Chapter 7
Midnight found Alex tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. Finally, with an annoyed huff he sat up and pushed back the sheets. Sleep was just not going to come. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he stood and shrugged on his robe before heading towards the small kitchen. As he passed through the main room, two small feet pulled themselves behind the drapes. Unknowingly he passed by the drapes, one of which bulged with its hidden secret.
Once in the kitchen he moved quietly about fixing himself a cup of tea--the last thing he wanted to do was wake his apprentice. It had seemed that since their return that afternoon she had become even more...difficult. //Probably hates the prospect of being locked up with me for three days, // he mused with a wry smile on his face. Suddenly he frowned. What if she got sick? How in the Force was he supposed to handle that? Shaking his head, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. //I'll deal with that when and IF it happens, // he thought firmly.
Dinner had been--interesting. He'd fixed the simplest thing he knew to fix, but then that was all he knew how to fix--the simplest things. With a sigh he picked up the steaming cup and ambled out to the main room. His wondering feet brought him to a stop near the window and he looked out over city of Coruscant.
His thoughts ranged from his apprentice and the quarantine situation to his own apprenticeship with his Master. //It seems like such a long time ago, // he thought of his apprenticeship. But in reality it really wasn't all that long ago.
Something that sounded like a muffled sneeze pulled the knight's attention back to the present. Tapping into the Force he made a discovery--he wasn't alone. Pretending as if he hadn't heard, Alex continued to stare out the window, a grin tilting his lips. //She's behind the drapes, // he realized in amusement, his blue eyes dancing with laughter. //Am I that unbearable? // he wondered.
"It's a spectacular view, is it not?" he asked, then took a sip of tea as though it was the most common thing in the galaxy to talk to a pair of drapes. He heard a sharp intake of breath and leaning forward he pulled the drape aside. At the site behind it, he broke into boyish laughter.
His apprentice was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest looking for the entire galaxy as though she'd been caught stealing something.
"Well!" he said, his laughter slowly dying out. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
"I couldn't sleep," came the soft reply.
Alex tiled his head as he regarded the girl before him. He had to do something to get her to talk to him. There was a reason she couldn't sleep and he had an idea why. Dreams. In fact, it could very well have been the reason why he himself couldn't sleep. Setting his cup down on a nearby table he dropped into the same position as she--though much more relaxed. Resting his palms on his knees, he looked at her curiously. "You shield well."
"Obviously not well enough," she said absentmindedly. Then realizing what she had just said, a horrified expression crossed her face.
Alex couldn't help laughing. It was the first colorful response he had heard from her since he'd met her.
Meri just looked at her laughing Master as though he'd lost his mind, a confused quirk to her dark eyebrows.
"Did your Master teach you that?" his voice dropped into a lower, more serious tone.
For a moment she looked at him baffled, not exactly sure what he was asking.
"To shield," he clarified. "Not your wit."
He saw her flush at the last comment. //Ahh, so there is someone in there after all, // he thought with a smile.
"Not entirely, Master," she said almost sadly, turning her head to hide her face.
He took this in quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It won't work, you know," he said softly.
Slowly Meri turned back to face him and he could see the damp tracks down her face. Her mysterious brown eyes studied him as though to find out what he meant. "I don't know what you mean," she replied, her tone somewhat reserved and cool.
"I think you do," he tossed back, one black eyebrow arched. He heard the tense sigh she released as she quickly looked away from him.
The next few minutes passed in tense silence. Resting his arms on his knees, the knight leaned slightly forward. "Ask me something--anything," he offered.
Meri looked up at him startled.
"You don't know anymore about me, than I do you. So ask me anything you wish," Alex said a note of challenge in his voice. For a moment he thought she wouldn't do it as she looked away from him, her posture stiff.
At last the soft voice came, its owner still facing away. "Where...who is your Master?"
Alex nodded in acquiescence. "My Master is K'ben Oren. He is a Kel Dor," he paused to see if she knew what that meant.
"Like Master Plo Koon?" she offered.
"Yes, that's right," he said, pleased that she was actually showing interest. "As for where he is, well, Master K'ben enjoys field work much more than living at the Temple. The last I heard he was on Dornea on an investigation of some sort."
As his voice dropped off, he looked at his apprentice in concern. For the first time, he noticed her face seemed to have lost some of its color--or perhaps he should say more of its color. As he had spoken, she had rested her head on her arms, which were propped up on her knees. "Meri, are you feeling alright? You're not getting sick are you?" he asked in concern, hoping against hope she wasn't.
At his words her head jerked up. "No!" she declared emphatically.
His blue eyes studied her intensely. Something about her strong reply bothered him, but he couldn't say what. "You'll tell me if you don't feel well?"
She was quick to nod in reply.
He studied her a few more minutes before motioning with his hand. "Very well then, you'd better get some rest now."
"Yes, Master," she replied, rising swiftly to her feet and exiting the room.
As soon as she was gone, he frowned and turned his gaze out on Coruscant. He could only hope she had told him the truth.
***
"I'm *not* getting sick." Meri mumbled to herself in annoyance, ignoring the pounding in her temples. Slowly she crawled into bed and wrapped an arm around her pillow. Closing her eyes, she let out a tremulous sigh. Her thoughts whirled in confusion and all the while the pang of loneliness in her inner most being only grew sharper. Even if she had tried, words couldn't convey how much she missed Ariana at that moment. And then there was him--that tall knight who looked more the part of an adolescent than a Master. The knight who was supposed to take Ariana's place in her life. She frowned at the thought of him, partly in confusion. Over and over she told herself she didn't like him and yet...//I'm drawn to him,// she admitted to herself, fuming at the very idea. Which didn't make sense to her confused mind, because right then she felt angry with him, though she couldn't have explained why.
With an exasperated sigh she unclasped her arms from the pillow and pushed it away from her feverish skin. Tossing and turning she finally settled on one side and her jumbled thoughts resumed.Inside she wondered if she was betraying her Master's memory by being curious about this knight. She had many questions, yet they were of the kind she would never ask--some of them she would be too afraid of the answer. How was he knighted so early? Did he really want her as an apprentice or was he forced? Did he really want her? That question echoed in her mind. She couldn't stand the thought of being an apprentice to someone who hadn't wished to take her on. //And who would want me anyway?// she wondered as she pushed a few damp strands of hair away from her flushed face.
She bit her lip as she thought and finally decided she would just keep her distance. Maybe it would be easier on the both of them that way. She didn't want to ever forget Ariana, and somehow it felt like she was betraying the Master whenever she opened herself even slightly to the other Jedi. Even though she wasn't sure, maybe he hadn't wanted her in the first place. Maybe she was just a burden to bear.
She began nibbling on her lip, as she thought of the conversation that had transpired not long ago. The conversation she hadn't wanted to have. Of course hiding behind the curtains hadn't been successful and she felt embarrassed to be caught in such a childish act. It had irritated her to have him intrude once more on her thoughts. If asked, she couldn't have explained the need she felt to avoid him.
//Avoid life you mean,// a small voice startled her by saying.
//I don't!// she argued with herself, tossing restlessly in the bed from side to side once more.
She felt her irritation rise at the memory of the knight implying the same thing.
/*It won't work you know,*/ he had said.
//But your wrong,// she thought strongly. //It does.//
Finally she lay silent, her fingers nervously twisting the braid on her shoulder back and forth. Then so softly it was almost inaudible she whispered into the dark, "It doesn't hurt as bad that way."
Midnight found Alex tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. Finally, with an annoyed huff he sat up and pushed back the sheets. Sleep was just not going to come. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he stood and shrugged on his robe before heading towards the small kitchen. As he passed through the main room, two small feet pulled themselves behind the drapes. Unknowingly he passed by the drapes, one of which bulged with its hidden secret.
Once in the kitchen he moved quietly about fixing himself a cup of tea--the last thing he wanted to do was wake his apprentice. It had seemed that since their return that afternoon she had become even more...difficult. //Probably hates the prospect of being locked up with me for three days, // he mused with a wry smile on his face. Suddenly he frowned. What if she got sick? How in the Force was he supposed to handle that? Shaking his head, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. //I'll deal with that when and IF it happens, // he thought firmly.
Dinner had been--interesting. He'd fixed the simplest thing he knew to fix, but then that was all he knew how to fix--the simplest things. With a sigh he picked up the steaming cup and ambled out to the main room. His wondering feet brought him to a stop near the window and he looked out over city of Coruscant.
His thoughts ranged from his apprentice and the quarantine situation to his own apprenticeship with his Master. //It seems like such a long time ago, // he thought of his apprenticeship. But in reality it really wasn't all that long ago.
Something that sounded like a muffled sneeze pulled the knight's attention back to the present. Tapping into the Force he made a discovery--he wasn't alone. Pretending as if he hadn't heard, Alex continued to stare out the window, a grin tilting his lips. //She's behind the drapes, // he realized in amusement, his blue eyes dancing with laughter. //Am I that unbearable? // he wondered.
"It's a spectacular view, is it not?" he asked, then took a sip of tea as though it was the most common thing in the galaxy to talk to a pair of drapes. He heard a sharp intake of breath and leaning forward he pulled the drape aside. At the site behind it, he broke into boyish laughter.
His apprentice was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest looking for the entire galaxy as though she'd been caught stealing something.
"Well!" he said, his laughter slowly dying out. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
"I couldn't sleep," came the soft reply.
Alex tiled his head as he regarded the girl before him. He had to do something to get her to talk to him. There was a reason she couldn't sleep and he had an idea why. Dreams. In fact, it could very well have been the reason why he himself couldn't sleep. Setting his cup down on a nearby table he dropped into the same position as she--though much more relaxed. Resting his palms on his knees, he looked at her curiously. "You shield well."
"Obviously not well enough," she said absentmindedly. Then realizing what she had just said, a horrified expression crossed her face.
Alex couldn't help laughing. It was the first colorful response he had heard from her since he'd met her.
Meri just looked at her laughing Master as though he'd lost his mind, a confused quirk to her dark eyebrows.
"Did your Master teach you that?" his voice dropped into a lower, more serious tone.
For a moment she looked at him baffled, not exactly sure what he was asking.
"To shield," he clarified. "Not your wit."
He saw her flush at the last comment. //Ahh, so there is someone in there after all, // he thought with a smile.
"Not entirely, Master," she said almost sadly, turning her head to hide her face.
He took this in quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It won't work, you know," he said softly.
Slowly Meri turned back to face him and he could see the damp tracks down her face. Her mysterious brown eyes studied him as though to find out what he meant. "I don't know what you mean," she replied, her tone somewhat reserved and cool.
"I think you do," he tossed back, one black eyebrow arched. He heard the tense sigh she released as she quickly looked away from him.
The next few minutes passed in tense silence. Resting his arms on his knees, the knight leaned slightly forward. "Ask me something--anything," he offered.
Meri looked up at him startled.
"You don't know anymore about me, than I do you. So ask me anything you wish," Alex said a note of challenge in his voice. For a moment he thought she wouldn't do it as she looked away from him, her posture stiff.
At last the soft voice came, its owner still facing away. "Where...who is your Master?"
Alex nodded in acquiescence. "My Master is K'ben Oren. He is a Kel Dor," he paused to see if she knew what that meant.
"Like Master Plo Koon?" she offered.
"Yes, that's right," he said, pleased that she was actually showing interest. "As for where he is, well, Master K'ben enjoys field work much more than living at the Temple. The last I heard he was on Dornea on an investigation of some sort."
As his voice dropped off, he looked at his apprentice in concern. For the first time, he noticed her face seemed to have lost some of its color--or perhaps he should say more of its color. As he had spoken, she had rested her head on her arms, which were propped up on her knees. "Meri, are you feeling alright? You're not getting sick are you?" he asked in concern, hoping against hope she wasn't.
At his words her head jerked up. "No!" she declared emphatically.
His blue eyes studied her intensely. Something about her strong reply bothered him, but he couldn't say what. "You'll tell me if you don't feel well?"
She was quick to nod in reply.
He studied her a few more minutes before motioning with his hand. "Very well then, you'd better get some rest now."
"Yes, Master," she replied, rising swiftly to her feet and exiting the room.
As soon as she was gone, he frowned and turned his gaze out on Coruscant. He could only hope she had told him the truth.
***
"I'm *not* getting sick." Meri mumbled to herself in annoyance, ignoring the pounding in her temples. Slowly she crawled into bed and wrapped an arm around her pillow. Closing her eyes, she let out a tremulous sigh. Her thoughts whirled in confusion and all the while the pang of loneliness in her inner most being only grew sharper. Even if she had tried, words couldn't convey how much she missed Ariana at that moment. And then there was him--that tall knight who looked more the part of an adolescent than a Master. The knight who was supposed to take Ariana's place in her life. She frowned at the thought of him, partly in confusion. Over and over she told herself she didn't like him and yet...//I'm drawn to him,// she admitted to herself, fuming at the very idea. Which didn't make sense to her confused mind, because right then she felt angry with him, though she couldn't have explained why.
With an exasperated sigh she unclasped her arms from the pillow and pushed it away from her feverish skin. Tossing and turning she finally settled on one side and her jumbled thoughts resumed.Inside she wondered if she was betraying her Master's memory by being curious about this knight. She had many questions, yet they were of the kind she would never ask--some of them she would be too afraid of the answer. How was he knighted so early? Did he really want her as an apprentice or was he forced? Did he really want her? That question echoed in her mind. She couldn't stand the thought of being an apprentice to someone who hadn't wished to take her on. //And who would want me anyway?// she wondered as she pushed a few damp strands of hair away from her flushed face.
She bit her lip as she thought and finally decided she would just keep her distance. Maybe it would be easier on the both of them that way. She didn't want to ever forget Ariana, and somehow it felt like she was betraying the Master whenever she opened herself even slightly to the other Jedi. Even though she wasn't sure, maybe he hadn't wanted her in the first place. Maybe she was just a burden to bear.
She began nibbling on her lip, as she thought of the conversation that had transpired not long ago. The conversation she hadn't wanted to have. Of course hiding behind the curtains hadn't been successful and she felt embarrassed to be caught in such a childish act. It had irritated her to have him intrude once more on her thoughts. If asked, she couldn't have explained the need she felt to avoid him.
//Avoid life you mean,// a small voice startled her by saying.
//I don't!// she argued with herself, tossing restlessly in the bed from side to side once more.
She felt her irritation rise at the memory of the knight implying the same thing.
/*It won't work you know,*/ he had said.
//But your wrong,// she thought strongly. //It does.//
Finally she lay silent, her fingers nervously twisting the braid on her shoulder back and forth. Then so softly it was almost inaudible she whispered into the dark, "It doesn't hurt as bad that way."
