"When in Rome......" (a JA fanfic)

Thanks guys! Sorry for the whining, I was kind of bumming the other day. But I'm afraid I have some bad news, and that is that I don't have more story yet. I'm really sorry! I was gonna get on the computer last night to finish typing it, but the owners of it were on the thing 'til way late. I fell asleep around 12:30 waiting for a chance to get on. And now I'm at the library, and I only have two hours on this thing, so there's no chance to post here. I will try my best to have more tonight, but I have no idea if I'll get a chance. And I can't stay up too late 'cause I got the early shift at work again. Aaaarrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh! I hate this! Again, I apologize. Thanks for being so patient, you guys.

 

Gives the customary....

"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL"

Kithera

 

All right, I now come bearing more story! The Owners of This Computer(to be henceforth designated by the initials TOTC) were watching T.V. tonight, so I saw my chance to get on and grabbed it! However, this is the post I am most worried about the reaction to, 'cause I don't want anyone to think I stole anyone else's idea, or that this idea has been overdone or something. (Which I don't think it has, but I don't know what everyone else thinks) And I swear to you all that I have had this idea in my head since Christmas, like I stated in my first post. So anyway, I will post the story now so you all can see what I'm babbling about.

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After Maia hugged her father, they all began talking at once. They all had questions.

"Where in the name of the Great Sun were you?!"

"Who are those people you brought back with you?!"

"Why are they dressed so strange?"

"What is that thing the older one is holding?"

"Where did you get those scratches on your legs, Maia?"

The chief held up his hands. "Peace!" he said in a commanding voice, and the hall immediately fell silent. "Now, if you will all refrain from asking questions for just a few minutes, Maia can tell us her story. But first," he gestured for his aide again, "fetch Yaru, and apologize for interrupting his meditations. He needs to hear this too."

Maia groaned inwardly. Yaru was a lunatic, at least in her opinion. He was the village priest, only twenty-one years old, and he had the greatest sway with the chief as the official representative of the Great Sun. Maia wondered uneasily what he would think of the two men. He was always thinking up crazy new rituals and doing things that were just plain strange. But at least he was not evil, like his father had been, who died two years ago. He was just really weird.

After a few minutes, the aid returned with Yaru. He was covered from head to foot in orange pigment today. (Yesterday it had been yellow.) Even his hair was orange. He wore a blue and orange striped kilt that hurt everyone's eyes who looked at it. His only adornment was a kabir claw necklace, a boast of his great skill in the hunt. His eyes went immediately to the two men, sizing them up. Maia turned to see their reaction. Obae-wahn was gaping at Yaru with his mouth hanging slightly open. Que-gun, on the other hand, was gazing at the priest with a calm, steady look. Maia got the eerie feeling that he was trying to see into Yaru's soul. The priest must have felt the same, because he turned away abruptly and proceeded to ignore the two strangers.

The chief cleared his throat and addressed Maia. "Now, I suggest you start at the beginning Maia, and tell us exactly what happened yesterday. Then we will address the strangers and decide what is to be done with them. Proceed." He waved his hand for her to begin her tale.

Maia cleared her throat, wondering where she should start. She knew her father would be angry if she told him that she had lost Toi, but there was no way she could pretend that he had not been eaten by kabirs and had climbed a tree. So she started at the beginning, with her losing track of where they were going. She knew full well that her father would be delivering a lecture before this day was over. Oh well. She told the tale in full, and even gave a demonstration of the kabir battle, imitating the humming of the light swords the two men fought with. That part greatly impressed all present, and she knew they were all wishing they had been there. Yaru looked especially fascinated.

When Maia finished her tale, there was silence for several seconds. Then finally the chief spoke. "So, the two strangers have indeed come from the stars, bearing weapons of great power. We must endeavor to discover why they have come; yet we cannot talk to them as our differing languages prevent it. So we must rely on revelation from the Great Sun, conveyed to us by his representative." He turned to the priest, and Maia uneasily wondered what he would decide to do.

"They are a threat to the tribe,

 

Very nice, hmmmmm does this ritual involve Obi-wan torture??? 'cos if it does I'm looking forwards to it!

Kithera

 

Well, Kit', it involves having his ears pierced (just like the pig), a sword poked in his back so that he will say "I do" at the right time, and then bride and groom are handcuffed together until the consummation of their marriage. And if that isn't Obi-Torture, I don't know what is. RIGHT, BASTET? Just kidding. Oooh, I love it when Obi-Wan gets forced into these things! It could only get better if Maia's father suddenly decides that Qui-Gon would be the right man for his recently widowed sister...

 

I love it Bastet! I can't wait to see what happens next. Please post soon.

 

I love it!!!!!

Sounds like Obi could be in for an interesting time!!! Just how do you think the ex-intened is going to take this new arrangement????

 

LOL Ut Oh whats Obi-Wan got himself into this time.
Heheheeheheee

Yeah I agree with Jane Jinn. The Chief ought to decide that Qui-Gon would make the perfect match for his widowed sister. And his widowed sister is large, she has missing teeth and the rest are black,stringy hair and warts all over her face. Hahahahaahaaha

 

Ack! This was on page what?! And it's 'cause I haven't updated in how long?! For shame, for shame! I'm such a slacker. I actually had most of this next post typed on Monday night, but I was feeling too bad to finish it, and then this computer went haywire before I could get around to posting it. But now it's back up, and so am I, sort of. So here's more story! I apologize if it's boring, the next post will have more action in it, and less mushiness.

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Qui-Gon, once more hefting the comm unit, and his apprentice followed Maia, Toi, and the chief's advisor out of the village hall. The big Jedi was relieved that the crowd from earlier had dispersed. Qui-Gon took another moment to familiarize himself with the layout. The sun alter was on the east side of the "+", which made sense. The stone ring was on the south, and the village hall's double doors also opened on the south. When they had arrived, they had come in from the southeast, and now they were headed northwest.

Qui-Gon sensed several people nearby as they made their way around the southwestern corner of the building. He soon saw why, the western side of the common ground was a bustling open-air market place. There were several rows of wooden tables set up, laden with everything imaginable. Weapons, baskets, clothes, blankets, flowers, dishes, toys, and, of course, food. There was the inevitable muja fruit, (that stuff really does grow everywhere), but Qui-Gon did not recognize much else. Unlike the other sides of the common ground, the market place area had small buildings pressed right up against it. He assumed they must be shops. They had words painted above the doors, but of course the Jedi master could not read them.

As their group passed the market place, the people close by looked up and immediately forgot all about what they had just been doing. A low, excited murmur of speculation ran through the crowd, and soon every head in the market place was watching them. Several people moved to follow them, but the chief's advisor put up a hand and said something in a loud, commanding voice that halted the onrush. The people reluctantly complied, but instead of going back about their business, they just stood there and stared. Qui-Gon sighed inwardly, as he realized he would just have to get used to every eye in the village on him and Obi-Wan at all times. At least they were not hostile. Not yet, anyways.

Soon, they left the market place behind and were headed toward the north side of the common ground. To his surprise, Qui-Gon saw that it was empty. I wonder what they use that for? It was lined with trees, and there was a wooded trail leading away to the north. But before the Jedi could ponder its use further, the chief's advisor turned away and headed into a cluster of houses behind the trees on the west. They were average size, and each had a walled garden, but most of them appeared un-lived in. Qui-Gon assumed that they must be guesthouses of some sort.

The chief's advisor stopped for a moment, considering the houses, and soon he and Maia were arguing about something. Qui-Gon guessed it was over which house to put them in. He turned to his apprentice, and was concerned to see that Obi-Wan was leaning heavily against the nearest garden wall. He moved to stand beside him.

"Are you alright, padawan?" he asked, putting his free hand on the young Jedi's shoulder and giving it a fatherly squeeze. He knew the morning's hike must have been exhausting for him, as he was already hurt.

"Yes, master, I'm alright," Obi-Wan replied. "Just a little tired. What do you suppose happened back there, at the village hall? I couldn't really follow what was going on."

Qui-Gon frowned in thought. "I didn't really follow it either, Obi-Wan. I know Maia said something shocking that no one was expecting, and that she didn't seem too happy about herself. But whatever it was, it seems to have resolved things for now."

The young Jedi nodded. "What did you think of that orange guy, master? Is he the priest, perhaps?

 

Awww.. that was sooo sweeet

*Gasp*

I can't believe I'm saying this. It had pig drool in it and I found it sweettt....

 

Bastet! I was wondering just last night where you'd got to and when you were going to post on this delightful story, and now here you are! I ought to think of you more often. Anyway, it was a great post! I loved the way Obi-Wan tried to keep the pig out of the house and the way Toi retaliated by slobbering all over him. Wonderful! I read an article once about a woman who had a pet pig who always rubbed up against her leg and it was "like being massaged with a Brillo pad. She would always wear that red rash of affection." Anyway, now that our favourite Jedi have had food and rest, it must be time for their next adventure!

 

I'm sorry about your throat. I UNDERSTAND. Believe me. I do. If anybody around me just gets a normal cold. It goes straight to my throat. In fact on my birthday, I was SOOOOOOOOO SICK. I couldn't eat anything. No cake, no anything. And what I did eat didn't stay down.

Of course you don't want to hear that.
LOL Anyway, that was NOT boring. I really liked it. The stories don't have to be in action all the time. Heck mine certainly aren't. I mean if thats the case, I must bore people to DEATH.

I really liked that last post. AWWW poor Obi. He has nooo idea that another girl is stalking him. heheehee For his own good though. U huh. sure.

 

The pig part was sooo funny!! hee hee! I was laughing out loud! Pig slobber!

I liked the mush, too. It's good to get a little mush before things get too bad...And I figure they're about to get bad. That last bit about Obi relaxing gave a real sense of foreboding!

Don't make us wait so long for the next part!

 

I was thrilled when I saw a new post on this story, it is wonderful!!!! I hope you don't make us wait this long for the next post.

I loved the scene with the pig, tooooo funny!! I just wonder what Obi-Wan will do when he finds out he has to marry the girl?!?

BTW I am glad you are feeling better

 

Alright! It's only been five days, and already I'm back with more story. Let me just say that I had this all ready to post last night, it was on the notepad and everything, but the computer wouldn't let me get on the 'net! It said there was no dial tone, even though the modem line was connected. But it's working now, thank goodness. I was feeling deprived of fan fiction all day today.
Eryce, I'm glad you liked my last post, despite the pig drool ; Jane Jinn, thanks for thinking about me, I feel special ; JKOW, you're stories aren't boring! I think 'The Business of Revenge' is fabulous, it's one of my favorite stories around here right now; and Darth Tristeza and Kelly Kenobi, I hope five days wasn't too long.
I'm glad you all liked the last post, 'cause I am afraid I must say that this one is iffy. Yup, really iffy. Extremely Iffy! Anyway, I'll quite babbling and post it now.

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An hour after he came back in from the garden, Qui-Gon was totally immersed in trying to fix the comm unit. He had taken out several fried components, the ones that would need to be replaced, and laid them on the table. Luckily the comm's power source was still intact, otherwise they would be in serious trouble. Stuck here forever, more than likely.

Qui-Gon surveyed the pieces once he had them all on the table. Their shape was not overly complicated or intricate. If these people could make door hinges, they could make these things. But he knew that it would take some time. He hoped they could manage to keep in the good graces of their hosts until then.

A movement from the bed caught Qui-Gon's eye. He looked up to see Obi-Wan roll over in his sleep, mumbling, and causing the covers to fall half off onto the floor. The Jedi master got up from the table and went to the bed to straighten the covers. He smiled down at the peacefully sleeping young man, and saw that Obi-Wan's padawan braid had fallen across his face. He gently brushed it aside to lie on top of the blanket.

Qui-Gon turned away from his slumbering apprentice to head back to the table. He had barely taken two steps when there was a loud knock on the door. He knew instantly that it was not Maia, for she would not have knocked so hard. He turned and headed for the door, but before he could get there, another loud knock disrupted the tranquility of their house.

"M-master?" came the sleepy voice of his padawan from the bed. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, annoyed that whoever it was had woken up his apprentice. "But we're about to find out." He reached the door and pulled it open. There stood the chief, and the man the Jedi recognized as Maia's father, Kael, standing beside him. Another advisor stood behind the other two men. The chief gestured into the house, and Qui-Gon stepped aside to let the three men in. The Jedi master was slightly taken aback when they ignored him, and instead went straight to Obi-Wan, who was now sitting up on the bed, alert.

The chief held up his hand in greeting. "Mawala," he said.

Obi-Wan blinked. He looked over at Qui-Gon, who could only shrug. The young Jedi turned back to the chief and held up his own hand. "Mawala," he said, a bit uncertainly.

A small smile played about the chief's lips. He nodded approvingly and turned to Maia's father, who stepped forward. It was then that Qui-Gon noticed he was holding a rolled up scroll of yellowish paper in his hand. It was tied with a leather cord that had green feathers on either end. With a bow, Kael presented the scroll to Obi-Wan.

"Uh, thank you," the young man said hesitantly, taking the scroll from Kael.

The three men stood still, looking at Obi-Wan expectantly.

"Oh right," he responded, and proceeded to untie the scroll.

Qui-Gon came over to sit next to his padawan on the bed. He wished he had any sort of idea what this was all about. The demeanor of the three men was very businesslike as they stood waiting for his padawan to look at the scroll. Obi-Wan got it untied and started to unrol

 

Surprise surprise, here is one more post! This short scene is mainly so that the Extemely Iffy fight scene will make a little more sense.

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Later that night, Maia sat by the window of the house she shared with her parents and Toi, waiting for her brother Ghenni to come by and see her. After the fight, Ren had requested that Ghenni attend an impromptu sympathy gathering held in his behalf. Such sympathy gatherings were a way of life in the village, but not everyone approved of them. They were more commonly known as pity-parties, actually. They were a way for someone to bemoan his or her situation, and receive comfort and advice from his trusted friends. It was considered a grievous slight to refuse to attend someone's sympathy gathering, which was why Ghenni was attending, even though he hated the things.

Ren had already held one the day he failed her father's marriage test, and Ghenni had been invited then, too. Maia had drilled him with all the details afterward, and she was planning to do so again. Those pity-parties could last all night, so she settled herself comfortably next to a sleeping Toi and waited.

Her thoughts drifted to the events of a few hours earlier, when Dengi had fought with Obae-wahn. She had been highly impressed that Obae-wahn had done so well. He had shown true honor, as well as impressive fighting skills. Dengi had been made by her father to humiliate the young man, so that he would get angry and seek revenge. But it was a highly dishonorable thing to attack an unarmed opponent. Her father wanted to see if it was possible to get her prospective husband mad enough to attempt it. He called it his 'honor in the face of adversity' test. And of course it was also a test of fighting skills, but her father valued honor more, as he should. Obae-wahn had exceeded her father's expectations, and his faith and trust in the young man had increased a great deal. In fact, Maia had heard him discussing the menu of the wedding feast with her mother before they went to bed.

Ren had also become convinced that Obae-wahn would pass the whole test, hence the early pity-party. She would have to talk to him. She was also going to have to talk to Obae-wahn and his father, because she was all too aware that they had no idea what was going on. But both conversations could wait until morning, she decided tiredly.

She dozed off waiting for Ghenni to arrive, but woke up when she heard him coming down the path. She got up and quietly opened the door to let him in. He lived with his small family several houses away, but they still saw a great deal of each other. They were close, and always had been, as they were the only sibling the other one had. Ghenni looked grave as he stepped into the house. "Ren is insane," he began without preamble.

"So tell me what happened, and don't leave anything out," Maia ordered as she gestured for her brother to sit at the table.

"Well," Ghenni began, sitting down with a sigh, "at first, he wanted us to help him think of ways to kill Obae-wahn. Poisoning, stabbing, drowning, and strangling were just a few of his ideas. But we managed to talk him out of murder, since he would never be allowed to marry you then. So he settled for sabotaging tomorrow's marriage tests. He thought it would be a good idea to put lead weights in your pockets for the strength test."

Maia raised her eyebrows in disapproval. "He did, huh?"

"Don't worry, we talked him out of sabotage too. We pointed out that Obae-wahn's father would be sacrificed if he failed, so Ren gave up. It was pretty pathetic, I must say. The poor guy. We started drinking then. Of course Ren had way too much, and he got drunk and started singing."

Maia groaned.

"Yup, he sang a stirring rendition of 'Lonely Island' and 'Lost Love.' And then he made up a new song, which I have to confess I helped him with. It's called 'There's a Tear in My Minga Berry Wine.' It's actually quite good, if I do say so myself." Ghenni smiled. "And Temi wrote down all the words. We'll

 

Not iffy at all!! The fight was very well written, I knew at all times what Obi was thinking and feeling and IMHO that is the most important thing. The discription of the action was also very well done. Also, I love the song title 'There's a Tear in My Minga Berry Wine' a little humor is always welcome.

BTW I will try not to be to impatient for the next post, I can't promise anything, 5 days is just about as long as I can take!!!

Thanks for such an enjoyable story!!!

 

Ohh not iffy at all. Great post. Heheee poor Obi-Wan, he has no idea why they are picking on him. Uh Oh. How is he ever going to get out of it. LOL
Great post and glad to hear there will be much more coming.

 

Obi-Wan, I would have to say that your fight against Ren was very...fruitful. I like the way that Obi-Wan's training helps him come out the victor in this particular conflict. And the idea of a pity party is so sweet! I like that tradition! And "There's a tear in my Minga Berry Wine". Awwww. But I'm sure that Obi-Wan would be able to overcome any sabotage on Ren's part, with the help of his Jedi training, so just let him try!

 

oh dear oh dear...how DOES Obi-Wan keep getting in these messes?

 

Aarrgghh! What happened to this thread? It cut off in the middle of my last post, so now I can't see any replies. I hope posting this will fix it.
I'm still hard at work on the next installment, which like I said will be up on Saturday, unless something dreadful happens in the meantime. And now I have an idea for another story swirling around in my head, but I don't have it thought all the way through yet. It's gonna have a lot of Obi-torture in it, maybe too much, mainly of the angsty variety. I'll start writing it and see what happens, but this story still comes first for now, of course.

 

Bastet, wonderful ideas. Poor girl sacrificing herself that way to keep Ob-Wan and Qui-Gon from being killed. heh,heh,heh

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Geneva,Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bastet:
I'm still hard at work on the next installment, which like I said will be up on Saturday, unless something dreadful happens in the meantime.
And guess what? Something dreadful happened! The computer I am posting my story with developed a major problem that very day, and I couldn't use it all weekend. I am at the library right now, 'cause I was feeling majorly deprived of fan fiction. The computer may or may not be fixed today, so I may or not be able to post tonight. I have it all written out in my notebook, which is almost out of pages, BTW. I'll have to start on another one.

 

Sorry about the sithly computer

So glad to hear you will have a new post soon! This is such an enjoyable story, I can hardly wait for the Wedding

 

Woohoo! The computer is now sort of fixed, so I'm back with more story. It's not a terribly interesting post, but it was necessary, I'm afraid, so the two Jedi boys can finally know what's going on. I hope it makes sense. As always, feedback is very much appreciated!

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Maia headed for Obae-wahn's house first thing in the morning in order to take him and his father breakfast. Only Rika was with her this time, since they only had one plate each to give the guests. Rika was two years older than Maia, and already the mother of three. They had grown up best friends, and often went to each other for advice. She also happened to be Ren's oldest sister.

"Obae-wahn did very well yesterday, we were all impressed. He would make a good warrior," Rika said conversationally.

"Mmm," Maia responded, her thoughts elsewhere.

"And a good husband," Rika continued. That brought Maia out of her reverie. She glanced over at her friend, to see Rika watching her closely. The older woman raised her eyebrows. "Don't you think?"

"Well yes, but-" Maia stopped walking to face her friend. "So you approve of our match,
then? What about Ren?"

Rika sighed. "Ren understands. I don't know if he'll ever get over you, though. You're the only girl he's ever wanted, after all. I'll have to see what I can do about that."

Maia looked suddenly hopeful. Rika was good at matchmaking. "Really? Do you have anyone in mind? He needs someone to cheer him up. Take his mind off of me."

Rika sighed again. "I don't have anyone in mind yet. It's a little early anyway. If he'll even listen to me in the first place, which I doubt. He's pretty stubborn."

Maia smiled sadly. "I know," was all she said.

They continued on in silence for a little while. As they headed down the path between the guesthouses, Rika cleared her throat, a bit awkwardly. "So, does Obae-wahn and his father have any idea what's going on, Maia?" she asked.

"I doubt it Rika. No one's tried to tell them." She glanced away from her friend's incredulous stare.

"No one? I can't imagine what they thought about yesterday's episode! They must think we're a bunch of crazy savages who like torturing our guests with fruit and knife fights! I'll be surprised if they didn't make a break for it during the night, though I certainly hope they didn't." She turned to look Maia squarely in the eyes. "You have to tell them. I'm not letting you leave their house until you're sure they understand exactly what's going on."

Maia looked down at the ground, defeated. "All right, all right. I was planning to tell them today anyway." Rika looked skeptically at her friend. "Really, I was!" Maia defended herself. She shuffled her feet along guiltily. "Just not this early."

"Uh huh." Rika led the rest of the way to the guesthouse.

"I have no idea how to make them understand, all right?" Maia said, trying futilely to postpone the inevitable.

"Don't worry," Rika commented over her shoulder as she knocked on the door. "You'll think of something."

Maia groaned. She looked around as they waited for one of the men to answer the door. There was a bucket sitting by the front door, and a few pieces of wet brown robe hanging on a bush to dry. There were also several soapy puddles on the path. What made the native girl raise her eyebrows was the site of Obae-wahn's clothes, now mostly free of juice stains, hanging on a tree to dry. She nudged her friend and pointed. "Look at that, Rika. I wonder what Obae-wahn is wearing now. I don't think they had any extra clothes with them."

The other woman smiled mischievously. "He must be in the natural. Oooh la la!"

"Rika!" Maia blushed.

Then they both started giggling. It was just then that the door was answered. Que-gun stood there, his own eyebrows raised curiously. This time both girls blushed. Unable to say anything, not that it would matter anyway, Maia held out the plate of food she was holding and gestured in the house, wondering if the big man would let them in. To her surprise, he smiled