First chapter = Disclaimers
Thank you for my one review last chapter. It's nice to know someone is still reading this.
Anyway, this is the final chapter for this story. I do have some sequels planned, but I do not know when I will get to them.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Obi-Wan shivered as she entered her new room. The bonding ceremony had taken place rather quietly in the healers ward. Her Master would be joining her shortly as soon as he was released. Due to the rather unusual nature of their bond, it had not been declared yet. Apparently, the council wanted it to be firmly established so that objections would not be raised.
Oddly, she was not sad that her friends were not present as they would normally have been after the ceremony. She supposed that it was because she had given up on ever having a master. So, she was just happy that she'd been taken at all. Still, it felt a bit odd that her friends had no idea what had happened to her after she left the temple.
The council had kept the whole affair quiet so that Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Bruck would all have time to mentally recuperate before facing the other Jedi.
Obi-Wan sighed as she walked through the common room. There were boxes strewn about amongst piles of clothes, data pads, and about 1 billion different plants. Obviously her Master was not a fastidious housekeeper. He'd never gotten around to filing a change of quarters request form from the last time he apprenticed someone. Master Mace had come in, as part of his penance, and boxed up the junk in the small room Obi-Wan would live in.
With a grunt, Obi-Wan hefted the first box of her possessions into her new room.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Qui-Gon crept silently into his quarters. He could hear obi-Wan studiously arranging her things in her new room. Tucking his package securely under his robe, he dashed into his own room.
"You're late." A light voice muttered a few moments later.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, as your master it is my duty to lecture you. Not the other way around."
"I beg forgiveness for my impropriety."
Sith, he had an inkling when they were stuck together that he'd been cursed with the perfect apprentice. Arrgh! Mace or Yoda would be in heaven right now. She seemed to dedicate herself to lessons and quickly apologized for anything she thought she did wrong. How was he supposed to deal with this?
The first time he would try to do anything against the will of the council she was going to do something. He knew it. Her life was going to be pure hell if she didn't learn to bend the rules a little. Otherwise, she'd spend all of her time debating between following her Master or following the council.
"Obi-Wan, I think we need to work on your seriousness. Don't you do anything for fun?" (Besides turning Mace's hair purple.) Qui-Gon thought.
"Well, not really. I hang out with my friends, but my life is dedicated to being a Jedi. Are you all right Master? You keep hiding your face in your hands."
Qui-Gon glanced at his apprentice. He couldn't exactly fault her. She was being what every other Master would dream of; only she had the misfortune to get stuck with him. Eventually, she would find that out for herself but for now, he'd not disturb her illusions.
"Everything is fine Obi-Wan. Why don't we settle down for a snack? I think I've got something left in my kitchen."
Qui-Gon grinned as Obi-Wan looked askance at the sandwich he'd made. It was a horrible tradition that his master had passed down to him. The 'Make your new apprentice eat something gross' challenge would often show the strengths and weaknesses of your apprentice. It could show how truthful, blunt, diplomatic, honest, deceptive, polite, etc. an apprentice was.
Obi-Wan looked at it as very quickly ate it. A very serene look was plastered on her face. Qui-Gon frowned. Maybe she didn't have any taste buds. He didn't think Master Yoda could eat the whole thing.
"Thank you Master."
"Well, what did you think?"
Obi-Wan froze. She had hoped the quick thank you would dissuade any inquiry into the actual taste of the sandwich. Apprentices couldn't exactly lie to their masters, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
"It was very… sustaining. Did you learn to make it on Malastair?"
Ah, a deflection tactic. Not bad, not necessarily extremely efficient, but it worked.
"No, it's a recipe from my Master. How did it taste?"
"It was incredible."
"Incredible?"
"From a certain point of view."
"Point of view? Have you been listening in on the advanced ethics classes?"
"No, Master. The professor felt sorry for me and let me in."
"Hmm, well you still haven't told me what you truly thought of it."
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"It was incredibly awful. I think that you grew tall because your master mutated you with it."
To her utter surprise, Qui-Gon started to laugh.
"You know, Master Yoda says the same thing. I think it might be best if we eat the take-out I ordered. It will be here shortly. That is, if I haven't ruined your appetite."
A sullen teenage look glared back at him. "It is not funny. That stuff was hideous and you tortured me with it."
Qui-Gon grinned even more. His apprentice wasn't perfect after all.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
For the fifth time during dinner Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon, opened her mouth, shut it and poked at her food.
"You know, you ate that sandwich with more zeal. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing, it's just that I was wondering."
"Yes?" Qui-Gon smiled. He had been waiting for this all day.
"I was wondering if you'd let me get my hair cut?"
"What?"
"Well, it's just that I've always sort of said that I'd get my hair cut like the guys if I got apprenticed. Then it sort of developed that the first friend out of our group to be chosen would do something indicative of the opposite gender, nothing extreme, just little things that only a Jedi would notice."
"Your friends are into cross-dressing?"
"NO! We just… YOU'RE teasing me!"
"I have a right. As for your request, I believe that the council would not object to your hair being a couple inches shorter. Is there anything else?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, Master."
"Really?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I thought that perhaps you would like your 13th birthday present."
"What?"
"You sound like me now. You do remember the Jedi traditions don't you?"
"Yes, but I just forgot about today and the present and everything."
"Well, I suppose it is understandable given your stress as of late. Sit here and I'll go get your gift."
Qui-Gon came back with a very neatly wrapped package.
Obi-Wan looked at him, then at the package.
"No, I didn't wrap it. I had the gift center do it for me. Hence, why I was so late coming home."
Obi-Wan ferociously tore into her package. Inside there were four scarves.
"I thought that it would be unfair for you to be barred from certain missions because of prejudice. So, I figured that you would need a scarf for each season of the standard year. The council can't exactly object when no-one can see what you look like."
"Thank you. It means a great deal to me."
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Obi-Wan's heart was pounding when she entered the cafeteria. Although Bruck had been released the previous day, he had not exactly spread the word about what had happened. Being rejected after you had been bragging was quite humiliating.
That left Obi-Wan with the task of telling the story to all her friends.
Mechanically, she followed Qui-Gon to the line. Her short hair shined brightly against the cream color of her new scarf. Qui-Gon had suggested she wear it to get used to it before they were sent somewhere.
Gingerly, she picked up her tray and moved towards the tables. Qui-Gon had expressed a desire to speak privately with some of his friends, so that left her to confront her own. She slid into her normal chair and began eating as she waited for her friends to arrive from their classes. No-one joined her.
All of her friends had gone to sit at another table. The only people that sat at hers were some miscellaneous knights that she didn't know. They were pleasant enough, but it hurt to think that her friends no longer wished to associate with her. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. The five chatty knights were all of a sudden staring up at the great Qui-Gon Jinn. Then they glanced at Obi-Wan.
"I think Hoth is thawing." One muttered under his breath.
Qui-Gon ignored them and gestured for Obi-Wan to get up.
"Stay here and come when I call you."
Purposefully, he strode away right towards the table where her friends were sitting.
"Good Morning initiates."
Bant's eyes grew large and Garen seemed to grow pale.
"Master Jinn." Garen barely croaked out. He was secretly terrified of the austere Jedi. He had hoped that he'd never set eyes on him again after the initiate trials.
"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to allow my new apprentice to sit with you. She was sitting at what I believe was your old table, but you seem to have, shall I say shunned sitting with her."
"The girl with the scarf? We didn't sit here because of her. We just moved to a different table after Obi-Wan left." Bant's eyes begged for forgiveness. 'I wouldn't do anything so mean.' They pleaded.
Qui-Gon smiled, and gestured for Obi-Wan to come forward. "Well I'm sure that Obi-Wan will be grateful to hear that."
"I believe you have some things to discuss with your friends, Padawan. When you are done, meet me in the saber room. We have a great deal of work to do."
````````````````````````````
THE END