DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
The Jedi Master stood at the balcony railing, watching the unceasing pattern of airships across the skyline. Qui-Gon himself preferred nature to artifice; but he could see the beauty in it, nonetheless. He sensed a presence, moving up behind him. He didn't need to look to see who it was.
Young Obi-Wan stepped up on the lower railing, which just let him wrap his arms around the top rail. They stood, watching as the sunset sky turned to darkness. The boy spoke first. "I'm going to be on one of those ships, some day."
"Are you?"
"Uh-huh. When I get to be a padawan. I'm going to go to all the stars in the sky."
"That's going to take you quite a while."
"Master Scirresel says we have all the time in the world."
"So you do."
There was another long silence, again broken by the boy. "One day last week was just awful. I dropped my breakfast tray and my dinner tray. I fell down in the exercise room. I broke the model speeder I was building. I forgot to do my history homework, so I had to stay after class."
"That's a pretty bad day," the Master agreed.
"Tell me about it," Obi-Wan replied, in a world-weary tone. "But after dinner, my friend Lesandre split a kasabafruit with me. He told me a joke, too. Wanna hear it?"
"Certainly."
"Okay. How do you catch a unique womp-rat?"
"Hmmm. I don't know. How?"
"Unique up on it."
Qui-Gon took a moment to process this, then smiled. "Very clever. And that helped-- the joke, and the fruit?"
"Kinda... but having someone on my side really helped. That's what Jedi do. Help people. Help each other."
"Very true."
They watched as more stars began to appear, clear even over the lights of the city.
"You'd best be getting to bed, Obi-Wan."
"Yes, sir." Obedient, the boy hopped down from the rail.
"I'll walk back with you," Qui-Gon added, following an impulse. The child's eyes widened.
"You don't have to do that, sir--"
"I'd like to."
Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
The tall man and the small boy left the balcony, and walked down the corridor of the Jedi Temple together.
"There's another part to the joke, Master Qui-Gon."
"And what's that?"
"How do you catch a tame womp-rat?"
"I don't know. How?"
"Tame way."
The low chuckle of the man, and the higher giggle of the boy, were the only sounds in the quiet corridor.
And overhead, the stars rose, and the airships flew, and life went on, much as usual, in the city, and in the Temple.