ataraxion | (no subject)

[ oh, okay, the sass he recognises. ]

No. Just answers.

[ There's a moment of hard silence as he stares at the other man's braid, and then: ]

I saw you a month ago. You were - [ ...A Master? Defending Quinlan in the Jedi Council against charges of treason? Bearded? ] - definitely not a Padawan.

A month ago?

Do you think I grew a padawan braid this long in a month?

[SASSY PANTS]

Did something happen? You don't look...well, honestly, you look older.

Right.

[ ohhh, okay, you want sass? you've got it now. Quinlan sits back from the video feed and slowly crosses his arms. ]

I'm a Master, Obi-Wan. My own apprentice is a Master. And unless there's been some serious demotion that I don't know about, you should be too. So, yeah, I'd say 'something' has happened here. Something that spans a little more than just a month.

[ a pause. ]

Where you were before you arrived here - Qui-Gon was with you?

[PAUSE]

We were on a mission. Escorting Queen Amidala back to Naboo.

[ Quinlan's expression turns grim - this was reaching back to the days before his memory was wiped and he was dumped on Nar Shaddaa. Back to the life he no longer remembers and merely accepts as facts written down in datapads and mission report holorecords. But he what he doesn't remember he at least knows, and he knows that Naboo was where everything started. The duel against the Zabrak Nightbrother. The re-emergence of the Sith. ]

Back to Naboo. [ he leans forwards again towards the video feed and quietly asks: ] You're sure it was back?

[Obi-Wan's face gets more serious in response. This makes him uneasy, certainly]

Yes. We were there and picked up the Queen, and after a detour to Tatooine, we returned to Coruscant. She wanted to return.

[ And the heavy silence that Quinlan leaves following Obi-Wan's response isn't going to make him any less uneasy, nope. His gaze falls away from the video feed, troubled and distracted, until it comes to rest on the mask sitting just off-camera.

Quinlan had been nearby at the time. He and Aayla could have helped. But for the sake of their cover they had continued - and for what? The death of Qui-Gon, the loss of their own memories? Off-screen the mask, with its slack jaw and sickly pallor, stares back at him until Quinlan forces his gaze back on to the video feed. ]

When you return to Naboo you're going to face your Trial of Courage. [ His tone is simple, matter of fact. ] You have to be prepared, Obi-Wan.

[There's weight to the silence, and Obi-Wan wonders what's happened to his friend. But the words jolt him a bit, make him think]

I can only be as prepared as I am, Quinlan. If these past thirteen years have taught me anything, it's that.

I would like to see you.

[ There's a hint of amusement in Quinlan's grim expression - somewhere in Obi-Wan's words he could pick up the frustrated confidence that could only come with being a Padawan desperate to prove himself in his Trials. If Quinlan said he could remember feeling the same he'd be lying - instead, he nods briefly. ]

Where are you?

Near the shuttle bay. I've been recruited to help the flight team.

[He's been here five minutes and someone already nabbed him.]

[ There's a short laugh and a broader smirk than before as Quinlan replies: ]

Hah. I forgot you weren't nearly so uptight about flying as a Padawan.

What?

[HEY. HEY. THERE'S AN INJOKE HE'S MISSING]

Nothing. You should enjoy flying while you still let yourself.

[ Another smirk. Then: ]

I'm on my way.

[Harrumph. Well, not really. He turns his communicator off and waits, wondering. If Quinlan is more serious, he is still also his old friend, with a sense of humor, at least.

But he wonders what happened, between now and when.]

[ Quinlan's journey across the ship towards his rendezvous with his old friend (or young, as the case may be) takes longer than strictly necessary - the little matter of the mask leaves Quinlan frowning and frustrated until at least he resolves to return it to the safety of his quarters. Obi-Wan would undoubtedly have questions that he wasn't quite ready to answer: why hadn't he destroyed it? Why did he keep it so close by? Questions that would only lead to more hard silences and the realisation that there was more than time that separated the two Jedi.

And so when Quinlan finally arrives down in the shuttle bay he pushes aside their previous conversation. He summons the old, cool smirk of his younger self and crosses his arms, leaning against the landing prop of a half-wrecked shuttle. ]

Forgot how skinny you were as a Padawan. What were they feeding you in the Temple back then?

[ seriously Obi-Wan you look like you're about twelve. ]

[Obi-Wan sensed him; he has grown, older, more powerful, but there is something - it doesn't matter right now. It's his old friend, they've been friends for so long that Obi-Wan can relax, throw off the perfect Padawan that he tries so hard to cultivate.

He turns to look over at Quinlan, his eyebrows raised]

The same thing they were feeding you, I'll assume, except my Master keeps me running after every sad lifeform he comes across.

[Oh, Qui-Gon]

I'll hope that doesn't mean I get fat when I'm a Knight.

[ Ah, Qui-Gon. Quinlan laughs briefly at that, glancing down to his feet as he scuffs a battered boot against the floor of the shuttle deck. Qui-Gon had saved him twice over in the past. With a brief flare of frustration he realised he'd failed to pay the debt even once. ]

Sounds about right, [ he concedes as he pushes the thought away, then raises his gaze to look Obi-Wan up and down. He looks so young. ]

No, not fat. [ ... ] You grow a decent beard, though.

[He scratches his chin a little. If that's all he knows about his future, well, that's not so bad. He slips his hands into his sleeves at the inspection, he's been inspected enough times for this not to bother him]

I'll accept a beard. A beard and a distaste for flying.

And you, Quinlan? You were once a skinny padawan, too.

I was never skinny, [ Quinlan replies loftily with a grin as he pushes away from the shuttle's landing prop - despite the fact that he's more than certain that, yes, he was probably skinny as a youngster. ] Just lean and wiry.

[ Which is the same as skinny, to be honest. He pauses reflectively as he casts his gaze up, up across the half-repaired skeleton of the shuttle. ]

I don't remember for sure, though, [ he admits quietly after a moment of silence, eyes still trained aloft at the ribcage of the shuttle. ] My life - my memories - begin in Nar Shaddaa, nearly ten years ago. Round about the same time you were in Naboo. Everything before that is blank.

[There's a pause there, a regret. He chases it away. There are no regrets.]

We were friends as padawans, too.

I know. First I was told and then - [ He thinks back to a month ago, just before his arrival on the Tranquility. Firefights above the planet of Rendili, a daring battle between Republic and Confederate forces - and a quiet conversation between Obi-Wan and Quinlan as they reminisced about their time as Padawans. Quinlan smiles, then nods to himself. ] - And then you helped me to remember a little of it. Bonds between Jedi are not so easily broken, it seems.

[He suppresses a smile.]

No matter how much you want to forget me, my friend, it seems you're stuck with me.

Especially now. What do you think of this vessel?

It's badly named, [ Quinlan returns simply and with a brief laugh - but then he turns serious and grave. ]

The prevailing mood amongst the passengers is one of fear and frustration - and with good reason.

[ Quinlan pauses to pull an upturned repairs crate closer before taking a seat on top of it, elbows on knees and head uplifted, before continuing. ]

This ship and its current passengers have seen too much Darkness in recent months. If the will of the Force brought us here to help then I have a bad feeling that there will be more to come.

[Obi-Wan reaches out to the inhabitants of the ship: there's fear and hate, all mixed.]

Many of the people I've spoken to seem pessimistic about the situation.

[Oh, and also ridiculously excited about him, for some reason.]

[ He laughs, darkly and completely devoid of mirth. ]

As I said, they have been given too many good reasons. There's been a mutiny once before. Mind-altering gasses and more than one murder...

[ He pauses reflectively before continuing in quieter tones: ]

And yet, there's a fledgling chain of command and responsibility growing amongst the passengers. Roughly a third actively involve themselves in contributing to the running of the ship. There's hope - but I think it's in danger of being lost amongst the darkness.

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