| ***** Jemmiah stood for a while by the mirror in the ladies fresher and took in her appearance. She wasn’t perhaps as pristine as she had been before leaving the temple, and resolutely decided to try and do her darned best to rectify the problem. Sighing, she set to work with her lip-gloss. Lilith entered the room a moment later and went to one of the hand basins nearby. She bent over to throw some water onto her face and closed her eyes as the cold hit her. "Burning stars, I needed that." She said, blinking. "It’s kinda stuffy out there. Not that anyone else’s noticed, I’ll bet." Lilith stifled a laugh. "How’s the head?" "Painful." Jemmy confessed. "Just don’t tell anyone or they’ll have me chained up in ‘An-Paj Towers’ for the next week. I’ll take some pills. They should help in a bit." "With alcohol?" Lilith frowned. "Are you sure that’s such a good idea?" "I’m tired and my head hurts. If that’s what it take to keep me on my feet then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll be fine as long as Leona doesn’t find out." "It’s your head, kid." Lilith shrugged. "What’s going on out there? Have they started the other part of the game?" "Not yet. Biwo’s arguing with Ashdal and Billaba about who really won that silly three-legged race. He says they cheated. Krelo’s having a private drinking contest with Sal-Fina and Dex Berlingside. Your friend Simeon’s just been sick all over Hmiol. Windu looks like he’s a member of some seedy strip artistes group with that belt wrapped round his head. Spider and Rela are talking tattoos. Qui-Gon and Leona are getting on rather well." She paused. "And Sybelle and Griff are having a ding-dong argument about something trivial no doubt." Jemmiah’s face hardened. "Don’t mention Sybelle to me. Some friend she turned out to be. Pairing herself off with Ben so that…" she stammered as she tried to find a word, "…that THING would end up with me. She knew what he was up to! I just bet you she knew he was going to try something." "Some times you find out late in the day that the people you considered friends aren’t quite as well disposed to you as you first thought." Lilith frowned. "But I don’t think Sybelle would willingly let you walk into danger." "I do!" Jemmiah was insistent. "She’d better stay out of my way, or Master Galina’s going to be picking her teeth off the carpet for the next week!" Lilith laughed at the image. "Oh, you are a fiery creature, aren’t you?" "I try." Jemmiah murmured as she started to fix her hair. "And I’ll be damned if I’m letting either her or Kryztan ruin my evening." "That’s the spirit!" Demodae nodded approvingly. "Can’t keep a good Corellian down for long!" Jemmiah regarded Lilith for a while as the big woman sought a towel on which to dry her face. "You seem to do OK for yourself." She paused. "You know how to handle yourself well when things get rough." "So do you, from what I’ve seen." Lilith remarked, her voice muffled as she dried her nose. "But not as well as you." "Kid," Lilith looked up, "That’s purely because I’ve been around and seen a lot more of the big bad galaxy than you have. You’ve spent your most recent years locked away with only the Jedi for company. I wonder how you stand it." "They’re OK." Jemmiah looked at her feet. "Well, most of them." "You mean you really like Qui-Gon telling you what to do? Being home when Master Sovalla wants you to be home?" "They only do it because they care." Jemmiah said cautiously. "I’m sure they do. Don’t get me wrong." She held up her hands. "I think your Master Jinn’s not too bad myself. But is that really how you want to spend the rest of your days? You may as well be in a convent!" Jemmiah laughed. "Hardly. That’s what got me into this whole mess in the first place. And anyhow, I have my forms of escapism." Lilith watched as the girl shoved two tiny headache tablets into her mouth and then bent over to take a drink of water. "And what would that be?" She asked, interested. Jemmy looked at her a moment as if trying to take her measure. "If I tell you, this does not get back to Qui-Gon." She pleaded. "Honor of a Corellian." Lilith crossed her chest elaborately. "Your heart’s on the other side." Jemmiah smiled, pausing before divulging her secret. "I ride swoops. I’m quite good, so I’ve been told." Lilith seemed impressed. "Is that right?" She raised an eyebrow. "Where do you practice?" "There’s been a course laid out for some years now. It’s never been an officially recognized sport on Coruscant, but it’s been gaining in popularity the last few years and a lot of the youngsters are getting into it in a big way." She grinned. "Meri’s the only one who knows about my little hobby. She sometimes watches me practice. I’ve been saving up out of my allowance, amongst other things, to buy my own swoop instead of riding other people’s bits of junk." "Good for you kid!" Lilith returned the grin. "I’ve got my eye on one in particular. It’s pricey, though." Lilith chewed on her lip for a moment. "Maybe I should stop off and watch you practice one of these days. If you’re really as good as you say, I’d hate to miss out on a budding career. After all, I have to keep a watch over my investment." Jemmiah frowned. "Investment?" "Sure." Lilith nodded. "Swoops are big on Corellia. I’ve always had a bit of an interest in it. Matter of fact, I used to ride ‘em myself, in my youth." She smiled at the memory. "Just for the hell of it. I wasn’t what I would call champion material. So, if I were to become your sponsor…" The Corellian girl’s mouth nearly hit the floor. "Why?" She asked. "Why me?" "Because I’ve been watching you since Krelo first pointed you out. Whilst I’m hardly over the hill and in need of a bath chair I am looking to pass on a few tricks of the trade, as it were. Even if you didn’t fellow me into the profession." She studied Jemmiah’s amazed expression. "I would have the satisfaction of knowing that my protégé was doing OK for herself. Think about it," she enthused, "I could teach you how to pilot a spacecraft. I could teach you self-defense. There’s a whole load of stuff I could tell you. Then you won’t have to rely on the Jedi for the rest of your life. If Qui-Gon can have an apprentice then so can I." "What about Evla and Master Jinn?" "It can be our little secret." She smiled. "They don’t have to know. I’m on Coruscant frequently, legitimately or otherwise." Jemmiah blew out a breath that she felt she’d been holding forever. "Kid, if you want to ride swoops, don’t let anyone stop you. Infact, I intend to see that you do." She stuck her chin out defiantly. "Don’t take any nonsense from ANYBODY. Not even your Master Jinn." Lilith held out her hand. "Do we have ourselves a deal?" Jemmiah looked somewhat stunned but took barely a few seconds to consider. "Deal!" She grinned, shaking Lilith’s hand. ***** Krelo Leaned up against the bar and waited for the bartender to pour the next round of drinks. Dex and Sal-Fina both eyed her suspiciously. They were both quite drunk, while Krelo, who had been drinking, rather freely all evening, only had a small buzz. She smiled and picked up her shot glass. "Bottoms up, people." She tossed back her drink and slammed the glass upside-down on the bar. Sal-Fina frowned. She was having trouble thinking up drinks to throw at the unaffected knight. The insufferable woman had taken everything Sal-Fina and Dex combined could think up and putting it down like water. The worst thing about it all was that Dex was finding it amusing while it only served to infuriate Sal-Fina even more. "Barkeep, how 'bout a round of Shrinking Heads?" Sal-Fina and Dex both blinked, a look of surprise painted openly on their faces. The bartender shook his head, implying that he was unfamiliar with that particular drink. Krelo sighed and gave him the ingredients and their proportions. A few minutes later, the tall glasses filled with a viscous yellowish-blue liquid faced them. Krelo picked up her glass, motioning to her companions to do the same. "Now, my friends, the point of this particular drink is to get it all down, in one take, without choking or passing out." She noticed Lilith and Jemmiah coming out of the fresher out of the corner of her eye and winked to her friends. Lilith burst into open and unrestrained laughter when she recognized the drinks on the bar. They had been concocted by a man on their home planet whom many considered a bit suicidal. Only a select few people had been able to withstand the effects of a Shrunken Head, but those that did were hooked for life. Dex and Sal-Fina gingerly picked up their glasses. "I recommend that you both take a seat," Krelo suggested. She smiled wickedly and raised her glass. "Bottoms up!" All three drained their glasses; all three with their eyes screwed shut as the powerful, incredibly sour liquid pored down their throats. Krelo slammed her glass on the bar. Sal-Fina and Dex both hit the floor, glasses still in their hands. Krelo smiled and shook her head, clearing away the mist that had threatened to envelop her mind. "Ohhhhh, that was a good one!" She turned her head and started to say something to her two drinking partners and smiled broadly at the site of them sprawled on the floor. "Hmmmm . . . guess some people just can't hold their liquor." She shrugged. "Barkeep, gimmie another one of those . . . " ***** "I SAW it! We were coming around the corner, and you put your hand over the bottle! You KNOW you did!" "I did nothing of the kind!" Billaba shot back. "Lying is unbefitting of a Jedi!" Far said flatly. Depa turned smugly to the woman beside her. "Did you see me do it?" "No." Ashdal replied, shaking her head. "And I know I didn't do it, so it's two against one. We win." Far knew when he was beaten. Or at least, when he wouldn't be able to get someone to see the truth. He stared at them for a moment, then headed for the crowd that was gathering for the second half of the game. One moment, Garos had just been sitting there, and the next... BLRAAHA!!!!! A stinking, warm goo covered him, and Simeon burped. Hmiol wiped the vomit off his face in astonishment, the turned and faced Cates, who simply burped. Hmiol's finger hung menacingly in the air, and his head shook with rage. They hung there like that for a moment; Garos trying to come up with an insult that fit the moment. He couldn't, so instead, he said, "You just watch yourself, Cates." With that, he turned and headed for the fresher to clean himself off, never dreaming what he'd find there... ***** "Shouldn’t we restart the game?" Kylenn said anxiously. "You’re keen, all of a sudden." Letina remarked. "Anyhow, we can’t begin until Hmiol comes back from the fresher." "Yeah, good one Cates!" Jodi elbowed the somewhat worse-for-ware padawan in the ribs. "You want me to be sick on you too?" He complained. "Did you pick Garos on purpose?" Meri asked, watching as Jemmiah tried to hold Obi-Wan’s drink to his mouth. "Can you vomit at will?" "Who is Will?" frowned Simeon. Meri and Letina exchanged glances. "He’s gone!" They chorused. "There once was a young lady Sith Whose virtue was mostly a myth, She said try as I can I just can’t find a man That’s it’s fun to be virtuous with!" "Bravo!" Jemmiah clapped her hands at Lilith’s ditty. "That was good! ANY MORE?" The tall smuggler laughed as she knocked back a shot of whisky. "Plenty more. How about this one: "There once was a man from Badeeling Who had mirrors all over his ceiling And what he did there I would not like to swear But I’ve got a very bad feeling." "Hhhhhmmm-hhhhmmmm!" Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "Hello, Master Jinn. Didn’t see you there." Lilith winked at Obi-Wan, who sat forlornly looking in the direction of his drink. He felt completely miserable. Not to mention hungry. "So it would seem." He smiled at Jemmiah. "How’s he doing?" "HE has a name." Kenobi grumbled under his breath. "Grumping." Jemmy replied. "I’ve offered to help him but he’s too stubborn." "I don’t need babying." He moaned. "That’s not what you suggested earlier when you told me you couldn’t go to the fresher unaided!" Jemmiah smiled. "But never mind. I have something which I think you’ll find uplifting!" Kenobi went scarlet at her pun but put on a brave face. "What?" He asked dejectedly. Jemmiah fished in her bag once again and pulled out a large bar of chocolate. Obi-Wan’s eyes lit up. "You are not just a pretty face." "I know." She replied. "I’ve got a pretty everything." Qui-Gon shook his head at her lack of modesty. "It’s true." She objected as she caught the look. "I am walking proof that the Gods exist. How could anything so charming, witty and wonderful as myself come about by chance?" "Do you actually believe any of what you’ve just said?" Qui-Gon stared at her. She paused. "Partly. I HAVE got a wonderful everything!" "It’s not something I’m likely to find out in the near future." Obi-Wan sighed to himself. "How am I s’posed to eat this?" "I’ll break a strip off for you." Jemmiah grinned as she opened the paper and snapped off a row of squares. "Open wide." Qui-Gon watched in distaste as Jemmiah hand fed his padawan. Judging by the expression on his face he was really enjoying himself. Even inspite of his broken hands. "I could get used to this." He sighed again. "Well, don’t. I’m only doing this because you crippled yourself on my behalf." Jemmy laughed as he attempted to lick the chocolate off her fingers. "Stop that, padawan!" Qui-Gon muttered. "Oh, he’s not doing any harm." Jemmiah smiled. "Are you, Termite? It’s not as if anyone is looking at us…" Jemmiah made the mistake of glancing over in the direction of the other padawans. They were all staring right back. "Oh, well." She shrugged, looking down at the big bar of cocoa. "Now everyone will want some." Standing, Jemmiah waved the bar in the air. "Chocolate’s on me, guys!" As Obi-Wan’s face took on a faraway look, his master leaned over. "Don’t even think about it." ***** When Hmiol returned from cleaning himself off, he returned to the bar to find that everyone was waiting on him. But first.... he was thirsty! "Hey, I'm gonna go grab a drink real quick, anybody want anything?" There was a chorus of orders, ended by Simeons "Riptide!". He winked at Garos. Garos stormed toward the bar. That Sithseeker! He ordered the drinks. And then a thought occurred to him. "Hey," He turned to the bartender, "Wanna make a few credits? Just add a little Yenera extract to that Riptide..." He grinned. Let's see how Cates likes this... ***** "If we don’t start the next part soon," chirruped an extremely happy Spider, "I am going to stand on the table and sing a very rude and vulgar song!" "Might just do that anyway." Smiled Jemmy as she attempted to feed Obi-Wan the last remaining bits of chocolate. She frowned at him. "You’ve got some at the side of your mouth," she said, "I s’pose I’ll have to do it all for you." I wish I had the use of my hands, he thought with a huge smile on his face. Qui-Gon looked at him sternly. //If you want them to remain part of you I suggest you stop thinking things like that!// Obi-Wan’s head snapped round in shock. //Master?!// //Your shielding gets very shoddy from time to time!// Qui-Gon scolded. //You heard me?// //Oh, yes!// //I only meant that I wished I could use my hands to wipe my face…// //I know what you meant. Now stop drooling and avert your eyes so that they actually look Jemmiah in the face!// //Sorry, master.// Pause. //Master?// //What?// //I’m still hungry…// Qui-Gon sighed. If it would distract his padawan from temptations of another sort then he was willing to go foraging for something edible. Hormones and chocolate were a terrible mixture… "I’ll go look for something." He replied. "Don’t say I’m not good to you." "You’re the best master in the whole galaxy." Kenobi smiled. "This is true. But if you think I’m leaving you two un-chaperoned you’ve got another think coming." He turned to Leona, who was busy sipping her Flameout. He noticed she was looking a tiny bit flushed. "Would you mind keeping an eye on these two whilst I’m gone?" He asked. "Of course, anything to oblige." She smiled a little too widely. "Master!" Obi-Wan protested. "I’m sorry, padawan. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…I don’t trust you!" he finished. "Master Jinn, what can we get up to whilst his arms are in a sling?" Jemmy challenged. "YOUR hands are free." Qui-Gon retorted. "See they don’t get up to anything." With that, Qui-Gon went in search of any eatables. ***** Hmiol smiled dangerously. This would sort Cates out well and good! Yenera extract was a highly potent mixer used by Devorians to add to whisky. It also had unfortunate side effects to non-Devorians. There had been a well-documented case of one human gentleman who had been found in a compromising situation with a statue in one of Coruscant’s busiest walkways. Both the statue and the man in question had been…er…unclothed. Basically, it was an extremely volatile substance that tended to leave the imbiber with an overwhelming urge to rid themselves of their garments. Not to mention a tendency to chat up anything. Even plant pots and light fittings. Simeon was going to regret the day he’d messed with him! He watched as Cates retrieved his drink from the bar and wandered back towards Obi-Wan and his girlfriend. Grinning wolfishly, he turned to the barman and ordered a small bottle of Yenera. You never knew when you might need it. What Garos didn’t see was the conversation that had taken place between Qui-Gon and Simeon… "I’m sorry, Master Jinn." Simeon tried to mop up some of the drink he had been carrying from the Jedi’s tunic top. "I didn’t see you." "You can hardly see in front of your nose." Qui-Gon replied acerbically. "Some fresh air would do you good. You can make up for it by helping me locate a local eatery that provides take-outs." "Easy." Simeon nodded. "Hope you like Takkini chips, though." "I’m sure they will be most pleasant." Qui-Gon steered the apprentice healer towards the door. "Put your drink down." Simeon looked momentarily baffled before searching for someone to give his drink to. If he couldn’t enjoy it, someone else might as well have the benefit… "Master Biwo." Simeon bowed slightly. "Yes, padawan?" "Have this Riptide. I’ve been called away on official duty," the thumbed his nose quizzically, "and I might be gone a while. Enjoy." He left with Qui-Gon towing him along. Biwo stared after the young man, drink in hand. Shrugging, he carefully took a few tentative sips before deciding he liked it. Garos Hmiol turned back just in time to see his master knocking back the dregs of Simeon’s doctored drink, and promptly turned a very nasty shade of white. Sithspit! How would he get out of this? ******* "I think we should make an attempt at…" Krelo looked about in dismay. "Where is everyone?" "They’ve gone." Lilith shrugged. "Gone?" "Well, somebody," she pointed at Obi-Wan’s guilty face, "mentioned the word FOOD and they started to file out in search of something to stuff their greedy little faces with." "Sorry." Kenobi sighed. "You wouldn’t have lasted five minutes as a smuggler, my lad." Lilith shook her head. "What would you do if you had to take a last minute run out towards Kessel with all the might of the Republic Customs Ships screaming down on you? Would you ask them if they minded very much not boarding you until you had fixed breakfast?" "Probably." Jemmy smiled her prettiest smile at Kenobi. "He’s only got one thing on his mind." "I wouldn’t say that." He winked at her. She leaned forwards again. "You’ve still got some chocolate at the side of your mouth." "Why don’t you take it off for me then?" He invited. She raised an eyebrow and proceeded to kiss him in full view of Leona. It was quite obvious that she was waiting to be told off, but the warning never came. The healer had simply decided that in the light of what had happened earlier they might as well just be left to it. Rela sat down besides them. "Where’s Qui-Gon?" She frowned as the couple continued to smooch in front of her. Jemmiah didn’t even bother to reply. She pointed with her hand towards the doorway. "Out?" Rela wondered. "Damn. I was going to have that little talk you asked about." She stared at the passionate twosome. "I think he needs to hear it pretty soon by the looks of things." "What talk?" Leona asked hesitantly. "The one where I, politely, tell him to leave them alone and back off." Leona looked aghast. "You can’t do that!" "Why?" Rela replied. "They’re serious about each other. Don’t they look serious to you?" Leona gulped. "Yes. They certainly look like they mean business." "Exactly." Rela looked justified. "I have been asked to give my expertise and tact in this matter and I intend to do just that." "How?" Leona asked. "By embarrassing the heck out of Qui-Gon!" Grinned the red haired girl. "And believe you me, when it comes to embarrassing Qui-Gon, few can compete with my good self!" Rela looked about. If Qui-Gon had gone out, so would she. She rubbed her hands. Discussing the birds and bees with Mater Jinn was just too good an opportunity to miss! "I’ll be right back." She smiled, looking round for back up. She found it in the shape of the distinctive looking Ms Pippage. "Spider!" She called. "Let’s go." "Where?" Spider sauntered over towards Rela wearing an intrigued look. "To wind up a Jedi Master! Two heads are better than one." "But the game…" "Can start without us. Do you really want to kiss Mace again so much?" "Point." "And anyway, this is going to prove MUCH more fun!" Rela laughed as they both marched towards the door. Leona sighed as the two girls walked away. Now she understood why her master had said that she’d been born old. As they left through the double doors, the last thing she heard Spider say was: "D’you think I might interest Qui-Gon in a nipple ring?" Krelo took in the reduced number of participants in round two of the game. Harkley wasn’t there, for obvious reasons. Jemmiah didn’t want to take part any more. Neither did Kenobi. They were playing their own private version in the corner of the room. Dex Berlingside had somehow managed to drag himself onto his feet, although she didn’t know what laws of gravity he was using to do so. Sal-Fina had tried to gamely follow suit but had got as far as the table nearest the bar before the ground called her too loudly. Simeon was missing, as was Qui-Gon, Jodi, Bai and Tanni. Wonderful, she thought. That increased her chances of picking someone like Fin-Tial… She turned her back and waited until the remaining contestants staggered round. "Seven." She called. And the lucky man was… Jay Abran. He smiled his usual bright smile as he almost skipped up to reach Krelo. He was absolutely brimming over with confidence and delight. Well, thought Krelo. It could have been a LOT worse. "Come on then, Mr. Wonderful." Sighed the knight. "Let’s see how you perform under the spotlight." There was a chorus of whoops and snickers as Jay almost had the decency to look abashed. Stepping up towards Krelo, the bronze-haired young padawan began to wrinkle his nose slightly. What was that smell? Krelo saw the display and frowned disapprovingly. "I showered before I left the temple." She said in defense, watching Lilith’s muddy green eyes crinkle at the corners with amusement. "I...I’m sure you did." Jay said. "It’s not you. It’s your perfume." "What’s wrong with it?" Krelo demanded, now feeling more insulted then ever. "It’s very…flowery." Abran tried to hold back the tickle in his throat. "So?" "I have allergies to certain plants." Abran wiped at his running eyes. "You’re perfume is VERY strong." "I told you it was cheap and nasty." Lilith warned. "Yeah, yeah." Krelo snapped. "Look. Let’s make this as quick as possible and then we’ll both be satisfied." There were more titters from the padawans. Jay moved as close as he dared, but it wasn’t close enough. He looked like a fish gasping for oxygen at the side of a stream. Krelo clamped her lips down suddenly. She’d had enough of this clowning about. Abran couldn’t quite get his mind on the task at hand because of the overwhelming urge to sneeze. All the time Krelo was kissing him, his eyes were screwed up as if somebody had set fire to his tunic bottoms. It was becoming more and more unbearable… What is wrong with this guy, Krelo wondered as she found herself kissing what might have been a brick wall… "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The sneeze, when it came, was a monster one. All over Krelo’s face. "E-YUCK!" Screamed Meri. "That is so disgusting! Get me a cloth!" "Thanks." Krelo tried to wipe futilely at her face. "Not for you, for the holocam." Meri replied. "He’s sprayed the lens." "I told you, Krel." Lilith smiled. "Never put on cheap perfume." |
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| A Night to (almost) Remember |
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