AU: Not Milliways continuity -Obi-Wan Kenobi -aiming for angst free for once, damn it!?

[last_kallig]

Ibani has a mounting headache. Stupid Sith scholars of the past and their need to be damnably clever.

Oh, the LITERAL translation is clear enough, the word is blood, but given the time and cultural context, that has AT LEAST 12 different possible meanings.

"If you weren't already several centuries dead, I'd smack you for being insufferably vague," she mutters at the book as she closes it.

"I need a drink."

Comments

[acertainpov]

"Any time," he says as he sits. One day he'll ask her about poking food with the Force, but not today.

He's distracted almost immediately by the book, and lifts the cover curiously, running his pinky finger along the side of the pages.

This is a BOOK. He's never seen one before!

[last_kallig]

"A very old book on imbuing objects with the Force," Ibani explains. The cover is smooth leather, and the paper yellowed with age. "An easier way to keep secrets to oneself than electronic methods, I suppose."

[acertainpov]

"They don't last very long though," Obi-Wan says, coming from a future apparently where digital degradation is lass of an issue.

"I haven't even seen these in the temple library on Coruscant."

[last_kallig]

"Really?" Ibani replies, surprised. "Huh. I suppose I'd never considered that methods of record keeping might differ between the Jedi and the Sith."

She grins. "You know, I don't think I've ever even been in a library? I broke into a place holding a bunch of historical records once on Alderaan, but I didn't have time to really look around."

[acertainpov]

"Never?"

He doesn't think that counts really, but he sighs in something like envy. "I spent so long in the library for my studies. Slept there more than once. It's no fun."

He knows that there's nothing to envy about her training, but not having to spend forever in the library? Tempting.

[last_kallig]

Ibani smiles in amusement at his sigh. "I take it you're more a fan of practical exercises?"

[acertainpov]

"All the time," he says, with a sly grin.

"Which reminds me...

He shakes a hand out of it's wide sleeve, closes his eyes and concentrates...

When a blue shimmer appears in the air between them, he cranks an eye open to see how it looks.

It's, uh, not terrific.

[last_kallig]

"You're doing better!" Ibani says encouragingly. "It's not falling apart anymore, just need to work on the shape and the amount of energy you're putting in to make it solid!"

She's proud of him, and that echos in the Force.

[acertainpov]

He puches that away, slightly embarrassed. He struggles with focusing energy into the Force around them, but emotions and reacting to them is second nature.

"You make it look easy," he complains.

[last_kallig]

"Only because I've had years of practice," Ibani replies. "And more than a decade before THAT of manipulating energy."

She damps down her emotion in the Force a bit, sensing his embarrassment.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan relaxes a little of that. She can feel what she likes, it's okay.

"I'll get it," he says, letting the shield go now. "A bit more practice, it's better than having to read about more history."

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods.

"We should spar sometime," Ibani offers, then sips her beer. "It's been absolutely ages since I've had the opportunity to do that."

Stupid Dark Council position and Sith being, well, Sith.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan raises both eyebrows.

"With your Force shields and cloaks? You'd wipe the floor with me."

That's not a no.

[last_kallig]

Ibani leans forward and grins. "Probably. Could still be fun though."

"Or I could be bribed into forgetting to use those techniques for a bit," she offers, then winks teasingly.

[acertainpov]

He's also got to learn to get past those things eventually so he'll ask for help with that, but for now, there's a pretty lady winking at him.

He leans forward, elbow on the table, chin on his knuckles.

"Bribe you with what?"

[last_kallig]

"Whatever you feel like offering," she replies, leaning in more. Her force presence is warm and electric and there is a definite flirtatious feeling in it now.

"I'm willing to be very flexible in such matters."

[acertainpov]

All that happens is Obi-Wan's eyebrows raise again. His Force presence doesn't change but that's not because he doesn't have feelings, just that he's really disciplined about what he shows.

He likes this. It's different from how Assajj would flirt and so far away from Satine it offers no awkward feelings.

"Maybe I'll just have to owe you - depending on how flexible you are."

[last_kallig]

"That will do," Ibani replies, chuckling warmly.

She glances at the glass that held her beer. "Tragically, my glass appears to be empty. Shall I show you how flexible I am on the battlefield first?" she teases.

[acertainpov]

"Probably best."

He grins and leans back finally, finishing his own beer with a few swallows.

"While we're both fresh."

And not too tired.

[last_kallig]

"Oh yes, I intend to give you my very best, after all. " The best that can be given non-injuriously/fatally at least.

"I'm sure we'll both enjoy it." Ibani reaches into a pocket and pulls out three training lightsabers. "Lucky I happen to have these on me." She puts the sabers on the table. "I'll even let you pick first."

The hilts are plain and straight, more or less identical. The crystal in one is blue, and the others are violet.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan hovers his hand over each of them in tern, and picks up one, which on extending with a couple of swoops, turns out to be one of the violet ones.

"You don't see these much anymore," he remarks. The only Jedi he knows with a lightsaber like this is Master Windu.

[last_kallig]

"They're relatively common among Sith, though not as much as red," Ibani replies. "Both of my lightsabers are violet."

"Shall we?" she asks, gesturing toward the door to the outside.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun!

[acertainpov]

His smile flickers, slightly, as he's never even heard of the Sith before and feels like he should. Red lightsabers also seem strange.

But then he's back, broad and friendly.

"After you."

[last_kallig]

Ibani presumes the flicker is due to the long running animosity between the Jedi and Sith.

She leads the way to a promising looking spot out back with lots of room. (Force-users can really MOVE.)

She activates both training lightsabers and grins wickedly at him. She exhales and her presence in the Force deepens. Ibani is strong, one of the strongest Sith in the Empire. She's surely as strong as any member of the Jedi Council in Obi-Wan's time, maybe stronger.

She crooks one finger at him in a 'come at me' gesture.

[acertainpov]

And poor Obi-Wan is just a Padawan, trained from a three-year old, but still not having been through the Trial. He has natural strength in the Force, of course, and gets a lot of praise from Master Qui-Gon so he might not be totally overwhelmed?

He also has a good chunk of enthusiasm, and is already running at her when she beckons.