This was written for Thanksgiving… hope you all enjoy it!

On the planet of Alderaan a celebration was in full swing. Parades and feasts were carried out with sparkling smiles showered with confetti. Tahl, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan had a stopover on the planet while "Give Thanks" day was being observed.

They had been invited to a dinner party of a government official well known with the Jedi Order. Their presence brought little unwanted attention, though those bold enough to strike up a pleasant conversation kept a respectful and cunning distance from topics related to war, religion, and politics-topics sure to be provoked on any other world.

But not Alderaan; no. Today was a day to give thanks for the grandest and smallest things in life.

The dinner party host had no trouble promoting this common theme. Climbing to a podium and gently speaking into a voice amp, his attendants quieted down to hear his speech. He spoke of his pride for his family, job, and planet. But his pride was foreshadowed by humbleness, as he said he owed all of this to everyone but himself. There were cheers and laughs and applause in all the right places.

It was a perfect speech-a little too perfect for Tahl's taste. She let her eyes and mind wander, past the citizens of Alderaan, past Obi-Wan... and ending on Qui-Gon. Her gaze lingered, and he looked her way, clearly as subdued by the monologue as she. "Let's head out onto the balcony," he suggested out of the corner of his mouth. The stuffy atmosphere was getting to them all.

Obi-Wan and Tahl nodded. They wouldn't be missed, plenty of people mingled around the vast house. They weaved their way through the throng to an open balcony jutting out over a still lake. Tahl leaned against the rail, allowing the metal's chill to seep through her formal robe.

"That man sure can talk," Qui-Gon's young Padawan remarked.

"It is about blessings," Qui-Gon reminded him. He looked from Tahl to Obi-Wan and back. Tahl's heart
swelled as she thought of all she had. An amazing life of service, strong guidance, and friends and comrades to stand by her. It was so much, and completed her in a way that could not be expressed simply. Tahl yearned to be at the podium, giving her own dramatic speech of thanks.

"I'm thankful to be here," Obi-Wan said quietly, looking at the two of them. "It's a blessing just to be able to be a Jedi."

"I don't think there isn't a single Jedi who wouldn't agree, Obi-Wan," Tahl praised. "And what are you thankful for, Jinn?"

"Dinner," he joked, nodding at a plate of pastries carried by a waiter. He gave a nod to his Padawan, who was quietly eyeing a buffet line. Obi-Wan departed to join the line. Tahl smiled after him.

For a moment she and Qui-Gon were silent, watching the mist rise from the silver lake. Qui-Gon spoke first. "You never mentioned what you were thankful for."

Tahl gave no consideration to the following act. She knew she would look back on it, and regret it, but she also knew Qui-Gon would allow it to pass on.

"What I'm thankful for," she said, reaching up to catch his lips in a gentle kiss, "Is you."

Hehe. So fluffy… in a weird way.

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