A/N: Hey, I haven't touched this story in quite a while. I began writing it two years ago and happened to post it just before something huge happened, and I never quite got back to it. I'm finally on quasi-holiday now (I haven't had a break since May last year) so I'm going to get this over with in the next two weeks. Remember, this is before Tahl takes Bant as her apprentice, and is set in the same universe as the silent song. I'd recommend you all to reread the first chapter just so you know why they're at the beach.
Also, I've changed my tumblr address to eirianerisdar tumblr com (replace the spaces with dots) and I've been posting snippets and short fics there, both in The Silent Song universe and outside of it.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Nerf-Stew
To Obi-Wan's astonishment, Tahl does not turn the speeder off their self-made air lane at any distance down the durasteel-forested slopes of the Manarai Mountains; she holds their course straight and true as until at last the grey-silver towers melt away to a line of shockingly blue water on the horizon, edged with sand filtered to a fine, almost artificial gold.
Obi-Wan twists around in his seat to glance at his master. Qui-Gon sits serene as ever, long brown hair rippling out behind his head, but the curve about his lips grows increasingly prominent the closer they draw to the shoreline.
Tahl spins the speeder into a beachside docking space without a care for the alarmed shriek of the corresponding servitor droid. Qui-Gon is out of the speeder in one lithe vault; Obi-Wan quits his seat with more care, hooking his arms under the pot to hand it to Tahl and straightening to squint at the sun.
After a moment's quiet contemplation, he removes his boots.
Two steps forward, and there is no longer duracrete under his feet.
Obi-Wan curls his bare toes in the sand, and raises his head to the scent of salt in the air. Children of various species run wildly across the wide dunes, down towards the water of the Western Sea. In the distance, the sky-water divide is one unbroken line of brilliant cerulean, so incongruous on a planet with such jagged horizons as Coruscant. Obi-Wan feels a sudden thrill of freedom at the sheer openness of it all, an urge to throw off tabards and outer tunics and leap for the cool water – but he reins in the un-Jedi-like urge and roots himself in place. Boots off in salty sand is logical. Running pell-mell into the water fully clothed is not.
Qui-Gon pushes past him barefoot, throws down cloak, 'saber, and outer clothing, and dives headfirst into the crashing breakers. When the Jedi master next surfaces, he is already a third of the way to the nearest floating platform, quite a ways out into the crashing waves.
Obi-Wan blinks once, but does not gape. He supposes he should be used to this by now.
"Follow him, will you, Obi-Wan?" Tahl says amusedly as she sets The Pot down in a sandy hollow. "Make sure he doesn't drown in his own exuberance."
Obi-Wan nods assent and begins to trot down to the water. Behind him, he hears Tahl mutter under her breath, "With the length of his hair, I'd wonder if he didn't strangle himself."
The waves rush to shore in ranks of crystal-topped aquamarine, each breaker tripping over an invisible line just a few paces away and diminishing into frothy silver webs that hiss over the sand to lap at Obi-Wan's toes.
He pauses for a moment. There is something terribly uncollected about simply…diving in.
But then Qui-Gon had, didn't he?
A student must emulate his master.
Obi-Wan wades into the warm waves and throws himself into battle against the tide.
He is instantly engulfed in the Living Force.
An explosion of bubbles escapes from his mouth as his eyes wrench themselves open. He floats for a moment, underwater, in a state of perfect astonishment as the Force lances into the sea through the shafting sunlight and paints the white sand below with gold. Clouds of silvery fish dart around him, staring back at him with globular eyes just as surprised as his are. He can sense with perfect aclarity two kilometers in every direction, here.
Obi-Wan nearly forgets to surface and breathe.
When he does, Qui-Gon is nowhere to be found.
Obi-Wan pauses for a moment, treading water, checking his position. He is halfway between the beach and the closest floating platform now, and the sea is crystalline. There technically should be nowhere for a six-foot, mullet-haired Jedi master to hide. Or shield, for that matter.
A hand closes around his ankle and drags him down into the sea.
Obi-Wan's silent squeak is lost in a cloud of bubbles. He fights ferociously and not at all fairly, and is rewarded with freedom.
Disoriented, he surfaces nonetheless, spluttering, to face a grinning Qui-Gon Jinn.
Obi-Wan's scowl must be quite something, because Qui-Gon's smile widens further. The fact they are bobbing on the surface of the waves makes it somehow even more infuriating.
"You could not sense me, padawan-mine?" Qui-Gon says. There is a lilting tease to the edge of his voice.
Obi-Wan raises a damp eyebrow, and feels for the currents around them.
Ah. Perfect. That one there, if nudged with the Force-
Qui-Gon makes a motion with his right hand, just under the surface of the water.
A freak wave rears out of Obi-Wan's right and swamps him with a metre of crystalline liquid.
Obi-Wan emerges fighting. He knows one of his master's quirky teaching methods when he sees one, and he will not back down from this challenge. He gives as good as he got, and is gratified by Qui-Gon's mane of brown hair disappearing in a solid smack of water into bearded face.
The Force builds with each surge of the sea, and explodes into laughter with each new spray of seawater. The water around the two Jedi soon evolves into an artificial maelstrom, churning white with warring currents. Obi-Wan's braid flings about his face, weighted with brine like a salted whip; Qui-Gon's earthen brown mane is soon sopping, too.
Qui-Gon emerges victorious, and dunks his padawan quite firmly into the water again.
Obi-Wan pancakes with a giant splash and uses a convenient wave to return the favour.
Qui-Gon somehow manages to dodges, and the whip of water continues forward unchecked to–
Floopshhh.
"Oh dear," Qui-Gon murmurs, somehow managing to skid backwards while treading water. Obi-Wan glances around his master's bulk, widens his eyes, and ducks back to use Qui-Gon as a human shield.
Tahl Uvain narrows green-gold eyes at the pair of them from under a soaked mass of red-brown hair. Water drips off her golden skin.
"Boys."
Obi-Wan does his best impression of a half-bow while treading water. Qui-Gon appears as though he is endeavoring to look innocent.
Tahl grins wickedly, and drenches Qui-Gon with a wave before turning tail and making for shore in smooth, powerful strokes.
Qui-Gon comes up spluttering something that sounds suspiciously like blast that woman, and takes off after her.
Obi-Wan follows at a sedate pace, grinning to himself as he slices through the warm Coruscant sea.
(:~:)
The nerf-stew tastes even better than usual, spooned up with flatbread held in salty fingers.
Obi-Wan holds his towel around his shoulders with one hand and uses the other to lift a piece of stew-soaked flatbread to his mouth. The result is messy, but he does not think it matters here.
From where is sprawled on the sand, Tahl takes a huge bite of her own serving. Stew drips down her chin.
"Mm," she says. "Gehmeahnaking, Quay."
Qui-Gon raises an eyebrow at her and hands her a paper napkin without comment. She accepts it, but not without swatting him with it first.
Obi-Wan swallows his last bite and decides to allow himself a moment to enjoy the warm fullness in his stomach. The sun is warm, but not scalding, and the gentle cadence of the waves rises behind him. It is quite a nice present moment to be in.
A voice over his head. "Ice cream, padawan."
Obi-Wan turns to his master, blinks, and tilts his head in question.
"You are allowed certain indulgences only because it is midsummer's day, young one. Here," – Qui-Gon hands him a credit chip – "Get yourself a tooth-rotting treat. I know you can't have had one before."
Obi-Wan accepts the credit chip with wariness. The Temple strictly regulates its foods – he has heard of confectionery before, and even something as rare and little-tasted as chocolate – but he has never heard of this ice-cream before. It sounds somewhat strange. Ice is frozen water, and cream is semi-solid. What would be the point of making cream further solid?
He notices Tahl looking at him with a small smile. The Noorian Jedi levers herself up on one elbow and jerks her head towards a low-roofed stall a couple dozen metres down the beach.
Obi-Wan sets off on his mission, determined.
Qui-Gon sighs as he watches his padawan's straight-backed walk. "Must he be so serious with even these things?" he murmurs, brushing sand absent-mindedly off his crossed legs.
"He's apprenticed to you. Did you think he would be any different?" Tahl laughs.
He smiles down at her. "Indeed. He still has much to learn."
"I'm thinking of taking on one of my own," she says, pensively.
A chuckle. "I knew you would be bored, Tahl. Which initiate was fortunate enough to have caught your attention?"
"Shh. Surprise. For Obi-Wan."
"Ah."
Two dozen paces away and quite out of range of hearing, Obi-Wan nears his mission location, and is determined to succeed.
He pauses at the counter and peruses the multicoloured selection displayed there. Already, he is confident. This should not be difficult. There are enough options that pointing and gesturing should be enough. He need not resort to flimsy. Obi-Wan looks up, smiles politely, and raises a hand.
But then the shopkeeper speaks.
"Welcome, kid," The gruff Twi'Lek shopkeeper chortles down at him. "You'll be wanting some for your parents over there, too?"
Obi-Wan's brain short-circuits.
And here we have the second chapter! There'll only be one more, I should think. Do tell me your thoughts!
And once again, I've moved tumblrs to eiranerisdar tumblr com (replace spaces with dots). You can ask me questions about fic and characters there, and request stories too!