Body Not What It Seems--Chapter 3...

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In just a few short hours, they reached the planet of Shreeana. A speeder was waiting for them at the spaceport and Obi-Wan marveled at how luxurious everything seemed. No expense had been spared decorating the port area. Not a bit of trash was to be seen anywhere. In fact, all of the people around all appeared to be well-dressed and well-to-do. No beggars or other common riffraff could be found.

Once they reached Arella's palatial estate, they were ushered into a great room to await the arrival of her mother. Arella had not spoken more than three words to the young Jedi since the drink scene on the cruiser. She probably thought she was punishing him, but he found the silence to be very satisfying.

While they waited, a servant girl entered to see to their needs. Arella demanded a cup of hot kaffe and then dismissed the girl with a wave of her hand. Obi watched in disgust at her behavior for he noticed the look in the girl's eyes. While she obeyed with no malice, something told him that if she had her choice, she would be anywhere but there serving Arella.

Soon enough, Arella's mother arrived. She was the epitome of an elegant, well-bred noble woman, dressed to the hilt in the finest of clothes, hair done impeccably. Arella stood and curtsied in complete obeisance.

"Mother," she greeted politely, and Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. This was the first person Arella had treated with respect since he'd been in her company.

"Arella, dear," the woman replied warmly as she took her daughter's hand. "I'm so glad you're here."

Arella smiled like a little girl who had just earned praise for eating all of her vegetables. The older woman then turned to Obi-Wan.

"And you must be the Jedi my husband told me about." Obi quickly bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi at your service, ma'am."

"Oh, so polite!" she exclaimed before turning back to her daughter. "Dear, you look an absolute mess! I'm sure you want to freshen up before dinner."

Obi-Wan could see the hurt the remark inflicted in Arella's eyes as she lowered her gaze and self-consciously pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Yes, Mother. If you'll excuse me, Jedi Kenobi," she muttered, trying to hang on to a shred of dignity.

"Of course," Obi replied with a nod of his head. Then he watched her leave the room, and for the briefest moment, he felt a bit sorry for her.

"Well, Jedi Kenobi," the woman's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "this will give us an opportunity to talk. Please, have a seat." Obi sat down on a high-backed chair ready to listen. His curiosity was growing by the minute.

"I'm sure you are wondering why you have been asked to protect my daughter." The woman sat in a chair across from him and waited for a response. Obi didn't know how to respond and Mrs. Tenot grinned. Before him was a mirror image of Arella, albeit an older version. Even the gleam in her eyes was the same.

"You don't have to answer if you choose not to. My Arella is not always the most pleasant of company, which is my own fault and her father's. She is our only child, so we have been a bit over- indulgent with her. Only now, as she is being so blatantly rebellious, do we begin to see the error of our ways."

Obi-Wan was surprised by her honest revelations.

"However," she continued," that is not the reason your services have been procured. There are certain segments of our population that do not wholly agree with all of my husband's 'politics.' Recently, their dissent has escalated, and they have even resorted to threats..... against Arella."

Now Obi-Wan was beginning to see more of a purpose for his assignment here. Life threats were serious business. He wanted to ask about the 'politics' Senator Tenot had enacted which had caused such turmoil, but Mrs. Tenot had already risen from her seat.

"Arella does not know of the threats. We didn't want her to worry. My husband thought she would be easier to monitor here on Shreeana than on crowded Coruscant. She has a tendency to...... get lost from time to time."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. //Get lost?// he pondered.

"Just keep her safe, Jedi Kenobi. Please." The woman's sincere tone almost sounded like a plea.

"I give you my word, Mrs. Tenot."

"Thank you. Now, dinner will be in about another hour. I trust you'll be hungry."

"Always, ma'am," he replied with a smile.

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Obi-Wan decided to take a stroll around the estate to acquaint himself with the grounds. Now that he knew Arella's life had been threatened, he could take this mission a bit more seriously. Qui-Gon would have been disappointed in his attitude up until this point, and if Master Yoda ever found out--- well, Obi just hoped he wouldn't.

At dinner, Obi-Wan ate like a starving man. The rich-tasting dishes were something he didn't get very often, if ever, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity. When he was with Qui-Gon, he sometimes didn't know if he would even get a decent meal each day.

The meal had been somewhat awkward for the young Jedi. Arella's mother had been correcting the young woman's every move once she entered the dining room. It seemed the girl couldn't do anything to please her parent.

"Mother, I was hoping to maybe go into town tonight and see some of my friends. It's been so long."

"I don't think so, dear," was all the woman said. She didn't even look up from her plate.

Obi saw the flash of anger on the young woman's face. "Why not? I won't be gone too late. I'd just like to hang out for a while...."

"No, Arella. That's final."

Obi-Wan sensed the building tension, and out of habit, tried to lessen it.

"This food is absolutely marvelous!" he exclaimed before stuffing another bite into his mouth. Arella looked at him in disgust, but her mother smiled a maternal smile.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Jedi Kenobi," Mrs. Tenot replied. "Arella, you could learn a thing or two from our young friend here. He eats his grundeel with no complaints."

"Mother, he eats everything, period! Besides, you know I hate grundeel. It makes me sick." Arella picked up a spoonful of the greenish glop and let it drop with a splat back to her plate.

"Arella," Mrs. Tenot said under her breath, "mind your manners please. We have company."

Arella glanced over at Obi-Wan and then back to her mother. "Don't worry, Mother. He already knows I don't have any manners." Both Obi-Wan and the older woman were somewhat taken aback by the girl's statement. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room." Then she pushed back from the table and marched out.

//Did I ever act like that?// he wondered. Perhaps Arella would be more understanding if she knew her life was in danger, but he could not be the one to tell her. That was up to her parents, and apparently they thought it would be better if she didn't know. Again, he almost felt a bit sorry for her. He was beginning to understand her grumpy disposition.

After he finished, he decided to check on Arella. He knew from experience that trying to please someone and failing to do so could tear a person up inside. Maybe he could say something to make her feel better.

Without asking, he found her room. No, it wasn't the Force that guided him, but Arella's boisterous tirade directed toward the servant girl from earlier that led the way.

"No! No! No! Not that one! Can't you do anything right?! Never mind... just.... get out!"

Obi-Wan stood outside the door and was almost run over by the girl as she rushed crying from Arella's room. He grabbed her by the shoulders forcing her to stop.

"Are you all right?" he asked tenderly. The young girl looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.

"Why did she have to come back?" the girl asked, not really expecting an answer. She tore herself away from the Jedi and took off down the hall. Obi-Wan peered inside the room to find Arella sitting down, her head in her hands, and thought she might be crying, too.

He knocked lightly causing Arella to jump up from her seat in surprise. Her hair was down and tousled, and she wore a pale blue robe that she immediately pulled tight around her.

"What do you want?" she asked defensively.

//Back to her old sweet self, I see// he thought to himself.

"I just came to check on you. You seemed a bit upset when you left at dinner earlier." He cautiously entered the room, ready at any moment for another unpredictable mood swing. Arella's look softened as she realized he was being sincere.

"I'm fine, thank you," she said.

"Was there a problem just now? That girl seemed rather upset when I met her in the hall."

"Who? Jazeen? Oh, she hates me. I hate her. It's mutual. She never does anything right. I think she purposefully messes up just to spite me." Suddenly, her gaze shifted to her bed and the few outfits lying across it. She quickly moved to begin gathering them into her arms. Her actions caused Obi-Wan to become a bit suspicious.

"What are those for? Are you going somewhere?" Arella's back was to him, yet he could sense her flash of fear.

//Oh no! Think fast!// she commanded herself. //If he finds out where I was going, he'll tell Mother!// Then she felt the mischief enter, and she laid the clothes on the table and turned to face Obi-Wan. He was standing by the couch and had no idea what was headed his way.

She began sauntering towards him, that glint in her eyes again. He suddenly felt like it was getting warmer and tugged at his collar. She shook her hair out and let go of the hold she had on her robe. While it didn't really reveal anything, the way the shimmering fabric clung to her caused Obi-Wan to look where he shouldn't have. Her legs emerged bare from under the robe as she approached him, and he could see a fair portion of her slender neck. Finally, she stopped right in front of him, licked her lips and bit the bottom one before speaking in a breathy whisper.

"I was just going to take a bath, Jedi Kenobi. Would you care to join me?" She took one of her fingers and lightly traced it down his chest, all the while maintaining eye contact and that annoying smirk on her face.

//How can she keep doing this to me? Catching me so totally off guard like this?// Obi-Wan chided himself inwardly. He didn't know how to respond without sounding like a complete idiot, so he just stood there in silence and disbelief.

Arella's look changed to one of victory. She was enjoying this little game, especially because she was winning. Slowly, she turned and started to walk away in triumph.

Obi-Wan's competitive spirit couldn't let it go at that. //What would Qui-Gon do?// he asked himself. Then it dawned on him.

"All right," he announced, stopping Arella dead in her tracks. "I think I will join you."

She spun around to face him, completely at a loss for words as the young man began walking towards her. With each step he took, she took one backwards, unknowingly headed for the refresher. Now he was the one with a smirk as she ran out of room to move and found herself backed against the door. She swallowed hard and wondered what he was going to do next.

Obi-Wan could sense her terror, and rather enjoyed the feeling of control it gave him. //Two can play at this game, darling!// He reached out and braced both arms against the wall trapping her in between. Then he lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You scrub my back and I'll scrub yours," he whispered. Then before she could respond, he pushed the door button and it opened causing her to stumble backwards and land smack dab on her bottom. Obi-Wan had to stifle a laugh at seeing her sprawled out on the refresher floor.

"Then again, maybe some other time," he added before pushing the button once again. The door closed as he waved good-bye with a grin. On his way out of the room, he heard her scream of frustration and then something large and heavy crashed into the door. Yes, he could play this game, too.