TITLE: From Little Acorns (Mighty Oaks doth grow)…
This story is set approx. three months after "I Promise You"
NB: Obi-Wan is fifteen (just) in this story.
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The eye closed; long dark lashes folding shut in fastidious concentration.
Intrigued, the other eye stared straight ahead.
The object placed under such intense scrutiny was, on the face of it, nothing spectacular. A medium sized pot filled nearly to the top with rather moist soil sat on the side of the dining table, with its admirer merely inches away. Chin resting on bended arm, Jemmiah continued to stare in rapt fascination at the little mound of earth.
It wasn't so much the soil that was interesting but the contents…
"What have you got there?" A deep voice from over her shoulder asked.
"N-nothing." Jemmy replied quickly.
Qui-Gon frowned in puzzlement. It wasn't like Jemmiah to remain so still and silent for any length of time. Especially when occupied with something as mundane and seemingly normal as a bowl of compost.
"If it's nothing, why has it got you so enraptured?" Qui-Gon folded his arms. "What are you up to?"
Jemmiah turned a hurt expression on him.
"It's a project we've got at school." She replied in an injured tone. "We've been given three bulbs to grow. We have to see who can grow them the fastest and who gets the biggest flowers on them. That sort of thing. And let me tell you, there's a LOT of competition."
Qui-Gon's puzzlement grew as quickly as his smile did.
"I never had you down as a lover of nature." He apologized, leaning in for a closer inspection of the plant pot.
"I'm not that bothered usually," Jemmy admitted, "but this is interesting."
"But it's not doing anything." He said. "How can you find it so thrilling?"
"It is," Jemmy let her brooding stare fall back on the soil, "you just can't see it."
"Oh." Qui-Gon stifled a laugh at her expression. "Well, if you'll forgive me for saying this, I'm not sure that your staring at it will help it to grow any quicker."
"Course it will." She said defiantly.
The Jedi master shook his head ruefully. She'd been living with them now for three months and just when he thought he had her more or less sussed out she'd go and surprise him again.
"And how will it do that?"
"I'm not just staring at it," the ten-year-old tilted her head to one side. "I'm thinking nice thoughts at it to get it to grow quicker."
Qui-Gon looked at her in astonishment.
"And what are you thinking of?" He asked.
"Well, I'm trying to picture what it'll look like when it's all grown up and beautiful with lots of flowers. And I'm thinking how tall it's going to get."
She stood up, with her hands grasped protectively round the pot.
"But most of all I'm picturing Sophie Digwurt's plant all scabby and chewed up by killer Chomp Weeds!" She grinned, walking away to sit down on the couch.
Qui-Gon regarded her as she stared intently into the soil again.
"It's nice to know the fair play ethic is still alive and well in modern schooling." He muttered.
****************************
Mealtime had passed in an unusually silent fashion.
Obi-Wan had sat down and stuffed himself as was befitting a constantly starving, growing young man of fifteen. The normal source of noise and chatter however was still preoccupied with the plant pot that sat next to her on the table, and for the first time in three months Qui-Gon found himself in the awkward position of being the one forced to make the conversation. His padawan didn't seem to mind. Infact, Jinn was under the impression that was one of the reasons that Obi-Wan had been so happy that the young girl had come to live with them.
It meant that he could get on with his meal all the quicker.
Qui-Gon sighed inwardly as he watched Jemmiah pick up her spoon, eyes still on the pot at the side, and slowly, very slowly begin to bring the food towards her lips. At the last minute she remembered to open her mouth.
"What did Zac have to say for himself today then, Obi-Wan?"
"Mmmmmph."
"Sorry?"
Obi-Wan swallowed the food in his mouth.
"Nothing."
"You must have discussed something?"
"Not really." He tucked into his sweet with all the gusto of a hungry wood ant.
This was getting ridiculous, thought Qui-Gon.
"Is it true that if you talk to plants they grow faster?" Jemmiah asked suddenly.
Qui-Gon considered it.
"Well, they have done research into this subject and although they couldn't find anything conclusive, they do think that it's possible."
"Was that a yes or a no?" Jemmiah asked, her brows furrowing.
"Yes." Jinn said, taking a mouthful of water.
"Then how does it work?" She hesitated. "Plants don't have ears. How do they hear?"
How does she come up with these questions, Jinn wondered.
"Well," he thought as considered his answer, "it's to do with vibrations. They can't pick up on the actual words but they can feel the sound waves around them."
"Like the force?"
"Exactly like the force." Qui-Gon smiled, pleased to be back on a subject he knew something about. "The plant is a living thing. The force is in all living things…"
"It's not in Sophie Digwurt." She growled.
We're going to have to do something about that Corellian temper, thought Qui-Gon to himself.
"Even in Sophie Digwurt." Qui-Gon replied.
"I want proof of that." Sniffed the girl.
Qui-Gon put down his spoon.
"What's the legendary Miss Digwurt done to get you all riled up?" He asked.
Jemmiah chewed the same mouthful of food for a good long while.
"She said my plant wouldn't grow because it wouldn't want to see my ugly, Corellian face." She pouted.
"Did she?" Qui-Gon became indignant. "First of all you are NOT ugly."
"I am! Everyone thinks I am! They call me freaky eyes!"
"Why?" Obi-Wan managed to say through a mouthful of toffee.
"Because my eyes are a funny color."
"They are NOT a funny color. They are a lovely color." Qui-Gon reassured her. "They're just unusual."
"Master Qui-Gon's right." Obi-Wan nodded. "They're just jealous."
"Quite so, padawan." Agreed Jinn.
"And they keep laughing at me coz I'm so skinny." Jemmiah looked at the table.
"You will grow in time." He pointed to the pot. "Like that plant."
"It's not doing much of anything either." She sighed.
Qui-Gon watched the sorrowful expression.
"Perhaps I should have a word with this girl." He said.
"N-no. Don't do that!" Jemmiah pleaded. "It'll only make things a hundred times worse."
A small smile crept onto her face.
"Anyhow there's no need. I've already taken care of her."
"How?" Qui-Gon dreaded the answer.
"It doesn't matter." She said impishly. "Just something to make sure she doesn't tangle with me again."
Qui-Gon considered mentioning that he didn't think that revenge was the right way to go about things but then he saw that her mood had lightened and decided to let it rest. For a few minutes more nothing disturbed the silence except for the sound of contented munching.
"Do you know what else Digwurt said?" Jemmiah spat the word out.
"Oh, I'm always happy to hear what our leading horticultural expert has to say." Qui-Gon smiled.
"She said that if I was a plant I'd be a stunted weed, or a piece of Corelli Bog Wrack coz the slugs are the only thing that'll touch it."
"She sounds delightful." Obi-Wan said dryly, remembering his own torment at the hands of Bruck Chun for so many years.
"And she also said that the Jedi were a bunch of con artists and tricksters, and that I couldn't get my plant to grow even if the force DID exist, which it didn't."
"Sounds like a challenge to me." Qui-Gon remarked.
"That's what I thought." Jemmiah agreed. "So it'll be up to me to prove her wrong."
"Good." Smiled the master. "I'm sure you will."
He watched as his padawan helped himself to another slice of toffee cake, then switched his vision back to the girl who was once again hawkishly staring at the plant pot.
I hope this plant surfaces rapidly, he thought, because if it doesn't everyone's life is going to be made a Corellian hell…
************************
The morning began as usual for Qui-Gon.
He woke up, looked at the time on the chrono by his bed and sent cheery and wakeful thoughts to his padawan.
As usual his padawan ignored them.
Then he wrapped his robe around him and ventured out onto the balcony, again sending Obi-Wan his morning alarm call.
Again his padawan ignored him.
Qui-Gon proceeded with his regime by breathing in the air deeply, trying to persuade his heart and lungs that he hadn't left them along with his body, behind in bed, this time issuing Obi-Wan with a stern reminder that it was time to venture forth into the land of the living and see what glorious things the force would throw at them on this truly wonderful Coruscant morning.
Obi-Wan responded in typical fashion by placing his cushion over his head.
The next port of call for Qui-Gon was the kitchen to pour himself a glass of fresh Citrus juice. This was the point (today being no exception) where he would inform Obi-Wan that if he wished to eat anything at all that morning he had better look lively and move his rear to the dining area.
Just as ever, the bleary eyed padawan threw open his door and hastened to the kitchen.
Qui-Gon ended the morning ritual as he always did by thanking the force that he knew his padawans' weaknesses…
A small sound interrupted his thoughts as he bustled round in the kitchen, preparing to make the toast. He glanced towards the couch.
"What are you doing up so early?" He asked.
Jemmiah straightened up from her bent double position.
"I'm talking to my bulbs!" she frowned.
Qui-Gon could now see three pots instead of the one she had shown him the day before.
"Do you not think you're perhaps taking this a little too seriously? He enquired.
"No way am I going to let that reptile beat me." She muttered.
Jemmiah bent over again.
"Listen, I'll strike a deal with you, OK? You start growing and I'll buy you a bigger pot. How about that?"
"It's not going to answer you." Jinn said flatly.
"I know, I know!" Jemmy pulled an impudent face. "I'm just giving it some encouragement."
"Seeing as you're up, perhaps you should get changed for school."
Jemmy looked at him in horror.
"It's the weekend!"
"Is it?" Qui-Gon frowned. " Sith! So it is."
Jemmy grinned.
"You said a bad word. I win!"
"What do you mean by that?" Qui-Gon couldn't understand what she was talking about.
"I had a bet with my bulbs that I could get you to swear within ten minutes of your getting up. I won, so now they have to start growing."
"I'm not convinced it works like that." Qui-Gon said, faintly embarrassed that he'd cursed in front of a ten-year-old.
"Course it does." She frowned at the soil again. "I'm not asking so much, am I? I'm only asking you to do what comes naturally…and anyhow, if you don't start growing in the next couple of days I'm going to drop you out of a high building!"
"Jemmiah!" Qui-Gon warned.
"Well, it's enough to drive anyone stark raving mad! How long do these things take to grow? I've been doing everything to help 'em and absolutely nothing has happened."
"These things take time. And if you drop them out of a window that's not exactly going to help you get one over on Ms Digwurt, is it?"
"Who says?" Jemmiah grinned. "I'd make sure she was underneath the window at the time!"
She picked up one of the pots.
"I'm sure you'll grow for me. I mean, you could have had Sophie tending to you. How would you have liked that, eh?"
Obi-Wan sauntered over; his short spiky hair and braid in considerable disarray.
"Master, why is Jemmy talking to the plant pot?"
Qui-Gon thought about it.
"Not now, Obi-Wan. It's too early in the morning for silly questions. And far too early for my even sillier answers."
**************************
Two days later and nothing had emerged from the soil.
"What am I doing wrong?" Jemmy moaned.
"You aren't doing anything wrong. Perhaps there was something wrong with the bulbs."
"More likely I killed them." She mumbled. "I seem to have the knack of doing that."
"Pardon?" Qui-Gon frowned.
She waved his question away.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't look like I'm going to be winning any competitions, does it? Sophie Digwurt's bulbs have already started to poke above the surface."
"Nature's a funny thing." Qui-Gon smiled. "It doesn't necessarily follow that because your school colleague has got plants that are beginning to sprout that everyone else's will be the same."
"Figures." Jemmiah snorted. "Trust me to get the backward ones."
Qui-Gon tried to think of something comforting to say but felt he had just about exhausted his stock supply of consolatory words. It was a considerable relief therefor, when Mace Windu turned up outside his door.
"What's happening?" Mace asked. "There's nearly always some catastrophe or disaster round at your place so I thought I'd drop in on the off chance."
"You have no idea." Qui-Gon replied wearily. "I'm caught in the middle of school warfare and the Coruscant gardening society!"
Jemmiah walked over to Mace with a forlorn expression on her face.
"Why aren't my bulbs growing? You're on the council. You're s'posed to be smart. Tell me what I'm doing wrong, please? Otherwise Digwurt's gonna win and I might be forced to do something REALLY horrible."
"Who is Digwurt?" Mace screwed up his face.
"You don't want to know." Qui-Gon sighed.
Mace looked at the sad expression and melted. As Jemmiah had hoped he would.
"Hmmm. I'm not the green fingered one around here. Usually it's Qui-Gon."
"I know. The balcony looks like an allotment and he still can't help me." She muttered.
"Yoda has lots of plants." Why don't you ask him?"
"Do you think he'd speak to me?" Jemmy wondered. "He must be kinda busy."
"It's a good idea, Mace. Infact, it's a brilliant one. You take her to see him." Jinn smiled.
"Me?"
"It was your idea."
"But he was your master! And I see enough of him at Council meetings."
"He WAS my master. And I saw him everyday for seventeen years!"
"Point." Mace conceded.
Windu glanced down at Jemmiah.
"Oh, OK. C'mon then." He agreed reluctantly.
"Thanks Master Windu!" The gleam immediately returned to her eyes and left Mace wondering if perhaps the hang dog expression had been for his benefit.
Jemmiah grabbed her plant pot.
"Ready when you are sir!" She smirked.
Qui-Gon watched the pair of them leave. Ten years old and she already knew how to wrap a man around her little finger.
He didn't envy Mace at all.
*******************************
Knock-knock.
Silence.
Knock-knock-knock!
Silence.
Knock-knock-knock-knock!
"Master Yoda? May I have a word please?"
"Heard you I did. One moment you will wait." Yoda's voice grumbled over the intercom. "Old, I am. Move fast I cannot."
"He sounds kinda annoyed." Jemmiah whispered. "Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea."
"There's no need to be afraid of Yoda." Mace replied. "His bark is worse than his bite."
"He bites people?" Jemmiah jumped back a little.
"No, no. It's just an expression that means…oh, never mind. I thought you liked Master Yoda?"
"I do," Jemmy admitted, "I really like it when he sneaks up on Master Jinn and makes him jump!"
The door opened suddenly.
"Enter you may."
Mace managed to shuffle Jemmiah forward into the room with a guiding hand between her shoulder blades. The Corellian girl looked round Yoda's apartment and gawked.
"This is amazing!" She replied.
Well, she thought to herself, the smell was pretty awful but the place itself…
Everywhere she turned there was another variety of plant. Infact it was like wall to wall plants, with ivy creepers and marsh reeds and giant red leafed Aldera Lily pads sat in what looked like the middle of an artificially built lake. Only it was more of a swamp than a lake.
She could see Windu's nose begin to wrinkle in distaste at the smell.
"Like my home, you do?" Yoda regarded her through sleepy eyes.
"Did you do this?" Jemmiah asked. "It's incredible!"
"Hmm." Yoda nodded. "More to this old man than meets the eye there is, is that not right Master Windu?"
"Err..yeah." Said Mace, trying not to breathe in the strong, boggy smell.
Yoda looked amused.
"A cold you have?"
"Do, do." Mace shook his head. "I ab fine Baster Yoda."
"Hmmmmm." Yoda turned his eyes back to the Corellian child holding the plant pot. "Glad I am that you came to see me or visit you I would have."
"Thanks, I think." Jemmy blinked.
"A problem you have." He stated rather than asked.
Jemmiah shrugged and proffered the plant pot.
"I can't get this to grow. Everyone else in my class at school have plants that have sprouted but mine are still mooching around under the soil. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
Yoda wandered down a large log towards her, tapping on the wood with his stick.
"Believe you are at fault you do?" He asked.
"I can't think what else it could be." Jemmiah looked at her feet.
"Hmph." Yoda snorted. "Blame things on yourself too much you do. Things not in your control."
"So it's not my fault?" Jemmy frowned as Yoda left his stick to one side and put his hands on the soil, frowning in concentration.
"Growing this plant is." He said eventually. "But slowly. Needs nurturing, it does."
"Then it's OK?" Her eyes lit up.
"Time it needs. Time and attention. Give it both and blossom it will."
Jemmiah frowned at the soil.
"Can I help it to grow? Is there something I can do?"
"Speed up time you would have me?" Yoda chuckled. "Grow at its own speed it will. But help it you can."
"How?" Jemmy asked curiously. "I asked Master Jinn and Master Windu for advice but they weren't much help."
Yoda's eyes travelled to Mace.
"Not an expert when it comes to the living force is this one." He nodded at Windu. "What said Master Jinn?"
"To wait and let nature take its course."
"And right he is." Yoda agreed. "Learned well my padawan has. Listen to Master Jinn you should. Learn much from him you will. And from his padawan."
Yoda closed his eyes momentarily as if trying to see something which wasn't quite there.
"Unhappy you are." He said.
"No." Jemmiah disagreed. "I like it here. It's just…I want to be normal. Like everyone else."
"Hrmph!" Yoda's eyes snapped open. "Pleased you should be that you are different. Tell me what you think is normal. Like your friends at school?"
Jemmiah thought about it.
"Maybe you're right." She considered. "If normal means being like Sophie Digwurt then I'm happy to stay as I am."
Yoda nodded.
"What else?" He asked.
"It's just that I want to make a difference." She looked uncomfortable. "Nothing big. Everyone round here fits in and can do all sorts of things that I can't. I don't have the force."
"Think this matters to those who care for you?" Yoda asked.
"Well, no…"
Yoda looked straight at her.
"Make a difference you will. And a big difference it will be. But only in time."
"It seems to come down to time, doesn't it?" Jemmiah sighed. "I don't understand. What sort of difference?"
"Take the bulb." Yoda answered, "Be patient you will. Results you will see."
Mace was still hovering in the background, trying not to breathe through his nose. Yoda chuckled to himself.
"Wait outside, Master Windu. Speak with the imp alone I will."
