Summary:

Obi-Wan gets a message from the Council, chats with Quinlan Vos, and accidentally decides to take some action

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

There was a message from Master Windu when Obi-Wan woke up in the morning, and he knew what it was going to say before he checked it. Seeing that he had another one almost immediately afterwards from Master Fisto only confirmed his suspicions. The Council was ready to make their judgement. It had only been a week since he'd reported the incident, and Obi-Wan spared a thought wishing that they could be this productive when it came to, well, literally any other issue. He was supposed to report to the Council Chamber at the fifteenth hour, and both Windu and Fisto had asked if he would be comfortable being in the same room as Master Jinn, although Master Fisto had phrased it a bit more delicately. He sent a message to Windu saying that he would be fine, and confirming that he would be there promptly at the fifteenth hour. After a moment's thought, he sent another message to Fisto in order to assure him that he would not be upset by his master's presence.

A bit anxious at the now looming notion of the Council session, Obi-Wan wandered into his kitchen. Bant had stopped by the other day with a rather large amount of Ceylon tea, and he had slowly begun filling the area with the other items which reflected his new life there. His things had been unpacked and there were pots and pans drying on one side of the sink. It was the kitchen of someone who enjoyed to cook, but who also was exceedingly tidy. Water was now warming on his stove, and he walked back to his bedroom to change from his sleep clothes into his tunics. There was a knock at his door and he walked languidly towards it. Only a select few people knew he lived here, so his guest would have to be either a Council member, Bant, or Anakin. It was highly unlikely that Anakin had been allowed to leave the creche without his knowledge, and Windu and Fisto had already left messages so it was unlikely that they had planned to visit him. His credits were on Bant.

Surprisingly enough, it was none of the above. Obi-Wan straightened into a less relaxed posture and searched for some sort of explanation when he saw Quinlan Vos leaning casually against his doorframe.

"Thought I saw you come in here last night," he remarked. His voice was casual and amused. He thought it was funny that he'd caught Obi-Wan lying. "Doesn't make any damn sense, but sure enough, here you are." With that, the knight walked past Obi-Wan into the room.

"Ah, yes. Come right in, Vos." Obi-Wan turned to regard the man who was now looking curiously around the room. This wasn't how he wanted to start his morning.

"Quin," he corrected, turning to face Obi-Wan, a sly smile on his face. "I looked up the room number because I was curious which knight you were shacking up with, but you were listed as the sole occupant." Obi-Wan let out a sigh and walked to his kitchen, collecting his hot water and beginning to steep his tea. It seemed he'd be making it extra strong today.

"Did you tell anyone else?" He leaned against the counter, fixing Quinlan with a pained look and being met with surprise and a confused shake of the head. Obi-Wan felt a pang of relief. "Well, please don't. It's likely everyone will know my situation by this evening anyway, but I'd still rather not be bothered about it if that's an option." Quin moved to lean against the other side of the counter, somehow weedling his way into his personal space despite the surface between them.

"Your situation?" Quinlan tilted his head to the side, and Obi-Wan went to collect a mug. He seemed to recall Vos not liking his tea too strong, and if he was going to offer some now would be the appropriate time.

"Tea?" he asked, pulling two mugs out of the cabinet to the left of the stove. He saw Quin nod and poured a cup, leaving one empty as he waited for his own to steep a bit longer. "I'm no longer Master Jinn's padawan." He walked over and handed the cup to the confused knight before him, leaning down once more and not elaborating any further. There was a moment of silence as Vos waited for him to continue, but true to his nature he couldn't wait long before prodding him again.

"You're still wearing his braid." Quinlan made a gesture to Obi-Wan's hair before taking a sip of his tea.

"Of course I am. I haven't been knighted yet." Obi-Wan turned and walked over to the pot of tea once more. It wasn't ready yet, but he needed to move around. "The Council is voting over whether or not Qui-Gon will be ejected from the Jedi Order later today. I'm still a padawan, but I have no master." He saw the incredulous look on Quin's face out of the corner of his eye. Everyone in the temple would likely know about this the moment he left Obi-Wan's quarters. Then again, they'd know the moment the Council made a decision anyway. What was a few hours, really?

"Why the fuck would they eject Master Jinn from the order?" Quin set his mug down. Hard. He looked concerned and clearly expected Obi-Wan to feel the same. "He's been on Coruscant for almost a month. We would've heard if he'd done something that stupid." Obi-Wan gave him a pitying smile, trying to decide how much of the truth he wanted the temple to know. The more they knew, the more other's might respect his space. He didn't want to have to deal with prying questions like he was now, but was respectful distance worth it when it meant people knowing about what had happened? He decided on a half truth. One that might earn him some distance, but at the same time wouldn't betray the true nature of what had happened.

"Master Jinn is facing accusations of abuse from his padawan learner." Obi-Wan poured his own tea, watching curiously as Quinlan blinked in surprise. For once it seemed the man didn't know what to say. "Well, his ex-padawan learner. As I said. I no longer have a master at the moment." He took a sip from his mug, savoring the warm feeling on his hands and the slightly bitter citrus taste in his mouth. He also savored having knocked Quinlan Vos off guard.

"Obi-Wan—"

"I'm not stupid enough to think you're not going to tell anyone about this, Quin, and people are going to find out when Qui-Gon faces disciplinary action anyway." He walked back over to the counter, a serious look settling on his face as he regarded the man closely. "But please ask people not to bother me about it when you do. I've already had to discuss it with the Council, and the last thing I want to do is face uncomfortable questions from every curious soul in the temple. It's none of their business what Qui-Gon did, and I'm not going to tell them. Or you." There was another silence as both men drank their tea, and Quinlan nodded at him.

"You know, you were listed as a knight in the records for this room." Obi-Wan almost spit out his tea. "Knight Kenobi." Obi-Wan sputtered briefly, searching for a response.

"They probably had to list me that way to input my information in the Knights' Billet," Obi-Wan finally ventured. He supposed that was a likely explanation considering how finicky automated systems could be when it came to unusual circumstances.

"I thought so too, but you were listed on the Knight Roster as well." Quin was smiling again and Obi-Wan cursed Yoda quietly under his breath. The little green shit had to have had something to do with this.

"It's a mistake." Obi-Wan shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "As you can see, I am not a knight." Obi-Wan gestured to his braid, raising an eyebrow as Quin regarded him skeptically.

"Then why'd you react like that?" Quin was smiling now, and he stood back and walked around the counter to lean next to Obi-Wan.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Obi-Wan brought his cup to his lips and found he'd already drained it. He set it on the counter dejectedly before looking back at Quin and raising his eyebrow.

"Sure you don't, Knight Kenobi." Quinlan actually punched his arm and Obi-Wan bristled in response.

"I thought you were calling me Obi now."

"I thought you didn't like it when I called you that." Quin had taken another step forward, directly into Obi-Wan's personal space. He turned to the side to face the man, suddenly feeling a tad nervous.

"I'd rather Obi than Knight Kenobi," he sighed, stepping back under the guise of leaning against the corner of the counter. Vos smirked at him.

"Well, now you know how I feel." Vos started to take another step forward, and Obi-Wan grabbed his mug and walked quickly back over to the pot of tea. There was enough for another cup, but he had forgotten to stop it steeping and it was going to be stronger than he preferred it now. Regardless, he poured himself a new cup and removed the tea from the water.

"Would you like another cup, Quin?" He looked over and saw the man settled against the counter where he had been moments ago. "I'm afraid it's been steeping this entire time. It may be a bit stronger than you prefer it." The man shook his head, clearly amused. Obi-Wan wondered what could possibly be so funny.

"That's alright, Obi." Vos pushed himself up from the counter gracefully and stretched. The motion showed off the taught muscles in his arms, and Obi-Wan briefly wondered if that was why the man always wore his distinct style of sleeveless tunic. He'd heard him claim it was due to his acrobatic fighting style, but Obi-Wan employed a similar one and managed just fine in the more traditional tunics he had on now.

"See something you like?" Obi-Wan felt his cheeks color at the smug look on Quin's face, and he brought the bitter liquid in his mug up to his face quickly before looking back, composed.

"Yes, I was just imagining you leaving." The smile on Quin's face lit up at the response.

"Always with the games, Kenobi." Quin walked around the counter and towards the door. "Fortunately for you, I have a class to assist with this morning, otherwise you'd never get rid of me." He winked. Actually winked at him. Obi-Wan blinked absently in response. "Thanks for the tea, Obi." He opened the door and walked out, leaving Obi-Wan slightly confused and clutching a cup of too bitter ceylon. What the fuck just happened?

He poured the tea into his sink and stood for a moment, pushing his conversation with Quinlan out of his mind and instead anticipating his schedule for the day. He had almost nothing to do until the fifteenth hour. His schedule was torn apart. He'd been removed from his padawan classes at Yoda's insistence—the man still wanted him to go through with his knighting ceremony—but he hadn't been put into any new ones and he wasn't mission approved. He refused to spend his day hiding and working himself up over the upcoming hearing, so he walked over to dial Bant's quarters instead.

"Kenobi." It was Fisto who answered and he groaned internally. "I see you got my message. We were worried it might be uncomfortable for both of you to be present."

"That won't be a problem," Obi-Wan assured, smiling as best he could as he sat down at his desk to continue the call. "I was actually calling to speak to Bant. Do you know if she has plans this morning?"

"Ah," Fisto responded knowingly. "Yes, she's helping with an initiate group meditation. She was rather excited about it, actually. It's Anakin's class, and she was quite eager meet him." Obi-Wan felt his spirits drop. Bant and Anakin were both busy. Reeft had already been sent out to Ord Mantell on a mission he wasn't allowed to discuss the details of. Considering the Black Sun presence on the planet Obi-Wan had assumed the mission would not be a short one or an easy one. His selection for the mission was probably an indicator of imminent knighting.

"Thank you for informing me, Master Fisto. I'll see you at the fifteenth hour." Obi-Wan went to switch the communicator off, but was interrupted before he could get the chance.

"You're sure it's okay, Obi-Wan?" He paused.

"As sure as I can be, Master Fisto." He leaned back in his seat thoughtfully. "I have not seen Qui-Gon since my confession in the Hall of Knighthood so I suppose I cannot say for sure how it will effect me, but I do not foresee any problems." He heard a sigh escape the older Nautolan's mouth.

"Master Yoda is going to ask to complete your knighting ceremony, regardless of tonight's outcome." Obi-Wan rubbed his eyes. It seemed today was going to be problem after problem. "Are you going to refuse him again?"

"Yes." He leaned forward tiredly. He simply could not understand Master Yoda's insistence, no matter how hard he tried. Master Fisto laughed.

"The Council finally makes a unanimous decision on something, and the recipient is going to turn it down." Obi-Wan scrunched his eyebrows up in tired confusion.

"The Council unanimously voted to knight me?"

"You've already passed your trials, Obi-Wan. That was more than enough information for most of us." There was a slight pause. "Once Healer Tresalis's report reached us, the only stragglers changed their tune. Technically we can't vote on Master Jinn's fate until he's given an official testimony, but I think it's fair to say we've already reached a consensus on that as well. We're on your side, Obi-Wan."

"On my side," he repeated, almost spitting the words out. "If you recall correctly, I think you'll remember that I never requested Master Jinn be ejected from the order." There was silence on the other end of the line and Obi-Wan was unsure what exactly had made him so angry all of a sudden. "In fact, I believe you'll also remember that the only thing I requested was not to be knighted. Yet here I am, sitting in the quarters of a knight with my name on the Knights' Roster, and you tell me that you've voted unanimously to knight me?"

"Obi-Wan—"

"I'll see you at the fifteenth hour, Master Fisto." Obi-Wan turned off the transmission, not giving the opportunity for a response, and immediately felt a pang of guilt. Master Fisto had been nothing but helpful and understanding towards him. Grabbing his cloak and wrapping it around himself, he pushed himself out the door and into the hallway. He had no clue where he intended to go, but his pace only quickened as he passed the main area of the Knights' Billet and heard talking and laughter. Had Quinlan told anybody yet?

Quinlan. What the fuck was this morning about anyway? What was he on about, barging into his quarters and encroaching on his personal space. Winking at him for no reason. Wearing his stupid self-indulgent tunic so that he could show off the fact that he'd done a few pushups. Everyone in the temple had done a few pushups. They were Jedi, for force sake—they didn't walk around rubbing it in everyone's faces. Obi-Wan had definition in his arms and they were currently covered appropriately by no less than three layers of cloth, because that's what Jedi wore.

"Something wrong, Obi-Wan?" He looked up from his annoyed muttering and saw Healer Tresalis, and he was about to ask her why she was bothering him when he realized that he had wandered into the Healing Halls. "Are you hurt?" His face went red.

"I think I'd like to take you up on that offer to talk."

Notes:

All the comments on the last chapter made finals week less of a hellscape. I love you all, and even if you just commented some extra kudos at me I want to know that I smiled when I got the notification. Thanks for reading, ya'll.