Lost and Longing.

Chapter 131: :)Ch131



Ahsoka shifted slightly as she nodded, burying her head back against his chest, nestling closer in Harry's soothing embrace.

After a few minutes, she had stilled and was breathing slowly. Harry shifted and lifted her unconscious form into his arms, picking her up bridal style and carrying her out of the area without saying a word.

The only acknowledgement he gave them, was an uncharacteristically serious look he gave Aayla as their eyes met before he quickly passed her.

Shaak Ti and Aayla both watched him go without saying a word. A silence filled the room, "Well, that was… interesting." Aayla said, more for a lack of anything else to say than a true observation.

Shaak Ti hadn't moved since Ahsoka had calmed and the objects lifted and spun by the Force had settled. "There was more than a bit of anger there. Her behavior is most concerning." Shaak Ti observed, her tone grave, making it clear her feelings on the situation.

Aayla furrowed her brow, "Is there a question in there somewhere, Master Ti? You seem to be making an accusation without actually saying it."

Before Shaak Ti could reply, Harry returned to the room, his expression curiously pleased given the seriousness of a few moments ago. "Sorry about that little outburst. I had expected it to happen eventually, just not quite so soon. Merlin save me from overachievers." His tone was apologetic and amused at the same time.

Shaak Ti frowned as Harry re-entered the room and her stance shifted slightly. Aayla's eyebrows raised recognizing the defensive stance the woman was now in. It was one that allowed the freedom of movement in nearly any direction and allowed those movements to bring the lightsaber on her hip into play with ease.

Aayla knew without a doubt that it meant Shaak Ti now regarded Harry as a threat.

"So much for not making a mess for Dobby to clean up." Harry muttered as he looked around.

"Allowing such an emotional expression is against every tenet which the Jedi stands for and is very dangerous for the galaxy as a whole and Ahsoka as an individual," Shaak Ti said in a guarded and serious tone.

Harry, who for his part had his back to them, and was looking around the area in which objects were scattered, "Yes because you guys did such a great job looking out for her as an individual," He said absently as he began looking around the room more actively.

That seemed to frustrate Shaak Ti ever so briefly. "Ahsoka Tano may no longer be a member of our Order, but it is my duty as a Jedi to prevent others from falling into such a path whether they ascribe to our beliefs or not. And to put a stop those who would lead others down that path," Her tone carried more than a hint of threat to it.

Aayla was looking back and forth between Shaak Ti and Harry and wondering if a fight between the two was going to break out. She wasn't sure what to say to diffuse things, but considering she was becoming more used to Harry's mannerisms she decided to just maintain her silence and observe.

"What path is that?" Harry asked, still with the absent air as he was only paying attention to the conversation as background noise while he sighed, not seeming to find what he was looking for.

"The path to the Dark Side," Shaak Ti said bluntly.

Harry rolled his eyes, a combination of disgust and resignation in his tone, realizing that an argument was clearly imminent. "Yeah, you really have no fucking clue what you're talking about."

"...Excuse me?" Shaak Ti said, this the first time he really seemed to say something that startled her. The innuendo and flirting hadn't phased her, but the accusation that she wasn't competent in some manner regarding instruction of the Force made her bristle with indignation. "I have seen firsthand what allowing such anger can lead to, it is a direct path to the Dark Side. The fact that you're not just allowing it, but encouraging it is most concerning to me."

Harry just shook his head. "Yeah I'm sure you have and I'm sure it is concerning to you. Especially after what I've heard about exactly how your Order handles 'instruction'," he said making quotes in the air with his fingers on the word instruction.

At her affronted expression he continued, "Seriously, it's like somewhere long lost in the annals of history, someone read to a Jedi the first two lessons on occlumency, and then didn't bother teaching you morons anything else, and you just made up everything else you do from there, getting most of it wrong in the process.

He shook his head slightly and seemed to dismiss the topic, considering it closed as he looked around the room, "She really did a number on my chair apparently. I wonder if it's just in pieces or she tossed it somewhere." He shook his head and leaned against the thick wood table and raised an eyebrow at Shaak Ti expectantly, a faintly amused look on his face.

"I'm not going to mince words. I do not like what I've seen here." Shaak Ti stated firmly she had only moved subtly to make sure to keep herself facing him

"I know," Harry said as he nodded agreeably while gesturing around. "Unfortunately I'm not much for decorating... at least my wives always said I had the interior design instincts of a color blind acromantula."

"And the last time we let Dobby decorate something, we weren't all that specific as to what. So he nearly caused an international incident by putting my face on the side of a mountain," He let his head fall back before he shook it in exasperation. "Wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't destroyed the four other faces on that mountain in the process. The muggles got a bit upset about that. Took a lot of magic and a host of obliviators to deal with it."

Harry's tone was amused as he continued to speak, "Of course the mass of Utube videos were then deemed to be fakes and were considered to be the one of the greatest coordinated pranks in history."

"Harry," Aayla cut in, interrupting his rambling. "Focus. This is serious here. Master Ti's jumping to all the wrong conclusions here because you're not providing her the correct perspective on things, and you have me under oath so I can't defend you..."

There was irritation in her voice. Because now that she had gotten to know him at least some, she was pretty sure he was doing it deliberately by provoking the other Jedi Master.

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