Master Apprentice  Archive Something Short |
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Archive: Yes to master_apprentice, anywhere else please ask first, so I can say yes :)
Pairing: none, I mean the story is about Qui and Obi, but it's rated G for goodness sake!
Genre: Humor/Parody
Spoilers: none, this precedes TPM
Warnings: none
Rated: G
Written: 16 September 2000
Feedback: Off list please. All comments welcome.
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to George. I'm just playing in the tower for a wee bit just for fun, no money involved.
Summary: Qui has some problems with his clothes.
Note: This is the first fic I have written anywhere in any fandom, so a really big thanks to all the wonderful authors here for giving me such great fic to read and providing so much inspiration. Special thanks to A.F. and Windsong for beta reading this fic for me, and for their valuable suggestions and comments. Any errors you find in the story below are there not because they missed them, but because I fiddled with the story after they got done pointing out what needed pointing out.
"OBI-WAN!"
Never had Obi-Wan heard his master thunder his name in that tone or with that much force, and he knew that any hesitation on his part to respond would not lessen his master's displeasure. So he quickly entered the common room while answering, "Yes, Master?"
There Obi-Wan froze, eyes widened at the sight before him. A bubble of hysterical laughter threatened to erupt from his throat. He was in danger of choking. His master stood before him. Splendid, lean, virile, muscular, towering. He was wearing a singlet that did not cover his belly, and a tunic that did not wrap around his form, or reach his hips. The leggings were so tight they looked ready to rip at the seams, and the length came only to his mid-calf. At this moment Qui-Gon Jinn didn't looked anything like a dignified Jedi Master, and the expression on his face warned Obi-Wan that his master was not in a humorous mood.
"Would you care to explain what has happened to my clothes, Padawan?" Qui-Gon's voice was barely controlled as he glowered at his apprentice.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Pretending innocence was no good, after all, he was in charge of both their laundry and had been for the past 4 years. So he answered truthfully. "I'm not sure, Master."
Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose as he regarded his apprentice. "How is that possible?" he asked while watching Obi-Wan's eyes travel up and down the length of his body.
A slight furrow in Obi-Wan's brow turned to a deeper furrow as he struggled with how to explain what he did not want to explain to his master. It was a padawan's duty to serve his master, and among those duties was the collecting, laundering and putting away of his clothes. The fact that Obi-Wan hated to do the laundry was not even a consideration. How Obi-Wan had chosen to handle this responsibility had now become the focal point of what had happened to Qui-Gon's clothes, and the Bantha poodoo was about to hit the fan.
"Padawan?"
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan began chewing his lower lip, while his eyes darted between his master and the doorway.
"Have you forgotten the question?" Qui-Gon now found himself less furious and more intrigued by Obi-Wan's lack of answer.
"No, master. I'm thinking." And that was the truth. Obi-Wan was frantically thinking what could have gone wrong with his perfect plan for taking care of their laundry. After all, things had worked well for over a month now.
"I'm sure you have a very good explanation, Obi-Wan, and I would like to hear it. Right now."
Stalling wouldn't help. Better to just get everything out in the open. With a sigh Obi-Wan said, "Those aren't your clothes, Master."
"Obviously. Whose clothes are these, and where are my clothes?"
"I'm not sure, Master."
"Obi-Wan . . . " the edge was returning to Qui-Gon's voice.
"But I'll find your clothes, Master" was quickly offered.
"I think you will start at the beginning and tell me just how you are doing the laundry that you don't know where my clothes are, Padawan. Then we will discuss why this will never happen again in the future."
It began as a simple gripe session in the temple laundry room. There were ten padawans present all doing their laundry duty and none of them were happy about it. It was spring, and a beautiful day, which only added to the padawans' misery, since all of them wanted to be outside doing - well, anything - but laundry. The padawans quickly initiated a plan to work together. Every week two padawans would stay in the laundry room and wash, dry and fold all the laundry while the other eight got to do something else. The laundry responsibility would be rotated so that once every five weeks a pair of padawans would do the laundry and then have four weeks off. It was a good solution, and they all agreed to work together. They also all agreed that no one else need know of their co-op, especially their respective masters, who might give them other responsibilities to fill the unexpected free time.
The plan worked very well. The padawans arrived at the same time, their laundry in tagged baskets. The two padawans on laundry duty used all the available washing machines and dryers in the laundry room, so the washing and drying took no more time than usual, and it was very straightforward. The laundry went directly from the basket into the washer, when done, it was placed back into the same basket and then put in the dryer, from the dryer the clothes were folded into the same basket. Simple. Uncomplicated. No way to mess things up.
"I agree that the plan was sound Padawan. It is to your credit that you are working in harmony with your peers. However, that does not explain where my clothes are." Qui-Gon had been standing listening to Obi-Wan explain how their laundry had come to be out of his control, but it was uncomfortable for Qui-Gon to remain in the ill fitting clothes any longer. He finally turned and waddled back into his room while admonishing, "Find my clothes now, Padawan!"
It was well that the master couldn't see his padawan double over while silently laughing on his own way out of the door. Once in the hallway, Obi-Wan couldn't hold back any longer and bracing himself against the wall, laughed until tears ran down his face.
In the initiates play yard, near the back by the bushes, sitting side by side in the grass, two little girls arranged a series of rocks between them. They were six standard years old, and both humanoid. In fact, they were identical twins. One little one leaned in closer to her sister and whispered, "You wanna play another game of switch?" Her sister slowly nodded her head and said "'kay, but I don't wanna go back to the same room again." Her sister nodded in agreement with her. "Was all right moving all those pretty colored baskets around, but seeing those two padawans in the corner kissing was yucky!" Her sister rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement.