The Perk, Wednesday Noon

[saddeserthermit]

This second Wednesday marked the first time Obi-Wan had felt anywhere near settled on this island. Perhaps it was because - outside of minor disputes in class - he and Anakin hadn't really had an encounter since Friday. But frankly, he wasn't here to think about that. Rather, he was looking for a distraction.

He settled into a seat at the Perk with a nice cup of tea. He'd picked a bag at random; tea flavors were both similar and entirely different on every planet he landed on, and he wouldn't make a fuss about it until he figured out which ones were actually drinkable.

So far, this one was fine. He drank it slowly, as he wasn't exactly in a hurry. Fandom's locals were almost all human, but they were still an interesting crowd. Sitting here allowed him the opportunity to people-watch. As the day went on, he found himself ordering subsequent cups, at least until he found a flavor that was completely and utterly terrible.

[[ open! around most of the day. ]]

Comments

[saddeserthermit]

"No," Obi-Wan said truthfully. "The woods have provided adequate space so far."

And he was still a bit worried about leaving the eopies alone in the cold.

[sith_happened]

"Watch out for the alots," Anakin said, "and the teal deer."

[saddeserthermit]

"I've met the deer. They seem quite friendly, if skittish," Obi-Wan said.

Because he'd stopped talking to himself out loud. Funny, that. "What are the alots?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin laughed. "Creatures you'll never meet. They're drawn to bad spelling and worse grammar. The teal deer, though...they might move in the eopies."

[saddeserthermit]

"I'm confident Rooh can take care of herself," Obi-Wan said mildly.

[sith_happened]

"Oh, I'm sure," Anakin said. "I'm just wondering if you are prepared for a herd of teal, shorter eopie-deer."

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

"I would also think she has better taste than that."

[sith_happened]

"Taking up eopie matchmaking now?" Anakin asked, arching up an eyebrow.

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan shot him a look.

"She was already pregnant when I bought her," he said.

He needed to stop.

[sith_happened]

Anakin shot coffee from his nose.

"You need to stop," he gasped, laughing.

[saddeserthermit]

"I do," Obi-Wan agreed. Though for a different reason.

He just felt less lonely when he was joking around with Anakin. Which was... a trap, yes.

[sith_happened]

Anakin chewed on his lower lip, a nervous habit from childhood. "You always were the one with the affinity for pathetic lifeforms," he teased, trying to keep things light.

He could feel the weight of the past trying to crush them as they loitered in a coffee shop and it scared him.

[saddeserthermit]

"No, that was Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said. For similar reasons, he suddenly sounded tired. "He found much worse."

[sith_happened]

Anakin thought of how Qui-Gon had burst into his life and silently counted himself into the collection of pathetic lifeforms.

"Well, Jar-Jar was...trying."

[saddeserthermit]

"To put it mildly," Obi-Wan said, draining the rest of his tea.

[sith_happened]

"He's never showed up here," Anakin said. "It's been a small comfort."

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan put down his cup and considered putting an end to this extraordinarily awkward conversation. It... would likely be the sanest option.

"I'm certain the students would be amused," he offered.

[sith_happened]

"Or horrified. I tended to swing between the two myself," he said. "I should go and do...things."

Yes, things. Important...things.

[saddeserthermit]

There was an actual, real conversation-starter on the tip of Obi-Wan's tongue and it had nothing to do with their more recent, terrible past.

"Things," he echoed.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's cheeks heated. "Yes. Things."

[saddeserthermit]

This was ridiculous. The words looped in his mind - Qui-Gon wasn't always so fond of... to the point of distraction.

Small talk with Anakin was, as it turned out, a bit like torture.

"I see," he said. "Understandable."

[sith_happened]

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck. "So I'll just...go...then."

Smooth.

[saddeserthermit]

So very, very smooth. "If they are urgent things," Obi-Wan said, and wanted to thump himself immediately, because that was at least half an inch offered if anything.

Why did he let Anakin do this to him?

[sith_happened]

"Well, they're not that urgent," Anakin replied, chewing his lower lip.

This was just getting excruciating.

[saddeserthermit]

Now he could either send Anakin away and end it, or... sigh... finish what he started.

He had a vision of many classes spent stammering awkwardly at each other in the halls, and sighed internally. "Then you can spare the time to get me another cup of tea," he said, "and sit down."