Nearly an hour later, the Jedi were walking down one of the shabby main roads. Occasionally they had to sidestep a huge pothole. The Jedi had not spoken since they had left the mayor's office. Obi-Wan walked obediently slightly behind his Master's left, and Qui-Gon kept his eyes on what was in front of him. Qui-Gon stole a glance as his Padawan. Obi-Wan was now twenty years old, and had grown into a very handsome man. Maybe too much so for his own good. Girls they met on missions had become a distraction for him, be it that he was looking at them, or they were following him. Obi-Wan's brown hair had lightened slightly, and now stuck up in the front. Only his eyes held on to a bit of his youth.
He had passed into manhood, almost.
"Our board is over this way." Qui-Gon pointed up the road. Obi-Wan nodded.
"I hope its not falling apart as well."
"That is very unlikely." Qui-Gon glanced around the city and sadly shook his head. "Shame. Some of these buildings seem as if they were once very beautiful."
"It is a shame. A civil war that killed half of the population, and then just as the survivors think there will be peace, this starts." Obi-Wan looked down as he stepped over another pothole.
"It is."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "How can people live like this? I know that I couldn't."
"Nor could I, but it is all that some know. They don't know anything but hate and war."
"I couldn't live like that." He looked around again. "These people deserve peace. Everyone does." He sighed. "But there will never be total peace in the galaxy."
"But there will be Jedi to fix what they can," Qui-Gon said, placing a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. Obi-Wan allowed a small smile, but kept his thoughtful demeanor.
The Jedi managed to get to their rooms half an hour later. They could've gotten there sooner, but they'd had to detour around a collapsed building. They'd also passed countless homeless families. Obi-Wan, in his pity, had given one young mother a coin from his very sparse supply. He wished he could do something for all of them, but there were simply too many of them. This is why this planet needs us, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he and Qui-Gon stepped into the building that hosted their rooms.
They walked up to a shabby desk in the middle of the main room and Obi-Wan was very aware of the groan of the durasteel beneath his feet. He was afraid the whole floor would collapse.
Qui-Gon approached the nearest employee of the small boarding house and explained who they were. The man smiled and happily told them that he had saved some of his best rooms for them. He gave them keys, told them where to go, then wished them the best of luck.
As they walked away, Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon. "What was he wishing us luck on? That the floor doesn't give way beneath us while we sleep?"
Qui-Gon let out a small laugh. "No, Padawan. He just means good luck in general. In life."
Obi-Wan nodded. "But I do hope the floor holds."
Qui-Gon shook his head, amused at the mood his Padawan was in. "I'm sure it will. The buildings are a bit more stable than they seem." He pointed ahead. "Our rooms. Yours is on the left, mine is on the right." He handed Obi-Wan two keys and took two for himself. "Now I can get into your room, and you can get into mine. Just in case."
Obi-Wan smirked. "In case of what, Master? You going to sweep for deathsticks and women?"
Qui-Gon shot his Padawan a reproachful look, the proceeded to unlock his own door. Obi-Wan did the same and stepped into his room. He nodded as he looked around the door. Aside from the creaking floor, small holes in the wall, and the lack of a ceiling in one small area, it was actually a nice room. It was like a small apartment. Obi-Wan had his own kitchen (the appliances were broken, of course), his own 'fresher, and bedroom. This wasn't so bad, he decided. It could have been worse.
Qui-Gon also found his apartment adequate. His ceiling had quite a few more holes, but he didn't care. Hopefully no one would get the room above them. He set his bag down, then turned to check on Obi-Wan's room. He ran into Obi-Wan in the hall. Obi-Wan had been leaving, pulling a cloak on when he ran into his Master.
"Where were you going?" Qui-Gon demanded.
"I was going to check out the city, Master. Just to get an idea of what is going on with the simple people. You know, get a feel for the place, as you say."
Qui-Gon nodded. "Alright. I was going to suggest that anyway. You take the east and north sides of the city, I'll take the west and the south. We'll meet back here at dark. Tell me anything suspicious you see, but do not take any action."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes Master. I know."
"You'd better. Go now, get a head start on me."
The Padawan bowed his head, then took off down the hall, still pulling the cloak on. Qui-Gon watched him go, then turned to grab his own cloak from his bag.