Chapter Text
With his success on Naboo, and being the youngest master, Obi-Wan was requested for many missions for two years. Sometimes he barely had time to breathe for months on end. At least he wasn't just doing crisis negotiation anymore. Besides, he wanted as much experience as he could before he took on his first padawan.
Finally, a bit over two years after Naboo, Obi-Wan returned to the Temple after a long mission helping a planet recover from a series of disasters. Quinlan, Kit, and their padawans were on that mission as well, though they were only there for two months at the start, and Obi-Wan had been there for two months longer.
It had been nice to spend time with Quinlan, who had been busy with Aayla and his own missions. Kit and Nahdar made a good pair as well. Nahdar was still soft spoken, but he was very competitive, and just what Aayla needed at times.
But... watching them made Obi-Wan all the more determined to take on Anakin as soon as he could. He was eager to properly start teaching Anakin one on one. Anakin had adjusted to Temple life well, and had caught up in most of his classes. He still struggled with some like philosophy, but he was still within the range of what was expected of his age, even if it was the lower end. He was such a bright sunshine child still, two years later. Obi-Wan always enjoyed spending time with him.
And so... Obi-Wan prepared everything he could the moment he was home. He had the room just about ready, he'd prepared everything he needed to send out once Anakin agreed. He was just putting away some food when Quinlan burst in.
“Obes!” He almost tackled Obi-Wan in a hug. “You're back!”
Obi-Wan laughed and returned the hug. “I'm back, finally. Now help me put food away and telling me what's bothering you.”
“That obvious?” Quinlan sighed.
“Psychometry, this time.” Obi-Wan had gotten quite a bit of turmoil from Quinlan from where bare skin touched bare skin.
“Right.” Quinlan started helping quietly. “I'm sorry for all the teasing two years ago.”
“All the teasing two years ago...?” Obi-Wan echoed, frowning in confusion. “What? About me being a young master and insecure about it? It's fine, been two years. Not insecure about it anymore.”
Quinlan shook his head. “I get it now.”
Obi-Wan closed the cupboard and turned to Quinlan. He started grinning. “You're a master?”
“They just want to double check some skills first. But yeah. I'm tying with Kit for second youngest without training a padawan to Knighthood and that's just weird.”
Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. “Because he's so much older than us and did so much of our training for much of the support, it's hard to imagine being on the same level or better at the same age.”
Quinlan nodded. “Yeah. My mastery is for psychometry, with the two the Council has cited as above average being meditation and negotiation.” He shook his head. “Negotiation of all things!”
“Well, you were the one who convinced the two sides to work together on your last mission. I couldn't have gotten them as far as I did and would still be stuck there if you hadn't.”
“All I did was point out they were struggling the same way.”
“Which Kit and I had both tried. You figured out the right way to get through to them.” Obi-Wan grinned.
“...How much did you and Kit put in the report about what I did?”
Obi-Wan laughed. “They actually asked us to keep an eye on you because they were considering it before that, and my input was useful since I know more about how your psychometry actually works than anyone. I still haven't gotten it down the way you do, and yours is far stronger.”
Quinlan sighed. “That's true. But why were they even considering it then?”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “I don't think you've noticed but they've been keeping an eye on you since Naboo. Not only did you assess where you would be most useful and trust the Force and your instincts enough to give me your lightsaber, you were at almost the same skill level as me in meditation. There's no way they didn't notice that back then.”
“Oh. Right. How'd you get so smart?”
“I had to take classes on how to be a master,” Obi-Wan replied dryly.
Quinlan laughed then paused. “...did you?”
“Not really, there are a few unlisted classes for masters though. There's something about being a master and doing the extra duties that just make things like that come a bit easier. Besides you certainly have helped make figuring it out easier. You're really good with Aayla.”
“I suppose I am. Which reminds me... When are you going to take Anakin as your padawan? It's been half a year since he turned eleven and he's getting impatient.”
“Why do you think I'm overstocking on food?” Obi-Wan said, pointing at the supplies he normally wouldn't buy for himself. “I'd planned on doing it, but that last mission was an emergency and then I was stuck there for four months. You and Kit were only able to leave because you already have padawans and they needed a break, plus the class cycle was about to start. But there was no reason for me to be done with it so early."
Quinlan wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan. “I kind of figured that the mission threw a wrench in things. Glad you're on top of this. Ani is going to be thrilled.”
“Oh, I know. I was planning on requesting that during his first mission cycle they give us time on Kiffu, maybe if we get a mission in that area, we could stop on Kiffu for a couple of weeks and then leave to do another mission before returning to the Temple.”
“Actually... have you checked your messages lately?”
“Oh, not since I got back.”
“Shmi and Derry finally set their wedding date for two months from now. Current class cycle ends next month. We should be able to go to it, depending on missions, if we say something now.”
Obi-Wan grinned. “Ani is going to be thrilled. He really likes Derry.” Obi-Wan considered how to approach this. “I do want to surprise Anakin with the trip to Kiffu, but that just means I can still tell him when it's happening and that it's definitely happening. The question is do we surprise Derry and Shmi with it or not?”
“I'd love to surprise them. They'd love to see Anakin. How about... we get in contact with Lila, she knows Shmi best, and she can decide if it's a good idea to surprise them.”
“That would work. And then we just need Aisling and Darach in on it to make sure Anakin gets included in what's important to the ceremony, if we are keeping it a surprise.”
Quinlan wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan. “It's going to be great. But we'll worry about that later, you need to go get a padawan.”
Obi-Wan shoved him away, laughing. “Okay, okay, I'll go do it now. The food's put away anyways.”
.
Anakin was in one of the mechanics workshops, tinkering, and learning from the much older mechanics there. He didn't have anything else to do that day.
Then Obi-Wan arrived. “Hello Anakin.”
Anakin beamed at him. “Master Obi-Wan!” He jumped up. “When did you get back?”
“Just today. How are you?”
“Good!” Then Anakin's face fell. “But also a bit bored. Nahdar and Aayla and Ziva have been really busy with their classes and their masters, and Knight Tachi is now Ferus' master...”
“So you don't really have anyone to talk to. But I'm happy to listen.” Obi-Wan made a mental note to check in with Siri about how she was feeling about her first padawan. She'd gone back and forth on it ever since meeting Ferus.
Anakin beamed at him. “Let me put this away!” He quickly put away his project and said goodbye to everyone.
They walked together to the Room of A Thousand fountains. To Anakin's favorite spot just next to a waterfall where he could feel the spray of the water without actually getting wet. The entire way Anakin told Obi-Wan about everything he had missed, from adventures and pranks to classes, to Temple gossip. He talked about how Qui-Gon had visited him during the time and introduced him to Feemor, who was apparently dating Shaak (which was news to Obi-Wan).
Obi-Wan sat down and watched with amusement as Anakin finished telling a story about how Quinlan avoided a prank only for Tholme to get caught in it instead just a minute later.
“I really did miss a lot. Are you going to sit down Ani?”
Anakin plopped down in front of him immediately. “Can you tell me about your mission? I heard stuff from Nahdar and Aayla but you've been gone a whole two months longer than them!”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “I can, but there's plenty of time for that. I have a question for you.”
Anakin tilted his head, puzzled, then his eyes widened with realization. “Really?”
“Initiate Anakin Skywalker, would you like to be my padawan?”
Anakin's grin could have lit up a dark room. But he remembered the official, formal response. “Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, yes, I would like to be your padawan.”
Obi-Wan grinned back at Anakin and opened up his arms. Anakin dove in happily. “I was going to ask you before the mission but it was an emergency, so I didn't have time.”
“It's okay. I understand and you asked now. You just got back today!” Anakin beamed up at him. “What's going to happen now?”
“Well, first we need to submit the changes to the right people, then we need to get you your new robes, get you moved in, and introduce you to the lineage. I know Qui-Gon has been looking forward to this day, and so has Dooku. Then you finish out this month with classes, and your first mission cycle starts after that. Unless you know what kind of Jedi you're going to be already, we'll mostly just be doing the sorts of missions I usually do, but if you do know, I'll make sure we do more of what you want to be.”
Anakin made a face. “I don't know. I kind of like what you do, but I also like flying and mechanics, too.”
“Okay. Then we'll keep to things as normal until you do know. And for the record, not many figure it out before they're senior padawans, so you still have seven years before you really have to worry about it.”
“Oh, okay.” Anakin was very relieved, though he didn't show it visibly, just in the Force.
“There is one other thing we need to do.”
“What's that?”
“Don't you want your padawan braid?”
It was far easier to settle into life with a padawan than Obi-Wan was expecting. Quinlan and Kit were happy to share their advice, teasing him about taking so long. Obi-Wan retaliated by teasing Quinlan about being a master already and Kit about how it took him far longer to take on his first padawan.
.
The announcement about Quinlan being a master went out a few days later. He faced some challenges, but with what he was being made a master for, there was no good way to prove he deserved to be one. Saberplay wasn't involved, after all. He still decided to go that route anyways, and only ended up with two challenges. Everyone had seen him spar with Kit and Obi-Wan or had heard rumors. They knew he could keep up with the two masters easily, and even beat them. No one could deny that those skills were possibly at master level.
And with that, Quinlan was now the second youngest master currently in the Order, with the youngest, of course, being Obi-Wan. Aayla was thrilled that Quinlan was a master now, but not so thrilled with the extra attention this got her. Tholme was proud of his padawan and how far he'd come. This wasn't the path they had expected for Quinlan at the beginning, but it was, ultimately, a far better one.
The first mission Obi-Wan and Anakin went on was a simple escort mission that Obi-Wan was requested for. Quinlan and Aayla were there too, also on request. They were escorting the Chancellor to Mandalore to discuss trade agreements and the possibility of Mandalore one day being part of the Republic.
Obi-Wan just focused on his padawan and doing his job, trading off with Quinlan throughout, rather than pay much attention to Satine. He still wasn't interested in her, and he couldn't help but wonder at what cost had her peace come. But, it was admittedly better than the war that Death Watch had waged for so long. It looked like he might even be wrong about her plans, even, seeing how successful her peaceful Mandalore was.
The mission was mostly over; the Chancellor was due to leave the next day. Obi-Wan and Quinlan had given Anakin and Aayla permission to go out into the city with some friends they had made. With nothing having happened the entire time, they were comfortable enough with that. The two padawans deserved a reward for how well they had handled such a boring mission, especially since it was Anakin's first.
The Chancellor called them in to have tea with him. Quinlan and Obi-Wan exchanged exasperated looks. Two years later, and the Chancellor still seemed to have some sort of soft spot for them. And they still felt uneasy about him.
They accepted their tea and waited.
“I just got word that they're sending other Jedi to take your place. I'd really would rather not see you go.”
“Before we were assigned this mission we made a commitment to attend a wedding. If we return to Coruscant with you, there is no way we will make it.”
“I see. Well, I can't hold you back from going back on a commitment like that. At least Master Fisto and his padawan are one of the pairs assigned.”
“Master Fisto is definitely a good choice.” Quinlan grabbed a cookie and took a bite.
“I was rather surprised when I got the mission briefing that you were promoted to master already, Quinlan.”
“It's a recent development. It took me by surprise, myself. I expected it would be another two or three years at best.”
“With your mission record, I daresay you deserve it. I'm glad to have such good Jedi masters as my escort when it comes to potentially dangerous places like this. What is your opinion?”
Quinlan turned to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan gave him an annoyed mental poke but didn't betray his annoyance visibly.
Obi-Wan let out a sigh. “I think this place has a peace that could be easily broken when those who were banished have had enough of being exiled and put together a plan to usurp the Duchess. No telling if they would succeed or not, but there is a chance they will try. I warned her about that years ago, but it seems she thinks she has enough of a handle on the situation. I suppose we should trust her word.”
“You warned her years ago?”
“Master Jinn and I were the ones who saw her safe after her father's murder and then installed as Duchess. She was the hardest guard assignment I have ever had.”
“What about it was so hard? Compared to me?”
“You're at least willing to carry a blaster and properly use it if necessary.” Obi-Wan regretted it as soon as he said it. Even when wary of the Chancellor there was something about him that made it easy to slip up. He didn't even think that uncharitably about Satine anymore; they had both been teens and he had been dealing with trauma.
“Ah, yes, that would make it more difficult. I'm surprised she thinks so fondly of you.”
“It was something like six months on the run just the two of us. I suppose she has fond memories of it. In any case, I'm not here for her so it doesn't matter what she thinks.”
“Hmm, yes, that is a good attitude to take. Your padawans have done well. You must be proud.”
“Of course.” Quinlan smiled.
They talked for a bit more, with the Chancellor asking more about their padawans. Conversation eventually turned to other topics. The one that really stood out was when he tried to talk about how they kept their composure when emotions were running high. They spoke far more carefully on that topic and how important it was for their job to be able to stay neutral. The Chancellor seemed to think it meant that they had to control their emotions tightly at all times. And he thought it was better to be able to feel emotions... they gave up on explaining and let him think that he was right.
.
“Where are we going? Shouldn't we have escorted the Chancellor back to Coruscant?” Anakin asked, frowning up at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan grinned. “You'll see where we're going. I'm surprised it took you more than a day to ask. We'll get there in two days, and then you'll know.”
“Fine. Does Aayla know?”
“Nope.” Quinlan walked by having just had a similar conversation with a disgruntled padawan. “Go commiserate with her.”
Anakin rolled his eyes and walked away.
Obi-Wan snickered. “They're going to be so surprised. I'm surprised they haven't checked the navigation.”
“I may have locked them out.”
They shared a laugh.
“You heard from Aisling yet?”
“Yes, actually. We'll be arriving the morning of the wedding, it's a good thing that weddings are always at sunset because there's a lot of prep for Anakin. But everyone who needs to know, knows and will be helping Anakin.”
“And when exactly are Shmi and Derry going to be surprised?”
“When the family gathers for the wedding, Anakin will be there as Shmi's family with Lila.”
“That sounds like a great time to surprise her.” Obi-Wan grinned. He was excited to finally be going back to Kiffu. Excited to see family, and excited for the wedding. But most importantly, he was excited to introduce Anakin to his culture. And excited for reunion between mother and son. This was going to be great.
He also was prepared for a potential adoption. There was a good chance Derry wanted to adopt Anakin, and if Anakin agreed well... Obi-Wan needed to be prepared. And he was.
.
Aayla stared out the window. “That's Kiffu.”
Anakin gasped. “Really?” He spun around to face Obi-Wan. “Mom's getting married today.”
“She is.”
“And we're going to Kiffu.”
“Yep.”
Anakin tackled Obi-Wan in a hug, holding back his tears. “I get to see mom get married. Thank you thank you thank you.”
Obi-Wan ruffled his hair. “You're welcome padawan. But there's a lot of preparation ahead. There's some people who'll help you through it, and Lila will be there too, so that you can really surprise your later.”
“Will you be with me?”
“If you want me to be. I do need to get my own dress clothes sorted out, but then I can be there to help you.”
Anakin relaxed at that. “Okay, that sounds good.”
“Oh, right one last thing. Kiffar are very informal, so outside of the ceremony and special events, just call me Obi-Wan. No need to call me master here.”
Anakin stared at him, then smiled. “Master Quin too?”
“Especially Quinlan. You know he cares less about that sort of thing than I do.”
Anakin giggled. “That's true.”
When they left the ship, they found Bran, Erin, Aisling and Darach, their twins Ciara and Mellan, Conall, and Lila waiting for them. Obi-Wan and Quinlan grinned and hurried forward pass around hugs. Once the initial greetings were over, including them greeting Aayla as they'd already met her, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, who had gone straight for Lila and not left her side.
“This is my padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Ani, my grandparents Bran and Erin, cousin Aisling and her husband Darach, who's Derry's brother, their kids Ciara and Mellan, they're about your age, and Aisling's brother Conall.” He paused, finally taking a breath. “Where's the rest of the family?”
“They're making sure things are running smoothly elsewhere. After all, it's a big day for Clan Vex.” Bran stepped forward and offered Anakin a hug. Ani was delighted.
Then the twins about tackled him. “We're going to be cousins!” they shrieked.
Anakin stared at them, then up at Darach, then it seemed to click. “We are!” He beamed happily at the thought of more family.
And with that, it was time to get ready. Obi-Wan assured his padawan he would be there if he needed him, once he had his own clothes sorted. Anakin looked at his new cousins, at Lila, and decided he should be okay for most of the day.
Obi-Wan smiled at him proudly and ruffled his hair. “Alright, just let me know when you do need me. Otherwise, I'll see you for the ceremony.”
Anakin eventually decided he did need Obi-Wan as his anxiety spiked. He wasn't sure what Derry would think of him in person. But he did like Darach and his cousins. And Aisling was cool too. Even if she was going to be King, which was weird to think about.
When Obi-Wan arrived, Anakin stopped and stared. Obi-Wan was dressed in dark blue clothes that looked a bit like a dress as they were one piece rather than a top and a bottom. It was lined and edged with gold that matched his tattoos. He was decked out in jewelry much like Darach and the twins, who were primarily Clan Vos rather than Vex, mostly due to their parents training to one day take over as Kings. The hair decorations were new; he never kept to those traditions even as much as Quinlan, and Quinlan kept it muted compared to the number of clips and bands most Kiffar kept in their hair.
But the thing that really threw Anakin off was the presence of the circlet resting on Obi-Wan's head like it belonged. He knew that Obi-Wan was Clan Vos, had already learned that meant they were royalty and yet... he hadn't expected his master to show up with the most defining part of that. When on Kiffu, Obi-Wan was really a prince. Weird.
He put it out of his mind quickly to explain to Obi-Wan why he was so nervous. Obi-Wan helped him reframe his thoughts and to wait to see before fearing something that wasn't very likely to come to pass. Derry did seem to like him on the calls, after all.
Finally, it was time for family to gather. Obi-Wan gave Anakin one last hug before Anakin followed Lila.
He fidgeted a bit in the new clothes, but he really loved the red, almost maroon he was wearing with black edging and lining. It just wasn't anything like he was used to. But it was worth it. The jewelry was a little weird, but it wasn't bad as it could be, looking at some of the others in the room.
Finally, he was standing in front of Lila as they waited for Shmi and Derry to appear for the start of the ceremony. He was bouncing on his feet, excited to see his mom in person for the first time in two years.
Shmi entered and smiled at the family gathered around for her and Derry. She really did love Kiffu and Clan Vex. She looked to Lila and was surprised by the very wide, mischievous grin on her friend's face. Then she realized her friend had her hands on... Anakin.
Shmi covered her mouth in shock then dropped it as she hurried over. “Ani!”
“Mom!” He happily hugged her, both shedding a few tears.
“You're here. Oh, you've grown so much.” She looked him over carefully. “I can't believe you're here!”
“Me either! I didn't know until we arrived!” Anakin beamed at her. “Obi-Wan didn't say a word about us coming at all, and I never asked.”
Shmi shook her head, smiling. “Now come meet Derry, he'll be your stepfather...”
“Unless you want me to adopt you,” Derry finished for her, getting down to meet Anakin properly.
Anakin looked between Shmi and Derry, astonished. “Really? I can have a real dad?”
They both nodded. Anakin hugged Derry enthusiastically. “I think I want that!”
“Then we can see about arrangements for tonight.” Derry glanced up at his family. He got nods. They all liked Anakin and would happily make sure enough signatures on the petition for the adoption. This was also the easiest way to get the signatures. Derry was marrying someone who already had a kid, very few would decline accepting that child into the clan.
The wedding went smoothly, Anakin playing his part as he'd practiced during the day, as one of the few people there for Shmi. Then it was onto the party afterwards, with the sun having completely set.
Anakin spent most of the evening with Aayla, Ciara, and Mellan, laughing and playing. He almost forgot about the adoption completely he was having so much fun.
Obi-Wan offered his sincere congratulations to the newlyweds when they had a free moment. Quinlan had been pinned down between Craig and Conall who wanted to tease him about being a master now.
Derry squeezed Shmi's hand then looked to Obi-Wan. “I want to adopt Anakin.”
“Blood adoption?”
“Of course.”
Obi-Wan smiled. “I have no problem with it. When are you thinking?”
“We were thinking in about an hour, and then we would come back to this reception right after. As his teacher, you should attend, as well.”
“Thank you.” Obi-wan nodded. “I will talk to Anakin about what to expect. A word of warning, the energy is very painful at first, so he will need a lot of affection.”
“That's no problem.” Derry nodded. “But thank you for the warning.”
Obi-Wan nodded to them then hurried off to find his padawan so he could talk to him about what being adopted would be like. “Anakin, can you come with me? I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, okay.” Anakin waved to his new cousins and hurried after Obi-Wan. “What is it?”
“I just wanted to talk to you about what being adopted means here.”
“Oh. Why?”
“I wasn't entirely prepared for the consequences of my own adoption. I don't want you to be taken by surprise the way I was. Kiffar... well, to them it's a normal state of being, they don't know what they need to explain necessarily.”
“Oh.” Anakin sat down with Obi-Wan on a bench away from the crowd. “What do you mean?”
“It's a blood adoption, Ani. Derry won't just legally be your father; he will be your father by blood too. As you get older, you'll start to look a bit like him, the way I look like Quinlan. It'll probably be even more noticeable since you're younger than I was.”
Anakin stared at him. “Really? He'll be my father like he's the one who...”
“Really. The healers hate it but anytime blood tests are run regarding family, Quinlan and I always appear as brothers, even though there's no way that should work.”
Anakin giggled. “Okay. What're the consequences then?”
Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around Anakin. “You know Quinlan and I have psychometry.”
“Yeah. Why?”
“That's more of a Kiffar thing than a Jedi thing. I didn't have psychometry before the adoption.”
“Really?” Anakin stared at him in astonishment, then looked down at his hands. “Whoa...”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “The psychometry isn't just our hands, Ani, it's any skin. How intense the impressions are depend on how sensitive the area of the body is. So our hands pick up far more than say, our feet do. And do you know what the most sensitive part of the body is?”
Anakin frowned and shook his head.
“The lips.”
“Oh. Wait... is that why we always have disposable utensils and cups and straws?”
“Yes, it is. It can be a bit overwhelming to always feel things, even positive, when eating, so having things with no impressions at all can help. You'll need to be careful too, and you'll have to wear gloves until you can handle it better. Especially all the negative. That still can overwhelm even me and Quinlan.”
“Okay. Your gloves are pretty cool, even if you don't wear them much.”
“I probably will start wearing them again. Because I want our rooms to be a safe place for you, we're going to have a basket of gloves by the door at all times, and any one who feels negative emotions has to put them on. That way you won't have to wear gloves in our room if you don't want to. That's the way Kiffar do it, gloves on when feeling negative emotions to protect others rather than themselves. It makes sense because everyone deals with it, but not as much sense with the Jedi where psychometry is such a rare gift.”
Anakin nodded slowly, biting his lip. “I think that's okay. Will I be able to get impressions off of people?”
“Yes, but it feels quite a bit different than on objects, as it's their current feelings or what they want you to feel even that you'll feel.”
“Oh. Weird.”
Obi-Wan chuckled. “It can be, yes. I freaked out the first time I felt it because Quinlan had forgotten to warn me that it's the entire body.”
“Is there anything else I need to worry about?” Anakin asked worriedly.
“I know you've wondered why Quinlan and I are so affectionate with each other and others, so long as the situation doesn't call for us to be professional. Why we still do cuddle piles whereas many Jedi don't do it nearly as often as we do by our age. We have a very good reason for it. Normally we summarize it as Kiffar have higher needs of touch than the average human, but it's so much more than that.”
“How?”
“Do you remember how we went over that while the Force binds the universe, sometimes different planets seemed to get some kind of magic, like the Force but often not?”
“Yeah?”
“Kiffu is one of the planets. There's this sort of energy. That's what will make blood adoption work. But every Kiiffar is connected to this energy, born here or not. It's mostly like a pleasant buzzing that can help dull pain, lessen impact of hits so we're not injured as badly, and even give us instincts that seem impulsive to others in a way that's similar to the Force but it's definitely not the Force. It's that instinct that helped us on Tatooine, not just the Force.”
“Whoa, that's cool.”
“It is, but there's a problem. You might notice how sometimes Quinlan and I have trouble containing it. How we don't actually act tired but we're yawning and go to bed anyways or try to keep to consistent bedtimes and wake up times. How sometimes we just want to move.”
Anakin nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that. But that doesn't seem too bad. I just gotta be on top of going to bed, right?”
“For sleep, yes. Now, what you've seen is Quinlan and I at our best. There are more serious downsides to not knowing you're tired until you're absolutely exhausted. If you go without touch for too long, the energy buzzing gets worse, harder to contain until it gets painful, and by then it can affect your emotional state, make it harder to sleep or wake up, the positive effects of the energy might completely disappear. But, so long as you make sure to get enough affection in, do lots of cuddling, and the affection is from as many people as you can manage, it will be fine. It'll be even better if you can get some of the affection from a Kiffar... so me and Quinlan, or someone you trust, like Aayla.”
Anakin stared at him, wide eyed. “It'll hurt?”
“Mm-hmm. On the plus side because the energy gets worse, you'll always know when you need to find someone to hug and cuddle. On the downside, because you've never had the energy of Kiffu before adoption ceremony, it's at it's worst right after. But that's okay. Most Kiffar are very free with affection, and won't mind if you hug them or hold their hand. And Clan Vex will make sure you puppy pile-that's what they call cuddle piles- tonight. That will help a lot.”
Anakin let out a breath. “Okay. I think I can handle that... It sounds like a lot.”
“It can be. But don't forget you will have your mom and dad to help you through it, and the rest of your family. You'll have me and Quinlan, and Aayla too. And if you want to confide in Nahdar when we're back at the Temple or your other friends, you can, just remember to be careful about it.”
Anakin nodded. “Okay. That makes sense. Do... do you know when they want to do the adoption?”
“Soon, I think, which means I expect that's why Shmi and Derry are headed our way. It's time to prepare and go over what to expect.”
Anakin hugged Obi-Wan tightly. “Thank you for not trying to talk me out of it.”
“I could never talk you out of a decision I have never regretted for myself.”