No One Can Hypnotize a Jedi

A Simple Wager

Ahsoka savored the rich scent of her hot chocolate as she held the steaming mug between her hands and sipped at it gratefully. The warmth felt good as it spread through her chest, chasing away the chill of the Coruscant night air.

"Feeling better?" Lux asked as he settled next to her on the couch.

"I am," she said. "Thank you for the hot cocoa."

"It's the least I could offer. You seemed like you were having a stressful day."

"You could say that." Although, honestly, that was putting it mildly. This whole week had been stressful, and it had ended with Anakin sending her back to Coruscant on mandatory leave, effective immediately. All because she had gotten into a disagreement with some vain, arrogant lieutenant who thought having temporary command of the ship in the captain's absence gave him ultimate authority and had started dismissing her advice and tactics, pretending she was invisible, and even going so far as to call her a...

No. She wasn't going to think about that anymore. Anakin had wanted her to "cool down" after she had given the lieutenant that black eye, and replaying the incident in her head repeatedly wasn't going to help.

At least Lux seemed to understand. Once she had finally returned to Coruscant after a painfully long flight, he had contacted her mentioning he had heard what happened and invited her over to his apartment suite for hot chocolate. She accepted, grateful to have somewhere else to spend her "time off" besides the Jedi Temple. She needed to take her mind off things, and right now, sitting next to Lux in front of a lit fireplace while she nursed a cup of hot cocoa was far better than sparring and studying. She hoped this could be a regular thing.

"So," Ahsoka said as she turned to her host, "What has the venerable Senator Lux Bonteri been up to since we last met?"

Lux simply smiled with a shrug. "Quite a lot; most of it tedious. My daily routine includes the occasional emergency conferences at the Senate Rotunda, back-to-back meetings with fellow representatives and foreign ambassadors, and attending several lavish, aristocratic gatherings to mingle and network with the influential members of society. It's not as enjoyable as it sounds. In fact, it's enough to make my head burst." He sighed heavily, and Ahsoka sipped her cocoa—she felt exhausted just imagining all that. "Meanwhile, in my spare time, I have been studying hypnotism."

"Hypnotism?"

"Yes, I know it sounds odd, but it is actually a very intriguing field of study. Are you familiar with the name 'Jakub Azaari'?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "A hypnotist, I assume?"

"Yes, but not only that. He is most generally known as 'the Mind-Shuffler,' and he's the most extraordinary stage hypnotist in the galaxy. He performs at the Galactic Theatre, here on Coruscant, and occasionally at classy gatherings to entertain the wealthy and privileged. In fact, he performed at the last charity event I attended."

"Is that so?"

"It was quite a spectacle. Especially Senator Orn Free Taa's belly dancing."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Seriously? The Orn Free Taa, Senator of Ryloth, belly dancing?"

Lux nodded. "As I said, a spectacle to behold. I even managed to record a holo of the whole display without anyone noticing..." He paused when he saw her mixed look and frowned. "You don't approve?"

She knew he needed a lecture about this, but shook her head. "Only if we don't watch it right now." There was no way she was passing this up.

They sat together in the living room and watched the recording on Lux's large flat vidscreen. From the audience, he had found a perfect vantage spot with an undisturbed view of the ballroom, and of Orn Free Taa and the man she assumed was Jakub Azaari. The hypnotist was standing before the Twi'lek senator, holding a small crystal pendant in front of his face, speaking too quietly for anyone to hear. Taa was watching the pendant with glazed, hooded eyes, a dumb, slack-jawed expression, and a long string of drool hanging from his bottom lip. Then the hypnotist snapped his fingers, music started playing, and the Senator of Ryloth started dancing. Without a doubt, it was truly the goofiest display she had ever seen, and one she would probably never un-see.