Private Crazy Rich Jedi

[Xian Xiao]

Steam still clung to Xian's skin as she burst out of the fresher, completely naked, her bare feet slapping the floor as she skidded to a stop in front of Noriko.

"What?!" she blurted, wide-eyed, voice a mix of outrage and disbelief. "Elevated blood sugar—fine, I'll survive. But related to House Ike?" She jabbed a finger at the interface. "No. No. No. This is wrong. I would know if I had noble blood somewhere back there!"

She leaned forward, curiosity overtaking decorum, trying to peer at the interface herself. "Seriously, are you sure it's not some weird database crosslink? Because I am not bowing to anyone or calling anyone 'cousin.' Not happening!"

After a second, her tone softened with mock suspicion. "You're not messing with me, are you, Master Noriko? Because I'd hate to have run out here like some completely naked fool for nothing."

A pause. "Also…you could've led with the 'not-pregnant' part before the sugar scolding. Why would I be pregnant anyway!? I'm not interested in being a mother. Priorities, people!"

Her eyes widened further as she absorbed the rest, half in shock, half in disbelief. She took a careful step closer, nudging the interface to get a better look.

"And you're just… sitting there, eating and reading my results like it's no big deal?" Xian shook her head, a grin tugging at her lips despite herself. "Seriously. You're going to make me rethink my entire life just by standing there. Figures I'd end up related to someone like…you. That it's bad or anything."

She tilted her head, still blinking at the interface. "Alright, Master Noriko…you better not be messing with me on this. Because if you are, I swear I'm never trusting a bite of your food again. Or touching this cursed thing!"

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

She looked at Xian who was A naked, B ranting and raving, C related to her now and D definitely not pregnant... Well that is one mystery of the universe solved. She took another bite while blinking long for a moment just to let her finish. "High blood sugar is not a joke, what f it leads to health problems?" There was a look but she was hiding a smile on her own lips as she looked at her. "But no I am not messing with you, that would be if I was reading this with the window opened to let all of the Umanushi see a full moon tonight." She said it finally standing up and walked over to be beside the girl. "Now, either finish up or get dressed, I know on backwater worlds there is a whole kissing cousins who see each other naked but... kind of not my thing you know."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian had come running out of the bathroom without thinking, her bare skin prickling with sudden self-consciousness as she realized she was exposed. She froze for a heartbeat, blinking rapidly, trying to process the words her companion had just said. Okay… high blood sugar, cultural differences… I think I got it.

"Alright, alright," she said quickly, her voice small and hurried, tugging at her arms as if to cover herself, even though she knew it was useless. "I'll finish up…I promise."


She glanced up briefly at the taller woman, a nervous, almost sheepish smile on her face. The sight of someone so much older and calmer made her cheeks heat in embarrassment, but there was no malice there, just a quiet patience that made Xian feel safe enough to move.

Taking a deep breath, Xian darted back toward the bath, stepping carefully so as not to slip on the wet floor. The warm water enveloped her as she sank beneath the surface, letting the steam curl around her. For a moment, she closed her eyes, letting herself relax. The nervous flutter in her chest eased slightly, and the sound of her companion's quiet presence nearby reminded her that, though she was small and exposed, she wasn't alone.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

Noriko watched her go and shouted a little for a moment. "Hey... no running on the tile you aare going to slip and break your neck and I am not cleaning it up. We clean up after yourselves young lady." She said it with a small smile on her face as her hands went behind her head. "Now I am just going to go and do the hands behind the head pose against the all and wait for you to finish up. THis was a lot of shock and surprise and that was before you got the confirmation... then you learned we are family and now all of that talk about making a nude painting of me with supersized melons is even more awkward and strange."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian skidded to a stop just inside the bathroom doorway, water dripping from her hair and skin, cheeks flaming like embers. "I… I'm not running!" she insisted, though her voice wobbled, betraying her panic. She carefully stepped back toward the bath, shivering slightly from the cool air.

Her eyes darted toward Noriko, wide and uncertain. Why did she even say that? she thought, blinking rapidly. Who even thinks about that? "I… I just… I need to finish," she said quickly, lowering her gaze to the floor.

Then, as the awkwardness pressed in, she finally asked, voice small and unsure, "Wait… uh… how are we… related? Cousins? Or… Aunty? I… I'm not really sure."

Her cheeks burned hotter, and she sank back into the bath, hugging her knees slightly, letting the warm water ease some of the tension. "It's… really confusing," she muttered softly, almost to herself. "I didn't… I didn't expect any of this today."

She shook her head faintly, still flustered. "And… I'm not… I'm not going to draw you like that," she added quickly, her voice squeaky with embarrassment. "With… with huge breasts or anything weird! That's… so awkward!"

Xian let out a tiny sigh, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to disappear into the rising steam and focus on finishing her bath while the echoes of the day's surprises swirled around her.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

Noriko looked over as she spoke. "Padawan, cousin... maybe but Xian. WHen have I ever sugaar coated things for you yo... I been for real real with you since the go when i told you we gonna spend all of Sor-Xan's credit you heard.. I treated you like family and now you totally are cause we actualized that shiznit yo heard dawg." Norriko said it while working to maintain a straight face as she looked at the rsults. "As to ourr relations ah well I'll look into if you want but I think you are like my great great great grandmother or something old like that... explains so much and why I am not going to buy you prune juice whever we go."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian sank a little lower in the bath, arms crossed over her chest, letting the warm water ripple around her. Her cheeks burned, not just from the bath, but from the sheer absurdity of Noriko's words. Family? The word felt foreign, heavy, and almost impossible. She had never really had one—never anyone who cared enough to call her family, never anyone who treated her like this.

"…Family, huh?" she muttered, voice tight and hesitant, glancing away from Noriko with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "I—how does that even make sense?"

Her fingers splashed lightly at the water, small ripples spreading outward. She bit her lip, cheeks heating even more. "I… I guess I can accept it… but… it's… weird."

And then, almost before she realized it, a flicker of warmth bloomed in her chest. She glanced at Noriko again, half-expecting to see a joke, a trick, anything—but Noriko's wild grin and laughter were genuine. Somehow, in the chaos, the nonsense, and the care wrapped up in it all, Xian felt it: belonging.

Her lips twitched in the smallest, hesitant smile. She was still embarrassed, still awkward, still unsure—but for the first time, she understood that maybe… she really could belong to something bigger than herself. Family.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

"HOw does family make sense.... Well" She looked at her and offered a look. "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much the daddy tells the mommy 'Hey babe we should do something other then butt stuff tonight' and then nine months later a family is born... that or mommy takes special deliveries from the male man." She said it with a striaght face though as she was internally laughing to herrself. Finding a place... "But I wouldn't overthink it Xian... family is family no matter how big or small and now you have an entire family that spans across the galaxy. We even have our own company with trillions of locations now and so many credits we literally don't know what to do so we spend Sor-Jans and other friends."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian froze mid-splash, water sloshing around her as her cheeks turned a furious shade of red. She pressed her small hands against her face, eyes wide, trying—and failing—to think of a way to respond without completely losing control. "W‑what…?" she stammered, voice high and tight, trembling with a mixture of horror, embarrassment, and disbelief.

Her fists clenched at her chest, water trembling around her. "I… I will never have a husband! Ever!" she shouted, tone fierce, though it wobbled just slightly under the weight of her mortification. "And babies? Forget it! No. Absolutely not!"

She buried her face deeper in her arms, trying to hide the fiery blush crawling down her neck. "I… I don't even want to think about that stuff! Not now, not ever!"

A small, frustrated huff escaped her, bubbling through the water. Her mind raced. Mommy and daddy… special deliveries… families… She had never needed any of that, never wanted to imagine it—and now Noriko had thrown it all at her like a lightning bolt straight to the chest. "Family… okay, fine, I get it," she mumbled, voice muffled, "but don't… don't ever talk about that stuff! I… I can't even…"

She peeked over her arms, glaring lightly, still flushed to the roots of her hair. "You are impossible," she muttered, exasperation and embarrassment mingling. "I… I don't even know how to… deal with this…"

Even as she protested, her mind swirled with the strange, unfamiliar warmth of belonging that Noriko had just declared. The embarrassment was overwhelming—but beneath it, a small, almost imperceptible spark of something else flickered: family didn't have to mean everything she had feared.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

"More improbable... if I was impossible I wouldn't be here." She said it from the living area and was mostly finding a place to relax. "Besides this is as much a shock to me. I just have had several previous ones so best way to deal with them is to turn them into an absurdity. It takes away a lot of the bite same with when you face a sith. They try to be all edge and brooding talking about how they are stronger and you can be stronger if you join them... except they are one usually on the ropes and two if they were so much more powerful why aren't they in charge of the galaxy?" She said it while stretching out. "Plus I mean it could be worse, what if you were one of my love children from when I was younger... or worse one of my sisters. See that would be hard to haandle"

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian sank a little deeper into the bathwater until only her eyes and the top of her head were showing, the steam curling faintly around her flushed cheeks. "Love children? What—ugh, that's disgusting!" she yelped, voice echoing off the tiles. "Why would you even say something like that, Noriko?! I'm thirteen!"

She covered her face with both hands, groaning loudly. "You're so weird! I can't—ugh, I can't even think about that now." A pause, and then, muffled behind her palms, "I'm never having kids. Ever. Or a husband. Or anything even close."

Peeking over her fingers, her eyes softened, and a tiny grin tugged at her lips. "But… you're still okay, I guess. Even if you are ridiculous sometimes."

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

She listned for more talking and yelling.. she expected it same with there not going to be any hot water left.. the girl really took luxury hot bath seriously... but she didn't hear anything splashing yes... the faint sound thaat reminded her of "gurgle gurgle gurgle" was there but she didn't know what to think of it while walking around a little but she got to stretch opening the window to look out aand the large balcony was there to staand on. A chance for her to be able to sit under the moonlight that was coming down as it let some of the steam out of the rooms. "I think you are going to be all shriveled and priny if you aren't careful I was joking about yourr being aa grandmotherr to me."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian leaned back in the tub, steam curling around her hair. "Shriveled and pruny, huh? I take my baths very seriously, thank you. Hot water is basically survival." She swirled her hand in the water, flicking a few droplets at the edge of the tub.

Her eyes caught the soft moonlight spilling through the window, and she made a face. "And seriously, grandmother? No babies, no knitting, no prune juice. Ever. That's not me."

She splashed again, a little mock-seriously. "At least the moon's being nice tonight. I can enjoy it from in here without turning into an icicle."

Noriko's so funny… I mean, she's loud and weird, but she actually cares. I guess having someone act like family isn't so bad, Xian thought, the corners of her lips twitching as the warmth of the water and the gentle glow of the moon made her feel just a little less alone.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

"You keep saying that... are you trying to convince me or yourself?" She remained there on the balcony. "I can make jokes about it because it is funny, you are rising to the bait of it and showing the ways one can get itno your head, can trip you up. You want to have stronger mental shields and protections." She could turn it into a lesson totally.. she knew how to do that while she walked around. "Plus there is something to be said about protesting to much. Which is why you don't hear me deny anything as I have done a lot worse then what you can think of and I have continued to managed to do things."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian tilted her head, frowning slightly as she thought, keeping her tone careful.

"You keep saying all this, about not rising to the bait… but you've done things anyway," she said, a faint edge of wonder and caution in her voice. "I'm… curious. What kind of things have you done?"

Her fingers stirred the bathwater lazily, careful not to let her excitement show too much, trying to keep her own question calm while still hoping for an answer.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

She debated it. "Well you are young so telling you everything wouldn't be best but suffice to say before I was taken in by the jedi and my family. I did things for spice or food or a place to stay and really didn't care." She was speaking while thinking about it. "Or just because it was fun, you are young Xian and haven't been on the streets to the point you meet nice people usually nobles and sometimes yeah you want to believe them and at first you might but that just means they can be that much worse. Which is why I mostly now get to look back and make some jokes about it cause I went through it but there is a chance of improvement and helping people."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian listened intently, eyes wide, clutching the bath towel around her shoulders a little tighter. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to process the mixture of honesty and caution in Noriko's words.

"You…you really did all that?" she asked softly, voice trembling slightly but curious, not judgmental. "And you're…still okay now?"

She dipped a finger into the bathwater absentmindedly, watching the ripples spread. "I mean…It's hard to imagine… =being in that kind of place, where people… don't care. And then…You ended up helping others?" Her brow furrowed, a frown of thought crossing her face. "How do you…keep going? How do you not… let it make you…"

Her voice trailed off, the question hanging in the steam-filled room. Young Xian didn't yet have the words, but the weight of curiosity, admiration, and a tiny flicker of fear pressed at her chest. She looked up at Noriko, wide-eyed, waiting for some answer, something to make sense of it all.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

"Because I am a jedi and awesome and really really pretty. I could cower, I could run away and hide or find some random world where a person is who wants an exotic piece of ass to show around and live comfortably but then I wouldn't be me." She said it with a smile on her face though while looking at Xian as she walked. "It would be easy... and it shouldn't be easy.We struggle, get stronger, paass that on to help others who might have it worse. That is why we are jedi. Doing anything else then that would only diminish." She offered a nod of her head. "Plus when you help people they are really thankful."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian stepped out of the bath, water dripping from her hair as she wrapped a soft towel around herself. She shivered a little, the steam curling around her, and fixed Noriko with a determined look.

"Okay…okay, I get it!" she said, tugging the towel a bit tighter around her shoulders. "Being a Jedi is…like…super awesome. And you're fearless. And, um…pretty too," she added, cheeks warming as her gaze flicked to Noriko.

She shifted on her feet, trying to match the confidence she saw in her mentor. "I…I don't want to hide or run away either. I want to… be strong, help people…like you said. Even if it's scary."

Her fingers twisted the edge of the towel as she leaned forward slightly, eyes bright with a mixture of awe and determination. "I…I think I could do that. Maybe not as fast as you, but…I want to try. I want to be someone who…doesn't let the bad stuff win."

Her voice wavered just a little, but her gaze held Noriko's entirely—young, hopeful, and ready to take her first steps toward the kind of courage she already admired.

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

She looked at the girl and moved to stand next to her while looking in the mirror. "You will do fine Xian, don't overthink it just do what seems the best option for the most amount of people... it won't please everyone but as long aas you can look at yourself in the mirror and not just to inspect for gray hairs then you will be fine." SHe said it with a nod of her head while pointing at the mirror. "Now look in the mirror and tell me what you see and do it from the chest... we need to get you out of this whole moross state... you should be excited. You just learned you have family a big faamily and a cool granddaughter, you are a jedi padawan being trained to be a good guy in the galaxy who stops the bad guys... you are just as awesome as me... I am just cooler."