Part 3
Obi-Wan had taken no more than two steps into the apartment before he knew that Taris was no longer there. He didn't sense her presence or hear her humming or singing to herself. One thing about Taris was that wherever she was, she was always singing or humming a song. If they were on a mission she would just sing quietly in her head instead of singing out loud. Obi- Wan sighed as he looked around for any indication on where his apprentice had wandered off to.
After a search through the apartment and wandering through the cafeteria there was still no sign of Taris. Obi-Wan walked past a group of female initiates who were giggling and talking about something excitedly. He paid no attention to them as he walked by, but he heard someone mention a name that he knew very well. A fellow padawan of Taris's. Suddenly Obi-Wan knew exactly where his padawan was, there was only one place she would be and one person she would be with. Anakin.
Obi-Wan stopped suddenly and spun around slamming into someone who was behind him. He stumbled backwards and felt the person whom he ran into reach out to help steady him before regaining his footing. He looked up to see the apologetic eyes of someone he knew all too well. It was Jeper-Wee Tig, another male friend of Taris's. Jeper-Wee was of a humanoid species with bright green eyes and sandy blond hair. He was about the same height as Obi-Wan and had a strong build.
"I'm sorry Master Kenobi." Jeper apologized to the older man bowing slightly.
"It's alright Jeper. It was my fault and I'm sorry for running into you." Obi-Wan returned the apology. It really was his fault for stopping so suddenly and turning around like he did.
"No harm done. It happens to all of us." He smiled at the master. "But I'm afraid I must be going. I'm late for one of my classes."
Obi-Wan watched slightly amused as Jeper flashed him a sheepish grin and hurried off down breaking out into a run. He was tempted to call out to him and tell him it was against the rules to run through the temple hallways. 'Besides,' Obi-Wan mused 'How many times have I run through the halls?' He smirked to himself. 'Too many too remember.'
Obi-Wan decided not to rush to Qui-Gon and Anakin's quarters and take his time instead. He took the turbo lift up to the 245th floor and began walking towards their apartment. Obi-Wan could walk through the corridors blind folded and end up directly in front of the apartment. He knew the place all too well. He had lived in those same quarters for almost thirteen years with Qui-Gon. Anakin was now living in his old room, but other than that everything about the place had stayed the same.
Obi-Wan stood outside the door and debated between just walking in and ringing the bell and waiting for someone to access the door from the inside. He could just walk in. 'After all I did live here for a while. But then again this is no longer my apartment. This is Anakin's and Qui-Gon's apartment.' Obi-Wan mentally argued with himself. After much debate he rang the bell and waited patiently for someone to open the door.
The door opened after a few moments and Obi-Wan found himself staring into a set of bright blue sparkling eyes. "Hello Anakin."
Anakin smiled and bowed to the older man. "Hello Master Kenobi. How are you?"
Obi-Wan followed Anakin into the apartment and into the living area of the apartment where he found his padawan sitting on the couch watching the holovision. "I'm fine. How about you?"
Anakin grinned at the older man. "I'm great. My sixteenth birthday is coming up soon so I'm excited about that."
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgment. He had known that his birthday was coming up, as was Taris's a few weeks after Anakin's. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you Ani." The boy beamed and nodded. "You're much taller. You're as tall as me now and you seem to be a lot stronger. Your face has matured a lot too." He added as an after thought. The last time he had seen him almost a year ago, Anakin had still had a young boyish looking face. Now his face had matured a lot and he looked much older.
"Well people do change a lot in a year. You let your hair grow out a little more. Last time I saw you it was still cut short like it was when you were a padawan." Anakin noted looking at the man's longer hair. It wasn't much longer really, maybe an inch or two.
Obi-Wan nodded in agreement before turning his attention to Taris who was now watching the two quietly. "Are you ready to go practice?"
"With all do respect Master; I was wondering if it'd be alright for me to visit with Anakin for a little while longer. I know that my training is important, but I haven't seen Ani for a long time and I don't know when I'll see him again. For all I know one of us could be sent off on a mission tomorrow and it could be another month or even year before I see him again." Taris asked Obi-Wan trying hard not to seem like she was whining or even pleading with him.
Obi-Wan sighed. 'Padawan...'
'Master, please. Just this one time, that's all I ask. I will train with you later on today. I promise I will.'
Anakin stood silently behind Obi-Wan as he watched the two silently have a conversation through their bond. It wasn't often that a master and apprentice shared a bond so strong that they could communicate with them through it. Let alone know when the other one was in trouble and sometimes and see what the other was seeing. Obi-Wan and Taris shared a special bond like that, as did Anakin and Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. She did have a point. She didn't know when she'd see Anakin again. Obi-Wan could spend a little more time catching up with Qui-Gon while Anakin and Taris spent some time together. But she still had training she needed to do. Training should come before anything else and was crucially important in becoming a Jedi. 'Fine, just this one time Taris and I mean it. Be back in four hours to start training. Until then have fun and please stay out of trouble.'
'Yes master, but do I ever get into trouble?' She asked him innocently.
He stared at her in disbelief. 'When you're with Ani? Yes. When you're with other friends? No.'
Obi-Wan turned and headed towards the door again leaving Taris and Anakin behind him. He turned around at the door to look at both of them. They were both still young...so very young. He remembered when he was as young as them and how the older he got the less and less he saw of his friends as they were sent on more and longer missions. "Remember you have four hours. And please don't do anything to get into trouble."
"Yes Master." The two answered at the same time.
Obi-Wan shook his head and smirked to himself. 'Sheesh Kenobi, when did you get so soft? A year or two ago you wouldn't have let Taris off with practice for even ten minutes. You stuck by the code and rule through and through and here you are bending them ever so slightly.' He mused and headed back towards the turbo lift. He maybe needed to spend a little time with Qui-Gon too. That is if he could find him.
Obi-Wan had taken no more than two steps into the apartment before he knew that Taris was no longer there. He didn't sense her presence or hear her humming or singing to herself. One thing about Taris was that wherever she was, she was always singing or humming a song. If they were on a mission she would just sing quietly in her head instead of singing out loud. Obi- Wan sighed as he looked around for any indication on where his apprentice had wandered off to.
After a search through the apartment and wandering through the cafeteria there was still no sign of Taris. Obi-Wan walked past a group of female initiates who were giggling and talking about something excitedly. He paid no attention to them as he walked by, but he heard someone mention a name that he knew very well. A fellow padawan of Taris's. Suddenly Obi-Wan knew exactly where his padawan was, there was only one place she would be and one person she would be with. Anakin.
Obi-Wan stopped suddenly and spun around slamming into someone who was behind him. He stumbled backwards and felt the person whom he ran into reach out to help steady him before regaining his footing. He looked up to see the apologetic eyes of someone he knew all too well. It was Jeper-Wee Tig, another male friend of Taris's. Jeper-Wee was of a humanoid species with bright green eyes and sandy blond hair. He was about the same height as Obi-Wan and had a strong build.
"I'm sorry Master Kenobi." Jeper apologized to the older man bowing slightly.
"It's alright Jeper. It was my fault and I'm sorry for running into you." Obi-Wan returned the apology. It really was his fault for stopping so suddenly and turning around like he did.
"No harm done. It happens to all of us." He smiled at the master. "But I'm afraid I must be going. I'm late for one of my classes."
Obi-Wan watched slightly amused as Jeper flashed him a sheepish grin and hurried off down breaking out into a run. He was tempted to call out to him and tell him it was against the rules to run through the temple hallways. 'Besides,' Obi-Wan mused 'How many times have I run through the halls?' He smirked to himself. 'Too many too remember.'
Obi-Wan decided not to rush to Qui-Gon and Anakin's quarters and take his time instead. He took the turbo lift up to the 245th floor and began walking towards their apartment. Obi-Wan could walk through the corridors blind folded and end up directly in front of the apartment. He knew the place all too well. He had lived in those same quarters for almost thirteen years with Qui-Gon. Anakin was now living in his old room, but other than that everything about the place had stayed the same.
Obi-Wan stood outside the door and debated between just walking in and ringing the bell and waiting for someone to access the door from the inside. He could just walk in. 'After all I did live here for a while. But then again this is no longer my apartment. This is Anakin's and Qui-Gon's apartment.' Obi-Wan mentally argued with himself. After much debate he rang the bell and waited patiently for someone to open the door.
The door opened after a few moments and Obi-Wan found himself staring into a set of bright blue sparkling eyes. "Hello Anakin."
Anakin smiled and bowed to the older man. "Hello Master Kenobi. How are you?"
Obi-Wan followed Anakin into the apartment and into the living area of the apartment where he found his padawan sitting on the couch watching the holovision. "I'm fine. How about you?"
Anakin grinned at the older man. "I'm great. My sixteenth birthday is coming up soon so I'm excited about that."
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgment. He had known that his birthday was coming up, as was Taris's a few weeks after Anakin's. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you Ani." The boy beamed and nodded. "You're much taller. You're as tall as me now and you seem to be a lot stronger. Your face has matured a lot too." He added as an after thought. The last time he had seen him almost a year ago, Anakin had still had a young boyish looking face. Now his face had matured a lot and he looked much older.
"Well people do change a lot in a year. You let your hair grow out a little more. Last time I saw you it was still cut short like it was when you were a padawan." Anakin noted looking at the man's longer hair. It wasn't much longer really, maybe an inch or two.
Obi-Wan nodded in agreement before turning his attention to Taris who was now watching the two quietly. "Are you ready to go practice?"
"With all do respect Master; I was wondering if it'd be alright for me to visit with Anakin for a little while longer. I know that my training is important, but I haven't seen Ani for a long time and I don't know when I'll see him again. For all I know one of us could be sent off on a mission tomorrow and it could be another month or even year before I see him again." Taris asked Obi-Wan trying hard not to seem like she was whining or even pleading with him.
Obi-Wan sighed. 'Padawan...'
'Master, please. Just this one time, that's all I ask. I will train with you later on today. I promise I will.'
Anakin stood silently behind Obi-Wan as he watched the two silently have a conversation through their bond. It wasn't often that a master and apprentice shared a bond so strong that they could communicate with them through it. Let alone know when the other one was in trouble and sometimes and see what the other was seeing. Obi-Wan and Taris shared a special bond like that, as did Anakin and Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. She did have a point. She didn't know when she'd see Anakin again. Obi-Wan could spend a little more time catching up with Qui-Gon while Anakin and Taris spent some time together. But she still had training she needed to do. Training should come before anything else and was crucially important in becoming a Jedi. 'Fine, just this one time Taris and I mean it. Be back in four hours to start training. Until then have fun and please stay out of trouble.'
'Yes master, but do I ever get into trouble?' She asked him innocently.
He stared at her in disbelief. 'When you're with Ani? Yes. When you're with other friends? No.'
Obi-Wan turned and headed towards the door again leaving Taris and Anakin behind him. He turned around at the door to look at both of them. They were both still young...so very young. He remembered when he was as young as them and how the older he got the less and less he saw of his friends as they were sent on more and longer missions. "Remember you have four hours. And please don't do anything to get into trouble."
"Yes Master." The two answered at the same time.
Obi-Wan shook his head and smirked to himself. 'Sheesh Kenobi, when did you get so soft? A year or two ago you wouldn't have let Taris off with practice for even ten minutes. You stuck by the code and rule through and through and here you are bending them ever so slightly.' He mused and headed back towards the turbo lift. He maybe needed to spend a little time with Qui-Gon too. That is if he could find him.