The three Jedi Padawans could never be more eager to smell the semi-fresh air of Coruscant than they were as they escaped the greasy odors of Dex's diner.
"I can't believe we actually attempted to ingest that," Bant moaned as she rubbed absently at her stomach.
"I'm seriously considering whether I want to allow it to remain in my stomach, or if I might not be better off... getting rid of it," Obi complained as he too rubbed his stomach, though in a manner that seemed more pained than anything.
"Just don't yak on my shoes," Dei declared as she backed several feet away from her friend, "they're new."
Studying the boots in question, Obi-Wan shrugged. "They look like Temple-issue boots to me," he commented, glad for the change of subject as it took his mind off of the rebellion occurring in his digestive tract.
"They are," Dei agreed, "but that doesn't mean I want your lunch decorating them. It's hard enough to get new clothes in the Temple, I doubt that the store-Masters are going to allow me new boots just because you decided to regurgitate upon them... although, I did get a new pair after my Master had to use mine to help the Gamorrean Lotrum give birth."
Blanching slightly at the images Dei had managed to create in his mind, Obi-Wan searched desperately for yet another change of subject. Luckily, Bant came to his rescue. "Why don't we go for a walk in the upper level gardens?" she suggested. "It would be nice to wander in a garden without having to worry about meditating."
"I happen to like meditating," Obi argued, ignoring his friends' grimaces. "It's a lot better than having to study astro-navigation." Unable to argue with that, Bant and Dei both had to agree. Warming to his subject, Obi-Wan continued. "In fact, meditating is better than almost any class I have, considering I don't have to deal with Bruck or his cronies."
"If you would have just let me introduce him to Fluffy, you wouldn't have to deal with him at all anymore," Dei growled, still annoyed that Obi-Wan had refused to allow her to unleash her giant "pet" spider on Bruck and his friends.
Sensing that Obi-Wan was preparing to once again rehash all of the reasons that allowing Fluffy and Bruck to play was a bad idea, Bant interrupted. "Dei, surely even you have to admit that their Masters would have been a bit suspicious if Bruck and his friends had all managed to disappear during that one week when you managed to keep Fluffy's existence a secret. You know they all would have guessed what happened as soon as word of your pet got around."
"Yeah, well, I don't see you coming up with any better ideas," Dei mumbled sulkily, even as she privately admitted that seeing Bruck running in horror from the storage room that had been Fluffy's home had been much more amusing than simply killing him off, especially since Bruck had only been wearing a towel at the time.
"So are we going to the gardens or not?" Obi-Wan asked, as he watched the Coruscant medical vehicles arrive to assist the patron in Dex's diner.
"I think we should," Bant stated, as she avidly studied the equipment the medical personnel were unloading.
"I have to go back to the Temple first," Dei declared, drawing Obi-Wan's and Bant's attention back to her. "I forgot to take my allergy hypo this morning, and if I go to the gardens without it, I'll be sneezing all day."
"But..." Bant began, only to be cut off as Dei continued.
"You two go ahead to the gardens, I'll meet up with you there," the Kiffar said, while trying to communicate a message to Bant without Obi noticing. "I'm sure that I'll only be a few moments, though I may have to stop to talk to a few people about something first" she continued, beginning to grow exasperated as the Mon Calamarian continued to be oblivious to her real explanation for why she was leaving. "In fact, I'll bet that you won't even notice that I'm gone... though you might notice the fact that my comm. unit isn't ringing every few minutes," she finished, finally relaxing as Bant understood what she had been trying to say.
"Okkkayyy then," Obi-Wan replied, having become thoroughly confused trying to understand what Dei was talking about. "I guess we'll see you in a bit."
Offering what she hoped was an innocent smile, Dei quickly turned and left, taking the quickest path possible back to the Temple.
______________
Checking back to make sure her friends were out of sight, Dei broke into an all - out sprint toward the temple. The last Padawan to check in with her hadn't yet, and it was imperative that each assignment was completed. This particular task had been to make sure Master Yaddle was out of the way, and Master Yaddle was not one to be reckoned with if angered.
Skidding to a halt in front of the towering temple doors, Dei took a moment to compose herself before striding through the entrance, and made a beeline for Aileah's quarters. Minutes later she was power-walking from the lift, around the corner, counting the doors until she found her target, where she began to beat it. And kick it. This she continued for a good amount of time before Dei began to think that maybe no one was there. So she continued to beat the door, just in case. And, just to her luck, the door did open.
A little.
Freezing her assault on the unsuspecting object, Dei glared at the open crack, waiting for an answer. Several moments more were spent in a silent staring contest between the obnoxious Padawan and a cracked-open door. Finally, a sigh was heard from within, and the door swooped open the rest of the way. Conjuring up her best ‘angry-face' Dei stepped into the room, only to have the door swish shut behind her. Glancing around, the girl realized she was inches away from the purple body of Padawan Aileah.
"Purple?"
"It was an accident."
"Yaddle?"
"Visiting Master Jinn."
"Ah. Arrested still..."
"Let's pray he doesn't drop the soap."
"And purple?" Dei still wondered at the slight change in Aileah's skin tone.
"Yaddle... I was going to detain her another way, but... it backfired. Luckily she got called out to help Master Jinn. Jahzea's work, I figure?"
"Yea..." Dei would have said more, but she found herself mesmerized by the purple-ness of the other Padawan's skin. "I've.... Obi... Party?"
Aileah glanced down at herself, arms spread. "I don't think this stuff comes out so quick... I'll try and make it, though. This is a little embarrassing, you see."
"I see. Meanwhile, you're going to have to come up with a good excuse for needing new clothes. And a new carpet, it seems." Dei motioned to the faint purple footprints tracking into the room. Yet another sigh came from the Purple Padawan, absently rubbing at a darker blotch of color on her palm.
"This better be a good party." Aileah shuffled back to the door to let Dei slip out "My regards to Kenobi."
"Yea... Sure..." Dei mumbled as she wandered back out into the hall. The door slid shut directly behind her, her tunic almost catching, as if the door was scolding her for her previous abuse.
A moment later Dei was back to ripping through the halls, down the lifts, out the doors, across the impressive plaza, weaving through the market place, and into the city gardens, only to find her compatriots a few steps from where she had last left them, only a little higher.
At least, Kenobi was.
Scampering up the short path to Bant's side, Dei squinted up into the branches of the Yaquer Tree to catch a glimpse of a certain young man's hindquarters.
Still staring up the tree, Dei leaned toward Bant, who stared likewise. "I'd ask, but the view is just too spectacular to distract from."
Several moment of silence passed before Bant looked back down at Dei. "Someone's pet Crerature is up there, Obi-Wan thought he'd play hero and go drag it down. He's been up there since you left, pretty much."
"He can't reach it?"
"He's got it, but it's scared. Methinks we have a new pathetic life form on our hands; from the way he's been at it!"
"They bonding or -...."
Dei's voice drifted off as a thrashing began above. The body above disappeared into the tree as Kenobi suddenly scramble upwards, but quickly came back into view as he descended in a flurry of leaves. At first Dei gasped, thinking Obi-Wan was falling from his perch, yet a second glance proved he was only climbing down... Sort of.
The Padawan was frantically dropping from branch to branch, in between each branch madly slapping at his torso. Within seconds he hit the ground, continuing his wild self-pounding while lightly jumping up and down. Bant could only stare open-mouthed, and Dei did much of the same, mirroring her elder colleague. If they had chosen that moment to look around, they would have noticed the similar looks in the faces of passersby. But, Kenobi seemed to ignore the stares, continuing to perform his private dance.
"...Obi?" Dei asked hesitantly. Bant's mouth closed from its ajar position, about to echo Dei's last words when Obi-Wan, himself, paused from his hopping, now only clutching at his lower back, the bulge underneath his hands seemingly twitching violently.
"It's... in--!!!" Kenobi's eyes went wide as all further movement halted as the bulge made a sudden rush downwards. "Pants!"
What was only the eye of the storm ended as Kenobi let out a rather unbecoming screech and revamped his struggles, only this time centering his self-beating on his upper left leg. Out of the corner of her eye, Dei noticed Bant slowly moving toward the struggling boy. Once reaching him, Bant calmly reached down, yanked Kenobi's hands from his leg, and clamped her slim hand around the struggling lump within his pants. Kenobi froze for a moment, locking eyes with the Calamarian clutching his thigh. Dei would later describe this instant as a "moment of understanding," precursory to a scene that would be forever etched into her mind. After taking a few seconds to catch his breath, Obi-Wan lifted one leg and reached for his heel, slipping off the well-worn leather boot. Flashing a shy grim up at Bant, he nodded.
Seconds later, hell broke loose. In a whirlwind of motion Kenobi plunged his hand into his own pants while Bant let go of the pant-dwelling crerature, though still keeping a hold on his leg, so as to keep the animal from crawling anywhere less reachable. Dei could almost see Kenobi's fingers wrap around the pet's body when he let out a second shriek and pulled his hand back into the open. Dei has only a moment to notice Bant's free hand close into a fist over Obi- Wan's other pant leg before she yanked the material down.
Caught unawares, Obi-Wan felt the tug and opted to stay with the pants, and dropped to his knees, but there was little he could do but comply when the material kept traveling south. Seeming to realize Bant's intentions, Kenobi rolled backwards onto his rear, allowing the pants to be pulled inside out, catching only on his boots, revealing one angry Crerature, still clutching to the material now draped from Kenobi's boots. Obi-Wan gave his foot a little shake and the pet bolted, heading off down the paths and further into the garden's greenery.
A moment of awkward silence followed, Bant dropping the pants material still clutched in her hand, Obi-Wan staring after the pet he had only tried to help, and Dei staring at Kenobi with an indescribable look upon her face. The peace lasted longer than expected, only to be interrupted by the shrill chirp of Dei's comm. Kenobi tore his eyes from the opposite direction to look up at Dei, who was still staring at Kenobi, or at least, Kenobi's pants. A second chirp alerted to Dei to the present, and also to the fact that she was looking at a very pantsed Kenobi. Her mouth dropped open, then popped closed, the repeated those actions several times more, making her out to look something like a fish before she gathered herself, whipped out her noisy comm., and scampered off to whisper under a nearby Hangler Tree.
Dei now gone, Bant gathered herself and rose to her knees from the grass. Kenobi still had a dazed look about him, seemingly not quite aware of that fact that he was half-naked in a public area. Bant chuckled to herself, taking in the blank stare Kenobi was giving the spot Dei had filled almost a full minute ago. Pinkish fingers flared to life in front of his face as Bant snapped them impatiently. Tossing her handful of Obi-Wan's pants back onto his boots, she rose to her full height.
"Hey Skivvies. Put your pants on." Bant playfully ruffled Kenobi's already mussed hair and turned to follow Dei's escape route.
Go on to Next Chapter | Surprise
Home | Stories | Links | Contact me