Qui-Gon looked at the youngling school in surprise. After recently learning that his old Padawan had not reached the level of Jedi knight and had in fact been kicked out of the order when he insisted on taking Anakin, the man desperately wanted to find the young man who he had spent twelve years with.
It was astonishing for the great Jedi master to learn seven years later that his brilliant Padawan had not been Knighted as he had been told. The man had been cleaning out his closet at the temple for the first time in decades and had found some old holos of him and his past apprentice. This had led to reminiscing, and, lost in the fond memories, he had decided to visit the young man he hadn't seen in years. After taking the lift to the knight's level, holding his box of memories and saying polite greeting to the colleagues he passed, he realized he had no idea where Obi-Wan's quarters were. Frowning in discomfort he commed the temple directory line and asked for the knight in question. Qui-Gon assumed that the droid was malfunctioning when it informed him that the name was not recognized, so he immediately commed the temple mechanic level to inform them to check on that while going back to his quarters to at least put the box down. As he was sitting on his couch with his favorite blend of tea, a mechanic commed back to tell the Jedi master that nothing was wrong. This caused quite a bit of suspicion to the experienced master and so he went to his good friend, Mace Windu, to get to the bottom of things. Perhaps the boy was shifted to a smaller temple or on a more permanent mission for an extended period of time.
Alas, Mace had regretfully informed him of Obi-Wan's lack of Jedi status. Apparently the young man had not been Knighted by the council after the Naboo mission. He had not passed his trials and was masterless when Qui-Gon had taken on Anakin, and, having nowhere for the young man to go, he was let go by the order. Qui-Gon was appalled and questioned if killing a Sith was not a good enough trial. The truth had come out that the council was under the impression that Qui-Gon himself had killed the Sith and it all just snowballed from there.
The council had rediscussed Obi-Wan's situation and voted that, if the man was still accepting of the light side of the force, he would be allowed to return to his status as a Jedi knight. Although, Master Yoda seemed to think the boy would not want to after all these years.
Qui-Gon had volunteered to go, as he felt he had quite a bit to apologize for. The address he had been giving as his past Padawan's work place had lead him to a small school for younglings in the lower levels of Courasant. Teaching from eight standard years to eighteen made sense when thinking of the young man. Even though he was outside he could still sense his old Padawan's force signature in the building.
Checking his Chrono and reading the time, quarter to the fourteenth hour, the Jedi made his way into the school, drawing his hands further into the folds of his cloak for a bit of comfort.
"Visitor or picking up?" the female at the desk asked impatiently when she heard him clear his throat. She didn't even look up from her work at him which the Jedi found rather rude. The female was a humanoid species with soft brown fur and large matching eyes, although she didn't seem very friendly.
"A visitor," he answered smoothly forcing himself to relax in this unfamiliar environment as a Jedi should.
"Uh huh," she replied while handing him a data pad, still concentrating on her other work more than him. "Just fill out this and you can go in."
Taking it over the desk, he stepped back to fill out basic information such as name, occupation, reason for visiting, etc.
The Jedi put it back on the top of the desk when he was finished and the furry female took it and looked it over, probably making sure he didn't have any sketchy answers.
After reading a bit of it she finally looked up at him doubtful, but she finally stopped whatever else she was doing. "Uh huh, you're a Jedi. If this is a joke I request you leave before I call the authorities."
"Ma'ma?" The Jedi in questioned asked confused.
"If you're trying to break into a school, I'd go with the one on the higher levels, there ain't anything here to steal."
Qui-Gon's eye brows rose. "I assure you I really am a Jedi."
"Mmhmm, sure." She started going back to her work and made a gesture for him to shoo. "And I'm the queen of Naboo."
"You can comm your fellow staff member, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he will inform you I am not lying."
"Alright, fine Master Jedi." Qui-Gon could almost feel the sarcasm used on his title. "Go sit there and I'll comm Obi to see if you belong in the funny farm."
Needless to say five minute later he was on his way up the lift to the third level with the directions the very flustered secretary had given him.
Standing in front of the door she told him to go to, he braced himself for the force signature that he could feel behind the door. The Jedi palmed the door open and was surprised by the eyes of thirty or so teenagers of varying species sitting in the lecture hall like room staring down at him.
The reason he had come however was standing in the front of the room talking to the children with a small smile on his face which was partially covered up by the new ginger beard covering it. The rest of the hair had also grown out and he did look very different without the Jedi robes Obi-Wan had always worn.
"You always did have the habit of showing up at the strangest moments, Master Jinn," the teacher said while looking back at the new comer when he sensed his presence.
Qui-Gon looked at the man so in his element and lost his nerve at the title that his Padawan shouldn't have to use. "I can come at a different time, Obi-Wan. I merely wished to speak with you."
"No, it's quite alright," Obi-Wan answered easily, despite a slight turn down of the man's lips letting Qui-Gon know that the familiarity was not welcomed. The young man was surprisingly full of confidence that Qui-Gon knew his Padawan had always lacked. "We were simply having an interesting conversation before you decided to join us." The man turned to his class which was a bit distracted by the exciting new person turning up. "Can someone tell Master Jinn about our class?" The Jedi master was surprised by how many hands shot up in the air ready to impress their teacher. "Yes, Kalvan."
"We all were put on sides randomly and had to defend our topic with no idea who else was defending it. It's supposed to help us in debates."
Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose. Well, his old student was certainly an interesting teacher to say the least. "Yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "And what is our topic, Anica?"
"If the Jedi's mysterious nature is good or bad for their reputation," a girl answered promptly.
"Excellent," answered the red haired man with a smile. "Now, Master Jinn, if you would sit over there," he indicated a desk with a chair in the corner of the bottom part of the room. "I will speak with you once the class is ended."
The Jedi master didn't have time to nod, never mind make his way over before his Padawan took over the class again. "Alright, now I want the discussion to continue. Remember, the goal is not only to find your allies and respond as a team, but you must also react to each other's points and give counter arguments instead of just bringing new points up. If you all remember the directions simply push the green button on your table if you wish to talk, it will add you to the queue up here." Obi-Wan gestured at the holoscreen behind him and it immediately turned on, surprising Qui-Gon with his lax use of the force as he felt it flow out of the man easily. "If you wish to be removed for the queue simply hit the red button, but you must say something if it gets to you before you have hit it. I won't interrupt unless this gets out of control like our debate last week." He ended his instructions with a disapproving stare at a salmon colored girl with gills and webbing who blushed a darker pink and a blue skinned boy with a small face and long neck who seemed to look rather proud of himself.
"Any questions?" No one raised their hands, but everyones eyes were drawn to the Jedi who was now sitting comfortably in the chair.
Obi-Wan smiled looking at Qui-Gon and then his class. "I assure you that the Jedi in the room will not take offense to anything you say. I dare say he might even agree with some of it." Qui-Gon nodded to the students who were relaxing at their teachers words. The Jedi had to fight back a smile as his old Padawan remembered and was comfortable enough to make fun of his ability to disagree with the council. He was nervous the man would hold a grudge for taking away such a big part of his life. "Now, Begin."
All of a sudden there was a mad clicking rush and it seemed like all thirty names appeared on the holoscreen at once. Obi-Wan sat cross-legged in a chair in the front of the room to easily watch the proceedings as they happened.
The Salmon colored girl who was reprimanded earlier began to speak and managed to address her fellow classmates rather than Jedi that everyone else was staring at. "Well, I don't think it's a secret that the Jedi order is mysterious to all of us. People fear what they don't understand, and the order is just something that no one but people in it or in the senate understand making it seem terrifying to us 'little people' that only know about things that are told to us. I feel that if we could understand more about the order then we could feel more comfortable calling on the Jedi for aide."
A human boy spoke next. "I agree that the Jedi are mysterious, Gelia, but if they weren't a bit mysterious then they would just be like us. I definitely don't want to have the weight of the world on my shoulders and I think we all would feel guilty giving that weight to someone else that was just like us. By being mysterious and above our knowledge then we feel like they can handle more and protect us better."
"Oh, so you're saying them being mysterious is to help ease our conscious?" the next student challenged
Their argument went on with students providing points and reasoning to back up their theories while others either helped or found holes in their arguments. Their red head teacher took notes on a data pad as each of them talked and nodded when a point was said well. The arguments only got heated a few times and Obi-Wan managed to diffuse them with a cough into his hand to remind them what they were supposed to be doing. Qui-Gon watched all the proceedings impassively while marveling at how students were easily communicating with each other like senior Padawans.
Finally, after roughly a half an hour, Obi-Wan stood up and gestured to the screen. Again using the force to turn it off. The blank screen shook the class from their debate easily as they focused again on their teacher.
"Alright, now you all have taken down the good points from the debate and I want a typed essay, written in basic, defending your side by the next ten cycles." The class let out the expected groan of students receiving homework, and Qui-gon chuckled at the youths' predictable attitudes.
A chime was heard throughout the large room, and Qui-Gon stood up from the chair and made his way over to Obi-Wan as the students filed out, giving him a few curious looks as they left.
Obi-Wan stood with the hands on the back of the chair he had been sitting in and the self-doubt and depicting manor that Qui-Gon had come to expect of his apprentice came back as soon as the door shut behind the last student.
"Your class seems to be well run." The master offered, attempting to break the silence as they stood facing each other.
The younger man's lips quirked. "I have been doing this for a few years, Master Jinn."
Said master frowned at the titles. "Obi-Wan, you do not have to address me as such."
The boy seemed to not hear him as he began to look uncomfortable and fixed his eyes on his hands on the back of the chair. "How is Anakin. He's almost sixteen now, is he not?"
"Yes, and he is progressing quite well." The conversation was awkward and forced and not at all how Qui-Gon had expected their reunion.
"You should offer him my congratulations then." He paused. "Perhaps we should sit?"
Qui-Gon nodded and grabbed a seat from the bottom row of the lecture hall and set it across from the chair his old apprentice was once again occupying.
"You are probably wondering why I am here," Qui-Gon began, but stopped as Obi-Wan snorted into his hand. "Is something the matter?"
"Yes," the younger man answered softly, suddenly looking at Qui-Gon with eyes that seemed to swirl with the different colors and emotions. "I thought you would come," he admitted in the same soft tone. "I thought you would tell the council there had been a mistake, that I could be a knight. But you did not. And now, after I have built up a life and home here," he gestured around himself. "You have come. Why now, after all these years?"
It was the Jedi's turn to be embarrassed. "I did not know, Obi-Wan. You yourself told me that you were moving your belongings to your knew quarters. A Jedi is not supposed to lie, Padawan. I thought I taught you that."
"I was no longer a Jedi, Master Jinn," Obi-Wan informed him almost harshly, clearly distancing himself from his past life. "Nor am I your Padawan now."
"I am truly sorry, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon pleaded, looking into his eyes.
"You never answered my question; what brought you here?"
The Jedi placed his hands in the comfort of his cloak. "I was cleaning out my room at the temple to encourage Anakin to clean his and I found some of our old holos. I wished to share them with you but realized I did not know where your quarters were. I never even imagined you were not at the temple, Obi-Wan, you were such a great student."
"So, this is merely a social call. If that is all master Jinn, I do believe I will take my leave." Obi-Wan made to get up from his chair, but Qui-Gon spoke first.
"No, this is not a social visit. The Jedi council has been discussing your involvement, or lack thereof, in the Jedi order and they wish to change that," the man explained slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Some things have recently come to light and your Knight status as well as your status as a Jedi is yours if you still wish to have it." Qui-Gon paused for a moment. "I am very sorry that it was taken away from you for so long." He motioned to around him. "But you seem to have coped well and it is time for you to return home to the temple, Padawan."
The ex-Jedi's face drained of all color at the declaration, and Obi-Wan, who was always the negotiator, was lost for words as his master waited expectantly. "I… you must understand it has been a long time… I do not know how…" the young man trailed off helplessly.
"It is not a challenging question, Obi-Wan." Probing Obi-Wan's force signature surreptitiously, he could sense that there was no darkness within him.
"I have a job," Obi-Wan finally stated seeming to be pulling at straws as he looked helplessly around the room.
"They can find another teacher," the Jedi acknowledged coolly.
"I enjoy doing this very much."
"The temple has teaching spots," Qui-Gon pointed out, folding his hands deeper into the sleeves of his cloak. This was supposed to be a happy moment where Obi-Wan could finally come home.
The ex-Jedi thought for a brief moment, running his hands through his hair. "Come," he finally ordered his master, standing up quickly. "I must show you something."
Qui-Gon quickly stood up, leaving their chairs in their haste and followed his old student to the door, stopping only when the other passed to shove a stack of datapads into a worn bag. Obi-Wan excited the room into the now deserted corridor. Leading his master into the lift, they went down to the lobby where the red haired man gave a nod to the rude secretary who giggled and waved flirtatiously back.
"Where are we-" Qui-Gon asked as they made their way to the street.
"Patience, master Jinn," Obi-Wan interrupted. "I must show you why I cannot rejoin the order."
"You still can, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon nearly pleaded as he kept pace with the faster man.
The two stopped in front of a plain building after only a two minute walk around the block.
"Your house?" the Jedi questioned, but followed the younger man to the door without the answer.
The door was palmed open by someone on the other side and a small boy looked up at the two with the widest smile on his face. His blue, greenish eyes were joyful as he saw Obi-Wan on the other side of the door and his red hair was messy as if it hadn't been brushed since waking up.
"Daddy!" the child shouted excitedly as he jumped into Obi-Wan's arms and the man gladly picked him up and settled him on his hip while hugging him tightly. Qui-Gon was in a large amount of shock as he learned of his old Padawan's son.
"Ayven Kenobi! What are you doing answering the door?" a shrill voice yelled from in the house, and suddenly a human woman appeared at the door as well as a few other children of varying species. "Oh, Obi-Wan, You're here early. And who is this?" she asked curiously looking at Qui-Gon who was still a little preoccupied with staring at Obi-Wan's son and the boys almost identical force signature to Obi-Wan's own.
"An old friend," Obi-Wan answered. "It's a bit of a special occasion, Label, so I can't stay today." He looked down at the child in his arms with a smile. "And you were good?"
The boy nodded into his chest vigorously.
The woman eyed Qui-Gon before turning back to Obi-Wan and the boy. "I'll see you on Monday then. Everyone say good-bye to Ayven." After a chaotic good-bye and a shy wave from the boy to his friends the door shut out the children.
"Your son?" Qui-Gon asked in an unsteady voice that was unbefitting of a Jedi master while they walked along the road again, the Jedi falling behind and the boy leaning over his father's shoulder to see him.
"Yes, Ayven Kenobi." The boy looked back at the Jed curiously before looking back at his father for a second then turning back with a bright smile.
"Hi, Master Jinn," the boy greeted with a bright smile as he leaned toward the Jedi master.
"You know who I am, young one?" the Jedi asked, surprised Obi-Wan would share so much with his son at such a young age.
"Mmmhmm," he said enthusiastically. "Daddy told me." The boy pointed to his head in explanation before leaning back on Obi-Wan.
"A force bond?" he questioned his old Padawan who was facing away from him.
The man nodded. "It appears that when force users are of blood relation they form quite easily. I was merely attempting to help calm his thoughts and get him to sleep when he was barely a week old."
"And the boys mother?"
"Eliese Kenobi, she was killed two years ago by a drunk speeder driver," Obi-Wan answered sadly.
"I am very sorry for your loss then." A pregnant paused followed broken by Obi-Wan.
"Yes, he can, Ayven," Obi-Wan addressed to the boy.
"I can what?" Qui-Gon asked curiously.
"Feel the force," the boy answered shyly while Obi-Wan watched their interaction.
"And how did you figure that out, young one?" The Jedi master asked the child.
"You're all different," the boy tried to explain while his face scrunched together. "You feel different from everyone else."
"You feel the living force, child?"
Ayven nodded. "Mmhmm, but that's hard. I get dreams a lot more."
"You do?" But before the Jedi could question the child anymore, Obi-Wan stopped in front of another door .
"Perhaps you would join us for some tea, Qui-Gon?"
The man nodded and entered the house to learn more about his Padawan's new life.