Part 4
Obi-Wan sat in the common room reading his data pad as he patiently waited for Taris to show up. It had been almost exactly four hours since he'd left her alone with Anakin and he began to wonder if the two had gone off and gotten themselves into trouble, but he would've known if they were up to something.
Just then the door beeped, signaling that someone was entering the apartment just, before it opened and Taris walked into the room the brightly lit room.
Taris stopped in front of Obi-Wan, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail as the traditional way female padwans to wear there hair symbolizing that they were padawans. Unlike the male padawans they couldn't cut their hair short so they tied it back. "Hello Master." She flashed him a grin as he stared at her.
Obi-Wan checked his chrono even though he already knew what time it was. "You made it just in time. If you had walked in here in two minutes you would've been late. You cut it close padawan."
"Well master you told me I had to be back in four hours so I made sure to take you up on that. I wanted to spend four hours with Anakin." Taris gave him another grin.
Obi-Wan sighed and placed his data pad next to him on the couch as he stood up. "Are you ready to go practice?"
"Yes master." Taris replied following her master out the door.
They walked through the brightly lit hallways in silence as Taris continued to follow her master. After a while she began quietly humming to herself to break the silence. If there was one thing that she never really liked it was complete silence. It tended to get to her after a while so she usually sang quietly to herself or hummed.
"What are you humming?" Obi-Wan asked her without looking back. He could hear her humming to herself as she usually did. He hated to interrupt her when she was humming because in a way he found it comforting to hear the sound of her humming as they walked. He had grown used to it over the past four years and often stayed silent just to hear her hum. It was always a sign to him that his padawan was both happy and thinking.
"Hmm?" Taris snapped out of her thoughts and stared at her masters back. "Oh, it was just a little tune I made up."
"It sounded familiar." Obi-Wan noted as they approached the practice rooms. "I like it though." He added as an after thought.
"Thank you master. I tend to hum it alot so that's why it may sound familiar." Taris shrugged her shoulders even though she knew he couldn't see her.
Obi-Wan handed her a blindfold and nodded towards the center of the room. "Go over there and put this on. Tie it on tight enough so it won't slip off. When you're ready tell me and we can begin."
Taris nodded in response. "Yes master." She obediently walked into the center of the room. Unclipping her light saber from her belt she made sure the power was set on low before she re-clipped it and tied the blindfold on tightly. One again unclipping her lighsaber she held it in her hand and turned it on. Taris could hear and feel the saber hum and come to life. In her mind she could imagine the blue glow of her saber. Taris used the force to help her locate her master only to discover that he was standing behind her. Without turning around she acknowledged his presence. "I'm ready master."
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Taris carefully moved around the room using the force to sense anything that was in her path. She searched the room with the force trying to locate her master who had moved away from her attack. She had taken the offensive attack after being on the defense for much of the practice. She had no clue how long they'd been practicing, but that it had been more than a couple of hours. They had, had several matches so far. All in which she had been the one to lose while Obi-Wan would explain to her what she was doing wrong and how to improve. So far this current match had been the longest one.
Taris felt a surge in the force as out of nowhere her master suddenly appeared and aimed a blow at her legs in order to try to knock her off her feet. Sensing the attack Taris jumped up and somersaulted over his head landing softly behind him. Sensing another blow she quickly blocked it and then the set of blows that quickly followed.
Obi-Wan kept up his series of attacks and noted his padawans quick reflexes and steady concentration. He did not relent however, but instead picked up his pace quickly moving around her in circles and jumping over her. He tried sweeping down and knocking her feet out from under her again, but just like before she had sensed it and jumped over his head. Quickly spinning around to block her blow he resumed his attack.
After a few more minutes Taris hesitated to block a blow and Obi-Wan managed to knock her light saber out of her hand. It skidded across the floor and he lightly touched his 'saber to her neck ending the match.
Obi-Wan walked over to where her light saber lay on the floor and picked it up. Turning the power off he walked back to where his padawan stood silently in the corner of the room where he'd left her. He handed her, her light saber and placed his on back on his belt. "You did very well this time padawan. Your only mistake was that you hesitated for a moment before you finally moved to block me. That cost you the match and if this had been a real fight you would've lost your life. Hesitating for even a second can be fatal. Why did you hesitate to block me?"
Taris stood silently as her master spoke and listened to him carefully. She couldn't see him since she still had on the blindfold, but she didn't need to see him to see the confusion in his eyes. Of course his face would remain calm and peaceful without a trace of his confusion, but sometimes his eyes alone would betray his thoughts and feelings on a subject. "I wasn't sure if what the force was telling me was true. You were moving so fast and quickly that I didn't have enough time to listen to the warning from the force."
"The force is your guide. Use it well and always listen to the force. Believe what it is telling you and trust the warnings." Obi-Wan stated quietly. He could remember times when his master had said such things to him as a padawan.
"Yes master." Taris replied waiting for her master to tell her what to do next.
"You can take the blindfold off. We're done for today. We can always work on this some more later. What do you want to do for dinner Taris? Do you want to go to the cafeteria and see who's there or just have me make something?" Obi-Wan asked as he led them out of the room and back into the quiet and calm temple halls.
Taris thought about her options for a minute. "I would say have you make something, but if I recall correctly the last time you made something you ended up burning the whole meal."
"I did not burn it. It was just simply well done and a little black, but it was not burnt." Obi-Wan said defensively even though he knew for a fact that he had burnt the meal.
Taris laughed and looked up at her Obi-Wan's face. He looked hurt and almost like he was pouting but she knew that he was only kidding. She took in the moment and whole conversation quietly. It wasn't all too often that her master would joke around with her and just have a little fun. "Master, I don't know about you but when something is black and even a knife can't cut it because it's so hard it's burnt. How long ago was that anyway? A week ago?"
"No it wasn't a week ago." Obi-Wan looked down at her with a smirk on his face. "It was two weeks ago."
"Oh I'm sorry master. Two weeks ago." Taris and Obi-Wan both laughed for a minute before she spoke again. "But if you promise not to burn dinner tonight you can make it."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Oh why thank you padawan. How nice of you to give me permission to make dinner."
"Your welcome master." She continued to smile as she walked next to him down the hall to their apartment. "But remember only if you don't burn it."
"I won't burn it, I promise." Obi-Wan shook his head as he keyed the door and walked into the apartment.
"I'm going to use the refresher and clean up a little bit." Taris informed him as she began heading down the hall.
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgement and watched her until she was out of view. He shook his head and walked into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. Taris always liked to rag on him and he played along with her every once in a while. Yes, even though he was a master now and older and more mature he still knew how to have fun and joke around every once in a while.
Obi-Wan sat in the common room reading his data pad as he patiently waited for Taris to show up. It had been almost exactly four hours since he'd left her alone with Anakin and he began to wonder if the two had gone off and gotten themselves into trouble, but he would've known if they were up to something.
Just then the door beeped, signaling that someone was entering the apartment just, before it opened and Taris walked into the room the brightly lit room.
Taris stopped in front of Obi-Wan, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail as the traditional way female padwans to wear there hair symbolizing that they were padawans. Unlike the male padawans they couldn't cut their hair short so they tied it back. "Hello Master." She flashed him a grin as he stared at her.
Obi-Wan checked his chrono even though he already knew what time it was. "You made it just in time. If you had walked in here in two minutes you would've been late. You cut it close padawan."
"Well master you told me I had to be back in four hours so I made sure to take you up on that. I wanted to spend four hours with Anakin." Taris gave him another grin.
Obi-Wan sighed and placed his data pad next to him on the couch as he stood up. "Are you ready to go practice?"
"Yes master." Taris replied following her master out the door.
They walked through the brightly lit hallways in silence as Taris continued to follow her master. After a while she began quietly humming to herself to break the silence. If there was one thing that she never really liked it was complete silence. It tended to get to her after a while so she usually sang quietly to herself or hummed.
"What are you humming?" Obi-Wan asked her without looking back. He could hear her humming to herself as she usually did. He hated to interrupt her when she was humming because in a way he found it comforting to hear the sound of her humming as they walked. He had grown used to it over the past four years and often stayed silent just to hear her hum. It was always a sign to him that his padawan was both happy and thinking.
"Hmm?" Taris snapped out of her thoughts and stared at her masters back. "Oh, it was just a little tune I made up."
"It sounded familiar." Obi-Wan noted as they approached the practice rooms. "I like it though." He added as an after thought.
"Thank you master. I tend to hum it alot so that's why it may sound familiar." Taris shrugged her shoulders even though she knew he couldn't see her.
Obi-Wan handed her a blindfold and nodded towards the center of the room. "Go over there and put this on. Tie it on tight enough so it won't slip off. When you're ready tell me and we can begin."
Taris nodded in response. "Yes master." She obediently walked into the center of the room. Unclipping her light saber from her belt she made sure the power was set on low before she re-clipped it and tied the blindfold on tightly. One again unclipping her lighsaber she held it in her hand and turned it on. Taris could hear and feel the saber hum and come to life. In her mind she could imagine the blue glow of her saber. Taris used the force to help her locate her master only to discover that he was standing behind her. Without turning around she acknowledged his presence. "I'm ready master."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Taris carefully moved around the room using the force to sense anything that was in her path. She searched the room with the force trying to locate her master who had moved away from her attack. She had taken the offensive attack after being on the defense for much of the practice. She had no clue how long they'd been practicing, but that it had been more than a couple of hours. They had, had several matches so far. All in which she had been the one to lose while Obi-Wan would explain to her what she was doing wrong and how to improve. So far this current match had been the longest one.
Taris felt a surge in the force as out of nowhere her master suddenly appeared and aimed a blow at her legs in order to try to knock her off her feet. Sensing the attack Taris jumped up and somersaulted over his head landing softly behind him. Sensing another blow she quickly blocked it and then the set of blows that quickly followed.
Obi-Wan kept up his series of attacks and noted his padawans quick reflexes and steady concentration. He did not relent however, but instead picked up his pace quickly moving around her in circles and jumping over her. He tried sweeping down and knocking her feet out from under her again, but just like before she had sensed it and jumped over his head. Quickly spinning around to block her blow he resumed his attack.
After a few more minutes Taris hesitated to block a blow and Obi-Wan managed to knock her light saber out of her hand. It skidded across the floor and he lightly touched his 'saber to her neck ending the match.
Obi-Wan walked over to where her light saber lay on the floor and picked it up. Turning the power off he walked back to where his padawan stood silently in the corner of the room where he'd left her. He handed her, her light saber and placed his on back on his belt. "You did very well this time padawan. Your only mistake was that you hesitated for a moment before you finally moved to block me. That cost you the match and if this had been a real fight you would've lost your life. Hesitating for even a second can be fatal. Why did you hesitate to block me?"
Taris stood silently as her master spoke and listened to him carefully. She couldn't see him since she still had on the blindfold, but she didn't need to see him to see the confusion in his eyes. Of course his face would remain calm and peaceful without a trace of his confusion, but sometimes his eyes alone would betray his thoughts and feelings on a subject. "I wasn't sure if what the force was telling me was true. You were moving so fast and quickly that I didn't have enough time to listen to the warning from the force."
"The force is your guide. Use it well and always listen to the force. Believe what it is telling you and trust the warnings." Obi-Wan stated quietly. He could remember times when his master had said such things to him as a padawan.
"Yes master." Taris replied waiting for her master to tell her what to do next.
"You can take the blindfold off. We're done for today. We can always work on this some more later. What do you want to do for dinner Taris? Do you want to go to the cafeteria and see who's there or just have me make something?" Obi-Wan asked as he led them out of the room and back into the quiet and calm temple halls.
Taris thought about her options for a minute. "I would say have you make something, but if I recall correctly the last time you made something you ended up burning the whole meal."
"I did not burn it. It was just simply well done and a little black, but it was not burnt." Obi-Wan said defensively even though he knew for a fact that he had burnt the meal.
Taris laughed and looked up at her Obi-Wan's face. He looked hurt and almost like he was pouting but she knew that he was only kidding. She took in the moment and whole conversation quietly. It wasn't all too often that her master would joke around with her and just have a little fun. "Master, I don't know about you but when something is black and even a knife can't cut it because it's so hard it's burnt. How long ago was that anyway? A week ago?"
"No it wasn't a week ago." Obi-Wan looked down at her with a smirk on his face. "It was two weeks ago."
"Oh I'm sorry master. Two weeks ago." Taris and Obi-Wan both laughed for a minute before she spoke again. "But if you promise not to burn dinner tonight you can make it."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Oh why thank you padawan. How nice of you to give me permission to make dinner."
"Your welcome master." She continued to smile as she walked next to him down the hall to their apartment. "But remember only if you don't burn it."
"I won't burn it, I promise." Obi-Wan shook his head as he keyed the door and walked into the apartment.
"I'm going to use the refresher and clean up a little bit." Taris informed him as she began heading down the hall.
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgement and watched her until she was out of view. He shook his head and walked into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. Taris always liked to rag on him and he played along with her every once in a while. Yes, even though he was a master now and older and more mature he still knew how to have fun and joke around every once in a while.