Not What It Seems-- Chapter 2...
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They arrived just in time to board their space cruiser. Somehow along the way, Obi-Wan had ended up with all three bags, but he wasn't quite sure how it had happened. The only thing he did know was that Arella Tenot was a spoiled, conceited, annoying girl that was going to push him to the limits of his Jedi patience.
After dropping off the bags and witnessing Arella's tirade of instructions for their treatment, they entered and found their seats. Being the daughter of such a prominent government official had its perks, and Obi found himself sitting in first class surrounded by about fifty other highbrow travelers. //They're probably all like her,// he thought to himself as a shiver ran down his spine. //What an awful thought!//
A room full of eyes glared down their long noses at him as he and Arella sat down in their booth. For one of the first times ever he was feeling very self-conscious about the way he was dressed.
Arella, on the other hand, felt right at home. She immediately began rambling on about the mediocre accommodations compared to her last trip. Obi-Wan tried to pay attention to her, but she was speaking so fast and saying really nothing at all, so his mind quickly drifted to other things. Every now and then he would nod or force himself to smile, but she wasn't fooled for long.
"...are you?!" Obi-Wan snapped out of his inner reflection at her insistent tone.
"Hmm?!" he muttered.
"I said you're not even listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" She seemed a bit perturbed by his lack of interest and huffed before crossing her arms in frustration.
"I'm sorry," Obi said, unsure of how to respond. "I was just...." he was trying to think fast, "... just checking out the other passengers to make sure none seemed a threat to you." He waited to see if she would buy it or not.
"Yeah, right!" she said sarcastically. Then she jumped up from her seat and Obi-Wan did likewise.
"What are you doing?" he asked firmly.
"I'm going to use the refresher, IF that's okay with you. Or would you prefer to come with me?" Her left eyebrow rose in defiance as she waited for his response.
"Oh... all right," he replied as she pushed her way past him into the aisle. "But if you're not back in five minutes..."
"Puh-lease!" she replied. "I'm not a child!" Then she snapped around to go.
"Could've fooled me," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. She stopped dead in her tracks, and Obi braced for another tantrum. However, she kept walking.
As soon as she was gone, Obi-Wan reached for a data disk from the stack of ten or so on their table. Each disk contained articles of various kinds-- entertainment, news, sports. Obi-Wan was ready to put an entertainment disk into the data pad when a voice broke his concentration.
"May I sit down?" Obi-Wan looked up to see a beautiful young woman standing at his booth. Her jet black hair was piled high on top of her head and a few stray tendrils clung to her neck. Her bright green eyes focused on him and he swallowed hard.
"Sh... sure," he replied motioning to the seat across from him.
"Thank you," she said softly as she slid onto the seat. "These trips can be so boring with no one to talk to."
"I'm sure," Obi replied, unable to believe his luck. While he usually stayed focused and away from the fairer sex, he was still human, and she was amazing!
The woman, which Obi guessed to be several years older than him, introduced herself and began to ask about him. He found their conversation a welcome relief from the company he had been forced to keep for the past few hours.
Arella had stayed gone for more than twenty minutes just to test the Jedi's meddle. He hadn't come after her, and she was feeling triumphant and ready to rub it in his face. Then she saw him. He was smiling and talking with someone that she couldn't see. He looked quite handsome with a smile on his face, and it took Arella by surprise that she thought so. As she continued on and neared their booth, she saw the recipient of his twinkling eyes.... a woman... a very pretty woman. Arella's heart dropped, again much to her surprise. Then a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Hello, Darling!" she exclaimed as she slid onto the seat and sidled up close to Obi-Wan. He looked at her in shock and was speechless as was the woman across the table. "Did you miss me, love?" she continued as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. Then she tugged at his padawan braid and placed a kiss on his gaping mouth.
Then Arella turned to the woman. "We're on our honeymoon, you know. We just can't wait to get to that bedroom, can we, lover?"
The dark haired woman stood up and quickly excused herself as Obi-Wan watched her departure with a distraught look on his face. He glared at Arella and untangled himself from her arms.
"What was that all about?!" he demanded.
"What are you talking about?" she said innocently. Obi-Wan could feel his face heating up and stopped to let a soothing calm flow through him. He knew if he didn't, he might throw her right out the viewport.
"You are absolutely unbelievable! You don't need a bodyguard because if someone kidnapped you, they'd be begging your father to take you back and offering him payment instead of demanding it!" He knew Qui-Gon would be disappointed with him, but it had to be said.
"I was only kidding. Lighten up, will you! Besides, my father hired you to watch out for me, and you can't very well do that if you're trying to pick up dates, now can you?"
Obi-Wan's lip twitched as he fought back a snarl. Arella could sense that she had perhaps gone a bit too far and quickly moved to the other seat across from him-- out of his reach. "She wasn't even really that pretty, and she was old enough to be your mother." Still no response. Arella, for the first time, was starting to get a bit nervous. Luckily, a waiter happened by.
"Oh, here we go. We'd like to order drinks, please," Arella said, trying desperately to change the subject.
"What can I get for you?" the man asked.
"I'll take a Corellian brandy on the rocks, and what will you have?" she questioned the Jedi.
"She'll have a water, and so will I," he stated calmly.
"I don't want water. I want a brandy," she replied politely.
"No, you'll have a water. Two waters, please," Obi said to the waiter with a smile.
"I don't want a water!"
The waiter, unsure of what to do, just stood there looking from one to the other. Finally, Obi-Wan spoke again this time waving his hand slowly in front of him.
"You WILL bring her a water."
"I will bring you a water," the waiter replied as if hypnotized by Obi's very words. The man turned to go fill the order, and Arella sat dumb struck staring after him.
"What just happened?" she asked.
"Nothing," Obi-Wan replied nonchalantly. "Does your father know you order adult drinks?"
Arella snapped out of her awe to answer. "Why would he care? He doesn't pay attention to anything except his politics."
//Ah! A chink in the armor,// Obi thought to himself. //This information could be useful later.//
After regaining a bit of control, he felt better about the situation. She was indeed quite a handful, but perhaps all she needed was someone to stand up to her. Well, he would happily be the one to bring her down from her pedestal.
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Arella remained bearable for the remainder of the trip. She drank her water-- without complaint-- and then eventually fell asleep, much to Obi-Wan's delight.
As she slept, Obi-Wan happened to glance over at her and let his gaze linger. //Looks sure can be deceiving!// he thought with a chuckle. She really was a pretty girl, when she wasn't conscious and talking. Her long blonde hair bunched around her face and contrasted nicely with her lightly tanned skin. //Too bad she has to wake up,// he thought, feeling guilty as soon as it flashed in his mind.
As a Jedi, he wasn't supposed to judge people, especially when he knew next to nothing about them. He didn't know much about Arella's background, so he grudgingly determined to be more open-minded and give her another chance. The remark about her father had given him just a glimpse into her soul. Maybe there was more to her than just the annoying surface......maybe.
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* More to come!.....