Summary: Obi-Wan runs into his friend Bill after someone plays
a prank on Qui-Gon.
Disclaimer: The stuff you recognize is George's. The other
stuff is my fault.
Author's Note: This bit of fluff is the sequel to It's a twin
thing... at the will of the bunnies and the request of Adalisa.
Feedback: why not?
Obi-Wan Kenobi strolled through the streets of Coruscant,
enjoying an unexpected afternoon off. It was, for once, a
beautiful day even at street level, and Obi-Wan had decided
(rather wisely he thought) to spend the afternoon away from the
Temple. So, here he was, watching the various lifeforms go by.
He had stopped to let by a woman with two small children in
tow, when he heard a voice he thought he recognized.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi! I thought it was you! How've you been, kid?"
Obi-Wan turned his head and saw an older man standing beside
him. "Bill! Hello! I'm..." he paused, then shrugged, "I'm as
well as can be expected, I guess. How are you?"
Bill grinned, and winked at the young Jedi. "Still evil. Hey,
you want to grab a cup of coffee? My appointment's not for
another hour."
Obi-Wan agreed, and the two men were soon sitting on the patio
of a nearby cafe. Bill ordered the biggest cup of black coffee
they had, while Obi-Wan stuck with juice.
"So tell me, kid, aren't you supposed to be practicing whatever
it is you Jedis do?" Bill asked, dumping several packets of
sweetener into his cup.
"Master Qui-Gon is... occupied... this afternoon, and under the
circumstances I thought it prudent to be as far away as
possible."
The gleam in Obi-Wan's eye suggested that this was just the
start of the explanation. "Oh?" said Bill, stirring his coffee.
"It's rather foolish, really," said Obi-Wan with a grin that
suggested that even if it was, he didn't care, "There's a
tradition, among the initiates at the Temple. Every year, a
group of eleven-year-olds play a prank - it's been going on for
decades now."
"What kind of a prank?" Bill asked, sipping his coffee and
wincing as it burned.
"Well," said Obi-Wan, leaning in as he got into the story, "the
initiates who pulled the prank the first time made a life-sized
stuffed replica of Master Yoda. Somewhere along the line the
doll was named Adoy, and the ones who pull the prank each year
are known at The Adoyables."
Bill looked Obi-Wan straight in the eye. "The adoyables."
Obi-Wan shrugged, "It's hysterical when you're eleven. Anyway,
every year, Adoy makes an appearance at one of the initiates'
gatherings, wearing something identifiable as belonging to one
of the Masters."
Bill figured he knew where this was going, but decided to
humour the young man. "Go on."
"Well, this morning was the annual 'Sexuality and Personal
Hygiene' lecture that all the older initiates get. Picture, if
you will, a lecture hall full of eleven- and twelve-year olds,
and on the lector's podium is a replica of Master Yoda, wearing
only a pair of black underpants with the initials Q.G.J.
monogrammed on them." The grin was almost gone from Obi-Wan's
face - almost - as he shook his head. "Master Qui-Gon was not
amused."
Bill chuckled, then looked at the younger man carefully. "Does
he think you had something to do with it?"
"Oh no." came the quick reply. "A while ago some initiates
asked him for extra help with meditation. I'm sure he knows
exactly who this year's adoyables are. He's just annoyed that
they finally got him. That and they took his favourite
underpants - not that the children would have known that, of
course..." Obi-Wan finished lamely, trying to control the blush
he could feel on his face.
Bill gave him a sympathetic smile. "How's that been working out
for you, kid? Did the therapy help?"
Obi-Wan took a long drink, and then sighed. "I don't think so.
All the therapist did was lecture me on hero-worshipping. He
wasn't even interested in what I actually feel."
"That figures. They've probably got a standard lecture worked
up for the kids that the council sends down."
Obi-Wan blinked a few times, as this thought had not occurred
to him. "You think so?"
Bill took another drink of coffee. "I wouldn't put it past
them. I told you, you're not the first to go through this, not
by a long shot. And for some of those kids it probably was just
a hero thing. Have you talked to Master Qui-Gon about it?
"Force, no. They probably gave him a lecture on '101 ways to
let your padawan down easy'. I..." Obi-Wan's expression
suddenly took a downturn, "He hasn't said anything at all about
it, and I wouldn't know what to say to him, Bill."
Bill reached over and squeezed Obi-Wan's hand. "Give it time,
kid. So," he said, sensing a need to change the subject, "what
did they do for this adoyable thing in your day?"
The ploy worked, and Obi-Wan's face immediately brightened up,
before settling into a slightly sheepish expression. "The year
I was eleven, the adoyables got Master Windu's Altesian flag
and draped it around the doll's shoulders. Just before the
start of a lightsaber skills demonstration, they levitated it
across the room so that the flag trailed behind it like a
cape." In spite of himself, he smiled at the memory.
"And in all this time, no-one's gotten Master Qui-Gon before?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "His unbroken record was legendary.
Initiate legend also has it that it was Master Qui-Gon and
Master Windu who started it all in the first place. I don't
know how they snuck by him this year." Obi-Wan played with his
empty juice cup. "He's seemed distracted for a while now..."
Bill raised an eyebrow, but Obi-Wan was still staring at his
cup. "Hmm." was all he said.
"Padawan - so here's where you've been hiding." Bill looked up
and saw a tall man with long hair who he figured could only be
Master Qui-Gon.
"Master," said Obi-Wan, getting to his feet, "if you wanted me,
why didn't you call?"
Qui-Gon shrugged. "It's a nice day for a walk. Besides, Mace
Windu's been at me all afternoon. You've given me an excuse to
escape him."
Bill had stood up as well while Qui-Gon was speaking, and
politely cleared his throat.
"Master, this is Bill," said Obi-Wan, picking up on the hint,
"Bill, this is Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"Pleased to meet you," said Qui-Gon, shaking Bill's hand.
"Likewise," said Bill, before shooting Obi-Wan a wicked grin.
"So you're the legendary Master Qui-Gon."
The legendary Master Qui-Gon shot Obi-Wan a look of his own.
"No, no, don't blame the kid. I'm the one who should keep my
mouth shut," Bill smiled and picked up his coffee. "I have to
be running along. It really was nice to meet you, sir."
"Thanks for the talk, Bill," said Obi-Wan, carefully avoiding
looking at his Master.
"Anytime. You take care of yourself, kid. May the force be with
you," Bill said, then looked at Qui-Gon with a mischievous
glint in his eye, "and also with you." Then he turned and
headed off down the street.
Qui-Gon motioned to his padawan, and the two began walking back
to the Temple. "Where did you meet him?" he asked.
Obi-Wan immediately raised his mental shields. He hadn't
mentioned that Master Yoda had sent him to the therapist, and
he had no intention of bringing up the subject now. "Bill? Oh,
just around. He's a nice guy."
"If you say so." Qui-Gon's thoughts were obviously somewhere
else.
"Master?"
"I'm just not looking forward to returning to the Temple."
Obi-Wan smiled. "It did take the adoyables twelve years longer
to get you than it did to get Master Windu."
Qui-Gon chuckled, "And we never did figure out who they were
that year. I at least know who my culprits are. Mace still
doesn't know how they managed to get their hands on his flag."
They walked on a few steps before Qui-Gon shook his head. "He's
never going to let me live this one down."
Obi-Wan carefully removed the smile from his face before
folding his hands together in the traditional Jedi diplomatic
stance. "I believe we may be able to come to an arrangement,"
he pronounced solemnly.
Qui-Gon looked confused for a moment, and then did some mental
arithmetic. "Obi-Wan Kenobi!" he gasped. A wicked grin settled
over his face. "Twelve years he's been trying to figure it out,
and it was my Obi-Wan all along!" Qui-Gon all but crowed.
"Force, how did you do it?"
Obi-Wan quickly suppressed the stab of joy he felt at hearing
the words "my Obi-Wan", and settled into the task at hand,
which was salvaging his Qui-Gon's reputation. "It was really
quite simple, actually..."
Deep in their conversation, the pair did not notice the figure
on the corner, who had doubled back when they weren't looking.
Bill watched them until they were lost in the crowd down the
street. He laughed softly to himself, and then hurried off to
another session on the evils of being evil.
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