Chapter Twenty

"Obi-Wan"

Obi-Wan grunted. He turned over and tried to bury his face deeper into his pillow. Someone was calling his name, but he could hardly hear them for the drums beating madly in his head.

"Obi-Wan, wake up." Now that someone was shaking him.

Obi-Wan groaned and opened his eyes.

Qui-Gon was standing over him. His master was holding a cup of steaming chala. Obi-Wan could smell it.

"Master," he cried as he quickly sat up. "What time is it?"

"You're not late, if that's what you're worried about." He handed the cup to Obi-Wan. "Here, drink this."

Obi-Wan took the cup and sipped the chala. It was hot and good. As his head began to clear, the smell of the chala reminded him of last evening. The birthday dinner. Cian. Aalea. He frowned.

"Is it that bad?" Qui-Gon asked.

"What?" Obi-Wan looked up and saw Qui-Gon was gesturing towards the cup in his hand. "The chala? No, it's very good. Just what I need."

Obi-Wan stood and saw he was still dressed in his clothes. He looked sheepishly up at Qui-Gon.

"Sorry about last night, Master. Guess I had a little too much wine."

"That's quite all right, Obi-Wan. It was your birthday, after all. I believe some allowance in Jedi decorum was in order."

Qui-Gon then turned and walked back into the common area. Obi-Wan followed him, sipping his chala.

"Obi-Wan, I stopped by because I want you to do a favor for me. I would do it myself, but it would make me late for my meeting with the Chancellor."

"Of course, Master. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to check on Aalea for me."

"Aalea?" Obi-Wan choked on his chala.

Qui-Gon glanced sharply at him.

"Is there some problem, Obi-Wan?"

"No. Uh, is there something wrong with Aalea?" he asked quickly to change the subject.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Qui-Gon asked, his voice pointed.

"Because, Master," Obi-Wan said slowly, "you just asked me to check on her."

Qui-Gon frowned. "Yes. I did, didn't I?" He cleared his throat. "No, there's nothing wrong with her. Just stop by her quarters before your meeting with Master Yoda and," he paused, then finished faintly, "check on her."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course, Master."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." And with that Qui-Gon strode quickly out the door.

Obi-Wan shook his head. Something was definitely bothering Qui-Gon. He quickly went over the events of last night and, except for the fact he and Aaela had had too much wine, he didn't know what else could be upsetting his master. Of course, Obi-Wan couldn't recall much of what had happened after they left Cian's apartment.

He shrugged as he headed for the showers. Whatever was bothering his master, for the time being, it appeared Qui-Gon wanted to keep it to himself.

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Obi-Wan chimed Aalea's door again. He had already chimed it twice and if she didn't answer on this one, he was going to leave. The door remained closed.

He sighed. He had tried. He turned to leave and then he heard a soft voice behind him.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?"

He turned around and his throat tightened.

Aalea stood before him and, for a moment, Obi-Wan wondered if he was having a vision. Her violet eyes, ringed by long black lashes, regarded him sleepily. Her black hair, which she normally wore in a tight bun, was unbound, except for her thick padawan braid, and lay heavily about her slender shoulders.

But what really caused the blood to rush to his face was the fact she was wearing only a blue sleep gown, one strap of which had slipped over her shoulder. He found his gaze lingering on her bare skin.

"Is there something you want?" Aalea said, her voice throaty from having just woken up.

"Huh? What?" Obi-Wan stammered as he drew his eyes away from her shoulder.

"Yes, uh," he cleared his throat and addressed her more formally. "Master Qui-Gon asked me to stop by and see if you were all right."

Aalea's eyes narrowed as she looked up at him.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" she asked sharply.

Obi-Wan sighed. First Qui-Gon, now Aalea. Had he missed something? He felt as if he had just walked into the middle of a play.

"Nothing makes me think anything is wrong," he said, a trace of annoyance in his voice. "Master Qui-Gon asked me to stop by and check on you and that's exactly what I'm doing. Nothing more and nothing less."

Aalea raised her chin and stared haughtily up at him.

"Well, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you have fulfilled your duty to your master with your customary and much heralded competence. And, as you can see, I'm quite all right."

"Fine," he said gruffly, irked by her aloof behavior. "I will so inform my master you are quote, quite all right, unquote."

When Obi-Wan saw the anger smoldering in her eyes at his words, he immediately regretted having spoken to her so. He was just about to apologize when, as Aalea moved to close the door on him, her strap slipped further down, revealing even more of her.

Obi-Wan could see a hint of the gentle curving of one of her breasts and, as he stared at it, he wondered if it would feel as soft and warm as it looked. Aalea followed his gaze with her eyes. When she saw where he was staring, she quickly pulled the strap up.

She looked back at him, her eyes impaling his. Obi-Wan felt like a bug caught squirming under a pin.

"Is there anything else?" she asked, her voice like hot ice.

"No, nothing else," he replied, his face burning.

"Then good day, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said curtly. She pressed her door closed.

Obi-Wan stood for a moment and noted with dismay his head was pounding. All right. He had done as Qui-Gon asked and checked on Aalea. And she was acting just as strangely as his master. But that wasn't his concern. Whatever was going on it was between his master and Aalea. He was just the messenger.

He glanced at his wristchrono. He had an hour before he had to meet with Master Yoda. Just enough time to stop by the gymnasium and work up a good sweat dueling with the training bots.

He turned and marched down the corridors, his boots hammering on the floor and, despite the fact Aalea Ve'Red was the last person he wanted to be thinking about at that moment, Obi-Wan couldn't get the image of her bare shoulder and the soft curve of her breast out of his mind.

To be continued...........