Long time, no update! I appreciate your patience and all of the supportive comments. It makes my day and is continually inspiring. I hope you enjoy the latest installment, have a wonderful holiday season everyone. May the Force be with you! -Laurel

See No Evil

"Master, I don't like this."

"Trust, young one, you must trust in your abilities and trust the Force."

"Gravity is the only 'force' I'm thinking about right now."

Qui-Gon bit back a laugh, trying not to derive too much joy from his padawan's predicament. He'd brought this on himself, boasting about how he'd beaten Siri Tachi's time on the obstacle course.

"You should have seen it, Master! I was flying!"

"Mind your pride, Padawan, there is always room for improvement."

He'd deflated a bit at that, mumbling under his breath. "Bet I could run it with my eyes closed."

And now, his wish was granted. Obi-Wan was standing at the top of the obstacle course, blindfolded and desperately trying to talk himself out of this situation.

"Master, please! I promise I won't be prideful anymore, not even when I beat Siri!"

"contrary to your beliefs, young one, you are not being punished for your misplaced comment. However, if you do not start moving, I am quite capable of fixing that."

Qui-Gon kept his tone light, nudging encouragement from his position below the course. He was telling the truth; obi-Wan could use the confidence boost from this exercise. Not that he needed to know this.

He watched critically as his teen took a breath and began to approach the first obstacle, a balance beam. This one was fairly straightforward- once he found his second step, muscle memory propelled him across.

He paused on the next platform, senses extending. This one was trickier- 5 rotating drums spaced out to form the steps of the bridge. Each one spun at a different rate, making it easy to slip.

Obi-Wan summoned his courage and started across. The key was to keep moving, not to hesitate or doubt your footing. Obi-Wan was good at the first part, but his steps stuttered, he'd try to shift his weight after he already stepped, which just threw his balance off even more. But he made it across, practically falling onto the end platform.

"Feel, don't think!" Qui-Gon called from below.

"I'm feeling, I'm feeling!" He shot back, trying to figure out how he was supposed to make the next obstacle without his eyes.

Beyond the platform was a cluster of motorized pillars just large enough to place two feet, that would rise and lower from the floor at random intervals. There was no pattern, he would have to sense where the next one would rise and just go for it, finding whatever path he could across.

Qui-Gon smiled, proud as he felt Obi-Wan reach out his senses and make a confident leap, landing neatly on the first pillar. Two heartbeats, and he jumped again, landing on one directly in front of him. He smiled, starting to have fun with it, and jumped again to a pillar he sensed on the right, diagonally. but in his haste, he missed the pillar by an inch, the edge of his boot catching the edge of the pillar as it retracted. Obi-Wan flailed, trying to orient himself so he wouldn't hit his head, bracing for the impact on the training mat.

But it never came, instead a calming current of the Force, tendrils wrapping around his lanky form and guiding him safely to the ground. Qui-Gon gripped his elbow and turned him, removing the blindfold with the other hand. Obi-Wan's face was flushed with exertion and embarrassment; he struggled to keep eye contact with his teacher.

"Not bad, padawan. Next time, fine tune your direction before you jump. It takes practice to weigh the risk and reward of a choice in a split second. And listen too, the pillars make noise as they extend and retract."

The boy nodded, reviewing the corrections in his head, mentally replaying the exercise. "Again, Master?"

Qui-Gon nodded, handing him back the blindfold and nudging him towards the course ladder.

"Until you make it across. Or until late-meal, whichever comes first." He quipped. Obi-Wan was a quick learner, he just needed to trust his instincts.

Obi-Wan simply rolled his eyes and headed back to the start, already planning on how to use this against a certain classmate.

Speak no Evil

Obi-Wan grimaced as he wrapped one arm under anakin's chest, desperately reaching into the Force for support as his padawan was sick yet again. After a few coughs and a miserable sounding sniff, the boy sat back and tapped out a message on his datapad.

[SORRY.]

Obi-Wan smiled sympathetically, wiping his padawan's face with a cool cloth.

"So, what have we learned today? Maybe that we shouldn't just eat everything strangers give us, hmm?"

Anakin grumped, pouting. There was nothing he could say in his own defense, literally and figuratively. He'd thought it was harmless, an elderly woman offering him a sweet as they boarded a transport home from the senate building. How was he supposed to know she was trying to poison him?

Even worse, the toxic candy in question had damaged his vocal cords so badly, the Healers predicted he wouldn't be able to speak for the next week, at least.

[YOUR FAULT.] He typed, frowning. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as he read the message.

"Other than failing to sense the murderous grandmother in our midst, I fail to see how this mishap is my fault, Ani."

Anakin shot him a glare and then began furiously typing out a message. obi-Wan rolled his eyes and took his leave to fetch the ginger tea he'd been brewing before Anakin had been sick. He stirred in a bit of honey and brought it to him, hoping it'd settle the boy's stomach.

Anakin was still sitting on the floor of the 'fresher, tapping emphatically. He thrust out the pad to his teacher with the confident air of a detective who'd just solved the galaxy's biggest mystery. obi-Wan traded the mug for the pad and read over the message.

[IF I WAS ALLOWED TO EAT SWEETS MORE, I WOULDN'T HAVE ACCEPTED THE CANDY OR EATEN IT. SO IT'S YOUR FAULT SINCE YOU DON'T LET ME HAVE SUGAR.]

Obi-Wan erased the message, handed back the pad, and sighed.

"Anakin not only are you currently incapable of having this argument, we are not having this argument again. I cater to your sweet tooth plenty, and I hope that this incident will teach you not to trust everything that comes in a pretty wrapper."

Anakin sipped his tea and then typed out another message, this time using more than a few of his favorite words he picked up from the smugglers that used to hang around Watto's shop. He handed the data pad back to Obi-Wan and smirked as his Master's eyes went wider than a shuttle viewport.

"That's it." He declared, turning the pad off. "the Healers said you need rest, so you can have this back after you have a nap and check that attitude of yours."

Anakin stared back in open-mouthed dismay before narrowing his eyes. He reached out with the Force and knocked one of his toolboxes to the floor, sending them clattering and clanging all over the room.

Obi-Wan buried his face in his palms, acutely aware he'd just entered into a battle of wills with an equally powerful and stubborn ten-year-old.

Whoever said 'silence is golden' never took on an apprentice.

Hear No Evil

Ahsoka groaned, coming back to herself all at once. She knew something bad had happened, otherwise she would have woken slowly, floating into her body like a morning fog. But she'd been knocked out, and came to like she'd been shot through with a white-hot current.

Her eyes snapped open and struggled to focus, but soon she could barely make out the familiar set of white and blue armor leaning over her.

Rex sat back on his heels, relief radiating from him in the Force. His mouth moved,, but all Ahsoka could hear was buzzing, like a swarm of venomous insects had blocked out the sky. But there was nothing and she shook her head, desperate to clear the cobwebs.

Rex spoke again, said something she couldn't hear. She must've looked as panicked as she felt, for the captain reached out and squeezed her shoulders tight. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, letting him ground her in that moment. After a few heartbeats, she opened her eyes and REx began to sign.

'COMMANDER. HURT?'

She scanned herself quickly, finding the usual bumps and scrapes. And her head was killing her, more than just a headache brought on by dehydration and her permanent lack of sleep.

'HEAD HURTS.' She signed back. 'WHAT HAPPENED?'

Rex pointed to a small crater, right where she'd been standing but a moment earlier. Now I remember.

They'd been scouting, nearly back to base camp, and Ahsoka had stopped the group. Something had been tugging at her senses and it had taken her just a moment too long to realize what it was.

Judging by the size of the hole and how far she'd been thrown- they'd set off a landmine. She was lucky it hadn't been any worse; she was still beating Anakin in the "working limbs" department.

'DEAD? ANYONE?'

Her captain shook his head, offering a hand to help her up.

That's good, at least. Better me than them.

Once she felt steady on her feet she tapped Rex's shoulder and then traced a line across her left eye with one finger. It wasn't a standard sign, but Rex instantly understood.

The soldier looked as if he was about to sign something in return, but then pointed over her head. Speak of the devil.

Anakin was sprinting towards them, looking more than a little worried. Kriff. I'm never going to hear the end of this one.

Rex stepped in front of Ahsoka even as Anakin practically skidded to a stop. Ordinarily, this kind of move would be suicidal, but the clone wasted no time in explaining the situation. The elder jedi listened, took a breath, and then extended a tendril of the Force out to his padawan.

/You okay, Snips? Rex says you can't hear, is it like last time?/

She nodded, wrapping her arms over her chest and keeping her gaze low. She was frustrated more than anything; this wasn't the first time she'd lost her hearing on the battlefield. Her lekku were ridiculously sensitive, and if she wasn't careful…

/Hey/ He poked their bond lightly, keeping his mental voice soft. /Not your fault. We didn't even know they had mines this far out./

He gently placed a hand on the top of ehr montrals and she instantly lowered her head until her chin touched her chest. It had taken her a little while to get used to this, to trust Anakin with her lekku. Unlike Twi'leks, Togruta lekku were used primarily for echolocation and balance, but some people still got the wrong idea.

But Anakin was more than careful; he even came up with his own meditation technique to help her when her lekku were tight and buzzy after loud battles. So as she eagerly ducked her head, feeling his eyes scan over each stripe, searching the force for deeper injuries- she felt as safe as she would have with Master Ti.

/Mmm. Kix is gonna have a nexu, little one. They're bruised up pretty bad./

He tapped her chin once, prompting her to look up. His signature was stormy but he quickly closed it off behind a shield so he could feel more collected for her.

/C'mon, let him look you over. And if he sends you back to the cruiser, you will not argue with him, understood?/

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the side as they began to walk towards the camp. No translation needed.