#except obie can be completely oblivious when he wants to and will let everyone on the crew die just to keep the dog

[thescreaminghat]

when ur crew member decides to adopt uhhhh a thing

[jasontoddiefor]

A gift for @thenegoteator :D

It took a Temple to raise a child, and Mace Windu was very much aware of this. However, it did not explain what Ahsoka Tano was doing at his door in the middle of the night. Ahsoka had deep bags under her eyes, which wasn’t too much of a surprise considering the current living arrangements of her lineage. While little Luke and Leia were relatively well-behaved newborns, they were still only a few weeks old. If their human caretakers didn’t wake up at every single little whimper, then the togruta with the superior hearing certainly would.

“Do you want to come inside?” Mace asked, not letting his confusion show. He was used to people coming to his door at the oddest hours.

“If���if I can?” Ahsoka replied as if only now becoming aware of her actions. In this, she reminded Mace of her Grandmaster and the many nights Mace had found Obi-Wan coming to his doorstep during the first months of Anakin’s stay at the Temple.

“My door is always open, Padawan,” Mace said – and watched her wince.

Ah.

So there was the problem.

“Caleb is currently sleeping in my bed as Depa is away,” Mace explained. “So please keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake him unnecessarily.”

The boy had already had a hellish enough month behind him, he needed all the rest he could get. Even though the war was officially over, enough planets refused to surrender, drawing out the battles until they had nothing but children left to sacrifice. It weighed on Mace’s shoulders, making him wonder whether he wasn’t too old to carry such burdens still.

Ahsoka nodded and followed Mace inside. He couldn’t recall whether Ahsoka had been in his room before, but from the way she eagerly looked around his quarters, taking in the sight of old instruments, books, and holos, he guessed she hadn’t. Well, at one point in their life, every Jedi had set a foot inside Mace’s quarters, so this was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Do you want a cup of tea?”

Ahsoka tore herself away from the sight and looked at him with surprise. “I—yes? That would be nice.”

“Then I will make a cup. Do you have any preferences? I believe I even have Obi-Wan’s favorite blend here.”

Mace had no idea whether he had bought it or if Obi-Wan had just left it here from himself when he came over. Knowing the other man, it was likely that the latter was the case. For a man claiming to be so very polite, Obi-Wan could be a right brat.

Mace’s kitchen was small, with only a few cabinets and one shelf, two cooking tiles, and an oven. He wasn’t much of a cook himself and preferred to eat in the cafeteria with everyone, frequently taste-tasting what the Initiates had prepared. He selected two uneven cups Depa had made for him when she’d been young from the shelf. Why she had decided to pick up pottery of all hobbies was beside him, but he supposed that she found the motion soothing. Devan did enjoy parkouring through the lower levels and Echuu was quite content playing the guitar to calm himself.

Perhaps Mace should focus less on why all three of his Padawans had decided they wouldn’t follow him into theatre so they could continue to make fun of him. Setting the water to boil, Mace searched through his cabinets until he found Obi-Wan’s favorite blend. The fruity tea was far from the blend he preferred, but Mace prided himself on being a good host. While he waited for the tea to finish steeping, Mace enjoyed the quiet of the night. For all that there were few sounds as dear to him as that of people walking, or in the case of some younglings and few selected Knights, running, down their large hallways, Mace could appreciate the quiet when the world came to rest.

With two finished cups in hand, he returned to the living room, where he found Ahsoka curled up on the sofa, no longer studying his quarters for any hidden secrets.

“Thank you,” she said when she accepted the cup from him. She held it in her hands as if to warm them, letting the steam hit her face. She breathed in once, twice, finding her rhythm again. Mace waited until she’d calmed enough to speak up.

“What brings you to my door, Padawan Tano?”

Ahsoka flinched and appeared to make herself even smaller as if attempting to vanish. When it became apparent that it didn’t work, that silence hadn’t been what she had sought him out for, she let out a sigh. “You keep calling that.”

“Calling you what?” Mace asked, his brow raised, playing oblivious.

“… Padawan.”

“Are you not? I was under the impression that you had returned to the Temple.”

“I did, but I still left,” Ahsoka replied. “I left and I was convinced that I had to leave and that it was good that I did. I still think I had to leave the Temple behind.”

“Then why are you torn?”

Ahsoka’s hold on her cup tightened and so, perhaps in wise anticipation, she set it on the table and buried her hands in her robes instead, hiding their twitching from view. Mace could trace all her mannerisms to her teachers and couldn’t imagine what it must be like to purposefully rip all those pieces from yourself when they had become so ingrained in your very being. Even Dooku, who’d fallen so far from their beliefs, had been unable to fully rid himself of Yoda’s lessons. Maybe it was for the best. Hope had become a scarce commodity during the war, yet Mace considered the possibility that in a decade, they wouldn’t be imprisoning a Sith anymore.

“But am I still a Padawan? A member of this Order?” Ahsoka asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she shook like the leaves on the trees in the courtyard.

“Has your Master told you anything different?”

Ahsoka paused. “…. No.”

Seeing that realization was settling within her, Mace nodded. “Then you should not doubt him. You are a Jedi, Ahsoka Tano, and you will remain one as long as you live by our tenets.”

That teased a startled laugh from her. “Compassion for all except people who cheat at push-n-pull?”

As if transported back ten years, hearing Anakin say the same, Mace snorted. “The similarities between you and your Master astonish me every time. Yes, Padawan Tano, compassion for all.”

This seemed to calm the youth as she reached for her cup again and emptied it slowly. “It’s good.”

Mace smiled into his own cup. “I’d be insulted if it wasn’t. Obi-Wan forced me to memorize all the steps for making it.”

The then young Knight had been frazzled, and Mace honestly couldn’t tell what it had been about and had forced Mace to learn how to make this tea until he’d more or less collapsed on Mace’s sofa, completely knocked out until morning when Anakin had picked him up.

“He does do that,” Ahsoka agreed. “I think this is the only thing anyone can make reliably now.”

“Sleep-deprived much?” Mace inquired.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Like you wouldn’t believe. I love Luke and Leia dearly, but they are demanding and need a lot of attention.”

That was honestly kinder than Mace would have described newborns at her age.

“There is a reason why we usually don’t have children this young in the Temple,” Mace said. “They are very handful. Do you get enlisted to help very often?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “No, Obi-Wan, Skyguy, and Padmé got it covered, and I’m mostly just helping out somewhere else.”

She trailed off a little. This, perhaps, was another issue, but one that could be equally easily dealt with.

“Thank you then for going where you are needed,” Mace told her.

Ahsoka blinked. “Huh?”

“You will grow into a specific role someday, Ahsoka, and that needs time. Do not feel as if you need to earn back your place in the Temple. You don’t need to earn yourself a home you have always had. For now, trust me when I say that everyone you’ve helped is glad that you were there. It is an admirable quality to have a sense of where you are needed. Do not see it as being the odd one out.”

This was the hardest lesson to teach and learn, the fact that there was a path out there for you, but that it took time to see where it would lead. Too many of their Padawans now felt utterly lost without the structure the war had provided them with.

“Oh. I guess if you say so.”

“Yes, I do say so,” Mace agreed. Then, eyeing Ahsoka’s empty cup, he added on, “do you want another?”

“No.” Ahsoka yawned. “I think I might best head back.”

“You can also sleep here if you want, and don’t mind Caleb hogging the blanket. I won’t go to bed tonight anyway.”

Ahsoka squinted at him as if attempting to discern whether he was lying. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really—”

“Ahsoka, go to bed.”

Clearly feeling better already, she saluted and, after Mace showed her his bedroom, made herself comfortable in it. She took off her shoes and tossed her robe over a chair before climbing into the bed. Ahsoka had barely laid down when Caleb already turned around to curl around her, clinging like a little monkey. After a moment’s apprehension, she relaxed and was fast asleep. Stealing one last glance at the two Padawan, Mace returned to his living room, looking through the incoming reports.

Hectic as the aftermath of the war was, as much effort as caring for their children was, Mace wouldn’t trade it for a single thing in the world.

[ironhoshi]

If you’re still doing the prompts maybe 16? With jarjar/jango/obiwan shshwhwhd but can you imagine if i meant that clearly i meant please consider max rebo/jaster but honestly just please go wild

...I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard and was highly tempted to do one of those pairings.

I present Jangobi because of course I do. Full disclaimer: this blurb may have nothing to do with my story. You don't know. Anyway this prompt is filled from this post.

16. One person pouting, only to have it removed by a kiss from the other person.

---

Jango wasn't pouting. 

He simply didn't pout. Pouting was for the twins and Boba, maybe even Heddurk, but it certainly wasn't for him. If he was doing anything he was glowering. He stretched his legs out as he slouched on the couch, annoyance radiating from him. The tiny twerp that was supposedly his new vod was currently playing with the twins. Anakin was annoying. He babbled too much, always wanted Obi-Wan to hold him, and just bothered Jango for no reason. Sure, he was smart for his age and basically always happy, but he was still annoying. The jetiise all seemed interested in the kid, but Jaster wasn't allowing any of them close except for Quinlan and Obi-Wan. 

What was so special about Anakin Skywalker?

He knew he shouldn't be annoyed by Anakin, but he couldn't seem to help it. The first night of the additions to the ship he had been rudely awaken as a knee got him right in the throat while the tiny monster climbed over him to curl up with Obi-Wan and the twins. Quinlan had so politely burst out laughing and woken everyone up, including Boba. Things got chaotic after that and he had been stuck on the floor with Vos while all of the ade curled up around an extremely confused Obi-Wan. His soulmate was beyond oblivious about things and half the time he found it funny, but when it resulted in him getting shoved off the bed? He got annoyed. He narrowed his eyes at Anakin just about the time Obi-Wan sank down onto the couch next to him, holding a datapad. The jetii took one look at him before snorting with amusement. That only caused Jango to glower harder since he was certainly not pouting. 

Obi-Wan merely curled against his side slightly as he began scrolling through whatever module he was currently working on. 

The pout, er, glower may have grown. 

Jango was actually caught slightly off guard when his soulmate shifted. He barely had time to register the fact that Obi-Wan was angling himself for a kiss. The pout was completely forgotten as he returned the kiss with extreme enthusiasm. The twins cried out in disgust and a second later Anakin mimicked them. Jango made a rude gesture with his hand that sent the children into a fit of laughter and protest, which made Obi-Wan pull back with a confused look on his face.

"Jango, what did you do?"

"Why am I the first suspect?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow before letting out a yelp as he found himself tackled by his soulmate. He burst out laughing as the twins and Anakin followed suit and everyone toppled off the couch loudly. From the cockpit Jaster yelled something about them and breaking the ship.

[i-just-like-commenting]

Star Wars rewatch, part 3: Episode 2, Attack of the Clones

Following the Machete Order, I’ve gone from tESB to the prequel trilogy, skipping The Phantom Menace. How did that work out? Well... (this gets long)

Overall Impressions

I’ve been sitting on this one a while because I don’t, generally, enjoy writing negative reviews. And this film, in its theatrical release, is a bad movie, albeit bad in a different way than tPM. Episode 1 is just overall below average in everything, from its meandering plot to its weak characterization to its obvious CGI. But other than the racist accents, nothing in it as absolutely horrible.

AotC, on the other hand, has quite a lot of good content in it - but it’s paired with material that is so incredibly terrible that it makes the bad material feel that much worse. And given that there are two main plotlines in this movie, you can probably guess which one I consider good and which one bad.

Because yeah, I make no secret the fact that I think Ewan McGregor was one of the best things about the prequels, but his story in this is also the strongest part of the movie. Yes, I know, some people hate how talky it is, but it works as a political mystery as an assassination attempt slowly is revealed to be just one part of a galactic scheme to destabilize the Republic. Not only is it a good story, it has fairly well-defined characters this time around. Obi-Wan is depicted as very trusting and naive; he can’t even imagine that someone would destroy information in the Jedi library, because what Jedi would do that? Meanwhile Yoda is the voice of pessimism as he grumbles that the Jedi are becoming arrogant. We see how, behind the scenes, he and Mace Windu are painfully aware of the limitations of their small order, how weak their actual position is. Windu himself doesn’t get too much development, but he seems to be the practical, military side of the Jedi operation, while Yoda is more a teacher and a diplomat. It all culminates in a truly chilling finale as the clone army raised to stop a civil war marches into their ships...to the tune of the Imperial March.

And of course there is the magnificent line “The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.” Very important message to remember right now.

Meanwhile, you have Anakin and Padme and oh my god this is so bad. Dissecting the why of it is difficult, though. I want to blame it all on the script, but it’s more more complicated than that. One of the worst lines of the film, the infamous “I hate sand” actually works for me pretty well, because Padme and Anakin laugh after he says it, which makes the awkwardness feel intentional, as if Anakin is aware of how ridiculous he sounds. So perhaps the acting can transcend the bad script...except when the script is sound but the delivery ruins it. Just reading the words, Anakin should be rather oblivious to his attraction to Padme, with everyone else more aware, including Padme, who’s not ready to think of him as an adult. But Hayden Christensen often plays Anakin like a stalker, and Natalie Portman is defiant rather than awkward. So are they just bad actors? We know Portman’s done well in other roles, and watch Christensen’s face during the scene where his mother dies - no, that’s not the problem.

I’m going to blame the director. It was Lucas’s job to bring the script to the scene, and everything about this screams poor communication between cast and crew. Their deliveries are erratic because they’re not being told what they’re supposed to be doing on screen. The more experienced actors - McGregor, Oz, Jackson, Lee - all clearly decided what their characters were going to be on their own and stuck to those interpretations, and it works. The younger actors, though, are clearly lost.

Is it fixable?

Yes. A ways back before The Force Awakens came out, I watched what the creator called the “cheese free” edit of the prequels, and while Phantom Menace wasn’t improved much at all by editing out the “cheese,” AotC was, dare I say, quite good. Since it was the first time I’d seen the film in years, I couldn’t remember what had been cut out, but I remember thinking, “Wait, why is this remembered as the worst one?”

Then I watched the original cut and I could tell every last thing he’d removed. Some of it wasn’t necessary, though it did streamline the plot (the R2D2 and C3P0 slapstick never really bothered me, the series has always had that) but what he did with Padme and Anakin was simply amazing, and all it took were a few cuts.

First, he cuts their first kiss, then the ridiculous rolling around in the grass, then all of the anguished dialog in the fireplace room. Oh, and he cut Anakin confessing the murders of the Sand People to Padme, jumping from his rage over Obi-Wan not letting him have enough power to Padme comforting him. It both (1) reinforces Anakin’s turn to darkness as he would hide this from her and (2) doesn’t make Padme fall for a man she knows is a mass-murderer. The result was that when they kissed on their way into the stadium, it felt completely, utterly believable, a steady progression from them being awkward, to getting to know each other, to bonding over their struggles. It worked, and I really wish that the copy of it hadn’t vanished from the internet.

Continuity, Part 1: Relation to the Other Prequels

So is the Machete order correct? Can you jump from episode 5 to 2 without watching tPM? The answer, I’m afraid, is no - but only for the first time watching it.

There’s just a few things that were introduced in Episode 1 that don’t get properly reintroduced in Episode 2. Mace Windu and Senator Palpatine show up and are not named for their entire first scene. Windu and Yoda worry about the Sith without ever defining what on earth they are, and without the “always two there are” speech the master-apprentice dynamic of Tyrannis and Sideous doesn’t work. Likewise, if you skip Episode 1, the first time you hear “Duel of the Fates” will be over Anakin’s anxious search for his mother which is...not right, sorry.

That said, it is true that without Episode 1 you can easily imagine Anakin and Padme as longtime childhood friends separated for a decade rather than as a 9 year old having a crush on a 14-year old and why did Lucas have to do that?

Continuity, Part 2: Relation to the Original Series

R2′s magically appearing-disappearing flight powers is one of the bigger plot holes created by the prequels. But for me the bigger issue is Anakin’s convoluted relationship to Owen and Beru. Stepsiblings that he barely knew does not gel with their reactions to his memory in Episode 4. I have an inkling of an idea to rewrite tPM to fix this and the Anakin/Padme problem. Make Anakin a little older - 12 or 13 - and have Beru be his older sister, maybe 18 or 19, in love with Owen Lars, son of a wealthy man, who wants to buy all of their freedom. He’s resistant to letting Anakin go with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Padme really is one of the Queen’s handmaidens this time, Amidala being a separate, older character who would recur in AotC with a now-grown Padme as a senator. And C3P0 would be a protocol droid in the service of the queen rather than randomly created by Anakin; show his mechanical skill by fixing a droid.

Continuity, Part 3: Relation to the Current Series

In this film, the Geonosians already have plans to the Death Star; how does this relate to the creation of the plans we see in Rogue One? Were their plans just preliminary, and Galen Erso expanded on them? Is this something that gets explained in the various TV series? Well, I’ll start finding that out soon enough...

Meanwhile, if Boba Fett shows up in the Han Solo film he’d better be Maori. The origin story of Boba Fett is one of those things in the prequels that isn’t necessary but that I also don’t mind. So Boba Fett’s father helped create the clone army and died in front of him? Okay. This doesn’t detract from his character, though he’s in the original trilogy so little it doesn’t add that much either. But it was really nice to see Lucas try to diversify his very white universe with the casting of Jenga and Boba.

Conclusion: Droids Had it So Bad

There’s even more evidence of just blatant anti-droid bigotry under the Republic in this film. “If droids could think,” Obi-Wan quips, “none of us would be here.” Yet it’s obvious they do think - organic lifeforms are just in denial about it because they don’t want to admit to supporting a system of slavery and brainwashing. Droids themselves help reinforce this system as we see a droid kick send R2 away saying “Hey you, no droids!” Only R2 seems to be willing to defy the status quo.

Well, R2 and Padme. She is always certain to thank R2, and I remember that she did it quite formally in the first film. Padme seems to reject the notion of droids as non-sentient. Perhaps that’s why she invited R2 and C3P0 to be witnesses to their wedding.

Also, headcanon, but Padme threw the bouquet and C3P0 totally caught it and had an awkward exchange of looks with R2.

[mesdea]

So, QuiObi prompt:) : Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are in love except Qui-Gon is convinced Obi-Wan can't possibly be in love with him and is being completely oblivious to any hint Obi sends his way and even Ani finds it painful to watch. So Obi decides to stop being subtle (and do something a bit more obvious like kissing him breathless)

I struggled with this one, not sure why, but hopefully you enjoy it. I can’t tweak it anymore without pulling my hair out. 

It had been a yearsince that fateful day on Naboo, a year since it all went horribly wrong. Theywere now vacationing on the dreadful planet, unpleasant memories haunting eachof them. Anakin, one of the three actually pleased to be back, was pacing inthe room with the Queen, no with Padme. “Anakin, why are you pacing?” Theamused young lady watched as the boy mumbled under his lips, something obviouslybothering him.

“I can see it, thecouncil can see it, but my THICK headed master is obvious to it all! It’s sohard to watch. When Obi-Wan is around I have to find an excuse to leave. It’sto the point where I think Master Qui-Gon thinks I don’t like Obi-Wan. This isnot true.” Anakin stopped and grinned at the girl who was starting to becomeeverything in his life, even at the age of ten.

“Oh.” Those were theonly diplomatic words the Queen could offer at this moment. “They still aren’t?I mean, oh dear. How can Master Qui-Gon not see how much Obi-Wan loves him?”

Just as the words lefther lips the couple in question came through the entryway. Qui-Gon was stilllimping slightly from the injuries sustained defending Naboo against the Sith, heonly survived by the stubbornness of his padawan. Obi-Wan had refused to let goof his life-force, getting him into a bacta unit in time. It was a close calland not something that was easily forgotten, even now the Master’s health wasn’ta hundred percent. “I’m fine Obi-Wan; I don’t need to be pampered. This may verywell be a vacation, but they didn’t need to send you with us. I can look aftermyself and my padawan.” As the words left his lips, both Padme and Anakin shooktheir heads as Obi-Wan’s face fell.

“Very well MasterJinn, I will be in my quarters if you need me.” Obi-Wan quickly left the room,his emotions once again on the verge of taking over. God he loved that man, butno matter what he did, Qui-Gon just didn’t see it. He had spent the last year,helping take care of him, nursing him back to health. He even assisted intraining Anakin for him. This wasn’t something he did for duty, it was done forlove. He had loved his master for years, but knew they must wait until he wasknighted before coming to him. Obi-Wan sank to his knees in the garden, onceagain meditating with the force for some guidance, something to break thisstalemate.

“Master, he was onlytrying to help.” Anakin stated.

“I know Ani. He shouldbe out in the galaxy helping people, not tending to some washed up…” Just asthe words left his lips Anakin interrupted. “You are thick headed, stubborn andwillful but you are not WASHED up.” The young boy couldn’t stand it any longer;he hated to see his master this way. It was obvious to everyone that theybelonged together. Qui-Gon just needed to see it.

“Master Jinn…” Padmeapproached him cautiously.

“Please, you knowbetter young one. Please call me Qui-Gon.” The master lowered himself to thechair. His body ached from last round of kata’s that Obi-Wan had put himthrough. “Qui-Gon, what we do for you is because we love you. Sometimes we mustrelinquish our pride and let others inside.

“Perhaps you are wise,Padme. I trust you and Ani are having a good time?”

The conversation and comraderycontinued until the door opened suddenly and a disheveled Obi-Wan came stompinginto the room. His eyes were focused on only one person, Qui-Gon. “I just spenttwo hours meditating and I didn’t think the force would ever answer, than Iheard a whisper.”

He approached hisformer master, still sitting in the chair. His silver hair flowed around hisshoulders, his blue eyes focused on the knight before him. Obi-Wan slipped intothe chair, straddling the strong thighs that he had dreamed would one day wraparound him. “Obi-Wan, what are you…?” He was cut off suddenly by the press ofwarm lips against his. They settled in place, not relinquishing their position.The words that would spill from his mouth were caught by the soft moan of theyounger man wrapped around his body. Obi-Wan slipped his tongue gingerly fromhis lips and asked permission as he was met with the sweet moisture of his love’smouth.

Anakin and Padmelooked at each other, with large smiles. Finally, the force rang out. “Weshould…” “Yes, let us leave them be.” Padme reached out for the young boy’shand. Things would finally be the way they should be, at least they both hoped.

The door slid shutbehind them and left the Knight and Master alone once again, the kiss suddenlyended with a bewildered look on Qui-Gon’s face. “Obi-Wan?” It was a question,an entreaty to know where this had all come from.

“I’m not here for duty;I’m not trying to help you because of pity, Qui-Gon. A year ago, I thought Ihad lost you forever. I had never been so scared in my life. Not even fightinga sith would qualify as my greatest fear when it came to losing the love of mylife.”

Qui-Gon blanched atthe words, as all the small touches and little things came into focus. “Youlove me? An old man such as me?” Qui-Gon lowered his head, shame filling him.

“You are NOT old.Perhaps a few more miles have been added because of the injury, but I can’tlive my life without you in it, Qui-Gon. I tried to show you in little ways,but you would never see it for what it was. Everyone saw it, but you!” Obi-Wangently lifted his chin and smiled. “I love you, Qui-Gon.” The last wordssettled into the silence of the room as he let his master’s emotions catch up.

“I love you too,Obi-Wan. I just didn’t think you would want this broken down shell of a man. Ithought you were just taking pity on me and I didn’t want to hold you to me.How was I so out of touch?” Qui-Gon closed his eyes and reached forward withhis lips, once again taking in the wonderful man now before him.

“Not out of touch,just living too much in the moment to see the future. Just this once, think ofthe future, Qui. Spend your life with me?”

“Anakin?” The manlooked towards the closed door. He had once hurt Obi-Wan by not thinking ofanything but the now, he didn’t want to do the same for Anakin.

“What about him? He’sbeen helping me try to get you to open your eyes. He’s meant to be our padawan,to be our family, don’t you feel it?”

Qui-Gon suddenlyflipped the young knight from his lap pressing him back into the chair. Qui-Gonkneeled before him, humbled by the love he bore him. He looked up into the beautifulblue green eyes, seeing the man that had meant everything to him for almostfourteen years. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, I have loved you for years, silently as wasneeded, but you are no longer beholden to me as your master, will you bond withme?”

“For this life time and the next, Qui.” The wordswere spoken softly as they both clasped hands and smiled.

“YES!” Both Padme andAnakin flew through the door, running up to the two and hugging them both asthey all fell onto the floor laughing.

“Remind me to give theboy lessons on privacy.” He whispered into Obi-Wan’s ear teasingly. “It wouldn’tdo for him to be listening at our door later.” That brought the deepest laughfrom his red-haired imp. How he could have ever been oblivious to such joy wasbeyond him, but now was not the time to question. Now was the time to love.