Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Drinna would look back on the following weeks as… tense. Anakin kept his Master and fellow Padawan busy, so busy that they didn't have the time to reflect on their feelings except in the short hours they had alone in the mornings.
It was on one particularly difficult day in the Creche that Anakin unwittingly addressed it.
I laughed as Ashla tugged on my hair and I fell over, lifting her above my head. The other younglings rushed toward me and tackled me, leaving me gasping for breath as I laughed and tickled them.
Anakin and Obi-Wan merely stood off to the side, shaking their heads. I grinned at them as Liam jumped on me, causing me to groan.
"Okay, guys, that's enough," I said, sitting up and pulling the young human boy close. "Do you want to hear a story?"
The kids cheered, which I took as permission to continue. A few of them tottered closer.
"Okay, sit down," I said, patting the ground beside me as Jempa and Ashla came closer. They sat beside me, Ashla gripping my hand. She was rather touchy-feely, I had noticed. I only could hope it wouldn't cause her problems with the Order.
Anakin drew closer as well, eager to hear my story. He'd become more open in the few weeks we'd spent at the Creche. It was doing good things for his fear as well. I made a mental note to take him to some of the other clans as well.
"What do you want to hear about?" I asked, smiling at the younglings and my fellow Padawan.
"How about that time you and Master Kenobi crash landed on Felucia?" Anakin asked. He'd heard about it from Obi-Wan one of the times he mentioned he didn't like flying. Now Anakin was curious. The younglings chorused their agreement and excitement.
I looked over at Obi-Wan. He had stiffened imperceptibly to anyone who didn't know him well. But I did know him well. I just didn't know why he was avoiding my gaze.
"How about next time," I said, tearing my gaze away from Obi-Wan with a frown.
The younglings moaned and Anakin gazed between me and Obi-Wan thoughtfully.
"Why?" Anakin asked. I hesitated in my answer.
"I… just…"
"Did something… happen while you two were there. Alone?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows. I blinked at Anakin in shock as the younglings looked back and forth, luckily not understanding what was going on.
"A-ankin!" I protested, lifting Liam off of my lap and standing. "Nothing happened!" The younglings sat confused and Ashla frowned as I let go of her hand.
Anakin merely chuckled.
"Gee, thought you'd think it funny," he said with a laugh, leaning back on his hands.
"Well, it's not," I replied coolly, walking away.
"Anakin," I heard Obi-Wan reprimand as I opened the door to the freshers just outside of the Creche. I didn't hear anything else.
"Anakin, I won't have you questioning Drinna's honor," Obi-Wan reprimanded, not moved from his position, though his arms were crossed. "Drinna merely didn't want to tell the story so as not to embarrass me."
"Most of her stories that involve you are embarrassing," Anakin conceded.
Obi-Wan frowned as he moved forward, stopping at a tug on his robes. It was the young Togruta who had been holding Drinna's hand. She looked up at him and gestured widely for him to hold her. His frown softening, Obi-Wan bent down and picked the girl up.
She giggled as she tugged at his beard and Obi-Wan merely sighed. Anakin snorted, but was quickly attacked by a few of the nearby younglings.
Obi-Wan sat down and a few of the other younglings drew near.
"This reminds me of when Drinna and I were younglings," he finally said. Anakin's head snapped up.
"She was three when she joined the clan I was in. There were nine of us before she joined, and she was instantly picked on by two of the younglings who antagonized me. My friends stood up for her and she became close with… her name was Siri Tachi. She wasn't in our clan and I never formally met her until I was a Padawan.
"Drinna had a certain knack for trouble," Obi-Wan continued as the younglings settled down to hear the story. "One of the worst times was shortly after I became a Padawan. One of the younglings who had been my enemy, Bruck Chun, had turned on the Order. He'd attacked one of our friends and chained her at the bottom of the main waterfall in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
"I had my lightsaber and Bruck had one he'd been lent by a Dark Jedi. Drinna merely had her crystal. She hadn't finished building her lightsaber. I don't know why, though it could be that she was almost nine at the time. She didn't have a Master, though I did.
"Bruck lured her away while I was busy trying to free our friend, Bant Eerin. I don't know how she managed to hold him off as long as she did."
Obi-Wan didn't notice when a door opened behind him and Drinna walked in, eyeing him curiously.
"But she held him off until I got up to her. They had somehow gotten on one of the waterfalls and Bruck was raining down blows upon her. She was breathing heavily by the time I got there, blocking one of Bruck's strokes. I fought him for awhile while Drinna climbed higher…"
Drinna gripped the slippery rocks, pulling herself up. She was a good fifteen feet above where Obi-Wan and Bruck dueled. The clashing of their sabers sent sparks spinning and where their blades met was pure light.
Drinna squinted down past them, gripping the rocks when she felt herself leaning forward.
At least Bant was okay.
Drinna wasn't sure how she'd managed to hold off Bruck as long as she did. At one point, Drinna had held him off with her bare hands.
She looked at her hands now. They looked completely fine. There were no burn marks, no blood, except for where she had scratched her hand on her way up the waterfall. She looked down the waterfall now and immediately drew back.
She hated heights.
Bruck looked up, as if sensing her fear and grinned wickedly at her, shoving Obi-Wan back with a well-placed kick. He went tumbling off the edge and Drinna gasped loudly.
Bruck used the Force to jump up the waterfall after her and Drinna crawled away, climbing up as best she could with the slippery rocks, scrapping her hands again and hissing. It was more of an annoyance than a pain, really.
Drinna stood shakily, balancing her way across the waterfall. She was mid-river when Bruck caught up to her ledge. Taking one look at him, Drinna dashed to the other side of the water. He merely jumped across and aimed his red blade at her.
"Hello, Drinna," he said, eyeing her. "Are you scared?"
"N… no!" she squeaked, taking a step to the side. Bruck quickly moved that way, blocking her off from the river.
"I think you are," he said with a chuckle, rolling his eyes. "You were always scared of something when we were younger."
Drinna looked around desperately. There was a rope bridge behind her a few terraces up. If she could just reach it…
"Go on," Bruck said, grinning as he pointed with his red blade at the bridge. "If you think you can make it. I'll even give you a headstart."
Drinna took the opportunity and dashed to the wall, climbing as quickly as she could. True to his word, Bruck waited a few seconds.
"You've got to climb faster than that, Drinna," he said with a chuckle, slashing at her legs as she desperately climbed. She'd made it over the first ledge. Bruck growled and jumped up after her as she climbed up the next ledge.
Drinna sent a blast of water at him, knocking him back a few steps as he rubbed his eyes.
"Hey!"
Drinna made it up the second ledge. Bruck followed.
Looking behind her, Drinna realized she wouldn't be able to climb quickly enough. So she reached out with the Force and jumped, barely missing Bruck's slash at her legs.
She stumbled backward, arms wheeling in big circles as she tottered on the edge of the ledge. She was going to fall and she was terrified.
Reaching out with the Force, Drinna pulled at a log. She went stumbling forward, falling off of her feet as the log went over her head and barely missed Bruck.
Taking a moment to breathe, Drinna forced herself to her feet and ran toward the rope bridge. It was long, perhaps forty feet.
But Bruck forgot one thing as he chased after Drinna: Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan, contrary to what Drinna had thought, had not fallen off the edge. He gripped it now, stunned. He had hit his head hard and was starting to see stars, but he knew Drinna was in trouble and pulled himself up. Neither Initiate had noticed his recovery, and Bant was too tired to comment.
Obi-Wan leaped up after Bruck and Drinna, desperately trying to catch up.
Drinna took one look at the swinging rope bridge and decided she would rather die before she took a step on it. But a growl behind her terrified her more as she turned to face Bruck.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked as he approached, swinging his saber around and sending sparks across the stones, gouging deep lines in the soft soil.
"Are you?" she returned breathlessly, taking a hesitant step onto the rope bridge. Bruck noticed her hesitation and grinned.
"You're in my way," Bruck said with a shrug.
"You chased me!" Drinna protested, her hands gripping the ropes in a deathgrip as she took another two steps back.
"Maybe so," Bruck returned, advancing like a panther about to pounce. "But still!"
He leapt forward and slashed at her head. Drinna ducked and twirled out of the way, taking shaky steps as the rope bridge wobbled. She let go with one hand and shoved Bruck back into the water.
Obi-Wan was half-way up the waterfall now.
Drinna turned and ran nimbly across the bridge, feeling the sway of the bridge and the empty feeling twisting in her gut. She kept her gaze determinedly on the other side.
Then she felt the bridge tremble and buck, twisting to the side. She lurched, grabbing desperately at the side that was higher.
Looking down, Drinna really wished she hadn't. She was high in the air, nearing one hundred feet. If she fell…
The bridge trembled again as Bruck played on it, bucking it. Drinna squeaked out her trance, glaring at Bruck.
"Oh, you don't like that?" he asked. Obi-Wan was on the ledge below. "How about this?"
Bruck stepped off of the bridge and Drinna sighed in relief before recoiling as Bruck raised his saber and let it go in an arc towards the remaining support on his side of the bridge. He stopped it just before it hit and grinned at Drinna before raising it again, coming closer and closer with each swing, just to torment her.
Drinna gripped the bridge tightly in fear of her life as Obi-Wan jumped up on the last ledge. He locked eyes with her and stared in horror as Bruck turned around, noticing him for the first time since their earlier battle.
Bruck growled and turned to face Obi-Wan as Drinna took a shaky step back, her eyes locked on Obi-Wan as he held his saber aloft.
"Well, this won't do," Bruck murmured, lifting his saber. Obi-Wan prepared himself to parry, shifting his stance to Form III, Soresu. But Bruck wasn't aiming for Obi-Wan.
Drinna let out a scream as she felt herself falling, gripping tightly to the rope bridge. It swung against the rock wall on the other side, stunning her and loosening her grip on the bridge, threatening to drop her to her death.
"Drinna!" Obi-Wan called, reaching out with the Force to try to grab her. But Bruck struck, forcing Obi-Wan back as he parried desperately, shocked into action.
Drinna's grip was failing her and her head was pounding. Zabraks didn't necessarily feel pain on the same level as other species, but when they did it was a lot of pain. She groaned and tried to pull herself up, her legs slipping and dangling. She shut her eyes tightly to prevent herself from looking down and gripped desperately to the hanging rope bridge. Her hands were scuffed from hitting the other cliff-face hard and she knew they were bleeding.
Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was clashing fiercely with Bruck.
"I've learned well, haven't I?" Bruck asked as he struck away Obi-Wan's attempt at offense. His pale blue eyes were fierce. "Xanatos showed me what true power is. The Jedi will regret that they held me back!"
Bruck lunged and Obi-Wan danced out of the way.
"They never held you back," Obi-Wan said, parrying Bruck's strike.
"No one chose me as Padawan!" Bruck all but screamed, attacking Obi-Wan with pent-up fury. He swung at Obi-Wan's legs and he danced back.
"Then you were not ready," Obi-Wan returned steadily.
"I was ready!" A sudden thought came to the fallen boy. "More ready than you, Obi-Wan. You're the one who disgraced the Order!" Obi-Wan knew it was a ploy to get him to lose his temper. But it was working.
Obi-Wan's next attempt at offense was full of anger. Yes, he had left. He'd made Drinna sad when he'd sent her the holomessage. But he knew she would understand. She always did.
But Drinna had never really gotten over it, and her trust in him was lower than it had ever been.
Yes, Obi-Wan thought, Bruck had learned well from Xanatos.
"I was always better than you," Bruck taunted. "Now I am even stronger!"
But Obi-Wan, too, was stronger, thanks to the patient training of Qui-Gon Jinn.
As long as I don't give in to my anger, Obi-Wan thought.
Obi-Wan's gaze turned to Drinna as she hung on the cliff, barely hanging on. With one giant leap, he made his way to the cliffedge. Bruck joined him, aiming his saber at Obi-Wan's back.
"She doesn't look too good, does she?" Bruck asked, aiming a blow at Obi-Wan's midsection.
Staggering under the weight of the blow, Obi-Wan tried to force himself away from the edge of the cliff.
"That's right, Obi-Wan," Bruck chuckled darkly. "Drinna is going to die. I won't have to do a thing. I'll just make you watch it. We would have freed her if we got the treasure. But another person will die because of you. Right in front of your eyes." Obi-Wan looked desperately back at Drinna. She was still holding on. "Just like your friend… Cerasi." Obi-Wan's gaze snapped back toward Bruck, his eyes tormented. "I overheard the other Jedi talk about how you failed her."
Something inside Obi-Wan snapped and he went on the offense, raining down angry blows. Bruck stumbled back.
But Obi-Wan's foot twisted on a stray hole Bruck had gouged in the ground when he chased Drinna. He fell to one knee now.
"Good move, Oafy-Wan," Bruck chuckled, raining down his own set of blows. Obi-Wan's limbs trembled from exertion.
Obi-Wan breathed deeply and allowed the Force to flow through him based on a sudden prompt. The water would turn back on soon, he knew.
Obi-Wan struggled to his feet and began to slowly push Bruck towards the nearly dry river-bed as he blocked blows, weakening his stroke slightly. He wanted Bruck to become overconfident.
"Getting tired, Oafy-Wan?" Bruck sneered. "Don't worry. It won't be long before I finish you off."
Obi-Wan, out of the corner of his eye, saw a red security light turn on. It was the security light. The water would be next, he knew.
But Bruck didn't.
Obi-Wan sidestepped Bruck's next stroke and Bruck went stumbling into the waterfall bed.
The water poured out in torrents from the hidden pipes. Bruck was barely able to keep his footing, but swung at Obi-Wan…
And his saber shorted out when it hit the water.
"That's it, Bruck," Obi-Wan said. "Give up."
"Never!" Bruck spat, hate still in his eyes. He reached down for something to throw... Obi-Wan readied himself.
But it never came.
The water pulled Bruck down and for one instant, Bruck was teetering on the edge of the waterfall, one hundred feet up.
In one fluid motion, Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and leaped forward. He reached out a hand, ready to pull Bruck to safety.
But it was too late. Bruck's panic sent his arms windmilling, further upsetting his balance. Obi-Wan felt Bruck's fingertips brush his…
Bruck, instead of grabbing Obi-Wan's hand, chose to fall.
Obi-Wan stood in shock as he watched Bruck's body hit a rock and bounce, then hit another. He landed on the dry grass beside the waterfall, his head at an awkward angle.
Bruck didn't move.
Drinna was barely hanging on. The overwhelming emotions Bruck and Obi-Wan had been feeling trumped her own and she couldn't tell up from down. She had no way of knowing she was not the one feeling emotions, but the effort of channeling such feeling exhausted her.
Then Bruck had died and Drinna couldn't hold on to the rope bridge any longer. The lingering pain had her crying out and releasing the rope bridge.
Obi-Wan turned at the cry and watched Drinna begin her plumet. He hadn't been able to do anything for Bruck, but he could do something for Drinna.
Reaching out with the Force as he ran to the cliff edge, he stopped Drinna's fall. Obi-Wan was straining to keep Drinna in the air, but he knew if he stopped Drinna would fall to her death like Bruck had.
He wasn't going to lose her, too.
So Obi-Wan dug deep within him, relying on the Force as he pulled Drinna up, painstakingly slow. He was exhausted, his limbs trembling from exertion, but he would not stop. He could not stop.
Drinna was barely a foot away now, and he reached out to grab her hand. When she was close enough, he grabbed her and pulled her up with his own waning strength and let go with the Force. They fell back on the ground and Obi-Wan sighed in relief.
Drinna sobbed as Obi-Wan sat back up and held her. The emotions she'd felt tore at her soul and she wasn't sure of anything. It was all so confusing to her. And to fall like that… Drinna knew that emotion was hers, pure and simple. The fear was all hers.
Obi-Wan held her close as he struggled down the waterfall ridge by ridge. He handed her over to Bant, stroking her hair and promising he would return when he helped Qui-Gon. Drinna could only nod.