Episode 3: At the Truth-Sense Door
Kenobi searched my face, his eyes lingering on my lips, before finding my green eyes. I flashed him my Cheshire grin and bit my bottom lip before reaching for his hand.
"Should we get this party started?" I asked and pulled him towards me, positioning his arm against my waist. He pressed his lips against my neck, and I felt his stubble against my skin. The sweet smell of juniper enveloped me, and his other hand was at my side, slowly caressing me until I was holding my breath. His lips traveled against my neck reaching my collarbone and a soft sigh escaped my lips, reminding me a memory from years ago.
He leaned down and wrapped one strong arm under my legs, the other supporting my back, and lifted me up while continuing to place sweet kisses behind my ear. My arms went around his neck, and I twisted my hands into his long brown hair. He was so solid against me and his chest felt warm. After being on the run and living in the shadows for so long, it felt unexpectedly safe to be back at the Imperial Center with a man, who was no longer the boy I remembered from the Academy.
He carried me towards a doorway to the left, and I looked up right before we crossed the threshold and saw the tiny mirrors embedded into the stone wall above the keystone. It was a truth-sense door, where the mirrors were a powerful symbol of truth and reflected any hidden objects once crossed. I came to my senses and rolled out of his arms with a twist and while kissing him full on the mouth before we could enter the room. His lips were so soft, and I could feel the passion building within him, but I had snapped to my senses again, especially since Kenobi was full of surprises tonight. Now I understand why he had brought me here and not booked a local motel along the district road. Either he did recognize me, or he was simply being extra cautious.
He leaned deeper into the kiss and I could feel his hands encircling my waist again. His touch gentle against my skin as he pulled me towards the door again. I resisted and realized that I was seconds away from losing this game. He knew too and pulled back, probing my eyes his eyebrows raised. Kenobi took a deep breath to steady himself, and a look of betrayal and sadness crossed his features. The taste of his mouth, of his lips, still on my tongue.
"What are you hiding?" He asked softly. He took my hand and stepped backwards through the threshold. There was a red light and a soft rattle that stemmed from his arm band from where he drew a sharp dagger and placed it on the floor without a word. He took another step back, encouraging me to step forward and through the door.
I glanced up at the mirrors again above the door. This was against my training and would be against my master's wishes. Not to mention the amount of paperwork involved would be extraordinary. Kenobi gazed carefully at me, but did not pull me against my will or pressure me to enter. Where he had previously held me was growing cold, and I wanted to feel the pressure of his fingers against me again.
"Come through, sweet one," he says, his voice just barely above a whisper. I sighed deeply and ignored the alarm bells sounding in my head. There was no excuse for what I was about to do, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own and crossed into the room. There were several rattling noises that started around my body. Kenobi frowned slightly, looking perplexed.
I rolled my eyes while removing the variety of weapons from around me, including three small daggers and knives, placing these on the floor next to his. Then I slowly tugged my lightsaber free from where it was tied tightly against my leg and held it for him to see. I saw his eyebrows raise and his lips tug slightly upwards into what was the start of a smile.
"I think you missed something," he said wryly and used his hand to tug at the air about an inch from my face. "Kara, isn't that right?"
I gasped and my eyes went wide. How did he know? I had followed protocol every step of the way tonight, of course, until I made the poor decision to take that last step.
"I recognized you when you ran up the stairs earlier," he said, his eyes twinkling again. "The Force is so strong at this building from the decades of teaching that your guise slipped for a second."
"You've known since then?" I said, "Yet you still let me take your lightsaber? And I thought that I made the poor decision of walking through that door." I let out a snort to mock him before letting my guise fall completely.
"I'm known to be a bit nostalgia from time to time," he stated while closing his eyes during my transformation.
My brown skin disappeared to be replaced with a soft green, my curls gone, and my two lek returned to their usual spot against my shoulders. My features shifted back into their Twi'lek form and I gave myself a shake to check that I was fully back. Wearing a Force guise was always a little exhausting from the constantly pressure to pretend to be someone else.
Kenobi opened his eyes, and I recognized a look of recognition as his glanced over my body, pausing to study my face. It had been years, since we had seen each other like this and in such a vulnerable state. He placed his hands in front of him and gestured for me to take them. I felt the calluses against his fingertips and the strength in his palms. His large hands completely covered my small ones, his fair skin against my green hue.
"I've missed you," he stated looking at me, waiting for my reaction. I glanced at his trusting eyes, knowing that I couldn't tell him everything that he wanted to know. He pulled me into him and I could feel his heartbeat against mine and his warmth was even stronger than before.
"You know I'm on a mission, right?" I said against his chest.
"You were always so dedicated," he said. "You were the best student I taught in Ship Navigation that year. Always focused on the end goal."
"Or was that because I slept with my teaching assistant," I said, gesturing towards him with my nose and grinning. The Kenobi that I remembered from the Academy was certainly rougher around the edges, different from this man that held me close.
"Such dedication," he said again with sly smile as his hand drifted down to my ass. "I don't need to know about your mission. Just as you don't need to know about mine."