Truth and Lies | Star Wars

1.01

"Oh, no!" He groans as she takes him by the arm and drags him through the Temple. After over two decades of friendship between the two, most of the Jedi in the temple have collectively chosen to ignore the pair whenever they are together. "It isn't that big a deal."

"We missed your birthday!" Loraana exclaims. "I got you a gift, and you shall receive it whether you want the fruits of my labor or not."

Together, they climb to a space they had carved out years ago when they were both just Padawans newly assigned to their masters. The room stands at the top of one of the towers with a rusted balcony and a layer of dust that Loraana can't seem to keep away. When she reaches the top, she heaves him up into the room with a laugh as he flops onto the ground beside her.

"You know, I do know how to get up here on my own," he says as Loraana quickly rises to her feet to retrieve her gift.

"But it's fun to watch you flail about," she retorts as she turns around with a box in her hands. "Happy Birthday, Kenobi."

He rolls his eyes and takes the box from her. When he opens it, he smiles down at the small charm of his least favorite flower; he knows she knows this as she was the one to discover their shared allergy to it when, on a mission they had been on together, she fell into a field full of them only to emerge with puffy eyes and sneezing. When he had made fun of her, she tugged him down into the field, laughing when he stood up with the same symptoms. Luckily, Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon had been there to save both Padawans from the anaphylactic shock that followed.

"Featherfern, how thoughtful," he laughs. Quietly, she lets out a sigh of relief—she was worried he wouldn't like it. "Now, where to put it?"

"I put all of your charms on my lightsaber," Loraana says. She giggles when his cheeks flush red. "What? Master Yoda finds them charming."

"Loraa!" He groans, nudging her side.

"I'm joking! I keep them on a string by my bed." Though her palms grow clammy at her confession, the discomfort on Obi-Wan's face far outweighs her own embarrassment. "Either way, I have truly missed you. The temple isn't the same without you."

He shrugs. "I missed you too. And the temple gossip. You must tell me what's happened in my absence."

She rolls her eyes as she grips his hands playfully. "You won't believe what I saw Master Jocasta do last week."

★ ✫ ★ ✫ ★

Despite hating off-world travel, Loraana could not be more pleased with her current situation. After months of being separated from her closest friend, Master Yoda had given her the chance to go on mission with not only Obi-Wan but Master Qui-Gon as well. In preparation for her trials, her master had been giving her much more freedom in choosing assignments independently and traveling alone. The choice to go with them was no choice at all.

As the three of them are left alone on the Trade Federation's ship, all three remove their hoods in what Loraana likes to call 'the reveal.' It always makes her giggle.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan says, sending Loraana a look for laughing.

"I don't sense anything," Qui-Gon replies.

"It's not about the mission, Master. It's something elsewhere...elusive."

Though she does not want to agree, she has to. Ever since they boarded, Loraana has felt colder, more on edge. The Force clings to her skin like a fearful child as she looks around the room they are left in.

"Don't center on your anxiety, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs," Qui-Gon says.

Loraana follows them as they walk down the length of the room to the large windows at the other end. "I'd have to agree, Master," she says. "Master Yoda says to be mindful of the future."