Star Wars: Troubles, chapter 1

Obi-Wan wiped drops of sweat from forehead and lowered his training sword. He bowed to Bant who was his today's training partner, smiling. She was as enthusiastic as ever and he had to try really hard to catch up with her. Bant's sword swings were famous in the Temple for not hitting where they were supposed to hit and Bant herself was always blushing madly when someone mentioned her ability  to handle swords. Nonetheless, she was eager to learn and Obi-Wan was forced to accompany her in that attempts, as she was dragging him along every single time she was going to practice. Not that Obi-Wan complained. This way he could train and improve and besides, where Bant was, it was going to be fun for sure.
Even now, when he was going back home, he felt his cheeks ache from laughing. „At this time of a day master should be home," he thought." I hope he won't make me meditate over the purpose of lightsaber training again" he curled his lips mentally, opening the door. As he did so, a high, angry voice could be heard even before he entered the apartment.
„I don't care what they're saying, I won't do that!" female voice shouted.
„Why don't you reconsider? It's not something to be taken lightly" low, calm voice of his master answered the first one, soothing and relaxing.
„I know! But, it doesn't mean they can tell me what to do! Don't give me that Qui-Gon!"
„Of course not, but..."
„And besides, your padawan is eavesdropping" accused female voice, and Obi-Wan could nearly see how owner of  this angry words twist her lips in irritation. He knew her very well. There was nobody in the Temple on Coruscant that haven't heard about Jedi Knight Quella Alberona. And her terrible moodiness.
Once he was discovered, Obi-Wan stepped into the room where the two masters were sitting. Or were supposed to, because as Qui-Gon was resting on sofa, the woman paced nervously around the room, making the other Jedi follow her with his eyes.
„I'm home, Master" said Obi-Wan casually, as if he wasn't  eavesdropping at all, just by coincidence had heard the conversation. He put on his well-trained mask of childish innocence and bowed to the other Jedi „Hello Master Alberona."
„Hi, kid" she answered in her usual, over familiar way. She started to pace around the room again.
„Welcome home, Obi-Wan" his master answered from the sofa „how was your training?"
„Good" the boy said, as he didn't want to interrupt his masters more than he already did. Seeking the approval in master Jinn's eyes, he nodded again to the woman and went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, as he was terribly hungry. The partly shouted, partly spoken talk continued.
Obi-Wan sat by the table, plate with food before him, thinking leisurely. It wasn't uncommon for Quella to come here, to tell the truth, she was frequent guest of Qui-Gon, usually coming for help in handling other Jedi. as she was in constant state of war with the Council, she always had trouble with something that included a wide range of subjects, from transport to weapons and people. It's funny, how such a dependable person became the famous Knight.
As he was nearly finished with his meal, the door from the living room hissed, letting the two older Jedi out. The woman had annoyed expression on her pretty face, while the man seemed indifferent, but Obi-Wan knew that his master enjoyed something secretly. It was something in his lips shape that gave him away, the attitude of good mood and even a little  frivolous? What was that thought?, Obi-Wan slapped himself mentally. His mind began to trick him in the most awful way, instead of focusing on surroundings, analyzing behaviour of his master. Boy forced his senses to concentrate on the adult's talk.
„… thank you Qui-Gon" the woman was saying in much quieter voice now „ I really appreciate the time you wasted on me. Now, I'll be going".
„My pleasure to have you here" the man said, bowing a little to kiss her forehead „take care, then."
Quella waved to Obi-Wan, who responded in the same way, also silently. He pushed this strange little thought he had now, back into subconciousness. Who cares, who his master kisses? He doesn't. Of course not.
Qui-Gon sat on the other chair by the table, smiling a little. Obi-Wan for the shortest of moments stared on those thin, but sensual lips, before realizing what he just did. He quickly lowered his gaze to the nearly empty plate.
„So? How was your training, padawan?" the boy heard a question asked in conversional tone, more from curiosity than duty, and he found himself talking about sparring with Bant even without thinking. His master listened with a smile, nodding from time to time and asking about his progress, but still, the conversation was the pleasant one.
Obi-Wan finished his meal and did the dishes, before going to his room for the before-going-to-sleep meditation. Only then appeared to him that he didn't asked master about Quella's reason to come here. Well, not that it mattered, he shrugged mentally, she is just as crazy as always. That's all.
And next was warm darkness in embrace of the Force.

The next few days followed the same pattern: get up, go to classes, train with Bant, go to library or study with Master Jinn, sleep. Obi-Wan yawned secretly, listening to a teacher's talking about the planet that name he didn't even remember. The sky outside was grey and Obi-Wan felt sick, as his head hurt. He massaged his temples with slow strokes and leaned on the table with resignation. Teacher went on uninterrupted, not noticing that more than half of class fell asleep some time ago. Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt that something hit his head from behind. He noticed a crushed sheet of paper near his feet that looked like a note. He picked it up, looking secretly over arm and then he saw that Bruck and Aalto were laughing silently. Obi-Wan didn't like it - all the time they tried to put him in something he would get punished for later. He carefully straighten the little paper, only to read a short note:
>>Hey Oafy-Wan, know what? Only you haven't been on mission yet! Do they know you're no good at all? Or maybe your master is too afraid to take you anywhere??<<
Obi-Wan crushed the note once again, even harder than it was necessary. His fist hit the table with a thump, trying not to allow his anger to show. Knowing that his irritation would only make them happy, he just threw the paper away, not turning back again. Obi-Wan heard them now laughing openly, but gritted his teeth and said nothing.
After class two other padawans quickly caught Obi-Wan in the corridor.
„Hey Oafy-Wan, how was the note? Or maybe you weren't able to read it? Sorry, let me read for you! .." Bruck clearly shouted, that everyone in radius of fifty meters was able to hear him.
„Leave me alone!" Obi-Wan had more than enough. He felt dizzy for some reason, it had started to rain and they wanted to embarrass him in front of other padawans for the rest of his life. Again.
„It must be his master. He is too boring to do anything with him" Aalto chuckled, following with Chun retreating Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan tried hard not to say something he would regret later. Those two followed him wherever he went, causing everyone else  to watch them, as they hadn't stopped to make fun of him at all. In the end Obi-Wan was close to block his ears with hands and run away to hide tears of humiliation or to turn around and beat the crap out of them. But before he managed to do any of those, they arrived at the Arena, where at this time of day a lot of people gathered to train. Bruck was about to say something rude again, when Aalto suddenly hit his arm.
„Hey, isn't it Knight Alberona?"
Obi-Wan looked after his pointed finger, and yes it was her. He would recognize such white hair everywhere. Obi-Wan turned around curiously from the woman, hearing  that Bruck gasped in amazement.
Quella just finished her warming-up and prepared to train some katas, as Obi-Wan could say from the stance she was in. She breathed out slowly then took another deep breath, closing her unnaturaly big eyes. With another breath out, Obi-Wan felt something coming, something like physical force emanating from her small body. When she opened her eyes, he was amazed by the  change in her attitude. Quella wasn't a spoiled, nervous girlie as she seemed to be usually, she was the Knight of the Jedi Order. Seriousness looked strangely terrifying on her always expressive face.
Then she launched into forms Obi-Wan have never seen before. They were like moves of a bird in the sky, fish in water, movement of a cat hunting for a prey, simple yet elegant, swift and dangerous, even violent. She moved like a born predator and Obi-Wan felt sudden and unexplainable fear overtaking him. Shiver went down his spine, but he couldn't take his eyes from Quella, who seemed to be flying through the air. And judging from sudden silence on the Arena, he wasn't the only one.
Someone stepped out of the crowd, going straight to the place where woman was training and to Obi-Wan's surprise, he recognized his own master. Qui-Gon bowed to white-haired, taken off his outer tunic, before he joined her dance by copying movements.
Obi-wan gasped quietly. The two of them moved in perfect harmony, matching forms and kicks with time and space, they seemed nearly as one body in two copies, as one integral being divided into two. They moved and flied together quick and dangerous, slow and gracious. Obi-Wan felt as if the world stopped and the two masters will move like that eternally… he noticed that both of them had closed eyes, as if they didn't have to see to know where is the other. Qui-Gon met Quella in the air, brushing slightly on her arm in a punch as she did the same and….
And suddenly everything stopped.  They landed from leap, both crouching for a second, then immediately standing up to bow their thanks. Obi-Wan looked around in bewilderedness. A lot of Knights and Masters stopped by to watch Qui-Gon and Quella's katas, most of them showed two Jedi to padawans, telling them to watch closely.  Obi-Wan turned around only to find Bruck Chun and Aalto staring on Arena floor with their jaws dropped.
„Anything more against my master again?" he asked two petrified padawans, before running down to the ones that caused all that commotion. Qui-Gon was dressing again, while Quella got her towel from near bench. She was the one to notice the boy.
„Hi, kid" she greeted him. „Coming from school yet?"
„Hello Master Alberona" Obi-Wan answered like a good boy „yes, we have just finished classes".
„So, how about dinner then?" asked Qui-Gon, coming closer after collecting his things that he left before joining exercise. Obi-Wan dazed for a minute at those strong hands, smoothing folds on tunic and putting a lightsabre into place by the belt, before blinking and coming back to the  world. Quella was looking at him with her eyebrows raised  but said nothing, her face lit with a small smile. Obi-Wan thought for a second about those few boring days, about the rain and a headache he had some minutes ago, about being made fun of before everyone and he felt relieved, when master Qui-Gon placed his arm around his at this very moment.
„Come on, Obi-Wan" he said casually „ We have to talk about our next assignment, my padawan".
A man and a boy went into crowd, making their way towards canteen and a woman followed them closely, observing how Obi-Wan talks quickly about his day in school. He was blushing a little when Qui-Gon smiled warmly, and didn't take his arm off of his padawan's. She smirked.
So, it was not a bad day after all.