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]

Obi-Wan grins at her for the moment that he can see her face before the blur starts. He steps back for a second, and then leaps in to meet her, hoping at least that his own speed and reflexes will at least keep her from doing too much damage to him, even if he can't get an advantage that way.

[last_kallig]

She doesn't do too much damage, he's quick enough that he can block most of the hits,

They spin around one another, sabers twirling, and Ibani reaches out with a foot to try and pull him in close. Previous Force users she's fought never seem to expect her to try and get in close and grapple...

[acertainpov]

But Obi-Wan's right at home with the physical part of a lightsaber fight! He doesn't jump her foot this time, but the the grapple doesn't quite go as planned when instead of tripping he flips backwards on to his free hand and lands a meter away.

He grins brightly and swings his saber low, on the off chance she's sent herselgff off balance with that move.

[last_kallig]

Obi-Wan lands a solid hit on her left leg with that one!

Ibani's grin brightens, despite the sting of the blow, and she decides to try the less physical side.

She swings both sabers at him, but the real attack is a delicate reach with the Force, just enough pressure to flip the power switch on his lightsaber.

[acertainpov]

It nearly works! Obi-Wan brings his saber up for what would be a perfect block, but notices his saber is off just in time, and leaps back with nanoseconds to spare, Ibani's blades passing within an hair's breadth of his body.

He inhales quickly, impressed, and has his lightsaber on in an instant.

He races at her, assuming that with enouigh speed he can keep her distracted enough to prevent any more tricks like that.

[last_kallig]

It's not a bad plan!

She meets his speed with her own, and there is a fierce joy in the Force as they spar.

This time she turns her own saber off as Obi-Wan blocks, hoping to get the lightsaber past his guard.

[acertainpov]

Again, he catches it just a little later than is really safe, and manages to catch a lightsaber to an arm that is already moving away, so the bow is painful, but still wouldn't have been disabling on full power.

He has to roll, again, and spin around to resume the attack

"So full of tricks," he observes.

[last_kallig]

"I try," Ibani replies.

Ibani blocks his next set of attacks, then switches to wielding her lightsabers with the Force.

The advantage with wielding them this way is that she's not limited to the angles that her body could handle, she can even attack him from the front and from behind at the same time. Plus, of course, her body is free to deal with any openings Obi-Wan might leave in his defenses.

[acertainpov]

What the hell, Ibani?

Obi-Wan is only able to express his surprise with a sharp look at her, before he's a bit preoccupied countering both lightsabers. Although as he does so he reaches into the Force and...

...one of the lightsabers starts slowing down considerably.

[last_kallig]

Ibani grins wickedly and moves to tackle him while he's preoccupied with the lightsabers.

She's stronger and denser than she looks, having spent the entirety of her adolescence on Korriban, which has a gravity of 1.4 instead of 1.

[acertainpov]

She barrels into Obi-Wan just as he's grabbed hold and control of the hilt off the blue lightsaber. Which would be more of a victory except he's now knocked to the ground and has no use of either.

Hands out uselessly to his side, he rocks onto his shoulders to tuck his legs up under her, and kick upwards as hard as he can, just to get her free of him.

[last_kallig]

Ibani allows the kick to arch her body up and over, planting her feet onto the ground where his head was before in something like a backbend.

She hasn't entirely let go of his torso yet when she calls another whirlwind of power, this one big enough for both of them!

[acertainpov]

He raises his eyebrows again at her.

And switches off the lightsabers in his hand, wraps his hands around her back, and pulls her in.

If he's getting dizzy, she can too!

[last_kallig]

Ibani laughs as they spin. "Why, Obi-Wan, if you wanted to embrace me, you only had to ask." Her tone is teasing, but there is flirtation too.

Ibani's purple lightsaber spirals up the vortex to hover over their heads while they spin.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan keeps his eyes on hers.

"I believe you were the one throwing herself at me?"

His hands move up her back, his arms tucked against her side, his face inclined to hers.

[last_kallig]

"You could say I belong to the school of whatever works," she replies, eyes sparkling. "Though in this case it has led to rather more pleasant results than I'm used to."

Her hands move up his back, an embrace as opposed to a grapple. She moves her face close to his, close enough to kiss, and her Force presence warms, curls around him like a purring cat.

"Would you like me to make your head spin for a different reason?" she offers, voice low.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan breathes slowly, keeping his eyes entirely on hers, feeling her breath on his face as he smiles slowly.

"Anything that doesn't involve you dropping that lightsaber on my head."

[last_kallig]

Ibani laughs, "Of course," The lightsaber spirals down, turns itself off, and attaches to the belt around her waist.

Then she leans in to kiss him, warm and gentle. The whirlwind dies, but her reach with the Force holds them both suspended in the air for the moment, lowers them oh so gently to the ground.

If he decides to take that opportunity to say, stab her, well there's always a risk when you're pursuing any reward, isn't there?

[acertainpov]

It's not just her lowering them gently down.

Obi-Wan moves both lightsabers to one hand, which he drops to put in his own belt. The other hand cups the back of her head gently, fingers tucking into her hair, as he returns the kiss, sweet and lightly.

[last_kallig]

She moves one hand to mirror his, gently cupping the back of his head. This feels so good, and her life has held so little pleasure of any kind, she feels like dry ground finally being blessed with rain.

She reaches out to his mind, offers an invitation to her own.

[acertainpov]

There's more hesitation there then was to any physical touch.

Just a little, though, and then he returns it, reaches back to her. He's warm and tender and joyous, and only sharing exactly what he chooses to.

[last_kallig]

Ibani is the same with regard to sharing only what she chooses to. Warmth, tenderness and joy she shares gladly as her arm tightens slightly around him. The depth of the WANT that this has awakened in her, that she keeps to herself. She doesn't want to scare him off, or make him uncomfortable.

She sends a mental image of a location by the lake that she likes, cool, sheltered, the ground covered in moss, with a sense of questioning. Would he like to move over there?

[acertainpov]

He pulls back from the kiss to look her in the eye and in answer just reaches out a hand to the lake, carries them both over without having to do any of the messiness of separating their arms.

But also, he needs to be clear on something.

Jedi can have no attachments. He will always be a Jedi.

He searches her face for an answer, this is only what it is, and he needs too check that she knows that.

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods in understanding. "You are forbidden attachments, I know," she says quietly.

"I am your friend, and I would not ask that you break a rule you hold in such esteem."

This being just what it is is fine so long as he will still be her friend.

[acertainpov]

"Always."

This cannot break friendships, he knows. It's also not about what's forbidden - Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan has a healthy disrespect for the rules. But Obi-Wan is already experienced in what happens when you let yourself get too involved. He already knows the pull of the Dark Side that comes from putting one person above all others, even in the face of what is right for everyone.

But let her think it's about rules, rather than tell her why it is there's that little bit less of him to give.