"Lerrek!" Qui-Gon's cheerful greeting drew the attention of the tall Twi'lek knight who was just entering the practice room with his padawan. Xanatos put down the towels and clean tunics he was carrying and smiled at the new arrivals as he rejoined his master. "Good morning, Jedi Vaarn. Hi Barin." "Qui-Gon, Xanatos." Lerrek gave Qui-Gon a polite bow. Barin mirrored the bow a fraction later, gave Xanatos a small smile, then went to drop his own bundle of towels and clothing, which he had tucked under one arm. "Would you join us?" Qui-Gon invited. Lerrek glanced towards his padawan, then bowed again. "I should be honoured," he replied gravely. "Would you care to indulge me in a little sparring, while the young ones practice together?" Both pairs moved quickly into position. It was not the first time they had trained together. Qui-Gon and Lerrek were well suited as sparring partners, being of similar height and build and using closely related combat styles with the lightsaber. They toyed lightly with one another for a while, testing reactions and defences while keeping half an eye on their respective padawans. The two younger Jedi were not so well matched physically. Xanatos was shorter than his master, but well grown with an athletic physique. His dark hair and deep blue eyes complemented his quietly handsome face. By comparison Barin was small, skinny and pale. Nevertheless each partner knew that the other was worthy of respect as a fighter, and their first moves were performed with caution. Xanatos knew how to use his strength and greater reach. His style was elegant and controlled, just like that of his master. Barin's advantage lay in his speed, agility, and adaptability. He could change hands in the middle of a strike to wrong-foot his opponent, and he used his off-hand almost as well as the other. On this occasion, however, he kept to more conventional tactics and was not moving with his usual feline grace. Xanatos soon had him at a disadvantage, and not long afterwards managed to catch him off balance, sending the smaller padawan tumbling to the ground. Barin lay on his back for a moment, breathing hard. "Oopsy. A little clumsy today, aren't we?" Xanatos asked, looking down at him. His voice was gently teasing, but his eyes were challenging and Barin glared back at him. Xanatos offered his friend a hand up. Barin looked down at his lightsaber, then ignored the offer and rolled back to his feet. Xanatos jumped back, expecting an attack, but Barin merely bowed somewhat stiffly and assumed a ready position, his glacier-blue gaze fixing intently on the other padawan. "Like that is it?" Xanatos asked, his eyes narrowing and his body tensing. "It is only a practice, Xan," Barin said quietly, his expression becoming guarded. "Oh yes?" Xanatos shifted his lightsaber and faced his opponent again. "Let's see if you learned anything from that last mistake, then." Xanatos was expecting the next round to be harder. He was almost surprised to find himself gaining the upper hand yet again. Barin's reactions were not quite as sharp as usual, and Xanatos was already familiar with his usual tricks. Just as Qui-Gon turned to call for a rest, Xanatos managed to unbalance his opponent and tipped Barin to the floor for a second time, his grin of success quickly stifled before his master could see it. Barin hit the mat with a thump and took several seconds to catch his breath. "You're moving a little stiffly, Barin," Qui-Gon noted. "Is there a problem?" Barin glanced at his master, then back at Qui-Gon. "Too much gymnastics practice, Master Jinn," he said, struggling back upright. "My padawan's enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of him," added Lerrek, crossing to the young man and patting him on the shoulder. Barin hunched slightly, looking at his feet, and Qui-Gon gave a sympathetic chuckle. "There are many masters who probably wish their padawans were half so conscientious," he said, smiling at Xanatos to include him in the complement. "Thank you, master," Xanatos murmured, modestly. Barin flushed slightly and gave a small bow. The four rested in silence, calling on relaxation techniques to increase the benefits of the short break. They returned to sparring with the same partners as before, the masters now working on advanced techniques as their padawans circled one another warily and tried to catch one another out. Watching closely, Xanatos noted that Barin's weapon arm lacked its usual range and mobility, and he was holding his other arm close to his body instead of keeping it free to aid his balance. Barin was on his guard, though, and did not let Xanatos take advantage of him for a third time despite his discomfort. As Xanatos repeatedly forced Barin into extending himself, however, Barin's control began to fray, his defences becoming increasingly careless and his attacks more determined. "Anger leads to the Dark Side." Qui-Gon's gentle warning almost broke Barin's concentration, his swing becoming a barely controlled slash that Xanatos only just managed to block. Barin flashed a guilty look at his master and de-activated his weapon, stepping back as Lerrek came forwards. "Now, padawan," Lerrek said sternly. He reached to take Barin's chin in his hand, forcing the padawan to look into his face. The knight's head-tails swayed sadly. "I have taught you better than that." "Yes master," Barin whispered, his eyes still shifting sideways. "I am sorry, master. I will remember next time." The blue gaze finally met that of his master, and the Twi'lek let him go. Lerrek nodded gravely. "Then you are forgiven. Return to your practice." The knight turned back to Qui-Gon, and a tolerant smile touched his lips. "Reckless, the boy is," he remarked in a fair impersonation of Master Yoda, before continuing in his usual deep, resonant tones. "I believe it is in the nature of Human youth to be beset by emotion. Control will improve with age and experience. My padawan will be more careful now, I am sure. Come, let us continue our interrupted exercise." Xanatos faced a subdued-looking Barin. Their sparring was also subdued for a time, both padawans keeping mostly to defensive moves. Slowly they picked up the pace, now evenly matched in the fight. Xanatos frowned slightly, probing the weak points he had found earlier. He met an instant response, and although Barin's eyes clouded with pain there was no sign of it in his reactions. Xanatos lifted his chin and began to take the offensive, returning again and again to the overhand strikes that Barin had been slow to block earlier on. Barin met Xanatos' blade solidly with his own, concealing the cost behind the blank mask of his face. In the end it was Xanatos's control that cracked. With a rush of frustration he slid in under Barin's blade and slammed into him bodily. Barin was too slow to evade the attack entirely, avoiding the toss that Xanatos had planned but stumbling sideways from the force of the blow. He put out a hand to steady himself against the wall, then abruptly dropped to the ground, curling into a ball. Every Jedi in the room felt the pain he broadcast before he managed to mask it. "I'm sorry, Barin!" Xanatos exclaimed in shock. Lerrek and Qui-Gon hurried over towards the two padawans. "Not you, Xan," Barin managed to hiss through clenched teeth, closing his eyes as he drew on the Force. He sat up slowly, cradling his wrist, then looked up to meet the yellow gaze of his master. "What happened?" asked Qui-Gon, looking between the two young men in concern. Barin swallowed, and while he looked even more pale than usual he managed to get back onto his feet. "Nothing unusual," he replied, in slightly strangled tones. "I strained my wrist-" his eyes strayed across towards Lerrek "-on the rings at that gymnastics session. I caught myself on the wall just then, with the bad arm. It took me by surprise more than anything else," he added, his voice beginning to return to normal. "I expect I shall be fine in a minute or so." He turned his appealing blue eyes on Qui-Gon, and gave the master a reassuring smile. Qui-Gon hesitated, and Lerrek frowned. "You neglected to wear the support bandage, I see," the Twi'lek said, not without sympathy. Barin blinked at him, seeming a little surprised, then shook his head. "No, master. I thought it would be bearable without," he replied, hanging his head. "You should go and see the Healers," Qui-Gon suggested. "You don't want to go damaging it any more than you already have." "It is nothing. Really!" Barin looked to his master for support. Lerrek gave his padawan a long, hard stare. "Qui-Gon is right, padawan," he said finally. "That accident just now could have aggravated the gymnastics injury. I think we had better call an end to the practice. After you have changed, we shall pay a visit to the Healers." Barin nodded, crossed the room and began to peel off his sweat-dampened clothing. The padawan quickly slung a towel about himself as he dried off, but not quickly enough that Qui-Gon did not spot the bruising across the padawan's shoulders and back. "Xanatos, could you fetch my things for me, please?" the tall Jedi Master asked. Once his padawan stepped away, he bent his head towards Lerrek, his brow creased with slight concern. "Forgive me, Lerrek," he asked hesitantly, "but those bruises look a little unusual for training injuries." He indicated Barin, who was clambering into fresh clothing. Lerrek sighed. "Xanatos my boy," he called, "perhaps you could do me the favour of escorting my padawan to the Healers?" He glanced at Qui-Gon, who gave it a moment's thought and then acquiesced. Silence fell over the group as they all finished changing. Once the two padawans had departed, their masters began walking slowly after them. "I am afraid that my padawan can be a little reckless, as I believe I mentioned before," Lerrek said with quiet regret. "What did he do?" Qui-Gon asked, still wondering why Lerrek would have condoned a lie, if Barin's injuries were not entirely due to training. "He managed to get himself into some kind of fight," Lerrek admitted. "I had allowed him out for the evening- he is usually quite a responsible young man, and I do allow him a fair degree of freedom. He met some kind of street gang." The knight spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "He says they gave him no choice but to fight his way out. I am aware that the streets of Coruscant can be rough, of course. However, it could still be a black mark against his name, and as there were no complaints from any of the gang I agreed to overlook it on this occasion. I am only glad he was not hurt more badly." Lerrek gave Qui-Gon a look of appeal, and the Master sighed. "Understandable, I suppose. Nobody likes to see his padawan appear in a bad light..." he paused as a thought struck him. "When was this, anyway?" Lerrek looked slightly worried. "Two days ago." Qui-Gon's expression darkened, and he quickened his pace. "I think I need to have a word with my padawan." ****************** "Well come on in, I won't bite," Healer An-Paj said as the two padawans hovered just inside the entrance to the infirmary. "I charge extra for that," he added once they were closer. Something in Barin's reaction caught his eye, and the tall, thin Jedi Healer turned his full attention to him. "So, what's the problem?" An-Paj asked briskly. "Your arm, is it?" The healer had quickly spotted the tender fashion in which the padawan was holding the limb. "I twisted it in training, and then managed to land on it again just now," said Barin, ruefully. "Barin, the number of times you've been in here for training injuries is quite extraordinary," An-Paj remarked, and Barin looked away, shuffling his feet a little. An-Paj frowned. "If you were naturally clumsy I could understand it, but you're not. I've seen you practising, and the Temple hasn't had a better gymnast in a long time." Barin stiffened and flushed, keeping his eyes averted. "Let's have it in the medscanner." The healer sat tapping a stylus against his teeth as the mediputer ran its diagnostics. His antennae twitched as the results scrolled onto his screen. "So what exactly did you do to it?" he asked. Barin shrugged. "I was practising some gymnastics on the rings," he began. "When?" interrupted An-Paj. Barin hesitated. "Two... no... yesterday morning." "Didn't it hurt?" "It was just a sprain," Barin replied, defensively. "And then you hurt it again?" An-Paj gently turned the arm over on the bed of the mediscanner to examine it more closely, and he did not fail to notice the padawan trying to hide a wince. Barin was shielding tightly as well, deliberately keeping his aura to neutral tones. "I fell against a wall when I was sparring just now." An-Paj looked sideways at Xanatos. "I expect that hurt quite a bit," he said dryly, watching Xanatos's reaction. As he suspected, Qui-Gon's padawan winced even when his friend did not. Barin said nothing. "You've had bacta on this, I think." An-Paj gave Barin a very shrewd look. "There was bruising around the wrist?" Barin looked the healer in the eye. "Only where I caught it on the ring when I fell off," he said. "But it did swell up a little, so I put a bacta bandage on last night." "Hmm," was all An-Paj said in response. "It's going to need more than a bacta bandage, young man. You've got a spiral fracture. It's a bone-knitter and a bacta cast for you." He kept his attention on Barin, but the padawan showed no obvious reaction. Xanatos did, however. "It's broken? Why didn't you say how badly you were hurt?" He glared at his friend in an accusing manner. Barin gave a one-sided shrug. "Why complain when it was my own fault anyway?" "Anybody can make a mistake. It's nobody's fault," An-Paj told him, waving to attract the attention of one of the Masters. If it had been a simple break he would have been happy to handle it himself, but this was not simple, besides being at least a day old and aggravated by the second accident. "Now let's get that arm fixed up. Xanatos, is this a case of 'treat one padawan, get one free', or were you just the delivery-droid?" Xanatos waved his hands in a vigorous negative. "I'm fine, nothing broken here. But I'll wait if that's okay, An-Paj." Xanatos took a seat in the small waiting area, and An-Paj explained the situation to the Master Healer, who took Barin off to have his arm treated. Then An-Paj headed for the office. He pulled a chair up to the holoterminal, and started tapping at the keys. After a minute or so he sat back, starting at the screen and frowning in thought. He was still sitting that way when Qui-Gon and Lerrek arrived at the infirmary. The healer looked up as the pair walked in, and smartly closed the file he had opened. "Jedi Vaarn. Might I have a word?" Vaarn bowed to Qui-Gon and stepped into the healer's office, leaving Qui-Gon to talk with Xanatos. Qui-Gon lost no time in reaching the point. "Padawan, when you went out the other evening, who else was with you?" "Sara, of course. Then there were Juli and Barin." "Yes. Barin. Xanatos, did something happen that evening that you didn't tell me about?" Xanatos glanced towards the office where An-Paj and Lerrek were talking, then towards the treatment room where Barin was suffering the attentions of the bone-knitter. His brows drew together. "Padawan?" Xanatos sagged. "There was a bit of a fight," he said, slowly. "Actually, I think we could have talked our way out okay, but Barin does tend to rush into things sometimes. I would have said, only... well... I didn't want Sara's master to get the wrong idea. Sara's been through so much lately, and it's good for her to get out and enjoy herself, but Master Adu-Reil might get the wrong idea. It wasn't really a fight anyway. More of a scuffle. I made sure Sara wasn't going to get hurt. I promised I'd look after her, and I did." His deep blue eyes almost glowed with sincerity. Qui-Gon scrubbed a hand over his beard. He was disappointed to know that his padawan had lied- no, not lied, but he /had/ been economical with the truth. The actions were wrong, even if the motives behind them were not entirely reprehensible. "Padawan, you should have told me." "Yes master." Xanatos dropped his head, but looked up at Qui-Gon from beneath his dark eyelashes. "I think the obvious punishment is to ground you for a couple of weeks. You can spend you time in the evenings meditating on why you are being punished, and why those actions were wrong." Qui-Gon felt a momentary whisper of anger from his padawan, but was pleased when it was quickly suppressed and replaced by contrition. "Yes master," Xanatos said again. "Do I have to tell Sara's master?" Qui-Gon was still considering that question himself. In all conscience, Master Adu-Reil ought to be told, but he feared that his padawan was right to suspect that she might overreact. "I'll think about it, padawan. Come away now. You have an exam to study for." "Master? Could I wait for Barin, please? An-Paj said his arm was broken, I'd like to make sure he's okay." Qui-Gon started to say no, then saw the mute appeal in his padawan's dark, expressive eyes. "Very well. Come straight back to our rooms once you've seen him, I'll meet you there." "Yes master." Xanatos smiled up at the tall master, and Qui-Gon smiled back despite his effort to keep a stern expression. "Thank you, master." Xanatos had plenty of time to feel bored before Barin finally re-appeared with his left arm encased in a bacta cast from his hand to his elbow. An-Paj and Lerrek Vaarn were still in the office, the dignified Twi'lek doing most of the talking, emphasising his words with elegant hand gestures, leaning forwards to make some point or other. "What are they talking about?" Barin asked casually. "I don't know," Xanatos told him offhandedly. He turned to face the other padawan, his eyes cold and angry, and Barin automatically stepped back. "You told him," Xanatos charged. "Told who what?" Barin asked warily. "You know. You told your master about the fight." Barin gulped, his shoulders hunching up. "He knew already," he explained. "He'd felt it through our bond, and then I came back with a cut on my head. He made me tell him." He looked up pleadingly at his friend, but Xanatos sneered at him in disgust. "Couldn't you have made something up?" Xanatos hissed, keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard. "He promised he would keep quiet about it," Barin said with hurt puzzlement. "He promised, Xan. He said he would say nothing as long as I told him everything. he even let me use bacta so the cut would heal quickly and people wouldn't ask questions." "You're an idiot," Xanatos replied. "A whining idiot. He went and told Qui-Gon, and now I've been grounded." Barin was silent while he collected himself. Then he straightened and lifted his chin. "For that I apologise. I will make it up to you somehow, Xan." Xanatos looked up at the ceiling, and smiled. When he looked back at Barin, his expression had cleared. "I know you will, Barin," he said. "I know you will." Both padawans looked around as the office door finally opened, and Lerrek Vaarn came out. An-Paj stood in the doorway, watching the knight with a faintly puzzled expression on his face. Lerrek smiled at the two padawans. "Xanatos, it was good of you to wait. Barin, let us return to our rooms." Barin glanced quickly at his master, who smiled at him and put an arm around his shoulders. Barin kept his eyes on his master's face. Lerrek gave his padawan a gentle squeeze. "You should rest. Nothing strenuous for a while." Barin relaxed a little. Xanatos gave him a final wave, and left the infirmary. Lerrek and Barin followed close behind. An-Paj watched them leave, his attention on Lerrek. He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck, then dropped it as the door swished closed. The healer's fingers tapped an uneasy pattern on his leg as he headed back into his office and erased the history that would show which files he had accessed earlier. Lerrek was obviously a fine knight and deeply committed to his padawan's welfare and progress. An-Paj felt ashamed of himself for having entertained suspicions that such a man might actually harm his padawan in any way. *********************** Lerrek guided his padawan into the rooms they shared, and let the door close. Barin eyed his master once more, his expression tense. "Come now. It is not just your arm that needs attention. Let me put something on those bruises as well." "Master?" Barin's eyes widened. "I think you have learned your lesson. You did adequately today. Not well, but adequately. You will sleep better once your bruises have been tended." "Y.. yes master. Thank you, master." Barin bowed, never once looking away from his master's face. "Into the bedroom with you then, my padawan. If you remove your clothes, I can treat your injuries." Barin stiffened, and a flicker of irritation crossed Lerrek's face. "Come now. Shy? It is nothing that I have not seen before," he said, sternly teasing. "Yes master." Barin's voice was almost a whisper. He slipped into his bedroom, and Lerrek followed not long afterwards carrying a tube of Bacta cream and a bottle of massage oil. "Sloth is not to be tolerated, padawan," Lerrek said as he found Barin only half undressed. Barin fumbled one-handedly to complete his task, then stood trying not to shiver. "There. Good." Lerrek looked on approvingly. "Now. Face down on your bed, my padawan." With tension written in every line of his thin frame, Barin stretched out and buried his head in the pillow. Lerrek smiled. "Very good!" he praised. "A bacta rub for the bruises, and then a massage to help you relax." The Twi'lek bend forwards, one of his head-tails delicately tracing a line over Barin's shoulder. "And then, my padawan, I will decide where we shall go from there." |
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| Tangled Web By HaiGan |