Chapter Text
“Caleb! This is so boring! When can we be done?!” Ezra whined, nearly tripping over his feet after a surprise attack from his master. They had been practicing saber techniques over and over again, with Master Billaba occasionally checking in on his progress. She loved watching them, silently reminiscing on the times she, too, trained a padawan. Caleb was still thankful for the fact that if it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have gotten to experience it. Since Ezra proved he was grasping today’s information well, Caleb stretched out his limbs, effectively ending their training session.
“You did good today,” he said, sporting a small smile.
“It’s hard not to when you want to get it over with and do something else,” Ezra mumbled as he rolled his eyes.
“Since you did so well…I think you’ve earned some free time today. Maybe a visit to see your favorite Senator?” Caleb suggested, glancing over at his padawan who was adjusting something on the hilt of his lightsaber. Once the words made sense in his head, he snapped his attention upwards at his master. Caleb watched as Ezra folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. He had his padawan wake up extra early this morning to finish their training with plenty of time to spare afterwards. He hoped he would quickly be forgiven once Ezra realized why he did it.
“You want me to what ?” he asked suspiciously. Caleb sighed.
“Do you want to go or not?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “We can keep training if you’d like. I’m sure there are a few things Master Billaba would love to show you as well.”
“Uh, obviously I’d like to go see Hera. I just want to know why you’re giving me the choice. Usually you’re getting upset with me for wanting to hang out with her and Chopper.” He snipped.
“I just figured you both would enjoy seeing each other today.” Caleb shrugged. “Is that a problem?” Ezra looked up at him with an unusual amount of suspicion. Caleb could tell something had clicked as his demeanor shifted.
“What did you do?” The boy asked sternly, glaring up at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You must have done something to make her mad. You’ve been acting really weird lately when it comes to her. Like, when you told her you didn’t ' have an opinion on the purrgil.'” Ezra mocked, making it very clear with his tone and head movements. “It’s not like you.”
“The more time you waste here with me, the less time you have to spend with her. Just something to think about.” He muttered, trying to disregard Ezra’s words.
“Nuh-uh. No way.” Ezra said, shaking his head and sticking his nose in the air out of defiance. “If you’re trying to get back into her good graces by using me, you can forget it! She likes black caf and meilooruns. It wouldn't kill you to do something nice for her and clean up your own mess.”
Before Caleb could argue, Ezra held up his hands as he carefully sidestepped towards the door.
“Nope. I mean it. I’m gonna go see what Luke is up to. If he’s busy, then I’ll sneak BD out and go look for bugs or something. Maybe I’ll go show the initiates how cool it is to have a lightsaber!” He said, waving his hilt around as he slid the door open. He paused only for a moment to give Caleb a pointed look. “If you don’t already know by now, Chopper likes to shock people. So uh, watch your legs, pal!” He called out, running out the door without looking back. Caleb sighed yet again.
He hated to admit it, but perhaps Ezra was right. He just hoped that if he decided to show up at her apartment, she would at least hear him out and offer him some mercy.
Hera quietly hummed to herself, carefully helping her friend wiggle into a long, blood red dress adorned with a beaded black caplet. She smiled to herself as she untangled several of the long strands of beads that stopped just above the Nightsister’s elbow.
“Is this… Necessary?”
“You know, I've never been into this sort of thing, but dressing the part is important for public figures, apparently.” Hera tilted her head and beamed at one of her only true friends here in Coruscant, standing in front of the long, ornate mirror. Merrin scrunched her nose out of confusion as Hera lovingly adjusted the garment with a final nod before pulling a pair of elbow length gloves out of a drawer nearby.
“I’m not a public servant.” Merrin muttered, reluctantly slipping them on after Hera dangled them in front of her face.
“I know. I saw this while I was out and decided you would look great in it. Besides, I need a hobby.” Hera winked, stepping back to admire her selection. She fully understood why the Nightsisters of Dathomir preferred to wear black and red over everything else; Merrin looked absolutely stunning in a haunting way. The dress itself hugged all of her soft curves and made a wonderful sound as she turned to look at Hera.
“I have the perfect hobby in mind, but I’m afraid I can’t think of any worthwhile suitors.” Merrin sighed. “Can I put my clothes back on?”
“I’ll allow it since you humored me. I’ll be pouring us a nice drink while I wait.” She grinned, slipping out of her room and heading to the parlor where two glasses and an exquisite bottle of wine awaited her. Hera happily plopped down into one of her favorite spots and stretched out her limbs. She knew Merrin didn’t have a good suggestion when it came to ‘potential suitors,’ but it didn’t keep her from wondering what it would be like wooing the option Merrin liked least.
Hera poured their drinks as her counterpart came into view, wearing her standard black pants and cropped red sweater. Hera leaned back against the couch, grinning as Merrin and Chopper carefully eyed each other as she sat down on the other end of the seat. With Cal being away on a field study, the pair suddenly had a large amount of free time on their hands. It was decided that some light gossip and drinks were in order after another fairly boring week.
“Why is your droid like this?” She asked, breaking their glaring contest and scrunching her nose as Chopper threw up his mechanical arms and zipped away, cursing in binary.
“He’s free to do what he likes, and I guess being a complete pain is one of his favorite pastimes.” Hera said, taking a sip of her wine.
“I see.” Merrin swirled the drink around in her glass before taking a tentative sip. “Where did you get this?”
“Just another ridiculous gift with the hopes of having a new friend on the senate floor to coax into agreeing with you. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in cheap manipulation tactics.” She muttered. “Thank goddess I’ve had Ezra over to eat a bulk of the sugary nonsense I’ve been given.”
“So I’ve heard. He enjoys bragging about the time he spends here.” She said with the faintest smile. Hera toyed with the hem of her pajama top before glancing up at the silver haired Nightsister.
“What’s it like? Being involved with a Jedi?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Cal is much less irritating than Caleb Dume. I’d rather not imagine what being romantically involved with him would be like. For both our sakes.”
“I wasn’t asking if either of us would have a good time with him . I was wondering if you were happy with your situation- if sneaking around was worth it.”
“Perhaps.” She shrugged. “I enjoy sneaking around. It keeps my instincts sharp.” She said, gently tracing her fingers along the teeth of her gold necklace absentmindedly. Hera couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Merrin using her intimidating witch powers to visit Cal incognito.
“I guess I should have thought about that before asking.”
“It can get… Lonesome… When Cal is gone or busy with other projects.” She admitted, shrugging.
“Do you think anyone has caught on about you two?”
Before Merrin could answer, Chopper interrupted their conversation, whining about an unexpected visitor. Reluctantly, Hera got up from her seat as she followed her astromech, gently rubbing her temples on the way there. When she opened her front door, she wasn’t expecting to see a certain Jedi Knight waiting on the other side.
That’s what happens when you talk about people, Hera. They show up, she thought bitterly as she narrowed her eyes and put a hand on her hip, trying to read him. She could tell that the calm look on Caleb Dume’s face was just a facade by the way he would occasionally twitch his fingers or shift on his feet. He was nervous about something. Hera raised her eyebrow before turning away and making her way back towards her plush sofa, motioning for him to follow.
“I’m sorry it’s late. I was wondering if we could talk, maybe?” He asked softly as he followed her. Before Hera could give him a witty reply, Merrin gestured towards the veranda as she haughtily crossed one leg over the other with a smirk.
“Groveling would suit you, Jedi. Don’t let me keep either of you. I need entertainment.” She insisted, looking incredibly smug as Caleb furrowed his brow out of annoyance. Hera smiled to herself before smoothing out her clothing. Seeing him look indignant made it easier to consider offering him vindication within good reason.
“Come on.” She said, grabbing her glass and making her way towards the large, open balcony she adored so much. As he reluctantly followed suit, Hera could hear Merrin and Chopper set aside their differences and quietly discussed their predictions with a wager. Once they were outside, Caleb glanced around and admired the view.
“I’m not the biggest fan of Coruscant, but this isn’t half bad.” He said, turning towards the bustling city.
“I guess.” Hera sighed with a shrug, plopping down into her favorite spot near the fountains. She eyed him carefully as she motioned for him to sit, trying not to grin as he sat as far away from her as humanly possible.
“I… Wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been acting.” He said. His expression softened as he glanced down at his hands.
“Oh?”
“It was uncalled for and I hope you can forgive me.”
“Why?” She asked, crossing one of her legs over the other as she raised an eyebrow at him, trying to mirror the haughtiness Merrin possessed earlier.
“Why should you forgive me, or why was I cruel?” He asked, looking taken aback as he started to shift in his seat.
“Both.” Hera watched him closely as he sat for a moment, clearly racking his brain for the right answer. After too long of a pause, Hera shook her head and waved him off impatiently.
“Forget it. I wasn’t expecting an actual answer anyway-“
“Hera, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to come here? How hard it is for me to simply be around you?” He interrupted in a low voice, trying to stay quiet enough that Merrin couldn’t hear. Before she could get a sharp word in edgewise, he continued.
“I wish I could stop thinking about you. I really do. Cal and Ezra don’t exactly give me the opportunity when all they do is go on and on about how incredible you are. Merrin also enjoys spending her time calling me an idiot.” He sighed.
“I don’t understand…” She said slowly, turning his words over in her mind. The irritated look she had was quickly replaced with confusion. The sound of her name rolling off of his tongue caught her off guard; he only ever referred to her by her title.
“I’ve never had this problem before. Not once. And suddenly you’re here and part of me wishes it was still your father representing Ryloth. Boring wartime stories with him and Master Windu would be a lot better than-“ Caleb suddenly stopped before digging himself any deeper. Hera found the faint blush spreading across his face enjoyable.
“Than what?” She asked, inching forward with newfound curiosity. Caleb shook his head and slicked his hair back.
“Than feeling like I’m going down a path I shouldn’t be. Especially now that I have a padawan.” He sighed. “I feel like this is just another test to prove my worth as a Jedi. A test I’m scared I’ll fail.” He trailed off, glancing in Merrin’s direction.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s… Nothing, Senator. Really.” He said, standing up and making his way inside. “I should go.”
Hera blinked a few times before shaking off her surprise and following him the best she could.
“Hey! Wait!”
Merrin looked intrigued as Caleb offered her a polite nod as they made their way to the door. Hera certainly wasn’t expecting the Nightsister to gently grab her arm and pull her back, ruining her attempt at stopping him.
“I’ll go.” She insisted, setting Hera free and igniting a small green spark in the palm of her hand. “Interrogation tactics are my favorite. That, and you have a reputation to uphold, no?” She grinned, slipping out the door with an air eagerness. Hera sighed and threw out her arm to stop her droid from following suit.
“Not a chance. One of you tormenting him is bad enough.” She warned, reluctantly closing the door and hoping Merrin wouldn’t get too carried away. Hera rolled her eyes as Chopper cursed in binary, sulking off to entertain himself some other way. A strange sense of guilt started to gnaw at her like a slow spreading infection.
I hope I’m not a source of torment, she lamented, slowly making her way back to the parlor to clean up the remains of what should have been a much deserved girls night.