Archive: Master_Apprentice and anyone else, just ask
Category: Pre-Slash, Romance, Humor
Rating: G
Spoilers: none
Summary: Qui-Gon answers a padawan's Question.
Feedback: Very welcome.
Warnings: implied future M/M relationship
Disclaimer: The Boyz aren't mine. Mores the pity. This story is
for the pleasure of the readers only. I don't make a
thing.
Notes: Mucho thanks to Maig for her patience and her beta!
"My master?"
Qui-Gon looked over the top of the datareader at his apprentice
with an absent glance and met his padawan's bright blue-green
gaze. A moment more and the older Jedi's eyes focused entirely
on his apprentice. Gently, he set his datareader aside and
began invoking his strongest shields.
The young man sat serenely on the floor beside his chair,
looking up at him with a faint expression of curiosity. His
jedi uniform was perfectly in place and his padawan braid had
been obviously redone since their strenuous sparring session
earlier that afternoon. Even his boots had been polished. He
looked the perfectly turned-out padawan, a credit to any
master.
However, as innocuous as the padawan appeared to other unwary
Jedi of the temple, Qui-Gon knew better. The determined
formality of Obi-Wan's demeanor indicated he had a Question for
his master. Not just an ordinary question that could be simply
satisfied with a straightforward answer such as the meaning of
life or what the Jedi Code really means.
No, Obi-Wan obviously had something bigger on his mind. Qui-Gon
had learned to recognize the signs in the three years since the
boy had become his apprentice. Such Questions were always
thoroughly pondered for days, weeks, sometimes months before
the apprentice actually approached his master with them. Thus
while the padawan was completely prepared, the master was
always caught completely by surprise.
The discussion resulting from the last such Question - and
thank the Living Force those Questions were few and far between
- had come near to cracking the Jedi Master's shields. One
would think after two previous padawans that such things
weren't possible anymore.
One would also think that the innocent padawan who sat so
benignly before his master this evening wanted to ask perfectly
innocent questions.
One would be wrong.
Qui-Gon took a quick mental inventory, rechecked his shields,
drew his serenity about him then responded as any good master
would, "Yes, Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan beamed confidently up at him.
"Master, what is True Love?"
The older man blinked but was able to maintain his serene
expression. "True Love?"
"Yes, Master, also how do you know when you are in love?" The
padawan leaned forward slightly. "True love, I mean."
Qui-Gon sat back, making sure to keep his eyebrows ever so
slightly together indicating he was seriously considering his
padawan's question.
Actually, his mind was cartwheeling around in circles. Where in
the Sith Hells had this come from? Had his padawan finally
stumbled onto the fact that his master had a terminal case of
padawan-worship? Surely, *surely* he wasn't that transparent.
He was a Jedi Master after all.
Or perhaps this was just an indication that his padawan was
finally suffering from the traditional Crush on his master?
Qui-Gon glanced over the younger man briefly and then discarded
the notion. Obi-Wan certainly didn't seem to be suffering from
an unrequited affection for anyone, much less his master, and
as close as they were, Qui-Gon thought he would know if his
student was upset. Obi-Wan's serenity seemed untouched so
something else must be driving the Question this time.
Quickly, the master's mind darted over various possibilities.
They had already covered the Sex Issues, which had been part of
the last Question his padawan had put forth. The Jedi Master
contained his shivers remembering that discussion. Obi-Wan was
nothing if not detail oriented.
Master Jinn pushed his mind away from that line of thought and
leaned forward. "Obi-Wan, in order for me to best answer your
question, perhaps you'd like to tell me what brought this on?"
The padawan nodded slightly. "In my Cultural Philosophies
class, Master Brun said that love varies from culture to
culture and that one can determine a society's attitude on many
things if one understands how that society views the concept of
love."
"Ah," Qui-Gon said and slowly relaxed his hold on his shields.
Perhaps this wasn't such a bad Question after all.
"So if love varies from culture to culture across the republic,
how can one define what True Love actually is?" Obi-Wan's asked
plaintively as his eyebrows drew together.
"You're rather young to be considering True Love, Obi-Wan," the
Jedi Master pointed out gently.
"Knowledge knows no boundaries of age, Master," the padawan
quoted diligently. As hard as he tried, Qui-Gon could find no
trace of a smirk on his apprentice's face.
"Very well, padawan," he sighed. "As I understand it, the
concept of love may vary from culture to culture but the
concept of True Love is amazingly consistent in that it is
usually a title given to the highest form of what that society
considers love." Obi-Wan looked thoughtful for a moment and his
master continued. "For example, what do you think of Knight
Xerxas and his mate, Owansi?"
The apprentice gnawed on his lip for a moment. Master Xerxas
was one of the smartest beings in the Order, probably in the
galaxy. His mind was so formidable that even the Senate and the
University of the Republic had formally recognized his mental
prowess. His mate was almost as smart. Owansi was a highly
regarded diplomatic liaison between the Senate and the pair's
homeworld. They had met on a mission and had rarely been apart
since that time.
"They seem rather ..." the young man glanced up hesitantly at
his master, who gave him an encouraging look. "...actually they
seem rather boring, Master. All they ever seem to do is debate
each other. I've never seen them hold hands or give any sort of
indication that they had feelings for each other beyond a deep
friendship. And sometimes, when they really disagree about a
topic, they don't even seem to be friends."
"And yet on their homeworld, their love is almost a legend."
Qui-Gon smiled at his student's surprise. "On Zarair, the
intellect is one of the most alluring and beautiful things a
being can cultivate to attract another Zarairi. The more
romantic Zarairi cry themselves to sleep over the relationship
between Xerxas and his mate."
Obi-Wan tilted his head ever so slightly, a curious expression
in his eyes. "Master, does that mean that when Knight Xerxas is
arguing with his mate..."
"They are expressing their rather passionate love for one
another." Qui-Gon gave his student a wry grin. "Actually, I
doubt that some of their louder arguments would be conducted
publicly on Zarair. They tend to forget themselves and get
carried away here in the temple."
Obi-Wan looked doubtful.
"Another example, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon continued, seeing his
student's expression, "is Master Fif and Lol B'dorin."
The padawan's eyebrows rose a notch. "Master Fif's cook?"
The older jedi nodded. "On Master Fif's homeworld, love is
measured by their culinary extravagance towards one another.
You've heard the phrase, 'The way to a man's heart is through
his stomach'?"
"So...you're saying that Lol is Master Fif's mate because she
cooks for him?"
Qui-Gon blanched. "Actually, no, padawan." The master steepled
his fingers and tried to look stern. "Master Fif has never
really formalized the arrangement."
Obi-Wan considered that a moment. "You mean they're cooking in
sin together?" he finally asked, trying to keep his face
straight and failing. Surely, his master was teasing him with
this one.
However, Qui-Gon answered seriously. "Exactly, padawan. Master
Fif is considered to be something of a rogue on his homeworld,
luring the innocent Lol into the relationship. She, on the
other hand, is considered something of a saint for putting up
with him. He won't pledge her a formal commitment but neither
can he bring himself to let her go."
The young apprentice stared at Qui-Gon for a moment as he tried
to envision the rather rotund Master Fif as rogue. His
imagination failed him.
"But Master, just yesterday, mistress Lol offered to bake me a
cake. She had the funniest look on her face."
The Jedi Master leaned forward, his face serious. "What
flavor?"
"Chocolate, master, with tanasean cream berries and fudge
sauce." The young man grinned as he thought about it. "It
sounded very good."
"Tanasean cream berries?!?" Qui-Gon actually looked angry for a
moment before his expression relaxed. "Obi-Wan, under no
circumstances are you to accept food from Lol B'dorin," Qui-Gon
said in a clipped tone. "She is obviously trying to make Fif
jealous by coming on to you and I don't want you involved with
that situation. Is that understood?"
The padawan looked surprised at his master's tone but nodded.
"Yes, Master."
Qui-Gon leaned back, tapping the arm of his chair thoughtfully.
"If it happens again, please let me know and I'll have a few
words with Master Fif."
"I don't want to get her in trouble, Master," Obi-Wan said
hesitantly. Qui-Gon smiled gently at his student.
"Don't worry, my padawan. I won't cause her trouble. But Fif
needs to set a better example. And I know he has feelings for
the woman. He just needs to come to terms with his own...."
Qui-Gon glanced down at his wide-eyed padawan and shut his
mouth. Obi-Wan didn't need to know about Fif's problems in the
culinary area. He couldn't boil water without the fire alarm
going off. And that, Qui-Gon suspected, was at the heart of
Fif's reluctance to pledge to his cook.
"To continue, my padawan, do you understand what I am saying
about true love?"
"Yes, master," Obi-Wan said, his brows still drawn together
thoughtfully. "It seems straightforward enough."
Qui-Gon breathed an inward sigh of relief.
"So how do you know if you're in love? And if there are so many
different ways one might express their love, how do you know if
someone loves you?" his padawan continued innocently as he
glanced back at his mentor.
Qui-Gon blinked and then steadied his shields again. "Well,
Obi-Wan," the Jedi began slowly as his mind frantically
searched for an answer, "Again it varies. On Yumaris, you can
tell when someone is in love because they break out in hives."
Obi-Wan paled ever so slightly. "Hives?" he squeaked. "As
in...hives?"
"Yes," the Master continued thoughtfully as he tried to
maintain his serious expression, "and on Theth, it's
traditional to shave your entire body and have yourself
presented on a platter with a particular floral garnish to the
object of your affections."
If possible, the boy's eyes got even wider and more
panic-stricken. "A platter?" His voice rose at least an octave
and Qui-Gon couldn't contain his chuckles any longer. Obi-Wan
immediately pouted. "Master, you're making that up!" he
accused.
"I'm not, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, holding up his hand as he
tried for a serious tone again. "I swear, I am not." His
apprentice didn't look convinced and Qui-Gon smiled. "Padawan,
the only truth I can give you on that question is that there
are as many different way of expressing love as there are
planets in the galaxy."
"Then how will I know what to do and when to do it, Master?" he
asked plaintively. The older Jedi merely leaned back and gave
his apprentice a confident smile.
"You'll know, Obi-Wan," he assured the younger Jedi.
Obi-Wan didn't look quite convinced but he settled on his heels
once again. Qui-Gon was actually congratulating himself for
getting out of that Question relatively unscathed when his
apprentice continued.
"Just one more question, Master," the boy asked. "What does
*Amari* mean?"
The Jedi Master felt his shields tilt alarmingly. Mentally, he
grabbed his faltering shields and forced them back into place
while he cursed himself for relaxing too soon. Finally, he
leaned forward, hoping his expression concealed the inner
fireworks he was dealing with. "Where did you hear that term,
Obi-Wan?" he finally asked softly.
The apprentice looked slightly worried at his master's reaction
but looked determined. "I have been meditating for the last two
months on my question before I brought it to you, Master,
and...." his voice trailed off as he bit his lip. His eyes
glanced at his master and then away.
"Yes, padawan?" Qui-Gon pressed, his expression serene but his
blue eyes were focused intently on his padawan.
"Well, it just appeared in my meditations, Master," Obi-Wan
finally admitted. He glanced up at the man seated before him.
"It seemed very important that I find out what it means but
I've done some research and I couldn't find very much on the
word at all."
Qui-Gon leaned back slightly as he contemplated his padawan.
"What did you find?"
"Well..." Again Obi-Wan hesitated before he darted a glance at
his master. "I found that in all the galaxy, *Amari* is only
referenced in the Marivi languages and the..." Obi-Wan stumbled
over the next few words, "concept or theory of the *Amari*
seems to have great significance to the people of that system."
"That is correct." The Jedi Master nodded slowly his eyes still
intent on his padawan. "What else did you find?"
"I found out a great deal about the Marivi people in the
process since the concept of *Amari* seems very intertwined
with their everyday life." The padawan looked thoughtful as he
considered his research. "They are never great in numbers and
live on a rather backward little planet but they are a very
long lived race and many great thinkers and artists have come
from them."
He glanced at his master and Qui-Gon nodded for him to
continue. "They are described as intense and passionate,
focused and loyal and that they spend a large part of their
lives looking for the *Amari*. But that is all I could find.
Nothing as to what the *Amari* actually *is*." Obi-Wan sounded
quite frustrated by his lack of information.
Qui-Gon sat back and studied his padawan as he considered
Obi-Wan's words. For his part, Obi-Wan chewed on his lip as he
glanced from his master, to his hands and then back to his
master. After several long moments of Qui-Gon's contemplative
silence, Obi-Wan leaned slightly forward, his gaze coming level
with his master's again.
"I did find out something more, Master," he said quietly and
Qui-Gon's brows rose slightly in question. "I ran a query to
find out if any Marivi were in the Temple so that I could ask
them about this."
"Did you?" Qui-Gon didn't sound surprised. His padawan, after
all, was very thorough.
"Yes, master. And I thought since you were of the Marivi, you
could perhaps explain why the word keeps appearing in my
meditations."
Qui-Gon smiled slightly, a very tender expression that Obi-Wan
had never seen on his master's face, before the older Jedi
leaned forward and briefly cupped his apprentice's chin in his
large palm. Then he touched Obi-Wan's cheek with his fingertips
before he sat back in his chair and assumed the role of Master
once more.
"You have found a great deal more about the *Amari* than I
would have thought available, padawan, but I would expect
nothing less from you."
Obi-Wan smiled, savoring his master's compliment. "You know
what is it then, Master?" he asked hopefully.
"I do."
Obi-Wan waited a few moments before his tilted his head
slightly. "Will you tell me?"
"No."
The padawan looked surprised by his master's blunt answer and
then resigned. "I'm going to have to find out myself, aren't
I?" he sighed in a depressed tone.
"If you are meant to know what *Amari* means...what the *Amari*
is, then you will find the answer yourself. Even on Marivi,
that is the way of things."
Obi-Wan sighed in frustration. "But why am I seeing this in my
meditations, Master? I am not Marivi."
*But I am!* Qui-Gon thought, though nothing of the absolute joy
his padawan's words had brought to him showed in his face. Now
he only had to wait for his beloved apprentice to find out the
meaning of *Amari*, which knowing Obi-Wan, wouldn't be too very
much longer. Then again, considering what the *Amari*
was...what it would be between them...it could be years before
his padawan would figure it out.
"I cannot say, Obi-Wan," the older Jedi sighed as he leaned
forward to touch his padawan's cheek again before he leaned
back and picked up his data reader. "Though the fact that the
word only appears in certain of your meditations should be
somewhat enlightening." Obi-Wan gave his master a sharp look at
the hint and Qui-Gon raised his brows. "Perhaps you should
meditate more on the matter," he suggested.
His apprentice gave a very un-Jedi like snort. "Master, if I
meditate any more I might start growing moss from sitting still
so long." The young man looked thoughtful. "Maybe that's what
happened to Master Yoda."
Qui-Gon used all his mastery of the Force not to burst out
laughing. "Well, we can't have you turning into Yoda, Obi-Wan,"
his master noted with a strained tone as he clicked on his
reader to the last page he'd skimmed. "Actually, I have been
busy myself while you were in your afternoon classes." He
nodded towards the kitchen area and Obi-Wan's eyes brightened.
"Cooking, master?" he asked happily as he jumped to his feet
and trotted into the kitchen. A moment later, his happy
exclamation echoed off the walls. "White silk cakes!" A moment
later another, more muffled words followed. "Wif cweam
bwerries!"
"Obi-Wan, don't talk with your mouth full," Qui-Gon instructed
with a half-smile.
"Sworry mastha," came his apprentice's sincere apology. Qui-Gon
chuckled and continued reading.
A few moments later, Obi-Wan's head popped out of the kitchen
doorway, a thoughtful expression on his face. He studied the
small silk cake in his hand then glanced at his seemingly
oblivious master with a curious gaze. He sighed and shook his
head. There was no way in the galaxy that Qui-Gon would be
making these for him with the same intent as Master Fif's cook.
Which was, of course, just too damn bad. Silk cake and cream
berries would probably taste *much* better with a little
Qui-Gon added on top.
The padawan sighed again and went looking for milk and sugar to
go with the cake.
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