by Vermillion Flame (vermillion_flame@hotmail.com)
Series: Anatomy Ficlets (also includes Toe, Knee, Navel,
Finger, Baldpate)
Archive: M_A
Category: pre-slash
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Feedback: Any and all, please!!!
Summary: A lesson in humility.
Could it be? Was Qui-Gon dozing?
Obi-Wan sat directly behind his master in the expansive Hall of
the People, studying the man's uncharacteristic posture.
Qui-Gon was slightly slumped, his chin cupped in his hand, his
elbow propped on the armrest of his chair.
The droning voice of the speaker was but a faint annoyance as
Obi-Wan carefully observed his master for signs of evidence.
There. The head bobbed slightly and was pulled quickly back up,
a reflexive movement. He was! The great Jedi Master Qui-Gon
Jinn was nodding off during the governmental opening session!
Obi-Wan could hardly blame him. Of all the ceremonies, meetings
and sessions he'd attended in the three years he'd been an
apprentice, this was by far the most boring. The speeches were
uninspiring and unending. The highlight of the day had been the
midday meal, an elaborate affair at which Obi-Wan had consumed
vast quantities of delicious food. He'd noticed his master took
a goodly share, too.
The monotonous voices and a full stomach must have taken their
toll on Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan glanced around at the neighboring
dignitaries, but decided no one had yet noticed that his master
was napping.
Out of the corner of his eye, he then noticed a movement. His
master's elbow had slid, just a tiny fraction, toward the edge
of the armrest. After several moments, it happened again, only
this time it moved a little further.
Quickly Obi-Wan realized that within a matter of minutes,
Qui-Gon's elbow would slip off the side of the armrest. He
smiled guiltily with secret anticipation.
The master had not once missed an opportunity to teach his
student a lesson in humility. Obi-wan was surprised that the
cumulative embarrassment of all those lessons had not turned
his face permanently red. Today, though, Qui-Gon would get his
comeuppance, the boy thought with glee.
He could imagine what would happen. The elbow would suddenly
fall off the armrest and Qui-Gon would jerk his head up. Maybe
he would even snort! He would look about quickly, trying to get
his bearings. People around them would stare, perhaps hiding
smiles behind their hands as the Jedi Master tried to recover
from his embarrassment.
Obi-Wan watched, fixated, as the elbow moved slowly, inexorably
toward its destiny. Any moment now, and his master would get
his own lesson. Ah, revenge would be sweet. Wouldn't it?
The apprentice sighed. With a minor exertion of the Force, he
mentally reached out and provided a prop for his master's elbow
to rest against. He held it there until the conclusion of the
speech, when applause finally roused Qui-Gon from his attention
lapse. Obi-Wan rose with the rest of the dignitaries and stood
behind his master as the crowd cheered.
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