Ficlet/RP/Thing

[responsibleformyownrisks]

Babysitting politicians.

FORCE, she hated babysitting politicians. Siri had never been good at politics. Or patience or a few other things. Which was why, when she learned of her next mission... quite frankly, she was wondering what the Council was thinking, assigning her to bodyguard duty on Mandalore. Oh, there was more to it than that; she was supposed to investigate what was behind the most recent... whispers of unrest, and threat to the Duchess’ life.

It was still glorified babysitting.

As Siri was walking down the ramp, Duchess Kryze’s face lit up for a very brief second... until she saw who it was that was disembarking. And her face visibly fell, disappointment plain to see. Obi-Wan. She expected Obi-Wan. That realisation, the way the other woman had reacted, the way she had looked before seeing that it was Siri... bothered her, hurt her more deeply than she anticipated, and she firmly, resolutely, shoved that aside. This wasn’t the time or the place. She had a mission to tend to.

Her duty.

Five hours into her mission, and Siri wanted to beat her head against the kriffing wall. Duchess Kryze was testing her patience. And her ability to hold her tongue. Master Adi would be proud, she thought wryly. The woman didn’t understand the Order at all. What they stood for. What they MEANT. Because they fought to defend the Republic, those that could not defend themselves... they were wrong in her eyes. And she couldn’t seem to help herself, making disparaging remarks about the Order in front of Siri, as though she could change her mind.

No, she didn’t understand the Order at all. And SOMEhow Siri refrained from answering in kind.

In the end, there was a minimal amount of collateral damage, no loss of life, a series of pitched battles, and Siri learned firsthand what it was like to plummet thirty stories in a turbolift. It was not an experience she was in any hurry to repeat. Her injuries were serious enough, but not fatal, and would keep until she had reached the Temple. What mattered was that the Duchess was safe, and the culprits in custody.

The Duchess walked with her back to her ship. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Siri inclined her head. “It was my pleasure, Duchess.” She could make nice when she had do. She just didn’t particularly ENJOY it, that was all. As she started for the ramp, the Duchess caught her attention.

“Please give Obi-Wan my regards.”

THAT felt like a lightsaber to the chest, although she didn’t visibly react, and the Duchess wasn’t Force sensitive, so that wasn’t a concern, either. Her emotions remained hidden. Although the Duchess’ were... painfully clear. And somehow, she managed a crooked smile, sharp and insincere in its friendliness. “Of course.” Then she at last made her escape up the ramp and onto her ship. Force, she wanted OFF this kriffing planet.

She arrived back at the Temple late, which suited her. All she wanted was to discreetly retrieve a few bacta patches from the Halls of Healing, and return to her quarters for some rest. The less attention she drew, the better. So the moment she landed, she was limping quietly down the ramp and making a beeline for the Halls.

Comments

[master_obiwan]

It's a lost-in-thought Obi-Wan that's walking through the halls. He's not heading to the Halls of Healing, but his path just happens to cross one of the junctions that leads to the healers' domain.

And whatever he's thinking about has him not really paying attention to his surroundings, enough so that he doesn't sense the post-mission distress rolling off of Siri until they're almost on top of each other...

[neverlosemyfocus]

Siri wasn’t paying much more mind than Obi-Wan is, and by the time she senses him it’s too late for her to avoid him. And turning around and going back the way she’d come isn’t an option. She’s never been one to run from something. No matter how much she might wish otherwise.

Force, this is the last thing she needs. Not with the emotions that the mission had stirred up.

At least his lack of attention gives her a brief moment to force the limp from her stride in a probably pointless attempt to hide her injuries from him. “Distracted, Kenobi?” she snaps, sidestepping him and continuing towards the Halls of Healing. Irritation and sharp words help disguise a multitude of emotions.

Thank the Force.

[master_obiwan]

Her words and her sudden presence have him stopping short in surprise, and he realizes how embarrassing it is for a Jedi to be taken unawares, especially in the middle of the Temple. He shakes it off as he registers her identity and her words.

He frowns at her hostility, though it's not wholly unexpected, coming from her. "I could ask you the same thing, Tachi," he replies, though his tone is more reasonable than hers.

It also takes him a split second to take in her appearance, and her direction. He knows how much it will annoy her if he follows her, so he automatically falls into step with her, deciding to take the scenic route to his original destination.

"Rough mission?"

[neverlosemyfocus]

Kriffing son of a gundark. Of course he would decide to follow her. She huffs an irritated sigh as he falls into step beside her. Her night just keeps getting worse. All she wants is to get what she needs from the Halls and return to her quarters for the first time in far too kriffing long so she can tend to her injuries.

And she’d much rather do that without his company. Too bad that’s obviously not going to happen. At least not yet.

“No rougher than usual,” she retorts.

[master_obiwan]

[ooc: going with Council Member!Obi. And also, he's really dense. I'm sorry.]

He senses her irritation level spike and he winces internally.

"No rougher than usual?" he echoes, raising a brow. "Then why are you trudging down the hall like you lost a battalion and three star cruisers?" It's a fairly rhetorical question, and he doesn't expect her to answer with anything outside of possibly a growl of indignation, or something.

"You got the Mandalore mission, right?" he asks. He was absent for the meeting in which that particular errand was assigned, having been needed elsewhere, and she's not usually this angry - or nursing her wounded pride this intensely - after political missions, regardless of what they entailed or how they went down. He frowns a little, trying to figure out what could have happened.

[neverlosemyfocus]

She doesn’t have the energy for this. Biting down a growl of indignation, she touches her tongue to her lip and answers his question. Sort of. “No rougher than usual doesn’t make it any less” painful “...trying.”

Oh Force. She glances at him, briefly, before looking away and nodding. “Yes, I got the Mandalore mission.” At least he hasn’t realised why she’s so prickly, yet. “I completed the Mandalore mission. And now I’m returning to my quarters.” By way of the Halls of Healing.

[master_obiwan]

"If you say so." He doesn't believe her, because trying doesn't mean looking like she just lost the war single-handed. "And your quarters are that way," he adds, pointing back at a corridor they just passed. "You're going to the healers, and then you're going to your quarters."

He offers her a tiny smile, letting her know that he knows he's being a pratt, and can she just lighten up already?

"So I'm guessing a little trouble ended up being more trouble than we're willing to admit?" He shakes his head. "Leave it to politicians to understate their need."

[neverlosemyfocus]

Force save her from well meaning, irritating, and occasionally observant pains in her backside. She arches an eyebrow at him. “Maybe I’m taking the long way around.” Which isn’t entirely false. But that doesn’t make Obi-Wan any less right, either. Not that she’ll ever TELL him that.

He’s being such a prat, and he KNOWS it. Of course, he wouldn’t be Obi-Wan if he wasn’t. Why does she love like him again? She sighs, giving him a small, crooked smile despite herself.

That earns him a tired laugh and a wince that she tries to hide. If he only kriffing knew. “Just a bit,” she admits softly.

[master_obiwan]

"Well, you would be, in this case," he agrees.

Her return smile is a step in the right direction, and her laugh is encouraging, as he can't sense any sort of sarcasm in it. The wince he's gracious enough to ignore, knowing that saying anything will simply set her off again.

"Just a bit is an understatement. I can never understand why they're so stubborn, sometimes."



[ooc: any idea on if this before or after Wild Space?]

[neverlosemyfocus]

She shakes her head a little, amused, and not bothering to argue with him about the reason why. It’s more energy than she has, more energy than she cares to use. And she doubts he’s going to parts ways with her before she reaches the Halls of Healing. So there’s no way to avoid him seeing that he’s right.

He ignores her wince, which she appreciates. She’s trying to not draw attention to just how injured she is, and his silence allows her the illusion. As much as it irritates her.

“It seems to come naturally to them.”


[ooc: I... think it has to be after? Since he’s a Council member, and I don’t think he was during the events of the novel. (Which is another mission that I totally have headcanon for if Siri was alive during it.) I’m not 100% though.]

[master_obiwan]

He wants to make a joke about her being sure she isn't a politician in disguise, but he decides not to. He has her very slowly moving towards a better mood than when they ran into each other, and besides, they only have a few more turns to go before she's taken away from him and placed under the care of the healers.

He hopes Master Che isn't on duty, because the combination of the two women - Siri in her wounded, irritated state, and Master Che and her abrasive, no-nonsense manner - would probably wake the Temple.

"So, militant group unhappy with the way things are being run on Mandalore?" he asks, trying to get a sense of what happened on the mission.

[neverlosemyfocus]

That’s probably a smart move. There’s no telling how she might take it, given the mood she’s in and what happened on the mission.

She has absolutely no intention of remaining in the Halls of Healing longer than is necessary. Regardless of whether or not Master Che is on duty. She’s not THAT injured. She’s NEVER that injured. All she needs are a few bacta patches and she’ll be FINE. And given what time it is... if the Force is willing, she should be able to slip in, retrieve what she needs, and leave.

“That’s what it usually is, isn’t it?” she retorts. She doesn’t want to particularly talk about the mission, or what happened during it. She really doesn’t want to talk about anything. Particularly Obi-Wan’s... particularly the Duchess.

[master_obiwan]

He senses her unease, and he sends a soothing tendril of the Force in her direction. It's his way of reaching out to her without physically touching her.

"Usually," he agrees. "They were a fair amount of trouble, I suppose? Was anyone harmed? Besides you, obviously," he adds hastily, to forestall any snark related to her pointing herself out as a non-fatal casualty of the mission.

He's just impressed that she hasn't hit him yet.