#Edean Tol'ket

[the-obiwan-for-me]

I totally missed the fact that She Said the Word turned 3 years old on Sunday, and I feel kinda bad. It felt like forgetting my child's birthday, considering how much time and energy I have invested in what is now a nearly half million word series. I would say the lock down era thought game of "what would life look like if Satine had said the word?" kinda grew legs and ran away with me.

Anyway, this story occupies a huge portion of my brain, and I know that's true for lots of others, too. So, to celebrate three full years with this story and family, ask me anything! Whether it's about the story, the writing process, the characters, or where I see them going, I want to talk about it!

[the-obiwan-for-me]

SSTW Ask:

I’m not sure if you’ve ever thought about this, but if you have it would mean the world to me if you told me about whatever you have thought about, even if it’s just tiny snippets.

Basically, I’m curious about the younger Kryzes and if they ever choose to get married (if they weren’t already in a relationship) and have kids. By “younger Kyrzes” I mean Korkie, Ahsoka, Lily, Avi, Eli, and Edi, as well as the Skywalker children, and of course special mention goes to Sabine and Tristan.

If they ever have kids, how many do each of them have? What are their genders? What about their names? Do any of them marry a different species and have hybrid children? What about adoption?

If you’ve thought this far ahead, what are the kids like, that is, their personality?

BTW it’s totally okay if you’ve never thought about this and have no answers, but if you do I’d absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts.

Thanks in advance! You’re the greatest.

Oh wow! These are great questions. I know some of this, but not all of it, and I am happy to share because I don't know/highly doubt I will ever write this far into the family's future (save one story, which I will point out when I get to it).

Korkie and Aled get married at the end of MTB (last chapter....it's glossed over, but that's why the whole family is there). They will eventually adopt a child, probably a little girl (why I get Cam and Mitch vibes from Modern Family, I will never know).

Ahsoka has always ready pretty ace to me in canon (her weird jealousy over Lux and Steela Gerrera in the Onderon arc of TCW felt very forced and I have beef with EKJ about....well, TONS of things, but she doesn't even read her own writing well...the interactions between Ahsoka- wait. You know what. This isn't the place to rant about EKJ). ANYWAY, my Ahsoka is ace and aromantic and goes on to live a very happy life helping the galaxy through the RHI and other means.

Lily has yet to tell me what she wants in this department. I have a little storyline in my head about her meeting someone, but it hasn't really formed into anything meaningful yet.

Avi definitely gets married. To a boy from Alderaan that she meets at uni on Coruscant. He has no idea she's royalty for a good while, and is far more excited that she's cousins with the famous singer, Eli Kryze.

Edi and Eli I don't know yet.

The twins, well, I have a whole scenario that gets Han, Luke, and Leia meeting up, so Leia and Han will marry (this is the story I want to write, because the idea of Han marrying into this clan is hysterical to me). Luke will somehow meet Mara Jade as he goes about the galaxy being some sort of lay-Jedi.

Past this generation, I have no real clue! Avi will have children, for sure, and Leia and Han will have some variation of the twins and Anakin Solo from Legends/EU.

But, just know, that in THIS galaxy, they Kryzes are a large and growing and happy clan, unlike in canon *sob*

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Hey there, so I saw your post about SSTW and I was curious about Eli. His entire story hurts me because my mother died when I was the same age as him and uhhh, I definitely did not scream into a pillow when That happened.

Anyway, does he have any memories of Wela as he grows up? Do Bo-Katan and Tol’ket talk about her at all, do they maybe try to look her up to see if they can give him any information on his family, maybe see if he has relatives?

Does Eli want to know anything about her? How does growing up as a completely different species from not only his parents but his whole extended family affect him? How does he get along with Ahsoka? I imagine they’d be close given their similar body structures.

TL:DR I want to know literally everything you are willing to tell me about Eli, he is my son now.

It's always amazing to me the little storylines that I write innocuously (well, as innocuously as writing any angst really is) that end up really resonating with some people. So, big hugs.

Like I said in another answer, he doesn't have any real concrete memories of her. He has impressions of her, very much like how Leia describes her mother in ROTJ. He remembers songs she sang to him more than anything (this will become important later on in his life).

Tol'ket talks about her a lot to Eli, and Bo talks about how grateful she is that Wela trusted her, who she had never met, to take care of Eli. They do try to find family, but Wela gave Tol'ket very little information, and she told him everyone had died, either in the Clone Wars or in the aftermath when criminals swept into Ryloth. The best they can do is insure he learns his native language and learn about his birth culture.

His relationship with the rest of the family is great. Adoption is no big thing in Mando culture, and the Kryzes are already are confirmed, hardened adopters. But, yeah, I do like the idea that he and Ahsoka become close as he gets older.

My favorite little tidbit about Eli that may or may not ever come to light in writing is that he loves loves loves music, is a talented musician and has a beautiful voice. He actually goes on to have a successful singing career.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

So it seems you wanted more specific Bo’ket questions? I have them lol.

I’m curious about how they treat Edi. Given how hard Bo’s pregnancy was and how tiny and fragile she was when she was born, are they overprotective of her? Are they afraid that they might lose the one child they were miraculously able to have after struggling for so long?

Also, how does Eli get along, being a Twi’lek in a family of humans? Does he have any specific needs or requirements that they have to keep an eye on? Does he have any memory of Wela as he grows up?

I imagine that they both have nightmares every once in a while because they’ve seen some shit. How does Tol’ket take care of Bo when she has a particularly bad one? How does Bo take care of Tol’ket when he does?

Finally, what do they do for fun? Like if they dropped the kids off at auntie Satine’s for a while, what would be the first thing they’d want to do?

Yes! Thank you! I needed more specific questions....it was like being hungry with a fridge full of food but you have ADHD!

Edi WAS tiny and fragile early on, and Bo and Tol'ket were very paranoid and very protective. But Edi is also a Kryze girl, which means she very quickly showed everyone that she was going to be a fighter. Within a few months of her birth, she was more or less catching up to Avi, and absolutely unstoppable after that. I'm sure having a big brother, a cousin the same age, and all of the Skywalker herd really helped her want to keep up. By the time she was a year or so, both Tol'ket and Bo relaxed, though there was always going to be a low grade level of protectiveness, above and beyond what you would normally expect of those two.

As for Eli, physically, the biggest hurdle the first few months is dealing with malnutrition and making sure he was otherwise healthy. It's hard raising a toddler in the circumstances Wela had to raise him in, but she did the best with the hand she was dealt. Tol'ket already speaks some Ryl and works to improve it. Bo spends a lot of time while on bed rest using space! Duolingo to help her learn Ryl. She also reads up on Twi'leks and their culture. They want him to know both his birth heritage and his adopted heritage.

He doesn't really remember Wela. Not in concrete ways. It's kinda like how Leia describes her mother in ROTJ...vague impressions. But he does remember the songs she sang to him. And he really holds on to them.

Yes, Bo and Tol'ket both have nightmares. Tol'ket less so, but they're there. Usually when he has them, Bo just holds him and plays with his hair and grounds him (most of his are about losing her or the kids like he lost his siblings and his grandfather).

Bo is complicated. She had different types of nightmares. If they're about losing Tol'ket, or war and battle related, it's usually enough just to be held and soothed, like she does him. But sometimes she has dreams about Pre....in those moments, Tol'ket has learned that holding her is not helpful. He might run a shower or bath for her, make her tea, get her some cookies. And that usually helps wash away the sick, greasy feeling Pre dreams leave on her.

What do they do for fun without the kids? Sleep?? lol A good dinner out, maybe go to the opera or to see a play. Stuff that's hard to do with babies and toddlers.

OMG. How much I love them!

[the-obiwan-for-me]

happy SSTWiversary, please tell me about bo'ket and babies' first trip to space!disney world

Oh lord. You really like to challenge me, don't you?

Bo was not wild about the idea when Eli started talking about it around his 6th birthday. Ado and Shmi had told him about their family trip, and he had schoolmates who had gone, too, and he was REALLY into the idea. Bo, not so much.

But she talked to Padme about it, and turned out Korkie and Aled were totally space!disney adults, and they hyped it up. So, she said ok.

Now Tol'ket began to lose his mind. Because it was easy enough to keep his wife and kids safe at home or on some trips, but to an amusement park???? Oh hell no. His worst nightmare.

But they go, because how is he supposed to reduce Eli's big blue eyes or Edi's eyes, so much like her mama's?

So, they go, and Bo plies him with a drink or two to get him to relax. And he does, and proceeds to spoil his children ROTTEN. You want that stuffie? Absolutely. Space!Mickey ears for everyone. Edi wants a second pair. All the food, all the toys, all the rides. Eli pukes twice from all the churros and ice cream, but asks for more and gets it.

It's a wild ride and Bo just sits back and laughs. They leave three days later, sunburnt and exhausted and with two small children crashing from a steady stream of sugar, but it was WORTH IT.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Hey, this is the anon who sent the ask requesting your thoughts about Lily. If you don’t mind me sending two asks, I would love to her about Bo-Katan and Tolket. Once again, I’m not asking for any specifics, just talk about whatever you want to. I absolutely love seeing people get excited over their passions and if you don���t mind me sending more asks, I would like to do so with requests to hear you talk about other characters/elements of the story. I’ll avoid spamming you until I’m given permission to lol.

No, please. Send me all the questions you have!!! I love it! Especially since I'm not really actively writing this family right now, I still love to talk about them and think about them.

As for Bo and Tol'ket, man, where to begin? I could think about them all day. Honestly, there's so much to cover.

For one, they are disgustingly in love. I think this is clear. They just love to be together and care for each other.

They are great parents, if not overly protective. Bo is protective just on a constant, low key level. Tol'ket is mostly fine around home and in the safety of known spaces, but he is a basket case when they are out and about.

Despite that, they love to travel with the kids. They are determined to give them a childhood and experiences they were not able to have as children of war. So, there are lots of fun things they take them to do.

I don't know. I could talk about them for ages. But I also don't know where to begin! Feel free to ask about specific things!

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Hi!

I love all your work and I am very excited for the end of More Than Blood. Tol'ket is one of my favorites, so I was just wondering what little things about him that you know, but haven't made it into the SSTW'verse? If you want to share. Thank you! :)

Oh, Tol'ket, my man. I do love him. Funny how he has grown so fully into such a rich character when all he was meant to be was a human shaped wall for Obi-Wan to talk at (much like Cody in canon). That was all he was originally meant to be, but he grew a little, and then he had his fist interaction with Bo-Katan and his character development took off from there.

So, here's a few things from the deep Tol'ket lore that have either not been mentioned in the stories, or are only briefly touched upon (and a few out of universe facts):

In my head, he originally looked like a hybrid of Oscar Issac and Jason Momoa. His appearance was actually based on a character I played around with in an original story. But then @duchess-of-mandalore fancast him as Michael Ealy (this guy):

and the image stuck. This is Tol'ket.

If you wonder what he sounds like (apart from a deep voice), he has a slight British accent (what I call a "Sundari" accent). It isn't as pronounced as Satine's or Korkie's (Lily, too, actually, in my head), but it's not as American, like Bo-Katan's (aka, a "Concordian" accent).

I think he mentions all of his siblings somewhere along the line. He is one of six, the third born. He had three brothers and two sisters. And, yes, they all died in the civil war.

Again, it was definitely discussed in universe, but he was raised by his grandfather, who had been a Protector at some point prior to raising his small herd of baby Tol'kets. The baby Tol'kets mother died of illness shortly after the youngest was born, and their father (their grandfather's son) lost it and left (or that was his nature all along and he just needed the catalyst to do it). Ba'buir Tol'ket took his only son's grandkids and gave them a happy home. Their father ultimately ended up on the Death Watch side of the war.

Tol'ket was raised in a farming community. Our man is a farm boy! I have a little headcanon that there are "ag domes" on Mandalore. Essentially domes like Sundari, but they're mostly big raised garden beds instead of cities. His family had a small plot where they raised crops.

Tol'ket's grandfather, a true Mandalorian, heeded to call of his Mand'alor (Adonai Kryze) and went to war. He ultimately believed in the peace Adonai talked about, and was devastated at the death of Adonai's wife. So, he wanted to help. His grandchildren tried in vain to talk him out of it. Instead, they all went, leaving their family farm, and joining up. The youngest was 13. Tol'ket (who is two years older than Satine) was about 18.

Tol'ket spent time with the Kryzes (the whole family) as a small boy, though he doesn't remember meeting either of the girls (he DOES remember Adonai, who was imposing). He went to a ceremony and party honoring his grandfather and his dedication as a Protector, and met the duke there, along with the duke's children (Bo would have been an infant).

Tol'ket's election as prime minister was won handily. While he doubted his ability to sway the people, he didn't understand just how respected he really was. He also had a natural instinct for campaigning, knowing just how to kiss babies and make people want to have a beer with him. But he also had good ideas and, having not been raised as royalty, fighting in and SURVIVING the civil war, and seeing life, first hand, from a variety of places in Mandalorian culture, his understanding of the people he served is very deep and dynamic. He's a GOOD politician. He is in his second term in MTB, and has potential for a third.

Tol'ket loves trying new food. He's eaten some strange things from all over the galaxy. But his favorite will always be space noodles (aka, space ramen). As a Protector, he was on a first name basis with the owner of his favorite noodle shop in Sundari. He tried to go as often as he could, but they also delivered to him a lot, since he's a workaholic. They still deliver to him....now as the prime minister.

His caf addiction is a serious issue.

He tends to be a worrier, though he hides it well.

He likes houseplants. He also pins lots of container gardening ideas to his space Pinterest board. He just doesn't have the time to do that. That being said, he can sometimes be found helping the gardeners in the royal gardens. He also pushes a lot of ag friendly and reclamation projects as prime minister.

He truly had never intended to get married of have children. He was extremely committed to his job as head Protector, and was totally fulfilled with that. Then that certain red head came along and changed everything.

He was one of the first people to respond to the call for people to join the effort to rebuild the Protectors. Obi-Wan admired the man almost from the get go, and hand selected him to be head Protector within the first two years of Satine's reign.

I could probably go on and on and on, but these are a few things we just don't get to talk about much in the story, but I think about A LOT. If you have more questions, I'm always happy to talk about him! (Or Aled, or Greer! Or even Isabet!).

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Clan Kryze celebrates the romantic holiday of All Hearts Day in a variety of ways. A really fluffy “She Said the Word” AU fic.

I don’t even really like Valentine’s Day, but I wrote a Valentine’s fic, anyway. Enjoy the saccharin sweetness.

(PS- this takes place after the conclusion of More Than Blood, so spoilers)

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Hey, so one of my favorite things about SSTW was Bo-Katan’s relationship with Lily. In MTB, we see that she wants Lily to have her freedom and that Lily feels more comfortable opening up to her than she does Satine, at least I totally, but I desperately want to hear more about their relationship when Lily’s an adult, and maybe even Lily’s relationship with Eli and Edi.

l'm so glad you love their relationship! I credit Lily for truly opening the door to allow Bo to find her way back to her family, which I think is why they remain so close.

While Lily's relationship with Satine improves greatly after MTB, she and Bo still have a very close relationship. While Bo is on bedrest, Lily spends a lot of her time, while on Mandalore, keeping Bo company, often watching bad holovids with her, finding her food she might find appetizing, or just keeping an eye on her on her worst days.

She spends a lot of time with Eli, too. Taking him to the park or for walks around the city. She is elated by the arrival of Edi and spoils both of them rotten. As they grow up, it's almost like a role reversal- she is to them what Bo was for her. They love her, feel safe confiding in her, and like to spend time with her, either together or separately. It's really just one big happy family.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Obintine Week, Day 1- Blame the Jedi

A/N: I am SO excited for this week! I have never so fully committed to participating in a challenge like this, and I am on track to have a fic for every day! 

I was especially delighted with this prompt “Outsider POV,” which made me immediately think of our beloved Tol’ket, who IS canon. 

Thanks a million @obitine-week for organizing this fun!

21 BBY

He blamed the karking Jedi. 

It wasn’t like his job was easy. Though beloved by the New Mandalorians, the Duchess was a constant target, and it had been Captain Tol’ket’s, the head of her personal guard, job over the last decade to see that she stayed safe. He took an immense amount of pride in his job, and had become someone the Duchess could trust and rely upon in ways that she couldn’t always rely on her council.

And then the karking Jedi showed up, and the last few days had been nothing but chaos, violence, and upheaval.

First a bombing in the park, courtesy of Death Watch, and the coward who planted it jumped to his death in front of the Duchess, her Jedi, and far too many civilians. 

Obviously, it was Death Watch’s fault, in the grander scheme of things, but Tol’ket still blamed the Jedi. After all, they had merely been inconvenient menaces to Mandalore, until the handsome Jedi showed up, inspiring some latent adventurous streak in the Duchess, and getting into skirmishes with the actual Death Watch, led by the slimy governor, Pre Vizsla (he had never liked that man), on Concordia. 

Then there was the whole mess on the damn Coronet on the way to Coruscant. Tol’ket had not been in such a hair raising battle since he had fought for Duke Kryze during the civil war. And while the Jedi and his compatriot were valiant warriors (much to the Duchess’ disgust), he still blamed the karking Jedi for the whole damn mess. Even if they did bring down Merrik, the traitor. Deep down in Tol’ket’s guts, he just felt like somehow, some way the Jedi and their war and their magic were all to blame for the whole business.

And the way the Duchess looked at the Jedi. And the way he looked at her. Tol’ket had practically fainted when she reached up and stroked the Jedi’s cheek. He certainly blamed that damned Jedi for distracting the Duchess when she clearly needed her head in the game. 

The messes kept coming. Republic “intervention,” the sabotaged speeder (which cost Tol’ket three cracked ribs, a concussion, and a night in the bacta tank), and murder charges. For the Duchess!

It was an absolute nightmare, and Tol’ket was desperate to place blame on someone, when there was seemingly no one to really hunt down for all the chaos. So, he wanted to blame the karking Jedi.

But, then again, he pondered to himself as he stood with the rest of the guard a respectful distance away and watched the Duchess say her farewell to her Jedi, that karking Jedi had kept the Duchess safe- through a bombing, through a battle with Death Watch, through a duel with Pre Vizsla, through an attempted kidnapping, and murder charges. He had been there for her, when even her own supposed allies had stabbed her in the back (ironic, considering that’s just how Merrik met his end). 

And Tol’ket, always one to honor the Duchess’ privacy, could not deny the way they looked at each other. That karking Jedi meant something to her. There was history there. There was an intimacy there that was hard to deny, especially if you had spent the last decade of your life constantly shadowing someone.

She trusted the Jedi.

And Tol’ket trusted the Duchess.

So, maybe, just maybe it wasn’t all the karking Jedi’s fault.

19 BBY

“FUCK!”

The roar startled Tol’ket from his medically induced stupor, and the flying beskar helmet, hurtled into the low ceilinged room deep in the bowels of Sundari somewhere, clattering against a wall, then the stone floor, had him fully awake, sitting up with a gasp of pain.

The helmet was followed into the room by Bo-Katan Kryze and half a dozen of her closest warriors, her hair sticky with sweat and blood. Blood and soot stained her beskar’gam. The rage she must have felt stained her aristocratic features. 

Tol’ket had been with this motley resistance movement a few weeks, and badly injured for most of them, when he’d taken several blaster hits while covering the Duchess’ attempted escape from prison. It had been his escape, too, freed by Bo-Katan, the long lost sister of the Duchess, decked out in Death Watch armor. He had only gone along with the traitorous bitch because Korkie, the Duchess’ nephew, had begged him to trust her.

“What happened?” someone called from another cot.

In response, Bo-Katan raged again, kicking over a table of food rations, then sitting heavily on a stool, burying her face in her hands.

“The Duchess is dead,” one of the commandos who had entered behind her said solemnly, pulling his helmet off, tucking it under his arm.

The announcement hit Tol’ket like a punch to the gut. The air in his lungs vanished, the sounds of the room around him turned to static, his vision whited out.

“Wh-what?” he stammered. The last he had heard was that the Jedi had been contacted. Tol’ket knew the man would come. He would always come for the Duchess. She contacted him because she trusted him. “How?”

“The ship they tried to escape on was shot down,” someone said, addressing the room. “Those beasts pulled them from the wreckage. The Duchess was killed by Maul. Lady Bo-Katan, a few of us, helped the Jedi get away. Maybe he’ll bring back assistance.”

Tol’ket did not register the scoffs and humorless, bitter laughs. The Duchess was dead. The Duchess was dead and he had not been there to protect her. He had failed.

Her Jedi had failed, too, though Tol’ket could hardly blame him. He’d seen what those demons could do.

Nothing was right. This all had to be some horrible nightmare.

"I blame that karking Jedi," Tol'ket heard someone growl. 

Bo-Katan lifted her head from her hands. Even from this distance, he could see her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "No. No, it's not his fault." Her breath stuttered as she leapt to her feet, knocking over the stool as she rose, every movement she made leaving a trail of violence. "This is all my fault." She paced, unseeing, sending commandos scrambling out of her path. "Blame me." Then she hammered her fist into the nearest wall, plaster crumbling beneath her fist. "She's dead because of me."

She spun on her heels and rushed out of the hall, the one they called Wren close behind. The other commandos bent their heads close together, and Tol'ket could no longer hear their conversation.

He settled back into his cot, hissing at the pain in his chest. For the first time he agreed with that woman.

He did blame her.

The Duchess was dead, Mandalore was on fire, and nothing was right.

Quietly, to himself, Tol’ket whispered his remembrance and spoke the Duchess’ name. As long as he had breath, he would fight for her.

Maybe, once he was healed and fully himself, he’d go find that karking Jedi. They could fight for her together.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

For those who are here for my "She Said the Word" AU and are anxiously awaiting the next chapter of "More Than Blood," it's going to be awhile because real life has my writing in the backseat until at least Thursday evening. But I miss sharing and so I thought I could offer up a little tiny treat to hold you all over.

So here is your tiny little thing. A short scene between Bo and Ursa, set in the months following the conclusion of "She Said the Word" (so don't read any further if you haven't finished and don't want spoilers).

This comes from a conversation we had over on the Obitine discord recently. What started as a bit of a cracky discussion on how certain people would feel about discussing their sex life or making sexual jokes, ended up morphing into an angst fest (because we are an angsty bunch) over what Satine, and then Ursa would think or do if they saw innocuous bruises left on Bo after.... intimate activities with Tol'ket. And then I had to write.

So, here it is. TW for allusions to a past abusive relationship.

Bruises

"Just give me fifteen minutes," Bo said, as Ursa trailed behind her through the tiny flat.

Bo had only lived in Tol'ket's Sundari flat a few, short months, but it was slowly showing signs of a comfortable lived-inness that hadn't been there the first time Ursa had visited, shortly after their release from Coruscant. Tol'ket admitted he rarely used the flat prior to saying the riduurok with Bo in the midst of nearly dying, mostly keeping it to store clean underpants and the few personal possessions he owned.

But now, with the temptation of a beautiful wife to share a bed with, the flat was far more appealing than the cot shoved into the corner of his office.

Ursa walked past a print of Lily's Resol'nare portrait- painted by her own husband, Alrich, and candid holos of the Kryze family. She stopped and admired one of Bo and Tol'ket, on a sunny beach on Scarif, Bo in some tiny bathing suit, grinning wildly at the camera in a wide brimmed hat, as Tol'ket looked at her adoringly.

"Stars, I always forget how sexy you are," Ursa teased. "And I am such a whale right now."

Bo's laugh echoed from the bedroom. "You're not a whale. You're weeks away from giving birth."

Ursa followed the sound of her voice and found her peeling off her beskar, stacking it neatly alongside Tol'ket's. "He's still on admin?" Ursa asked, gesturing at his beskar.

Bo sighed as she unfastened her shoulder bells. "His choice. He says he still doesn't feel strong enough to do it right. Load of bantha shit if you ask me. He exceeds all the Protector requirement standards except in flexibility."

"I'm sure you have ways to help that." Ursa caught Bo's eye in the vanity mirror and smiled cheekily.

"Oh, absolutely I do," Bo said with a wink. Ursa laughed as Bo went on. "Anyway, he's using his time off of duty to study. Prepare in case he wins the election. The man is brilliant but is completely convinced he knows nothing about government. Nothing about Mandalore."

She was laughing as she peeled off her flight suit, revealing an angry, purple bruise on her bicep, in the vague shape of a large hand. The sight made Ursa's blood run cold and the bottom drop out of her stomach. She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.

"I will kill him."

The laugh died on Bo's lips. "What?"

Ursa stalked closer to Bo, gently taking her arm in her hands. The all too familiar feeling made her dizzy with despair. "What did he do to you? I will kill him, Bo-Katan. I trusted him."

Bo looked down at her arm in Ursa's hand and the slow realization of what Ursa was talking about dawned on her. She turned to face her fully, pulling her arm free of her grip, her flight suit hanging loose around her hips.

“Oh, Ursa, no. No, it’s not like that.”

“You have said that before, Bo-Katan.” Ursa’s eyes stung with tears of rage and grief. How could she have judged a man so wrong? She had trusted Tol’ket with her dearest friend, the person she loved almost as much as she loved her own husband (Alrich would say she loved Bo more than him, and he probably wasn’t wrong). How could she have read that man so completely poorly? “You have said that before and I have seen these bruises before.” She looked her up and down, looking for more. She brushed her hair away from her neck, looking for purple fingerprints left by an angry hand.

“But this time I am not lying," Bo said, catching Ursa's hand with hers. "It’s not like that, Ursa. It is never like that. It could never be like that. He loves me. He would never hurt me.”

“Then why is there a fucking bruise the size and shape of Tol’ket’s hand on your arm, Bo? Tell me.”

Bo turned away in a huff, shimming out of her flight suit and pulling on a pair of soft leggings. “Oh for the love of our ancestors, Ursa. I tripped.”

Ursa scoffed. “Again. I’ve heard that before.”

“Shut up and listen to me. We went to some damn campaign event two nights ago, and I stepped and tripped on my karking dress. I was going down hard and fast, and he grabbed me, by my arm, to keep me from busting my fool head open on the duracreet.” Ursa’s skepticism must have been plainly written across her face because Bo growled in frustration. “Hold on.”

She marched to her side of the bed and grabbed a datapad up off the nightstand. A few strokes later, a holonews reel began to play. In it, Bo walked a pace ahead of Tol’ket, his hand on the small of her back as they entered some event hall in what looked like Keldabe. They were both elegantly dressed- they made for a very striking couple- with Bo in a long, dark blue gown. Bo looked out into the crowd surrounding the entrance, and, in her distraction, her high heel shoe snagged the hem of her gown, halting her momentum suddenly. She started to go down, just as Bo had said. Tol’ket, reflexes sharp as ever, grabbed for her, finding purchase on her bare arm. Within a fraction of a second he was righting her, and they were both laughing as he cupped her cheek. Even though there was no audio, save some news anchor’s obnoxious commentary, it was clear he was asking if she was alright. Then, he was taking her arm and leading her, both still laughing at her uncharacteristic clumsiness.

“See?”

“I swear I will still kill him if he ever hurts you, Bo.”

“I am very certain he knows that, Ursa, but you need not worry. He never will. He is good, Ursa. And kind. And gentle. You know that.”

Ursa sat down heavily on the foot of the bed, a hand falling to her very swollen belly. “I do,” she said softly. “I’ve seen too many bruises on you, Bo. I panicked. I just want you to be safe and happy.”

Bo stepped close, leaning down to place a kiss to her forehead. “I am both those things and more. Thank you, though, for caring so much. Thank you for being so protective. But, please, Ursa. Please don’t kill my husband. I rather like having him around.”

Ursa chuckled. “I make no guarantees, but he’s safe for now.” Then she spun Bo around and smacked her on the backside. “Now hurry up and finish changing. I am starving.”

[the-obiwan-for-me]

A prompt: Bo’ket domesticity ☺️

Oh no, you know my weakness. Your wish is my command.

“We should learn to cook.”

Bo-Katan snorted a laugh from her spot nestled under Tol’ket’s arm where they lounged on the sofa.

“You know how to cook,” she said, pausing her documentary on the history of the Outer Rim expansion.

It was his turn to laugh. “Let me rephrase. I think we should learn to cook something other than the giant batches of stew and soup I learned from my ba’buir, who was feeding a literal army of Mando’ade children.”

Bo crossed her arms in mock petulance. “I know how to cook.”

Tol’ket grabbed her by the waist, pulling her across his waist, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Making caf and toasting bread does not count as cooking, Bo-Katan.” He traced the line of her jaw with his lips. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Something to do that doesn’t involve work, or your sister.”

She leaned back into his embrace, studying him with a coy little smile. “Alright, fine.”

He kissed her messily in celebration. “Brilliant! Pick a recipe and we’ll cook the next time we have a free night.”

She pulled his face back to hers, kissing him with more intent. “Deal,” she agreed when she pulled away just enough to speak.

Four nights later...

Tol’ket pressed Bo back into the kitchen counter, sliding her shirt up over her head, his warm hands falling to the bare skin of her waist. He kissed her, this time more deeply, more insistent. She could taste the wine- some gift from some dignitary- on his lips and tongue. She drank him in more rapidly than she had consumed her first glass of wine.

Then a scent hit her nose, discordant and decidedly not Tol’ket or the heady, fruity nose of the wine. She pushed him away abruptly. “What is that?”

Undaunted by the absence of her lips, he moved to her collarbone. “What is what?” he mumbled into her skin.

“What is that smell?”

He finally paused. Then looked up at her, startled, then at the cooktop. “Oh shit! Dinner!”

Later that evening…

They found themselves back on the sofa, this time satiated in more ways than one. They snuggled close, skin to skin, under a blanket. Before them, on the low table, lay half eaten take out boxes, and a spent bottle of wine. Another bottle sat next to it, half empty.

“So much for cooking,” Bo said, hazy from her wine and their activities.

“We’ll have to try again another time,” Tol’ket said, his head lulled back against the cushion of the sofa.

Bo traced a pattern into the tight curls of his chest hair. “May I suggest something we can’t burn. Perhaps a salad?”

He snorted a laugh, then kissed her. “Deal.”

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Bo/Tol'ket ❤️

My loves!

Who’s the first to wake up in the morning: Bo is a morning person, so usually gets up first. She likes to stretch and maybe meditate (Obi-Wan taught her) and generally have a quiet start to what is bound to be a chaotic day. Tol'ket is slow to wake up (absolutely someone to hit the snooze 10 times). He is not above waking up and just watching Bo stretch (she's sexy, ok?).

Who’s the one to make breakfast: Bo will make caf and bring it to Tol'ket, but both are fairly hopeless in the kitchen.

Who’s the one to serve the other breakfast in bed: On the occasions that Tol'ket gets up first, he often will have pastries delivered from Bo's favorite bakery (Bo loves her carbs) and bring them up to her.

Who would suggest a quickie in the morning before work: Either. They are super hot for each other.

Who suggests they both ditch work to lay around all day: Both are such notorious workaholics that it would be almost unheard of. And they are both so vital that their absence would absolutely be missed. But Tol'ket is quicker to suggest at least delaying the start of their day. Bo is more likely to suggest calling an early end to their day.

Who chooses the movies: They're pretty good at sharing this duty, though it helps that they like similar things (bad movies, action, historical dramas). But Bo is a total nerd and likes to watch a lot of documentaries. Tol'ket caters to her, but usually reads next to her while she watches.

Who initiates kissing during the moving, thus distracting the other from the movie all together: Tol'ket. Bo is very distracting.

Who orders lunch: Tol'ket. He's the adventurous eater, so Bo usually leaves choosing meals up to him. He always nails it. She's never eaten a bad thing when he's picked it.

Who steals food from the other’s plate without asking: Bo. His food always looks so good.

Who curls up next to the other and falls asleep due to a full tummy: Bo. Earlier riser….but also quicker to fall asleep.

Who distracts the other from trying to work at home: Bo is fairly adamant about leaving work at the doorstep of their home, so she will absolutely distract him. That being said, she knows his work is important, so she knows if he brings it home, there's a reason.

Who asks to go get ice cream like a five year old: Tol'ket. Bo doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.

Who takes pictures of their partner eating ice cream: Tol'ket. Bo's gorgeous and he considers himself damn lucky to be hers, so he likes to have reminders of that from any and all occasions.

Who makes a sexual joke about the dripping ice cream on their partner’s face: Either. They're obnoxious.

Who cooks dinner: Again, both are pretty terrible in the kitchen, but Tol'ket CAN cook some things.

Who cleans up the kitchen afterwards: Bo. Fair is fair.

Who stays up until 2 reading: Neither, really. Both will work late if they need to, but neither is going to stay up late reading just to read. Long days are typical for both, and sleep is precious.

Who stares at their partner while their sleeping: Bo. He's so nice to look at and she sometimes can't believe this is her life. It was bad for so long, she still just can't believe it's as good as it is….and that he is hers.

Who kisses their partner while they sleep: Tol'ket. How can he not?

Ship Ask Game

[the-obiwan-for-me]

For the domesticity prompts....BoKet--with a combination of the "head on shoulder while reading" and "carries to bed" prompts 🥰

This probably won't go the way you expected, but hopefully it will feel absolutely right. I love this prompt for them...who am I kidding? I love them.

Fyi, I wrote most of this while hand walking rehab horses are work, so the editing is probably dicey!

Beautiful and Strange

The moment brought back the idea of a distant memory to Tol'ket. To another terrace and another night, when he had sat across from a beautiful, fierce woman and shared a bottle of tihaar with her. Their nerves had been jangling, their adrenaline rushing through their veins. They'd talked about the events of the evening, and the nights leading up to that night, and they'd talked about Mandalore. And he'd seriously considered leaning in to kiss the woman he had pointed a blaster at only two nights earlier. If for no other reason than to burn through some of that excess adrenaline.

But now, in this moment, on a different terrace, that same beautiful, fierce woman leaned into him, her head heavy on his shoulder. Soft music poured through the open doors leading into their lounge.The table before them was littered with empty glasses and a bottle of her favorite frizz from Alderaan, from the Organas, and a half eaten box of Nabooian honey crisps from Padmé. Both gifts for the birthday she had insisted upon not making a fuss over.

Somehow, some way, that beautiful, fierce woman had fallen for him, and there he sat, reading through the last of his day's work, as she dozed, warm and content and safe. 

Life was beautiful and strange.

Tol'ket shut off his datapad and rubbed his eyes. Discretionary funding budget reports could wait until tomorrow. He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the subtle floral scent of her soap.

"Bo-Katan, let's go to bed."

She snuggled further against him, draping an arm across his waist. "I think I'll sleep here."

He chuckled as he gently poked her in the ribs to rouse her. "I think not."

She stretched languidly, her long limbs making her look more like a dancer than a warrior. "And why not? It's a perfectly reasonable place to sleep if you've drank far too much frizz." She toed at the bottle with her barefoot. "Is this stuff getting stronger?"

"No, cyare. You're getting older."

"Hey!" The punch to his arm was playful, but still stung, as any punch from Bo-Katan would.

He laughed again. "What? It was your birthday today." She huffed dramatically but still settled back against him. "Nope. Come on, my love. To bed."

He stood and tugged at her arm, but to no avail. "Don't make me carry you, Bo."

"You wouldn't dare."

He smiled wickedly and made to scoop her up, but even in her hazy, tipsy state, she was fast. She grabbed a fistful of his loose tunic and yanked him toward her, pulling him off balance, causing him to scramble to catch himself against the back of the sofa. He hovered over her, their noses almost touching.

"I swear, if you pick me up I will break your nose."

He laughed. "I have no doubt. Now get-" he poked her in the thigh- "up."

She pulled him the rest of the way to her lips, kissing him, wild and messy, then finally, dragged herself up by his tunic and shoulders, and stood, wavering slightly for a moment. He steadied her with a gentle hand, then, finally, led her to their bedroom.

Later, after faces were washed, clothes stripped off, and good nights were said. As Bo quickly drifted off in a frizz induced slumber, Tol'ket wrapped himself around her and sighed, his nose nestled into the fire silk of her hair.

He thought about how he once thought this woman was fierce and aggressive and calculating. And, well, she was all those things. But she was also kind and compassionate. Fiercely loyal and protective of those she loved. Tender and gentle, funny and irreverent.

Sure she could take down a man twice her size if given the right incentive. But she also cradled babies in her arms and ran her nimble fingers through his hair while he shared his worries.

She was beautiful and strange. And he loved her.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Emotions run high in the wake of surprising news.

Please mind the note at the beginning of this chapter! It’s a rough one!

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Could I have headcanon asks 1, 2, 3, and 6 for Bo’ket?

Bo'ket, my endless loves, living forever in my head and in my heart.

1. They're physical weak spots.

Bo is fairly resilient, but, at least if you've read up through the current chapter of "More Than Blood," she does have a few aches and pains. Her hip, which suffered some damage during the battle in the Senate chamber, can be sore and cranky. Her neck gets stiff and sore, too, thanks to an....incident with Pre. For the most part, she's a woman who has taken a few hits over the years and there are definitely days she washes down a handful of space Advil with her morning caf. That being said, a body in motion tends to stay in motion, so she's keeps a lot of stiffness at bay just by being stupidly fit and very flexible.

Tol'ket has a near constant stich in his side from his run in with the beskad. It's a minor thing, essentially just some scar tissue that healed a little tight, but he definitely feels it. It's not enough to slow him down, especially if he needs to move, but it is definitely annoying. He also occasionally complains about the shoulder he got shot in and then dislocated, which Bo will tease him about because she told him he'd be useless on that mission (he wasn't but she's ornery)! Tol'ket, like his woman, stays exceptionally fit, even as PM, and still gives impromptu "how to be the best karking Protector ever" lessons when he's working out.

2. Their emotional/moral weak spots

This is something Bo struggles with because she doesn't always believe she is a good person. She still feels remorse for things she did in Vizsla's Death Watch. It makes her question her morals a lot. That being said, she does try to live up to her sister's ideals...to a point. But she will stop at nothing to protect her family, and her home, and will do whatever is necessary.

Tol'ket is similar in that last bit. He believes strongly in his Duchess' ideals, but sometimes finds, particularly as a Protector, that he has to bend the rules a bit. And he will bend them fast and hard if you hurt someone he cares about. Non-violence absolutely goes out the window in those moments. But the Duchess doesn't need to know that. Which is another....questionable issue.

3. Scars or painful spots.

They both have scars. They both fought in an actual war, and scars happen in a war. Blaster burns and knife slices and cuts that just didn't get a chance to heal well. Bo has a few scars left by Pre, and a scar along her temple from the Senate chamber battle. They also both have the odd lightsaber burn mark from various adventures with lightsaber wielding maniacs. And, of course, Tol'ket has his scar from the beskad.

6. Their vices (physical or emotional).

Tol'ket is obvious. The man drinks entirely too much caf. He also knows that his stress drinking of tihaar is probably not the healthiest of coping mechanisms, but, there you have it.

Bo, too, can rely a little too much on tihaar to soothe herself. But other than that and caf, she is strongly, wickedly opposed to just about any elicit substances, thanks to too many nights of dealing with a drug fueled, raging Pre.

She does tend to get caught in her own head, and can get caught in painful or stressful thought loops. Is that a vice? I don't know.