(Accidentally made another filler chapter, you can skip this one too)
I felt miserable.
I walked out of the club and made it maybe half a block before spotting a shop still open.
Alcohol.
Perfect.
Ten minutes later, a small tower of bottles had formed on the counter.
The cashier stared at it.
Then at me.
Then back at the tower.
"Sir..."
I looked at him.
"Are you sure you want all of this?"
"Yes."
He hesitated.
"All of it?"
"Yes."
Another pause.
"...Alright."
I paid.
Then placed my hand against the pile.
The entire tower vanished into my inventory.
The cashier's eyes widened.
One bottle remained.
That one was for the road.
I popped it open.
Took a long swig.
Then stumbled outside.
I had absolutely no desire to spend the next hour drunkenly navigating Coruscant while contemplating the destruction of my love life.
So I hailed a cab.
The driver looked at me through the mirror more than once during the ride.
Probably because I was green.
Or drunk.
Or drinking directly from a bottle.
Could've been any of those.
Eventually, the cab stopped at the base of the Jedi Temple.
I paid.
Stepped out.
Looked upward.
...
That was a lot of stairs.
Fuck.
It was still several hours before sunrise, so most of the Temple was probably asleep.
Temple security wasn't.
They worked shifts.
They weren't Jedi either.
Just regular security personnel.
But a lot of them had worked here long enough to know practically everyone.
Some had watched Jedi grow from tiny younglings into Knights.
Which meant there was a decent chance somebody here knew me.
Unfortunately...
There was also a decent chance nobody would recognize me anymore.
Five-foot-eight.
Different clothes.
Freshly adult body.
Drunk as hell.
Music blasting directly from my PAK.
Fantastic.
I started climbing.
A bright, upbeat pop song played from the speakers. (Halfway through Destination Breakdown if your curious what type of music i was picturing)
My shoulders swayed with the rhythm.
My freshly regenerated fingers snapped along with the beat.
Every dozen steps or so, I'd stop.
Drink.
Continue.
Drink.
Continue.
Honestly?
I probably looked like I was having the time of my life.
I was not.
Then—
"HANDS UP!"
I stopped.
Several Temple security officers had approached from above.
Blasters raised.
...
Oh.
Right.
From their perspective, some drunk club-going alien was walking toward the Jedi Temple before sunrise blasting music and carrying alcohol.
Reasonable response.
I raised both hands.
Then, because the music had apparently taken control of my remaining judgment—
I did a little spin.
"Hands are up!"
My bottle slipped from my fingers.
CRASH!
Glass shattered across the steps.
I looked down.
...
Damn.
Then another bottle appeared in my hand.
One of the guards visibly tensed.
The lead officer stared at me.
Then his blaster slowly lowered.
"...Dabo?"
I squinted.
Oh.
I knew him.
Bradley.
Human.
Middle-aged.
Been working Temple security forever.
Recognition settled across his face.
He immediately gestured for the others to lower their weapons.
Before answering anything else, I popped the cap off my new bottle.
Raised it.
And started drinking.
Bradley stared.
I kept drinking.
And drinking.
And drinking.
Until the entire bottle was empty.
I lowered it.
"Yes."
Bradley's expression changed.
Not relief.
More like concern mixed with complete confusion.
He holstered his weapon and walked toward me.
"What happened to you?"
Fair question.
Could've been referring to the alcohol.
Could've been referring to the fact I was suddenly over a foot taller.
Could've been referring to both.
Instead, I looked him directly in the eyes.
"Have you ever had your heart broken?"
Bradley stopped.
That wasn't the answer he'd expected.
He reached for my bottle.
I pulled it away.
He grabbed it.
I pulled harder.
He pulled harder.
"Give me that."
He finally managed to wrench it from my hand.
I glared at him.
Bradley stared back.
Then looked at the bottle.
Then at me.
He seemed genuinely lost.
Drunk Jedi weren't unheard of.
Jedi were people.
People drank.
Some drank too much.
It happened.
But a drunk Jedi stumbling home before sunrise while complaining about a broken heart?
That was probably new.
Especially considering the whole—
Attachment forbidden.
Thing.
Bradley's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Before he could settle on a response—
SUMMON.
Another bottle appeared in my empty hand.
Bradley stared at it.
Then slowly looked at me.
I smiled.
His face dropped into exhausted disbelief.
"Dabo..."
I opened it.
He rubbed his forehead.
"Let's get you to your room."
I took a drink.
"And turn that racket off."
...
Racket?
I looked offended.
But the music cut off.
The sudden silence felt unnatural.
Bradley reached toward my shoulder.
I pushed his hand away.
"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION!"
The other guards looked at one another.
Bradley stared at me.
"What question?"
I threw both arms outward.
"Have you ever had your heart broken?!"
My bottle sloshed dangerously.
Bradley glanced back toward the guards.
One suddenly found the Temple architecture extremely interesting.
Another was very obviously trying not to laugh.
Bradley sighed.
I pointed dramatically back toward Coruscant.
"Women are evil."
One of the guards coughed suspiciously.
Bradley looked toward him.
The guard immediately straightened.
I continued.
"I waited HOURS."
Bradley started gently guiding me toward the entrance.
I allowed it this time.
"I turned down dozens of women."
"Of course you did."
"Beautiful women."
"I'm sure."
"DOZENS."
"I believe you."
We reached the top of the stairs.
I stumbled slightly.
He caught my shoulder before I fell.
"Right."
We continued inside.
My head hung lower now that the music was gone.
After a few seconds, I muttered—
"She liked me when I was short."
Bradley looked down at me.
Well.
Not down anymore.
That realization made me sadder.
"Then I got taller."
I took another drink.
"And now she doesn't."
Bradley was quiet for a moment.
Then—
"That's what this is about?"
"What do you mean, that's what this is about?"
"Dabo."
"I changed my entire body!"
My voice echoed through the mostly empty Temple entrance.
Several night-shift workers looked over.
Bradley lowered his voice.
"Keep it down."
"She was my first love."
I stared at him.
Bradley closed his eyes.
A guard behind us finally lost the battle and snorted.
I whipped around.
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!"
"No, sir."
He was absolutely laughing.
Bradley grabbed my shoulder again.
"Room."
I allowed myself to be steered deeper into the Temple.
Mostly because walking straight was becoming harder.
I took another miserable swig.
No attachments.
Maybe the Jedi had been onto something after all.