| ***** "There they are!" Sybelle grinned hugely. "Have you any idea how terrible this looks! No wonder people are staring at them!" "Where?" Jemmiah craned her head round a stack of synthi-silk under-slips. Her mouth dropped open. "What the kriff is Simeon doing with that bra!" "I’m so glad we brought the mini-holocam!" Letina gloated. "This is just TOO funny. Kenobi looks like he’s given up the will to live!" "Hey!" Jemmy frowned. "He’s trying his best…no! Don’t you dare get me those…those…things! You could go sailing with them!" She sighed with relief as she saw Jay Abran replace them on the shelving. "How come men don’t know anything?" "It’s biologically programmed into them?" Kylenn hazarded a guess. "Sith!" Simeon’s eyes widened. "These are practically invisible!" "Put them back." Kenobi said levelly. "You’re making an exhibition of yourself." "What color are you going to go for?" Abran asked. "Red." Simeon muttered. "Definitely red. It’ll match the color of his face." The two padawans laughed as Kenobi’s discomfort became more pronounced. "You are supposed to be helping me." Obi-Wan snapped. "You’re as much use as a round dice!" "Dice!" Abran yelled happily, as passers by stopped to look at the Jedi. "That’s it! Get her something with spots on!" "NO." Jemmiah growled to herself. "Don’t you DARE get me anything with spots!" "Shh!" Hushed Sybelle. "Pipe down, will you? I’m trying to shield us." "But it’s got more underwiring than a hot-rodder!" Jemmy’s eyebrows pleaded. "Yeah." Letina muttered, glancing at her companion. "Let’s face it, underwiring is not something you particularly need." "A stiff drink is what I’ll need, especially if I have to wear ‘em." Jemmiah cursed. "Keep filming!" Kylenn giggled. "How about that?" Kenobi wondered, nodding over to a display with a mannequin dressed in what could only be described as, loosely speaking, a few scraps of cloth. "Yeah, if you want her to look like a Hutt’s plaything, go right ahead." Abran said cheerfully. "It’s an image I could quite easily live with." "Me too." Simeon nodded, holding up a V-shaped basque against his body. "I’m going to be sick." Jemmiah said. "Not exactly Simeon’s style, is it?" Kylenn wondered out loud. "What does he look like?" Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and tried to reach out with the force for some inspiration. "Go on, Ben. Go for the black see-through ones at the far end." Jemmiah whispered. "The ones with the ties?" Letina laughed. "Oooh, you animal! The shock’ll kill him!" "Yeah." Grinned Sybelle. "Perfect." Jemmiah shook her head. "I feel like a Nerf that’s being prepared for the dinner table." "Couldn’t you just picture Master Jinn’s face if he could see his perfect little padawan now, eh?" Letina smirked. "It’s not something I want to dwell on." Jemmiah stared as she saw Obi-Wan head towards the opposite end of the display. "He still thinks I’m ten years old." They watched as a rather suspicious looking assistant appeared beside Kenobi’s shoulder. "Excuse me, sir. Can I be of any help?" The young man, somewhat obsequious in manner, oozed what he apparently thought was a customer friendly manner. "Er...no!" Squeaked Simeon, throwing down the pair of velveteen knickers he’d been holding. "They’re not for me, honest!" Two rows away, the shelves began to quake with unvoiced laughter. "Uh, yes sir. Of course." The oily assistant looked Simeon up and down. "We’re looking for a present. For a friend of ours." Clarified Jay Abran. "And what did sir have in mind?" "We hadn’t got that far." Abran found himself sweating slightly, absently pocketing a pair of stockings amidst the distraction. The man glanced at Obi-Wan. "And your friend. What size would he be?" "It’s NOT a he!" Kenobi replied indignantly. "It’s a she!" "Sorry, I’m sure." The man sniffed, looking anything but. "I’m trying," Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth, "to find something fun for my girlfriend." "Oh, I see sir." The man replied, laying a hand on Kenobi’s arm and leading him away from the other two. "Well, I’m sure we can come up with something…" "Why is it that everyone in the galaxy think that the Jedi are celibate?" Abran complained. "You say the word girlfriend, and their jaw simply falls to the ground with a thud." "Well," Cates shrugged, trying a corset against him for size, "there are a lot of strange people out there, I suppose." He paused, wiping the perspiration off his face with a pair of frilly knickers. "What do you think of these?" "Cantina crawl night’s sure as heck going to be interesting." Sybelle smirked. "It would have been more interesting if you hadn’t invited that "thing". What possessed you?" Letina frowned at Jemmy. "Never mind that. What did he get?" Hissed Jemmiah, watching as a rather smug Kenobi made his way back to his friends some five or six minutes later. "Please, please, please do not be that stripy two-piece we saw earlier." "Too late now, sweetheart." Letina breathed, "He looks kinda pleased with himself, though." "I’ll say he does." Kylenn laughed quietly, patting the holo-cam. "But we’ve got the last laugh!" ***** "That is the funniest thing I have ever seen!" Letina laughed hysterically, almost falling off her chair with compulsive laughter as she tried to turn off the holovid. Sybelle's boyfriend Griff Rendar smirked at Jemmiah. "Imagine how much I could make if I copied that tape and sold it." he commented. "Don't you dare!" Jemmiah retorted loudly, leaning over and attempting to strangle him. Obi Wan walked into the lounge. "Jemmy!" he exclaimed in a mock-astonished voice. "What are you doing?" "Oh, nothing" Jemmiah said, sitting up hastily. Letina and Kylenn tried their best to conceal the holocam and the holovid remote under their seats. "What have you been up to?" "Oh, you know, not much. Just...um..." Obi Wan muttered turning a brilliant crimson. "See you later" he said as he hurriedly left the room. Sybelle and Griff collapsed into hysterical fits of laughter. "See you later babe" Griff kissed Sybelle on the lips as he stood up to go. "I'll be waiting" Sybelle replied, grinning wickedly. "Oh gross." Letina whispered, making gagging noises. Jemmiah and Kylenn giggled. "Fine." Sybelle said, folding her arms and pouting. "At least my boyfriend is able to buy me underwear without making a complete exhibition of himself!" ***** "Is he back yet?" Simeon asked cautiously as Kenobi poked his head round the entrance of his apartment. Obi-Wan glanced round. He hadn’t sensed his master, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. He’d been caught out before, like the memorable time he’d come back from a day out with his friends just a tad later than Qui-Gon had stipulated. OK, three hours later than Qui-Gon had stipulated. His master had waited up in the dark, shielding his presence; so that when Obi-Wan had turned the lights on he’d got the shock of his life… "It looks fine." Kenobi checked the room a final time. Yes, of course. He’s hiding under the table, Obi-Wan thought. He really was getting paranoid. Not that he felt that it wasn’t justified: ever since he’d mentioned to Qui-Gon that he was seeing Jemmiah on somewhat more than friendly terms, Qui-Gon had become really strange. He’d get extra lessons, to help drum the importance of his training into his mind. He felt he was always under constant surveillance. And if he came back tired or dull in spirits after a night out on the town, his master would look at him as if he’d just announced he was giving his allegiance to the Sith! Then there was the little matter of his choice in girlfriend. If Qui-Gon hadn’t actually come out and said that he didn’t approve, he’d made little secret of it. He’d been out with other padawans before, but never anyone who wasn’t force sensitive like himself. In a way, that was part of the attraction. It was refreshing to get another perspective on life, someone whose existence didn’t revolve around the force every waking moment. Or as Jemmy had put it, someone who couldn’t make rocks fly through the air every time they sneezed. He loved her irreverence, and always had. Qui-Gon didn’t. This apart, Jemmiah had always got on very well with Qui-Gon, in fact Obi-Wan had been slightly jealous of the way they’d hit it off so quickly, bearing in mind that it had been a good long time before Qui-Gon had accepted his own presence so willingly. They would tease each other unmercifully, which was not normally Qui-Gon’s style at all, and despite her jokes she remained covertly fond of the tall Jedi. Things had altered dramatically between the two over the last four weeks, and Obi-Wan knew that Jemmiah had been very hurt by Qui-Gon’s coolness to her. And here he was, stuck in the middle. His masters’ words came back to him. Too young and too flighty. He gestured to the others. "Come on in." Simeon barged his way past Obi-Wan and Jay Abran. Simeon was two years younger than Obi-Wan, and sometimes his immaturity showed; yet Kenobi couldn’t help but like him. He could be annoying, yes, but he was basically a considerate person. He’d made a natural addition to the ranks of the healers. Hapless. That was the word Obi-Wan thought of in regards to Simeon. He’d seen him eyeing a few of the female padawans, like Ambianca, Letina, Dimallie and Meri but nothing had ever come of it. His overly long padawan haircut always seemed to be unruly and a law unto itself just like its owner. Black, hooded eyes and furrowed brows tended to give the impression that there was more going on his head than there was ever likely to be. Menali Jay Abran was a year older than Obi-Wan. Big mouthed, a show-off and full of self-importance, always quick to lead when others didn’t even want to follow. Tanned skin and bronze colored hair gave him the appearance of some sort of golden statuette of an ancient Corellian God, and at first Obi-Wan had felt rather inferior in his presence. However, his confidence and sense of humor made him likeable, in his own way. Kylenn certainly seemed to think so, although she would never admit it. "I need to eat something." Obi-Wan said, making his way to the kitchen area. "You ALWAYS need to eat something." Abran frowned. "I’ve never seen anyone eat as much and still have room for more." He paused. "Except for Reeft." "And Ocen-Bai Talz." "And Jodi Mullicar." "And Tanni Walesa." "And Junine." "And Bant!" "Let’s face it," Abran said after some consideration, "We are a temple full of Gamorreans." "You can say that again, TRIFLE BOY!" Kenobi grinned. "Want to explain what you did at Jemmiahs' party?" Abran blushed. "So, what DID you pick for Jemmiah?" Simeon smirked, rubbing his hands. "C’mon. We’re dying from anticipation!" "Why don’t you take a cold shower?" Kenobis’ brow creased. "Sorry, Obi. He’s right. You can’t drag us all the way round the ladies underwear section without actually showing us what you got for your lady love." He made a lunge for the package that Obi-Wan had left on the side table. Cates got there first. "Don’t you…" Obi-Wan began, to no avail. "Pheeeeeeew!" Simeon widened his eyes as he held up the items. "I have a request to make." "What?" Obi-Wan grabbed Jemmy’s’ present back from Cates grubby little hands. "Take some holos?" He pleaded. Kenobi thumped him on the arm. "Idiot." He muttered. "Motion seconded." Abran raised his hand. "What did she say?" "When?" "You went to ask her for a list of people coming on this outing." "I forgot." Obi-Wan looked abashed. Abran sighed. "You see? You can’t keep your mind off your underwear for more than two minutes!" He reached into his pocket. "Sithspit!" He called out in surprise. "What is it?" Cates leaned over to get a better look as Abran pulled out what appeared to be a long, shimmery pair of ladies stockings. "Where did you get them?" Obi-Wan cried in disbelief. "I found them in Master Yodas’ bedroom. Where do you think I got them?" Abran said sarcastically. "You were lucky not to get arrested for shop lifting!" Obi-Wan looked outraged. "Can you imagine the scandal? Having to go back home and tell our master’s that we’d been charged with pilfering ladies undergarments. As if the temple doesn’t have a bad reputation as it is!" "You can talk." Abran rounded on him. "We’re not the ones who got done for taking illegal drugs at the temple sports day!" "That was NOT my fault!" Obi-Wan replied, flustered. "What, Qui-Gon put all those pills in your mouth?" Abran challenged. "No." Kenobi looked uncomfortable and decided to change the subject. "What are you going to do with those?" He said, pointing at the stockings. Abran’s' grin spread. "I’ve got an idea." And Master Jinn is not going to like it, he thought! "Simeon." Obi-Wan almost wheedled. "I need a bit of a favor." "What?" Cates eyed him with distrust. "I don’t like it when you use that honeyed tone of yours, Obi." "Hide these for me, will you?" Kenobi gulped, passing him his purchase carefully. "Pardon!" "Well, now you’ve seen them, I don’t s’pose it matters… and if my master were to come in and find them he’d become a pyroclastic flow of enraged Jedi. Please!" "I don’t want them!" Simeon looked as if his fingers might burn and tossed the parcel back. "Oh, go on Simeon. Qui-Gon would mince me!" "What if An-Paj were to see me with these? I have to go to the medical suite straight from here! I don’t have time to stash them back in my apartment!" "I’m sure An-Paj has seen stranger things than that come through the hospital doors in his time." Kenobi reassured him. "Mostly you, missing a limb or something." Abran smirked. "PLEASE Simeon. You’re my only hope! Until tonight, when I can hand it over to her..." Simeon let out a deep breath. "I really must be as stupid as people say I am." He ground his teeth. "Give it here." An-Paj is going to have a field day if he sees this, he thought miserably… ***** "Ow, that hurts!" the small boy cried out in pain as Healer Leona dabbed the angry looking scrap with disinfectant. The initiate's knees were raw and bloodied, the result of the skin having been worn away by pressured motion. "I'm sure it does. Maybe this will make you think twice about sliding down the banister again." she replied containing her amusement. The spiral staircase in the center of the Jedi Temple had always proven too great a temptation for the countless children that that inhabited its confines. It rose twenty stories high, looping down in a wide continuous coil and was the proving ground of endless dares and the cause of numerous visits to the infirmary. "But the padawans do it all the time!" the boy vehemently justified. Now when was the last time I had heard that excuse, she thought with mild irritation? "And if a padawan jumped off the top of the Jedi Temple would that be cause for you to follow?" she asked in a demanding tone. The boy's eyes violet narrowed in disbelieving shock, "No! Of course not." he stated. "Then let this be a lesson to you. You should learn to think for yourself and not simply follow the actions of others. A Jedi's actions should reflect the ability to know the difference between what is right from what we want." she lectured sternly. "Yes, ma'am." he lowered his head submissively. The door opened and Simeon Cates walked through, carrying a small package. He paused scanning the room quickly before entering. Seeing only Healer Leona attending to a small boy at the far end of the room a look of relief crossed his face. "Master An-Paj has not arrived?" he inquired with a hopeful grin. "No, the Force is with you today, Simeon. He was summoned to appear before the Council before reporting here. " The female healer answered eyeing the furtive manner of the padawan. "What have you gotten into this time?" she asked suspiciously. "Oh, nothing really." he said glancing around the room again. "I just didn't want to be late again, you know how often I get in trouble for tardiness." "Yes, for that and many other reasons." she admonished good-naturedly. Crossing to the supply cart, Simeon lifted a stack of wrapped medical instruments and placed the secretive package beneath them. Satisfied with their not being noticed he crossed to the assistant healer. "What've we got here?" he asked motioning to the little boy sitting with his head bowed dejectedly. "Spiral staircase." was all she said and Simeon nodded with understanding. "Looks like you've already given him the standard lecture on jumping off the Temple roof." he said with an air of impudence. "Why don't you get a couple of small Bacta packs." she suggested, "I've already cleaned the wounds." Leaving the boy in the Padawan’s capable hands she returned to her desk to enter the treatment into her datapad. "Yes, ma’am?' he replied dutifully. Smiling down at the boy, Simeon opened two sterile packs and placed them on the offending wounds gently taping them in place. "Did you forget to use the Force to slow your descent?" he asked quietly of his patient. The boy slowly looked up at him, his eyes huge saucers, brimming with tears. He nodded wordlessly. "How high did you start?" Simeon inquired earnestly. The boy hesitated to answer, not wanting to get into more trouble then he was already in. "Tenth floor." he murmured, his voice trembling. "Tenth floor?" Simeon repeated. "That's impressive. I wasn't brave enough to try the tenth floor until I was years older than you." he confessed. Instantly the young boy's face brightened at the surprising revelation and compliment. Leaning in closer to the boy's head Simeon whispered, "You've got to focus on the Force by the time you hit the second floor or there's no way to slow down in time without injury." The boy glanced immediately in the assistant healer's direction. Seeing her back to him the boy smiled widely, wordlessly mouthing an appreciative 'ok' at the valuable advice. Raising his voice to normal speaking levels Simeon told the boy he would have to notify his caretaker he could resume activities without restrictions. "They may be a little sore, but you knees will be healed by suppertime." Simeon. "Now we don't expect you to repeat this mistake." the padawan adopted a rigid tone, then winked mischievously. The boy clamped his hands to his mouth to hide the giggles about to erupt. "You can return to class." Simeon directed. "Thank you, Healer Leona," he called out as he headed for the door with Simeon at his side. "Thank you, Padawan Cates." the boy added sincerely, clearly awed with the older boy. "Just remember what I told you." Simeon said adding another wink. Healer Leona had heard the entire exchange between the boys and smiled to herself. There were many instances where Simeon Cates showed little more discipline than the young initiate he had just discharged, but she was fond of the padawan. He showed great healing skills and a rare sympathetic bedside manner. He was just filled with the impetuousness of youth, something she actually envied in him and the other padawans he associated with. The door open again and Master An-Paj walked in with a frown. "There's been a request to the Republic Senate from the Venterrian system for assistance with a deadly bacterial outbreak on the planet of Ventrue." the Master Healer stated, "we've been asked to send whatever medical supplies we can spare. The Council has a shuttle in docking bay eleven standing by." "Leona, we'll need cold storage containers for the immunizations." She was already on her feet, fleeing to the refrigeration units. "Simeon I'd like you to handle the transfer of supplies to the shuttle personally." he handed a datapad with the list of necessary supplies to the youth. "Yes, Master." Simeon responded, pulling a storage bin from the closet and wheeling it to the supply cart. "Make sure you record everything we send. The Republic will reimburse us the cost of all items sent." An-Paj stated as he began to pull items off the supply cart and place them into the storage bin. "At least we won't have to solely rely on the annual charity event to replenish our stock." An-Paj chuckled. Haphazardly grabbing a stack from the shelf, An-Paj was about to add them to the bin when he lost grip on the bottom package and several small, sheer pieces of fabric fluttered to the floor. Simeon stared in horror as his Master retrieved the fallen items, holding them up for closer inspection. "Padawan, do you know what these are doing here?" An-Paj asked Simeon, who face had flamed brightly. "They're not mine, Master." he stammered truthfully. "Do you know who they belong to?" the Healer asked, holding the garments out and waving them in the air in a teasing gesture. Healer Leona walked into the room to the sight of a very red-faced Simeon Cates being grilled by An-Paj who was holding up very intimate female apparel. So that's what he was hiding, she thought. She felt sorry for the stricken youth. An-Paj had once caught his padawan in a rather compromising position and had promised punishments worth remembering if he didn't keep his focus on his duties and training. "I asked you Simeon, do you know who these are?" a devilish grin on the Master Healer's face. Without regard Leona strode across the room. "The items are mine Master An-Paj, I apologize. I didn't expect them to be found before having the chance to get them home." Stunned by the admission An-Paj only gaped at his assistant as she reached for the items, returning them to their package. Turning toward the door she walked by Simeon. "You can get them from me later." she said quietly and left the room. |
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| A Night to (almost) Remember |