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“Hera! Kanan!”
Zaluna Myder, the friendly Sullustan that Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus had met during their time on Cynda and Gorse, welcomed the two young rebels at the doorstep of the home that Hera had helped find for her.
It had been a year since Hera, Kanan, and Zal had all met during those fateful few days on Cynda and Gorse. Since then, Hera had taken on Kanan as a crewmate, and Zal had started a new life on a small agricultural planet. The two women had kept in touch over the past year, and Hera had promised to visit Zal and check up on her.
“It’s good to see you, Zal,” Hera greeted, before going in to hug the older woman.
“It’s good to hear your beautiful voice, Hera,” Zal replied. “I feel like my hearing has grown so much stronger since I’ve gone blind. Your voice is even more beautiful.”
“She does have quite the voice, doesn’t she?” Kanan commented.
Zal pulled out of Hera’s embrace and smiled in Kanan’s direction. “Oh, Kanan. I see you haven’t lost your charm. Come here, you scoundrel.”
Kanan hugged Zal for a long moment, and then Zal invited them into her small home.
Once inside the house, Hera was happy to see that, despite being blind, Zal seemed to be getting along just fine in her new home with her new life. The woman couldn’t stop smiling, while she caught up with Kanan and Hera in her small but tidy living area.
“So, I know you guys can’t really talk about it, but I hope you two are giving the Empire hell.”
“Oh, we’re trying,” Kanan responded. “Hera’s always got something up her sleeve.”
Zal’s smile grew even bigger. “I’m so happy for you two.”
Hera and Kanan glanced at each other, confused.
“Why is that…?” Hera asked.
“Just from the short time I was with you two, I could tell there was something between you two and that you were going to eventually get together. You’re just so compatible.”
Hera blushed and shook her head. “Oh, no, we’re not—“
“You’re not married yet,” Zal finished for her. “That’s okay. I’ve learned that most young people don’t get married until they’re quite a bit older. Some prefer not to even get married at all. “
Kanan elbowed Hera and gave her a look that said, Are we going to go along with this?
Hera gave him a look in response that said, I don’t know…
“Is everything okay?” Zal asked, obviously not seeing Hera and Kanan’s silent interaction.
Kanan cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah, everything’s fine, we’re just—“
“Oh, please don’t be embarrassed. I know I’m old, but these new social trends don’t bother me. And not to worry, I promise you I won’t pry.”
Kanan glanced over at Hera again, and she just shrugged helplessly.
“Thank you, Zal,” Kanan replied finally.
Hera thought Kanan’s response was a good, neutral one.
“Of course, Kanan. Now, can I get you some tea or some caf, perhaps?” Zal offered, rising from the chair she was sitting on.
“I’ll take a cup of caf,” Hera said.
“Kanan?”
“Tea is good. Thank you, Zal.”
“Of course, dears,” Zal said, before walking into the kitchen.
Once Zal was out of the room, Hera spoke in a low voice, “We need to figure out some way to tell her, Kanan.”
“You know I don’t mind being fake-married to you, Hera,” Kanan said, smirking.
“I’m sure you don’t,” Hera replied, rolling her eyes. “But we should be truthful, don’t you think?”
Now, it was Kanan’s turn to shrug. “If you think so.”
“I do think so,” Hera told him.
Zal came back into the room with their drinks and gently set them down on the table before sitting back down on her recliner. Once she was settled again, Hera spoke.
“Zal, Kanan and I need to be clear with you. We’re not actually together.”
Zal’s non-seeing eyes widened. “Oh, I understand. I’m sorry to have made the mistake.”
“It’s okay,” Hera responded, exhaling in relief.
“I had an experience or two like that in my life, in my younger years. I get it. You two are both young and attractive, and you just want to have some fun.”
Hera and Kanan turned to each other, both looking completely mortified and defeated with the situation. Kanan looked at her as if to say, What do we do now?
Hera shook her head in resignation. Let’s just drop it.
Kanan cleared his throat again and said, “Thank you for your understanding, Zal.”
Zal grinned kindly. “Of course.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“That must be Lilli. She’s the young girl I was telling you about. The one who aids me around the house. She’s going to help me make dinner for us tonight. I’ve grown most of the food in my garden out back.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Hera replied, as Zal got up once more to answer the door.
Zal and Lilli had made Hera and Kanan a wonderful meal, and thankfully, the topic of them did not come up at dinner. Zal talked a lot about tending to her garden as well as the knitting group she had joined with a couple other people in the area, while Kanan and Hera shared more stories about the missions they took on to earn credits, as those stories were safe and didn’t involve disclosing dangerous secrets.
Hera noticed that Zal seemed so happy and, perhaps even more importantly, at peace. The woman, despite being blind and holding one job for as many years as she had, had adapted well to her new way of life and seemed to be thriving.
After dinner, Kanan offered to clear the table and wash the dishes. Hera was going to help too, but before she had the opportunity, Zal pulled her into the other room.
“I wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable earlier,” Zal whispered to Hera.
“You mean about me and Kanan?” Hera asked.
“Yes,” Zal nodded.
“Oh, you really didn’t,” Hera told her, though, of course, this wasn’t completely true.
Zal reached out and put a hand on Hera’s shoulder. “I really hope you mean that, Hera. Do you mind, though, if I make one more comment about the situation?”
Hera hesitated in responding, and Zal squeezed Hera’s shoulder. “It’ll just be between us, I promise.”
Hera refrained from letting out an impolite groan and then said, “Okay.”
Zal lowered her voice even more. “I don’t know how you feel about Kanan. You’re very hard to read, especially now that I can’t rely on my eyes. But I think you should know that Kanan likes you. I think he may even love you. I don’t need my sight to tell me that. I can hear it in the way he talks to and about you. That scoundrel is smitten.”
Hera’s heart leapt into her throat. Of course, she had suspected that Kanan might have feelings for her but to hear from another person that his feelings were so obvious really threw her, mostly because, after a year, she still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Kanan.
She knew that he was a hard and dedicated worker and a surprisingly good friend. She also knew that he was incredibly handsome and flirtatious. At first, Hera had been indifferent to his flirting; perhaps she even thought it was annoying. But over time, she found herself smiling at his harmless comments or even providing a quick quip in response. Despite all of this, however, Hera wasn’t sure if she reciprocated Kanan’s supposed feelings—okay, maybe she did reciprocate them a little bit. It was ultimately irrelevant, though, because romance was completely off the table for them. If they wanted to continue to work together in the successful manner in which they had worked over the past year, they’d have to remain professional and friendly. They couldn’t bring feelings into the mix. That would just complicate—and ultimately ruin—the convenient arrangement they had in place.
Hera forced a smile—and then realized that she didn’t actually have to force a smile since Zal couldn’t see her—and said, “I think Kanan and I work best with what we have now.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it would also make sense based on what Zal believed to be true about what was going on between.
“I understand that,” Zal said. “I just thought you might want to know…just in case.”
“Well, thank you,” Hera told the woman.
“You’re welcome,” Zal said. “Now, do you think I could interest the two of you in a nightcap?”
“Sure,” Hera replied, happy to be off the topic of Kanan.
When Kanan finished cleaning up, the trio settled back down in Hera’s living area, each with a glass of Corellian brandy in their hand.
Conversation was light and easy, just as it had been at dinner. As Hera and Kanan were staying planetside until tomorrow afternoon, Zal gave Hera and Kanan a few ideas of what they could do in town. She had suggested a brewery tour, an eclectic flea market with items from all over the galaxy, and fruit picking at a local farm. Hera liked all three ideas. She figured she and Kanan could figure it out tomorrow because, now, she was beginning to grow tired.
After Hera’s third yawn, Zal chuckled, set down her glass, and said, “I’m assuming you’re ready for bed?”
Hera laughed. “Yes, definitely.”
“Great,” Zal said. “The spare room is at the end of the hall.”
Hera’s gut tied into knots, as she realized that she and Kanan were going to have to share a room—and, likely, a bed. How had she not realized this before? She wanted to just say that she’d sleep on the couch…but Zal thought that she and Kanan were already sleeping together, so it would be weird to now want to sleep separately from him.
When Hera glanced over at Kanan, she was relieved to see his face was neutral. He was not smirking and he did not appear to have a suggestive comment on the tip of his tongue.
“Thank you, Zal. Today has been wonderful.”
Zal beamed and reached out toward Hera. Hera stepped into the woman’s arms, but Zal was still feeling around, trying to reach for Kanan, as well. Kanan chuckled and joined Hera and Zal in the hug.
“Hera’s right,” Kanan said, while they were still in the three person embrace. “Today was great. Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome, Kanan,” Zal said, as they all broke away from the hug. “Now, before you go to bed, I want to tell you one last thing.”
Hera looked at Zal nervously, wondering where she was going with this.
“I always knew Hera had it in her to be a great fighter. And I knew you did too, but privately I was unsure of how long you’d actually last, fighting with Hera. But it’s clear to me how much you’ve grown in the past year. You should be proud of yourself.”
Hera was certain she’d never seen Kanan more embarrassed. He politely thanked Zal and then wished her good night one last time with a quick kiss on the cheek.
Once Hera and Kanan were in the bedroom alone, the atmosphere changed—it wasn’t palpably awkward but it felt sort of…cautious.
Before she went to the ‘fresher attached to their room to change, she told Kanan, “I know you usually sleep without a shirt, but I’d appreciate it if you wore one tonight.”
Kanan smiled, and Hera thought for sure he was about to say something, but then he seemed to think better of it. “Okay. You got it, captain.”
After changing into her nighttime thermals in the 'fresher, she returned to the bedroom and was relieved to see Kanan pulling back the sheets of the bed, wearing a shirt and loose cotton pants. His hair was also down, which was a look she’d only seen on him once or twice in the year they’d been working together.
“Which side do you like to sleep on?” Kanan asked.
“The right side, if that’s okay.”
Kanan chuckled. “Hera, you’ve got to remember that before joining up with you, I often found myself sleeping on barroom floors. I’m fine with whatever side.”
“Okay,” she responded, offering him a small smile.
Hera watched Kanan crawl into the left side of the bed and tried to convince herself to do the same. This shouldn’t be a big deal, she thought. She trusted Kanan implicitly, and thankfully, he wasn’t doing anything to make the situation weird—for once.
Taking a deep breath, Hera got into the right side of the bed and pulled the covers up to her chest. Kanan was already lying down, in the supine position. Hera, who always slept on her side, turned to lie on her right side so that she wasn’t facing Kanan.
They lay in silence, and Hera tried her best to fall asleep; she was, after all, tired. Her close proximity to Kanan, however, was making it hard to turn off her mind.
After about ten minutes of quiet, Kanan spoke in a low voice. “You know, Zal’s never been married.”
“Yeah, I know,” Hera responded.
“I think maybe that’s why she liked the idea of us together.”
“What do you mean?” Hera asked, more curious than anxious as to where this conversation was headed.
“I mean, that I think she lived a pretty lonely life. And I think she liked the idea of us being together because then, inn a way, she could live through us. You see what I mean?”
Hera turned her body so that she was facing Kanan, who was still lying on his back. “I think you might be right. It’d explain why she just couldn’t seem to give up on the idea, even after we tried to explain the real situation to her.”
“Exactly,” Kanan said, turning his face to Hera.
“Except now she thinks we’re sleeping together,” Hera mused.
“Well, we are sleeping together,” Kanan replied, smirking at her.
“You know what I mean,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I do,” Kanan said, laughing softly. “Hey, it’s easier to pretend that we’re just sleeping together instead of pretending we’re in a fully committed relationship.”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t think I could call you ‘dear’ or ‘love’ without laughing.”
“Hey!” Kanan exclaimed. “I have a half a mind to be offended by that.”
“Don’t be,” she told him, before letting out a massive yawn. “I’ve never been particularly affectionate.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Now, I have half a mind to be offended,” Hera commented, pushing Kanan a little bit.
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Kanan clarified, turning his head back so that he was once again looking up at the ceiling. “You’re just guarded. That can be a good thing.”
“Oh…” Hera said, surprised by Kanan’s kind candor. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Kanan responded.
“You know, another good thing about her not thinking we’re together? We don’t have to answer questions about our supposed relationship. For a second, I was afraid she was going to ask if we wanted kids.”
Kanan let out a small chuckle. “That would have been so weird.”
“I know, right?”
“But speaking of kids, do you want them?”
Hera stared at Kanan, puzzled. Kanan, who was gazing up at the ceiling, had a totally straight face. When she didn’t answer right away, he turned his head to her, prompting an answer.
“I don’t know,” Hera finally replied. “I guess I never really thought about it. I know I definitely don’t want them until this fight is over.”
“Makes sense.”
“Why? Do you?”
“I think I might,” Kanan told her, still looking at her. “I don’t know when I’d ever get the chance to have them, though, what with you dragging me all around the galaxy.”
Hera frowned at him, and Kanan began laughing. “I’m messing with you, Hera. Sure, I’d like kids, but I’m in no rush, and if it doesn’t happen, I wouldn’t be too upset.”
“I can picture you with kids, you know?” Hera said.
“You can?” he asked, now, turning fully on his side.
“Yeah, you’re basically a child yourself.”
It was Kanan’s turn to frown at Hera. Hera let him marinate on her comment for a few moments before saying, “Now, I’m just messing with you.”
Kanan’s face broke into a huge grin. “That was a good one,” he said, patting her arm
Hera smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. In all seriousness though, I whole-heartedly agree with what Zal said earlier. You’ve grown a lot in the past year. You should be really proud of yourself.”
Kanan’s grin shrunk into a softer but more penetrating smile. “All the credit goes to my captain. I’ve learned a lot from her.”
He was looking at her with such fondness now that Hera’s heart began to race
“That’s very kind,” Hera replied, her voice a low whisper.
“Seriously, Hera, this year with you…it’s been life-changing.”
Hera was sure her heart was going to break out of her chest due to how aggressively it was now beating.
“I mean, I’m not sure I really knew who I was before I joined up with you. But you’ve taught me so much about life and about what’s really important. You’ve made me a better man,” he continued. Hera noticed his voice was getting softer and deeper too.
“That’s very kind of you, but you wouldn’t have grown if you didn’t have it in you to grow.” Her mind was racing so fast, and she didn’t realize she’d basically just said the first part of that sentence thirty seconds ago.
“Hera, take the compliment,” he said. “I mean it.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kanan continued to look at Hera with an affection Hera had never seen on his face, and she found that despite desperately wanting to look away from Kanan, she couldn’t break her eyes away from his.
When she didn’t look away, Kanan reached out and stroked her cheek. Almost involuntarily, she closed her eyes at the gentle touch. Something had just awakened in Hera that both thrilled and frightened her. Then she felt him begin to move closer to her. Her eyes popped open and Hera immediately pulled away and sat up on the bed.
“I think—I think maybe I should sleep on the floor tonight,” she said, already making to get off the bed.
Kanan grabbed her arm. “Hera, wait—“
“Please let go of me,” she said, though without any aggression.
Kanan immediately let go of her arm and also sat up. “You don’t need to sleep on the floor. I’m sorry.”
Hera shook her head. “No, I think I do. I can’t—this can’t happen.”
“This?” he repeated, confused. “You mean—Hera, it was just…” Kanan shook his head in frustration, trying to get out what he wanted to say. “I was just going to kiss you. I wasn’t going to…you know…go further than that.”
“It’s not that, Kanan. Not exactly, at least. I don’t trust myself.”
"You don’t trust yourself?” he asked, eyes wide.
Hera’s face flushed. “No, I don’t think I do.”
Kanan ran a hand through his loose hair. “Can we—can we at least talk about this?”
“Talk about…?”
“Talk about us. Talk about what almost just happened.”
“Why?” she asked. She was still on the bed, though she was sitting at the very edge.
He looked at her like she was crazy and sighed heavily before saying, “Because I know you know how I feel about you, and I think I know how you feel about me too. But, clearly, we’re not on the same page, so, perhaps, it’s something we need to discuss.”
Now, it was Hera’s turn to sigh.
“C’mon, Hera,” Kanan said. He wasn’t begging, but he was close.
“If we’re going to keep working together, this,” she said, motioning between them, “can’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because it could end badly,” Hera answered simply.
“We’ve lived together for a year. We know pretty much everything there is to know about one another. You really think that, at this point, it could end badly?”
As Kanan talked, a lump formed in Hera’s throat. She swallowed it down before responding. “It’s a risk I don’t want to take.”
“But you do have feelings for me? You’ll admit that?”
Hera didn’t respond.
“Hera.”
“I try not to think about it,” she said, her eyes looking down at her hands. “It’s better to not think about it when you know it can’t happen.”
“Well, I think about it,” he told her. He was very frustrated now, Hera could tell, and his voice had an edge to it that unnerved her. “I think about it—about you—a lot. And I just don’t see it ending badly.”
“Kanan,” she said, looking right at him now. “This is not something I’m going to change my mind about.”
She had raised her voice a little, and it seemed to frighten—and maybe even wound—him. He simply stared at her for a moment, before finally nodding his head.
“What does that mean?” she asked, her voice much gentler now.
“It means if that’s how you want things, then…then I guess that’s the way they’ll have to be.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he told her, though he still sounded irritated. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Okay,” she said, now finally getting up from the bed.
“Wait. This…this is my fault. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I will.”
Kanan let out an exhausted breath. “Hera, please. Just let me sleep on the damn floor.”
“Okay,” Hera agreed, after a moment.
She got back on the bed, and Kanan got up from it and grabbed his pillow. Once Kanan was settled on the floor, Hera felt like she could relax in the bed again.
“Good night, Kanan,” she said softly.
“G’night, Hera,” he replied.
When Hera woke up in the morning, Kanan was not in the room. After a quick shower and changing into her day clothes, she exited the bedroom and found him at the small kitchen table with Zal.
“Good morning, Hera,” Zal greeted.
Hera smiled at Zal and then looked at Kanan, who was looking down at his mug of caf.
“I was just talking to Kanan about what y’all had decided to do today. He told me you two couldn’t decide on what to do and agreed to split up for the day and explore things on your own.”
Kanan now half-glanced up at Hera before taking a sip from his mug.
Hera nodded, not knowing what to say. She suspected that she had hurt Kanan last night much more than she originally thought, and he didn’t want to spend time with her today.
“Well, I was going to go to the flea market anyway with Lilli. I never buy anything, but Lilli will describe some of the cooler objects to me, and that, in itself, is fun. I don’t know if that’s something either of you wanted to do.”
Hera, who didn’t actually want to be alone, said that she’d go to the flea market with Zal. Zal seemed both pleased and unaware that anything was wrong between Hera and Kanan.
After a quick breakfast and cup of caf, Hera, Zal, and Zal’s young helper Lilli headed in the direction of the flea market. Kanan left to wander around the small town on his own. He had barely said two words to her all morning.
Hera was quite impressed with the flea market. The booths at the market sold clothes, jewelry, talismans, holo-novel and holo-drama chips, among many other things. Hera watched as Zal would run her hand over something and then ask Lilli to describe it to her. It was bizarre but also really sweet.
Hera strolled through the booths, occasionally picking something up to examine it. She saw an ancient pair of pilot goggles that looked like they dated back hundreds of years ago. The strap was broken, but there were no scratches on the lenses. In fact, other than the broken strap, the goggles were in great condition. Hera asked how much they were and was pleased to discover they were only a few credits. She purchased them for herself and thought she could put a new strap that could attach to her ear cone covers.
As she continued meandering, she saw Zal digging her hand through a box filled with dozens of medallions of all different metals. She’d pick up a medallion at random and then ask Lilli to explain it to her.
“This one is silver and hexagon shaped,” Lilli described. “It’s got a circle in the middle with lines that go out and connect to all of the corners.”
“Sounds like a separatist medallion to me,” Zal commented.
“It is,” Hera said, approaching the pair.
“Imagine that!” Zal exclaimed, thrilled with her find. “Let me find another one.”
Zal reached in her hand again and retrieved another medallion. This one was on a chain. Lilli described it to Zal, who seemed to be thinking really hard about the image. Hera did not recognize the symbol, but she could see that Zal was working through the design in her head.
“Sounds like the Hutt symbol,” Zal said finally.
Hera scrunched up her nose at the thought of the Hutts. They weren’t known to be friendly to Twi’leks.
Once more, Zal reached her hand into the box of medallions, digging deep this time, and pulled one out, and handed it to Lilli. Hera saw the medallion as it exchanged hands from Zal to Lilli and immediately snatched it out of Lilli’s hand.
“Hera?” Zal asked, hearing the commotion.
“Zal,” Hera said in a low voice, “I don’t think Lilli should describe this one.”
Lilli looked at Hera and Zal, clearly confused, but didn’t say anything.
“What’s the medallion, Hera?” Zal inquired, now also speaking quietly.
“I’ll tell you when we get back to your house.”
Zal nodded. Hera offered a quick, apologetic smile to Lilli.
Scanning the area to see if anyone was watching her, Hera quickly slipped the medallion in her pocket. Based on how many medallions were in the box, it was quite possible the seller didn’t even realize this particular one was in his possession. Hera knew that if she had attempted to buy it, it would likely cause suspicion. So as not to outright steal the medallion, Hera left a twenty-credit chip at the corner of the booth.
They spent a few more hours at the flea market before heading home. When they returned to Zal’s house, Kanan was already there.
“Did you enjoy your day?” he asked, mostly to Zal, as the three sat in the living area.
“We did. Hera bought a paper of old goggles.”
He looked at Hera, who pulled the goggles out of her satchel and handed them to him.
“They’re broken,” Kanan said dumbly.
“I’m going to fix them,” Hera said, slightly defensive.
Kanan gave Hera a funny look before handing them back to her.
“And where did you go?” Zal asked.
“Oh, all over,” Kanan said. “It was nice day.”
Hera smiled at Kanan, and he returned her smile, though it was a small one.
“I think we need to be heading back to the ship soon,” Hera announced. “We’re set to start our next mission in a few days.”
Zal nodded sadly. “I understand. It’s been lovely having you both visit.”
“It’s been lovely being here, Zal,” Kanan said.
“Absolutely,” Hera agreed.
“I’m going to go pack real quickly, and then I’ll be ready,” Kanan said, getting up from his chair and exiting the room.
“Okay,” Hera said. She had packed that morning.
“So, Hera, can you tell me what was so special about the medallion that Lilli couldn’t describe it to me out loud.”
Hera told Zal, and her vacant eyes widened. “I’m shocked that was even in the box.”
“I am too. I’m sure the seller must have had no idea.”
“Definitely. He could get in a lot of trouble if he was caught.”
Kanan returned moments later and the two started saying their goodbyes to Zal.
The Sullustan had tears in her eyes as she hugged both Hera and Kanan and wished them a safe trip to wherever they were going.
Hera told Zal to contact her if ever she was in trouble and promised to try and visit again within the next year. Kanan thanked Zal for her hospitality and reiterated Hera’s statement about contacting them if ever Zal found herself in trouble.
Hera and Kanan took a rented speeder back to the hangar where the Ghost had been landed. Kanan was polite and asked questions about the flea market, but Hera could tell he was still bothered by the events from the previous night.
Once back on the Ghost, it was all business as Hera and Kanan set about getting the ship ready for take off. After a year of working together, they were completely in sync with one another and had the ship up in the sky in no time.
After Hera had gotten the ship into hyperspace, she went to go find Kanan whom she hadn’t seen since they’d taken off.
She found him in the galley, eating a ration bar. Hera sat down across from him at the table and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, however, Kanan put a hand up to stop her.
“Go look in the conservator,” Kanan said, pointing to the appliance.
“Why?”
“Just go look,” he told her.
Hera reluctantly got up from the table and walked to the conservator. She opened the door, not sure what to expect. When she saw what Kanan had placed inside, a broad grin spread across Hera’s face.
Inside the conservator, were half a dozen pinkish orange meiloorun melons—Hera’s favorite fruit.
She turned around to Kanan, who was smiling cautiously. “My peace offering. I went to the farm Zal had suggested and saw them. I thought they’d make a good apology. I know how much you love them.”
Hera removed a melon from the conservator and walked back to the table. She sat close to him so that she could share the piece of fruit with him. “I do love them. Thank you, Kanan. You didn’t have to do that.”
Kanan shook his head. “No, I did. I was kind of rude to you last night after…well, after what didn’t happen. I had no reason to behave that way.”
“It’s okay,” Hera told them. “I understand why you were upset, and I actually got you something too.”
“You got me something?” Kanan asked, his eyes flashing with curiosity.
“Yeah, it’s my own little peace offering. I know I hurt you last night. I should have handled that situation better.”
“I suppose we both should have,” Kanan added.
“Yes,” Hera said, as she dug in her pocket for what she had taken earlier from the flea market. “I was shocked when I found this at the market earlier today. I actually kind of stole it because I thought it might raise suspicion if I asked to buy it.”
“What is it?” Kanan asked.
Hera pulled the medallion out of her pocket and handed it to Kanan.
Kanan examined the circular bronze medallion and gasped. “It’s the Jedi symbol!”
“Amazing, isn’t it? I can’t believe I found it. Actually, technically, Zal found it, though she didn’t realize it.”
“Hera—Hera, thank you so much,” Kanan said, and Hera saw tears in his eyes.
“Of course, Kanan.”
Kanan, without preamble, pulled Hera into a hug. Hera was surprised but completely unbothered by the gesture and hugged Kanan back. She rested her head on Kanan’s shoulder and realized how much she liked being in his arms. They held each other for quite some time, before Kanan pulled away.
“That was…okay, right?” he asked apprehensively.
“Yes,” Hera answered. “Yes, that was nice.”
Kanan nodded. “Okay, good. So, things are back to normal now?”
Hera grinned at him. “Yes, things are back to normal. How could they not be? You brought me my favorite snack!”
“And you stole a Jedi medallion for me! Hera Syndulla—a thief!”
Hera rolled her eyes playfully, before beginning to break apart the meiloorun. She gave a piece to Kanan, and the two ate in a comfortable silence.
Things were back to normal between them. Everything felt as it had before their trip to visit Zal. But in the back of Hera’s mind, she knew something had changed between them. To some degree, at least, their feelings for one another were out in the open now, and there was no going back from that. That was okay though, Hera thought. They could control their feelings for one another. After all, they had a rebellion to focus on. Right?