Going to see the Bear Clan

[morally_cryptic]

After dinner with Obi-Wan, Anakin wanders through the Temple, heading generally toward the room in which Yoda usually has evening meditations with the Bear Clan. Mostly, he's not thinking about much of anything except that Yoda had told him they would have to speak after Obi-Wan was released from the Healers. Which doesn't promise to be fun in the least.

Finally, he's dawdled enough and he arrives at the room just as Yoda is finishing their meditation exercises. Anakin can't help but breathe a small sigh of relief, any earlier and he probably would've been asked to join in and...well, you don't just refuse that.

Anakin waits until Yoda acknowledges his presence, then bows at the Jedi Master and smiles in greeting to the Younglings. "Master Yoda, Master Obi-Wan sent me to visit the Bear Clan." Pause, "With your permission, of course?"

Yoda nods, "Ahh, awake then is Obi-Wan?" Inwardly, Anakin can't help but think As if you didn't already know... but Yoda is continuing, "Good to hear, that is. Of course my permission you have, Padawan. Happy to talk to you the Younglings must be." Yoda pauses and for a moment, Anakin thinks he might be off the hook. No such luck. "Recall you may a talk I requested?" The Jedi Master doesn't wait for Anakin's nod, "Now that well Obi-Wan is, tomorrow after the morning meal to see you both I would like."

Anakin does nod now, "Of course, Master Yoda."

Yoda nods approvingly and begins to walk past Anakin out of the room, "Leave you with the younglings then, I will." There may be a glint in his eyes not unlike the smile Obi-Wan was directing toward Anakin as Anakin had left Obi-Wan's quarters.

Anakin just looks at the children around him and wonders what to say.

Comments

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The Younglings stare back at Anakin, shifting slightly and equally unsure of what to do.

Fortunately, the youngest breaks the tensions and toddles up to Anakin and wraps his arms around the padawan's legs in a hug.

And then, Anakin's swarmed by knee-high Jedi, all wanting to get their hugs in.

At the same time, they employ the trick they learned with Master Obi-Wan and Master Yoda: the send soothing tendrils of the Force to Anakin, in a bid to help anything that still needs healing.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

[you win at icons-on-spur-of-moment]

If they had been much taller than knee-high, Anakin might've felt vaguely threatened at being swarmed by them. As it is, he's mostly confused, but there are also warm fuzzies. "Hi."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

[Damn straight ;) Actually, I was just lucky that the first image in my google search was one I could use]

The Little One beams at Anakin. "Master Obi told us you were hurt bad. We're glad you're okay, now, Padawan Anakin."

They disperse a little and give Anakin room. And then, without Yoda or another Master to keep them in check, the questions start.

They all seem to trample on each other, each wanting the answer ot his or her own question.

"What happened?"

"How'd it happen?"

"Where'd it happen?"

"Is Master Obi okay?"

"Are you really okay, too?"

"Why did it happen?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin sighs a little and sits down in the midst of them.

"Are we talking what happened this past few weeks or what happened just before that on Geonosis?" Might as well figure out which one they want to know about first after all.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

15 heads all look to each other as the Clan silent contemplates the question.

With a nod, the Little One says, "Before, on Geonosis. Master Obi was sad because you got hurt there." There's a collective assent at this. "What happened that made him sad?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin pulls off the glove he's already taken to wearing and shows them his roboclaw cybernetic hand. "There was a Sith Lord there who Obi-Wan and I fought." Rueful look, "I didn't do as well as I should have."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The eyes of the children go wide as they take in the sight of Anakin's new hand.

"You have a roboclaw..." the Little One breathes.

The others stifle giggles.

An older child adds, "Not that we want one, or anything, cause that would mean suffering a big owie, like you did. We don't want to suffer owies like that..."

Heh, yes. Not too helpful there.

The Little One comes to Anakin's rescue by scooting closer and touching it. "I guess it hurt lots, huh? I could see why that would make Master Obi sad. Does it hurt now?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

A roboclaw???

"I don't really remember it hurting a lot, actually. And it doesn't hurt now." He flexes his metallic fingers, "It just feels strange."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

After Anakin flexes, garnering appreciative 'oohs' and 'ahhs', the Little One proceeds to examine the entire hand, from skin-graft to fingertip.

When he's done, he nods, "That'll do fine. It shouldn't give you problems. Maybe you can even ask for upgraded bits to make it look less...roboclawish."

He turns and sits in Anakin's lap. "So then what happened?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin raises a bemused eyebrow at the Little One. "Well, Dooku got away, the battle was over, and we all returned to Coruscant. That's when they gave me the new hand."

Once all the children are through examining his hand, he slips it back into its glove, to muffle its little clicks and whirrs of machinery that remind him more than anything else of its presence.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The Little One tugs Anakin down so he can whisper secretively in the Padawan's ear. "It looks kinda cool, even though it's a reminder of what you did wrong in the fight. You shouldn't be so ashamed of it, you know. A Jedi appreciates the lessons he or she is given and uses them to better him- or herself."

Poor Anakin. Being giving a lesson by a Youngling.

To break up the private pow-wow between the two, another student pipes up, "But you went away again...and that was when we saw that Master Obi was sad. It was because you were hurt and then had to go away..."

They all nod.

"What happened next?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin would stare at the Youngling if the others hadn't asked him a new question.

"I had to escort Senator Amidala back to her home planet."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

"We know that," the Little One said. "Master Obi told us. What happened after that."

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

"After I came back?"

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

One starts, "We know Master Obi started doing work at the Senate, which is why he couldn't come and play with us as much as he used to..."

Another picks up, "...And he didn't like it very much. The Senate, I mean. He stayed away all day so we wouldn't see how upset it made him..."

And yet another, "...and then POOF! He stopped coming back to the Temple completely!"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

A mutter that sounds like, "I don't really blame him."

Louder, "Well, he was kidnapped. By, er, another Sith Lord." He does a good job of not letting his temper rise at the thought of Revan, really.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

There's a collective 'ooooooooh' at that information, as well as a major siphoning off of his anger and then? He's bombarded with more warm fuzzies.

He has their attention now...and their healing wackiness.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

And he's feeling more relaxed with them than he has with anyone but Padme in yonks.

"So then I went to find him and face the Sith that had him. It took a little doing...but I managed it. With Obi-Wan's help, of course. But he was hurt, badly, so I brought him back here as quick as I could." Wry look, "The healers are getting tired of seeing us in their Ward."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The group giggles. "I bet," one says. "Master Obi's been in and out of there a lot lately."

"Was it really a tough battle? Saving Master Obi?" the Little One asks, turning in Anakin's lap to look up at the Padawan.

Another child asks, "Did you get hurt, too?"

And one more, "Why did the Sith want Master Obi?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin smiles at the first one, lightly, "Unfortunately. I think he's gotten clumsier lately."

Anakin considers how to answer the Little One for a moment, his eyes going distant. "It was a really tough battle, yes. The Sith has been very well trained and she uses the Force in ways it never should be." Never mind that you've done that yourself on a few occasions. a snarky voice in the back of his head reminds him. "Like I said, without my Master's help, I wouldn't have been able to help him get free."

To the next child, a light shrug, "Not really, no. I've definitely had worse." And he waves his prosthetic hand with a sly wink, trying to keep things from getting too serious.

And for the last one, "I think she wanted an apprentice."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The first one wrinkles her nose, "Well, he wouldn't be so clumsie if they would let him get all the way better before sending him away again."

The Little One ponders this and nods. "Really, really good Master-Padawan teams are almost impossible to beat. I'm not surprised that you guys were able to get away."

His andswer to the third gets more giggles from the group.

The fourth, makes a face. "It was kinda silly, kidnapping a Jedi Master for an apprentice. Doesn't she know anything?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

"That is silly of them, isn't it?"

He almost beams with pride at that. Not pride in himself but just...pleased at the thought. "Thank you."

A grin at the giggles and then for the fourth, "Sometimes I wonder the exact same thing."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

"Well, I hope they let him come and play with us again. This time we won't let them send him away until we're sure he's all the way better."

The Little One just smiles and settle back into Anakin's lap. "And you'll come back and play some time, too, right?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure it won't be long until he comes to visit you."

To the Little One, still kind of vaguely surprised they want him around, "I don't see why not."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The group cheers at this news, and then they're all scooting even closer.

The Little One, after some encouragement from the others, asks, "Will you sit and meditate with us before we have to go to bed?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

........Meditate? They just got done meditating.......! But he can't say no to those faces, and it's not like it's a bad request anyway.

"If you want me to."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

A disjointed chorus of, "We do!" is Anakin's answer.

Yes, they just got done meditating, but Anakin, though he may not realize it, has gotten them worked up again.

They're quite smart. And sneaky. Anakin's reputation for not being able to sit still is engraved on the Temple walls, and they intend to try curing him of it.

The Little One shifts a little in Anakin's lap, then pulls the Padawan's arms into the loose embrace that the Little One enjoyed with Obi-Wan so many weeks ago.

The rest settle down and assume their preferred meditation positions.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

They're all right. I am doomed.

Nothing for it now but to take a deep breath, relax, and try not to think about how much his leg just started itching.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The group sinks into meditation quickly; having done it together so many times before, they've gotten good at it.

Once they're sure Anakin is completely unsuspecting, one child reaches out with the Force, a calming thread to sooth nerves. It's not a long burst, but enough that it's noticable.

A few moments later, another does the same...

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

He's surprised, but not enough to throw him out of it, it's more of a bemused surprise, anyway, They're tag-teaming me...

But he can't say he minds so much, in fact, the respite is...welcome.

His leg still itches, though.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The Little One shifts and sighs. Before settling again, the child whispers, "Focus, Padawan Anakin. Don't worry so much about your body. S'all in your head..."

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin can't help murmuring back, "You're spending way too much time around Obi-Wan."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The child takes a moment to grin, "But your leg doesn't itch anymore, does it?"

And so saying the Little One hits Anakin with his own tendril of the Force, trying to draw the Padawan into the communal medittion more completely.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Gonna be on the Council before he makes Knight if we don't watch out. He can't help but grin too.

And then he lets go as best he can, letting himself be drawn into the meditation, even if it's strange for him as he's generally used to solitary meditation, or, if communal, just with Obi-Wan.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

[*laughs* And he should walk in on Obi and the kids meditating sometime. It would be amusing.]

The kids continue to 'tag-team' Anakin. Once they feel he's with them as much as they can get, they begin to weave a tapestry of Force tendrils in an effort to get as close as they can to total communion.

They did it with Obi-Wan, they hope to do it with Anakin. Or get close, at any rate.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin does his best to work with them but it's more difficult with him as, unlike Obi-Wan, he has a lot more to hide from them. Or at least, feels he does.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The children try to come to his rescue, each trying at various places to nudge him in the right direction.

The parts that they want from him - need from him - are tough to tug at, but really, they aren't so personal as Anakin might think.

The Little One tries a different tactic, to augment the aid of the others. It's something that Anakin has felt recently from someone else: acceptance.

The message is plain: no need to fear cause we won't judge you. We're kids, for crying out loud.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

They might not judge him but that doesn't mean they won't talk.

And he's stubborn.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

The kids try for a little bit longer to draw Anakin out, but then figure they shouldn't push too much.

They want him to come back and play again, after all. So they make do with what they have and try their best to make something with what they got.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Anakin may not open up more but when they stop pushing he does at least relax more.

And they helped, they really did. Do. Both.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

And helping Anakin in such a way was probably Obi-Wan's secret plan. Who knows?

Eventually, though, these things come to and end, and the gentle chime that signifies curfew for the young ones tinkles through the room.

Each child falls away from the meditation until they're all looking at Anakin.

The Little One hugs the Padawan again and grins. "Thank you, Padawan Anakin."

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Smile, "And thank you for helping me letting me visit with you. And I'll be sure to pass on your well-wishes to Obi-Wan."

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

They all stand.

From one: "We hope you can come back soon!"

From another: "Tell Master Obi to come soon, too, so we can keep him out of more trouble!"

And from a third: "Will you walk us to our part of the Temple?"

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

"So do I, and I will, and yes of course."

As he makes sure everybody's all together and walks with them to their part of the Temple, making sure to deliberately shorten his strides so they can keep up.

[master-obiwan.livejournal.com]

When they get there, they all say good night and give Anakin another hug with one more warm fuzzy each.

And then, they're disappearing into their rooms, as they give each other warm wishes for the night.

[morally-cryptic.livejournal.com]

Stares at them as they go, kind of wishes he'd grown up here like that instead of on Tatooine, shakes it off, goes to wake up Obi-Wan.

Cause, you know, he deserves it.

OOC

[age.livejournal.com]

Since Anakin seems to want to bug his master...

http://www.livejournal.com/~master_obiwan/29787.html?mode=reply (http://www.livejournal.com/~master_obiwan/29787.html?mode=reply)