Sava Duez
Obi-wan must teach an abused padawan to trust him
AU: Pre clone war Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master, there is no Anakin, and Qui-Gon is dead
Rating: R for sexual content and mention of child molestation
Disclaimer: Naovi Redsun and Dal Bantalian are my creations. Everyone else belongs to George Lucas
Chapter 5
The journey to Java Cruz had been very long but reasonably pleasant. Naovi had not had to do a thing. Her bags were already packed for her and the reservations at the inn made. When she stepped off their transport she had been immediately filled with a sense of peace. Java Cruz was indeed a beautiful planet. The temperature was warm and the sky sunny. It was almost entirely populated by humans. Though the city was busy the inn they stayed at lay on the outskirts surrounded by trees and a lake.
"The outskirts are somewhat less congested than the city. I felt we might be slightly less overwhelmed." Naovi nodded. "When are we expected back Master?" she asked as she followed him down a long hall to their room.
"I believe Master Yoda said he would contact us when and if we are needed back on Coruscant. Until then the time is ours." Naovi could not help the grin that spread across her face. Already she felt better than she had in a long time. Her heart dropped however when they entered their room. It was nice enough, a soft rug covered the floor, a large wood table and chairs sat by the window, a big plush couch stood against the wall, and there was a lovely view of the lake. What disturbed her was the fact that there was only one bed. Obi-Wan noticed her look of discomfort.
"I'm afraid on Java Cruz if a man and a woman travel together they are assumed to be married. But do not worry my young padawan, you may have the bed and I will sleep on the sofa." Naovi nodded and sighed with relief. She was not unaccustomed to sharing tight quarters with her master but sleeping in the same bed with him was quite a different story. Even with Bantalian she had never slept in the same bed. After he was done with her he always made her sleep on the floor. There was a knock on their door and a porter brought their luggage into the room. Obi-Wan thanked the man and gave him a few credits.
"Well," Obi-Wan said after the porter had left, "would you prefer to go out to dinner or stay here and have something brought to us."
"Oh let's go out. This planet is so beautiful I can't bear to spend the entire vacation inside."
"Very well," Obi-Wan said with a smile. "We'd best change out of these clothes." Naovi nodded and opened one of the suitcases that had been packed for her. She let out a startled gasp. Instead of the usual tan Jedi robes that she was accustomed to wearing she found several silky sundresses and comfortable jumpsuits in bright colors. She also found necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair clips, and makeup.
"If we are truly to be on vacation, I felt we should dress as though we are," Obi-Wan said as he took in her stunned expression.
"How?" was all Naovi could say.
"I had them made for you special." Naovi wanted to cry.
"Thank you Master. They're beautiful."
"We're on vacation Naovi," Obi-Wan said. "You may call me Obi-Wan the way you used to." Naovi smiled. It seemed like such a long time ago.
"All right, Obi-Wan." She slipped into the bathroom to change into one of her sundresses. She was relieved to get out of her travel clothes. She peeled off her trousers, tunic and boots and dumped them into a hamper. She took a cloth and ran it over her body. She brushed out her long dark hair and decided to leave it down instead of rebraiding it. She slipped the dress, which was a mixture of deep blues and greens, over her head. She realized with a bit of distress that she would have to ask Obi-Wan to help her with the buttons up the back. She shook the feeling of dread off and continued with her preparations. She had a little experience with makeup from the times when she and Obi-Wan went undercover as formal dignitaries. She applied a light pink gel to her lips and a blue powder to her eyelids. Then she placed a silver necklace around her neck, matching earrings on her ears, and bracelet around her wrist. She finished with a small squirt of scented oil. She slipped her feet into a pair of black sandals and went to examine her appearance in the full length mirror. She smiled at her image. She actually looked pretty. She didn't know why she was going to so much trouble considering it was only Obi-Wan, but just for once she wanted to forget who she was and what had happened to her in the past. She wanted to just be Naovi Redsun, a woman on vacation. Satisfied with her appearance she stepped out of the bathroom. Obi-Wan was facing the window. He must have sensed her because he turned and smiled. Naovi felt herself blush. Obi-Wan had also changed from his travel attire. He looked very nice in a plain white shirt and black trousers.
"You look lovely my dear," he said. Naovi smiled. "You look nice too," she said shyly. She turned around and allowed him to button the back of her dress for her. They left the hotel and walked the short distance to town. They chose a small dimly lit restaurant in the center of the street. They chose a table in the corner, out of the way. They sat in silence sipping their drinks and watching people dance. It was odd, Naovi thought, how silence with some people was unnerving, but then with others it was rather pleasant. She supposed it depended on how comfortable you were with the person. With Bantalian silence had always been a bad thing as it usually meant that he was displeased which meant that punishment would soon follow. But with Obi-Wan silence was never a bad thing. In this last year that she had been his apprentice she felt she had learned more than she had in the entire four years from Bantalian. Obi-Wan never hit her or yelled at her or even spoke harshly toward her. He did rebuke her when he thought she was not focused but it was always a gentle criticism. He treated mistakes as learning opportunities rather than transgressions. Even before becoming his padawan Naovi had always been fond of Obi-Wan. They'd been good friends in the temple before Obi-Wan was taken as a padawan learner by Qui-Gon Jinn. A wave of sadness filled her heart as she thought of the tall Jedi master. She'd been rather intimidated by him when she first met him but she'd quickly learned that he was a very kind man, though a tough master. But surely he could not have been as bad as Bantalian. A waiter brought them their dinner and Naovi quickly dug into her food.
"You may want to eat a little slower," Obi-Wan said. "Cruzan spice can be shocking to the stomach if you are not accustomed to it." Naovi nodded. It was a bit spicier than she was used to but it was very good.
"Have you been to this planet many times?" Naovi asked him.
"Yes, when I was younger. Qui-Gon brought me here a few times for vacations after we had had a particularly long or trying mission. It is a good place to recover your strength and find balance. Of course Qui-Gon always found the time to throw in a few training exercises. It was almost as if that man was incapable of rest." Naovi chuckled along with him but she could feel a sense of sadness fill Obi-Wan as he spoke of his departed master.
"You miss him greatly don't you?" she asked gently. Obi-Wan's eyes seemed to get very far away.
"Yes," he admitted, "I do miss him. He was a great man and a good friend. Truly there are no others like him." Naovi smiled sadly and reached out to gently take Obi-Wan's hand in her own. He met her eyes across the table and smiled sadly. They drifted back into a companionable silence once again. Naovi turned her attention to the dancers on the floor. She'd never seen that type of dancing before. It was very fast and didn't seem to have a rhythm. It was as though the dancers were moving to a beat inside their heads. The fast song ended and another fast one came on. Naovi shook her head in wonder as the people shook from head to feet and waved their arms in the air.
"That is a very unusual way of dancing," she remarked.
"They call it Techno," Obi-Wan said. "It's a very popular form of dance on this planet." "They look as though they're being hit by Force lightning," Naovi said shaking her head. "It's very odd." "Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Many cultures find this form of dance to be vulgar. That's why it's banned on so many systems. However, not all forms of dance are so peculiar." As if on cue the fast song ended and a slow ballad came on. The people on the dance floor stopped waving their arms and assumed a more sedate sway. Men wrapped their arms around their women and moved close together. Naovi's eyes widened as Obi-Wan stood up and offered her his hand. Bewildered, Naovi took his hand and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. She sucked in her breath as he placed his hand on her waist and her hand on his shoulder. Self-conscientiousness filled her as she attempted to follow Obi-Wan's steps. "Relax," Obi-Wan whispered in her ear. "Easier said than done," Naovi thought as he pulled her closer. If her heart were beating any harder it would break her chest. Naovi forced herself to breathe. She was nervous and she knew Obi-Wan could sense it. A memory flashed through her mind of a time when a man had put his hands on her. No, she thought, this was different. Obi-Wan was nothing like Bantalian. He would not hurt her.