Cody learns to live

Chapter 14

  Fox hated Jaster Mereel. 

  Should he hate him? Probably not. Cody didn't hate Jaster Mereel, he even called him ba'buir. The others didn't hate him either. And he did apologize. Mandalorian apologies weren't like 'sorry', Mandalorians only apologized when they meant it. No one with a bit of honor would kneel if they didn't mean it. So Jaster Mereel really was sorry for not being around. And Fox should forgive him like the others had and not be an asshole. 

  But how could he?Jaster Mereel let Jango do all the horrible things that Jango did to them. Sure, Jango might've lied to him but if their so called ba'buir really cared, wouldn't he find out the truth one way or another?Fox didn't like him, didn't trust him, didn't want him around. 

  Cody offered to send him away multiple times, said that the decision was Fox's, but how could Fox send him away when he was helping Cody so much, when Cody clearly didn't want him gone? When no one else seemed to want him gone? 

  The kids seemed to love Jaster Mereel. Fox didn't like it. But at least the kids didn't understand the situation. Cody knew everything and he still trusted Jaster Mereel. Rex did too but at least he didn't call him ba'buir and pretend nothing ever happened with Jango. Wolffe knew less than the kids about Jaster Mereel and he was pretty much the only one who didn't seem to adore their "ba'buir". 

***

  Fox tried to warn Wolffe and Emerie that Jaster Mereel was in their kitchen. He texted them, he called them, but they didn't answer. So when he heard the door opening, he knew they were unprepared for the situation, just like Fox had been - he still didn't know why Cody didn't tell him - and ran downstairs. If luck was on their side, neither Wolffe nor Emerie knew who Jaster Mereel was. If luck wasn't on their side, Fox wanted to be there, for whatever reason.

  No one really noticed Fox entering the living room. Kix and Jesse weren't even there and the twins were busy begging Jaster Mereel not to get up and to keep reading stories for them. Jaster Mereel was trying to shake the twins off and get off the couch - Fox felt almost sorry for him but only almost - presumably so he could get to the door. Wooley was nowhere to be seen and neither was Cody so Cody probably took Wooley to his bedroom with him. Something was boiling in a pot on the stove so Cody was probably coming back soon.

  "-that's literally genius, we gotta do that." Fox heard Tanya's voice. Kark, she was certainly going to know who Jaster Mereel was. She was smart and a mandalorian. There was no way she didn't know about Mand'alor the Reformer.

  "Nah, we're so fucking dead." Wolffe laughed. Fox would bet his dinner that Wolffe had no idea that a Jaster Mereel ever existed. If Wolffe knew anything about who the man was, Fox was going to eat his hat. The catch? He didn't even have a hat so it wasn't like he could actually do it if Wolffe's one lone brain cell happened to work for once.

  "Has that stopped you before?"

  "Nope." Wolffe walked into the living room with Tanya and Emerie by his side. He ignored Jaster Mereel completely, instead aiming for the kitchen area, forst checking the boiling pot and then opening the fridge and grabbing an almost empty bottle of soda.

  Emerie did pay attention to Jaster Mereel but Fox could tell she didn't know who he was. She was looking at him with this confused expression.

  Tanya, on the other hand, froze. She was wearing her helmet but Fox could guess she was looking at Jaster Mereel with surprise and recognition. She looked at Wolffe. "Wolffe?"

  Wolffe looked back at her, the bottle of soda still in his hand. "Do you want a glass?"

  "Wolffe, I'm either hallucinating or Mand'alor Mereel is in your kitchen," Tanya hissed.