AN: I'm mostly dead but still writing, so enjoy my suffering. I took a break, fell deep into some other fandoms, the Hobbit has fully taken over my painting projects as well as my writing ones (A Song of Golden Flowers), I basically finished my Fullmetal fic, I'm just waiting for feedback so I don't miss anything in the wrap up, and yes, here we are. I've re-outlined Tea & Fire. Every chapter is half written but it'll probably still take a few months to finish as it's sloppy and Obi-Wan deserves better.
I'm going to try my damnest to get another chapter up for the 4th of May be with you ;D
Chapter 34 - Pratise
The line of fifty Mandalorians all had their blaster set to stun, and all of them were standing around with stupefied expressions, despite their helmets being in place at the orders coming over their coms.
Mij was sitting on the sidelines with the other Jedi who seemed wildly amused.
"Are you waiting for another invitation?" Obi-Wan asked over the coms.
"Just to be clear," Wad'e began, also over coms. "You want us to shoot you and your riduur."
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "And for the ade's sake, stunners. My suggestion is that you do not shoot each other. Now, ready to lose?"
The Vode were watching behind shields and were waiting in breathless anticipation.
One of the Mandos who had never stepped foot on Kamino fired on the Riduur'alor.
Obi-Wan lazily deflected it.
Then everyone fired and Obi-Wan deflected them with impossible speed.
The Vode started cheering him on. Two minutes went by, and not a single shot landed or even grazed either Obi-Wan or Jango.
"Better have a plan," Obi-Wan said over the internal coms, sounding not a bit out of breath and ruthlessly cheerful.
Obi-Wan pushed forward, and Jango fired two handed, and the line of Mandos began to fall to the grass.
The coms rang with shouted instructions, as the line reformed.
Obi-Wan and Jango began running cutting through everyone who opposed them. Obi-Wan was an impenetrable shield and Jango was an unstoppable force.
Mij shook his head and asked aloud to other Jettiese who watching as if they were taking notes, "Can you all do this?"
"Oh, hell no," Quin said with a laugh.
Fay smiled sagely, "Obi-Wan is the first true Master of Soresu in a few centuries. He also has more experience in warfare than any Jedi alive today, and that's including myself, Yoda, and Dooku."
Five minutes later, the line of Mandos were done and Obi-Wan was lecturing them on everything they had done wrong and what a pathetic showing.
Mij was most definitely recording this. He asked, "I don't imagine this means he'll come off the battlefield without injury."
Plo sighed through his mask, "No, he'll stay on the field for twelve or more hours, and the true battlefield includes too much chaos for him to remain uninjured."
Fay was holding a silent Cody in a loose embrace, the ad'ika watched his buire with large worried eyes. She answered Mij's question, "All who love our Obi-Wan are grateful for the beskar he wears."
Mij sighed, then nearly snorted on a laugh at the profanity spilling from their Riduur'alor's mike as several Mandos thought to backtalk him as they pulled themselves off the grassy field.
Mij couldn't help thinking about how grateful he was that the Jetiiese were fighting with them and not against them.
oOo
The pillars were anchored in the pools and so far, only the Jedi and the handmaidens could manage all of them. This was the queen's private training grounds. Only Jango, Obi-Wan, and their immediate children were present with the Nubian royalty.
But Jango had a bet to win. Focusing on each step, he was halfway across the pool when a voice spoke from beside him.
"You should remember to breathe deeply."
Jango jerked and stared at the silhouette of a large man floating in mid-air beside him.
Predictably Jango lost his balance and tumbled gracelessly off the stone pillar and into the water below.
His ungrateful brats were all laughing at him as he came up spluttering.
"Obi-Wan!" Jango roared when he saw the ghost had moved to sit serenely on the pillar Jango had just fallen off of.
His Riduur'alor was bent over laughing.
The bearded ghost spoke as Jango swam the short way to the pool's edge. The queen's handmaidens, and the queen herself, were also chortling as he pulled himself out of the fishpond they used for training.
"It is good to meet you, my padawan's husband."
Jango nearly crawled out of his skin.
Omega and Helix screamed in mock fright while Cody pulled a rock from the shore, not to threaten, just in case.
"What is it?" Alpha demanded.
Obi-Wan was still laughing when the blue ringed man appeared suddenly beside Jango.
Their ade abandoned him to hide behind Obi-Wan.
"Jango, meet my buir, Qui-Gon Jinn. Master, my Riduur, Jango Fett."
"He's a ghost!" Omega yelled.
"Yes, death has that effect on some people," Obi-Wan said blithely.
Jango growled, Obi-Wan's threats of meeting his master finally making sense.
Jango pointed at the dead Jetii, "You are a terrible person, and as a terrible person, I consider myself an authority on the matter."
He didn't list why, not in front of the ade.
"Ah," Jinn said. "So Obi-Wan has confided fully in you, this is good."
Jango bared his teeth. The time travel pales in comparison to the Melida/Daan debacle, ironically, both were this karker's fault.
"Master Jinn?" The queen asked as she cautiously stepped forward.
Jinn bowed to her, "Your Majesty."
Obi-Wan stepped closer to Jango and began to towel off his chest, "Lighten up, Jan'ika, he's been spending his time haunting and tormenting Dooku."
Jango couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips as he touched Obi-Wan's cheek in a silent request for a kiss.
"I guess he's not all bad," Jango murmured as Obi-Wan draped the towel over Jango's head, briefly mussing his hair to soak up some of the water, before he leaned against Jango.
"Neither are you, ner riduur," his Jetii said before kissing the bitterness far from Jango's mind.
oOo
AN: Thoughts, Chinese golden barbs, or feedback, pretty please?