Initiates his age were rare. Obi-Wan knew this. He also knew that it was cold as Hoth outside, and the girl had come in wearing only a pair of black leggings, a black, sleeveless tunic, and a wild blonde mohawk. She was short and slim, and something about her eyes looked positively primeval. She was some sort of untamed beast, and she was the most intriguing thing he had seen in years.
He wondered briefly how she still had feet after walking on the bare steel of the Temple�s doorstep. Coruscant�s buildings were infamous for holding unnatural temperatures. He would have wondered about other things, but a sharp swat to the back of his head brought him out of his daydream.
�Ow� Master Yoda, was that really necessary?� Obi-Wan whined.
�Necessary not. Fun, it is.� The little green goblin hobbled off toward the new girl, chuckling under his breath. The Padawan hung back, continuing to watch as the girl was introduced to several council members, knights, and others. Stupidly, he allowed himself to get lost in daydreams, wondering many random things�not all of them proper Jedi topics.
Again, he was snatched out of his reverie by a sharp thwack � this one across the knees. He started to whine again�but never got the chance.
�Obi-Wan, this is Siobhan,� Qui-Gon said evenly, in as polite a tone as he could muster. �She will be training under Master Fisto.� Oafishly, Obi-Wan stumbled over his tongue, attempted to first to shake her hand, then to bow, and succeeded only in getting another whap from Yoda�s cane.
�Calm, boy!� Yoda snorted, and threatened a fourth hit. Embarrassed and blushing, Obi-Wan straightened his back, swallowed, took a deep breath, and bowed as gracefully as he could. Which was not very.
�A pleasure to meet you, Siobhan,� he murmured. Half-way through his rise, he found himself staring straight into her bright purple eyes.
�Sure�I�m hungry�show me around?� she asked hopefully, smiling brightly at him. Again, Obi-Wan felt the heat crawl up his neck and into his ears. He suddenly felt like an over-scrutinized, squashed bug.
�Uh�yeah�� he cleared his throat. �I mean, certainly, My Lady.� Qui-Gon only rolled his eyes and shook his head. The boy was hopeless. Siobhan didn�t seem to notice. She bounded happily up next to him, twisted her arm through his, and dragged him away from the adults. Obi-Wan would have given a weak protest for the benefit of the Jedi Masters, but he didn�t have time. She had him half-way across the room before he could even comprehend that they were alone.
�It feels great to be away from the stiffs,� she said, giggling and practically skipping alongside him.
�Sshhh!!!� Obi-Wan hissed in return, �Don�t say that too loudly�Master Yoda can hear everything!�
�Oh please,� she snorted. �What�s the quickest way to the kitchen?�
�The quickest?� Obi-Wan asked, �or the path of least questions?�
�Oh, definitely less questions.�
�Outside.�
One of the few places on Coruscant that wasn�t made of metal was the boxed-garden area around the Jedi temple. This time of year, it was without vegetation, and very much full of snow. Regardless, Obi-Wan saw fit to drag his shoeless ward through the drifts and up to the back door of the refractory.
Not surprisingly, it was locked. He tried using the Force, but it didn�t work. He tried pulling the sash from his tunic and pulling on the handle of the door. He only succeeded in ripping his sash.
�So, now what, genius?� Siobhan quipped, crossing her arms over her chest.
�Guess we have to go around,� he replied, stumped.
�And how exactly do we explain the fact that my feet are frostbitten, your sash is gone, and you�ve got snow all over your tunic?�
�Well, it is winter��
�Yeah, glad you picked up on that, Sparky.� Rolling her eyes, Siobhan turned, raised her hand, banged hard on the door, and started counting. At four, the door opened, and a small Twi�lek appeared. �Now, before we have to explain why we were behind the building alone, and from the look of both of us, only half-dressed, I�m going to have something to eat.�