hadthehighground | Duplicity IC Inbox

[Hello Cal! It's Obi-Wan without a beard! Mostly... He's got a bit of stubble but nothing like the beard he had before.]

Cal is that you?

Of course, what do you need?

[ Cal actually starts. That's ... weird. Just looks wrong.

It also makes him immediately forget that he was supposed to be nervous. He intentionally says nothing about it, though. ]

I was wondering if you'd be willing to train me. There are a lot of things Master Tapal didn't get the chance to teach me.

[Don't worry Cal, he's been getting that a lot. But now it's Obi-Wan's turn to look surprised.]

You want me to train you?

[He's not sure why he's so surprised, but he is. And deeply flattered that Cal would even ask him. Once he gets over the initial shock, he feels a sense of excitement bubbling up in him. Something he hasn't quite felt in awhile and longed for. He had a chance to be useful, have a purpose, and as a Jedi again. How could he say no?]

Yes, of course. I would be happy to.

[ He's not sure why Obi-Wan is surprised either. That further nullifies the nervousness he'd been feeling, and all the second-guessing about whether he had the right to ask. (He'd ultimately never lingered on those thoughts, because of course he did, but they were still there.)

There's a small smile, because it all suddenly seems very silly. ]

Is that so surprising? You're a well respected Master. It's an honour.

It’s just been a long time. I haven’t had a student since… well before the war.

[And that didn’t exactly turn out well in the end now did it? But then… would Cal even know about that? It’s very likely that he didn’t.]

And I suppose I never thought I would get the chance again.

[ Since they last spoke, Cal has learned who Obi-Wan's last student was, and who that student became. Of course, he's not about to bring it up, wouldn't want to open that wound. It changes nothing, because he still wants Obi-Wan to train him. ]

Well, then you're welcome for the chance.

[ Snrk. ]

[Okay that gets a laugh.]

It is my honor and privilege of course.

Now that it’s decided we should meet and get started.

[ Score. ]

Of course. My schedule is open.

How about now? I can make some tea and we can talk.

Sure! That sounds great. Where do I go?

I live in an apartment building in the Down.

[Address here.]

I’ll let you in when you arrive. Just take one of the elevators to the bottom floor.

I'll be there soon.

[ At least he doesn't have to go through the checkpoint to get there, which will really shorten the amount of time it takes. Within the hour, he will be knocking on Obi-Wan's door. ]

[Theres a soft click as the front door is unlocked. Upon walking in Cal will find a lobby with a set of shiny elevators, one of them opening with a ding.

When he takes the elevator to the bottom floor he will find it opens directly into Obi-Wan’s living space in the basement. A spacious open apartment with an industrial look to it. A sitting area with sofas and a coffee table sits in the middle with a corner that’s clearly meant for meditation, a clear floor space beneath the high windows that look out into the street. A sleeping space with a bed only partially partitioned from the rest of the space. The only space that’s a room unto itself is the bathroom, it’s door near the sleeping area. The Jedi himself is in the kitchenette, making the tea as promised.]

Hello, Cal. Please have a seat.

[ This isn't really what he would have expected from the abode of a Jedi. The title may not mean anything here, but still, it just ... doesn't seem quite right.

He doesn't comment on it, though, and just quietly looks around as he makes his way over to the sitting area. ]

Thanks.

[ He sits down, clasping his hands on his lap, feeling only a little awkward. For the n-th time, he misses that familiar weight of BD-1 on his shoulder, and the comforting that the droid would undoubtedly offer him by now. ]

[Its definitely bigger and more luxurious than he was used to it’s true. But there is little in the way of personal effects. Everything is kept simple with most of the decorations being potted plants. There’s a peaceful aura around the area at the very least.

After a few moments Obi-Wan, dressed in his Jedi robes, comes over to hand Cal a cup of steaming green tea. A cup of his own in his other hand as he sits down.]

You’re uneasy. Are you not comfortable here?

[This said before he takes a sip. Watching Cal over the edge of his cup.]

[ When he'd landed on Bracca, he got rid of his robes as soon as he could. Kept them for a little while, until he started losing hope that the council would contact him, and then destroyed them completely. It's ... odd to see them again. Melancholy.

He takes the cup with a nod of thanks, and cradles it as he leans back. ]

No. I'm just ... nervous. It'll pass.

[ It's nothing Obi-Wan has done. ]

Well, then let’s start by talking about why that is.

[Taking another sip of his tea he then puts his cup down and gives Cal his undivided attention.]

If I’m to be your new master we need to get to know each other and learn to be open in sharing our feelings. There’s also the matter of whether we want to establish a training bond or not.

[ He shrugs at first, not entirely sure, but stays silent for a while as he thinks about it, his gaze turned towards the ceiling. It's not intimidation, even if Obi-Wan was such a well-known name among the Jedi. Not after the conversations they've had. But he's been mostly left to his own devices since Cere and Greez saved him, with only the occasional thoughts or guidance from Cere.

So long since he's actually properly trained. And he knew Master Tapal. ]

It's been five years, and I don't know you very well.

[Obi-Wan nods in quiet understanding. Considering the past they both had, it didn’t surprise him and he could sympathize.]

Then let’s work on that. If you like, I can start by telling you about myself and you can share your own thoughts as you feel comfortable. Does that sound fair?

[If Obi-Wan was going to train Cal, they had to trust each other. It was fundamental between a master and student. He knew all too well how things could go wrong without it.]

Sure.

[ Sounds fair.

With a small smile, he brings up his cup of tea to have a sip. ]

[With that decided, Obi-Wan smiles and nods before picking up his cup again and taking a sip. He then leaned back thoughtfully as he considered what to tell him.]

I already told you about my earliest years in the order, and how Master Qui-Gon and I came together.

[He chuckled a littke as he thought about it and shook his head.]

Even after all of that our path was a rocky one. We often didn’t see eye to eye. He wasn’t what I had expected of a master, and I wasn’t always what he expected of an apprentice either. In fact it took several years for us to really bond and make a connection. We were often out of sync with each other which was a great frustration for us both.

[ It makes sense that not every Master and Padawan pair would fit together seamlessly, but Cal is very glad that he didn't have to experience that with Tapal.

Of course, it probably didn't help that Qui-Gon didn't want a Padawan. ]

Anything in particular that changed that?

Well, there was this one mission that turned things around. Though it wasn’t without some strife beforehand. Qui-Gon had been offered a seat on the council, but naturally he couldn’t accept and have a Padawan at the same time.

[Obi-Wan sighed softly as he remembered the time. It had been a rather tumultuous point in his life.]

He didn’t tell me. At least not at first. I felt something was amiss and suspected he wanted to drop me as his apprentice. We had just had a rough mission before that. I knew I wasn’t meeting his expectations, and I admit it hurt. Even more so when I learned he was keeping things from me.

However, during our time on Pijal, we were confronted with an enemy that had lightsaber resistant armor. Qui-Gon and I were pursued and surrounded. I fell into a pit at one point and it took all of my Jedi training not to give into fear. It was at that point I felt a deep connection to the Force. Suddenly I saw everything with more clarity, and was able to finally connect with Qui-Gon. Together we managed to defeat our opponent and escape. That was the turning point in our relationship as master and apprentice.

[ The feeling of not meeting expectations is a familiar one, even if Cal is pretty sure it was just imagination in his case. Especially now that he thinks back on his time with Master Tapal, he's all the more certain that Tapal was never disappointed in him for his struggles.

Not to say there were no expectations, of course. He just struggled a lot with accepting that things didn't just come easily.

While the story is very different from his own experiences, there's something familiar in it too. It seems finding yourself in a situation where everything feels lost opens your mind to a greater understanding of things. It wasn't until the kyber crystal shattered in his palm and he saw no way of continuing their quest to find the holocron that he was open to truly begin healing. ]

So he decided to keep you.

[ There's a slight pause, and he sighs quietly through his nose. ]

I struggled with not meeting my own expectations.

He did, and declined the offer to join the council.

[Obi-Wan smiles in a bit of a melancholy way. The memories were bittersweet, and while they were old, still stirred certain feelings within him.

As Cal mentions his own struggles though, he turns his full attention on the young man.]

And why is that?

[Video, un: oldfolk000]

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Sorry this took so long

All good! <3

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