TITLE: Proper Decorum

SERIES: Hearts and Souls

AUTHOR: Scorpio

ARCHIVE: Sentinel Cat, The Den, CKoS and WWOMB

FANDOM: Star Wars (pre TPM)

PAIRING: Qui-Gon/Mace, Obi-Wan/Bruck

RATING: PG

CATEGORY: AU, fluff and mild humor

WARNING: Gratuitous ear nibbling

NOTES: Set in the same AU as "Gentle Shackles of Love", this story takes place only a few months after that story ends.

DEDICATION: Once again, this is for Sentinel Cat; Archive Goddess of Scorpio's Constellation of Fanfic. Without her efforts, my work would be scattered by the whims of fate and internet speed-bumps.

DISCLAIMER: George Lucas is the God of the StarWars Universe. I neither own, nor did I create only of these characters or concepts. I intend no infringement on Mr. Lucas' copyrights. This is a work of love, not profit.

SUMMARY: Yoda gives a tour of the Inner Temple to a group of Initiates. They learn more than they bargained for.

Proper Decorum
by Scorpio

"Come, young ones. The Inner Temple, this way is."

The venerable Jedi GrandMaster limped along with the aid of his gimmer stick, a small group of nine and ten year old Initiates at his heals. The children stared about wide eyed and radiating awe as they followed the small green Jedi through gleaming marble corridors deeper into the very heart of the Jedi Temple. As they passed ancient statues of Jedi heroes of times long past and woven tapestries detailing great moments in Jedi history, Yoda allowed his own sense of joy and purpose to fill him.

This particular duty was one he enjoyed greatly and one at which he eagerly looked forward to each year. When a Jedi Initiate was judged ready to begin the more arduous training that would allow him, her or it to eventually be chosen by a Master as a Jedi Padawan, they were given a tour of the Inner Temple where those lessons would be learned. While taking the tour, they would hear tales of when the older Padawans, Knights and even Masters had been but young Initiates. Their new duties and responsibilities would be explained and all of their questions would be addressed. Yoda enjoyed these tours with their questions and answers very much. It was often a pleasure to be able to see the universe through young eyes and innocent minds.

Coming to a stop in front of a single door, Yoda waited until all of the children had gathered around him. All of them seemed eager and a few seemed to be a little shy over the fact that the hallway was filled with the comings and goings of older Initiates, Padawans, Knights and Masters. Until now, their world had consisted of the Creche, the Initiates' Dormitories and their own classes. Today, their world would grow by leaps and bounds. Pointing to the door in front of them, Yoda began the tour.

"The viewing and judging arena, beyond this door you shall find. Look out over the various training sallies, from here we will."

Turning slightly, Yoda pointed his gimmer stick further down the hall to where a set of doors were opened wide and from which the majority of the hallway's traffic flowed into and out of.

"Into the main training arena and the individual training sallies, those wide flung doors lead."

He allowed the children a long moment to gaze their fill, then he palmed open the smaller door in front of the group. When it slid open, he walked through it while calling over his shoulder at his charges.

"Come. Come. Enjoy this treat, you will."

Yoda led the way to a circular set of stairs that wound upwards. He calmly levitated his body in an upward curving arc that matched the carved stone steps perfectly as the younglings bounded up behind him. At the top, they reached another long hallway, this one was decorated with burgundy and dark green tiles. All along the corridor there were floor to ceiling panes of oddly tinted glass set into the walls at regular intervals. Next to each pane of glass there was a small comm unit.

Gesturing for the children to follow, Yoda calmly made his way over to the first pane of glass. As the younglings gathered around him once more, they gazed through the glass only to find that they were looking down at a single training sallies. Inside the sallie, a young Padawan was working one on one with her Master as they performed a kata. The children ooowed and aaawed.

"Wind Through Grass Kata, does Padawan Tristan learn. There to advise and to teach, her Master is. By example. By correction of improper form. One to one practice and undivided attention. With these things, can a Padawan flourish."

After allowing the young Initiates to watch the training session for a few more moments, Yoda turned away from the one-way glass and began to walk further along the hallway.

"Come. Come. Much more to see, there is."

And so it went, Yoda describing all of the various things that the children viewed taking place in the training sallies. He explained about everything from a group of older Initiates participating in a beginners saber class to a pair of Knights sparring. They saw several different katas being performed and they had even watched as an older Padawan faced off blindfolded against a remote which fired blaster shots at him randomly. The children were very impressed and excited about beginning their classes.

Finally, they reached the end of the long corridor where there was a single door quite similar to the one in which they had entered the viewing area. Yoda tapped it with his gimmer stick.

"Recording and security room, beyond this door lies. Tape a training session for later review, a Master can. Watch for injuries and infraction of the rules, two Jedi always do." He gestured to the children as he palmed to door. "Come. Many interesting things to see, in this room are."

With that announcement, Yoda stepped through the door in order to show the younglings the banks of monitors that recorded the practice sessions. His brief lecture on safety measures and on following the rules died on his lips, however, when his eyes fell upon the two Jedi that had been assigned to monitor duty this day.

To Yoda's dismay and to the wide eyed astonishment of the group of children, Padawan Kenobi was sitting sidesaddle on his bondmate's lap and nibbling on said bondmate's ear. Padawan Bruck Chun, the bondmate in question, had one hand entwined in Obi-Wan's short red-gold hair while his other hand was running up and down Padawan Kenobi's thigh. He was also moaning and mewling like an injured nerf.

Yoda's ears quivered in shock and suppressed anger even as the two boys stopped their activities and looked over at the group in surprise and growing dismay. His GrandPadawan's jaw dropped open for a long moment before he worked it soundlessly, no words coming to him as his hormone soaked brain tried to desperately switch gears. A childish giggle finally pulled Yoda out of his own shock.

"Duty this is! A honeymoon suite, it is *not*!"

As if he'd been prodded in the behind by a jolt of Force, Obi-Wan jumped up off of Bruck's lap, his face alternating between bright red and sickly pale. Bruck almost tumbled to the floor when he tried to stand up as well only to find his legs hopelessly tangled with the chair's legs.

"Yes, Master Yoda."

The boy's voices were almost one as they spoke simultaneously. Together, they dropped down to their knees side by side in front of the Jedi Master, heads bowed and radiating extreme embarrassment and regret.

"Bonded mates, you may be, but proper decorum and respect for duty, you will show. Sexual rituals, to your quarters are limited. How think you, your Masters would feel if know of this, they did?"

A dual surge of worry resonated through the Force even as they both answered in unison again.

"Yes, Master Yoda."

Yoda glared at them for a long moment before turning away and dismissing them back to their duties.

"Hmmmph."

Agitation flowing from him, Yoda led the young Initiates back out of the monitoring room. Feeling the innocent minds around him swirling with curiosity and confusion, Yoda sighed deeply. It was time for some damage control.

By the time they had reached their next destination, Yoda had managed to explain about bonded mates and the need the bond placed on them to express "physical affection" for each other. He gently told them that while this activity was expected and actively encouraged with bondmates, duty to the Jedi should always come first. By abandoning their tasks at the monitors, the two Padawans had made a serious breach of duty. Yoda further explained that it was considered impolite for people in a civilized culture generally, and in the Jedi Temple specifically, to engage in mating rituals in places that others could and would enter. Those rituals were to be kept private between the bondmates and were not for others to view.

The children accepted his answers without any problems, although he found that he couldn't answer the question as to *why* the two Padawans had chosen that particular activity. Yoda didn't see how Bruck's ear could have tasted good, but Obi-Wan seemed to have enjoyed nibbling on it. As one young Pho Ph'eahian Initiate stated, "Eww...how unsanitary." Yoda loved and adored his GrandPadawan, but he couldn't help but agree with the youngling's assessment.

With a last sigh, Yoda turned his mind back to the tour and the original topic that he wanted to discuss with the children. With his gimmer stick, Yoda gestured to a wide sunlight hallway that held many doors along it's length. This particular section of the Temple was quiet, with an almost palpable hush laying gently over everything and everyone.

"Meditation Hall, this is. Quiet solitude or group reflection, each of these rooms are designed for. Here are classes taught, group meditation shared and self knowledge pursued. Assigned date and time, each group or individual must apply for."

Limping over to one of the doors, Yoda gestured to a sign up sheet posted next to it. It showed a listing of various individuals' names and classes that had been and would be making use of this space. This particular meditation room was currently in use according to the sheet.

"Classes you will all have here. Meditation, Force manipulation and yoga all will you learn. Come, find us an unused room we will. See for yourselves, the meditation rooms."

Yoda led the group down the bright and cheerful corridor until they finally came to a door whose signup sheet was blank for this time of the day. It wasn't scheduled for use for another two hours. Smiling gently, Yoda palmed open the door and stepped through with the children following him. The room was painted a soft and soothing pale yellow and the wooden floor was inlaid with a symmetrical flowered design. High windows with colored glass let in streams of rainbow tinted sunlight and a small stack of cushioned meditation mats sat along the far wall. In the center of the floor, Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Window were wrapped in each other's arms, with Qui-Gon happily nibbling on Mace's ear.

A ripple of shock ran through the Force as the two Jedi Masters stopped what they were doing to look over in embarrassment at Yoda and the group of Initiates. Feeling his serenity teetering dangerously, Yoda had the fleeting thought that Obi-Wan had come by his ear nibbling tendencies honestly. Obviously, he'd either learned it from his Master or it was a quirk particular to that subspecies of humanity that both Master and Apprentice were members of.

A young voice piped up only to be followed by much giggling.

"I still think it's unsanitary to chew on someone's ear. I don't care *how* many Jedi do it."

With a slightly martyred sigh, Yoda palmed his face with one three fingered hand.

"Too old for this, I am."

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