you were always stronger than i was
Dec. 23rd, 2019 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Obi-Wan is not particularly pleased about the assignment to Ord Mantell to train some princess how to use the Force. Force-sensitives are meant to be pulled by the Temple early on so the child doesn't form familial attachments and since this young woman was meant to be married to some politician from Cerea, there wasn't a chance of her being fully trained and inducted into the Order. This was a goodwill mission, nothing more and nothing less, and Obi-Wan chafed at the assignment when there were more important things to be handled.
"Surely another Jedi - " he'd started, before being silenced by Yoda. "Important to the Republic, Ord Mantell is. Train the princess, you will, and then return to the Temple with a new ally."
It was diplomatic then, more or less. There's plenty of villainy on Ord Mantell outside of army protection to concern him, though, and much of Jedi training is conducted in the wilderness. How would a princess hold up in that? Obi-Wan decides there's no point in arguing it any longer and agrees, intending to perform his duty with grace.
He flies his own ship to Ord Mantell rather than waiting for a transport and lands somewhat away from the palace. When he announces himself, he's brought inside and he expects the usual pomp and circumstance Jedi get on diplomatic visits; he receives it and then some. He feels a presence in the Force, a white hot flame, and realizes it's coming from the slim woman alongside the King and Queen.
"Am I to understand you are Princess Anne, then? My pleasure to meet you," he says, bowing at the waist. "I'm Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and I've been sent to train you on behalf of the Jedi Order. Even if you have no intention of being a Jedi, you should be capable of using the Force to your full potential." He turns back to her parents and strokes his beard a bit, thinking.
"Most padawan training is done away from the temple. I don't think it'll do Anne much good if we keep her here in the palace and treat her with kid gloves. Do I have your permission to train her properly? She'll be in my hands and there is no way anything will happen to her. We'll stay within the sector." Her parents look skeptical for a moment before nodding their assent.
"All right, then. I suppose there's not much point in me settling in. Pack lightly. I have robes and tunics for you on board but I would suggest a sturdy pair of boots, if you have them."
"Surely another Jedi - " he'd started, before being silenced by Yoda. "Important to the Republic, Ord Mantell is. Train the princess, you will, and then return to the Temple with a new ally."
It was diplomatic then, more or less. There's plenty of villainy on Ord Mantell outside of army protection to concern him, though, and much of Jedi training is conducted in the wilderness. How would a princess hold up in that? Obi-Wan decides there's no point in arguing it any longer and agrees, intending to perform his duty with grace.
He flies his own ship to Ord Mantell rather than waiting for a transport and lands somewhat away from the palace. When he announces himself, he's brought inside and he expects the usual pomp and circumstance Jedi get on diplomatic visits; he receives it and then some. He feels a presence in the Force, a white hot flame, and realizes it's coming from the slim woman alongside the King and Queen.
"Am I to understand you are Princess Anne, then? My pleasure to meet you," he says, bowing at the waist. "I'm Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and I've been sent to train you on behalf of the Jedi Order. Even if you have no intention of being a Jedi, you should be capable of using the Force to your full potential." He turns back to her parents and strokes his beard a bit, thinking.
"Most padawan training is done away from the temple. I don't think it'll do Anne much good if we keep her here in the palace and treat her with kid gloves. Do I have your permission to train her properly? She'll be in my hands and there is no way anything will happen to her. We'll stay within the sector." Her parents look skeptical for a moment before nodding their assent.
"All right, then. I suppose there's not much point in me settling in. Pack lightly. I have robes and tunics for you on board but I would suggest a sturdy pair of boots, if you have them."
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Date: 2019-12-24 03:07 pm (UTC)"I was found as a baby and brought to the Jedi Temple. I never knew my parents and my master was the closest to a father I ever had. You're different. We don't recommend training people who have close ties to family because they're unable to shake those ties, unable to commit themselves fully to the neutrality of the Order. It is only at Grand Master Yoda's request that I am here and I am bound by that the same as you are. There's terrible things going on in the galaxy right now, Anne, and I would be remiss not to tell you that you'd be welcomed as a combatant. It's not your place, though. Still, I can teach you a bit about what you should have learned and you'll be able to protect yourself."
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Date: 2019-12-26 08:10 pm (UTC)Anne is aware of the diplomatic tensions all over the galaxy. She's studied them on her own and with tutors and, joining one of the more political families in her region, she's supposed to know appropriate topics and be versed in them for discussions at all the incoming dinner invitations and other fancy to-dos that she will, inevitably, be part of. That she's enjoyed learning for learnings sake is another thing entirely and she understands what he's saying.
As he speaks of his own upbringing, however, her expression softens into one of light distress.
"You never knew your family?"
It's easier than discussing her possible role as a combatant or the connection she'd felt to him and the Force.
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:03 am (UTC)"If I had divided loyalties, I could be tempted by the Dark Side to do things I wouldn't normally do because of attachments. It's forbidden. We're to be selfless and serve the Republic neutrally."
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:13 am (UTC)She ponders him as he says it, listens to what he says about the Dark Side, and again — that pull against her is suddenly so strong that her entire being feels as if it's trying to be part of something (someone) else and she holds her breath without thinking until it eases.
"My loyalties are already divided," she says softly, meaning her family, her upcoming marriage, but feeling deep down that something else is causing her to mention it.
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:33 am (UTC)"I assure you that anything said between Master and Padawan is sacred," Obi-Wan says after a long moment. "And make no mistake, you are my Padawan right now. If you wish to talk about it, I am happy to listen."
Anne feels like a bright flame in the Force, something Obi-Wan is drawn to even if he shouldn't be. He's never felt such a strong bond with someone he's known for such a short time and he wonders at the why of it. Is she that strong in the Force and able to mask it somehow? That would make her more powerful than most Jedi Masters.
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:43 am (UTC)Her tone is gentle, but questioning.
"Now you're one more addition to that division and it feels..." She trails off as she watches him, her eyes on his. "I feel drawn to you in a way I've never felt drawn to anyone." He did assure her that it was a private conversation. "Why?"
Even more than being that strong and being able to mask it, she's unaware that she's doing it at all.
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:47 am (UTC)"It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. I'd like to try something. I have a thought it might be something I remember my master telling me about once in passing but to test it, I need your trust. Do I have it?"
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:51 am (UTC)There's something in her that knows, just knows, that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
"I trust you."
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Date: 2019-12-27 01:55 am (UTC)When he's beneath her walls, he very nearly staggers and has to grip the back of the cockpit chair to keep his balance. He feels as if he could manipulate every cell of her body and, in turn, she could do the same to him. There's a white room, blank, and he can see Anne there in simple clothes.
He reaches for her and touches her shoulder, then her cheek. "Do you feel it in your body? Even though I'm feet away from you physically?"
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:01 am (UTC)It's quiet and sure, even as she tilts her head into his touch, bringing up her own hand to rest over his. Rather than being startled by the touch, it's warmth and gentleness leave her feeling as relaxed as if she were in a bath without a care in the world.
Testing, she moves her fingertips over his hand and down to the inside of his wrist, her touch light.
"Your touch is calming, Master Kenobi."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:08 am (UTC)"I'm going to do something," Obi-Wan says, reaching for her hair. He separates a bit just behind her ear and pulls it forward, letting the rest stream back over her shoulders. He braids it deftly and fixes a set of lapis beads to the end of it to secure it."
"Now you have a proper padawan's braid. Not the haircut, as I couldn't bear to do that to you, but you're a real apprentice now. The beads used to be mine. When you finish your training, you can give them back if you want."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:16 am (UTC)All she sees is his standing in front of her in the room he's created for them, his fingers deftly working her hair, and as he finishes with the beads, she changes the scenery to her favorite garden from the palace. It's still devoid of anyone, naturally, but the sight brings a smile to her face. The greenery.
"I wouldn't want to keep something important to you," she says as he pulls back, a smile appearing on her face. "One day, I hope you see the gardens in the palace. I believe you'd enjoy them."
Before he can go far, she reaches up to touch his cheek gently, her fingers moving toward the edge of his beard.
"Do all Jedi invade the minds of others like this?" It's inquisitive, not accusatory, though she doesn't stop touching him.
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:21 am (UTC)"My master told me that the old texts mentioned something like this, two minds that were one in the Force and able to touch one another over long distances and affect physical environment. It's rare and it probably hasn't been seen for thousands of years."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:25 am (UTC)Her hand trails over his jaw and down his neck to his shoulder before she goes on. "Whenever I've been forced into meetings or educational moments, I let my mind wander to the gardens I'd rather be in. These gardens. They calm me whether I'm in them or imagine them."
Anne lets her hand fall from his shoulder and watches as he explains. "I wonder if this is influenced by distance. You're not far."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:30 am (UTC)"Come back to consciousness and speak with me in person. We'll have to test distance when we land."
As much as he's loathe to leave this snug, intimate place they have things to do other than link their minds and touch one another.
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:32 am (UTC)Anne focuses on the lack of view outside the ship, but finds her glance returning to Obi-Wan, the curiosity obvious.
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:39 am (UTC)"I touched you there," Obi-Wan says, drawing close enough to touch the thin braid that's now flipped over her shoulder. "And it affected you here. Anne - I know you have a marriage arranged but I must urge you to consider associating yourself with the Order instead. This is unique."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:45 am (UTC)Political only.
A moment later, she has to satiate her curiosity and reaches out herself, fingertips brushing over the hair on his face. Her smile returns. "It's just as soft as —" when our minds were linked, she thinks, but does not say, before moving her hand away from his face. She'd just needed to know.
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:50 am (UTC)"I feel like i have to say I'm too old for you, Anne, among other things."
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Date: 2019-12-27 02:58 am (UTC)It's far easier to mention age in relation to the relationship they're supposed to have instead of the longing she feels when she's near him. The urge to touch him remains and, without entering the place that connects him, she reaches out into that magnetic hum and draws an imaginary finger down his spine.
Her eyes, of course, remain forward, focusing on the planet it looks as if they're approaching.
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Date: 2019-12-27 03:01 am (UTC)"But we have to focus on your training, Anne. That's why you've come with me."
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Date: 2019-12-27 03:06 am (UTC)The words are meant to be a question, but they come in the form of a command. Even as she says them, she imagines that same finger tracing a figure eight on his lower back.
"Devastate me, Master Jedi."
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Date: 2019-12-27 03:14 am (UTC)Mindful that his actions here affect the real world, when he pushes her down onto a bench and works her trousers off, he takes care not to rip them. Once they're down past her knees, though, he slides his hands between her thighs and teases her open with slow circles of his thumbs. Another part of his mind is occupied with teasing her nipples into hardness.
"Devastated yet?"
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Date: 2019-12-27 03:23 am (UTC)The sensation is nearly overwhelming. No one has ever touched Anne like he is, not even Anne herself. She feels her body responding to his touch as she arches her hips into his fingers, a soft moan escaping as her nipples tighten and she feels a sexual awakening unlike anything she's ever imagined. It's thrown at him through their connection; arousal, awareness, that touch and how it feels, and she leans into it with as much want and desire as she can.
"Yes," comes her breathless response, though she's nowhere near devastated enough, and her head drops back on her shoulders, both hands moving to his hair this time.
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Date: 2019-12-27 11:30 am (UTC)"We just need to...this is more than I have ever expected to have with a person but it's not right to take advantage of you through this bond, Anne. I'm your master and your teacher. I shouldn't be doing this."
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