Could we please see more lordofgrief? How’s Obi-Wan adjusting to his new fallen state?
Meditating was a bit like trying to hold onto a fish at this point.
A
slippery one.
It was
honestly frustrating and Obi-Wan had to take pauses often to try and
re-center himself. He had managed to meditate while emotional before
but he had always… compartmentalized his grief, to feel it all at
once, all the time was a draining thing and to meditate while trying
not to turn the grief to anger was hard.
He may
be Fallen but Obi-Wan was not going to become like Xanatos, lost and
broken as he had become.
But
every time he thought about Xanatos came also the words he had
shouted so many years ago, the promise that he would not be like the
man.
But
wasn’t he?
In a
manner he had broken his promise to Qui-Gon and that was what made
the meditation so hard.
He
didn’t regret it, not really, Anakin meant more to him than any
promise he had ever made but… the concept of losing what little he
had left of Qui-Gon made him tremble and not just physically but
mentally too.
His
master had been Obi-Wan’s world until Anakin entered it, had been
there in Obi-Wan’s formative years and they had so many experiences
together that not only shaped them but also their apprenticeship.
Both
in making rocky but also one of the most compatible and strongest
apprenticeships and bonds until Anakin and Obi-Wan took that dubious
honor.
And to
a Jedi, it was a dubious honor regardless of what Anakin thought.
While
it showed great compatibility and ability to work together, it also
showed a level of… attachment.
Not
that Qui-Gon had cared all that much, playfully tugging on Obi-Wan’s
braid after one of the councils semi scoldings about the dept of
their bond.
He
missed that old gundark.
And
that was what had left him meditating on the floor of his quarters on
the Negotiator, settled on his knees as he tried, really tried
to meditate and find his center.
His
peace.
It
used to be so easy, meditation had come as easy as breathing for
Obi-Wan before but now it was so hard and he knew why.
His
fallen status was causing him more emotional turmoil than he was
willing to show to everyone, even Anakin.
‘I
won’t Fall! I won’t be him!’ Echoed in his mind every time he
almost managed to settle into the flow of the Force to listen, firmly
throwing him out of his own calm.
Leaving
him kneeling on the floor with his hands on his thighs, staring at
the wall.
Finally
Obi-Wan decided to give up, his almost numb legs telling him he had
been at this for far too long as he cautiously untucked them from
under him and instead stretched them out in front of him, leaning
back until his back was resting against the edge of his bunk.
Slowly
he brought up his knees too and settled his elbows against them so he
could press his face into his hands comfortably, sighing deeply to
himself.
“…I
can’t help but think you’d be so disappointed in me master,”
Obi-Wan whispered, a deep rooted fear announcing itself that he
usually avoided looking too much at. “I promised you. I swore I’d
be better than Xanatos and yet… here I am.” He laughed, tone
broken and slow.
There
was no answer of course.
Qui-Gon
had long since passed into the Force and there was no one here to
tell him how Qui-Gon would really respond to him.
Oh,
people could theorize, those who had properly known Qui-Gon,
But
how the man would actually react was a very different thing.
“Oh,
I don’t know Obi-Wan,” A soft baritone sounded, Obi-Wan’s eyes
widening before he slowly pulled his face from his hands. “I think
you’re doing rather good, all things considered.” A transparent
figure stood in front of him and slowly, holding his breath, Obi-Wan
let his eyes trail up.
The
same boots, same belt, same tunic with the loose V at the top as that
fateful day and Obi-Wan’s breath came out in a choked little
whimper as he meet the ever blue eyes of Qui-Gon Jinn, the man
smiling softly down at him.
Still
craggy featured, still broken nosed with that long mane of a hair
pulled back with a leather cord.
“Hello
Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon chuckled softly, standing with his hands in his
sleeves. “It is good to see you.”