fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, October 1, 1st period]

When the Ethics class arrived in the Danger Shop, they stepped into an entirely different world.

An incredibly dry, hot one. That smelled really bad.

Anakin waved his hand around the room. "Welcome to the embodiment of gluttony," he said, "the palace of a Hutt."

He concentrated on the controls on the far side of the room, and the simulation sprung to life: dozens of beings drinking, eating, and dancing, with all activity centered around a vile slug of a beast laying on the raised dais at the front of the room.

In a place of honor on the wall was a man, face twisted in a silent scream but his features obscured beyond recognition, encased in silver. Anakin ignored it as he walked past to point at the creature on the dais. "That," he said, nose wrinkling in disgust, "is a Hutt. This particular version was named Jabba, one of the most powerful crime lords in the galaxy." A grim smile turned the corners of his mouth up. "At least until he met my children."

He shook his head. "That is neither here nor there. Today is an interactive experience for you, class. Take a good hard look around. See the effects that gluttony can have."

His eyes went flat. "Touch any of the dancing girls and you'll regret it. That's a promise."

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"That's almost better than something like him deserves," Katchoo answered darkly, envying Leia right about now.

Anakin nodded darkly. "There's a reason that calling someone a Hutt is such an insult at home."

"And now I have a new pet name for some people I know," Katchoo said with a tiny, sardonic smirk. "They look a lot prettier, but that --" She jabbed a thumb in the direction of Jabba's dais. "Is about what they really look like inside."

"You have my sympathies, in that case," Anakin replied. "I worked with a lot of...inner Hutts."

"They're everywhere." Katchoo's glance darted across the Danger Shop to Francine. "Usually not as obvious, though."

Why was she going out of her way to apologize for missing class last week? Oh, yeah, he could probably kill her with his brain and she'd like to avoid death and its immediate vicinity for a while, thanks.

"About last week. I had an emergency."

"What sort of an emergency?" Anakin asked, well versed in the gamut of things that could go wrong in a Fandom student's life.

Katchoo shook her head. "Had to go see a dying friend. That's all." On that day, anyhow.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Anakin replied, watching her face carefully.

Her facial expression didn't change, although that took an act of will; she'd barely had time to grieve before all hell broke loose, and Katchoo's stomach clenched.

"Thanks," she said as quietly as she ever said anything. "Wasn't sure if Francine'd mentioned anything." And she'd suspected not.

He shook his head. "She hadn't. Do you need to, well, speak of it to anyone?"

When Anakin was trying to be comforting, he could give Arthur lessons in stoic awkwardness.

"I can think of a couple of people who won't give me a choice," Katchoo answered. "I think I'm good."

"If you're looking for an adult," Anakin replied with a tiny smile, "I will promise that I won't send you to the counselor."

"Even if you did," Katchoo answered, "I wouldn't go."

It was actually a joke. Kind of scary . . . although no, she wouldn't go.

Anakin's smile grew a little wider. "That's what I figured. I've been watching you a bit."

And now it was back to the part where Katchoo stuck to her opinion that the Jedi? Creepy.

". . . have you, now?"

"In class," Anakin clarified. "You always seem to have more to say than you offer up for discussion."

Katchoo ran a hand through her hair, with another guilty glance at Francine. "Yeah, I didn't want it to bring up more questions. Sometimes you think people don't need to know, y'know?"

"I do," Anakin said, nodding. "But unlike classes about math and science, I can't really help teach you in ethics if I don't know where you're coming from."

Katchoo mentally cycled through a dozen things to say before finally settling on, "This place is way too familiar," gaze focused on one of the dancing girls.

Anakin's mouth pursed to hide how his heart was cracking just a little for the students he taught. "Former employment?" he guessed, absolutely no judgment in his tone.

"Seemed better than starving." It was matter-of-fact, not defensive.

Anakin nodded. "Absolutely," he said, watching her. "You don't think people in class will understand that sort of choice?"

"There's only one person on an island full of nosy squirrels whose opinion on it I care about," Katchoo answered, and guess who she was looking at again? "Otherwise, the rest of 'em could go screw." There was also the issue of her getting tracked back to the island if people knew too much, but those were the things you didn't spell out. Geez.

"So if Francine wasn't in the class, I would know a little more about you," Anakin surmised.

Katchoo went still for a moment and finally nodded. "Most people who pay that close attention are the ones I worry about." She hadn't quite decided which side of that line to put him on.