These are random and pointless snapshots from between The Book of Paths–An Uncertain Path and The Long Twilight Path.
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The usual disclaimers apply. George Lucas owns it all; I am not making any money on this.
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Author's Note: These are based off An Uncertain Path and The Long Twilight Path where Qui-Gon survived the Battle of Naboo and is training Anakin and Obi-Wan's apprentice is Bali Tiro. You can read about An Uncertain Path, The Long Twilight Path, and The Chosen Path.
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The Book of Paths
–SnapshotsThe Book of Cooking
Studies, as if there was ever a doubt were always a pain to do. A big hairy pain. A big hairy green and purple with eight legs and blue spikes above its one yellow eye type of pain. No, it was a big orange bird with a sharp black beak sort of pain–
"You're supposed to be studying, Padawan."
At the sound of his master's voice from the common room of the apartment they shared, Bali straightened. Stifling a little smile, the eight-year-old obediently replied, "Yes, Master." Sighing loudly, the padawan reached across his desk and pulled the data pad with his class notes close.
He did not get beyond the first paragraph of his current events studies before a terrible smell wafted into the small room. Scrunching his nose up in disgust, Bali looked around for the source of the stink. When he decided it was entering through the open door, the dark haired padawan climbed out of his chair and crept to the doorway. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose up at the horrible smell that assaulted him.
"Are you cooking a Wookiee?" Bali asked timidly stepping into the common room. He spied his master in the kitchenette hovering near the warmer.
"Very funny, Padawan."
"Smells like burned Wookiee hair," the little apprentice replied as he crossed the room to the kitchen and climbed up on one of the stools.
Obi-Wan turned from the cook pot to study the curious child. "And how would you know what burned Wookiee hair smells like?"
"Awar and I–"
The boy suddenly became very quiet as he bit his lip.
"Awar and you what?" Obi-Wan pressed as pale blue eyes watched apprentice quite intently.
"Weell I guess that is what burned Wookiee hair smells like." Big green eyes innocently looked up.
"Of course." There was a slight pause. "And certainly you wouldn't know anything about that Medarian jelly ball that just happened to find its way up to an upper level walkway?"
Bali shook his head.
"Or that it just happened to fall, splattering Master Kerek?" Obi-Wan asked folding his arms across his chest.
The little padawan struggled not grin. The thought of the large jelly splattered Wookiee stumbling backward in surprise was sort of funny. Well, it was until he dropped the burning ceremonial oil lamp he was carrying. The hall really did stink when the flame singed Master Kerek's hairy arm.
"It was Awar's idea!" Bali cried out, no longer able to take his Master's scrutinizing stare. The sharp look from his master silenced the boy momentarily. "I helped," he said in a small voice.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Because you already knew."
"Yes, Padawan. I always know." Obi-Wan smiled and brushed his fingers through the little padawan's spike hair.
"Master!" Bali cried out playfully as he hurriedly fixed his spikes. "If I promise never to do it again, can I get out of punishment?"
"I didn't know you were such a comedian," the older Jedi said, tugging at the edges of his cloak.
Bali made a face in defeat, then all innocent again. "I've learned my lesson."
"If I believed that I would be a gundark's uncle."
"I didn't know you were related to gundarks."
"Padawan."
"Sorry, Master." The boy slipped a mischievous little grin.
"Well, first you are going to eat, then you are going to report to Master Kerek. He has a few chores for you. A few thousand ceremonial containers to dust for starters."
"Master!"
Obi-Wan eyed the disobedient boy. "Meditation to understand what you did wrong and why you will never do it again."
"Because I got caught," the padawan grumbled.
Without answering the cowed padawan, Obi-Wan reached into the protective folds of his cloak and unclipped the boy's training saber from his utility belt. "You dropped this in your escape."
Shock filled the bright green eyes as Bali quickly checked his own belt only to discover the weapon missing. "Oops."
"That is one way to put it." The master handed the small weapon off to the apprentice who carefully took charge of it. "After that we will sit down and figure out the rest of your punishment."
"The rest?" Bali huffed. "I bet you never had to clean all of the ceremonial pots in the Temple."
"No, but I had to scrub the floor of the main corridor with a very tiny brush once. Trust me, you are getting off easy."
Bali curiously looked at the Jedi Master but did not receive an answer to the silent question. The apprentice consoled himself with the knowledge that if he asked Healer Bant she would fill him in. She told him everything about his master. He sniffed at the air again and wrinkling his nose, asked, "Is it supposed to smell like that?"
"It's cooking."
"I think it's burning."
Obi-Wan eyed the grinning boy, then picked up a long, silver utensil and poked one of the larger vegetables in the rounded pot. White hot steam pealed out of a blackened shape that deflated the moment the sharp prong pierced it.
"You killed it!" Bali cried out slapping a small palm to his forehead.
"Padawan," Obi-Wan groaned.
The eight-year-old peeked around his master's arm. He shook his head sadly. "I don't think it is supposed to look like that."
Obi-Wan threatened with the cooking fork. "Do you want to cook?"
"Can't we just go to the cafeteria?"
"I thought you wanted me to cook?"
"That was before I knew you couldn't," Bali said plaintively shaking his head while he studied the flattened, charred purple vegetable.
The Jedi master reached out and pinched Bali's nose eliciting a peel of laughter. "Come on," Obi-Wan said with a gentle smile, "let's eat."
Bali wrinkled his nose again. "Is this part of my punishment?"