The next day….
"Hey, Zanni, hold up!" I turn around to see Obi running towards me.
He jogs up and halts next to me, lightly breathless. "Where're you going, now?"
"Nowhere in particular, why? Are we needed?"
"No, we're off duty, so I was just wondering if you… if you'd like to go for a picnic? Perhaps? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be fun and we-."
I put a silencing finger to his lips. "Shhh. I'd love to, Obi."
"Really? I mean, really, that sounds great. I'll meet you at the orchards in an hour?"
"Actually, I was thinking that since it's such a nice day, the Floating Falls would be nice. You know where, on lake Sequanto?" I smile at him.
He nods. "Okay, so I'll meet you there in an hour?"
"Sure," I nod in reply, and we part to prepare. I return to my quarters to change clothes, taking off the heavy uniform robes, and put on a light dress. Well, I can't say light, but lighter than my work clothes. Dormé, one of Amidala's handmaidens and a good friend of mine enters.
"Hey, where're you going?" She almost glides over to me.
"Oh, Obi-Wan and I are eating lunch at the lake."
"At the falls? Sound romantic."
"Oh shut up!" I give her a playful shove. "We're both just working on the queen's security. Strictly business." I find it hard to keep a straight face at that comment, but I succeed.
"Sure, sure. So how are you going to do your hair?" She flicks at my padewan's ponytail.
"I'm just gonna leave it like this."
Dormé rolls her eyes. "Must you wear it like that all the time? My goodness, your hair's so boring though. No offense of course."
I take slight offense to that, but not too much. My hair really is boring. "So what should I do with it?" I turn to look in the mirror.
She stands behind me and looks over my shoulder at my reflection. "Well…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I mentally kick myself for being so school-boyish with Zanni. We're just friends! I gather the food we need, and hesitate, trying to decide if I should bring wine or not. Nah. I find my way to the lake, and set up the food next to it, and then stand, waiting for Zanni. The falls are beautiful, falling gracefully into the lake, and the meadow in which we are to sit is covered in small flowers, and set upon rolling hills.
I see Zanni coming from a distance, and I notice that's she's changed into a dress. Oh shit, perhaps I should have change too. But what would've I changed into? As she nears, the next thing I notice about her is her hair. For the past few days in which we've been together, it's always been pulled back in a ponytail. But today, it's beautiful, flowing down to the small of her back. The front has two braids, looping back to pull her hair away from her face, and the beautiful blond of it is dazzling. She's never looked so pretty before. As she approaches, I suddenly lose my voice.
"Hey, wow, that looks like a good picnic," she starts.
My jaw goes slack, and I stutter for a minute, then find my voice, but it's hoarse. "Yeah. You look… good." I swallow hard. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
"Thank you." She smiles sweetly, and I feel my stomach move in a way I never thought possible. Hell, I've never felt this way before, even when we were kids together.
"So do you," she responds.
What? "So do I what?"
"Look good."
"Oh, thanks." Awkward pause.
"Shall we?" she nods to the meal.
"What? Oh yes." We both sit and take out the food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I like the way Dormé did my hair. It seems to have the intended affect. Obi is blushing a little. He looks so cute when he blushes. Wait, did I just say that?
The food is really good. He picked out a great meal, and the waterfalls are beautiful. Also, he seems to relax and become his old new self again.
"I also bought a special treat for dessert." He reaches into the basket and pulls out a white deli bag.
I look at him questioningly as he hands it to me, and proceed to remove the contents.
My eyes widen at the sight of the pastries. "Bahklivnitas! But how? I thought they were only made on… at home."
"Yeah, well I have a friend here who's a merchant… I got them imported from another planet that also makes them. I've got more in my quarters."
I hand him one of the pastries and bite into mine. It's delicious. We finish eating and then sit back, chatting.
"You were pretty good in that wrestling tournament the other day," he starts.
"What? Oh, not that's just something we do for fun. It's not a tournament. It keeps us sharp." I reply.
"Well, you sure beat me." He tosses a pebble into the lake.
"I sure did!" I throw a piece of grass at him.
"Yeah, well that was just beginner's luck!" He throws a handful of grass back at me.
I pick up a twig and toss it at him, and then we start throwing random small objects at each other, almost giggling like the children we were so many years ago.
Obi Wan picks up a small pebble and throws it at me, hitting my in the jaw. I stop in mock surprise and drop my jaw. He covers his mouth to cover his laughter.
"Why you little!" I lunge at him.
We roll around on the ground, wrestling, until we pause with him on top. He pins my hands above my head and smiles triumphantly down at me.
I smirk back up at him. "You know I could easily flip you right now."
He leans forwards a bit. "Yeah, I know, but you won't." His bright blue eyes flash.
"And just what makes you say that?" Just then I realize how close his face is to mine.
"Because…" The smile is suddenly gone from his mouth. He leans forward the rest of the way, and touches his lips to mine.
I instinctively close my eyes, and I believe he does too. We hold the kiss, not deepening it, not lightening it, for a moment. Sweet, tender, and innocent.
After a minute he pulls away just enough so as to separate us, but not far enough so as to be able to look at my eyes. He bites his lower lip, and appears to be mentally debating something. Then, as if he's made up his mind, leans back down, and this time, open his lips in the kiss. At first I'm hesitant, taken by surprise. But then I too open my lips, and our tongues meet.
I pull my hands away from his grip, and gently place them behind his head. Eventually, of course, the kiss has to end, as reluctant as it may seem. Obi sits up, but doesn't look at me, just looks around nervously, as if gathering courage. Finally, he looks at my face, into my eyes, as if asking for reassurance that he did the right thing. I smile at him and he relaxes and smiles back.
I suddenly flip him in one quick movement, resulting in me being on top. "Told ya I could flip you." I lean forward to kiss him again, but he turns his head, avoiding my mouth.
"What if someone were to see us?" he says.
I look around briefly and smile. "Nobody's here, don't worry. It's just you and me, Blue Eyes." I lean forward again, but he persists.
"If we get caught it might ruin my Jedi career."
"Right." I sit back. I can't believe him! "Yeah, you've got your knighthood to worry about." I start to stand, but he pulls me back down.
"I don't care." He pulls me to him, into yet another kiss. He starts kissing more passionately, but then pushes me away again. "No, I can't. We'll get into so much trouble!"
I've never been so humiliated before. "Right, you're a Jedi." I stand, and turn back to the abandoned basket and such, and begin packing up.
All of a sudden, everything goes black. Well, more like green and then black.
The next thing I know, I'm on the ground and Obi has one arm around me, and is splashing water on my face. "Zanni, Zanni, wake up. Zanni, come back to me Zanni. You awake?"
I squint up at him. "Yeah, what happened?"
"I don't know, you just suddenly passed out." He soaks a napkin in the cool water of the lake and dabs my forehead with it. "How do you feel? Tired? Thirsty?"
I shake my head and stand, brushing myself off. "No, I'm fine. I actually got extra rest last night too."
"Well, you should probably go see the medic when we get back. Just in case." He looks at me with concern. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, it was probably the light, but your eyes looked like they, well, turned green again."
We're interrupted by Dormé coming up the hill towards us. "Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but the queen needs you."
"Hey, Zanni, hold up!" I turn around to see Obi running towards me.
He jogs up and halts next to me, lightly breathless. "Where're you going, now?"
"Nowhere in particular, why? Are we needed?"
"No, we're off duty, so I was just wondering if you… if you'd like to go for a picnic? Perhaps? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be fun and we-."
I put a silencing finger to his lips. "Shhh. I'd love to, Obi."
"Really? I mean, really, that sounds great. I'll meet you at the orchards in an hour?"
"Actually, I was thinking that since it's such a nice day, the Floating Falls would be nice. You know where, on lake Sequanto?" I smile at him.
He nods. "Okay, so I'll meet you there in an hour?"
"Sure," I nod in reply, and we part to prepare. I return to my quarters to change clothes, taking off the heavy uniform robes, and put on a light dress. Well, I can't say light, but lighter than my work clothes. Dormé, one of Amidala's handmaidens and a good friend of mine enters.
"Hey, where're you going?" She almost glides over to me.
"Oh, Obi-Wan and I are eating lunch at the lake."
"At the falls? Sound romantic."
"Oh shut up!" I give her a playful shove. "We're both just working on the queen's security. Strictly business." I find it hard to keep a straight face at that comment, but I succeed.
"Sure, sure. So how are you going to do your hair?" She flicks at my padewan's ponytail.
"I'm just gonna leave it like this."
Dormé rolls her eyes. "Must you wear it like that all the time? My goodness, your hair's so boring though. No offense of course."
I take slight offense to that, but not too much. My hair really is boring. "So what should I do with it?" I turn to look in the mirror.
She stands behind me and looks over my shoulder at my reflection. "Well…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I mentally kick myself for being so school-boyish with Zanni. We're just friends! I gather the food we need, and hesitate, trying to decide if I should bring wine or not. Nah. I find my way to the lake, and set up the food next to it, and then stand, waiting for Zanni. The falls are beautiful, falling gracefully into the lake, and the meadow in which we are to sit is covered in small flowers, and set upon rolling hills.
I see Zanni coming from a distance, and I notice that's she's changed into a dress. Oh shit, perhaps I should have change too. But what would've I changed into? As she nears, the next thing I notice about her is her hair. For the past few days in which we've been together, it's always been pulled back in a ponytail. But today, it's beautiful, flowing down to the small of her back. The front has two braids, looping back to pull her hair away from her face, and the beautiful blond of it is dazzling. She's never looked so pretty before. As she approaches, I suddenly lose my voice.
"Hey, wow, that looks like a good picnic," she starts.
My jaw goes slack, and I stutter for a minute, then find my voice, but it's hoarse. "Yeah. You look… good." I swallow hard. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
"Thank you." She smiles sweetly, and I feel my stomach move in a way I never thought possible. Hell, I've never felt this way before, even when we were kids together.
"So do you," she responds.
What? "So do I what?"
"Look good."
"Oh, thanks." Awkward pause.
"Shall we?" she nods to the meal.
"What? Oh yes." We both sit and take out the food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I like the way Dormé did my hair. It seems to have the intended affect. Obi is blushing a little. He looks so cute when he blushes. Wait, did I just say that?
The food is really good. He picked out a great meal, and the waterfalls are beautiful. Also, he seems to relax and become his old new self again.
"I also bought a special treat for dessert." He reaches into the basket and pulls out a white deli bag.
I look at him questioningly as he hands it to me, and proceed to remove the contents.
My eyes widen at the sight of the pastries. "Bahklivnitas! But how? I thought they were only made on… at home."
"Yeah, well I have a friend here who's a merchant… I got them imported from another planet that also makes them. I've got more in my quarters."
I hand him one of the pastries and bite into mine. It's delicious. We finish eating and then sit back, chatting.
"You were pretty good in that wrestling tournament the other day," he starts.
"What? Oh, not that's just something we do for fun. It's not a tournament. It keeps us sharp." I reply.
"Well, you sure beat me." He tosses a pebble into the lake.
"I sure did!" I throw a piece of grass at him.
"Yeah, well that was just beginner's luck!" He throws a handful of grass back at me.
I pick up a twig and toss it at him, and then we start throwing random small objects at each other, almost giggling like the children we were so many years ago.
Obi Wan picks up a small pebble and throws it at me, hitting my in the jaw. I stop in mock surprise and drop my jaw. He covers his mouth to cover his laughter.
"Why you little!" I lunge at him.
We roll around on the ground, wrestling, until we pause with him on top. He pins my hands above my head and smiles triumphantly down at me.
I smirk back up at him. "You know I could easily flip you right now."
He leans forwards a bit. "Yeah, I know, but you won't." His bright blue eyes flash.
"And just what makes you say that?" Just then I realize how close his face is to mine.
"Because…" The smile is suddenly gone from his mouth. He leans forward the rest of the way, and touches his lips to mine.
I instinctively close my eyes, and I believe he does too. We hold the kiss, not deepening it, not lightening it, for a moment. Sweet, tender, and innocent.
After a minute he pulls away just enough so as to separate us, but not far enough so as to be able to look at my eyes. He bites his lower lip, and appears to be mentally debating something. Then, as if he's made up his mind, leans back down, and this time, open his lips in the kiss. At first I'm hesitant, taken by surprise. But then I too open my lips, and our tongues meet.
I pull my hands away from his grip, and gently place them behind his head. Eventually, of course, the kiss has to end, as reluctant as it may seem. Obi sits up, but doesn't look at me, just looks around nervously, as if gathering courage. Finally, he looks at my face, into my eyes, as if asking for reassurance that he did the right thing. I smile at him and he relaxes and smiles back.
I suddenly flip him in one quick movement, resulting in me being on top. "Told ya I could flip you." I lean forward to kiss him again, but he turns his head, avoiding my mouth.
"What if someone were to see us?" he says.
I look around briefly and smile. "Nobody's here, don't worry. It's just you and me, Blue Eyes." I lean forward again, but he persists.
"If we get caught it might ruin my Jedi career."
"Right." I sit back. I can't believe him! "Yeah, you've got your knighthood to worry about." I start to stand, but he pulls me back down.
"I don't care." He pulls me to him, into yet another kiss. He starts kissing more passionately, but then pushes me away again. "No, I can't. We'll get into so much trouble!"
I've never been so humiliated before. "Right, you're a Jedi." I stand, and turn back to the abandoned basket and such, and begin packing up.
All of a sudden, everything goes black. Well, more like green and then black.
The next thing I know, I'm on the ground and Obi has one arm around me, and is splashing water on my face. "Zanni, Zanni, wake up. Zanni, come back to me Zanni. You awake?"
I squint up at him. "Yeah, what happened?"
"I don't know, you just suddenly passed out." He soaks a napkin in the cool water of the lake and dabs my forehead with it. "How do you feel? Tired? Thirsty?"
I shake my head and stand, brushing myself off. "No, I'm fine. I actually got extra rest last night too."
"Well, you should probably go see the medic when we get back. Just in case." He looks at me with concern. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, it was probably the light, but your eyes looked like they, well, turned green again."
We're interrupted by Dormé coming up the hill towards us. "Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but the queen needs you."