Disclaimer: I don't own Obi-Wan, Siri or Qui-Gon. I'm just pestering them for awhile.
One Snowy Afternoon
It all started with the snow. Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi was surprised one morning when he woke up to the surprise of a new snowfall. As Coruscant's weather was totally artificial, a sudden snowstorm was extremely rare and practically unheard of. Still Obi-Wan didn't have time to ponder the sudden precipitation, as he had work to do.
Like all Jedi apprentices, Obi-Wan was expected to study a great variety of subjects that could be potentially useful in their careers. He excelled in most of his classes, but there were a few he would rather forget altogether. Galactic politics was one of them.
With a sigh Obi-Wan looked over his homework and groaned; he despised the intricacies of bureaucracy and he was going to be tested on that the following day.
He heard a soft chuckle that was all too familiar. His Master Qui-Gon Jinn looked at him with an air of amusement. "Let me guess, politics?" he asked.
Obi-Wan nodded glumly.
"Cheer up young one," Qui-Gon said to his padawan. "I'm sure as a Jedi Knight you will be all too happy to deal with the various squabbles between senators and planetary rulers."
"Are you trying to depress me, Master?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.
"On the contrary, my young Padawan. I'm here to tell you that your friend Siri Tachi is here," Qui-Gon replied, watching Obi-Wan's reaction.
"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised. "Why is she here?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself," Qui-Gon replied, pointing to the door which led from Obi-Wan's chambers in the common room both master and padawan shared. She looked up and smiled as soon as heard Obi-Wan approaching.
"Hi Obi-Wan," Siri greeted.
"Good morning Siri," he replied in kind.
"I have an idea," Siri stated bluntly, changing the subject in a way that sometimes irritated Obi-Wan.
"What's that?" he asked.
"You'll see," she replied with a small grin. "If you come with me."
Obi-Wan groaned. "I can't…I have homework," he said regretfully.
Suddenly a deep voice sounded from behind him. "I think you can neglect it for one day," said Qui-Gon who had just walked up.
Obi-Wan turned and smiled. "Thanks, Master."
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Have fun."
Despite his questioning, Obi-Wan still couldn't figure out what Siri had in mind. She led him to The Room of a Thousand Fountains before she stopped and turned around.
"We're here," she said with a mischievous smile.
Obi-Wan looked around curiously. The abrupt snowstorm had left everything covered in soft white powder and the Room was strangely quiet as the many waterfalls froze creating beautiful icicles. Still, Obi-Wan had no idea why Siri brought him.
"And?" he asked surprised.
"I have a great idea," she said with a smile. "Have you ever skated before?"
Obi-Wan shook his head.
Siri walked over to a snow covered tree and from behind it she pulled out a large bag that she plopped in front of him. "The Temple never acquired any of those repulsorlift-skates," she said rolling her eyes. "Probably because they're incredibly easy to use."
"Then what are we using?" Obi-Wan asked.
Siri smirked and opened the bag before depositing a peculiar skate into his hand. It was positively archaic, with just a short boot attacked to a blade of durasteel. "You can't be serious," Obi-Wan said in surprise.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked happily. Seeing the look on his face, she giggled. "What Kenobi, are you chicken?"
"Hardly," he countered. "I've just never done it before."
"Neither have I," Siri replied. "Let's do it."
Obi-Wan sighed, but hid his smile. He had to admit when Siri had her mind set on something it wasn't wise (or safe) to argue. Together they approached the closest frozen pool, sat down on a bench, and put on the bulky skates.
Obi-Wan looked out over the sheet of ice, before turning to look at Siri. "Are you sure of this?"
"Of course," Siri replied, rolling her eyes. "Don't be such a stick in the swamp, it'll be fun!"
Obi-Wan still looked quizzical, and spoke. "Are you sure the ice won't give in?"
"Yes," she said. "I've already tested it." Siri then stood up, working hard to maintain her balance. Obi-Wan did likewise, and when he was finally standing he felt like he was going to fall over.
Obi-Wan and Siri both reached for the other's hands as they stepped towards the ice.
"Don't fall," Siri warned. "Or else I'm going with you."
Obi-Wan chuckled. "This is going to be interesting."
And that was absolutely true. The moment Obi-Wan set his foot down on the slippery ice, he began to slide. Siri tried to compensate by moving in the other direction. Then he totally lost his balance and went down. Siri fell too, landing right beside him.
"Well..." Obi-Wan started. "That was good."
"I know; we're rather graceful aren't we?" Siri remarked. "Shall we try again?"
It took an entire ten minutes before both Jedi were finally on their feet again. They again took each other's hand as they slowly tried to keep their balance and experiment with the old fashioned skates. Obi-Wan marveled how smoothly the ice flowed under his blades, that is when he did it properly.
"I think I'm getting the hang of—" Obi-Wan starting, being abruptly cut off when his skate hit a rut in the ice and he was knocked off his feet again.
Siri managed to stay standing this time and laughed out loud at his predicament. "You know what they say Kenobi, pride goes before a fall."
"You're not doing much better," Obi-Wan replied dryly.
"Of course I am," Siri said matter-of-factly. "You see girls are naturally better at this sort of thing than boys."
"Somehow I don't buy that," Obi-Wan countered, slowly rising to his feet once more.
"I'll just have to prove it I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "I bet you'll fall again before I do."
"This is not a game," Obi-Wan argued.
"Sure it is," Siri replied with a smirk.
Obi-Wan sighed. "Fine."
This time they both stayed away from each other, as they slowly skated around the small frozen pool. Obi-Wan tapped into the Force to try and guide his feet. But as before the Force wasn't totally reliable when he was moving on such a slippery surface.
Obi-Wan felt his gaze riveted on Siri. She was really becoming a beautiful woman, and he was spellbound watching her. He knew that if he told her then she would probably hit him and deny it. But she truly was beautiful not only on the outside but on the strength of her heart.
"OBI-WAN!"
Suddenly his face collided with the ice. Pain was instantaneous, but he was able to divert it quickly through use of a Jedi healing technique. Only then did he lift his head and see what happened. It seemed that in his musings, he had collided with Siri. She was slowly sitting up, her blonde hair askew, and glaring at him.
"Obi-Wan," Siri exclaimed, exasperated. "Weren't you look where you were going!?"
Obi-Wan blushed briefly, before turning and grinning at her. "I was looking where I was going…You just happened to get in the way."
Siri rolled her eyes. "Sure I was, just admit it. I won."
"Of course you did," Obi-Wan replied in a tone of voice that he knew would annoy her.
Siri groaned in frustration. "And you totally threw me off my groove," she complained as she sat up. "I was just starting to get the hang of it."
Obi-Wan smiled and somehow managed to raise himself up on the steel blades. He cautiously made his way over to Siri and offered her a hand. "Truce?" he asked.
Siri considered for a moment before taking his hand. "Ok, Obi-Wan," she said. She started to pull and with a quick tug she knocked him down again. However she wasn't expecting that he would fall upon her.
Both Jedi Padawans were speechless as they gazed into the other's eyes. They had been friends for years, but never once were they so uncomfortably close to one another.
Obi-Wan had been thinking only a minute ago about how lovely Siri was, but now he was mesmerized just by gazing into her sapphire blue gaze. So enraptured he was by her, Obi-Wan was shocked when he felt her warm lips pressed against his. And in that moment, it felt so incredibly right.
Breathlessly, they pulled away. "Wow," Siri uttered. "That was…"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I know."
At the same moment they both realized they were still in the same uncomfortable position and Obi-Wan quickly moved aside so Siri could sit up. Then they quietly helped each other skate to the edge where they set about removing their skates.
"This has certainly been an entertaining day," Obi-Wan commented, once they were walking back into the Temple.
"Yes it has, I discovered that you can't skate," Siri replied. "And I'm not much better."
"I agree," Obi-Wan said. "We should stick to sparring with our sabers."
"That's for sure," Siri replied with a laugh. "In fact...I'll race you to the training room!"
Obi-Wan grin. "You're on!"