"Master Yoda… what is this?"
Obi-Wan poked at the bizarre piece of meat on his plate. "It looks like… an ear."
Yoda scowled. "Caught it in the forest I did, and eat it you will, or go hungry!"
Obi-Wan picked up his fork with a grimace, glancing quickly at Calraen who was sitting opposite him, wondering if she'd found the exchange at all amusing. No luck. If he could just see that she was capable of smiling, he might feel more comfortable with the prospect of training her. But she was so… serious.
All but the twins were seated around a table between the two buildings. Dinner was well before sunset because they didn't have the power for artificial lighting. Obi-Wan knew his break on-planet wouldn't last long. He wanted to have them generating their own power as soon as possible, because the cell they used for absolute necessities wouldn't last much longer. A solar panel would be their best option. He could think of a few planets where he would be able to obtain one without much difficulty... A voice cut into his thoughts.
"It is lucky that Master Yoda is able to catch wild animals for us," Bail's wife Breha said serenely. "Otherwise I'm not sure what we'd eat."
"I've started some crops on the other side of the hill," Jacum informed Bail and Obi-Wan. "Since you've been gone, we've made quite a lot of progress. But it will take some time for them to become established."
"What have you planted?" Bail asked.
Obi-Wan tuned out, watching Calraen out of the corner of his eye. She had her eyes fixed on her food which she was eating very slowly. Steeling himself, he took a bite out of the strange meat, chewed it for a few seconds, then gagged.
She glanced up at him as he stifled a choking sound, one hand covering his mouth as casually as he could manage while his eyes watered.
Once he'd forced himself to swallow, she said, "Try smaller pieces covered with the sauce. It disguises the taste."
"Oh, thankyou," Obi-Wan said between gulps of water. "How do you know that?"
She shrugged, her eyes returning to her plate. Obi-Wan pushed his fringe back and wondered if she'd always been like this, or if it was just a result of what had happened to her since the Sith takeover.
He was at a loss for what to try next, but then Yoda turned from the conversation between Bail and Jacum to them.
"How feel you, Padawan?"
"Better, Master."
"Appreciate, did you, the attentions of our medical droid?"
"Yes. I wasn't expecting you to have one."
"Obi-Wan you have to thank. A great effort he made to bring one here, as he considered it the most important thing to acquire."
Yoda had put it that way on purpose. Calraen was forced to raise her eyes to Obi-Wan again. "Thank you, Master Kenobi," she muttered sullenly.
Obi-Wan waved his hand dismissively. "I was concerned that it would not be competent, it's quite an old model. Did it seem to know what it was doing?"
Another shrug. "I believe so."
Silence again on that end of the table. Obi-Wan glanced at Yoda again, but the little Master had turned back to the others. He wanted Obi-Wan to do this on his own.
oo00OOOIOOO00oo
"Master, please, give me somewhere to begin. She won't even talk to me!"
The light was just beginning to fade as Obi-Wan walked along the forest's edge with Yoda. His stomach growled softly because he hadn't been able to bring himself to eat any more of the ear-meat, and he felt certain that Yoda noticed it.
"Know little more about her experience do I. She will not confide much to me."
"What has she told you?"
"On the planet where you found her, a mission she was completing with her Master. Killed, her Master was by the clone troopers, but she managed to escape. That is all she has told me, but know I do that she was not so sad and serious when I last saw her. Happened to her, something terrible has, and fear I do to guess at the possibilities."
There were five small rooms allocated to sleeping, though Jacum planned for them to become storage when more of the complex was complete. Obi-Wan didn't hesitate to blame Yoda completely when he found that Calraen had been allocated to share his room, but then he supposed it was the only place available.
He came in when it was dark and saw she was already rolled in the pile of blankets that passed as a bed and breathing steadily enough that she must be sleeping. He was glad, for it saved him much awkwardness. Sitting down on his bedroll, he pulled off his boots and tunics and was glad to finally lie down.
It may not be much, but Bail was right. This place was home.
Yes, I realise not much happened in this chapter. Tough. (lol - needed to set up for next chapter).
