by Meriden (meriden@crosswinds.net) and Jaden
(jaden@mnsi.net)
Disclaimers: Not ours (we wish!). We'll put them back when
we're done. Probably. :)
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Rating: G (S for Silly?)
Archive: M_A, and The Rising Force, all others, please ask.
Part One: Zaazaa
(The sound of rushing water)
"Please remind me again, Mace, just how it is that you manage
to talk me into these things?"
Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn gave his sometime-lover as serious a
glare as he could manage with a dozen small children milling
about his feet. Mace Windu smiled innocently at him, then
reached down to deftly pluck one of the children out of the way
of an approaching hovercar before answering.
"It's your innate love of children, my friend, remember? The
knowledge that you're making their world a brighter place. The
satisfaction of knowing that because of you, their horizons
have expanded."
"The satisfaction of knowing that because of them, my head is
pounding and my feet are killing me."
Windu grinned. "You love it and you know it," he shot back.
Qui-Gon sighed as Mace turned away to corral a few of the
children who had wandered off, then plastered a smile on his
face as the outdoor museum curator noticed him and approached,
looking a bit nervous.
"Ah, honoured Jedi Knight. You do us a great honour by bringing
your apprentices here. We are honoured by your presence. It is
truly an..."
"...honour, yes, thank you minister," Qui-Gon interrupted
quickly, hoping to stop the small, grey-skinned humanoid before
he got off on another tirade about honour. "We are very
thankful to the museum for allowing us to bring the children.
It is very important for them to..."
He broke off and glanced down as he felt a tug on his leggings.
Little Obi-Wan Kenobi stood there, gazing up at him with
four-year-old earnestness on his face. "Knight Jinn... Knight
Jinn!"
"Just a moment, Obi-Wan. It isn't polite to interrupt. As I was
saying, minister, it is very important for the children to..."
"Knight /Jinn!/," Obi-Wan tugged on his pants leg again,
sounding more urgent, and he looked down at the child with a
frown.
"Obi-Wan, behave. You are interrupting a conversation."
"But I gotta go!" the boy muttered under his breath, crossing
his legs over his hands as the sound of running water from the
statue-cum-fountain nearby made his need grow more urgent.
Qui-Gon didn't hear him, having returned to his conversation
with the curator.
Obi-Wan bounced from one foot to the other for a moment, wide
green eyes fixed on the tall Knight speaking intently with the
curator. He tried to wait, truly he did, but he only held out a
minute before small fingers reached to curl into the fabric of
Qui-Gon's cloak this time, tugging urgently.
"Knight Jinn! I /really/--"
One large hand lifted in a shushing motion. "Obi-Wan, you will
not interrupt me again, or I will be speaking to your teachers
of it."
"But--!"
"Obi-Wan, I mean it!" Qui-Gon turned back to the curator with
an apologetic smile. "Forgive me. You were saying?"
Obi-Wan bit his lip, prancing from one foot to the other again.
Green eyes darted about the courtyard, seeking a bathroom, oh,
there had to be one somewhere; but there wasn't, and Obi-Wan's
eyes lit on the rushing fountain.
He darted a glance back up at Qui-Gon, but the tall Knight was
absorbed in his conversation once again. Feeling like his
little belly was about to burst, he left Qui-Gon's side and
sprinted across the courtyard as fast as his short legs could
carry him. Scrambling up on the rim of the fountain, he tugged
down his leggings, and sighed as he relieved the horrible
pressure.
Qui-Gon was alerted to something being amiss, by the sudden
look of horror that crossed the curator's face. Turning
quickly, he spotted Obi-Wan standing on the lip of the
fountain, and automatically started forwards to get the child,
before he fell in. Then the wide-eyes, and giggles of the other
children sank in, and he realized just what Obi-Wan was doing.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi!"
The shocked shout startled Obi-Wan, and he almost toppled into
the water, saved only by Qui-Gon's quick reflexes. The child
dangled, eyes hugely wide, by the back of his tunic fisted in
Qui-Gon's hand, while the Knight fixed the child's clothing.
"What do you think you are doing?" Qui-Gon asked the boy, his
voice still shocked.
Obi-Wan's little face screwed up in a tearful expression. "I
tolded you I hadda go!" he wailed in defense.
Qui-Gon blinked, then recalled his dismissal of the child's
attempts to gain his attention. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," he said
gently, lowering the child to the ground, and sending a glare
Mace's way as the other Knight stifled amused laughter.
The curator cleared his throat, and motioned to one of the
paths nearby. "Shall we continue the tour, honoured Jedi?"
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