The Force Always Says Yes [Star Wars]

[Simonbob]

The BEST Jedi Knight!

Even if he's only sorta a Jedi, and the Knight's thing's seperate.


And he's been teaching, so he's a Master!


The Force really think's he's the BEST Soap Opera, doesn't it.

 

[Hyenanon]

Chapter 67: The Happiest Moment​

There was no time to organize a 'proper' ceremony. More importantly, there was no time to educate Nerim on what exactly a 'proper' ceremony was supposed to be. He mainly picked up what he could through overhearing arguments between Aesha and Tetha, where they bickered about the proper order of events and position of guests and other various differences between their cultures.

Tetha crossed her arms and pouted at the breakfast table. "On Utapau, the bride descends down an elevator to the altar."

Aesha crossed her arms too in response. "What? Alone?"

"With a bridesmaid of course."

"That's silly. How does the groom get there?"

"...I don't know, he's just already there somehow."

Aesha rolled her eyes. "Makes no sense. They should walk in side by side. They're partners, after all."

Jianno spoke, her mouth still half-full of bacon. "This is a stupid amount of pretension for a wedding. Nerim's right, you're already married. Just sign the documents in a court or something to make it official."

"Absolutely not!" Both young women shouted in unison.

Jianno swallowed. "My parents got tied via text message and they've been together 27 years."

Nerim turned to Arwain. "Master? What's a traditional Jedi wedding like?"

Arwain smiled, but Tetha spoke first, raising her hand in confusion. "Uh, I'm sorry, what? Jedi wedding?"

"Jedi have been getting married for thousands of years," Arwain explained. "I mean, it's always been contentious. Usually only happens in times of war. But it's relatively recent that Fae cracked down on stopping it entirely. She didn't believe we could handle standard family structures and Jedi duties. It was probably informed by her species' mating habits, honestly. Jenet don't exactly mate for life or in nuclear families."

"So what's the ceremony like?" Tetha tilted her head curiously.

"Not all that different from the Mandalorian one, honestly. Albeit with a different reason. Jedi marriages were never accepted, they were just tolerated from time to time. Or maybe overlooked is the better word. During the Sith Wars, there was just a general cultural consensus you would pretend not to know they were married. So weddings tended to be pretty small and without great ceremony or guests. Usually you would find a hidden place and make your vows there, either just the two of them, or with a handful of their closest friends and relatives."

Nerim looked up in thought and smiled. "A hidden place sounds nice."

Tetha frowned at that. "Why do you want to hide it?"

"Well, it's just..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, it reminds me of our...first kiss," he ended the statement quietly.

She quickly stopped frowning, and hummed to herself, pleased.

Aesha rolled her eyes. "You just can't stay mad at him for more than a few seconds at a time, can you?"

"He does seem to have a way of saving himself at the last moment," Arwain chuckled. "I wish I had that talent."

___________________________________________________________________________________



The dressing room was empty and quiet aside from the soft rustling of fabrics as Arwain fastened Nerim's coat from behind. "Are you nervous?" She asked softly.

"Not really," he said honestly, looking into the mirror at himself. "Tetha seems to be really looking forward to this, so I just want to make it work for her. Aesha seems weirdly invested too."

"Weddings are one of the biggest events in the average person's life," Arwain explained, fussing over his hair. "You sure you're not nervous at all?"

He made a pensive expression. "Why would I be?"

"It's a big commitment."

"If it turns out poorly, we can just divorce."

Arwain stopped and laughed. "That's a very Jedi manner of thought. Don't ever let anyone else hear you say that."

He smiled. "But I don't think it will turn out poorly. I love her, dearly."

She looked into the mirror and caught his eyes in it with a motherly smile. "I wish I had your ability to hold onto things without being consumed by the fear of letting them go. I always end up abandoning anything I love," she said wistfully.

"Well, you love me, and you're not going to abandon me," he said happily.

"How can you be so sure?" She teased, pinching his cheek.

"You're my Master."

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Aw. My little Padawan. You're a much kinder Jedi than I. I have much to learn from you."

When they broke the hug, she turned him around, looking down at him proudly. Then there was a slight concern in her eye, and she spoke gently again. "Nerim, forever is a long time. Longer for some than others."

He raised an eyebrow. "Master?"

"Listen...I think now is the best time we're gonna get to talk about it. Like Fay, and Fae, and me, there's a potential that you could learn to be...Well, ageless. But I can't promise that—"

There was a knock at the door. Jianno poked her head in, helmet under her arm. Her new armor was freshly painted and shined, and in the most bizarre turn of events, she had a number of flowers in her hair. Apparently her clan did know to dress up for weddings, at least. "You two ready?"

Nerim turned to Arwain and smiled sadly. "Sorry Master, but I think this will have to wait," he said, gently grabbing her elbow and leading her towards the door. "I know you said this is the best time. But tomorrow will be the second best."

Arwain grinned and hooked her arm with his. "Ugh. They grow up so fast."

They exited the room, and Nerim was subjected to a blur of events that were, along with the dinner he attended at Tetha's mansion, among most stressful of his life. He knew he was bad at this sort of thing, so he brought to bear every ounce of his being into not screwing it up. In all honesty, it was probably the most desperate the Force had ever heard him plea. There were a number of choreographed movements that, to him, seemed labyrinthine in their complexity, even though he was assured the average wedding was significantly worse.

The room was small, yet grand and sunny, bathed in stained glass light from the wall of windows and a slight green glow from the botanical garden reflecting the light. It was a side room of the crown of the tree, meant for relaxation and recollection, and only held two benches to sit at along with lounging chairs and tables in the corners, which was surely enough.

There were very few guests; aside from Arwain and Jianno, the only others in attendance were Jarroa and his wife—given that he ordered the marriage in the first place, it was the least he could do. Aesha was helping Tetha prepare. Neither Pappino or Jethro had time to certify the wedding, and so their assistant Kiseti was presiding as a clerk in the corner, smiling silently at the proceedings.

Things momentarily cleared up for him when, after a short period, Tetha emerged, side by side with Aesha. She wore a beautiful dress which Aesha had somehow procured in less than 24 hours, but the first thing he noticed was her hair. She wore it down and long, which he never saw outside of when they were very alone. She was wearing the olethra hairpin.

Tetha approached him slowly and carefully, her hands clasped in front of her and her steps light, in a way that he realized was reminiscent of Aesha's own posture training he had seen long ago. When she approached him, she reached out to him. "How do I look?" She asked demurely. Her dress was bright red, with billowing sleeves and a skirt that nearly reached the floor. Gold embroidery decorated the chest and sleeves.

"I..." He took her hands in his, speechless for a moment. "...I can't believe I never imagined you in a dress until now," he laughed.

She looked at him, amused, trying to decide whether or not to be angry at that comment, while Arwain stepped beside the two of them to officiate the ceremony. She asked him to say a number of vows, which seemed redundant to him, but he repeated them and he meant it. Then she bid for them to kiss, which was surreal given the audience and the fact that the command came from a Jedi Master, but he rarely passed on such an opportunity. He and Tetha kissed, and when they broke she nearly bounced with joy, which caused a warm feeling in his chest. Aesha and her mother clapped excitedly.

For a moment, he realized that Tetha and Aesha must have had a similar conversation to him and Arwain before the ceremony. He wondered if she had any reservations. If she did, she had forgotten them, at least in this moment.

Nerim stood there smiling like a dope until he felt a strong blow to his shoulder. "Congrats, shrimp!" Jianno said happily.

Arwain placed a hand on Tetha's shoulder. "Now I can officially pawn him off on you. He's your problem now."

The newlyweds both laughed, and Aesha jumped up with a whirring of the servos in her feet and ran to the two of them, wrapping both in a hug, lifting one in each arm. "It's—it's like a beautiful play!" Her throat was tight.

"Excuse me!" Kiseti politely raised her hand. "Not to interrupt the celebrations, but I have to actually notarize this before it's legal. Could you please both sign this?"

She offered them a datapad, and Tetha signed it right away. Nerim read it. His brow furrowed. He spoke in Mandalorian, something like You've gotta be kidding with an extra word in there somewhere. Kiseti's eyes widened and she froze.

"W-what?" Tetha asked, suddenly quite anxious.

"I—I didn't fully understand what Jethro meant when he brought this up," Nerim said, rubbing his forehead in shock.

The room went quiet with anticipation, and Tetha threaded her hands together in an almost pleading fashion. "Nerim, darling...?"

He realized her discomfort, and quickly signed the document, causing Kiseti to smile nervously. He looked down in bewilderment for a moment, and then back up to Tetha. "Change your last name...Tetha Nerim?" He said, not quite believing it. "Really?"

The room remained quiet with disbelief, mainly in the fact that Nerim hadn't noticed until now, except for Arwain, who muttered "Oh my stars..."

"Nerim, you are so lucky you're cute," Tetha heaved a sigh of relief, "Because you are so dumb."

"Tetha Nerim!" Arwain gasped in shock. "I was having a vague vision of this moment years ago! This must be why I kept trying to come up with first names for you! Like Niman Nerim!"

"You're making fun of me," he glared at his Master. Aesha started the music, a smooth and charming disco beat that he was well aware was chosen to poke fun at his taste. And he did like it.

Arwain grinned. "Actually, you were the one who came up with Niman Nerim, weren't you?"

"I do not like being bullied."

Jianno wrapped her arms around each of their shoulders. "C'mon. Time for the party."

"Reception," Arwain corrected.

"You're about to receive my foot up your ass," Jianno grumbled, moving over to the table holding the booze. "Nerim, got some fresh tihaar from the clan!"

"Oh!" Nerim lit up. She had been telling him for years how much she missed that particular drink, and it sounded delicious. Then he looked to Tetha, and re-centered himself. "Well, just a taste. I don't want to get drunk on my wedding day."

Jianno froze and turned to him slowly. "The hell are you people's weddings for?"

Tetha giggled and linked her arm with his. "It's a reception, you're allowed to drink a little. A little!"

Behind them, Kiseti began slinking away with her datapad. "Well, now that my job's over, I wish you a happy reception and a fulfilling married life!"

"Hey!" Nerim turned. "You're allowed to stay for the party, y'know. You sat through the entire ceremony, some snacks and drinks are the least we could offer."

"Oh!" She stopped, blinking in surprise. She looked between the faces in the room, all of which seemed rather welcoming, and then she readjusted her glasses."W-well..." She nervously smiled. "I mean, snacks wouldn't hurt."

Tetha took her hand with her other arm, leading the both of them as the room began to chatter and celebrate. "If you don't mind my asking, why the glasses?" She asked. "No judgment. I used to wear them, too, before I could rely on the Force."

"Oh," Kiseti self-consciously pushed her glasses up again. "Well, um, it's just that my eyes aren't so good. I mean, I know there's surgeries and cybernetics, but I just don't believe in that kind of thing. N-no offense! Not that there's anything wrong with it," she clarified quickly, looking in Aesha's direction.

Aesha overheard, and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" She asked skeptically.

"Well it's just—Mm," Kiseti placed her hands together and up to her mouth, trying to find the best way to word it. "Well, I'm from Coruschal originally, and it's—it can be a cutthroat place sometimes. You know, as a young girl growing up there, you're pushed to get a lot of cosmetic surgeries and cybernetic enhancements to keep up. And I just, you know, if I started, when would I ever stop? So I told myself I would never do that, unless I absolutely needed it to function normally. Glasses are good enough for my eyes. Missing legs would be a different story."

"Oh." Aesha mulled the information over in her head, and smiled affably. "Well, that's respectable."

"Y-yeah. Sorry," Kiseti heaved a sigh of relief. "Stars," she took off her glasses and rubbed her eye tiredly, "I just can't stop putting my foot in my mouth."

"Bad choice of idiom," Nerim whispered.

Kiseti went rigid. "Um! Um! I mean—!"

"Aesha!" Jarroa approached and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, a cocktail in one hand. "When are you getting married?"

She scowled up at him. "Watch it. You're about to lose your wife."

"Wha—" He shook his head in confusion, and turned to see his wife dancing in the center of the room with Arwain. He looked back down at his daughter, unamused. "Your mother is perfectly capable of dancing with Master Arwain in a platonic manner."

Jianno took a long drink of the rather explosive smelling tihaar. "It's...it's not as easy as you'd think," she mumbled.

 

[TroubleFait]

Nerim turned to Arwain and smiled sadly. "Sorry Master, but I think this will have to wait," he said, gently grabbing her elbow and leading her towards the door. "I know you said this is the best time. But tomorrow will be the second best."

Click to shrink...

Oh my god this is such a death flag, why are you doing this to us

I didn't realise it's been years since the start of their adventure. Everything seemed to happen so fast.

Now that immortality might be on the table, this means they Nerim might not be so far from the SW canon events. Intriguing. Or he might choose to keep his natural lifespan. Nerim seems like the guy to live in the moment. If he does choose immortality, this opens several questions in regard to his relationship with Tetha. Would she also be immortal? If she is, are they to be married forever-forever? What about their kids?

 

[Crazy7809]

What about their kids?

Click to shrink...

Can they even have kids? IIRC Star Wars has wierd limits on what species can interbreed. I know a decent chunk of races are simply human varients but there's often enough drift that they can't have children.

 

[Hyenanon]

Can they even have kids? IIRC Star Wars has wierd limits on what species can interbreed. I know a decent chunk of races are simply human varients but there's often enough drift that they can't have children.

Click to shrink...

Well, Tetha said she thinks they can't. She is a bioengineered lifeform though, so who knows...

 

[Simonbob]

"Wait. So, we're depending on your tesimony for the court case, and you married the Sith in question?!"

 

[Hyenanon]

"Wait. So, we're depending on your tesimony for the court case, and you married the Sith in question?!"

Click to shrink...

"Your Honor, I CAN FIX HER"

 

[TroubleFait]

"Your Honor, I CAN FIX HER"

Click to shrink...

Hearing this, Tetha swoons with a loving gaze towards him, witnessed by the judge and the jury. This ultimately helps their case.