I really like the idea of Jedi being modest but also not particularly conservative when it comes to things like body parts and nudity (they have no reason to needless sexualise people, after all), due to being quite pragmatic. It's a weird balance, and I'd be interested to know how you think I handle it.

The arrival on Pieldi was uneventful, and the two Jedi ensured they had everything they needed before thanking the pilot and sneaking out of the hangar door that was supposed to only be for emergencies. The port was surrounded by jungle, and this hangar had been chosen with care as one on the edge that would enable them to slip out undetected.

"We'll need to run for some time to put a safe amount of distance between us and the port, in case someone notices the unauthorised use of the door," Qui-Gon said, and she nodded.

They ran for over an hour, their Jedi stamina serving them well, but eventually they slowed to a walk. It gave Falon the chance to ask a question that had been nagging at her.

"What did Obi-Wan think of all this? What you could tell him of it?"

The reason she was curious was because of Sii's reaction. He had not been at all gracious about having to part with her. He was subdued and respectful around others, but had learned to be a little more honest when the two of them were alone.

"Why do you have to be the one that goes with him? Surely there are a number of Jedi who could do the job instead, Jedi without padawans."

"Qui-Gon requested me, and the council agree that I'm a suitable partner for him on the assignment. It's not our place to question the council, Sii, even if I wanted to, which I don't."

"But you're saying you'll be gone for months!" The boy protested. "What about my training?"

"You and Obi-Wan will be trained under other Jedi, it'll be good for you to have some different influences. I believe Master Windu has offered to take the two of you for at least a month. You should be excited, not angry."

"It's not the same. I like training under you." His scowl was something that was so rare that she could count the times she had seen it on one hand. It twisted his usually handsome features into something quite ugly.

Anger flared in her, and even though she was able to keep it well controlled, she only partly softened her tone. "Take that horrendous scowl off your face and stop being so immature, little one," she said firmly, frowning at him, "I've seen younglings take inconveniences better than you."

He flinched, and looked at least slightly ashamed of his attitude.

"This is not an inconvenience, it's a separation," he argued, but more softly, "For three years I've spent practically every waking moment with you, almost never gone half a day without seeing you. And now you want to disappear for months and you act like it's nothing."

Falon sighed, her anger gone as quickly as it had come. "Of course it's not nothing, Sii. It's going to feel strange for me as well. But this is precisely why the order discourage personal attachment, because it makes us irrational in the face of things we can't do anything about. I'll be back before you even know it, but I'll miss you, of course I will."

Sii had looked relieved, and now thoughtful. "You're right. I've been letting my emotions get the better of me."

Falon was quite proud of him in that moment, and brushed some hair from his eyes with a maternal affection she'd never allow in front of others. "I expect to find out you've learnt a lot when I get back."

He lifted his chin. "I will, Master. I'll make you proud."

"You already have," she said, kissing him on the forehead and smiling at the noise of surprise he made, "I need to meet Qui-Gon. Be good for Master Windu and the others, and don't get into too much trouble with Obi-Wan."

Sii just nodded, and touched her arm briefly in what for him was a significant display of sentiment. "Goodbye Master. Stay safe, please."

"I'll do my best."

It did already feel peculiar to have gone so long without seeing Sii's face or hearing his voice. That was the thing about padawans and their masters, one had to be careful about codependency given the Jedi's rule about attachment.

"Obi-Wan was as pleased as one would expect him to be," Qui-Gon said in answer to her question, "But he trusts the Council's judgement, and mine."

"That's good," Falon replied.

"And yours?"

Falon sighed, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "He was rather immature about it at first, but saw the error in his thinking when I scolded him."

"He didn't want to be parted from you?"

"Not at all."

"I take it you've not been separated before on this scale."

"Not ever, really," Falon admitted, and wanted to add and I do miss him a lot already, but it felt unprofessional somehow.

"It's always hard the first time," Qui-Gon said knowingly, "But it'll be good for both of you, I think. Codependency can be dangerous."

"I know."

At the end of the day when they finally stopped to make camp, both Jedi were glad to be able to stop and rest. They removed their cloaks and large packs, and the younger of the two began to make a fire while the elder set up their tent. While there were pieces of technology which would have made both tasks much easier, being as low tech as possible made them much harder to be detected or tracked.

Falon sat by the roaring fire she had started, waiting for Qui-Gon to finish up with the tent. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered. It was easy to forget how warm Coruscant was at night until one was on another planet. About half a minute later a familiar weight of cloth - her cloak - draped around her shoulders and immediately helped fight off the chill. When she looked up, Qui-Gon was smiling down at her and moving to sit some way around the fire from her.

"You seemed to have forgotten that you had it," he explained, and she nodded, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you," she said, smiling back at him softly and pulling the cloak tighter around her.

Qui-Gon merely shrugged and moved onto a more important subject. "We've done well today. If we can continue at this pace, we'll easily arrive within ten days."

Dinner was bland and uneventful, but Jedi almost never lived on grand cuisine, seeing food more often as a necessity rather than a pleasure, so neither were bothered in the slightest. Afterwards they took turns getting changed in the tent, Falon putting the fire out when it was her turn to wait outside.

"Within the next few days we'll start wearing our other clothes," Qui-Gon said as they settled into their sleeping bags, "Being at home in them is important."

"I don't see how that will be difficult for you, yours isn't any kind of significant change, just less layers," Falon said, "Mine is immensely uncomfortable. And I'm going to accidentally drop food between my breasts, I just know it."

Qui-Gon laughed loudly. "I don't remember you being a particularly messy eater, Jedi Ti-Tarn, I think you'll probably be fine."

"Falon," she said pointedly, propping her head up on her elbow so that she could look at him.

"Falon," he corrected.

"Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, what about sleepwear?" Her eyes dipped over the loose leggings that were the same ones he had worn on Algnadesh. "Do we need a different kind?"

Qui-Gon gave her a funny look. "Actually, I'm fairly sure that many people on Kimm Cresh sleep in absolutely nothing at all." She felt her eyes widen. "But naturally I thought that was one aspect it wouldn't be necessary to mimic. We're not pretending to be natives, after all. We're allowed points of difference. Our usual sleepwear will be fine."

"Good," Falon said mildly. "It's nice to know you've considered all this."

"I know what I'm doing, Falon, don't worry. You're in safe hands with me, and the Force will be with us." His eyes and voice were softer, and yet somehow more intense, when he spoke of their core belief.

It comforted her, the knowledge of the Force binding the two of them to each other and everything around them, keeping things in balance. The indescribable warmth filled her body and mind as she nestled properly into her sleeping bag.

"May the Force be with you, Qui-Gon. Goodnight."

"And with you."

Falon woke early the next morning and found herself hot and uncomfortable in the morning humidity. She slipped out of her sleeping bag and the tent quietly so as to not wake Qui-Gon, and made her way down to the river than ran past the bank near their camp. There were trees with thick roots reaching into the water, and she found that the nearest one would provide enough privacy for her to bathe out of direct view from the campsite.

After removing the thin shift she slept in and hanging it over the root, she slipped into the water. It wasn't the cleanest she'd ever seen but was more than adequate for what she needed. She dove under the surface and ensured that every inch of her body got a thorough soaking from the dirt and sweat.

Her hair was heavy with water and she brought it around to rest over one shoulder, absently combing her fingers through it and finding her thoughts wandering to her padawan. How long would it be until she saw him again? Already being without him felt wrong, like there had been some kind of mistake and he was about to turn up from around the corner and start telling her interesting facts about whatever kind of fruit or root he had found.

"Falon?" Qui-Gon's voice brought her out of her melancholy.

"In the water, behind the roots," she called. "The water's lovely, I'd recommend it."

"Is it? Actually, now that you mention it, a quick wash sounds ideal. I'll just take this side, if you're not planning on going anywhere any time soon."

"No, I'm quite content for the moment."

She heard him removing his clothes and getting into the water some six metres away, on the other side of the roots. Sure enough, he let out a noise of appreciation a few moments later.

"You're right, this was an excellent idea."

Falon grinned. "I'm glad you think so." She went back to combing her hair with her fingers since it was a rather lengthy task. "Did you sleep well?"

"Surprisingly well. What about you?"

"As well as I could have hoped. You know, I had a thought."

"Oh?" She heard quiet splashing, and wondered what he was doing. Washing his face, perhaps. "What kind of thought?"

"Well, Sii and I are so in tune with each other that we can sense when the other wakes and other such things. It makes it easier to coordinate things like bathing and other such things where privacy could be breached. I was just thinking that if we're going to be living in such close quarters with each other for these months, it might be helpful if we tried to tune ourselves to each other a little better."

There was a pause, then, "I think that's a good idea. We'll work on it tonight, perhaps."

They kept talking as they continued bathing, enjoying being able to have a discussion while keeping their privacy at the same time. Eventually Qui-Gon finished up and let her know that in a few minutes she would be alright to emerge herself.

Within half an hour they were both dressed and their camp packed up, and another day of trekking through the jungle began. To pass the time they quizzed each other on facts about Thermon to ensure they would be knowledgeable enough about their supposed home planet if they needed to be.

When it came to setting up camp again, they took the same jobs as before. When the fire was going and they'd eaten, Qui-Gon broached the topic she had brought up that morning.

"So, I've been thinking that the best way to attune our minds would be meditation, at least to begin with, and opening ourselves up to each other."

Falon tore her gaze away from the flickering flames to look at him. "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Now?"

"There's no time like the present. As long as you're comfortable with it."

"It'll be strange, but it was my suggestion. It'll be good for us, I think."

She got up and moved to sit next to him, crossing her legs and shutting her eyes. Deliberately letting down her mental walls took some concentration, but she managed it without too much trouble. Soon she could feel Qui-Gon's mind much more strongly than usual as he did the same.

It was an intimate experience, but not one that felt out of place. They were good friends now, she liked to think, and this would not only help them on their assignment but would also likely strengthen their friendship, which could only be a good thing.

Falon could feel his calm, his strength, his humour. How he was enjoying the warmth of the fire. And then surprise in him, but she couldn't pinpoint what had caused it until he spoke.

"You hide it better than I thought."

She opened her eyes and stopped reaching for his mind. "What?"

"How hard you work to keep yourself in control. It's noticeable, but I'd never guessed the extent, not even after you explained your reasons to me."

Falon felt her cheeks flush and her stomach twist. It somehow hadn't occurred to her that he might see that, even though she now felt like an idiot for not considering it. Sii knew, to some degree, but either didn't know the extent of it or had the courtesy never to mention it.

As far as she was concerned, her iron grip on her own impulses was her greatest secret, the thing she didn't want people to know she struggled with so much.

And now Qui-Gon Jinn knew. She looked up and found him staring at her with great curiosity. The urge to jump to her feet and head for the tent hit her full force, but before she could decide whether to follow it, Qui-Gon's hand came to rest on her knee.

"I won't tell anyone," he said softly, "I actually think it's admirable. Though you know my thoughts on the importance of instinct."

She knew that they were probably doomed to forever disagree. The right words escaped her, meaning she didn't speak at all. Instead, she let her hand rest on top of his, relishing the feeling of his support and the way his mind was blatantly conveying it along with an underlying care for her that she greatly appreciated.

"I think that's enough of this for one day," she said eventually, getting to her feet and heading for the tent.

Once they were both changed and in their sleeping bags, Qui-Gon turned to face her.

"I'm sorry if you truly didn't want me to see what I did," he said seriously, "But you need to know that I don't think any less of you for it."

"I don't know how I feel about it," she said truthfully, without rolling over to look at him. The idea of having to meet his eyes right now made her feel ill. "But...somehow, if anyone had to find out, I'm glad it was you."

"I wasn't aware you held me in such high regard." He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Of course I do. If I can be half the Jedi you are-"

Qui-Gon sat up so that she was forced to look at him. "Falon, nobody wants you to be half the Jedi I am. You should want to be entirely the Jedi that you are."

His words left her briefly speechless, just staring at him while her face became flushed.

"Why do you have to be so…" She pursed her lips to disguise her vague panic at having spoken without meaning to (she didn't know how she wanted to finish the sentence, the word wonderful was as close as she could get but not remotely right). The small slips in her control around him were alarming to say the least.

"So what?" Qui-Gon's gaze was curious and intent, too intent.

"I don't know," she said, averting her eyes to the tent ceiling because she didn't like how strange that level of attention from him made her feel. The patterns in the weaving of the cloth calmed her a little. "I don't have a word for it. You. Goodnight, Qui-Gon."

It was a little rude, but she needed sleep. He didn't argue.

If Qui-Gon was such a (for lack of a better word) wonderful friend, why didn't she feel happy about it? Had she really hidden so much of herself during her other close relationships that the prospect of him getting closer to her was so terrifying? Or was it her tendency for her control to slip around him that scared her?

But you like it, being close with him, another part of her said, and it was right. She took a few deep breaths and let it reassure her. Drawing on the calm of Qui-Gon next to her helped and it occurred to her that she could do this more regularly, use him as a grounding if she absolutely needed to.

Qui-Gon was her friend. Friends were allowed to learn each other's secrets. Friends were important. She was lucky to have a friend so inherently good and understanding.

"Thank you," she whispered, unsure of whether he was still awake, "For being you."

He didn't answer. That was okay. She shut her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought! Constructive criticism would be really appreciated going forward now that I'm finally back with this story.

-MayFairy :)