Leave and Councilors
Fox listened to his general ramble with a smile as they walked through the Senate building. He had his bucket on, so there was no way anyone could see him smile. That allowed him to smile at the way General Vos was rambling about the meeting they just left.
They were still figuring out the most effective ways to keep security tight around the Senate building, and across Coruscant. And General Vos was brilliant at keeping things on track, at making sure everyone was allowed to be as safe as they could be about it.
This wasn't what he had expected when he arrived at Coruscant. It wasn't what he expected after weeks of trying to get everything going with just Thorn, Thire, and Stone to help. But it was what he got and he adored General Vos for how much easier he made things.
And the best part? He did it in such a way that didn't imply that Fox was broken, that Fox was a failure. No, he did so in a way that eased the burden. An easy, casual way of helping sometimes.
He even focused on helping in the medbay on bad days, so that the medics could get a break. So that he could give the Guard more of a fighting chance of surviving their injuries.
Fox was happy to have his general and if anyone asked, he would refuse to give General Vos up. He was the best. A member of the Council, keeping the Guard from becoming abused by the Senate, working in the streets alongside them to solve crimes. It was all brilliant.
General Vos paused, and looked at his comm. “Ah, looks like the 324th and 501st just arrived. Perfect. We can have a big meet up tonight. Got any plans?”
Fox was used to General Vos going from serious topics with little need for input other than acknowledgements to suddenly switching the topic to something less serious and often more personal. He sometimes seemed to need to talk aloud to get thoughts out and once he was done, he was ready to move on. Fox appreciated that.
“My brothers are on leave. We were planning on meeting up ourselves. Including Bly and Rex.”
“Oh, right.” General Vos nodded, smiling. He patted Fox's back. “You have a good time. I've got an initiate meditation class to teach today. My formwork is done.”
“Alright, General. I will see you tomorrow then.”
“See you tomorrow, Commander.” General Vos gave him a pointed look.
Fox sighed. “Quinlan. There are still people around. But fine. See you tomorrow, Quinlan.”
Quinlan beamed at him and patted his back again. “See you tomorrow Fox.” They went their separate ways.
Fox was truly karked, wasn't he? His batchmates were not going to let him hear the end of it. But at least Cody understood. Head over heels with his own general. But Fox wasn't sure he should believe Cody's assertion that General Vos and General Kenobi were a thing.
.
Cody smiled at his brothers and some others who were joining them. “Bly, Wolffe, Fox, Ponds, Rex, Monnk, and Fil, good to see you again.”
Rex grinned at him. “You're the last one, Cody, join us!”
Cody huffed, chuckling as he sat down.
Ponds raised an eyebrow at him. “Not so stern now, are you?”
“Have you met my general? Hard to stay like that.”
Wolffe groaned at the reminder of General Kenobi. “Keep that man away from me,” he muttered.
Monnk leaned forward. “Oh, I sense a story Wolffie, do tell.”
“There's not much to tell...”
“I got a picture!” Rex pulled out the picture triumphantly. “More than one actually.”
Most of the pictures were of Wolffe sulking or sleeping under an immovable General Kenobi, but there were a few of Wolffe leaning against General Koon, or even cuddling his general.
Fil stared at the pictures. “Why would General Kenobi do that?”
Cody sighed, taking a sip of his drink. “General Kenobi is very clingy when he cuddles. It is near impossible to remove him. He uses it as a weapon against all those who are working against medic or healer orders.”
Ponds raised an eyebrow, amused. “Has he used it against you?”
“Once. Dragged me to a couch to drink tea and talk when I didn't listen to him about my concussion. Ended up getting a full night's sleep on that couch. Thankfully no one saw it happen.” Cody smiled at the memory of waking up with General Kenobi still sleeping on top of him. The only unfortunate thing was that he was stuck for another hour until General Kenobi woke up.
“Oooh what's with that smile, tell me about that smile.” Monnk demanded with a grin.
“What smile?” Cody asked defensively.
Fox jumped to his rescue. “General Kenobi is a master healer like General Vos right? Has he had to do much healing?”
“Well, he's the one who took care of my concussion which is why he even knew about it... He's done a couple of field surgeries and if he's not busy, he helps out in the medbay. He keeps saying that he's not nearly as good as General Vos or General Fisto, though.”
Monnk nodded. “General Fisto is pretty good at healing. Forgot to mention it. About gave Medkick a heart attack when they found out he'd done a surgery in the middle of a battle because the rest of us had it taken care of, though.”
Fil snickered. “From what General Vebb has said, it doesn't surprise me. General Fisto trained him well, and he's great at healing himself, though he's just a Knight, not a master.”
.
Quinlan could not wait to see the look on Obi-Wan's face. This was going to be good. He got more comfortable.
Obi-Wan entered the Council room and glanced around, greeting them all. He was a little surprised to see that Oppo Rancisis was out of his chair and waiting in the center of the room, but didn't question it.
“You wanted to see me?”
Everyone knew what he didn't say. Why call him up when he's supposed to be on leave?
Oppo was the one who spoke. “We did. I am resigning the Council in order to take a Sabbatical and consider the best options for myself in this war. Consider who I am as a Jedi.”
Quinlan suppressed a grin at Obi-Wan's widening eyes. He clearly understood where this was going. Quinlan was sure he had looked similarly stunned despite his efforts to hide it when he was appointed.
“When resigning from the Council, we are asked for recommendations on who should be our replacements on the Council. Often, the Council chooses someone else. But much of the time they do agree. I started out the war not sure about the fighting, not sure about leading the troopers in this war. I still am not comfortable with it. But I've been watching. And a few Jedi have risen above the rest in how gracefully they have taken to leadership. Handling the war and being a general with a quiet dignity. Without turning away from Jedi teachings. And none more so than you, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Which is why I recommended you to take my place on the Council. You have wisdom that many your age do not. You are excellent at strategies. While you do not want to fight, you will. More Jedi should aspire to be like you. The Council has agreed. Will you take my place on the Council?”
Obi-Wan straightened, determined to do his best. “I will accept a seat on the Council. Thank you, Master Rancisis.” Obi-Wan bowed to the master.
“Then take your seat, Master Kenobi.” Mace gestured at Oppo's empty seat between Shaak and Kit.
Obi-Wan nodded and walked over. He hesitated ever so slightly. The Council waited silently. He sat down and ran his hands over the chair with amazement before adjusting and getting comfortable. Then he looked up and his eyes widened as he realized just how disconcerting being on the other side was. But, this was where he belonged. He could feel it.
Quinlan smiled at Obi-Wan as Oppo left the room. His brother was two seats from him, with just Shaak between them. No one seemed inclined to trade this time.
After another few minutes to give Obi-Wan the time to adjust, as they always allowed new members, it was time to get the meeting back underway. Obi-Wan got a rundown on what to expect, changing his clearances, and a few other things. And then it was straight into listening to reports.
Fortunately for Obi-Wan, that was the day that Anakin and Ahsoka returned, along with Aayla and her battalion, from their most recent mission. They would have quite a bit to report.
Anakin and Aayla walked in, with Ahsoka behind them. They greeted the Council and faced Mace and Yoda to give the report. Obi-Wan wasn't the only one waiting with tense excitement. But none of the three noticed that Obi-Wan was there at first.
Ahsoka did her part of the report as she'd been taught, only stumbling a few times. Then it was Anakin's turn. Aayla would go last as the most experienced Knight. Ahsoka's attention wandered and she glanced around the circle. There was Ki-Adi, there by holo, Shaak as well. Kit was present though as was Obi-Wan.
Her gaze moved to the end of the circle and then her eyes widened. She turned and stared at Obi-Wan who was listening thoughtfully. He paused just long enough to give her a smile then returned his focus to the report.
Ahsoka stared at him, then grinned and greeted him with the Force. She then realized Aayla and Anakin hadn't noticed and waited for them to notice. And waited.
Finally Aayla finished her report and it was time to start asking questions and discuss. Obi-Wan waited for the perfect moment to strike.
“If the Lurmen had not helped you with the battle, would you have still succeeded?” Quinlan asked.
Aayla hesitated. “It's hard to say. We might have been able to overcome them, but with Anakin recovering it was a struggle. I think we might have won, but many would have died.”
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. “I do not think there was more you could have done. The Lurmen had to make that decision for themselves. It is too bad that your crash landing coincided with the Separatists making their move, which linked the two, but at the same time, it was a good thing you were there. The Force may have willed you there.”
Anakin spun at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice and gaped. Ahsoka had to cover her mouth to hide her giggles. Aayla turned as well, but hid her surprise better.
After a moment, Anakin realized he should respond and cleared his throat. “From what I was told about the ship going haywire, it may very well have been the Force that guided us there. It was very fortunate that we arrived when we did, even if it did make us more suspicious and like we were bringing the war to them.”
The discussion continued, though Anakin kept staring at Obi-Wan. Aayla was amused, but understood. Even knowing her master was on the Council, she still spent the first couple of months doing double takes.
Finally, they were dismissed to go on leave. Anakin turned to Obi-Wan.
“Uh, congratulations Master. When did this happen?”
Obi-Wan smiled. “Just a few hours ago. Thank you. I'll see you later.”
Anakin nodded and left, still stunned. He was also trying to work out what it meant for his own growing fame that he had been trained by someone who was a very young master of the Jedi Council. People were going to lose it talking about how perfect he was.
He didn’t think he was prepared for that.
After the meeting was over just half an hour later, Obi-Wan leaned back and breathed.
Quinlan stood and walked over to him. He nudged him with his foot. “You'll get used to it, Obes. Let's find you a better chair.”
“I can pick my own chair?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Yep. I did. Come on, I'll help you.” Quinlan wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan once he was standing. “Proud of you Obes. Congratulations.”
“I can't believe I'm actually on the Council at thirty five.” Obi-Wan sighed. “And yet, here we are.”
Quinlan laughed. “You deserve it. Believe me, you deserve it, and there aren't too many Jedi with the necessary experience to be on the Council that are proving themselves so well in the war right now.”
Obi-Wan sighed. “Still... Why me? I'm not that good.”
“Oh, you are. Don't forget that while I'm the best at healing, you've always been the best at sparring.”
“I suppose that's true...” Obi-Wan started testing out the chairs. “So... how are we going to celebrate?”
“Well, it's too bad we can't have a big dinner like for me and Kit. Qui-Gon and Idris are still out by Umbara. Dooku and Del are out running errands between Kamino and the med stations. And Tholme is doing an investigation. He's not exactly undercover but keeping it quiet.”
Obi-Wan was about to protest getting so much information, then remembered that he now had the clearances to know it. And that was weird. He selected his chair and with Quinlan's help, got it into his spot.
“I suppose I should make some calls so they find out before the official announcement goes out.”
“You should,” Quinlan agreed. “As for celebrating, we could go out and celebrate by getting drinks. Eat at Dex's first, of course.”
Obi-Wan grinned. “That sounds like a lot of fun. Even better, I believe Ahsoka was planning on catching up with Cal and Caleb tonight, so she could join us for Dex's, and take back some for them while we go drinking.”
Quinlan hugged him. “Perfect.”
Obi-Wan leaned into the hug and returned it. “I can't believe I'm on the Council already.”
“You are, and it'll sink in eventually. It did for me. Not even forty and we're both on the Council. Who could've seen this when we were padawans? Especially before.”
Obi-Wan laughed. “Oh, depending on the time frame no one would believe us if we went back in time and told them. We were such troublemakers.”
“Were? We still are! We're just better at getting out of it the few times we get caught.”
.
Cody blinked partway through dinner when his comm, and all the other comms buzzed with an announcement. He checked and would have choked if he'd been eating or drinking something.
“What is it?” Bly asked curiously.
“It seems that General Kenobi got a promotion. He's now a High General on the Jedi Council.” Cody allowed himself a smile. Obi-Wan truly was perfect.
“Oh no, are we about to get another ramble about how perfect he is?” Ponds groaned. “I can't suffer through that again. How did not interested in anything besides military protocol and pranks end up with the worst crush on his general?”
Cody felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Well Fox has it just as bad.”
Fox glared at him. “I do not! It's not my fault that General Vos looks so gorgeous when he's defending us from Senators...” Then he groaned, letting his head hit the table.
Wolffe snickered in amusement. “Oh, I've got to hear more about this.”
“No. You don't.” Fox did not move.
Monnk chuckled. “Don't worry, they'll both talk once we get enough drinks in them.”
“Oh, that'll be fun.” Fil cackled. He hadn't really hung out with the commanders here before on Kamino; they were completely different batches, months apart. But Monnk had invited him since they worked closely together, thanks to their generals working together regularly after that incident with Grievous.
Before they left the diner they all had at least one more drink. But they weren't more than buzzed. Good enough to navigate Coruscant without issue. As they headed out, they encountered a group of Jedi leaving a different diner, where a jovial besalisk was waving them off after giving each of them hugs.
Ahsoka paused and waved to them before getting in a speeder to head back to the Temple. The other Jedi were clearly going to stay around Coruscant.
“Oh, hi Fox!” Quinlan waved, grinning. His arm was wrapped around Obi-Wan and he was half hanging on the Jedi.
“General.”
Quinlan gave him a look. “Off duty, Commander. Not titles, remember?”
Fox nodded, glancing away briefly. “Quinlan. I see you're enjoying the fact you don't have to work with the Guard tomorrow.”
“So are you.” Quinlan was definitely teasing. “Anyways, we're just celebrating Obes getting onto the Council. Oh. Right. Fox, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, you've met Kit, Knights Nahdar Vebb, Aayla Secura, and Anakin Skywalker.”
Nahdar, Aayla, and Anakin had been whispering together like they were padawans in class once more. Each gave a wave and went right back to their conversation that was about to dissolve back into bickering.
Fox nodded. “Nice to meet you, Generals. This is Wolffe, Ponds, Monnk, Fil, Bly, Cody, and Rex.”
It seemed they were going the same direction. Which meant that they were treated to the sight of six Jedi being completely casual and teasing. Especially Obi-Wan and Quinlan, who were still hanging on each other. Kit and Nahdar started catching up, and Aayla and Anakin were acting like siblings as they teased each other on some topic that Fox couldn't keep up with.
Fox couldn't take his eyes off of Obi-Wan and Quinlan. Quinlan was amazing... but Cody was right. It did look like Obi-Wan and Quinlan were dating. The way they leaned into each other, the way they laughed... He could've sworn they were about to kiss several times, though they never did.
And yet... He couldn't stop staring. Because he was seeing Quinlan as himself for once. Quinlan was good at being a general, good at locking up any sign of a true self from everyone.
Here, though, Quinlan was far more. Energetic, laughing, teasing. A joyful personality. Fox couldn't help but admire him for it. Hints of that had peeked through the mask at times, as everyone grew more comfortable with each other. But it was nothing to the real self, and Fox was all the more impressed with his ability to lead. If he'd shown his true personality to the senators, to the Chancellor, they would never take him seriously.
“Did you just say Qui-Gon?” Wolffe asked suddenly. “As in General Jinn?”
Obi-Wan glanced at him. “Yep. Why?”
“Ah, Alpha 17 has complained about him a lot,” Ponds explained. “Along with the other Alphas who keep having to work with him. They love his padawan, Commander El'ba, but...”
Quinlan and Obi-Wan shared a look and burst out laughing, doubling over and holding each other up.
“What has my grandmaster been doing?” Anakin asked, hiding his own laughter.
Rex stared, then started smiling. “You mean that General Jinn trained Gen-Obi-Wan?”
Obi-Wan nodded, straightening. His eyes still danced with amusement. “Yes, Qui-Gon was my master. He is... an unconventional and stubborn Jedi.”
Cody shook his head. “That explains a lot,” he muttered. “He was on the Council, wasn't he?”
“Yep. I replaced him,” Quinlan responded. “So, what's Qui-Gon been doing?”
“Being stubborn and somehow always finding ways to bring back children. If not children, animals, and if not animals, he somehow acquires a plant.”
“Pathetic life forms,” Obi-Wan and Quinlan said together, laughing.
“Yeah, sorry, you're not going to get him to stop. No one's been able to, not even Dooku, his master. Yoda, his grandmaster encourages it, and it takes a lot to try to keep him from bringing anything home,” Quinlan spoke with experience.
There had been a few times where Qui-Gon and Tholme switched padawans for missions so that the padawans could get the proper experience. This meant that Quinlan was exposed to exactly what Obi-Wan had been dealing with.
From there, the conversation devolved into all kinds of stories about Qui-Gon's antics on missions. Quinlan seemed to know him pretty well, as did Aayla and Anakin. Kit and Nahdar seemed to know him well, too, but not at the same level as the other four.
Cody took notes, delighted by the stories, by seeing Obi-Wan so carefree and not serious. He also thought it would help Alpha 17 a lot, give him an edge over the other Alphas. After all, there were stories he could hold over General Jinn's head. And interspersed in the stories were hints how to handle General Jinn's stubbornness and unconventional methods when he was convinced he was right.
Fox was also taking notes. More so about Quinlan himself. Because the stories were revealing just as much about the people telling the stories as Jinn (and some Jedi named Tholme? Sounded like he was the one who trained Quinlan?). It was nice to learn so much about his general. Especially when he was a padawan.
Eventually they arrived at their destination.
“Have fun drinking! We're gonna do karaoke!” Anakin told them enthusiastically.
“Did Mace say if he's coming?” Obi-Wan asked Kit as they walked away. “He does the best songs.” Obi-Wan and Quinlan were still leaning on each other.
The commanders and lone captain stared after them.
“...General Windu sings?” Fil asked in disbelief.
“When he thinks no one is around, yeah,” Ponds responded absently as they walked inside “Especially when he's working on formwork. I shouldn't be surprised that he does karaoke.”
Fox and Cody ended up being the last ones in, both staring after their generals. It wasn't until they sat down and had their first drinks in hand that anyone said anything.
“Sooo... You two want to talk about that crush you both seem to have on your generals?” Wolffe drawled.
Fox spluttered while Cody glared.
“Oh thank you!” Rex raised the bottle to Wolffe. “I have been suffering since Cody's first look at General Kenobi. He went robotic. I have been dying to talk about it.”
“So how many rants about how perfect General Kenobi is have you had to suffer through?” Monnk asked with amusement.
“Once a week for the last month,” Rex replied promptly, ducking under Cody's irritated swat.
Fox was just relieved they were focusing on Cody.
“Shut up, I don't go on that much,” Cody hissed. He was definitely embarrassed, he could feel it in his cheeks.
“I think I believe you do,” Ponds teased. “After that earlier spontaneous rant. So. Crush?”
Cody groaned. “It was crush at first sight,” he admitted. “How could I avoid it when he goes around looking like... that?” He gestured helplessly. “He's handsome, gorgeous, pretty. That tan, those tattoos... those blue eyes... dark red hair... And his clothes... He knows his fashion...” He sighed dreamily, unable to come up with more words.
“Wow, Cody is actually stunned speechless. Never thought that I'd see the day.” Wolffe chuckled. “So, what's your opinion on this Fox?”
Fox had been lost in thought. “Huh?”
“Ooooh, something is up with you Fox.” Rex grinned. “You're never this quiet. Spill.”
“Uh...” Fox looked around for a way out but was just meant with eager expressions. He sighed. “I was just thinking about Quinlan.”
“Right, you also got a crush on your general, tell us something new.”
Fox grimaced. “I was just thinking about how I have no chance. Did you see how he is with Obi-Wan? Like... the chance was low enough before, but how can I compete with that?”
Cody nodded. “I know what you mean. It's hopeless.”
“Well, we've all heard the positive things about Cody’s general, what do you got about yours?”
“He doesn't like working on formwork but he never complains. He stands up to the Senators and reminds them to go through him instead of us commanders. He gives us all credit for everything we do instead of acting like everything is his idea... but he makes investigations so easy. That's the best part. Well, it's kind of scary, too. He has a special ability he calls psychometry, which means he can touch anything and get feelings and images off of them from the last person to touch them. It doesn't work as evidence, but it does give us so many leads on where to look, as long as we're careful legally.”
“So how is it scary?” Rex asked curiously.
“Well, he can tell who's been injured from a touch of armor. He knows when someone was angry doing the dishes. He can pick up arguments from touching objects held during the argument. He can also pick up other feelings too. Thankfully he mostly only picks up emotions not images from touching someone's skin, like shaking hands but...”
Cody choked. “Can Obi-Wan do the same thing, do you know? I don't think he mentioned it...”
“I'm pretty sure Quinlan said all Kiffar have it.”
“That would explain why Anakin is always wearing gloves and always makes faces when he touches things without them,” Rex mused aloud. “I'll keep an eye on that. Make sure no one is giving him trouble.”
Cody meanwhile had dropped his head down onto the table, thoroughly embarrassed.
Bly poked him. “Something wrong?”
“You know how hot I find him, right? He regularly spars with me. And when he spars, he goes bare arms and legs... and I don't wear armor so he has to know about that by now.” Cody didn't lift his head from the table as everyone started laughing at him.
Fox winced. “I know what you mean. Quinlan never mentions the private things he notices, but he still can pick that up... Thorn has shared similar worries with me.”
Wolffe was almost cackling, eyes glittering with amusement. “So you two are in love with your generals, have absolutely no chance, and can't hide it?”
“Kriff off,” Fox muttered. “I hope none of you have crushes on your generals because Quinlan and Obi-Wan and possibly Anakin will notice eventually.”
Bly made a worried noise. “Oh kark no...”
Everyone turned to him. Fox sat up, suddenly amused. “Quinlan trained Aayla. And you have a crush on his former padawan, who he's said is like a daughter to him...”
Bly sank in his seat, covering his head. “I'm doomed.”
Everyone else laughed.
“It'll be fine. You might get a talk from Quinlan, but he's great. He's not going to be too mean about it or anything.”
“It'll still be terrifying if he realizes.” Bly groaned. “I'm so doomed.”
Monnk decided to take pity on them. “I think I might be getting a crush on Kit,” he admitted. “I love watching him swim. He's so patient with everyone. Serious yet cheerful and joking... And gorgeous on top of that.”
Ponds shook his head. “I'm so glad I am not interested in my general. Sounds exhausting.”
Wolffe nodded. “It really does.”
“It is...” Rex groaned without thinking. He froze when suddenly all eyes were on him, everyone eager to tease the 'baby'. “Uh... I mean... Kark. Fine. Yes. I do like Anakin like that. Nothing as strong as those three,” he gestured to Bly, Fox, and Cody, “but yeah, there's feelings. Hard not to have feelings. He's adorable and always does his best. Plus watching him with Ahsoka...” Rex shook his head.
“But there's no chance. He's dating Senator Amidala.”
“How do you know that?” Fil asked before anyone else could recover from the surprise.
Aside from Cody, who answered. “It's obvious whenever they're around each other. Anakin isn't terrible at hiding it, but the senator is pretty obvious, pulling him into random closets.”
Fox groaned. “I'll keep an eye out on that, then. Might explain why Quinlan keeps being amused any time Senator Amidala is around. He probably knows.”
Rex, desperate to get attention off of his crush on his general, turned to Fil. “What about you? How do you feel about your general?”
“Uh...” Fil was wide eyed. “He's more like a brother, I think? I like him but not like that... I may have a crush on... Kit though... The way he saved us all from Grievous, and kept us safe... helped Nahdar with our injuries...”
Monnk eyed him, then smiled. “Good choice.”
.
Obi-Wan groaned when his comm chimed with a message. He lifted his head and cursed. He had to answer this. No matter how little he wanted to deal with this now.
Hello, Obi-Wan.
Hello, Sidious.
It is Lord Sidious to you. I hear that you have been promoted to the Council.
Yeah yeah, pretty sure everyone has by now, what about it?
My, are you snippy today.
I just got back from karaoke and drinking. I don't care.
Oh of course. You just want to sleep, I take it.
Yes.
Let's talk first.
Fine. What about?
You are on the Council now.
Yes. I am. It's not much of a surprise. A little annoying that I am just months shy of breaking the record for youngest at time of joining the Council, I've broken enough records thank you, but I knew I was going to end up on the Council one day. It was just a matter of time.
And now here you are. I'm impressed. I knew I was right to keep my eye on you and Quinlan over the years. You both certainly proved it in our fight on Hades. But now, now the potential is showing, and you are still in your prime, with much more improvement.
A Jedi is always learning. It's one of my favorite things, anyway.
Always learning, huh? Maybe I do have a gift for your promotion after all.
I do not want anything from you.
I will not give you a choice. Meet me at the fountain in park square in half an hour.
Do I have to?
Yes, Obi-Wan. You do. If you do not... well. I'll find some way to make sure you regret it.
Fine. Thirty minutes.
Obi-Wan yawned and grabbed a hoodie and pulled it on before wandering out the door. He was not awake enough for this, and just tipsy enough he couldn't quite handle it. He thought about purging the alcohol from his system but decided against it.
Sidious had seemed amused by how snippy he was. Now he knew that Obi-Wan could be short when under the influence of alcohol, which meant it was something he could use against Obi-Wan.
Which meant Obi-Wan should keep it under wraps that he could use the Force to remove the alcohol from his system. That he knew the technique at all. Sidious would not expect it then.
He grimaced when he saw the hooded figure waiting for him at the fountain. He was glad his own hoodie hid his features so it would be hard to tell who he was, and no one would expect him. He didn't really look like a Jedi, after all.
Sidious smirked. "There you are, Obi-Wan."
"Hello, Lord Sidious." Obi-Wan greeted cordially. "You had something for me?"
"Yes, yes I do." Sidious handed him two books.
Obi-Wan took them carefully and flipped through both quickly. One was a rather innocuous book on cultures across the galaxy. The other was a book on Sith history and other things.
"Thank you." Obi-Wan tucked the books under his arm.
"You're welcome. Congratulations again on making the Council."
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Thank you. It is an honor to be there, even if it was inevitable."
"It is an honor, and a great sign of how much they appreciate your skills, for being someone so young."
"I am aware."
"I am just impressed that they're not jealous."
Obi-Wan stared at him. "Jedi do not get jealous. If they do, they process the emotion and let it go. Now, is this all?"
Sidious grabbed his hand. "Oh no, it isn't. I greatly enjoy talking to you in person instead of just through messages."
Obi-Wan groaned. "You are keeping me from my sleep. There will be other opportunities."
"Ah, but with one of the techniques in that book, you can hold off sleep for days."
Obi-Wan huffed. "Okay, I just don't want to talk to you."
"So blunt while drunk. I appreciate the honesty instead of your talking around what you mean."
"It is habit. And I don't like you. I'm not going to put myself at risk of angering you when you hold all the cards."
"Good. You know your position. One day... one day you will learn your real purpose in this galaxy... but I think for today, I am satisfied. Good night, Obi-Wan. Get that well deserved rest and sleep off that alcohol." He held out his hand.
Obi-Wan shook his hand and absently noted that he seemed strangely familiar but he couldn't place it. His smugness, his satisfaction, and simmering anger and hate had Obi-Wan's attention.
"Good night, Lord Sidious. Thank you again for the books."
Obi-Wan started walking away, speeding up when Sidious did not stop him. He was sneaking back into the Temple when he remembered he was going to have to write an unofficial report for this.
Obi-Wan groaned.