Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, the Jedi Apprentice series, or any nursery rhymes.
Qui-Gon sat in the training room patiently. To anyone who didn't know him, Qui-Gon would appear to be a perfect example of Jedi serenity. Mace Windu knew better. He could see the subtle signs of amusement, and of more concern, mischief, in Qui-Gon's eyes that almost always meant trouble.
"You're planning something" Mace stated with a sigh. After his misunderstanding of the antics of Padawan Kenobi earlier that afternoon, Mace wasn't sure he could handle the chaos that he was sure would result from whatever Qui-Gon was planning.
Earlier that day, when Obi-Wan had presented his extra assignment, Mace had mistakenly interpreted his frustrated jumping as a type of tribal dance. As the temporary instructor for Planetary Background, he had of course imitated it. Master Yoda, who was familiar with the rhyme, had set Mace straight.
Qui-Gon's posture remained unchanged, but as a burst of unexpected laughter echoed from across the hall, his lip began to quirk upwards into a smile. "You should join me," Qui-Gon stated calmly, "my padawan will be here at any moment".
Mace sighed, but sat down next to his eccentric and often exasperating friend. "I'm not sure I want to be around your padawan right now" Mace told him.
"That may be," Qui-Gon replied, "but the rumor mill has found its way back to me, and I believe my padawan owes you an assignment. Something about his origins, I believe?"
Before Mace could reply, the door to the training room opened. Obi-Wan quickly entered and shut the door behind him. To Mace's surprise, Obi-Wan's hair perfectly matched his face, as both of which were now a bright shade of pink. Mace immediately got it. He turned to Qui-Gon and smiled. "Would you care to explain?" Mace asked.
"Come sit down," Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan, "and there's no need to blush, that shade looks good on you".
Obi-Wan stood and stared at his master in shock. He realized that it had been his Master who had dyed his hair pink. Slowly, Obi-Wan walked forward and sat down. Qui-Gon calmly began to explain.
"While your behavior this afternoon was amusing, I believe you still owe Master Windu a presentation about the culture of your planet of origin," Qui-Gon began, "and, as the assignment is due today and you are still unprepared, I have decided to assist you" He explained.
"You belong to a species whose original planet is unknown, and so I have decided to modify you're presentation to reflect the culture and behavior as it is expressed by a typical adolescent of your species right here on Coruscant".
Qui-Gon stopped and took a breath before continuing. "Typically, individuals of your species spend their adolescence attempting to discover who they are by experimenting with different looks. These looks are meant to reflect who the adolescent, called a "teenager", believes himself, or herself, to be".
Qui-Gon stopped for a second and then addressed Obi-Wan directly. "As you're behavior this afternoon clearly reflects the rebelling behavior of a teenager, I have decided to assist you in changing you're appearance".
Mace Windu smiled, "I believe this will do nicely for your assignment," Mace told Obi-Wan, "of course, in order for the assignment to truly be accepted as you're work, you will need to retain your new look for as long as your rebelling behavior continues" Mace finished with a grin.
Qui-Gon smiled. "I couldn't agree more" he replied.
By the end of the week Obi-Wan's grades had improved by at least twenty percent, and his pink hair was gone.
Many years later…
Anakin sighed. Planetary Background had to be the most boring class he had ever taken. What made it worse was that his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the planets strictest, most rule abiding, stick-in-the-mud ever, was teaching the class.
"Is something the matter Padawan Skywalker?" Obi-Wan questioned.
"No" Anakin replied. While his master was the teacher for the class, Anakin knew that his master's no-nonsense attitude meant that he wouldn't get away with any disrespect. Still, his master seemed to sense his frustration. But to Anakin's surprise, his master began to blush slightly.
"Padawan Skywalker," Obi-Wan began, "I believe there is some research you will benefit from doing".
Anakin groaned. He hated extra assignments. Still, he got ready to write down what the assignment would be.
"I want you to watch the temple security recording 062705-021906-072513*" Obi-Wan instructed, "You should also know that I will not hesitate to make this a two part assignment if the need arises".
As the lesson continued, Anakin wondered why his master wanted him to watch temple security footage and how could it possibly benefit him. He also wondered what had made his master blush.
After the class ended, Anakin headed to the Archives to watch the assigned footage. He laughed when he saw Master Windu jumping up and down. He laughed even harder when he saw his master, still as a padawan himself, appear with pink hair. But as he listened to Master Qui-Gon explain, he lost all traces of amusement. That explained why his master was so strict in his adherence to the rules! As Anakin ran a hand through his own hair, he realized what the second part of his assignment would be if he did not behave himself. He silently vowed not to push his luck.
The End.
* 062705-021906-072513 is the dates for the three stages of this fanfiction, and was included mostly for my own records. The work was begun on 6/27/05, went on Hiatus after the sixth chapter was posted on 2/19/06, and was completed on 7/25/13.
Note- At some point I may decide to write a revised version of this story, as the quality of the writing for the first six chapters is not up to my standards. For now, I am leaving the work as is. Sorry about the wait for this chapter and I hope you enjoyed the story, despite the writing. Feel free to review!
