A day and a half later Qui-Gon glared into the soil of his plant pot.
Why wasn't it growing? What was he doing wrong?
Sith, he was beginning to sound like Jemmiah…
"You put this in the same time as your one?" He indicated the bulb with a sweep of the hand.
"Yup." Jemmy nodded. "Well. A day later. I did my one at school but it was easier to take the others home as bulbs and then plant them."
Qui-Gon nodded, not really paying attention.
Jemmiah watched him as he sat miserably beside the plant pot, wearing an expression half way between disgust and misery. Part of her wanted to laugh her head off at the irony and the other part wanted to tell him she knew how he felt.
"I'm NOT letting him beat me. No way!" Qui-Gon refused to countenance it. "I would never live it down. And besides…"
"You're incredibly mean with money and you don't want to pay him!" Grinned Jemmy, lying along the sofa on her front, kicking her legs up idly.
"I am not mean." Qui-Gon looked shocked. "Frugal, maybe."
"That's the same as mean on Corellia." Jemmiah replied.
"And what do you remember about Corellia?" Qui-Gon said absently, hoping to trick her into talking.
He watched her out of the corner of one eye and could see he hadn't tricked her at all. And yet she still decided to speak.
"Not much, really." She chewed her lip. "I remember we had a big garden. There was this huge tree that used to throw down acorns onto us. Father built a swing to push us on. Todd always fell off!" She laughed at the memory. "He always ran back to the house with cuts on his knees and scrapes on his head. But I was brilliant and I used to sit tight even when the swing went right up to the top so I could almost touch the branches."
"I didn't know you remembered your father." Qui-Gon looked surprised. "You never mentioned him before."
"I don't really." She smiled slightly. "He was really tall. He was just a pair of legs to me. Mother always said he was a pilot. I used to think that was pretty neat. But then she said he hadn't come back from a mission one day. They found the wreckage in the sea."
She looked at Qui-Gon in embarrassment.
"I find it difficult to get upset about him, does that sound terrible? I don't remember him at all well. And it's not easy to get attached to a pair of occasionally visiting legs."
Jinn shook his head.
"No. There's no shame in that." He replied. "What else do you remember?"
"About Corellia?" Jemmiah crinkled her brow. "Not much. We had this pet Vampki; he was a huge furry, ugly looking thing. He used to sit on my head like a hat! The size of his hairy feet was incredible, and when he jumped about you could hear him for miles. That's why we gave him his name."
"And what was that?"
"General Thunderpaws!" Jemmy giggled. "Wasn't that great? He had these massive eyebrows just like the pictures of General Zzubaki you see in history books. That was my idea."
"I thought it would be." Qui-Gon said. "And your brother?"
"Todd?" She twisted her hair around her finger uncomfortably. "What about him?"
"You only mentioned him once, as far as I recall." Jinn asked carefully. "What do you remember about him?"
Jemmiah looked at the floor for a moment.
"He was a year older than me. We used to play together a lot, but that's about it. I guess I'm worried…" She halted awkwardly.
"Worried about what?" Qui-Gon asked gently.
"That I'll forget him. Sometimes I can barley remember what he looked like."
Jinn nodded slowly.
"What happened to him?" He asked.
Jemmy chose her words carefully.
"Merdan didn't want him." She answered finally.
Ignoring the laden silence, Jemmiah tried valiantly to change the topic, pointing instead at the soil.
"So what do you think is wrong?" She asked. "You going to beat Windu or what?"
"That's Master Windu to you." Qui-Gon replied, glad to talk about something else. "And of course I am going to beat him."
"How?" Jemmiah persisted.
"I don't know."
Qui-Gon turned his thoughts back to the plant pot, at least partially, crumbling the soil in between his fingers.
Jemmiah walked over to him.
"Master Jinn." She said seriously.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Umm…don't take this the wrong way."
"What?"
"It's just that," she looked from side to side as if afraid of being overheard, "I don't think staring at it is going to help."
Qui-Gon sat straight up, eyes gleaming dangerously.
"You little…never, EVER use my own words back at me!" He laughed.
"What's so exciting about it, anyway? You can't see anything happening?"
"OK, OK!" He admitted. "I was wrong!"
"Don't you think you're taking it all a little bit too seriously? It's not going to answer you back!" Jemmiah ran through to the safety of the kitchen.
"Oh, look where I've fetched up!" she smirked as she came to a sliding halt by the refrigeration unit.
"Jemmiah, leave those cakes alone until after our meal…"
Qui-Gon gave up as he saw her hand reach in for one of her rock cakes.
"Oh, yes. That reminds me." He smiled at her. "How did it go?"
"What?" She asked, puzzled.
"The peace offering?"
Jemmiah tried to think what he was talking about…
"Oh, I know what you mean!" She said suddenly as the dawn of realization fell upon her. "I have to say, that Operation Digwurt was a complete success."
"You see?" Jinn replied. "I knew you'd make it up."
"Oh, we didn't do that." Jemmy shook her head in rigorous denial.
"Then how…?"
Jemmy began to inch slowly towards her bedroom, wiping crumbs from her mouth as she went.
"Sophie is a complete swamp hog. I've never seen anyone stuff food away like her. Not even Obi-Wan."
"And?"
"She has the rather annoying habit of hitting people until they hand their food over to her. Either that or she raids your personal locker. Happens to me quite a lot."
Qui-Gon folded his arms.
"You never said."
"I figured I'd give her a taste of her own medicine." Jemmy chuckled, still inching towards her room. "And I knew those rock cakes would be too much of a temptation."
Jinn closed his eyes.
"Go on." He groaned.
"Well, lets say she won't be stealing anyone's food for a long time. Let's see how a trip to the emergency dentist will curb that particular pleasure."
"What?" Qui-Gon asked in alarm.
"Those rock cakes?" Jemmy's face was apologetic but her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"What about them?"
She was within running distance of her door.
"Turns out they had real rocks in 'em."
*****************************
"Two weeks." Grumbled Jemmiah with her arms up to her elbows in foam. "Two weeks of washing dishes, all because of that Digwurt creature."
Obi-Wan shrugged.
"You were lucky you didn't get a whole month." He replied as he looked up from the assignment he was writing. "When Zac and I put gum in our master's boots that's what we got."
"Did you do that?" Jemmy looked interested.
"Uh-huh. But don't go getting any ideas. Qui-Gon's a great person to have on your side but not very nice when you cross him."
"So I found out." Jemmiah moped. "You know, he wasn't so much upset that I did that thing to Sophie but that I got him and Master Windu to wash the dishes whilst I sat in the comfortable chair and watched holos."
Obi-Wan nodded.
"Sounds like my master. He probably thinks your schoolmate deserved it. Not that he'd admit it."
"Actually," Jemmiah looked uncertain, "I think he's afraid to come down like a permacrete brick on me because he doesn't know how to treat me at the moment."
"The Soul Healer thing?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yeah," she let her face slide into a sneer, "that. You know, a less honest person would take advantage of that."
"And you're not going to?" The padawan popped a chocolate into his mouth.
"What's the point?" The ten-year-old groused as she scrubbed at the scrambled egg sticking to the pan. "All that does is drag this whole thing out. And he'll just think I'm psychologically damaged and send me back to that Sidatu woman."
She stopped for a moment, lost in thought.
"I can't pretend I'm sorry for what I did. And anyhow, if I hadn't then Digwurt would have just gone on tormenting everyone for ever and ever and ever…"
"That's why you should have spoken to me."
Jemmiah was so surprised she nearly dropped the dishes back into the water.
"Master Jinn?" she stammered. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough." He said.
"I wish you Jedi people wouldn't do that."
"What?"
"All that sneaking around. It's not dignified."
"Correct. About as dignified as putting rocks inside cakes."
Jemmiah dried the pan on the dishtowel, scowling at him.
"She's only got broken teeth. It'll stop her from thieving what doesn't belong to her."
"I could have done that." Qui-Gon shook his head.
"No you couldn't!" Jemmy insisted. "Have you any idea what school is actually like? If you're the slightest bit different from all the others then they bully you. If you show the smallest trace of weakness they'll pick on you 'till the end of time. Imagine what I would suffer if I had you go speak to my teacher and tell them I was getting harassed! I'd never hear the end of it!"
"I think you're exaggerating. Children have short memories. There's always something new to fall out over."
"Master Jinn." Jemmiah twisted the dishtowel in agitation, "I mean no offence so please don't jump on me for this, but how long has it been since you were a kid?"
Obi-Wan failed to cover his snickering.
Qui-Gon pointedly ignored the question.
"She could have choked on those stones and died." Qui-Gon said sternly.
"I never thought of that." Jemmy paused for a moment. "Not to self: must get bigger stones next time."
"What was that about a next time?"
"Nothing."
"I should hope not." Qui-Gon stared at her with his icy blue gaze. "I want your word that you will NEVER try anything of this nature again."
Jemmiah shook her head.
"I can't do that."
"Pardon?" Qui-Gon couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I don't go picking fights with people," she said slowly, "but if someone has a go at me it is my right to defend myself in whatever way I see fit. That's what I was brought up to think."
"Who taught you that?" He asked coldly.
"My friend Nadine at Merdan's camp." She replied.
"Well, she is not looking after you now. I am." He answered. "There are ways of defending yourself that do not jeopardize other peoples' welfare."
"Speaking to the head teacher?" she said bitterly. "I'd be better off suffering in silence."
Qui-Gon was not going to give in.
"You have to learn that you cannot go taking the law into your own hands. If you think this now it will only get you into greater trouble later on. Should you never listen to another piece of advice I give you, please take this one on board."
He left her to think it over for a moment.
"How's the assignment, padawan?"
"I'm having a little difficulty."
"In what way?"
"Making the words in my mind project themselves onto the workstation."
"Hmm." Qui-Gon mused as he saw the single line on the screen that Obi-Wan had managed to produce. "Perhaps a little more of this," he indicated his fingers typing, "and a bit less of this," he scrunched up an empty chocolate wrapper, "might help you to focus a bit better."
Obi-Wan sighed.
"Have you considered what I was saying?" Qui-Gon asked Jemmiah.
"About what?"
"Not taking the law into your own hands." He replied relentlessly.
"I can't promise you anything I might not be able to stick to." She grumbled. "I'll do my best."
"Thank you." He nodded. "Did that hurt so much?"
"Ask me again when I come back from school all battered and bruised with my arms out my sockets and my hair set on fire." She muttered so he couldn't hear her.
He walked over to the doorway and picked up a writing implement.
"Have you finished the dishes?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Just about."
"Good. Dry your hands and come over here."
She stared at him distrustfully but did as she was told.
"Against the wall." He said.
"W-why?" she asked.
"Just do it, please." He instructed. "And take your shoes off."
Jemmiah swallowed but stood with her back to the wall.
"Don't move."
Qui-Gon took the scribe and drew a tiny mark on the wall by the door right where the top of Jemmiah's head was.
"Right thank you." He smiled.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"I am going to repeat that process every month." He said calmly. "Then maybe you will be able to see for yourself how much you've grown."
"It won't work." She said sorrowfully. "I think I'm destined to be a midget."
"I used to think that, and look what happened to me." Qui-Gon replied. "I put it down to Yoda's gruel. For years he worried about me. Wondering if I was too thin or not tall enough for my age. I got extra helpings of the stuff. He never realized the real reason behind his extraordinary tall Rushali Blossom plant."
"You didn't?" Jemmiah laughed.
"I did. It was the only one that did like it though. All the others died."
Jemmiah smiled cheekily at him.
"If that's your secret weapon then it's not working." She grinned. "Your plant STILL isn't growing. Look at mine!"
Qui-Gon followed her gaze to the shoot that was rapidly beginning to grow out of the soil.
"There's two weeks left." He said defensively.
"But I'm going to win." Jemmy winked at him. "Master Windu has no chance. I'm afraid it doesn't look too good for you either."
He met her challenging stare.
"There's one thing you don't know about me, Tangles." He replied. "I like to win."
"I think you're going to be disappointed." She answered smugly.
"Oh, I wouldn't start crowing yet." He teased her. "A lot can happen in two weeks. And I can be extremely competitive when I put my mind to it."
"Tell me about it." Grumbled Obi-Wan.
"Nothing wrong in wanting to come first." Qui-Gon answered the boy.
"At all costs?" Jemmy asked. "Isn't that taking the law into your own hands, Master Jinn?"
Qui-Gon frowned at her.
"Tangles, I will yet be victorious. You'll see."
He reached forward with an outstretched hand and stole Obi-Wans' last chocolate.
"Sophie Digwurt's got nothing on you." Obi-Wan sulked.
**********************************
The days seemed to fly past far too quickly for Qui-Gon's liking.
Jemmiah's plant had suddenly started to shoot up and up and up, putting forth a display of tiny bluish flowers.
She hadn't stopped celebrating yet.
He, on the other hand still found himself looking at a heap of brown soil that showed no signs at all of springing into life. Time and time again he found himself wondering what he was doing wrong. He watered it, he fed it, and he made sure it got enough light. He even tried meditating with the darned thing sitting in his lap.
Then Obi-Wan came back to the apartment and caught him. The grin on his face told him exactly how amusing the boy had found it.
Well, he would not give up. That was not the Jedi way. Even although Jemmiah's plant was seemingly growing as he looked, mocking his own inability to tend its companion.
When the comlink chirped he wasn't astounded to hear Windu's voice on the other end.
"How's it going Qui?" he grinned. "How's my 200 credits?"
"They are my 200 credits and they are going to stay that way." Qui-Gon huffed.
"That's what you think." Mace said.
"And how is your plant doing?" Qui-Gon asked conversationally.
The pause was extremely revealing.
"Fine, fine." He said suspiciously. "Why shouldn't it be?"
"I bet you haven't even got it to break the surface." Qui-Gon stated.
"Have so."
"Liar."
"Well, what if I haven't?" Mace growled. "Stupid plant. I've tried everything! I've drowned it in plant food; I've baked it in sunlight and floated it in water. I've even tried breathing on it! What else is there to do?"
Qui-Gon shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Yoda said to Jemmiah that they respond to music."
"So?"
"We could always…sing to them."
"You said music, Qui. Not caterwauling."
"There's nothing wrong with my voice." Qui-Gon bristled.
"Wrong? It sound's like a Nerf in a mincing machine!"
Jinn was glad Mace could not see his annoyed expression.
"Well, I'm going to try it." He said in an injured voice.
"If anything's going to kill it off that will do it." Mace replied.
"Well, thanks Windu. I love you too. Just get my 200 credits ready."
Qui-Gon terminated the conversation and drummed his fingers against the pot and glared at Jemmiah's tall, leafy plant. He could swear it was laughing at him.
"I just want you to know that you are one ugly plant." The Jedi snapped.
**************************
"How's it all going at your place?" Zac yawned.
"Assignments, exams, assignments, missions, assignments, housework and…"
"Assignments?" Zac hazarded.
"Got it one." Obi-Wan nodded. "You are lucky that your master doesn't get field work. You get to deal with all the technical aspects of sabre practise."
"You get that too." Zac straightened his robe.
"Yes, and I'm good for my age. Everyone says so. But I could be better."
"Not as good as me." The padawan thrust his chest out proudly.
"Nobody is better than you." Kenobi grimaced.
"I know!" He smiled momentarily then let it fade on his face. "But it's not all good. My poetry is suffering."
Obi-Wan shook his head.
"Zac, I mean this with the best will in the world. Your poetry is…not very good."
"That's because I don't get the time to practise!" Zac remarked. "It's almost impossible to think up new and original verses whilst you're in the middle of a Katta."
"I suppose so." Obi-Wan grinned. "Want to grab something to eat at my place?"
"Sure. Why not?" Zac smiled.
They walked back to Qui-Gon's residence slowly, catching up on the events of the previous day.
"You know Obi, I think my muse has abandoned me." Zac sighed.
"It hasn't Zac, it's just…having a rest." Kenobi tried to reassure him. "One day soon you'll get inspiration from something and you'll be back to writing out verses of utter garbage just like before."
Zac thumped him between the shoulder blades.
"There's nothing wrong with my poetry." He laughed.
"It stinks, Zac! You know it too."
"But it's fun!"
"You just like to torture people, that's your problem." Obi-Wan shook his head as they loitered outside the door. "I swear that you've got a nasty streak…"
"Shhh!" Zac put a hand to his ear. "What's that sound?"
Obi-Wan listened carefully.
"I don't know." He looked blankly at Zac.
"Sounds a bit like…singing?"
"My master doesn't sing. Not even in the bath." Obi-Wan frowned. "What is he up to?"
"I don't know." Zac grinned incorrigibly. "Why don't we try and find out?"
**********************
Jinn felt ever so slightly embarrassed about this. Singing for one's own pleasure was one thing, not that he did a lot of that. Singing to a plant was one stage away from committal…
He shook his head and thought of the humiliation he would suffer if Mace managed to get his plant to grow and he did not. He was desperate and prepared to try almost anything. So preoccupied was he that he didn't hear the door opening behind him, or sense the presence of others within the apartment…
Qui-Gon cleared his throat.
"From Korrassi to Kashyyyk
And fair Alderaan,
Naboo, Corellia
And sweet Florizan
There's no girl who can match you
You are without peer…"
"But I can't afford you because you're so dear!" Finished Zac with a delighted expression on his face. "Hey Obi, you were right! My muse hasn't abandoned me!"
Qui-Gon spun round in shock.
"Er…Master, we wanted to…um, get something to eat…but I think we'll just leave you to it." Obi-Wan tried not to smile as they both edged backwards out the door, nearly getting stuck in the frame.
"Er…yes. We'll just go then, Master Jinn. I like the pot of soil. It's very…nice." Zac agreed before turning to flee.
Qui-Gon buried his head in his hands.
Now his padawan was convinced he was insane. And Zac was probably composing poems about strange Jedi masters who talked to plant pots.
He glared at the soil.
"What is WRONG with you?" He hissed. "Why don't you grow?"
Qui-Gon decided to do a little investigation and dug deep into the soil with his hands until he came across the bulb. Carefully he scraped away the soil and pulled it out.
Suddenly the answer became all too apparent.
Qui-Gon thumped his head off the table four times.
"And well you might!" Mace stormed in through the still open door. "I decided to have a bit of a look at this bulb to see what was wrong with the thing. And guess what?"
"You as well." Qui-Gon looked up. "It seems our would be gardening expert has made a bit of a blunder."
"A blunder?" Mace growled. "I bet it was on purpose! Little Corellian minx! She's sitting there somewhere having a laugh at us!"
"No." Qui-Gon said. "She wouldn't do that."
Mace snorted disgustedly.
"Then answer me this. Who else would plant a bulb UPSIDE DOWN in a plant pot?"
*****************************
A few days later and Qui-Gon had sent a rather excited Jemmiah on her way to school, armed with her plant to await the final result of the contest. He hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed if she didn't do well. And hoped she wouldn't be too hard to live with should Sophie Digwurt managed to beat her…
He was astonished when barely three hours later Jemmiah turned up at the temple looking rather sad.
"Why aren't you at school?" He demanded.
"No school." She mumbled.
"What? Why?"
"Got sent home." The eyes looked up at him apologetically.
"What have you done?" Qui-Gon stared in shock.
"I haven't done anything." Jemmiah pouted. "It's not my fault! The whole class got sent home and there wasn't anyone else who could take the classes."
Qui-Gon marched her over to the sofa and instructed her to sit.
"Now, tell me." He began.
"Well," she began uncomfortably, "you know that today was the day that our plants were supposed to be judged."
"Yes, I was aware of this." Qui-Gon said as patiently as he could manage.
"It didn't happen."
"Go on." He prompted.
"You see, our teacher who was s'posed to be picking the winner…"
"Yes?"
"Got arrested." She finished.
Qui-Gon's mouth dropped open.
"What for?" he asked.
"It seems that those bulbs he got everyone to grow were a little bit…dodgy."
"In what way?" Qui-Gon said in dread of the answer.
"Turns out they were…Lucifer Tree-Winders."
"Oh, please tell me you are joking!" Qui-Gon's voice expressed his horror.
Jemmy shook her head.
"Master Jinn, don't they make Drekk out of that stuff?" she asked.
"Yes, yes they do." Qui-Gon nodded, closing his eyes at the thought of the highly toxic and addictive drug. "It's a good thing those flowers never opened or we would have all been high as Rock Falcons."
Jemmiah looked at her feet.
"What was your teacher thinking of?" Qui-Gon was one step away from being angry. "Getting innocent young children to grow a potentially lethal drug producing plant!"
"I put in soooooo much effort into growing that thing." She sniffed. "I sweated blood over that stupid plant and they took it away so they could burn it! Tell me what the point of that was."
Qui-Gon put his hand on her shoulder.
"I think the point of this is that I am going to have to consider a change of school for you." Qui-Gon said dryly.
"No more Sophie Digwurt!" she beamed.
"Yes, well things don't happen overnight. You'll have to keep going to your present school until I can arrange a transfer."
Jemmiah kicked her feet against the sofa.
"I'm bored." She said.
"You've only got in. How can you be bored already?" Qui-Gon frowned.
"I could try some more baking."
"No thank you." Qui-Gon shook his head.
Pause.
"Oh, they're coming to collect those two bulbs that didn't grow."
"The ones you put in upside down?"
Jemmiah grinned.
"Whoops!" she smirked. "I told you that gardening wasn't my strong point. I think if you don't mind I'll give it a miss from now on."
"I'm very glad to hear it." Qui-Gon replied.
Jemmiah took of her shoes and slid back into the sofa. She hadn't been joking when she'd said she was going to give up gardening. It caused far too much aggravation, and for what? Looking out onto the fern filled balcony she didn't know how Master Jinn could find it all so peaceful and relaxing.
Qui-Gon looked relieved that the whole thing was over and she couldn't say she blamed him.
Perhaps, under the circumstances, now was not the time to tell him about the bulbs she'd planted in the temple gardens…
THE END.