Heyo, human beings from outer space!
I bringeth another chapter in which I am not... fatally injuring Ahsoka. And it's sort of fun.
it is a little bit shorter, so sorry about that, but at least it's something!
Also, a quick note, I'm not trying to promote underage drinking or imply or make Ahsoka an alcoholic, I just wanted some fluff :)
Read on if you dare.
"How do you do it, Cody?" Ahsoka asked suddenly, breaking the silence between the two.
He looked down at her. She knelt on the ground, legging clad knees caked with mud and eyes gazing sadly over the battlefield. Or, former battlefield. Current graveyard.
"Do what?" Cody asked after a moment.
Ahsoka kept her attention ahead of her, observing the crude paint job on a helmet placed upon a steak. The owner of the helmet had been a dear friend of hers, but now he was marching on.
"You know..." Ahsoka trailed off. "Pretend everything is okay when.... It's really not."
Cody chuckled under his breath. No, it really wasn't laughable, but he remembered the days when he wanted to ask the Jedi that same question. He never did, given that Jedi liked to pretend that they didn't have any emotions. If he had asked, they'd just look at him weirdly.
Yet Ahsoka was different.
"It took a while," Cody replied. "You have to find yourself a coping mechanism. It can be anything really, as long as it calms you down and makes you feel better."
"That's it?" Ahsoka finally looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. "That's the only thing that can dampen this...feeling? This... sadness?"
"Sometimes you just gotta cry it out, kid," Cody admitted. "Being a soldier isn't always pretty, and some of the ugliest times require tears. A soldier is at his worst when there are tears, but he's better once he gets it all out."
"I'm not a soldier, though. I'm supposed to be a peacekeeper."
Cody caught her emphasis on "supposed," making him think again about how different she was from the others.
"Soldier or not, sometimes you have to let it all out," Cody said.
"I can't." Ahsoka tilted her head back and drew in a shaky breath. "Jedi don't do that."
She was so young.
Cody chewed his lip for a moment. Finally, he spoke, "Sometimes a good drink can make it better."
"A drink? I'm fifteen, Cody," Ahsoka deadpanned.
"And?"
"I'm too young to drink." Ahsoka sighed.
"And who's going to stop you?" Cody countered. "Not me."
Ahsoka thought a moment. "Okay."
Cody helped hoist her to her feet and they walked back to the gunship awaiting them. Ahsoka wiped her dirty hands on her new, red battledress that was already smeared with mud.
The two sat in the back of the gunship and Cody produced a small bottle of alcohol.
"Whisky," Cody explained. "If the battle's rough and there's nothing I can do, I take a nice, big swig or two." He popped off the lid, threw his head back, and dumped a generous amount into his mouth, gulping loudly. "It's not a lot but it helps quite a bit."
Cody handed the bottle to Ahsoka, prompting her to try it. Ahsoka hesitantly took it and sniffed it. The smell burned her sinuses and she sneezed before she could stop herself.
"It doesn't smell great," Ahsoka said. "Does it taste any better?"
"I think it does," Cody said.
Ahsoka tipped it back a bit, but then paused and bit down on her lip hesitantly.
"No pressure, Kid. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," Cody said.
"No, I want to try it. It'll be worth it if it helps," Ahsoka replied. She tilted her head back and mumbled, "bottoms up," before dumping a reasonable amount into her mouth.
The flavor made her feel sick and she sputtered as it burned all the way down. As it hit her stomach, it churned uneasily inside of her.
"Gosh, Cody, that's horrible!" Ahsoka sputtered.
"Worth it?" Cody asked.
"I don't know. It's still trying to settle." Ahsoka groaned softly and clutched her stomach.
"Need a bucket?" Cody offered.
"Nah," Ahsoka decided after a moment. "Just sleep."
"As long as you're good and your master doesn't kill me," Cody shrugged.
Chuckling lightly, Ahsoka leaned against the cool wall and shut her eyes, easily falling into a light sleep. The alcohol relaxed her mind and dampened the pain of loss for a while. And that was what she needed, just for a time.
Although, she decided she'd better pass on that drink if she ever got a chance to try it again, at least until she was older.
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Word Count: 776
Published: September 10, 2022
Don't drink, kids, it's bad for you.
Yay! Another chapter with an ending that isn't treacherously sad!
Requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have any ideas/suggestions!
Bye, peoples!
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Ahsoka Tano One-Shots
FanfictionAhsoka Tano: Jedi padawan of Anakin Skywalker, grandpadawan of Obi-Wan Kenobi, commander of the 501st, friend of too many clones to count, and a Togtuta of many exciting adventures. This series follows Ahsoka throughout different times in her life...