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[neverjedi]

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[neverjedi]

"If you have to go looking for me, you can ask him anything you want. If you don't have to, then I don't need help anyway, right?"

[justasmallfry]

This bit of word play stumped Anakin for a bit.

"I guess..."

But he knit his brow together.

"Do you not want help from Master Jinn?"

[neverjedi]

He smiled, slightly. "I don't want much to do with Master Jinn, period. I just want him to do what's right and to help you. I'm still a little bit mad, even though it wasn't his fault."

[justasmallfry]

"If it wasn't his fault," Anakin asked, "then why are you mad?"

[neverjedi]

"Because emotions aren't rational and I'm a slave." He does not expect Anakin to fully grasp that and he's okay with it.

[justasmallfry]

That did stump Anakin again.

"You seem alright to me," he said, thinking Obi-Wan was trying to say there was something wrong with him.

And going back to something Obi-Wan said the night before- "Did you really choose to be a slave?"

[neverjedi]

"No. I just accepted it as a risk to what I did choose which wasn't going back with Qui-Gon." No he hadn't, but. It was a risk and he had taken it and it had happened.

[justasmallfry]

"But... how?" Anakin asked. "Was your friend a slave?"

[neverjedi]

"Because stuff happens and the universe isn't fair and sometimes the things we do make it more or less fair or stack or unstack the deck of cards we're given and the Force works in Mysterious ways, we need to get this thing finished."

[justasmallfry]

That made aboslutely no sense to Anakin and he screwed up his face at Obi-Wan.

But then he laughed and said, "Okay." And got back to work.

[neverjedi]

Not happy, Obi-Wan was not surprised to find out, was an understatement. Angry was too. Furious, enraged, seething, incensed-- there were a lot of words that could have applied much better than 'not happy' or 'mad'.

He made it back to his place in slave quarters, but only barely and only because he refused to allow anyone to risk his owner's ire in trying to check on him.

He lost consciousness not far inside the door, just fainted where he stood and fell to the floor. He was naked from the waist up, his back a mass of bruises and dried blood from shallow whip marks. There were abrasions and bruises around his wrists. One eye was swollen and bruised and his lip was split. He was badly sunburned where skin was exposed. He was dehydrated. All relatively minor things, in the scheme of things.

Not minor at all, there was a bruise so deep and nasty across one side of his rib cage that it was black rather than purple. His breathing was shallow, and periodically turned into a pained cough - that added a fresh layer of blood to his lips.

There was an attempt made at healing himself, there really was, but he just couldn't manage. Couldn't manage to stay conscious long enough and couldn't focus past how bad it hurt to breathe in those periods he was vaguely aware.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin's thrill of victory was short lived. It was amazing to finally win- it hadn't been easy, Sebulba was an excellent pilot, but not holding back had been wonderful, like he was stretching parts of him that had begged for movement for too long.

But his fears for Obi-Wan had been founded. When Obi-Wan didn't show, he all but threatened to go to Obi-Wan his own until the one adult he was sure was Obi-Wan's only hope agreed to help.

"He's hurt because Sebulba's mad that I won! I won to help you- you have to help Obi-Wan now!"

Qui-Gon finally agreed, and while he helped Obi-Wan to his bed, he told Anakin to get some water and then sent him home because it wasn't safe for Anakin to be caught there, given Sebulba's anger.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said directly, but still a bit gentle. He needed Obi-Wan to wake up enough to take water.

[neverjedi]

He subtly relaxed - stopped being so physically tense, though still tense - when he sensed Anakin leaving, and it was as much Qui-Gon's presence in the force as his voice that got him up and around in spite of the darkness being something near a physical weight trying to pull him back down.

He even got his eyes - eye anyway - open.

"What?" What do you want, what do you need, or just what given he was pretty... fuzzy.

[justasmallfry]

This was... the easy part. Because helping was the right thing to do. The medical issues were straight forward. This is wrong, to correct it we need to do X. It would be something they both agreed on.

Qui-Gon's hope was that they could focus on that without touching the mountain of discord between them.

"You need to drink some water. You are dehydrated. I'm going to try to heal what I can." He paused, because the next part might start kicking that mountain. "Do you recall how to enter a healing trance?"

[neverjedi]

And Qui-Gon cares now?

He doesn't say that. Doesn't have the energy but laughs, harshly, and effectively chokes on blood that the rough movement and breath brings up.

He manages to get the class from Qui-Gon, with a lot of effort. "I'd have died years ago if I didn't. Can't... hold the focus long enough." Now he means.

[justasmallfry]

In that moment, yes, Qui-Gon cared. There were many factors as to why. Some part of him truly didn't want Obi-Wan to suffer. And there was something to be said about helping someone who'd endured a beating in order to help Qui-Gon. But most of his reasons revolved around having the time to devote to Obi-Wan in that moment. If he could complete his mission sooner, if the ship wasn't taking so long to repair, yes, he might not be there.

The calculus was simple - Naboo involved more than just Obi-Wan, more lives were at stake. Naboo had to come first. It was not happy math, but it was the reality of the galaxy.

"That's good. I will try to help you find the focus so that you can." He accepted the glass back when Obi-Wan had taken a few swallows, but didn't set it too far away, Obi-Wan would need more. "I'm going to start working on these superficial brusies."

[neverjedi]

Obi-Wan grabbed hold of Qui-Gon and then used that grip to pull himself onto his uninjured side and off his back. It was less painful and a little easier to breathe.

He let go immediately once he'd managed the move, though. "Sure," he said, albeit very softly. "Should help the focus issues."

He was trying to keep his emotions under wraps but it was hard. He was mad and relieved and confused in equal measure, all against a back drop of hurt - physical and not - and out of breath. At least quiet kept the appearance of that all subdued. "Why aren't you with your ship?"

[justasmallfry]

A part of Qui-Gon was impressed with Obi-Wan's ability to keep his emotions under the surface. To a Jedi, that spoke to maturity. But as the root of those emotions was some 13 years in the past, a part of Qui-Gon was disappointed. He'd gotten over his feelings about their last argument on Melida/Daan a long time ago, he'd moved past it. (Somewhat, he'd never taken another padawan in all that time, but that was his right as a Knight and Master). Why couldn't Obi-Wan get past it?

He froze when Obi-Wan gripped him, to turn over- bu he couldn't think of another Jedi would welcome touch. Rael excluded.

Qui-Gon tried to stay focused in the Force to help Obi-Wan heal. If he was honest, he faltered a moment or two.

"Our ship is taking longer to repair than expected. Master Rael doesn't possess the same skill with machines as your young friend does." Qui-Gon figured it wouldn't be dangerous to reveal to Obi-Wan what other Jedi was on the mission.

[neverjedi]

He can catch the edges of Qui-Gon's feeling and presence, albeit faintly at the moment. Feel the disappointment and the lapse in Qui-Gon's focus a bit, anyway.

"Sorry. Leaving the Jedi meant I got stuck just being human." Which means feelings he is not entirely control of, about things. He's still very soft spoken though, and what anger had been there fades away - or rather bleeds out - leaving just heavy, deep, exhaustion. Not physical tired but 'tired of everything' tired.

He makes an effort to rouse himself, a bit and twitches a very slight smile that isn't really one. His eyes stay closed. "You might want to ask Anakin for help. I'm sure it would speed things up."

[justasmallfry]

Qui-Gon couldn't fathom what 'just being human' really meant, benig a Jedi was so ingrained in him. For him, if he was severed from the Order, not much about him would change, he didn't think.

"Anakin is a very impressive boy," Qui-Gon admitted. Here his emotions might bely his intrigue- cautious intrigue.

"Not many Force sensitive children learn to use their powers so keenly without guidence." Was that an observation? And accusation? The Jedi tended to think they were the sole source of knowledge on the Force in the galaxy.

"That could be very dangerous for him."

[neverjedi]

"Why the kriff," he asked, tone that same very soft, quiet, even thing even with the slight emphasis and cursing, "do you think I am so desperate to get him out of slavery?"

Besides loving him, but it wasn't that simple, it really wasn't.

He was feeling slightly better, still struggling for air, but better with a bit of the superficial injuries fading. Enough to be aware of Qui-Gon's work more consciously.

"Why are you bothering with this?"

[justasmallfry]

"You need the help and I have the time," Qui-Gon said simply. It wasn't sentimental. They were together a handful of months. They disagreed and... to put it bluntly, Qui-Gon had cut his losses. If Obi-Wan wanted to break his oaths, Qui-Gon had decided not fight him. Despite the connection they'd shared those few months, Qui-Gon's previous experience with Xanatos had made him cautious. Maybe it had been the wrong choice to leave Obi-Wan on Melida/Daan, but that was too many years in the past to regret now.

Qui-Gon kept working at Obi-Wan's injuries, but he couldn't help but ask.

"How do you expect me to help him, Obi-Wan?"

[neverjedi]

"I don't expect you to, or believe you are." It wasn't sentimental, either. He had his hope placed firmly on the Queen's handmaiden, now - well what 'hope' he had, at all. He closed his eyes and curled slightly in on himself, coughing hard enough to make his eyes water but at least clearing some of the... congestion in his lungs. "And while I appreciate the... compassion, there is very little purpose, beyond making sure Anakin does not become entirely disillusioned and cynical. Stay here as long as you'd like but save the energy."

[justasmallfry]

That did sting more than Qui-Gon expected it to. He'd long thought the Jedi didn't do enough for the galaxy, especially when it came to slavery. But there was only so much one Jedi in the Order could do. He knew that so keenly. But that didn't mean he didn't feel something for those he couldn't help.

And he had committed himself to helping Obi-Wan in this moment.

"Are you so angry with me you would refuse my assistance? I can accept your angry towards me," mostly, he was Jedi after all and that did come with a heavy dose of judgment. Not that Qui-Gon didn't think it was his place. "But don't be foolish."

He did pause working in the Force, but to grabbed the water and hold it for Obi-Wan to take.

[neverjedi]

He took the glass of water and murmured a thank you. He took one swallow to start with, then sipped more slowly. "No. I'm not certain the person I am now is angry at the person you are now, at all. The child I was and man you were, yes, but that isn't... in the present moment."

It's convoluted and he doesn't expect it to make much sense to Qui-Gon so he clarifies. "Anger isn't why I'm telling you to stop. I need you to do enough to convince Anakin that you -that the Jedi - are good. Beyond that it's simply pointless."

He stopped again, and caught his breath. Drank more water and then handed the glass back. Calmly. Quietly. "All things considered, life has not been terrible, but I have no expectation of, nor particularly strong desire to, continue it. This won't kill me, now, but this planet will and that's... fine."