Title: Spin Cycle
Author: Nissa
Warnings: G
Summary: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have to help Master Yoda teach a group of Padawans how to do their laundry.
Feedback: Yes please! Either e-mail me at secondstar1@hotmail.com or post your reviews right here on ff.net.
Disclaimer: All right folks, you know the drill. I didn't create any of these characters, and I am definitely not making any money off of them. They're all owned by George Lucas. This story is intended for pure silliness and was inspired by a late night laundry session in the dorm. And don't worry, no Jedi were harmed in the making of this story. :-) Oh yes, please do not repost this anywhere without my permission. Thanks.
Category: Pre-Phantom Menace, during the Jedi Apprentice Years
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Spin Cycle

A mound of sandy colored tunics, brown woolen robes, and various other articles of clothing seemed to be moving down the hallway all on their own. It bumped and trailed in the path of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. It took a few moments before anyone could even notice the boots that were shuffling under the enormous pile of laundry. Unfortunately for the person wearing the shuffling boots, they couldn't see anything in front of them, including Master Jinn when he came to a halt. The pile of dirty clothes bumped into the tall Jedi's back. Qui-Gon was unfazed, but behind him the cloaks, tunics, and shuffling boots went crashing to the floor.

"Obi-Wan, I told you that this would be a perfect opportunity to practice using the Force for seeing," Qui-Gon chuckled as he turned around to look down at his Padawan.

"Sorry, Master," Obi-Wan mumbled as he pulled a pair of boxer shorts off his head. "I think the stench from your work-out tunic interfered with my connection to the Force."

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at the cheeky apprentice and chuckled. "And you wonder why I complain about you leaving your boots by the fan after dueling practice."

"But seriously," Obi-Wan protested as he gathered up the laundry. "Why do we have to be the ones to help Master Yoda with this demonstration? You know that I'm terrible at doing laundry."

"Exactly. I thought you could use the practice." Qui-Gon grabbed an armful of the clothes. "C'mon now, or else we're going to hold up his demonstration."

Obi-Wan sighed, scrambled to grab up the rest of the clothes, and hurried down the hall with his Master.

* * *

"Soap, this is," the small green Jedi said, holding up a brightly colored bottle. "Use too much of it you must not, or bubbles you will make."

Yoda continued on instructing the bored looking group of Padawans on the finer points of laundry bleach and detergent just as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan snuck into the back of the room. Obi-Wan dumped the pile of clothes on top of one of the washers and then hopped up to sit on an inactive dryer.

"Obi-Wan!" Yoda immediately barked out. "Sit on the dryers you must not!"

"Sorry," a red-faced Obi-Wan muttered as he slid off the dryer. A few of the other Padawans snickered.

"Enough," Yoda turned back to his crowd. "Begin now, you must. Watch Master Jinn and his Padawan as their laundry they do."

Qui-Gon and his apprentice took this as their cue to dump their laundry into the machines. The brown cloaks and other dark clothing went in one machine while the light colored tunics went in the other. A few of the female Padawans started giggling when they noticed Obi-Wan trying to hide a few pairs of colorful boxer shorts as he stuffed them into the machine.

Yoda then instructed the Padawans to watch Qui-Gon as he put the laundry detergent in the machine. As Qui-Gon was demonstrating the proper amount of detergent to use, Obi-Wan was also filling his machine. He was doing a fairly good job until one of the Padawans backed up and stepped onto his foot. Knocked off balance, his hands slipped from the detergent bottle.

Sithspit, he swore in his mind. He reached out to grab the bottle and for once was thankful for Jedi reflexes. He heaved a sigh of relief as he righted the bottle back on the shelf and shut the machine's lid. It didn't look like too much detergent had spilled.

Ah, it was only a bit that spilled. Besides, those clothes were smelly and a little extra soap won't hurt them, he reasoned.

Yoda then told the Padawans to go put all their clothes into the other washing machines and then gather around on the floor so that he could teach them the "wash cycle meditation." Their job completed for the moment, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon ambled over to the other side of the room where the holo screen was going on about the days news on Coruscant.

"That wasn't so bad Obi-Wan, now was it?" the bearded Jedi said with a smile.

"No, I suppose not. Guess I'm learning."

"Well, it's about time you learn the proper way to do laundry. I've never heard of an eighteen year old that is so inept at taking care of his own clothes."

Obi-Wan just arched an eyebrow and leaned back against the wall. "If that's all we have to do then I'm just going to relax for a bit."

"Fine by me," Qui-Gon answered as he plopped into a chair and picked up a magazine that someone else had left behind. He had barely had time to open the magazine when a yelp came from Yoda's group.

"Look at the bubbles come out of that thing!" one Twi'lek Padawan exclaimed.

"No!" Yoda squawked. "Happen this is not supposed to! Who's machine this is?"

No one from Yoda's Padawan group stepped forward. Instead, they all followed Qui-Gon's gaze to the Padawan that was trying very hard to shrink into the couch.

"It's not my fault!" Obi-Wan exclaimed with a red face.

"It is your machine, Padawan, so you must go clean up the mess. Now." Qui-Gon ordered, thankful that his mustache and beard hid his smirk.

Obi-Wan got off the couch and shuffled over to the machine. He opened the lid of the washer to see what the problem was and a spray of bubbles went flying into his face.

"Aah! I can't see!" he yelped. He brushed at the soap bubbles in his eyes, backpedaling away from the machine.

"Look out!" a Padawan from the group exclaimed.

The accident-prone apprentice turned around to try and see who had called the warning when the heel of his boots landed in a puddle of bubbles. Feet, arms, and legs went flying into the air as Obi-Wan slipped. He hit the ground and fell backwards against the base of the shelf. Everything on the shelf rattled and bumped together.

Obi-Wan glanced up at the rattling shelf just in time to see the bottle of soap detergent fall off the shelf.

"No!" he yelled and reached out for the bottle. He still had some soap in his eyes though, and instead of calling the bottle to him, it hit the top of the machine, knocking the bottle's cap off. The remainder of its contents gushed out into the open washing machine.

By now Qui-Gon was trying very hard not to laugh and Yoda was sputtering his disbelief at the Padawan's ineptitude.

Obi-Wan jumped up and fished the bottle out of the machine but it was already empty. Within seconds the machine started spewing bubbles everywhere. The Padawans were shrieking and laughing as Yoda tried to shout orders at Obi-Wan.

"The clothes from the machine, remove now!" Yoda sputtered.

Obi-Wan hastily nodded and started pulling the piles of cloaks out of the machine. He ran to put them in a dryer but slipped on the bubbles again and the cloaks went flying into the air.

"Oh Force!" the frustrated Padawan exclaimed. He hurriedly gathered the cloaks from around the room, having to pull some from off of the group. These are heavier than I remember, he thought. But then again, they are soaking wet mounds of brown wool. They should be heavy! He hurriedly stuffed them into the dryers and then turned around to deal with the bubbles. Qui-Gon took pity on his apprentice and helped him hurriedly gather the bubbles together with the Force and push them down a floor drain.

"Oh man," Obi-Wan sighed and sank down onto the floor. "I hate laundry."

"Obi-Wan," a somewhat puzzled Qui-Gon began.

"What?" came the groan.

"Where's Master Yoda?"

No sooner than the words had escaped Qui-Gon's lips when a banging came from one of the dryers. All heads turned to see an extremely disgruntled Jedi Master being twirled around with a bunch of brown cloaks.

Qui-Gon's jaw hung open with disbelief as he stared at his Padawan. "Obi-Wan, did you . . . he's in there . . . how the heck did you manage that? No, don't answer. I'll open the door to the dryer and you run."

"Yes, Master," the wide-eyed Padawan readily agreed. He was out the door before Qui-Gon even stood up.

The Jedi Master hurriedly opened the door to the dryer and helped Yoda untangle himself.

"Which way?!? Which way he did go?" Yoda demanded.

Qui-Gon prayed to the Force that Obi-Wan had enough of a head start and pointed towards the door. Yoda took off as fast as his short legs would allow, waving his gimmer stick in the air and yelling for Obi-Wan.

The group of Padawans just stared in disbelief as the most respected Jedi in the Temple rushed out the door, with dryer sheets and lint trailing behind him. It was a few moments before they turned to back Qui-Gon, their eyes still bulging and mouths hanging open.

"Well, I do have one thing to warn you all about for your next lesson," Qui-Gon started to say, gesturing about with his hands.

"But Master Yoda said that our next lesson is cooking."

"Yeah," another added. "What could possibly go wrong in the kitchen?"

Qui-Gon stared pointedly at all of them. "You're supposed to learn how to bake a cake, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Yoda has already asked Obi-Wan and I to help with that lesson. And I take it," he said with a crooked smile, "that you've never seen Obi-Wan try to bake a cake."

Fin.

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So what do you think? Should this become a series?