Unfamiliar
Another Daily Treat prompt from @jedifest‘s Alien April. This one comes via @roguefemme who requested: Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Ahsoka Tano, Asajj Ventress, Thrawn - Stuck in an unfamiliar situation. I went with Kit because he doesn’t get enough love.
A Nautolan’s head tresses- their ahwey- weren’t as sensitive as a Twi’lek’s lekku or a Togruta’s montrals, especially when they were out of the water, but right now Jedi Master Kit Fisto could feel each and every one of them throbbing. He silently cursed his fellow Council member, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who’d managed to get himself kidnapped, again, leaving Kit to pick up the slack on a delicate negotiation.
Kit was what many would consider a “people person,” but that didn’t mean he was good at politics. He preferred to speak plainly and said what he meant; politics seemed dedicated to the exact opposite of that. And yet here he was, trying to broker peace between two groups who’d been fighting since Yoda was a youngling.
“Why don’t we break for lunch?” He smiled at the envoys from the warring Nests, one of whom was threatening to disembowel the other.
Heads swiveled in his direction. Given that Yarresect biology allowed for close to 180 degrees of rotation, it was a little disconcerting.
“You expect me to share a meal with that egg-sucker?” The dark feathers on Lake Reflecting Sky’s crest rose and they stamped a taloned foot on the floor, adding to the gouge marks already there.
Dappled Shadows clacked their beak. “Master Jedi, I admire your bravery in the face of such adversity.” A casual wing-flick in Lake Reflecting Sky’s direction had the Headwaters Nest envoy puffing up. “But now is hardly the time to-”
“You dare!” Lake Reflecting Sky hissed, wingclaws reaching for their belt.
“Gentlefolk.” Kit stood, his ahwey shifting slightly, intensifying his growing headache. “I think we could all use a break from- negotiations,” he said. “And in some cultures, my own included, it’s considered unwise to handle delicate matters on an empty stomach.”
“Here as well,” Lake Reflecting Sky admitted, still puffed out. “But normally it only includes civilized company.”
Dappled Shadows laughed; a hooting gurgle of sound. “Oh, I learned to tell a knife from a spoon while I was still a hatchling. How about you?”
“There’s a pond nearby for communal fishing, right?” Kit hurried on before the bickering could be renewed. “With permission, I’d be happy to catch something for us to eat. As a sign of all our goodwill.”
It was outside protocol, but he needed a break from the tension before the tension could break him.
Both envoys stared at him.
“You would do that?” Dappled Shadows asked.
“For us?” Lake Reflecting Sky added.
Kit smiled. “As long as it won’t breach etiquette, I’d be honored.”
The envoys exchanged a look and began talking in their native language. It was a very pretty series of trills and warbles and Kit couldn’t understand a word of it. He did note, however, that neither of them seemed to be arguing. For the moment.
“That would be most agreeable,” Lake Reflecting Sky said, switching back to Basic.
“We’ll provide for the feast as well,” Dappled Shadows said. “Equally.”
Lake Reflecting Sky dipped their head in acknowledgement.
Later Kit would realize that he should have paid more attention to their wording and that, perhaps, he should have taken more time to read through Yarresect cultural traditions. At the time, however, he was too relieved to find them agree on anything to think much about it.
Out they went, and once he’d divested himself of his robes he dove into the fishing pool to catch lunch. He hadn’t done anything like this in years and it felt freeing, especially after the tense atmosphere during negotiations.
He surfaced to find the envoys working closely together at one of the tables set along the beach for just such purposes. He’d never been particularly fond of sushi, but followed their instructions anyway, filleting the fish with the knife Lake Reflecting Sky had been threatening Dappled Shadows with and watching as it was partitioned into little rolls with fresh-harvested seaweed and a gummy concoction provided by Dappled Shadows.
The meal itself was surprisingly enjoyable. The envoys seemed to have set aside their differences and even complimented each other. And him. Food, too, was proffered between them in a way that felt significant. There was a lot of casual touching and the flicking of crests, only some of which he could interpret. It was all very friendly, though, and his ahwey had finally stopped throbbing. The emotional sense he could pick up on was one of contentment, curiosity, and expectation. He only hoped the mood would last when negotiations started up again.
“I’m glad that matters between our Nests have finally been settled,” Dappled Shadows said, leaning against Kit’s side.
“Indeed,” Lake Reflecting Sky crooned, leaning on Kit’s other side. “How fortunate that the Jedi sent a great Provider to bridge our differences.”
Kit frowned, finally realizing he’d missed something important. Then they joined wingclaws over his chest and the feeling he got was decidedly... uncomfortable. He asked a question and received an answer. Then he asked for clarification. Eventually he managed to extract himself from between the two Yarresecti and went to make an emergency comm to the Council.
“...Did you say married, Kit?” The flickering blue hologram of Mace Windu stared at him.
Yoda cackled. “Replace Kenobi, we asked of you,” he said. “But emulate him so fully we did not.”
"Not helping,” Kit grumbled. “So what do I do now?”
There was a murmur of conversation with Council members he couldn’t see.
“Just hold tight, Kit,” Mace said. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Enjoy your marriage, you should.” Yoda’s face crinkled in blatant amusement. “Answers we will find. Perhaps in Master Kenobi’s files we should look.”
The holograms flickered out and Kit was left alone again. At least until he rejoined his new spouses. He groaned, holding his head in his hands and vowing to never again take on any diplomatic missions, no matter how urgent. They could wait for Kenobi. He, at least, was used to this poodoo.
