"I think I liked Melida/Daan better," Obi-Wan quipped. "At least that was a salvageable operation."
"I think," Qui-Gon replied, his nose twitching, "that you are correct, Padawan."
The pair stood looking at what was soon to be their home for the next...what? Days? Months? Years? Qui-Gon shook his head and sighed. The field was overgrown with large, deeply-rooted weeds, the pasture needed to be cleaned of debris, the fences all needed fixing, the barn was dilapidated, the house not much better...It looked like years was going to be the operative word in this situation. Frustration welled up inside him. Why had the Council done this to him...him, their best fighter, negotiator - their best everything, second only to Mace Windu?
He closed his eyes and asked the Force, not for the first time, to grant him strength. He was going to need it. The thunk! of Obi-Wan's bags hitting the ground as the teen crossed his arms over his chest startled the Knight from his musings. With a mental shrug, he gave his apprentice a gentle shove towards the house.
"We best get a move on, if we plan on making the place semi-habitable by nightfall. Which, by the way, means we only have a couple of hours."
Obi-Wan gave him sour look.
"Hey. This will teach you not to leave the Jedi after the stink you made about becoming my apprentice in the first place. If I recall, you wanted me to accept you so badly you nearly got yourself killed numerous times, and all so you could get out of being a farmer."
An indignant hrumph! was the only answer he received as the youngster picked up his bags and stalked towards the house.
Obi-Wan couldn't believe it. Qui-Gon was right. He had tried so very hard to get out of the Agri-Corps and now here he was once more: doomed to be a farmer until Force knew when. A fine misting of dust stirred when he opened the door, causing the young apprentice to sneeze uncontrollably. He gazed at the farmhouse's interior and repressed a shudder.
The dust was over several inches thick and cobwebs criss-crossed the rafters. The wood of the floors, walls and furniture was rotting in some places and the stairs to the attic, located on the right side of the room and running perpendicular to the entrance, looked like they were ready to collapse under the weight of a feather.
The layout was simplistic; the sheer size of the room amazed Obi-Wan. To his right, a foot or two away from the stairs, rested a large oak table that looked as if it could have seated at least twelve people in its prime. Only four matching chairs, however, were placed around it. An old, cracked vase which was missing a few pieces near the top, sat upon a yellowed and moth-eaten, diamond-shaped lace cloth that covered the length of the table, leaving the corners bare. On the north wall was a swinging door, which he presumed led to a kitchen area.
On Obi-Wan's and the kitchen door's left: a cozy looking fireplace. The ashes from its last usage had not been cleaned out and had mixed with the dust. The mantle was missing the customary trinkets that denoted a living presence within the household. Next to the hearth was an empty bin for firewood and, hanging next to it, a poker. To the right of the fireplace was a well-worn couch, its stuffing oozing from numerous tears and gashes in the much-faded green fabric and its back to the dining area. A once colourful knitted blanket draped over the headrest - the only thing within the room that looked somewhat new and intact. Small cushions were nestled in the corners.
Across from the couch were two identical armchairs. They looked as old and as beaten as the couch. Tatters of smaller blankets rested upon them that had been, Obi-Wan noted, identical to the one that rested on the couch. Between the furniture, on a ratty-looking area rug, a pine coffee table divided the sitting area. Broken vase number-two made its home upon the worn and faded surface
Another door on the north wall, this one on the left side of the fireplace, revealed the master bedroom, while a door on the west wall, directly behind the chairs, opened onto a smaller room.
"It looks like we'll have our work cut out for us." Qui-Gon's voice sounded muffled, the dust absorbing the echoes. He followed his Padawan's footprints as he looked about he room. "And I guess the larger room will be mine."
Obi-Wan shrugged and disappeared into the master bedroom.