Ch. 3: "Kings and Queens will Have to Wait" - A*Teens, Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down)

Obi-Wan sank gratefully into the warm water and grinned at his friend. "I didn't expect to find you here," he said. "Bant told me you weren't to return for a while. We ran into her at the Senate building a standard month ago."

Garen grimaced. "We weren't. We ran into trouble."

Obi-Wan's smile slipped. "Care to tell me?"

Garen shrugged, and winced at the movement. "We were only supposed to observe," he said. Obi-Wan figured he wasn't allowed to name the system. "But we got caught between the security forces and the rebels. My Master was injured so badly in the confrontation, he's in long-term care and is bedridden." His rubbed his left shoulder a little. With an embarrassed glance at Obi-Wan, he cleared his throat and straightened, slowly.

"Will Master Zanith recover?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Master Healer Ashthoret says it will be a while, but soon he will be getting me into trouble again." Gareth sounded like he was trying to cheer up.

Obi-Wan nodded and touched his friend's right shoulder. "Sounds like Theela," he said softly. "What happened to you?"

Garen flushed and shifted slightly, wincing as he did so. "I dodged the wrong way early in the fight, and got hit with a scrambler. I fell and twisted my back when I landed. I come every day because master healer Ashthoret says it's good for me."

"How was your master injured?"

Gareth slid deeper into the water. "I didn't see what happened to him. The doctor told me he'd been caught in a crossfire and hadn't managed to get out of the way. The security forces got us to the medical center, and as soon as Master Zenith could travel, they sent us here. They needed the room because of the number of casualties."

"I am sorry," Obi-wan said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Garen seemed to cheer up. "Tell me of your mission," he said. "Who needs the pools, you or Master Jinn?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "My Master, but don't tell him that. I got him here by making him think I needed to visit them." He sobered. "We had to split up on Jicynda, trying to find the Prelate's daughter. She had disappeared with her husband, leaving a child behind, and no one knew if it was because they'd been kidnapped, or if they left for another reason." Obi-Wan shook his head. "They are very particular about how strangers interact with the citizens, especially the women, and I wasn't as careful as I should have been. I got arrested. The cells are underground, and even the natives can't stand upright in them. I'm taller than most of them." He leaned back, arching his back to ease the tension in his shoulders. He was glad that Garen was there; his friend was a welcome distraction, and helped him keep his mind off his appointment with the Mind Healer later that evening. He was not looking forward to telling Master Satoru his dreams. "The cells were too small for me to stand up or even lay down comfortably, and even sitting, my head brushed the ceiling. I wasn't there long, maybe a day, but it was long enough."

"And your Master?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, exasperated. "There are times I do not understand him," he said thoughtfully. "My Master had himself arrested to try to impart a lesson to me, and spent two days in those cells. I wasn't allowed to visit, but I could imagine how uncomfortable he must have been. He's so much bigger than I am." He growled in frustration. "The worst part is, I don't know what he wanted me to understand, and I think he is... disappointed in me."

Garen opened his mouth, probably to protest, then nodded in understanding, a matching look of frustration on his face. "It seems to be how it goes. The lessons get more subtle, the closer we get to the Trials."

Obi-Wan nodded and released his frustration into the Force.

They were quiet for a while, muscles relaxing in the warm water. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let his body relax further. Jedi walked by, the ground cover muffling their footsteps. Others splashed as they moved around, getting in and out of the pools. If only he didn't have the appointments today.

"You two look rather wrinkled," Bant's voice said from behind Obi-Wan's head, and he tilted it up to look at the Mon Calamari, opening his eyes. She was taller, and beginning to develop into one of the best examples of her species. She was smiling as she dropped her towel in a heap by Obi-Wan's.

"Hello, Bant."

She stepped into the pool, sinking down near Garen and turning to him.. "How are you feeling?" she asked

"Great," Garen said, sliding a little further into the heated water. "This is an excellent alternative to meditating when one is stressed. The tension goes into the water instead of the force." He sounded much more cheerful, and that cheered Obi-Wan. Bant often had that effect on them.

"And your skin resembles an Omali fruit," Bant added.

"But that's temporary," Obi-Wan said with a brushing gesture, splashing his friends. "Besides, the heat is worth the price."

"Hey." Bant splashed back.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Obi-Wan protested.

Bant rolled her large eyes at him and turned to Garen. "How are you really?" she asked, becoming serious.

"I'm fine," he said. "The pools are working wonders."

"And you, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan grinned at her. "I'm fine. Glad to be home. What are you doing here?"

"Garen commed me when he came here so I could jois him," Bant said. "I hadn't even heard you were back yet. You're not here because you were injured, are you?"

"No," Obi-Wan assured her. "My Master needed to come, so I suggested it. He knows I have stuff to do, but he must have been feeling worse than I thought since he agreed to come. How is Master Fisto?"

"He's on a solo mission right now, and is expected back soon. I really hope I get to go on the next one."

Obi-Wan straightened, recognizing her tone. "It is not because...?" He paused, not sure how to continue that line of thought. Her first Master had left Bant behind often before she'd died.

She shook her head. "No, it is not quite the same as with Master Tahl," she said. "And I am old enough not to feel abandoned." She sighed in frustration. "But I do anyway."

"Do either of you have plans tomorrow night?" Obi-Wan blurted before he remembered that he and his Master were meeting with the Council that evening. More than once, a report for one mission had turned into a briefing for a new mission, with only a night's rest in between. Sometimes not even that. He hoped it wouldn't be the case tonight.

Garen shook his head. "No. Well, sleep," he added. Obi-Wan playfully splashed water in his direction and turned to his other friend.

Bant shook her head, her frustration fading. "I don't have many plans at all until Master Fisto returns, other than meeting Garen and catching up on the assignments he gave me to keep me occupied."

"My Master and I are reporting to the Council tonight. If we aren't given another mission, I'd like to get together with you - and Reeft, if he's here - tomorrow night. I'll comm you in the morning and let you know what's going on. If we're staying we can make plans then." He grimaced. "Of course, if you don't hear from me in the morning, that means we've already left." He gave them both a rueful look and they grinned knowingly back at him. It was hard to stay caught up with his friends with the kind of schedule he and Qui-Gon had.

"Do that," Bant said. "Comm me in the morning, and I'll get hold of Garen and Reeft. Garen's not in his quarters yet, and contacting him is a headache." She grinned at Garen's wordless protest, and he grinned back.

"Great," Obi-Wan said, and sighed. "I've got to get to my appointment with Master Satoru. I'm glad you were both here," he added, reaching for his towel as he started to get up. "I hope the Council doesn't assign Master Jinn and I another mission before we get a chance to hang out more." He wrapped his towel around his waist and went to find his Master. He found Qui-Gon relaxing with a Knight Obi-Wan didn't know. With a smile, Obi-Wan caught his eye and waved good-bye before going to get dressed for his appointment, waving at his friends as he passed them again.

Master Healer Ulani Satoru's office was about the same size as the common room and kitchen in his quarters. A small desk in the corner held a terminal, dark now. A large, comfortable couch - Obi-Wan knew how comfortable from experience - filled the wall opposite. Directly across from him, a large window looked down on one of the many gardens found in the temple. Comfortable chairs and cushions lined the rest of the walls. A tree with a small fountain, a sort of oasis, held court in a corner near the window, filling the room with the fresh smell of water and the quiet, calming sound of running water. Master Satoru turned from the desk when the door opened. He was a Coelli covered in iridescent blue scales everywhere Obi-Wan could see, except his face was a lighter shade of blue. He was calm, unlike the steward of duties at the Monastery at Bel Meridah, who was the same race but had always seemed nervous. Obi-wan paused in the doorway, keeping the door from closing. How long had it been since he'd thought of the steward? Or the monastery? Years, at least, so why now?

"Come in, Obi-Wan," Master Satoru said.

Obi-Wan sat in one of the overstuffed, wide chairs, the one he usually took. Master Satoru turned his chair fully away from his desk and drew closer to Obi-wan, stopping at a comfortable distance. "You look relaxed," he said, making a note on his datapad.

Obi-Wan smiled self-consciously. Being in the Mind Healer's office always made him nervous. "I was at the heated pools with some friends," he said. "It's had been a long time since I had seen them both together."

Master Satoru smiled in understanding. "How are your friends?"

"Garen was injured, which was why he was there; Bant arranged to meet him there."

"Why were you there?"

"My Master needed to visit the pools, so I invited him to go with me."

Master Satoru nodded. "What happened on your mission?"

Obi-Wan gathered his thoughts, and gave Master Satoru a quick summary of his mission, including his Master's visit to the cells there. Master Satoru looked interested, questioning him further about the experience, drawing out Obi-Wan's frustration about what his Master might have been trying to teach him. By the end of that discussion, Obi-Wan had more ideas to pursue, and maybe talk to his master about, and he'd settled further into his chair, no longer as nervous.

"How have your dreams been?"

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow. "Same," he said. "Some seem normal, and some are so familiar, it's like I've seen them before. Others were memories, but didn't seem to be triggered by anything."

Master Satoru nodded and recorded something on the datapad before him. "Did you dream on Jicynda?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Yes," he admitted. "I woke up a couple of times after I'd been released from the cells, feeling like I was being buried alive. The cells really are small, and they are underground. It was... uncomfortable."

"I see." Master Satoru made another note, then leaned forward slightly. "Any other dreams?"

Obi-Wan's shoulders tensed, and he pulled the gaudily decorated datapad from his belt pouch. He set it on his knee, in case he needed to refer to it. "Confusing, and... in some cases, disturbing."

"You often use those terms in describing your dreams," Master Satoru noted. "What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan tried to figure out how he could describe it. "Being buried alive has never really been a fear of mine," he said after a moment.

The Coelli nodded slowly. "What else?"

"One last night," he said with some difficulty. "I dreamed that Master Sorin puled on my braid again, but this time he spoke with Master Jinn's voice."

"What did he say?"

"That I was barely worthy of his time." He gripped the datapad, the helplessness and terror from the dream returning to him.

"Did you believe him?"

Obi-Wan stared at him, brought up short. "What?"

"Did you believe him? The words, the voice, the two together."

"I..." He hesitated, frozen. "Yes and no," he said slowly. "I woke too quickly to react in the dream, and when I turned on the light, I discovered that my braid had been caught under my arm. I thought that was what had triggered the dream, and wrote it down..." He paused again. "No, I didn't believe it." He became aware that his hands were beginning to hurt, and he forced himself to let go of his datapad, then set it on the arm of the chair.

Master Satoru nodded. "What else?"

"My second dream last night." He took a deep breath, struggling to release his anxiety into the Force. For an instant, he felt the same displacement he had last night.

"What about it?"

"It was difficult. The dream was... I don't remember much of the dream. I didn't when I wrote it down, even, only the things I said..."

"So there was some time between when you awoke and when you wrote it down?"

"Yes." In spite of everything he tried to do, his anxiety kept building.

"What caused that?"

"When I woke up, I said a name - the name of the Knight who attacked, I suppose." Obi-Wan got up and began to pace, arms folded across his chest. Healer Satoru leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed as he watched him. "I don't remember the name. I was going to write down the dream when all of a sudden..." He paused, pacing the length of the small room twice before going on. "It was like I was drowning in this grief. I didn't know the Knight, Master Satoru. He was about my age. He'd turned against me, attacked me, and in the dream I didn't believe that he had, that he would, and then..." He paused to take a breath, trying to divert his anxiety. "My grief woke Master Jinn."

"What did he do?"

"He asked to come in to my room, and I invited him in. He just wanted to give me support and comfort. But after he was there, I felt like he shouldn't be there, like… he was out of reach and wouldn't return." He huffed in frustration and looked out the window, close to the little oasis. His hands clenched tighter, knuckles white. "I don't know to explain it better," he said without turning around. "Master Jinn said this afternoon that he felt like he'd stepped into an alternate reality. One in which he didn't exist. He asked me if I was uncomfortable with his presence."

"And you said?"

"That I wasn't. And that I did not understand why the Force would make me feel as if he should not be there." He sighed, and his grip loosened, arms dropping to hang at his sides again. "Eventually, everything became right again, and I wrote down what I remembered from the dream, and what happened afterward."

"What else?"

Obi-Wan sighed in relief, glad to be off that topic, even if only temporarily. "On the mission, I was so tired that I slept too hard to remember my dreams."

"What of any good dreams?"

Almost unconsciously, Obi-Wan smiled and turned around, leaning against the window. The tension drained from his shoulders as he told about the last dream he'd had the night before.

Master Satoru smiled in response. When Obi-Wan finished, he nodded slowly. "What do you think of these dreams?"

Obi-Wan sighed. That was his least favorite question, and yet it was most often the reason he visited the Mind Healer. "That's just it," he said, and moved closer to Master Satoru. "I don't know what to think. The one last night that woke Master Jinn. It was so weird, as if..." He trailed off, sinking into the chair he'd started the session out in. "As if the Knight were a good friend. Not a peer, because I didn't recognize him, but I still thought of him as a friend."

Master Satoru leaned forward. "How did it make you feel?"

Obi-Wan shrugged uncomfortably. "That was the one I didn't remember so well, that made me feel like Master Jinn and I had parted ways, permanently."

Master Satoru nodded. "How do you feel about it now?"

"Confused. Frustrated. At the time I felt betrayed. And I was grieving so much." Obi-Wan shuddered. "I'd like to forget that dream," he admitted. "I've never felt so... strongly about a dream. It's still... disturbing. I don't know the Knight, but I caught myself looking for him today and I don't even remember what he looks like."

To Obi-Wan's relief, the conversation turned to other topics, and it surprised him when a soft chime sounded. Master Satoru grimaced. "That's all the time you have. Master Jinn said you're reporting to the Council this evening?"

"Yes, Master."

The Coelli gave a wry smile. "I'd like to see you in two days, after the dining hall stops serving mid meal. Comm me if you must leave before then."

"Yes, Master Satoru." Obi-Wan stood and bowed. "Thank you."