Jedi Council Forums - Bed Balls - Qui, Obi, Touski(OC) - with Epilogue - really it's COMPLETE/FIXED this time -16-Oct-2006

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Author	Topic: Bed Balls - Qui, Obi, Touski(OC) - with Epilogue - really it's COMPLETE/FIXED this time -16-Oct-2006
ardavenport Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 6/3/06 12:28pm Subject: Bed Balls - Qui, Obi, Touski(OC) - with Epilogue - really it's COMPLETE/FIXED this time -16-Oct-2006 - Date Edited: 10/16/06 4:27pm (23 edits total) Edited By: ardavenport
	Title: Bed Balls Author: ardavenport (aka Anne Davenport) Timeframe: pre-Episode I, pre-TPM Genre: humor, drama, Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, OC Keywords Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, bed, balls, Jedi Summary: Qui-Gon Jinn gets up in a strange bed with a strange roommate. Notes: Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. So, don’t even go there–at least not on this forum. It’s strictly G-rated. And typo is my middle name, with missing words and errors that spell checkers don’t catch being my speciality – if you see any, just post a reply or send a PM with the what and where and I will kill them with no mercy. EDIT: I had really and truly intended for this to be just a one-shot response to the Qui-Gon Bed Challenge (which is the first part) but I thought of a story to go with it (which is the rest). Disclaimer: All characters belong to George and Lucasfilm; I’m just playing in their sandbox Qui-Gon opened his eyes. The ancient, high ceiling above was dimly illuminated with pale, orange light. He gazed up at the chipped tiles in an ancient mosiac of flowers and vines and random shapes, their scratched and faded colors dulled even more by the early morning gloom. He inhaled the cool scents of the garden outside, the polish of the furniture in the guest room, the fibers of the bed clothes, the bedding itself. Each new planet touched the senses in unique ways and Master Qui-Gon Jinn used his waking time to note them. He swallowed and wet his lips; the aftertaste of the previous evening’s meal had gone stale overnight even though he’d cleaned his teeth and mouth before retiring. He lay on his back, under a plush blanket, in a Yurthaki bed bin. The squashy bedding balls yielded enough to his weight so that they were not quite lumpy, but still supported his body and head. They had retired early the night before, so he felt quite rested. A breeze outside rustled the trees and bushes by their window and a large insect buzzed, bumping its body on the window screens. Qui-Gon closed his eyes and cleared his mind; his awareness of the Force, always a presence in the back of his mind, sharpened. Other persons, the staff, the other guests, stirred in the ancient, converted fort. This place had its own routine; it moved with the rhythm of the days, the people and machines slowly inhaling and exhaling the ever changing guests that came and went from the hostel. Touski was already up and moving about in the fresher. He wore only his long nightshirt under the soft blanket; his body had formed it’s own cocoon of warmth around him. He sensed his Padawan in the bed bin next to him, unmoving, but wakeful. Qui-Gon turned his head and opened his eyes. Even in the low light, he could see that Obi-Wan was gone. In his place was a long, low lump of the multi-hued bed balls that filled the bin that they had slept in. A flap of white blanket poked out from them. Qui-Gon frowned. Obi-Wan had never slept in a Yurthaki bed bin before and Qui-Gon had told him that if he moved about too much in his sleep that he might get buried. Suppressing motion while sleeping was a minor Jedi discipline that hardly lessened one’s rest and his nearly twenty-three year old Padawan had mastered it years ago. Qui-Gon lifted his head, sensing Obi-Wan’s wakefulness. Touski, their Yurthak roommate, exited the fresher. Obi-Wan was hiding. Qui-Gon had enough time to get his arms up out of the way before an enormous, four-fingered hand reached down into the bed bin. It felt about before identifying him and then the fingers, two pairs of opposing digits that were as thick as his own thigh, encircled his chest and pulled him up. “Ooooh, you are a big one.” Touski’s wide lipless mouth grinned under her one, huge eye. Despite her protestations about how heavy he was, she still only used one of her two massive arms to lift him up over the edge of the bed bin. “Good morning, Touski,” Qui-Gon said pleasantly as she set him down on his bare feet. Behind her, Obi-Wan popped up out of the bed bin with his blanket. Spherical bed balls scattered out after him. Touski didn’t notice. She was a huge being, over three meters tall with dark, mottled skin; her normal, healthy purple hues and her emerald green eye looked gray in the gloom. The slowly increasing dawn light was just enough for the Jedi to see by, but it was more than enough for the Yurthak’s sensitive eye. She wore a long, loose, sleeveless gown, as big as a tent, over her huge, neckless body. “You are rested then, I see, for your pilgrimage, today?” she asked in her lilting, feminine voice. She released him, but her great hand remained on his side. Qui-Gon didn’t think of this trip as a pilgrimage, but it was not too inaccurate a term. He had brought Obi-Wan to further his training amidst the ruins of a Jedi Outpost, many thousands of years old and a long walk up into the hills over the hostel. “I am,” he nodded his head. “As is my apprentice.” He nodded toward Obi-Wan who was clearly hoping to be ignored by the intrusive Yurthak. The great eye turned toward his Padawan. “Oh!” she cried out before hustling toward Obi-Wan, who lifted his arms just in time before her long arm reached out and caught him about the middle. Touski held him up off the ground as she turned her body to either side, her eye surveying the mess at their feet. Qui-Gon smiled. It was terribly careless and sloppy to dump out one’s bed balls when getting up in the morning. They had rolled just about everywhere, multi-colored, Human-fist-sized spheres on the floor, under the tables, next to the bed bins, lined up along the walls. “Oh, stay right there. I don’t want you to trip,” she told him. While she held Obi-Wan up away from the floor with one arm, she began gathering up the stray bed balls with her free hand. Her huge, meaty fingers were remarkably dexterous, their smooth ends concealed sets of muscles that let her corral the wayward spheres and scoop them up into the pocket of her palm. All the while, she held Obi-Wan up as if shards of jagged silicate had been strewn about, not soft, squishy, round bedding. Obi-Wan had an expression on his face like a wet, long-haired cave-cat and his bare legs dangled from her huge fist; his nightshirt was scrunched up on his torso. While Touski retrieved the bed balls, Qui-Gon activated the room’s overhead lights and illuminated the carefully designed, primitive decor of their room. He peacefully ignored Obi-Wan’s glare toward him. Qui-Gon had befriended the lonely Yurthak on the transport on their way to this world. Touski’s traveling companion had backed out at the last minute, leaving her to handle the family business trip alone in a galaxy where everything was too small for her. She’d been quartered in the cargo hold, since the transport didn’t have any cabins big enough for her. Qui-Gon found that she had a very sweet and generous nature and thought it was cruel of the ship’s crew to isolate her for their own convenience and he had spoken to them about it. After this first kindness from Qui-Gon, she had promptly attached herself to them. Obi-Wan had not been pleased. His Padawan had been horrified when Qui-Gon had accepted her invitation to stay with her after the hostel staff ‘lost’ their own room arrangements. Qui-Gon was fairly sure that the hostel had let their room out to higher paying (or bribing) tenants. He might have influenced the manager to remedy their ‘mistake’ (Obi-Wan had certainly been eager to), but it was far simpler to accept Touski’s offer rather than displace the other guests from their ill-gotten room. Touski had collected all the bed balls in one hand and took them to a wall-mounted receptacle hanging high up over the table between the two bed bins. “There. All cleaned up,” Touski assured both of them. “I’ll make sure that they’re cleaned while you’re out today, before they get put back in your bin.” She set Obi-Wan down. Her club-like, but velvety fingers gave him a pat on his head. “He is a young one, is he not?” she asked Qui-Gon. “Yes he is,” Qui-Gon replied. “Thank you for your assistance.” He glanced sternly at his Padawan. “Yes, thank-you.” Obi-Wan spoke clearly, but his eyes were stricken. Their days would be spent alone together among the ruins in the hills, but they would return in the evenings to gigantic hugs, being picked up in the morning and put to bed at night. Touski looked down at Obi-Wan, then her body swung around so her great, green eye, both sad and yearning, rested on Qui-Gon. She scooped up Obi-Wan and then two steps later had Qui-Gon, too. Despite Obi-Wan’s misgivings, Qui-Gon had found that Touski knew her own strength very well and had never once applied too much pressure in an embrace. “I am so very glad we met, Qui-Gon Jinn,” she declared as she clasped them both to her enormous body. Qui-Gon’s toes just barely touched the floor and his shorter Padawan was held up off the ground again. “It will be so nice for me to look forward to our evenings together while I settle this awful custody business. We shall all be three bed balls together.” Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, his face pressed up against the crinkled white fabric of Touski’s gown, but Qui-Gon knew that this was just a Yurthak euphemism. Besides, it was physically impossible for all three of them to fit into the same bed bin together. At least, not comfortably. Finally, reluctantly, she let them down and the Jedi went to the fresher to start their own morning routines. Touski soon left to go find some breakfast on her own, but she promised to see them again before they set out for the day. They were both dressed and Qui-Gon was tying his hair back when Obi-Wan bent down and came up with one last bed ball that had rolled all the way into the fresher and been missed. He squeezed the soft, purple sphere; it deformed, then resumed its shape as soon as he released the pressure. Finishing with his hair, Qui-Gon smiled down at it. He took it from Obi-Wan’s hand. “You do not wish to be a bed ball, my young Padawan,” Qui-Gon stated. Now Obi-Wan looked embarrassed about his earlier discomfort, and Qui-Gon sensed that as disconcerting as their enthusiastic Yurthak companion was, his Padawan cared about her feelings and did not wish to be rude to her. “No, Master. Touski is...too affectionate for me. And I don’t like being picked up,” he admitted. “Ah,” Qui-Gon nodded his understanding. He held up the purple bed ball. He drew gentle energy from the Force, to his hand. Obi-Wan’s eyes were drawn to the simple sphere. From the fresher door, Qui-Gon tossed the bed ball up into the air. It sailed freely across the high-ceilinged room and landed with its mates in the wall receptacle. He laid his hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Perhaps as we visit the Jedi ruins here, you shall also learn to be a bed ball.” -- end, part 1 -- -----signature----- Links to all fics -- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=25405090&brd=10304&start=26223917 The Heart of the Jedi -- http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/26013327 ---- Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, JA and everything you wanted to know about lightsabers
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LuvEwan Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 6/3/06 2:51pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	I always love your OCs. Touski was so vivid, an entire image of her popped into my head. The bed balls were very unique. Heck, the whole thing was a very unique response to the challenge. What a fun read that was. -----signature----- So it was Anakin's butt after all. He supposed he might take a modicum of comfort from that. -Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover
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Princess_Arulmozhi Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 6/3/06 9:31pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	Such a unique way of getting into bed. Bed Balls! I love the idea. I agree with LE - I love Touski. She's a such a different person, picking up people and putting them to bed. Poor Obi-Wan. But I could feel her yearning to shower affection on people. It's difficult to write that kind of thing, without making it look all sloppy. You've done a marvelous job. Bed Balls! Wonderful response. -----signature----- Perceptions (Xanatos/Obi/Qui/Anakin) AU:http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/25276178/p1/?7 - vignette Stones (Li'l Obi/Qui) - http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/23371821/p1/ Best Author, WFFA (BtS) 05/06 Lore-Master to 7
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KELIA Title: Moderator: Fan Fiction Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 6/4/06 8:38am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	Awww that was so cute! I loved how sweet, lovely and maternal Touski was and Obi-Wan was just adorable! Great job on this -----signature----- "Do or do not, there is no try." Master Yoda A Light In The Darkness: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28150602/p1/?8 Undue Circumstances: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28530583/p1/?10
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 6/4/06 5:10pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	That was so unique. Poor Obi-Wan being picked up like some stray cat and hauled around. I could just picture it. The bed ball idea was wonderful. I know that when I took my kids to the indoor play areas and they are using those hard balls, it looks very comfortable and my kids were always asking to go back to them. So I can imagine that the bed balls would be fun - as long as you didn't move around too much. LOL.. Good job. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 9/22/08 Fragments of Illusion- http://boards.theforce.net/bts/b10475/28456473 updated 8/16/08 Freeze frame - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b10476/27820434 Master to jedidas3 Impeach Bush!
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Ara-gon Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 6/5/06 10:20am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	Ah, Ardavenport, that was perfect! I could easily picture the whole thing in my mind, which is one of my unique and purely subjective standards for good writing. It's nice to see that the duo isn't always tortured, even though Obi would disagree with my assessment. -----signature----- Jinngerbread's Padawan The Trouble with Qui-Gon (humor) http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/26735859/p1/?7
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Healer_Leona Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 6/5/06 11:48am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	What a terrifically original and imaginative viggie. I love Touski and the bedballs! -----signature----- Still crazy after all these years.
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ardavenport Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 6/7/06 6:38pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	LuvEwan: I always love your OCs. Touski was so vivid, an entire image of her popped into my head. The bed balls were very unique. Heck, the whole thing was a very unique response to the challenge. What a fun read that was. Thanks much! I try to be different. Princess_Arulmozhi: Such a unique way of getting into bed. Bed Balls! I love the idea. I agree with LE - I love Touski. She's a such a different person, picking up people and putting them to bed. Poor Obi-Wan. But I could feel her yearning to shower affection on people. It's difficult to write that kind of thing, without making it look all sloppy. You've done a marvelous job. Bed Balls! Thanks so much! Touski was meant to be phsically affectionate, without being clingy. She had her own business on the planet and she didn't need to wait for them to go to breakfast. I think that helped keep her from being too soppy. And I just liked the idea of having a really large traveling companion with them, too. KELIA: Awww that was so cute! I loved how sweet, lovely and maternal Touski was and Obi-Wan was just adorable! Thanks! Cuteness can be so fun with somewhat formal Jedi. Qui-Gon is comfortable with it, but his padawan still needs to learn! dianethx: That was so unique. Poor Obi-Wan being picked up like some stray cat and hauled around. I could just picture it. The bed ball idea was wonderful. I know that when I took my kids to the indoor play areas and they are using those hard balls, it looks very comfortable and my kids were always asking to go back to them. So I can imagine that the bed balls would be fun - as long as you didn't move around too much. LOL.. Yes, those play bins for kids were an inspiration for the bed bins in this story. How come they didn't have fun stuff like that when we were kids? Moving around could be a problem, or a good way to hide, in Obi-Wan's case. Glad you enjoyed the story! Ara-gon: Ah, Ardavenport, that was perfect! I could easily picture the whole thing in my mind, which is one of my unique and purely subjective standards for good writing. It's nice to see that the duo isn't always tortured, even though Obi would disagree with my assessment. Thanks for reading! I always have to be able to picture things before I can write; the trick is getting that through in the prose. And I love 'torturing' those two in unique ways. Healer_Leona: What a terrifically original and imaginative viggie. I love Touski and the bedballs! Thank you! Touski seems to have made an impression. I'll have think about whether or not I'm going to do anything else with her. -----signature----- Links to all fics -- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=25405090&brd=10304&start=26223917 The Heart of the Jedi -- http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/26013327 ---- Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, JA and everything you wanted to know about lightsabers
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Kestrel_Kenobi Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 6/10/06 4:08am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	Must admit I read this a while ago and forgot to reply - bad me... It was the title that drew me in...ahem... “Ooooh, you are a big one.” Touski’s wide lipless mouth grinned under her one, huge eye. Despite her protestations about how heavy he was, she still only used one of her two massive arms to lift him up over the edge of the bed bin Great fic - I don't think I've read anything like it. I really liked Touski and poor obi-wan -not wanting to be a bed ball! I really enjoyed this ardavenport -----signature----- I had a baby girl! July '08! Proud Padawan to the elusive Jennifer_Lyn! Together again... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443701/
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ardavenport Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 6/18/06 7:01pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- Qui-Gon Jinn bed challenge; one-shot
	Kestrel_Kenobi: It was the title that drew me in...ahem... Great fic - I don't think I've read anything like it. I really liked Touski and poor obi-wan -not wanting to be a bed ball! Yes, well that title....when I finished writing it there was only one thing that the title could be, but I was wondering if it might scare people off. Oh, and don't we want our own Obi-Wan bed ball. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the reply! -----signature----- Links to all fics -- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=25405090&brd=10304&start=26223917 The Heart of the Jedi -- http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/26013327 ---- Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, JA and everything you wanted to know about lightsabers
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ardavenport Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 9/17/06 8:18pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006 - Date Edited: 9/22/06 2:03pm (2 edits total) Edited By: ardavenport
	–o(((O)))oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo(((O)))o– Part 2 Obi-Wan climbed up the rocky path. Sometimes he needed to use his hands for balance when it became very steep. His Master had kept a steady pace since they’d begun climbing Tilthny Hill, at sunrise. It was now mid-morning and they had almost reached their objective near the summit. A rented speeder or speeder bike would have gotten them to the Outpost much more quickly, but Qui-Gon had said that there was value to climbing up to it on foot. Obi-Wan cleared his thoughts of any cluttering thoughts of their trip, or their accommodations, or their roommate, leaving his mind open to all his senses and the Force, to his feelings, to any little intuition for where he should look, or what Qui-Gon wanted him to see. At first, he’d only noted the fresh air, the clear, blue sky above, the green and orange vegetation that became shorter and hardier as they climbed higher. But halfway up, he suddenly saw a pattern in the random jumble of rocks so vivid that he wondered why had hadn’t seen it before. The jumbled path had once been paved with the natural rocks, arranged into steps up the hill. The Jedi Outpost had been abandoned 8,000 years ago; age and weather had reclaimed the path, but the subtle sense of the Force still remained in the living plants, through the hill and the rocks they grew on. Some places were strong with the Force, like cosmic memory. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant, with it’s constant Jedi presence for thousands of years, resonated with the Force. A Jedi could spend a lifetime just exploring the subtleties of that one place, but real awareness came also from studies outside the Temple. If one lived only in one place, in the thick of the Force, one could not appreciate the whole of it in the galaxy. Even the youngest initiates left the Temple, led by their Creche Masters for little ‘missions’ to other parts of Coruscant, just so they could feel the difference. To Obi-Wan’s right and slightly above, was Qui-Gon’s boot, under the hem of his dark brown robe that was the same color as the soil that was thickly overgrown with short, leafy grasses, occasionally dotted with small pink and white flowers. Qui-Gon had reached a stone wall that rose high over his head. He stepped to his right, over a gap in the rocks, his boots scraping on the uneven stones. Obi-Wan climbed up after him. They now stood on a recognizable pathway, an ancient wall of boulder-sized natural stones on their left. They followed the path and wall to the remains of an archway. Obi-Wan walked through it behind his Master into the shell of a circular courtyard full of grasses and knee-high, stubbly bushes. Qui-Gon glided upward, onto a rock base near the middle of the courtyard. A breeze billowed his dark, brown robe behind him. “–Ah–oo–oo–ee.” “What?” Obi-Wan asked, confused. “What do you see, Obi-Wan?” Qui-Gon’s back was to him, his tall form framed by the sky, heavy with gray clouds. The wind picked up the strands of his Master’s long hair, blowing them all around his head. Obi-Wan looked about him. Parts of the ancient walls rose overhead. Other parts were tumbles of stones that he could easily climb over. There were a few dingy-bronze pillars lying on their sides and some broken pieces with right-angle shapes, but not enough remained to immediately tell what they had once been. “Um, the Outpost,” he answered uncertainly. He saw Qui-Gon’s head move from side to side. No. “What do you hear, Obi-Wan?” Obi-Wan listened carefully, determined to answer correctly this time. There had been the occasional buzzing insects and the caws of some animals in the distance, and the sounds that they had made, walking. But now he couldn’t hear any of it, the wind was getting so loud. It tugged at his braid and blew his own robe back. The wind? he wondered. Was that it? Obi-Wan was sure that this test could not be that easy. He looked deeper. Into himself. “My heart,” he said. “I hear my heart.” Again, he saw the back of Qui-Gon’s head move from side to side. No. Obi-Wan hung his head. What was he doing wrong? “What do you feel, Obi-Wan?” Panic. He couldn’t answer that. “I..” he began, but the wind whipped the sound away. It roared in his ears and blew Qui-Gon’s robe to the side. His Master’s head was a frenzy of blowing hair. Qui-Gon slowly turned toward him. Lightning crackled from the figure above him, crossing over the ground to catch him in the chest. It lifted him up and back and he came back down hard. The impact jolted Obi-Wan out of the vision. He sat on the ground, panting and trembling. The sky was clear and blue overhead. The wind was gone as if turned off by switch. Qui-Gon stood before him. He knelt, going to his knees, down to Obi-Wan’s level in one fluid motion. His dark blue eyes were kind with concern. “What did you see, Obi-Wan?” –o(((O)))oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo(((O)))o– “Visions are unreliable, unpredictable, full of random information, intuitions, feelings, symbolisms and imaginings,” Qui-Gon instructed. Obi-Wan sat on a rock outcropping while his Master paced around him. They had moved up to a higher spot on the hill that overlooked the crumbling Outpost. “Visions received during dreams are even worse,” Qui-Gon continued, his tone quite annoyed by the topic he described. “Along with all the problems of waking visions, dreams also contain all the irrationality of the sleeping mind as well.” Qui-Gon stopped before his apprentice. “And yet, they are a part of a Jedi Knight’s life,” he concluded. The blue sky framed his head. The parkland that they had ascended stretched out in greens and oranges below their little clearing on the hill. Qui-Gon looked down at his Padawan, who gave him his full attention. “They must be contemplated warily. Your focus forms your reality, but the vision has it’s own focus. They must be contemplated only with the passive, quiet, and focused mind.” Qui-Gon again began his slow pacing around the rock that Obi-Wan sat on. “What do you perceive from your vision, my young Padawan?” Obi-Wan lowered his head. He didn’t think about what he had experienced; Qui-Gon had already told him not to do that. He simply let it re-play in his mind. “I was more concerned with having the right answer than I was with learning,” he admitted. “They are not the same. There may not be a right answer.” Qui-Gon Jinn’s posture subtly changed. He became less the instructor and more the comrade. “I would say so as well,” he agreed quietly. He picked his own, smaller rock outcropping and sat down, facing Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had told his Master every detail of his vision, the lightning, the wind, the questions. He had left nothing out. Qui-Gon had nodded without comment, and then had led them up to the higher ground. Below, they could see most of the ruins. The main entryway, where Obi-Wan had experienced his vision was the largest of the rooms, with the tallest remaining wall structures. There were several other, smaller, sections, and an entry down into some below ground passages, but Qui-Gon had warned against going into them. When Obi-Wan had inquired about what was down there, his Master had responded cryptically with, ‘Nothing more than what we have up here.’ “It is always risky to court visions, Obi-Wan. No matter how ordinary the apparent message seems to be. Even just the simple act of interpretation can completely change their meaning and is foolish at best.” Qui-Gon leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Because any action can change their meaning,” Obi-Wan added. Qui-Gon nodded. Obi-Wan pressed his lips together. He understood what his Master told him. He had heard much the same thing from other Masters and in his studies as a Padawan, but an old question still bothered him. “Master, if visions are so perilous, why do Jedi still act on them? And why do Jedi use them? Why did you use one...on me?” Qui-Gon sighed. The ancient Outpost was a place strong with the Living Force, but Obi-Wan’s vision had been as much a product of his Master’s covert influence than it was of the energies of the universe. “Because Jedi live perilous lives.” He stood. “And it is time for you to learn that peril.” Obi-Wan stood as well. He’d been nearly certain, once he had recovered from his vision, that this was the real purpose of their excursion to this world. The influence of visions was only taught to senior Padawans, nearing Knighthood. Qui-Gon began to walk slowly down the winding path, back to the Outpost. Obi-Wan solemnly walked with him. “You understand now, the real purpose of our walk here?” he began. “Distraction?” Qui-Gon nodded. “I regret using an influence on you, without your knowledge, but visions rarely come when they are expected. If they did, they might be better understood.” They re-entered the boundaries Outpost, passing short, stony rubble that indicated where thick, strong walls had once stood. Obi-Wan frowned. “If visions are so unreliable, how can one learn about them?” “By influencing meditation.” Qui-Gon stopped near the stub of a wide, bronzite pillar and turned to Obi-Wan. “The things that a Jedi sees through the Force though ordinary meditation are nearly visions. The past. The future. Events that might be. Or might have been. But they are as different from visions as dreams are from knowledge and insight.” Obi-Wan’s frown deepened. “Influencing meditation? I don’t understand.” For his entire life, Obi-Wan had learned that meditation began by clearing the mind of all stray thoughts that would clutter the things perceived through the Force. Qui-Gon smiled. “You must clear your mind. Feel the Force, in yourself, in your surroundings. Then you focus on a thought or an event that you wish to make happen, as if you were projecting it onto another person as for an influence. But you focus it inward, to yourself.” Obi-Wan lowered his head, listening intently. The first part was perfectly clear; it was simple meditation. The second half was a mire of contradiction. Focus was always projected outward, the Force connecting to the object of the influence. Where did it flow to if it turned inward? Qui-Gon seemed to understand his confusion. He laid a hand on his shoulder. “I will guide you.” He pointed at the ruins around them. “It works best in places that are strong with the Force, certain parts of the Temple, this Outpost, many other places, on many other worlds.” Qui-Gon’s eyelids lowered as he spoke, as if he were seeing something other than the Outpost. “You project it outward, to influence a vision to another person.” His eyes opened again, dark blue and intense. “But we will begin with only with the self influence first. “Is that how you control the vision?” Qui-Gon shook his head slowly. “You cannot control the vision. You can only control yourself.” He gestured for them to sit. They faced each other, on the ground among the rocks and flowering weeds and grasses. “You will choose an event, something small to begin with, that you expect or wish to happen.” Obi-Wan’s mind went blank. What to start with? He looked to Qui-Gon. “Master, what were you thinking of, when you influenced me?” Qui-Gon sighed. “I was hoping that you might find dinner tonight pleasant, should we be fortunate enough to dine with Touski.” Obi-Wan stared back. He could not imagine how that had any connection at all to the vision that he had experienced. Yurthaks were filter feeders. Touski sucked in huge quantities of water, laden with algae, single- and multi-celled animals, while talking and gurgling at the same time. Her breath during a meal was truly overwhelming. Qui-Gon almost chuckled, smiling back at his obvious confusion. “I believe I said that visions were unreliable, though, the result is often closer to what is expected, if several Jedi work together. But training is only allowed to full Jedi Knights. This is only the begining.” Obi-Wan nodded. If the actual vision could be so far afield from the original intention, then it really didn’t matter what he chose. He glanced upward, supposing that he could safely expect the sun to be higher in the sky by noon. He opened his mouth, but Qui-Gon raised a hand for silence. “I do not need to know what it is. You will need to call it to your mind on your own. Now, clear your mind.” Obi-Wan straightened and closed his eyes. His thoughts fell away, evaporating into the space around him. His perceptions of his surroundings through the Force clarified, in harmony with his other senses and uncluttered by random desires or the petty concerns of living. He envisioned the whole Outpost, the air above and deep into the ground below where some places nearly glowed with the strength of the Force. He saw some that were bright, others dark and murky, but it was all the Living Force, which flowed strongest in his Master before him as they sat together, surrounded by crumbling plasti-stone and stray plants. A thought formed, not his own, but half in his own voice. Focus on a thought or an event that you wish to make happen, as if you were projecting it onto another person as for an influence. Focus it inward, to yourself. Obi-Wan momentarily didn’t comprehend what it meant, but his perceptions moved toward the sky where the local star climbed higher. The Force wavered around him, agitated by his expectations of noon with the sun high in a blue sky, the life in the parkland around the Outpost absorbing the warmth and energy from above. Focus inward. Pressure formed around him, as if the air had thickened. Obi-Wan imagined the sun and sky as part of himself and the world rapidly shrank. The pressure increased. The Force rushed in toward him, first like a wind, then a torrent. Then a vortex. Obi-Wan opened his eyes. The Outpost was still there, in the wavering light. Qui-Gon had vanished, along with the sun. And the sky was orange. The clouds above parted with a rumble of thunder. “What did you see, Obi-Wan?” Qui-Gon’s voice asked from above. --- tbc --- -----signature----- Links to all fics -- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=25405090&brd=10304&start=26223917 The Heart of the Jedi -- http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/26013327 ---- Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, JA and everything you wanted to know about lightsabers
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Ara-gon Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 9/18/06 8:01am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006
	That's wonderful, Anne. I'm curious as to why there was the difference between the image Qui-Gon was sending and the vision that Obi-Wan received. Perhaps the Force has added a lesson beyond the one Qui-Gon intended. The descriptions were a vivid as always. Please send me a PM when you update. -----signature----- Jinngerbread's Padawan The Trouble with Qui-Gon (humor) http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/26735859/p1/?7
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Princess_Arulmozhi Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 9/19/06 1:17am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006
	Splendid update. Love the way Qui-Gon taught Obi-Wan the intricacies of visions. The way he led him through it was astounding, to say the least. It all sounds so in keeping with the way the Force behaves. Like the way Obi-Wan began on creating his own vision too. Marvelous. -----signature----- Perceptions (Xanatos/Obi/Qui/Anakin) AU:http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/25276178/p1/?7 - vignette Stones (Li'l Obi/Qui) - http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/23371821/p1/ Best Author, WFFA (BtS) 05/06 Lore-Master to 7
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 9/19/06 4:54am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006
	Very vivid. I could almost smell the fresh air and hear the wind. I liked the description of visions and how they can mislead. I have to wonder at Obi-Wan's second vision though. Sounds like he's remembering Mustafar in a way with the orange light and Qui-Gon gone. Good job. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 9/22/08 Fragments of Illusion- http://boards.theforce.net/bts/b10475/28456473 updated 8/16/08 Freeze frame - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b10476/27820434 Master to jedidas3 Impeach Bush!
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VaderLVR64 Title: Fan Fic Manager in Combat Boots Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 9/19/06 7:39am Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006
	Love the interaction between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan here. Lovely! “What do you perceive from your vision, my young Padawan?” Obi-Wan lowered his head. He didn’t think about what he had experienced; Qui-Gon had already told him not to do that. He simply let it re-play in his mind. “I was more concerned with having the right answer than I was with learning,” he admitted. “They are not the same. There may not be a right answer.” Qui-Gon Jinn’s posture subtly changed. He became less the instructor and more the comrade. “I would say so as well,” he agreed quietly. He picked his own, smaller rock outcropping and sat down, facing Obi-Wan. -----signature----- If you have to choose between tears and laughter, remember that laughter burns more calories. Proud New Army Mom - off to bootcamp!
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ardavenport Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 9/21/06 6:30pm Subject: RE: Bed Balls --- There's Moooooooorrrrreeee, Parts 1-2, 17-Sep-2006 - Date Edited: 9/22/06 2:02pm (2 edits total) Edited By: ardavenport
	Ara-gon: That's wonderful, Anne. I'm curious as to why there was the difference between the image Qui-Gon was sending and the vision that Obi-Wan received. Perhaps the Force has added a lesson beyond the one Qui-Gon intended. Ah, there will be more about it in later posts, but the short answer is that vision have a mind of their own. Thanks for reading! Princess_Arulmozhi: Splendid update. Love the way Qui-Gon taught Obi-Wan the intricacies of visions. The way he led him through it was astounding, to say the least. It all sounds so in keeping with the way the Force behaves. Like the way Obi-Wan began on creating his own vision too. Marvelous. Glad you liked it! I like it when Qui-Gon teaches Obi-Wan things, one-on-one. They were together for years, so there must have been a bit of that. We know Jedi have visions. Luke had one on Dagobah in TESB and Anakin had one in the Clone Wars cartoons, so I like to think that visions are something Jedi ‘study’ when they’re padawans. They are tough to quantify but fun to speculate about. dianethx: Very vivid. I could almost smell the fresh air and hear the wind. I liked the description of visions and how they can mislead. I have to wonder at Obi-Wan's second vision though. Sounds like he's remembering Mustafar in a way with the orange light and Qui-Gon gone. Well, that Outpost is a combination of a big, rocky hill in Connecticut and every Viking ruin some friends of mine took me to in Scotland last year. It absolutely makes it easier to write if you’re using some place you’ve been to for reference. I thought about Mustafar with the orange sky, but without the heat and the molten rock, it could just be orange. Thanks for reading! VaderLVR64: Love the interaction between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan here. Lovely! Thank you! It seems to take me just ages to write scenes like those, with lots of sentence fragments that get juggled around and sometimes dropped, sometimes not. And now, some more.... –o(((O)))oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo(((O)))o– part 3 When Touski saw her two Jedi enter the dining area, her mood improved immediately. “Oooooh!” She raised her hand, her fingertips brushing the ceiling. Qui-Gon Jinn spotted her immediately and soon the dining hall’s servitor droid led them up to her table. It was, of course, too low for her, but just right for them, sitting in small, rigid chairs. She sat comfortably on a floor cushion. Qui-Gon Jinn gave the droid their order and it scurried off back down the ramp. Their table was on an upper level, where other tables had been pushed back to make enough for her floor cushion. They could see the other patrons of the hostel finishing up their meals. It was late in the evening and the dining hall was barely a quarter full. Touski sucked more slowly on her dinner tube. The tank next to the table was still two thirds full, but she didn’t want to finish before her guests even began their meals. It was better to eat more slowly anyway. She always sucked in her food too quickly when she was upset. Qui-Gon Jinn told her the he and his student had walked all day around the Jedi Outpost in the local preserve and that the weather had been ideal. Then he asked how her day had been. Touski gulped down a huge, fragrant mouthful and pushed the tube to the side of her mouth. “Oh, well,” she began, “rather badly, really.” She couldn’t bring herself to lie about it. Nothing good ever came from that, especially for her poor cousin. The servitor droid returned with her Jedis’ dinners, tiny specks of dry, colored food on little plates and cups of brown liquid. They both began eating, using delicate little instruments to cut up and deposit bits of food in their mouths. It was a fascinating ritual. Most humanoids rarely allowed themselves to touch their food with their fingers. “The desk manager told me,” Touski began, “that only Jedi and park rangers are allowed in the Togtiz Preserve. Otherwise, it’s a completely closed nature reservoir for this part the planet.” Qui-Gon Jinn affirmed this while Obi-Wan Kenobi silently ate and watched them. Touski could never guess what Obi-Wan Kenobi was thinking, but he always had excellent manners. “There is a holo tour available and I thought I might try that later, just to see what you two have been up to.” “I think you would enjoy that,” Qui-Gon Jinn answered, nodding. “How is your cousin?” The ends of Touski’s mouth turned downward and she stopped herself from gulping again. She looked down at their table and the little containers of extra flavorings for her Jedis’ food. Qui-Gon Jinn only smiled when he meant it and he only asked about things he cared about. He was so wonderful. Touski knew she would have to talk about it all when the coms went through to the family anyway. “Yoloski is in the city med-center. For mental deterioration. I never, ever, ever imagined that he was doing so badly. Someone should have been checking on him, but we stupidly believed what that so-called care-giver was telling us.” Touski didn’t even try to keep the anger out of her voice. Qui-Gon Jinn would understand. “I had to call the police to have Yoloski taken away,” she said. “He was raving and he was thin and his eye was all sunken in. He looked a lifetime older than he is. And the water at the farm was filthy.” Touski mentally shuddered at the memory of the brown, crawling swamps that had once been beautiful, deep, blue-green pools, so thick with tasty slime that you could float on top of it. “That Galmy told us that they were still doing small, specialty harvests, but that was a complete lie. They couldn’t possibly have farmed anything in that mess for years. And the house was practically falling down.” A few bubbles formed around her dinner tube as she spoke and she hastily patted them away with her napkin. “Then you will have to assume custody of cousin’s affairs,” Qui-Gon Jinn stated. Touski had told him about the bad reports that they have received from her cousin’s neighbors, but had never imagined that she would find her cousin in such a wretched state. Qui-Gon Jinn laid his hand on the table before her, the same gesture he’d given her when he’d told her about speaking to that awful steward on the transport. Gratefully, Touski laid one finger over it; her touch-muscles caressed his tiny digits underneath. She immediately felt better for having told him what happened. Qui-Gon Jinn’s eyes were like two deep blue specks, their intensity and compassion not diminished at all by their small size. “I assume that you have dismissed Galmy,” he prompted. Touski lifted her finger, adjusted her dinner tube and took a long, slow drink. “Oh, I paid him off and sent him packing. He said he’d sue, but I know all the better lawyers in this town. He doesn’t have a case. The authorities might still arrest him for neglect of his duties, but I would really prefer to never hear anything about him again.” Touski had seriously imagined drowning and squashing that evil little humanoid as she’d held him up to force him to look at the horror that he was responsible for. But the police had been there and they had needed her help with her cousin and Galmy wasn’t worth the trouble. Touski had settled for throwing him, screaming, into the vilest, dankest pond available. “I don’t want to disturb you, but I’ll be up very late comming the family about this whole mess.” Qui-Gon Jinn assured her that this would be no trouble for them. Behind him, Obi-Wan Kenobi watched, his expression respectful and sad. Touski regretted making him sad. “Well, I am very, very glad to hear that your day went much better than mine,” she told them, moving on. “How is your dinner?” Qui-Gon Jinn sucked down a mouthful. She could just see the subtle motion of his neck as he swallowed. “Very good, thank-you,” he answered, gracefully accepting the change of topic. “And yours?” “The yube and mobe amoebae are very good, but the poko algae....they use frozen,” she told him in a low voice, leaning toward him. “Oh, it is very good frozen, but I can still tell.” She sat back, nodding, sucking in more dinner, savoring the aftertaste, but still noting that annoying hint of staleness. They talked about dinner and the hostel and the park and other easy topics while they finished their meals. Touski would have loved to have lingered longer with her Jedi, but after drinking a whole tank, she was just bursting to expel the excess fluid in the fresher, so she excused herself. Hopefully, she thought as she waddled away, things would go better after she talked to everyone else about Yoloski. –o(((O)))oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo(((O)))o– Both Jedi awakened when Touski finally returned to their room. It was well past the middle of the night. Obi-Wan sensed the waves of discord in their roommate; it was much worse than what he’d sensed from her at dinner. Apparently her communications with her family had not gone well. He knew Qui-Gon could sense it, but they both feigned sleep when Touski peeked down at them in their bed bin. She made a quick trip to the fresher before heaving herself into her own bed bin. The room grew quiet again. Qui-Gon went back to sleep again, but Obi-Wan lay awake thinking. Qui-Gon had said that he had done well that day, but could one ever say that visions ever went ‘well’? Obi-Wan had successfully induced his own visions, without Qui-Gon’s guidance, on the fourth try. He had felt drained and spent after each one and they had taken long breaks between them, when they discussed what he had experienced. Visions contained such nonsense, memories jumbled with fancy, like dreams. But in visions he could strongly feel the Force. In dreams the Force might only be a distant memory, if it was there at all. Through the Force, the vision had a substance, a reality that exceeded even the most vivid dream or nightmare. He heartily agreed with Qui-Gon’s warnings, but his mind was still drawn to the things in the visions, following an irresistible urge to pick them apart for meaning. Was the maze he got lost in an expression of insecurity? Why would Jedi Masters wear a blue robes? Would that ever happen? Or was it symbolic? Of what? Would he ever slide down the outer wall of the Jedi Temple? And what had been chasing him? Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He only saw a different shade of black from the dark ceiling he had been staring at. He breathed deeply, quieting his thoughts. He would speak more with Qui-Gon about them in the morning, but he needed to be rested to continue this training. Obi-Wan soon fell asleep, but he dreamed of wearing blue boots. –o(((O)))oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo(((O)))o– Touski lay fitfully in her bed bin. She felt hardly rested when her chrono implant pinged, announcing morning. She flicked a finger to shut it off and pushed herself up out of her bin with her long arms. She might have chosen to sleep late, but it was probably best to visit the med-center early and she did not want to disappoint Qui-Gon Jinn. Tugging her sleeping gown down around her, she padded into the fresher to relieve herself. Then she gave herself a quick body scrub all over and rinsed her mouth out with fresh water. She expelled the water into the basin and it drained away. Belching much more loudly than she intended, she futilely covered her mouth with her hand, hoping that she hadn’t made too much noise. The hostel had a decent pool and she really needed to reserve some time in it. She felt stale all over and a good plunge would be wonderfully relaxing. She needed that. Her other cousins had yelled at each other after hearing her report about how bad Yoloski’s condition was. It had been the most unproductive and fractious meeting, with nothing but ill will and recriminations. Ever with her refereeing, the only thing they had agreed to was that they wouldn’t decide anything until they had a full report about Yoloski’s health and his property. Touski had been upset that Yoloski’s siblings would not even consider looking into arranging transport back to their homeworld until they had more information. Nobody would commit to anything. Touski was heartily glad that she was not one of Yoloski’s heirs. As soon as things were settled with poor Yoloski and his siblings stopped squabbling long enough to designate a custodian, she would divest herself of the whole problem. She pulled her gown back into place and left the fresher to get her two Jedi up. Obi-Wan Kenobi blinked back at her as she set him down. He was always so tense. She patted the fine, brown fuzz on his head. “Good morning, Touski,” he said. “Oh good morning to you, too. I do hope your night was more restful than mine.” She reached down for Qui-Gon Jinn as she spoke. “Good morning, Touski,” he greeted her with a smile. He was as bony as any other humanoid, but his body was as loose and relaxed as a water creature. She liked picking him up; he sat comfortably in her hand. “Good morning, Qui-Gon Jinn. I hope I didn’t disturb you in the fresher just now,” she apologized for her belch. “Not at all,” he assured her, bowing his head. Jedi have such lovely manners, Touski thought as she watched them go to the fresher together. She dressed quickly in her green day-gown, the one that matched her eye. She collected her data disks and holos into her carrying bag and wished her Jedi a good day before leaving the room. Touski’s stomach gurgled as she walked down the corridor to the lift. Determined not to gain any weight on this trip, Touski resolved that in the future she would ask for smaller portions in the dining hall. --- tbc --- -----signature----- Links to all fics -- http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=25405090&brd=10304&start=26223917 The Heart of the Jedi -- http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/26013327 ---- Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, JA and everything you wanted to know about lightsabers
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