"So what happens now?" Sienna asked.

Obi-Wan brushed his fingers over the leaves of flowering bush. The two were walking through the palace gardens, taking a bit of a respite after the busyness of the day before. Anakin had intended to join them, but then one of the handmaidens had invited him to see how the Queen's wigs were made, and he had jumped at the opportunity to spend time with people a little closer to his own age.

"The Council has granted me permission to train Anakin," he replied.

He heard Sienna release a breath, and felt relief color her Force-signature.

"That's great," she said. "I wasn't sure what I was gonna do if they weren't gonna let him become a Jedi."

"Couldn't you have brought him to your own Order?" Obi-Wan asked. That was something he'd been wondering about, in the few moments where he took the time to fret over what-ifs. "Aside from the obvious issue of being stuck for the moment, I would think it would be easier to convince your Council to accept a nine year-old youngling than to convince mine."

Sienna cast him a sideways glance. "It… doesn't really work like that. And even if it did, joining the Cosmic Order means leaving everything and everyone behind. For good. Here, he has the chance to possibly see his mom again. He might not get to, depending on the way life happens, but he's got a chance. If he joined my Order, he wouldn't even have that."

"Because it's in another galaxy?"

"Mmm. The only way to travel back and forth is by Force portal, and those are unpredictable. Only a couple of the Masters have the ability to go wherever they please, whenever they please. The rest of us go where they send us, or go where the Force itself sends us. But for the most part, we stay in our galaxy, and leave the intergalactic travel to the Masters."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That seems like it would be wise."

"Yeah. I mean, look what happened to me. If it were Master Nexus who fell through a portal, she'd be able to just"—Sienna snapped her fingers—"open up a new one and pop right back home. But I'm no Master, so I'm stuck here until I find a portal, or until the Masters find me. Anyone who isn't Master Azimuth, Master Nexus, or Master Borealis runs that risk every time they travel. "

"How do you mitigate that risk?"

"Well, the easiest way is to just tell someone where you're going," Sienna said with a short laugh. "That's a good policy even if you're just going out for a drink down the street. The buddy system works great too. That way, if you get stuck, at least you aren't on your own. And as you've probably noticed, our Force-signatures are unique. We stand out in this galaxy. If you came to ours, you'd stand out too. The more of us there are together when we travel, the easier it is for someone from home to find us."

"I imagine it also makes you a larger target though," Obi-Wan mused. "The difference is glaringly obvious to any Force-user. It's difficult to describe, but it catches attention. That was one of the first things Qui-Gon noticed about you."

Sienna hummed in agreement. "Yup. That's why small groups are best. We work in pairs, or groups of three or four, rarely more than that. And we shield our presences as much as we can so we don't draw unwanted attention. My problem is that if I shield all the time, the Masters won't be able to find me. So I have to balance that risk. Luckily, there aren't a lot of threats here, and for the most part I'm in no more danger than you or any other Jedi."

"I suppose that's something."

"Mm."

They lapsed into comfortable silence again. Obi-Wan paused before a flowering bush that had several butterflies fluttering about it. Qui-Gon had always been incredibly fond of anything that grew, or flew, or even scuttled along the ground. If it was alive, Qui-Gon was instantly drawn to it. He had been known to bring home half-dead plants and animals alike, often tasking a teenage Obi-Wan with nursing the things back to health to "teach him responsibility" and to help him become "more in-tune with the Living Force." After the third such incident, Obi-Wan had remarked that Qui-Gon seemed to have an affinity for 'pathetic life-forms' to which Qui-Gon had chuckled and teasingly said that Obi-Wan was one of them.

Obi-Wan smirked as he realized that technically, Qui-Gon had left him with one more pathetic life-form to look after. The bastard. It was just like him to pick up a nine year-old boy and then drop him on Obi-Wan, sweeping away before having to deal with any messes.

His smile dimmed somewhat as he thought of the many plants cluttering the balcony of his and Qui-Gon's shared quarters. Plants Qui-Gon would never again water and tend. And Anakin, who Obi-Wan would train and raise, would never interact with Qui-Gon as his grandmaster. Obi-Wan had never met his own grandmaster, but he had always hoped to, someday. Other Padawans swapped stories of lineage dinners or outings, giggling over tales of their Master and grandmaster bickering. Obi-Wan had often dreamed that perhaps, if and when he had his own Padawan, he could convince Qui-Gon to participate in such things.

It seemed he would never get the chance.

"I'm thinking of switching to Soresu," Obi-Wan commented aloud.

Sienna glanced up. "Hm?"

"Ataru was the Form Qui-Gon Mastered in," the Knight continued, "it served him well for a long time, but in the end it was his downfall. It left him too open, too vulnerable. Soresu is more defensive. Its movements are designed to better protect the practitioner and to be more energy efficient than many of the other forms." Obi-Wan looked out over the garden, tilting his head slightly in thought. "My foundation is in Ataru as well. I have the same weaknesses in my technique that Qui-Gon had in his. But I think focusing on Soresu would help eliminate those weaknesses."

Sienna nodded slowly, considering this. "That makes sense."

"I've been practicing, a lot," Obi-Wan admitted. "Replaying the fight in my mind. Searching for all the mistakes. For what I could have done differently."

"So that's where you were all week," Sienna said. "I was starting to wonder if you'd gone and left Naboo, or disappeared out into the swamps."

Obi-Wan hummed. He looked down at the butterfly bush and gently plucked a leaf from one of the branches, running his thumb over the ridged edge. "Ataru has little defensive capability. If either of us had practiced Soresu… Or if I had been faster…" He paused, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "Maybe… Maybe he would still be alive."

"You can't blame yourself, Bee," Sienna said gently. She reached out and brushed a hand over his shoulder, then let it settle more firmly. "You did all you could. Mistakes happen."

"I won't make the same mistakes twice," Obi-Wan vowed. He glanced over at her. "And I won't leave Anakin without a Master. Not if I can help it."

She didn't really have a response to that, so she just nodded.

"What's your preferred Form?" Obi-Wan asked, letting the leaf fall to the ground and beginning to walk again.

Sienna let her hand drop as well. "I prefer blasters," she said, and laughed at the scandalized look Obi-Wan gave her. "I'm better with them than anything else. And if I can't have blasters, I'll take hand to hand over 'sabers."

"You don't like 'sabers?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.

"It's not that I don't like them, per se, it's that I'm not very good at them. I've spent my entire life using blasters and fighting with my fists. If I have a blaster in my hand, I know I can take someone down. But if I'm using a 'saber, first of all I have to get close enough to use it, by which point I could just throw a good punch and call it a day, and second of all if I'm facing down another swordsman chances are they're way better than I am and I really shouldn't be engaging them in a prolonged saber fight. And third, most of the missions I go on are to places where revealing my status as a Jedi wouldn't be smart, so lightsabers are a last resort anyway."

"'Not being very good' can be remedied through practice," Obi-Wan said.

Sienna shrugged. "Well yeah, but in a pinch I'm better off using a weapon I know I can do the job with."

"Perhaps, but if you never use your 'saber you'll never improve."

"I won't have a chance to improve if I use a 'saber and end up getting myself killed."

"So practice," Obi-Wan insisted again.

"I do practice. But my talents are in piloting, tinkering, and blasters. I'm of more use to the Order if I stick to those and continue to hone those skills than if I spend all my time trying to become a swordsman."

"You're of no use to anyone if you're afraid to duel and can't hold your own against an opponent with a 'saber," Obi-Wan retorted. "If you can't handle a 'saber, why bother training to become a Knight? Why not just work somewhere as a pilot or a mechanic?"

Sienna shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not afraid to duel."

"No?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"No."

"Prove it."

"What?"

Obi-Wan shed his cloak, tossed the garment aside, and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. "Prove it," he said again. He swept his arms out, gesturing to the open space around them, a courtyard surrounded by hedges on two sides, flowering bushes on one, and a fish pond on the fourth. "We have plenty of space here. Fight me."

Sienna stared at him for a second, as if trying to figure out if he was serious. When she decided that he was, she unclipped her saber too. "Alrighty."

Obi-Wan glanced at the fist curled around her saber hilt. "You're left-handed?"

"Yup."

"Interesting." He thumbed the activation switch on his own saber, the azure blade leaping forth with a familiar snap-hiss, and fell into the Ataru opening stance. "Let's begin."

Sienna settled into an opening stance and ignited her own gold blade. They circled each other for a moment, feeling each other out, and then Obi-Wan made the first move. A quick forward slash, which Sienna blocked. He stepped back, and tried a few more easy slashes, testing her and giving both of them an opportunity to warm up a little. He met her gaze, smirked, and then went in for some real blows.

He had her disarmed in seconds.

"You really are terrible," Obi-Wan commented cheerfully as he held his 'saber to her throat.

"Jee, thanks," she shot back. "Might I remind you that you have a solid twenty years of training on me?"

"You might," he said, extinguishing his 'saber and releasing her from the hold. "But I suspect a determined youngling would be able to beat you."

She huffed and stooped to pick up her 'saber hilt.

"Again," Obi-Wan said, settling back into the opening stance.

The second round ended even more quickly than the first.

"What Form is that even supposed to be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Djem So."

"Well, if you're aiming to be a Krayt dragon, whatever that was reminds me more of a flailing worm."

"Very funny, Mister hawk-bat."

"At least you can identify the Forms, even if you can't apply them."

"Mir'sheb."

They went a few more rounds, none of them lasting very long, and all ending with Obi-Wan's victory.

"You know, I'm starting to think you just like kicking my butt," Sienna said, pushing herself up off the ground.

Obi-Wan laughed. "You're hardly much of a challenge."

She glared at him. "Face me at hand-to-hand and we'll see who's a 'challenge' then."

He laughed again. "Alright."

Sienna blinked. "Alright?"

"Mm." Obi-Wan tossed his saber on top of his discarded cloak. "Let's go a round of hand-to-hand."

Sienna tucked her lightsaber into the specialized compartment in her blaster holster and shrugged off her vest. A smirk spread across her face as she and Obi-Wan circled one another, knees bent and fists raised.

Obi-Wan made the first move, just as he had with the lightsaber spar, throwing a punch toward her head. Sienna blocked with her elbow and threw a punch of her own, which Obi-Wan redirected. They exchanged a few more blows, and Sienna managed to cuff him in the ear, though not hard enough to do any real damage. Obi-Wan looped one arm around her right one and brought his other down against her neck. Sienna ducked under that arm and jabbed a hand upwards to throw it off, lowering her center of gravity and using the created opening to loop her now-freed right arm under his leg to throw him around her body and down to the ground. From there Sienna wrapped him in a tight headlock.

"Ready to give up, Kenobi?"

"Not a... chance," he grit out. However, when he tried to break out of her hold, he found he couldn't get even an inch of leverage. Sienna tightened her grip, drawing a gasp from Obi-Wan.

"Don't make me suffocate you," she warned, only half-joking.

Obi-Wan tried again to break out of the familiar hold, pushing aside his body's natural panic response at being deprived of oxygen and trying to remain level-headed, but ultimately was forced to tap out when the edges of his vision started going dark.

Sienna immediately released him and rolled away, jumping to her feet and extending a hand.

He coughed heavily as his lungs leapt into overdrive, and accepted the hand up.

"Was that enough of a challenge for you?" Sienna asked with a smirk.

"I suppose it was sufficient," Obi-Wan said, brushing dirt off his robes.

Sienna put her hands on her hips. "You suppose?"

"One win could just be luck." The Knight shook out his arms and rolled his shoulders, then settled back into a fighting stance. "Let's see if you can beat me again."

"Oh, you're on."

Sienna won four more rounds before Obi-Wan finally managed to claim a victory, and then she won two more after that.

"Dude, your back is gonna hate you tomorrow," she commented, after slamming him into the ground once again, effectively knocking the wind out of him.

It took a minute for him to make his lungs work, and another for him to be able to speak. "Not to worry, it hates me anyway."

She laughed. "Have I beaten you up enough yet?"

Obi-Wan grunted an affirmative and climbed up to his feet, wincing as the movement pulled at a sore spot in his back. "I'd say so."

"Good. I wouldn't want to return you to the Council too black and blue."

Obi-Wan released a breathy laugh. "Oh, they've seen me in far worse condition. I doubt they'd even be surprised." He rubbed at a spot on his arm and gingerly stretched the limb. "I see now why you favor Form Six. Its focus on redirecting an opponent's attack and using their strikes against them matches your fighting style."

Sienna hummed. "It's Calian's preferred Form too. 'Course, he's a six-foot-four giant of a Twi'lek, so it's naturally the most effective Form for him to use, and I'm short in comparison, but I vibe with it more than the other Forms."

"Hmm. I noticed that you didn't really press an attack when we were sparring with 'sabers, not like you did in hand-to-hand," Obi-Wan commented. "And since I'm taller than you, there wasn't really an opportunity for you to use the Falling Avalanche. How often do you spar with someone that's your height?"

"Given that most of my friends are freakishly tall, pretty much never."

Obi-Wan snorted. "So you never actually get to use Djem Sho's signature move?"

"...no, I guess not."

"And you aren't confident in your abilities with a lightsaber, so you're in a headspace of trying not to get killed rather than in a headspace of actively trying to win, which causes you to be hesitant and sloppy with your strokes."

Sienna considered this. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"And your lack of confidence works against the Form you're trying to employ, since Djem Sho is about overpowering your opponent, not self-defense," Obi-Wan mused. Then, after a beat, "Have you considered Makashi?"

"Mmm, not really, no. I always thought that was for folks who care more about grace and style."

"To some extent, I suppose, but it is designed specifically for dueling an opponent with a lightsaber. It needs to be combined with offensive moves from another Form if you want to land any real blows, but if you just want to survive and keep your lightsaber in your hand, maybe knock your opponent back or trap him, Form Two is the one that will allow you to do that with the least amount of energy expenditure. It utilizes jabs and parries instead of slashes, along with thrusts, back-and-forth charges, and retreats. There's an emphasis on balance, which you clearly have. Soresu is similar, but with more focus on deflecting blaster attacks and wearing out your opponent. However, seeing as you have less experience with a lightsaber than most swordsfolks you'll face, the longer a fight draws out the greater the risk. So, Soresu's style wouldn't work. And I suspect it's a bit pacifistic for your taste."

"So… You think I'm better suited to Makashi?" Sienna asked.

"I think it would serve you better given your current skills," Obi-Wan said. "You certainly have the strength and grit to make Form Six work, but you lack the confidence and experience with swordplay. Form Two would give you that foundation to build on. And seeing as you prefer other weapons, you're likely only going to draw your 'saber to face off against another 'saber, and like I said, Makashi is designed for dueling."

Sienna mulled that over.

"Plus," Obi-Wan began, a mischievous glint in his eye, "then you could actually use your Form's signature moves."

"Are you calling me short?" Sienna challenged.

"I said no such thing."

"Well you implied it, jerk." She playfully swung at him, and he ducked under her fist with a laugh. "I'll have you know I am of average height, thank you very much. And even if I was short, I still kicked your butt in seven rounds of hand-to-hand."

"And how many times did I beat you at 'sabers?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow

"Not enough to go getting an ego."

"Hmm, then perhaps we should go a few more rounds, to justify this supposed ego."

"Or I could knock you out and throw you into the fish pond over there."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, Knight Kenobi?"

He smirked. "If that's the way you see it."

"Well in that case…" Sienna lunged forward.

Obi-Wan ducked out of the way and flung a hand out for his lightsaber, calling on the Force to bring it to him.

"Oh no you don't." Sienna swiped the weapon out of the air just before it reached Obi-Wan's outstretched fingers and proceeded to chuck it into the bushes.

"Hey! You can't just throw my lightsaber around like that!"

"Just did," she smirked, and ducked under Obi-Wan's retaliatory fist.

The Knight feinted right and went left, blocked a blow, and swiped Sienna's 'saber from its holster compartment. He brandished the gold blade in front of him, using wide sweeping arcs to push Sienna backwards. "Perhaps you shouldn't have, seeing as you're now bladeless against a 'saber-wielding opponent."

"Nah, I'm pretty content with my choice."

She whipped out both blasters and began firing, forcing Obi-Wan on the defensive. He adjusted well, tightening his movements to deflect the shots, falling into Soresu.

"Is that the best you've got?" He taunted, sending one of the bolts whizzing past her ear.

"Is that the best insult you've got?" Sienna countered. She shot low and high at the same time, so that Obi-Wan had to lift his saber to avoid losing his head and jump backwards to avoid losing a foot, thus forcing him backwards towards the pond. A few more shots like that put him almost on the edge, and another knocked Sienna's lightsaber out of his hand. It rolled away into a nearby bush.

"I've got you pinned," Sienna said, slowly advancing while aiming both blasters at him.

Obi-Wan lifted his hands. "It would certainly seem so."

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you-"

Obi-Wan yanked the blasters out of her hands with the Force, calling them to his own. Sienna flung her hands forward to stop them, and thus the blasters were caught mid-air in a Force-powered tug-of-war.

"Ummm what are you guys doing?"

The two Jedi cast quick glances to the side. Anakin stood at the end of the path, watching the two of them with a confused expression.

"We're sparring," Sienna responded, scrunching her face as she drew more power from the Force.

Obi-Wan met that with his own, and being the one with more training, the blasters began to inch towards him.

Anakin looked from Sienna, to Obi-Wan, and back again. "Why are your blasters in the air?"

"Cuz Obi-Wan's trying to steal them," she grunted, "and I'm trying to push him into the pond."

"Why?"

"So I can win."

Anakin cocked his head to the side. He regarded the scene before him for another second, then casually lifted his hands.

"Ay!" Obi-Wan fell backwards with an undignified yelp and a large splash.

Sienna burst out laughing as Obi-Wan flailed and sat up. "Bet you didn't see that coming, huh Bee?"

Obi-Wan spat pond water out of his mouth and swept a lily pad off his shoulder. "If by 'that' you mean a horrendous display of cheating, then no, I didn't, though I suppose I should have."

"Mmm, yes, you really should have," Sienna said sweetly. "No hard feelings though." She stepped to the edge of the pond and offered a hand.

Obi-Wan leaned forward to accept it, only to yank back with a Force-aided pull and send Sienna over his head and into the deeper water.

Sienna coughed as she surfaced and shook water out of her hair. "Alright, you know, I deserve that for being stupid enough to offer you a hand out of the pond."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan agreed. "I'm surprised you fell for it."

Sienna chucked a lily pad at him.

Anakin, for his part, was doubled over with laughter. "You guys look ridiculous."

"That they do," agreed a fourth voice, as Mace Windu stepped out from behind a hedge.

Obi-Wan paled. He sputtered out a "hello, Master" and tried to scramble to his feet to greet the Council member with a bow, but he slipped on a patch of algae and went crashing down again, this time face first.

Sienna didn't bother trying to look dignified. She just offered a casual grin and a two-fingered salute as Obi-Wan choked on the pond water. "Master Windu."

"Padawan Retrograde," the Korun Jedi greeted, with a level of calm as if he wasn't talking to someone sitting in a fish pond. "I see you're enjoying Naboo's gardens."

"They're full of surprises."

"Indeed they are. And Knight Kenobi, spending time with your new Padawan?"

"New Padawan?" Anakin echoed. "When did you get a Padawan? Who is it?"

Obi-Wan groaned. "You are," he said. "The Council gave me permission to train you. I was going to ask you to be my Padawan later today."

Anakin's eyes lit up. "You mean I get to become a Jedi?"

"If you want to, yes."

"Wizard!"

Trying to salvage what little he could of the situation, Obi-Wan asked, "Anakin Skywalker, would you do me the honor of becoming my Padawan Learner?"

"Yeah!" Anakin said, grinning from ear to ear and nodding enthusiastically. "Absolutely."

"It's official then," Mace stated. "Padawan Skywalker, welcome to the Jedi Order."

"Thanks, Mister Windu!"

Mace offered a smile to the boy, then turned his gaze back to the twenty-somethings still in the water. "I suggest you two get cleaned up. The Queen has invited all of us to lunch before we return to Coruscant."

Obi-Wan dipped his head. "Yes, Master."

"I'll leave you to it."

Mace strode off the way he had come, a glimmer of amusement lingering in the Force behind him.

Obi-Wan groaned again, dropping his forehead against the soggy shore. "I'm cursed," he announced dramatically, though his voice was muffled a bit by the mud. "I will never ever live this down. I haven't even been a Knight for a full day and I've already gone and made a fool of myself."

Sienna scooted forward and patted his back sympathetically. "Look on the bright side, at least you'll remember the day you asked Anakin to be your Padawan in vivid detail."

Obi-Wan just sighed.