The 212th and 501st
Obi-Wan looked over Anakin carefully. “You'll take care of yourself, right, Ani?”
“Of course, Master. I'm going to be a Knight. I have to be responsible for myself. The healers say my arm is healing well. They're not happy that I'm taking my Trials as scheduled and that I'll be going out to the war right away after, but apparently 'at least it's not my leg or my whole arm'.” Anakin grinned, then sobered up. “I know it's not ideal, and I don't really want to go so soon either, but I want to help, and there's not nearly enough qualified Jedi who can be good generals. The sooner I get out there, the better.”
Obi-Wan hugged his padawan. “I'm proud of you, padawan. You've come so far, and I am certain you will do wonderfully as a general. They've put me temporarily in charge of your troopers so that they're not idle while waiting for you. I'll make notes for you, if you want me to.”
Anakin grinned. “I would love notes.” Then he frowned. “I know my social skills are somewhat lacking, still, when it comes to people outside the Jedi... I don't want to screw up with them and I get the feeling they haven't had easy lives.”
“You're most likely right. I'll get you the notes of everything I notice,” Obi-Wan promised.
“Thanks.” Anakin fidgeted.
“Do you need advice now?”
“I think so... maybe? I don't know.” Anakin let out a huff. “I've been staying in contact with Padme and I really like her. I think she likes me. I'm pretty sure she's been hinting at dating, but she did mention that we shouldn't do so openly? Probably because she's a senator and I don't think it'd look good if she was dating a Jedi right now, especially with us being in the war and her being so against it.”
“You're right about that. Naboo also has some... interesting views on public relationships when one is a target. They have ways to show they're married to those who know the culture, without the rest of the galaxy finding out, even. I'm not surprised she wants to hide it and it probably would be for the best if you did start dating.”
“You think I should go for it?”
Obi-Wan sighed. “I don't know. I've never had a relationship, Ani, you know this. I think you need to consider everything carefully. The pros, and the cons. You're not good at being subtle and hiding things. Would you two be able to hide your relationship entirely from those you don't want to know? Is it worth trying a relationship now, in the middle of war when you can't always see each other, when you don't know if you're truly compatible? And then, after all those questions, you should ask the Force what it thinks. Is now the right time?”
Anakin crossed his arms, tilting his head. “That makes sense. There's a reason we have relationship counseling and it's necessary for serious relationships. I don't think I can convince her to do that now... maybe after the war if we're still together... I do really like her. Um. Do you know how I can, you know. Be a good partner?”
“I'd ask Kit. He's dated others before. Feemor and Shaak probably have some good advice. And if you're feeling really brave, you might get some good advice out of Mace and Plo. I don't have the experience to truly be able to help you on what works, and even then, you and Padme will be different as a couple than every other couple, because you're each your own unique person.”
Anakin sighed, looking a bit put out. “Well... I guess I have some time to ask them while I'm stuck here...”
Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around his padawan. “Ani, there is one bit of advice that I can give you though. As with friendships and familiar relationships, the most important thing is going to be communication. Communicate as clearly as you can, and clarify instead of assuming. If she says one thing, but means another and you go with what she says, well, that's not entirely on you. Communication will really help you go far in keeping a relationship afloat even through the hardest times.”
Anakin leaned in and then hugged his master, sighing. He was going to miss being able to get hugs and cuddles whenever he wanted. “Okay. I will keep that in mind. I'm sure Master Kit will have better ideas on how to do a first date and ask her out, then.” He pulled away, tilting his head. “But why don't you date, Master?”
Obi-Wan tugged his padawan braid. “It's a bit of an explanation, but it doesn't have anything to do with you. Except in people assuming so. It's... mostly a relic of my short time as a slave when I was a padawan. And waiting for the right person that I'd be willing to take the chance on. Maybe one day. But for now, I'm happy as I am, and I am very proud of you, Padawan, and next time I see you, the next time we work together, you will be a Knight, and I cannot wait for that.”
Anakin blushed. “Thank you, Master. I hope I live up to your expectations.”
“I am certain you will.” Obi-Wan gave him one last hug. “But we have delayed my departure long enough.”
“Right... May the Force be with you.”
“May the Force be with you, Ani.” Obi-Wan gave his padawan one last fond smile before leaving their rooms.
.
Obi-Wan had to take a moment to pause and breathe as he came upon the area where he would be meeting both the 212th and 501st. Things had been happening so fast. War was declared that day on Geonosis, but it had only been a couple of weeks. He technically shouldn't even be cleared for duty, nor should Kit. Quinlan was barely okay, though of course he would never let on that he was experiencing any difficulty. They had to move fast before the Separatists could fully entrench their positions while the Republic scrambled to keep up.
But... Obi-Wan wasn't ready for this. He didn't like war. He never had, not since Melida/Daan. But they were doing their best. Yes, he was a general, but he wasn't on the Council. He didn't have much more responsibility than the average Jedi master, and what he did have was because Anakin needed a few more weeks before he was ready to take over the 501st.
Everything Obi-Wan had been doing though, since he was a padawan, had been leading to this moment. Bandomeer, Melida/Daan, the spice slavery, the incident that led to Quinlan becoming his brother... Mandalore... and everything that had led to this point since then. He had the experience necessary to lead. Maybe he wasn't used to using his leadership skills in a war scenario, but this was not the first time he had to lead during danger. He had done it before, he could do it again.
Even if he wasn't certain about how he felt about the draft, about the Jedi being forced into war. Even if he wasn't certain about how he felt about the clones, forced to grow up too fast, yet physically and mentally adults. Even if he wasn't certain how he felt about potentially being the reason he felt them all die someday. There were very few scenarios where he could see losing no one. This war was going to be harsh.
Obi-Wan was jealous that Quinlan had thought of a solution. Taking charge of the Coruscant Guard. But between the two of them, it was always going to be better to have Quinlan away from the bulk of the war, not Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had been in a war before, and he had always been better at handling his emotions than Quinlan when it came to the big things.
At least he knew what to expect from the clones thanks to other Jedi reporting back about how things went and what helped them relax. He could handle that.
He had to stop dawdling. Obi-Wan took a deep breath in. It was fine, he was going to be fine. He had a duty to do, a responsibility to the troopers currently waiting for him. He could do this. He straightened, smoothing over his robes, and then he strode forward confidently, head held high. It would work out just fine. Especially if he could get along with all of them.
At the front of the uniform lines of white armor were two figures. The commander of the 212th and the captain of the 501st. Why there was just a captain in charge of the 501st, Obi-Wan didn't know, but he planned to find out. That wasn't something that normally would have happened. And he wanted to be sure it wasn't a mistake or some idiotic reasoning.
The commander stepped forward. “Hello, General. I am Commander Cody.”
Obi-Wan nodded. The one thing that seemed to set Cody apart from other clones was the scar that curled around his eye. Maybe multiple scars that overlapped and looked like one. “Nice to meet you, Commander Cody. I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi. I hope we work well together.”
The other clone stepped forward, blond hair buzzed short on his head. “I am Captain Rex.”
“Nice to meet you, Captain Rex.” Obi-Wan nodded. “May I ask why they assigned a captain to be in charge of the 501st and not a commander?”
Cody kept his face impassive, not showing a hint of his feelings. “There were not enough commanders who had finished their training to lead every unit.”
Rex grimaced but otherwise matched Cody’s expression. “I am the best of the CTs who were in the command track. The only thing currently keeping me from the rank of commander is that I was not born for it. I would have a CC number otherwise.”
Obi-Wan mentally noted that he would need to look into what was required of Rex to be promoted to commander so that he could have Anakin do that at a later date if Rex proved that he had what it takes. Anakin deserved to have a commander not a captain. Anakin was barely ready for the responsibility of being a general and he would be best supported by a commander. If Rex was as good as he said he was, it wouldn't be a problem, at least.
“Thank you for informing me. Do you know why I am in charge of the 501st currently?”
“Uh, no, sir. We didn't get any information.”
“Anakin Skywalker is slated to be your general, and he will be promoted to Jedi Knight in a couple of weeks, and will be joining you afterwards.”
“He's inexperienced?” Rex asked before he could stop himself. Cody gave him a look.
Obi-Wan chuckled. “Most Jedi are inexperienced when it comes to war and leading people on a battlefield. We're peacekeepers not warriors. We'll send Jedi to help with conflicts, but usually Jedi aren't in charge, that's up to the locals. So, we're inexperienced. But the 501st and 212th are currently slated to take most missions together anyways, and I can help Ani-Anakin learn. I have every confidence he will be able to do well. Anakin is my padawan after all.”
Cody frowned. “And you're okay leaving your student behind, sir?”
“Oh, yes. His Trials were scheduled for another few weeks from now, long before Geonosis. That's the test that will see him promoted to Jedi Knight. Besides, he needs some more time to adjust to having lost his hand on Geonosis.”
“I... see.” Cody wasn't sure what else to say.
“Well, Commander, Captain, I believe you need to introduce me to your troopers and then give me a quick tour of our ships before it's time to be on our way. Oh, but I suppose I need to address the troopers before we go.”
“That is what is expected, sir.”
Obi-Wan nodded and stepped up to the front of the waiting troopers. He smiled at them all and clapped his hands. He had planned his speech based on everything he had heard about the clones and notes being passed around about what clones did and did not know.
“Alright everyone. At ease. I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi and I will be your general. 501st, I trained the one who will be your general, he is just finishing up that training and he will join you as soon as he can. In the meantime, I will be taking charge of you as well.”
“My speciality as a Jedi is to fit in wherever I am needed. That means that the 212th will be following the same sort of route. Because we will be primarily working with the 501st, I suspect that means we will be doing mostly frontline work, but I am also well versed in search and rescue, negotiations, investigations, healing, among several other things. I will be by to inspect both medbays, as I expect that I will end up helping out from time to time. I am a master healer, and I have performed surgeries in the field and the Healing Halls before, so I do know what I'm doing. And how to ensure we have the best supplies we can to ensure everyone's full recovery.”
He paused to let that sink in. “I may be your general, your commanding officer. But we are going to war, and we will be spending most of our time together. I hope we can come to some sort of friendly trust over time. After all, it wouldn't do for any of us to be isolated, now would it? I highly encourage you to pick up some hobbies, to paint your armor, to change up your hairstyles. To do whatever you want within reason to learn who you are. I will be offering some lessons in some Jedi disciplines like hand to hand, meditation, and even Force theory, if anyone is interested. When there is time of course. I have also ensured that some games and other activities are available for your use on your down time. Please feel free to try them out.”
Obi-Wan checked the time. “Now, it's almost time for our departure. So, let us go prepare for war. May the Force be with all of us.”
With that, he turned to Cody. “You know these ships better than I do. Lead the way, Commander Cody.”
Cody nodded and started walking, though he only stayed half a step ahead of Obi-Wan. If Obi-Wan fell behind, he'd stop and wait. The tour went smoothly, and Obi-Wan double checked that the ship the 501st would be using was the exact same before he gave the order to take off on schedule. He waited until they were well on their way to their first mission before he stepped foot in the medbay.
“Hello, General, I'm the head medic for the 212th. My name is Manner.”
“Nice to meet you, Manner.” Obi-Wan started inspecting the set up. As he went through he had a back and forth with Manner, asking questions about the set up and why it was that way. If there wasn't a good reason and he knew how to make it better, he made the change. He made a list of supplies they needed more of, and which equipment needed to be upgraded.
Manner, for his part, was determined to assess how much Obi-Wan knew of healing as they went and asked questions. He was rather impressed by the answers, especially the ones pertaining to Jedi. He made several notes for reference because he knew medics tended to make the worst patients. He also had been one of the medics on the ground at Geonosis and had noticed that the Jedi overall weren't great patients either. That meant he had to ensure that they did their best to accommodate all Jedi needs in order to ensure the greatest likelihood their general would wait until cleared. He double checked the General's files and noticed a note.
“What's this about you needing touch for healing?” Manner demanded.
“Oh, I'm part Kiffar. Kiffar need a lot more touch than the average human.” Obi-Wan examined the surgery to ensure that everything was set up to his liking. “And Master Vos, sorry, General Vos, wrote a thesis paper on how touch affects varying species across the galaxy, and he found an interesting correlation where the more touch a baby of a species needs, the more touch helps healing along. Of course, he's had the unfortunate experience to know that if we Kiffar don't have enough touch, we won't heal at all until we get some. I'm good for now, don't you worry. I made sure of that before we left. I know my limits.”
“What kind of touch?” Manner asked, ready to make notes and then send out a memo to all the other head medics about Kiffar.
Obi-Wan straightened and looked at him. “Well, hugs, holding hands, an arm around another person or their arm around me, even back pats count towards touch. Get enough of that and I'll be fine. Skin to skin is the most effective, though I don't always keep my hands bare. I have psychometry, you see, and I get echoes of memories and emotions, mostly emotions, off of everything I touch with bare skin.”
Manner stared at him. “I'm going to need more details on that. But first I want to be sure we know the most effective way to ensure you recover. Someone holding your hand while you're in bed would be enough?”
“Yes. Of course the most effective way is always going to be cuddling. Kiffu actually has hospital beds designed for more than one person because of that. But I know none of you are going to be comfortable with that right up front. So hand holding will do if you insist on helping. And anyways, once Anakin takes over the 501st, you can rely on him for me. Anakin Skywalker is, was, my padawan, and he is also part Kiffar, so he understands the needs quite well.”
Manner made a note to warn Kix that he needed to prepare for that. “Does General Skywalker also have healing experience?”
Obi-Wan nodded. “He's an effective assistant for field surgeries, and is close to being able to be called a healer as a Knight, though he doesn't particularly have any talent for it. Hmm... Outside the Temple, I'd say he is more of a nurse than a doctor. If I hadn't become a master healer while I was training him, I doubt he would have that. But he can definitely help if necessary.”
“Good. Having Jedi who can actually help and understand what we're talking about will make a difference, I think.” Manner nodded, and checked his notes. “Do all Jedi end up with healing experience?”
“Most know a bit more than the average non-Jedi first aid course. There's a couple of techniques most Jedi learn as padawans, and anything beyond that they have to take a class on and pass to be cleared to use it on anyone, including themselves, though of course they will still use it if the situation is dire. The other two master healers who have a similar sort of experience as I do are Masters Fisto and Vos.”
“Who are both on the Jedi Council, are they not?”
“That is correct. And I know them quite well. M-General Vos is only two years older than me and we grew up together, while M-General Fisto helped us learn what we needed for the path we chose, and the three of us raised our padawans together.”
“Fascinating.” Manner made a few more notes, rolling his eyes when he saw that his general was understating his familiarity with General Vos- brothers via a blood adoption, which was quite intriguing. He'd have to see if he could get the two of them in the medbay sometime to run some blood tests to see how it worked for himself.
“I think I have what I need, Manner. Is there anything else?”
“I just want to be sure that I don't need to go around telling everyone that you do need to be able to touch them.”
Obi-Wan shook his head. “Not at the moment. I should be good without any touch at all for... a month.” He thought it over some more, then nodded. “After that, I will need to be able to do some basic friendly gestures on a regular basis, and then after two months I need a bit more consistent touch, though mostly if I am injured or not getting enough sleep. Warning you now, Kiffar don't really show any signs of sleep on a regular day. We have too much energy for that, though we will yawn as it approaches time for bed. If I ever show any signs of exhaustion beyond that, I definitely am not getting enough sleep.”
“Understood, I'll make a note. Thank you for being honest with me on that.” Manner made that note. “Are you certain you can go a month without any touch?”
“Absolutely. I'm not a youngling. I will be fine. I want everyone to have a chance to get to know me and to get comfortable before I start showing any signs of affection that might be uncomfortable, and I don't want anyone to feel forced into it. So if you have to tell anyone, keep it to the medics and officers. The troopers don't need to know how much I need it.”
“Very well. But you and I will be going over the signs you're not getting enough touch so I can make sure you get some.”
Obi-Wan grinned. “Understood. Glad to see that my medic at least is willing to stand up to me.”
“Please, we're trained to stand up to the most stubborn to get them to rest and heal. And that includes any natborns we're around. We're not nearly professional as the rest.”
“I'm glad to hear it.” Obi-Wan almost patted him on the back, but thought better of it. “I think I should be on my way. There is a lot I need to organize before we reach our destination.”
“General Kenobi, if you're not too busy after the first battle, I would like a demonstration of your skills.”
“Of course. I will make sure to remember that.” Obi-Wan smiled at him. “I will see you later.” Obi-Wan left, contemplating all he had learned so far.
Manner was annoyed to realize he hadn't gotten any answers about the psychometry yet. But that would have to wait. He had some information to pass on.
.
Cody wasn't sure what to think of General Kenobi. On one hand, General Kenobi seemed to be exactly as they were told to expect of a Jedi, except there were little things. General Kenobi was just a little too cheerful, a bit too relaxed, not quite as formal as he was expecting. He took everything calmly, explained more than necessary and then revealed that he knew how to heal and would be helping the medics when he could. That was unexpected, but a good bonus.
There was one thing that absolutely stunned him when he first saw General Kenobi, however. General Obi-Wan Kenobi was downright gorgeous. Dark red, wavy hair to his shoulders, the sides pulled back with golden clips just above his ears. Tanned skin and bright blue eyes. Golden tattoos on his head; thin triangles on each of his temples faded into his hairline and a stripe across his cheeks and nose.
At first glance it looked like he was wearing typical Jedi robes. But a closer look showed that while he had creams and browns on, the brown cloak had golden embroidery on it. He was definitely wearing a midnight blue undershirt, easily seen amongst the creams. His belt was midnight blue and gold, and on it, hung his two lightsabers. He also caught a glimpse of a healer's kit before the cloak covered it up.
Cody had to force himself not to stare at his general. He was breathtaking, and Cody found himself lost for the first time. At least he had his training to fall back on. And if he was a little stiffer than normal, well, Rex was the only one who noticed. This was fine. And then, just as he was thinking that he would be fine even if his general turned out to be an idiot just because he was gorgeous...
General Kenobi addressed the 212th and 501st, showing a wealth of compassion and understanding. He was definitely intelligent, and Cody realized they were going to get along rather well. Maybe too well, by the way his heart was racing as he showed the general around the ship. But... time would tell. Surely he could keep this under control.
The tour of the ship went well, and soon they were on their way to their first official campaign of the war. General Kenobi excused himself to go check out the medbay once he wasn't needed anymore. Cody hesitated to follow, but after about ten minutes his curiosity got the better of him. He almost backed out of the medbay as soon as he entered from the way the General was going back and forth with Manner, half of their discussion going right over his head. The other medics around were either looking entertained or confused. None felt up to actually getting in the way of the general and head medic.
But Cody stuck around and was glad he did, as it meant he heard most of the discussion about Kiffar's need for touch first hand. His general's need for touch. He'd have to keep an eye on that situation and make sure that the general didn't neglect it. And prepare everyone for the possibility of casual signs of affection much like they exchanged between each other. At least he had a month before it was necessary.
After that, it was to start to sort out how to adjust to having a Jedi around. A Jedi that was interested in learning their names, in integrating into their regular lives, instead of living separately. Knowing that he needed touch explained a lot of the interest, but he was genuine. He could, at any time, reserve one of the smaller training rooms for himself only for blocks of time, and he never did that. He was fine with others coming in to train at the same time he was running drills with his lightsabers.
Cody walked in on that more than once, mostly on purpose when the rumors spread about the general training, and it was a breathtaking display of skill and grace watching the two blades dance together. General Kenobi also practiced in other areas, including with blasters though he wore a scowl the entire time he did so and he did that the least.
But then, the day before the mission, the general approached him when he arrived.
“Can I bother you for a spar, Commander Cody? Hand to hand, only. I haven't had the chance to spar someone hand to hand since before Geonosis and I want to be sure I'm up to the task.” Obi-Wan smiled at his commander, hopeful.
He was down to his usual mission clothes, no sleeves, and short shorts. He liked covering his limbs up; it was comfortable to have the pressure of clothes on his limbs. At the same time, bare skin made it easy to gain comfort from touch, and it was easy to casually touch things to get impressions in a casual way with the bare skin, which was why Quinlan often defaulted to keeping his arms and legs bare on missions.
Obi-Wan was planning on wearing some extra protection, mostly in the form of easy to remove sorts of things. But he hadn't sorted out what would work best, not yet. So he would have to go without. Besides, this first assignment would be a good test of how much protection he would even need on his arms and legs regularly. And the rest of his body. He usually was fine on normal missions, but actual battles? It may not work out as nicely.
Cody stared at him. “If you're sure, sir.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “I am. There really isn't anyone else here I can ask, after all.”
Cody joined him on the training mat, ignoring the way everyone stopped and stared at them. He wasn't sure if he should be careful because Jedi don't usually train in those things or if he should be prepared for Obi-Wan to be surprisingly good at it. Considering how good Obi-Wan was at just about everything he did, Cody figured he better brace himself and treat sparring Obi-Wan like sparring one of his batch.
Obi-Wan bounced lightly on his feet, deciding to do the first round with the Temple taught hand to hand. It wasn't the best technique, but those who were interested in getting better at hand to hand tended to mostly learn their birth cultures and pick up other things from around the galaxy. Temple hand to hand was very basic and generic, and also very adaptable to any form as necessary. It was a good foundation, much like Shii-Cho, and there were those who mastered the Temple hand to hand techniques and used them to great effect with little additional techniques.
Cody was surprised by how simple the techniques were. Despite that, he still found that they were evenly matched. General Kenobi was quick, good at dodging, and stronger than he looked at first glance. Cody ended up sparring at his full skill level to even have a chance, and he was surprised when he ended up winning that one.
Obi-Wan grinned and jumped up. “Nicely done, Commander Cody. I believe I understand how you were taught... let's try that again. This time, I'll use my usual techniques.”
Cody was busy admiring how that grin looked on his general's face, and almost missed the reference to his general using his usual techniques. He had hardly any time to brace himself before the next round.
Obi-Wan exploded in movement once they started fighting. His primary style was, of course, learned on Kiffu, from his family. He integrated fighting techniques from other parts of the galaxy, but at its base, his style was the chaotic, almost acrobatic style of the Kiffar. Meant to surprise and confuse the opponent with differing speeds and strengths. It was very hard to counter for many, especially those who only ever trained in the most rigid and disciplined of styles.
Cody was so surprised that he almost lost the match immediately, and most clones would have lost the match quickly. Only those of his own batch and some of the other commanders would have been able to even stand a chance. General Kenobi was good. Cody compared him to what he had seen of Prime when Prime was teaching and thought that General Kenobi was likely to come out on top in a straight hand to hand match.
Obi-Wan grinned and eventually pinned Cody to the ground from behind. He offered a hand. “Excellent job. I'm sure you'll get better once you're used to this fighting style. Most people taught the sort of techniques you know struggle against the chaos of the preferred techniques of Kiffu.”
Cody accepted the hand up, feeling heat in his cheeks as he smiled. “It certainly took me by surprise, General. I imagine it could be useful against others.”
“Indeed.” Obi-Wan noticed the gathered crowd of troopers, drawn by the rumors of the spar. He waved to them cheerfully. “I actually plan on teaching some of the most useful techniques later on. I want to get a better feel for how we all work together and the sorts of missions we get before I finalize which ones I'm teaching you all.”
There were whispers and excitement between all the troopers.
“Can we do another spar, General? Now that I know what to expect, I want to see if I fare any better.”
“You should start calling me Obi-Wan when we're off duty. I do not like standing on formalities, and if we're going to be sparring partners, there is no point in keeping to titles.” Obi-Wan stretched then bounced lightly on his toes. “But another round sounds good. It's been a while since I've had such a good challenge that wasn't Quin or Kit.”
Cody's eyebrows went up. “Uh. Then I suppose you should call me Cody?” He started getting ready for the next bout, but he was fixated on the mentions of Generals Vos and Fisto. Two of the members of the Jedi Council, and the Gener-Obi-Wan called them a challenge. That was... a bit of a shock. He'd known Gen-Obi-Wan had to be good, with his own record there was no way they weren't going to send him a good Jedi. He had actually been disappointed not to get a Jedi on the Council, because he felt like he would be best suited to one of them. But if G-Obi-Wan could keep up with two of the Council in hand to hand enough to call them a challenge, then he had to be one of the best.
Obi-Wan really had everything going for him. Looks, in so many ways, intelligence, diligence, hard working, and he was good at just about everything. And he cared, he cared about them all already. He made sure everyone was settling in. Cody couldn't take his eyes off of him when they were in the same room. He even walked into a table once.
“Are you ready, Cody?”
Kriff. Cody could only nod mutely, having not been expecting his name so soon. Without being called commander. He shook himself out of it and took up his fighting stance. He'd noticed a few weaknesses. The style that Obi-Wan preferred lacked defenses that others didn't. It made up for it with speed, evasive maneuvers, some rather clever ways to turn moves onto the opponent, and the acrobatics. But that still gave him something to work with.
With the previous experience, he put up a good fight from the start, and managed to sneak a few hits in here and there, past non-existent defenses. Obi-Wan shrugged each of them off; he must have a high pain tolerance. Cody lasted far longer before Obi-Wan caught his fist stepped closer and then tripped him, using momentum to get Cody on the ground.
Cody blinked at the ceiling. That was hot. His ears started burning along with his cheeks and he was grateful he didn't say that aloud. He accepted Obi-Wan's hand up, and started twisting around and stretching, checking all the sore spots.
“I think you left a few bruises.” Obi-Wan sounded impressed as he did the same.
“I think I might need some ice.” Cody groaned.
Obi-Wan chuckled. “Why don't we go find some for the both of us, Cody?”
“Oh, sure, Obi-Wan.” Cody was a bit surprised by how fast Obi-Wan was trying to move them into friendship, but he couldn't complain. This was going to be a great start to a great partnership.