Summary: Darra has some womanly problems. Siri has the solution. Harrison has a sandwich. Hayden bought a tractor! Co-written with patientalien for our friend Nic's 20th birthday. We love you, Nic!


Just Between Us Girls


Darra Thal-Tanis sighed, and her reflection sighed with her. She knew if she stood here much longer she was going to be late for class, but she couldn't pull her eyes away.

At sixteen, Darra was rapidly on her way to womanhood, and nothing was demonstrating her changing body more than the thick thatch of hair between her legs.

She frowned. None of the boys seemed to be at all worried about their bodies or hair growth, but Darra was. She didn't know why she was, and she knew her Master would just tell her to stop being so vain, but she still couldn't help staring at herself in the mirror every morning.

There were a few downsides to being the only girl in a group of boys. One of them was the inability to talk to any of them about... girl things. Tru Veld did her nails sometimes, and liked doing girl-things, but he didn't seem to want to talk about periods or shoe-shopping or hair growing where it didn't before. In fact, the one time she'd changed in front of him, he'd paled, squeaked and hid in the 'fresher until she was done.

Her friend Anakin Skywalker wasn't quite as squeamish, but his expertise in such matters was limited, to say the least. It was long supposed that Anakin's own Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, favored the company of men, and most of what Anakin had learned of women was what he'd seen as a slave on Tatooine, so it was hardly his fault. Nonetheless, Darra was blossoming quickly from a gangly teenager to a young woman, and she needed someone to talk to about it beyond the bland and impersonal humanoid reproduction texts that she was assigned in her mandated sexual education class at the Temple.

Opportunity arose unexpectedly when Darra was paired with Ferus Olin for a school project. Ferus was what Anakin snidely referred to as the Jedi Temple's "Perfect Padawan". He was smart and athletically inclined and people generally liked him (except for Anakin, who was always griping about Ferus going out of his way to show him up), but nobody ever seemed to want to work with Ferus when it came time to associate with him outside of school. Ferus did not ever seem particularly bothered by this - he never seemed that bothered by anything, really - but Darra knew he had to be kind of lonely.

In any case, she'd never had a problem with Ferus, and Anakin and Tru had made it rather clear that they were already working together by Anakin loudly moving his desk closer to Tru's and their high-fiving, so Darra shrugged and approached Ferus, who was making some notes on his data-pad.

"Hi," she said, pressing her books a little tighter against her chest. She'd known Ferus for years, but for some reason always felt a little shy around him. "Do you want to be my partner?"

Ferus looked up at her as though she'd asked him to translate Nubian opera into Bocce. "Do I want to... Oh, sure." He sounded so surprised that Darra couldn't help feel a little sad for him. "You can come by after classes today if you want."

Darra nodded. She'd never really spent time alone with Ferus - usually they were accompanied by Anakin and Tru, and Anakin always seemed to go out of his way to instigate an argument with the older Padawan. But she knew Ferus' master, Siri Tachi, was supposed to be a good person to talk to about personal matters. She'd been away from the Order for a few years, and others said that gave her an insight and understanding few other Jedi had. She wasn't exactly sure how to broach the topic to her, and especially not in front of Ferus - she expected it would make him mighty uncomfortable - but she was confident that she could find a way.


Darra found herself slightly less nonchalant as she stood in front of Ferus and Siri's apartment door several hours later, her knapsack hanging off one shoulder and her hair pulled back into a quick ponytail. She rapped a couple of times and was greeted almost immediately by Ferus, who looked as impeccable as usual. "Good afternoon," he said, and bowed. Darra wondered idly if he ever relaxed.

"How are you?" Darra smiled disarmingly and Ferus moved aside to let her in. "Is your Master here?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual way, not wanting to seem like she had any ulterior motives.

"She is meeting with the Council," Ferus answered. "And then I believe she has some errands to run. She won't be back for several hours."

"Oh, okay," Darra said, trying not to seem disappointed. She walked over to the low-slung table in the sitting room where all of Ferus' school supplies were spread out evenly and neatly, and began taking things out of her bag.

"I've already begun the research," Ferus informed her, sitting cross-legged on the floor and handing her a sheaf of papers. "This is what I've come up with so far."

Darra blinked as she looked at the printouts. She hadn't been expecting Ferus to have so much done already - after all, the most she'd been able to get done was a brief search of their topic on the HoloNet, and even then she hadn't actually gone through and read any of the results.

"I thought we could each take a sub-topic to expand on," he continued. "And then work on the visual presentation together." He motioned to the supplies on the table.

Darra nodded hesitantly, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. She had the feeling Anakin and Tru hadn't even decided on their topic yet, let alone begun their research. Ferus suddenly looked slightly uncomfortable. "I'm sorry if this is too much. I sometimes overdo things." Darra watched him in polite silence and he added, "usually my teachers allow me to work alone, and I like to get an early start."

Darra smiled. "That's understandable. I'll just take a couple of extra sub-topics since you've done so much of the research already." Ferus looked slightly strained by this, but finally nodded.

They worked diligently, hunkered down together in the living room. Ferus was polite, Darra noted to herself, but he did not make small talk willingly. Most of their time spent together was in silence, punctuated only by the sound of writing and either of them yawning or stretching. At one point, Ferus went to retrieve a glass of water and asked Darra whether she wanted one, but that was the extent of his chattering, such that it was.

Enough time passed that eventually, Master Siri returned, looking slightly windswept. "Kriffing old bats should not be allowed to drive speeders," she announced, and then noticed that her Padawan was not the only one in the room. "Hello there, Darra," she said in a much more congenial tone. She shrugged off her robe and tossed it on the floor. Darra noticed that Ferus grimaced at this, and Siri apparently noticed, too; waltzing over lazily, she scrubbed a hand through her apprentice's short hair affectionately. "Good evening, Padawan," she smirked, and Darra giggled.

"Hello, Master," Ferus said dutifully, looking sheepish and a little flushed at having an audience when he looked so disheveled. "We have a school project to complete together," he explained, indicating the pile of books and papers between them.

"Oh?" Siri asked, arching an eyebrow in disbelief. She glanced at Darra, a playful twinkle in her eyes. "So is he letting you do anything other than watch?"

"Master," Ferus moaned, and Darra couldn't help but be amused at how... disgruntled he looked.

Darra nodded. "We have the work pretty evenly divided, Master Tachi," she said, wishing she could just come out with her question, wishing she could stand up and tell Siri that she needed to talk to her in private.

But she couldn't. Not just yet, anyway, not when she barely knew the woman. "I need to use the 'fresher," Darra said to excuse herself. It wasn't a lie, exactly, but she felt like she needed to regroup as well as relieve herself.

The 'fresher in Master Siri and Ferus' quarters was the same nondescript color walls and fixtures that existed in every other apartment in the Jedi Temple. Darra used the facilities and washed her hands thoroughly, and then slid open a drawer below the sink. It was filled with spare soap and other supplies, and the two drawers underneath that were similarly waylaid. Feeling guilty, Darra tugged open the last drawer and gasped a little. This was obviously set aside just for Master Siri - she couldn't foresee a reason for Ferus to ever have use for a slender vibrating device or feminine hygiene products.

Realizing that she'd been in the 'fresher for a suspicious length of time, Darra carefully slid the last drawer shut, took a steadying breath, and pulled open the door. Ferus nodded at her, now bustling around the small kitchen area helping his Master prepare dinner, and Darra worried inanely that he knew somehow what she'd been doing.

"You can stay for dinner if you'd like," Siri offered, somewhat distractedly as she poured a bag of frozen vegetables into a bowl. "Kriff!" she exclaimed as half the contents missed their target and skitted across the counter.

Darra hung back in the kitchen doorway and watched, astounded by just how... normal they seemed together. Although Siri was certainly the more boisterous of the two, it was clear they had a closeness, a kinship.

Darra couldn't help but feel a little jealous of that. She loved her Master, of course, but she doubted Soara Antana had a drawer in their 'fresher like Siri had, and she'd never heard her Master curse or even crack a joke. Siri just seemed so free with her emotions; Ferus wasn't, but around her, he appeared to open up, even bask in her attention. She knew envy was not a Jedi trait, but she was pretty sure everyone felt jealous about something every once in a while.

She helped Master Siri and Ferus with the dinner preparation. The meal was enjoyable, but it did not bring Darra any closer to her goal. She left the apartment that night frustrated, but with a strengthened resolve to talk to Siri privately. She knew of anyone in the Temple, Siri would be the one to help her. She just... had to keep coming back. Luckily, the project wasn't due for another week which meant she had a very good excuse to spend every afternoon in the Tachi/Olin apartment.

She'd get her answers one way or another.


"Did he get his nerd cooties all over you?" Anakin asked at midday meal the next day, when Darra mentioned going over to Ferus' to work on the project. "Because if he did, I'm going to need you to sit... over there." He pointed across the room.

Darra frowned slightly as Tru laughed. She didn't want to talk about Ferus, but she also didn't really want to get in an argument with Anakin, either. She didn't understand why the two couldn't just get along - or pretend to. She listened idly while Anakin and Tru prattled about something they were building together, looking up from her food only when conversation halted suddenly. Blinking, Darra found Ferus standing in front of their table, looking uncomfortable in the wake of Anakin's steely gaze and Tru's curious one.

Darra quickly pasted on a smile. "Hey, Ferus," she greeted. She gestured to the empty space next to her, ignoring Anakin's pointed coughing. "Wanna sit down?"

"That's all right," Ferus said briskly, regarding Anakin coolly and shifting his balance to his other foot. "I just wanted to know if you were coming over again today. I think we can get the diagram finished if we really push it."

Darra nodded. "Sure! I need to stop at home first and then I'll be over after class." Ferus nodded and began to walk away, but she added, "is your Master going to be there today?"

"As far as I know," Ferus said evenly, quirking his eyebrow slightly.

Darra blushed. "Okay. I mean, just wondering. She, she's really nice, Ferus. Um, so I'll see you later?" she asked, kicking herself for how stupid she sounded.

"Yes, all right. Later."

Ferus left as unobtrusively as he'd come, leaving Darra to her food and her sniggering friends. She reached under the table and swiftly kicked Anakin in the shin, since he was the main instigator. "Ow. Stay away from my sensitive boy-parts," Anakin complained, shooting her a dirty look.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" she wondered aloud, picking up her tray. She hadn't wanted to get into it with him, but the look on Ferus' face had been one of barely-concealed hurt and loneliness. Surely Anakin knew what it felt like to be lonely.

Anakin furrowed his brow, obviously confused. He didn't seem to have an answer to her question, so Darra turned on her heel and left the cafeteria.

She spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to broach the topic of her lady parts with Ferus' master. The first step would be to get Siri to talk to her in private, of course, but she wasn't sure how to do that without it being horribly awkward. Then again, the very nature of the conversation she wanted to have was pretty awkward ...


Two more afternoons passed without Darra being able to make any headway on her quest for an adult perspective on her nether regions. She and Ferus finished their project in record time on that second afternoon, during which Siri was visiting with Master Yaddle, so she was again evaded. Or rather, she'd wussed out.

Five days after her frequent patronage at the Tachi/Olin residence had begun, Darra decided she would wait no longer. She marched purposefully up to the door and knocked, surprised to find not Ferus on the other side, but Siri herself. "Here for the project again?" the older woman asked, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear.

Darra swallowed. "I, uh. I actually ... I think I left something here last time," she lied. "I was hoping maybe I could see if it was still here."

Siri swung the door open to let her inside; she patted Darra on the shoulder in greeting, and Darra smiled nervously. She couldn't sense Ferus anywhere in the apartment, but just to be certain, she asked, "Is Ferus gone?"

Nodding, Siri made her way towards the kitchen. "He is. He has a study group, I guess. What is it you're looking for?" Darra trailed after her, swallowing heavily. She would get no better opportunity, she knew.

"Actually, Master Siri, I came to see if I could talk to you," she blurted out, feeling her cheeks redden. She couldn't believe she was actually going to do this. Going to ask this.

Siri turned and quirked an eyebrow. "About what?" she wondered, not sounding at all put-out or annoyed, like Darra had imagined. It bolstered her confidence.

"Well, all the girl Padawans have been learning about humanoid sexuality with Madam Nu as of late," she began, staring at the toes of her boots. Her gaze flew up when she heard Siri's snort.

"Ah, they're still having Madam Nu teach that class?" Siri laughed. When Darra blinked in confusion, she added, "Madam Nu taught the class when I was your age, too. I think the only thing we learned was exactly how many sexually-transmitted illnesses Master Vos had floating around in his system." Siri laughed again and Darra joined in. "So let me guess," Siri continued perceptively a moment later. "You have questions that the old bat hasn't answered and probably won't."

Darra nodded, surprised that this was going so well. Siri put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Adi was always pretty open with me. I was lucky. But I think a lot of times Padawans are just afraid to ask."

I... I know I could talk to my Master about this," she said quickly, "it's just that... well... I don't know if she'd be able to tell me what I need."

Siri gave her a kind smile. "Some Masters are sticks-in-the-swamp," she replied, but her tone of voice was amused, not disparaging. "What do you want to know?" She led Darra to the kitchen table and sat her down. "I doubt Ferus will ever come to me with girl problems, so I'm more than happy to help."

Giggling a little (and picturing Anakin's response to Ferus having 'girl problems'), Darra swallowed. Siri was making her feel comfortable and welcome, but she was still nervous. "I've just been... uh, well, I've been wondering about what's normal and what isn't? And if hair? You know, down there? Was normal?" She winced. She hated it when she question-talked. Her Master said it was a normal part of development for human girls, but Darra thought it made her sound incredibly dumb.

Siri didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't seem to mind. "It's very normal," she replied with a chuckle. "Normal, healthy, all of that."

Darra crinkled her nose. "It's just ... I mean, it's kind of gross, isn't it? Like, all of the sudden it's a forest down there." Siri's smirk widened. "Do people - is it normal to NOT have hair down there? Like, do people ever get rid of it?"

"You mean, is it normal to shave down there?" Siri clarified. Darra nodded quickly, her cheeks flushed. Siri shrugged. "Yeah. You don't have to, but it's a personal preference." The unspoken question hung in the air. The silence beat around Darra's ears, and her mouth suddenly felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Finally, blissfully, Siri took the next step: "Darra, do you want some help shaving your ... area?"

Darra swallowed. "I ... yes, Master Siri. I would." The words were out before she could stop them, but she realized that they were what she'd wanted to say all along.

"Come on, then," Siri instructed, giving her a wave and walking from the kitchen. Darra blinked in surprise. They were going to do this NOW? "No time like the present," Siri called over her shoulder, as though Darra had spoken her thoughts out loud. She traipsed towards the 'fresher. Darra watched as Siri opened up the bottom drawer that she'd just rummaged through. She pulled out a tiny kit that Darra had fingered but not opened, and set the vibrating device absently on the counter as well.

Darra stood in the middle of the 'fresher, nervously twisting the hem of her tunic in her hands. Siri turned on the water with a wave of her hand and turned to Darra. "You can get undressed," she offered. "It's better to do it when you're in the tub. Easier, I guess." She gave a slight shrug, and Darra began fumbling with the ties of her tunic.

She was a little overwhelmed, a little overcome, but she was grateful that Master Siri was taking the time to help her with what was, admittedly, a fairly innocuous problem. She slipped out of her tunic and slid her pants to the floor, feeling cold and exposed. She put an arm across her chest and a hand over her crotch modestly, and Siri put a warm hand on her back. "You don't need to be shy," she said, moving Darra towards the bath.

Darra brought her hand away, feeling sheepish. She felt Master Siri's eyes on her exposed area, on her soft mound covered in brownish-red hair. She had considered snipping off some of the excess from time to time, but the whole idea had been foreign to her up until now, so she'd worried that it wasn't normal. She wasn't surprised when Siri reached into her kit and pulled out a tiny pair of scissors, however.

"Just going to trim off some of this stuff so nothing gets caught in the razor blades, okay, kiddo?" Siri instructed. Darra started a little when the older woman started positioning her to lie backwards in the bathtub. "I know it's a little embarrassing," she assured, "but I've got to be able to see it. Darra nodded. Siri handed her a towel, which she balled up and used as a pillow. Eventually, she was splayed out with her nether regions pointed towards Siri. It wasn't ... uncomfortable exactly, but to say Darra was feeling exposed was an understatement.

Siri smiled kindly at her and went to work. The feeling of the cold metal of the scissors combined with Siri's hand on Darra's pubis was completely foreign, but she couldn't say that it was an unpleasant sensation. She leaned up a little bit on her elbows so she could see what Siri was doing. Already the hair looked much neater, but Darra still thought there was far too much of it.

After a few minutes, Siri put the scissors down. "Okay," she said, "I'm going to fill up the tub a little bit and then I'm going to put some lather there. If you don't want me to, you can do it yourself."

Darra shook her head, swallowing heavily. She liked Siri's hands on her. "You - you can do it," she said, offering a shy smile.

Siri nodded and began lathering up the newly-shaved area. "This will take the hair off without making everything really dry down there," she explained. She smiled apologetically when the foam made contact with Darra's skin and the girl jumped. "Sorry, kiddo. It's cold, huh?"

"Hah, yeah, a little," Darra winced. "Do you ... do you do this for yourself, Master Siri?" Now that she was doing this, she realized that she still had a lot of questions that humiliation no longer kept at bay.

Siri shrugged. "A few times a year. There's nothing wrong with having a bush," she cracked, and Darra out-and-out laughed. "But if it makes you feel better, there's nothing wrong with giving it the old heave-ho. Some women even pay to have it done professionally."

"Really?" Darra gasped. Even just asking Master Siri to help her had been difficult - she couldn't imagine agreeing to have a perfect stranger down there.

Siri nodded, leaning over the side of the tub and pulling the skin between Darra's thigh and mound taut. "Some people even get themselves waxed," she commented, laughing as Darra winced. "Yeah, I know."

The first stroke of the razor took Darra slightly by surprise. It wasn't unpleasant, really, just strange to feel the cool metal gliding over her most private of parts. Siri took her time, using small strokes, apologizing whenever the razor caught on the hair. "You're doing fine," she assured Darra.

Darra shifted slightly as warmth spread from Siri's hand downwards, causing an unfamiliar, warm, wet tingling between her legs. She bit her lip, not sure if she should mention it or not. She knew it was normal to occasionally get excited, but she'd never even been close in front of someone before, and especially not with her legs spread and nude in someone else's 'fresher. Think about banthas, she thought to herself. Banthas, and one of Madam Nu's lectures on getting fingerprints on the Archives materials, and Master Yoda taking a bath ... there, that did it.

Still, she whimpered when Master Siri spread her vaginal lips with two fingers. "There's some hard to reach bits, sweetie", Siri told her kindly, and Darra noticed her voice had gotten a little huskier. "You're doing really well, Darra."

"T-thank you," Darra gasped. There was no hiding the fact that she was ... aroused at this point. She just hoped that Siri wouldn't say anything. She bit her lip when the older woman's knuckle occasionally bumped her clit a couple of times. She wasn't doing it on purpose, Darra knew. It wasn't her fault Darra couldn't control her own body.

Finally, Siri put her hand in the shallow water between Darra's legs and scooped some up onto Darra, effectively rinsing off the rest of the hair and foam. "Are you okay?" Siri asked, and Darra flushed. She wanted Siri's hand back down there, and she knew she shouldn't. She knew base desire wasn't something she should give in to, as a Padawan Leaner, or as a Jedi.

To her surprise, instead of standing or handing her a towel, Siri reached over and pressed her thumb against Darra's throbbing clit. "It's okay to want this," Siri said softly. "It's perfectly natural. I... well, it's normal."

Darra squirmed, horrified that she felt herself getting even wetter. "M-Master Siri," she gasped. "I ... I don't ..."

"Ssshh," Siri smiled. She grabbed up the vibrator from the counter using just a tendril of the Force. "You're a good girl, Darra," she said assuringly. She clicked the vibrator on, and it made a humming sound in her hand. "See? Nothing innocuous." Darra nodded, still looking nervous, and Siri put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, kiddo", she said. And then she nudged the device up against Darra's clitoris.

Darra gasped, stars exploding behind her eyes as a pleasure unlike anything she'd ever felt before shot through her like a lightning bolt. She grabbed the side of the tub for leverage, her surprise and shock at her own reaction causing her to flush even deeper. "M-Master..." she managed.

"It's okay," Siri assured her again, moving the device in a slow circle, varying the pressure slightly as she did so. "Trust me. You think the boys corner the market on pleasuring themselves? We have the same right, we're just... quieter about it."

Darra managed a shaky smile. "They sure ... brag about it ... more - ohhhh," she emoted. "Master, I'm c-close ... gonna ..."

"Go ahead," Siri offered, pressing down a little harder with the toy. "You're in the 'fresher, that's the best place for it. Come on, Darra. Come."

And Darra did. There was a choked gasp, and then she felt like all the tension in her body was being released. She slumped against the bathtub walls, tired but relieved, and heard Siri pulling the plug out of the drain. The scant inch or so of water swirled around her and gradually disappeared, and Siri smiled indulgently at her as she cleaned off the vibrator. "I've gotta get me one of those," Darra commented, and Siri snorted.

Eventually, Siri offered Darra a hand, and then pulled her into a standing position. "If you want, I can offer a few suggestions for where to get one of your own," the older woman continued, but Darra was staring in shock at something behind her. "What's wrong?" she asked, spinning around with her muscles tensed, ready for whatever might be trying to mess with her in her own home.

"Oh. Hello there, Ferus. How are you?"


Carrie Fisher turned away from her computer monitor and smiled. "So what do you think?" she asked. "Be honest."

The man tied to the chair beside her frowned and struggled against the ropes. "Carrie, let me go," he begged. "I've got a wife and kids, please!"

Carrie laughed and shook her head. "Oh, Mark," she cooed, ruffling his hair. "Don't lie."

"I'm not lying!" Mark yelled. "It, you can look it up on the IMDB, even." But Carrie wasn't listening. "It was fine," he sighed after a moment. "Hot. Stimulating. But I still have no idea who the characters are."

"You wouldn't because you don't read the EU," Carrie said dismissively. She ran her hand over a fresh copy of the final book in her Last of the Jedi series and smiled. "It was such a good idea for George to agree to let Jude Watson break into the adult Star Wars novel market," she gushed.

Mark squirmed grumpily. "It's not like he had a choice when you held Hayden at gunpoint while he was mowing George's lawn."

Carrie waved her hand. "Ends justify the means, that's what I always say."

"You made the poor kid pee in that Wookiee suit," Mark protested.

"That's what he gets for defiling Ewan," Carrie retorted.

"No offense, Car, but that filthy Scot was already defiled," came a voice from the doorway. Harrison held out his half-eaten sandwich to Mark, a lop-sided smirk on his face. "Here. Some of us still have a career and can afford to eat."

Mark frowned. "That's funny. Really. And how am I supposed to hold the kriffing thing?"

There was a stunned silence. "Did he really just say 'kriffing'?" Harrison said, handing the sandwich to Carrie, who ripped off a hunk and handed it back.

"He did," Carrie replied, taking a big bite.

Mark's stomach growled. "Guys, come on, it was just a joke," he said. "Ha, ha, right?"

"Yeah, a joke." Harrison turned to walk out of the room. "For Christ's sake, kid, this isn't goddamned Star Wars. It's real life."

"I ... I knew that!" Mark shouted at Harrison's retreating back. He went back to watching Carrie eat. "Can't I at least have a V8 or something?"

Carrie burped. "No."

Mark sighed. He wished he would have thought of buying a tractor mower.