Qui-Gon couldn't take it anymore. He needed salvation from the heat. Tatooine was a rock studded desert under two strong suns. Qui-Gon was one man with long hair and a full beard. It was a battle between the sweltering heat and his determination to disregard the thin layer of sweat that he was covered in. Qui-Gon wasn't winning. The afternoon wore on along with the Jedi's resistance. He stuck to the shade and drank water whenever provisions allowed.

The real problem at hand wasn't heatstroke or dehydration. It was his hair. Sometimes it managed to shield his neck from the Sun. Now it did the exact opposite; acting as a thick insulator and adhering to his neck. It made him much too warm.

Something had to be done. He sat down on a bench in the Skywalker's tiny home. First he peeled the hair off his neck. Then he proceeded to gather it up; his clumsy hands trying to manage it into a high
bun. It resisted, and he dropped his hands, the suffocating hair falling with it.

Again, he tried to scoop it up and ran a hand over it to smooth it out; making it more controllable. But as soon as that hand was taken away, it once again fell into disarray. He sighed gruffly, leaning over to put his hands on his knees and stare at them.

He was a Jedi. He didn't need a chilly, temperature controlled room to be satisfied. Was it too much to ask for a little relief?

He was startled by the feel of cool hands taking the hair off his shoulders. Out of nowhere Shmi Skywalker had appeared. She must have been watching his previous attempts, for she proceeded to pull all his hair back. Qui-Gon quietly accepted her offer, momentarily at a loss for words. With a bit of string, she tied it into a bun above his neck. The simple hair style was similar to her own in all respects, and extremely effective. It felt better breathing in the dry desert air.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "You have been too generous to us."

Shmi gave a soft smile. "Hospitality requires small acts of kindness."

"But you never invited us to your dwelling in the first place. We are intruders."

"My son invited you," Shmi corrected him. "And you coming here... has already changed his life. He has new hope; a new spirit. Every slave needs that to survive. How can I thank you for that?"

"Just continue to offer shelter from the heat," Qui-Gon lightly replied.

Um… that was shorter than I expected. But it was still all 'daw,' right?