Fay: *Appears in all of her glory*
Jon: *Immediately on edge as Mando’s keep her under blaster aim*
Fay & Jon: ( -_•)╦̵̵̿╤─ (≖_≖ ) (ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)