TWO

Though Qui-Gon had known only the life of a Jedi, and was honoured to have been chosen to follow that path, there were certain aspects of being a Jedi Master that were not nearly so glamorous as young Initiates liked to believe.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn hated Council debriefings.

The formal summons had come at ninth hour; it was now seventeenth hour. He was hungry, he was achy, and he was tired. Right then, all Qui-Gon wanted to do was curl up on the battered sofa in the apartment he shared with Obi-Wan, and forget about the whole affair.

This, he noted as he walked through the door, would prove to be absolutely impossible, as the battered sofa he was so fond of was currently suspended half a meter above the floor. As were all items of furniture in the common room not nailed down.

"Padawan!" he barked when he spied Obi-Wan, balanced calmly on his head in the far corner. To his credit, nothing fell out of the air, though the apprentice himself toppled unceremoniously onto his side. Very gently, the sofa landed safely down, as did the lamp, the table, the row of holopics, and every piece of the jigsaw puzzle that had previously been half-completed on the floor.

Qui-Gon was not surprised by the fact that half of his worldly possessions had been hanging high enough to make a fall very dangerous, so much as he was by the fact that those same possessions had been hanging since he had left. Eight hours previously.

"Master," Obi-Wan greeted with a bow. Qui-Gon glanced suspiciously around the room, but everything was exactly as he had left it.

"Obi-Wan, tell me you haven't been practising levitation the entire time I've been gone," he said shortly. The fact that his Padawan suddenly found the floor greatly of interest was all the answer that Qui-Gon needed. With a very unJedi-like sigh, he plopped onto the sofa, letting its familiar curves soak away his aches.

"Forgive me, Master," Obi-Wan murmured, having moved silently to stand in front of the sofa. Opening one eye, Qui-Gon could see the true remorse in his apprentice, and relented slightly. He patted the space next to him, and Obi-Wan sat, curling his legs under him like a normal teenager.

"Padawan, how many times must we have this discussion?" Qui-Gon said wearily, causing Obi-Wan to flinch.

"I'm truly sorry, Master," he said sincerely; "I only wished to practice what you had taught me. I was not aware of the time." Qui-Gon believed him, of course – it wasn't in Obi-Wan to tell anything but the truth unless otherwise pushed – but he couldn't let the matter drop.

"I am sorry, Master," Obi-Wan repeated. "It's just that –" he paused, glancing at Qui-Gon for permission to continue. At his Master's nod, Obi-Wan went on, "It's just that Master Yoda always says that we do or do not, there is no 'try'. I know that I can't learn everything straight away, so I have to keep doing these practices until I do them right," he explained.

Not for the first time in his life, Qui-Gon wanted to kick Master Yoda. If there was one Jedi in the Order who could drive his Padawan to exhausting heights, it was he. Unfortunately, it left Qui-Gon with the unfortunate job of trying to bring reason to his Padawan's rather straight-minded logic.

"Explain to me again why you mustn't over-exert yourself? Why you shouldn't practice new skills and techniques without supervision? I seem to have forgotten in my old age," he said. The boy blushed so hard, Qui-Gon fancied he could almost feel the heat from where he sat.

"As a servant of the Force I must always be willing and able to do its bidding. I must strive to better myself in the name of the Force, but not at the expense of others or myself. Hard work is a virtue of the Jedi, but too much hard work can be self-destructive, which is a path to the Dark Side. In order to function as an arm of the Force, I must always be aware of what I am capable of, and not exceed those limits. To seek knowledge beyond my grasp is not the true path of the Jedi, and will only obscure the ultimate goal: unity with the Force."

The speech was known by rote, an amalgamation of different lectures delivered to the boy by Qui-Gon, Yoda, Mace Windu, among others. Obi-Wan's attitude to work – the more the merrier – was both an inspiration and a curse. It was Qui-Gon's duty to make sure the boy took rest when he needed it, and didn't overtax himself.

"One day, my young Padawan, you will remember that lesson. Until then, I will keep drilling it into you. It's the one thing you have yet to perfect," the Master said teasingly. Obi-Wan's blush didn't fade, but in fact burned harder, especially when his stomach growled hungrily. For his part, Qui-Gon couldn't help the broad smile that spread across his face in response. "Are you hungry, by any chance?" he laughed.

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan muttered, but there was a smile tugging at his lips too.

"Come on then, Padawan. We must fix us a hearty meal, before we both collapse from hunger," the Master declared as he rose to his feet. Obi-Wan followed him into the kitchenette.

"We couldn't have that, Master," he said cheerfully, "The Healers have not forgiven me for what I did to that bed." Qui-Gon laughed.