This is a companion piece to my story, An Old Friend. You don't need to have read that to understand this. It takes place on Tatooine when Obi-wan is staying there protecting Luke. All disclaimers apply as always.
Obi-wan needed supplies yet again. There was only one place to buy them in Anchorhead, Burt's Place. Now Obi-wan had no problem with the owner of the place, Burt; it was his youthful assistant that drove Obi-wan up the wall.
Hopefully he would not have to deal with one particular salesperson today.
However, Obi-wan needed the supplies, and Burt's Place was the only place that sold them in the bulk quantity that Obi-wan wished to buy them in so that he did not have to continue to return to that dreadful hive of scum and stink. In his opining, once a month was far too many times for him to make the trip.
Unfortunately, it was late already to make the trip and Obi-wan could not delay any longer.
He had purchased an old, beat up landspeeder when he had first come to this planet because he had thought that he might need it to visit Luke and to run errands such as these. He was thinking of selling it now though, because he was not going to visit Luke, as per Owen's wishes, and owning a speeder when one only used it once a month was becoming a little unneeded in Obi-wan's opinion.
But eopies had to be taken care of so a speeder it was, for now. And that was what he loaded up with the few supplies that he would need to make a run to Anchorhead.
When Obi-wan landed in town, no one noticed the old hermit from way out in the Junland Wastes. And that was just how Obi-wan liked it. No one was snooping around in his business; especially imperials.
He made his way over to Burt's Place and walked in the front door, which was hanging slightly off its hinges.
Burt's Place was rich in the department of smells but it was certainly no place you would take a tourist who wanted to see the sights. They'd get an eyeful and a nose full; neither of them pleasant.
The floor was probably not dirt originally but, after years of Tatooine sandstorms, the floor did indeed resemble a dirt one. The shelves stretched into the back of the store but everything was pilled haphazardly about the place; not everything was even stacked on a shelf.
Obi-wan picked his way to the service desk, no easy feat due to the various boxes and other odd packages scattered on the way to the desk. He heaved a sigh of relief as he realized that the attendant standing, or rather lounging, against the desk was not his least favorite attendant whom he always seemed to be stuck with.
This young man had a somewhat disheveled mop of brown hair that did not appear as though it had been washed in several days. He was wearing a brown shirt and blue pants though Obi-wan doubted that the shirt had originally been that color. He stood about a hand's width shorter than Obi-wan and had bright green eyes.
The young man did not appear to be very steady on his feet. He wobbled slightly form side to side, as though swaying to music only he could hear. His hands never were quite still; he moved them from one thing to another on the counter in front of him as though he couldn't decide what he should focus on. His eyes mirrored his hands, looking around him as though a ghost would pop out at him at any moment. It took him several seconds to notice Obi-wan's presence.
"Hello! Welcome to Burt's Place. We, well I, no we… well, you know what I mean, can sell you anything from used vaporators to exotic fruit! What do ya think? You like my newly improvised speech and/or welcome?" Without giving Obi-wan a chance to answer he launched into another, "Hello! My name is Derryn Bastra. How might I be of service to your fine person this lovely evening? I can help you find anything you need, well, as long as we have it, and, you know… it's not like, dead or somthin'"
Obi-wan was beginning to reevaluate the fact that he was thankful that this young man was not Mike, the pesky, but not insane, attendant. "Umm, yeah. Can you help me find uh, some general food supplies, water, meat, fruit, and the like?"¨
"Of course, didn't you listen? I can help you find anything you need. Just follow me. Food supplies, right this way."
Normally, Obi-wan would have attempted to find what he needed himself. However, in Burt's Place it was nearly impossible unless one wanted to spend all afternoon and evening looking up and down every aisle.
Obi-wan tried not to stand to close to Derryn as he had the distinctive smell of one who has been drinking far too many intoxicants for his or her own good.
Meanwhile Derryn was rambling on about, well, Obi-wan wasn't very sure. Derryn didn't seem to have a specific topic subject. He was jumping from the local races to the items they were walking past with mind boggling speed.
"And here we have some muga fruit from Alderaan." He was pointing at a box of mechanical parts. "And did you here about that Anto Horle? He was the best- oh dear me that's in the wrong spot." He proceeded to adjust the only box that, in Obi-wan's opinion, was stacked straight on the shelf.
"Can we speed up the process a little bit? I'm kind of in a hurry." To get out of your company Obi-wan thought to himself.
Derryn had now adopted a sort of matronly tone of voice, "Now, you absolutely must try some of these lovely samples."
Obi-wan eyed something that appeared, to him, to still be alive. It had a slight purple tinge to it, and, maybe it was just his imagination but, it appeared to have eyes that stared incriminatingly at him. How dare he even think of eating them!
"No thank you. I just ate." Wow! I wonder what species is supposed to eat something like that.
It then occurred to Obi-wan that they had been walking for an inordinate amount of time. It only took two minuets to get to the back of the store form the counter. They were only several steps from where they had started and yet they had been walking around in the store for the upward of seven minuets.
"Um, Derryn? Are you sure you know where you are going?"
Derryn, now back to his normal tone of voice responded, "Of course man. I've worked here for a whole two days." What struck Obi-wan as vaguely amusing, and disturbing at the same time, was that he deadly serious.
"Right."
After several more times up and down the aisles, Derryn pointing out various items, they finally arrived at the desired location. Unfortunately, the boxes that Obi-wan wished to purchase were far out of reach.
He pointed them out to Derryn who responded with, "No problem man. I'll get them boxes down quick like for ya."
Derryn then proceeds to climb, monkey like, up to the top shelf. Obi-wan stared up at him in mute shock as he asked, as though this were an everyday occurrence, which boxes exactly, Obi-wan wished to purchase. When Obi-wan had selected the boxes Derryn pitched them down, one at a time, towards Obi-wan's now waiting arms.
After all the boxes were safely stacked in front of the counter so Obi-wan could purchase them and Derryn was safely standing behind said counter, Obi-wan heaved a sigh of relief. No more problems should arise today, he thought.
He was only slightly off. He did finally convince Derryn that he should indeed accept his credit chip with a little persuasion.
As he exited the store, Derryn shouted after him, "Come back soon."
Yeah. Right.