Symphonia: Ad Asterim

Chapter Seven: Mad About You
(Song title: Belinda Carlisle)

Sure enough, Kayla arrived minutes later at her apartment only to find a grinning padawan standing there, leaning against the doorframe. "What took you so long?" He asked.

She chuckled as she retrieved the keys from her belt pouch. "How long have you been standing here?" she asked.

"Actually, I only just got here. Hey, why do you use a standard lock on the door? Can't you just Force-lock it?"

She got the door open and they walked inside; she shut and locked the door behind them. "Old habit. Same reason I live out in the City as opposed to on Temple Grounds."

He raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering about that."

Kayla shrugged off her outer robes and set her lightsaber down on a table nearby. "I lived alone for five years when I was on Barkhesh, and I got used to the solitude; well, at least of not living in a communal setting like the Temple. When I came back, I asked for permission to live off-grounds and got it." She picked the saber back up and stepped back. "Oh, by the way, this is what happened that made me project this afternoon." She ignited the weapon, and he gave a low whistle.

"Looks impressive. How'd you manage that?" He reached for the saber, and she handed it to him. He moved it slowly, testingly through the air as she replied.

"The information on the datacards you sorted for me on is the end result of some long-term research some of us have been doing on merging technology with something that, for want of a better word, I'd call magic."

"Magic? I thought it didn't exist." He powered the blade down and set it back on the table.

"So did most of the Council. It's what we were all taught; things that most people call 'magic' can be explained by either non-supernatural means or through use of The Force. Well, I'd found records dating back a long, long time ago that had sketches of what they referred to as 'Runes of Power' that allegedly modified lightsabers. This goes all the way back to when 'sabers were powered by battery packs worn on your back, mind you. Preliminary research showed that crystals and gems carved with these Runes exhibited unexpected and very unusual properties. Some worked to either enhance or dampen The Force, but others had nothing to do with Force energy. It was uncanny."

"So let me guess. You put one of these Runes on a saber crystal."

She nodded. "Actually, I carved it onto the least powerful of the three Ilum crystals in it. It is now significantly more active than the indigo crystal, which had been the most powerful of them. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be effective in combat use; it acts like a magnet repulsing similar polarity when it meets another lightsaber."

"Hmm," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe there's a way to modify it further and reverse the polarity?"

She looked at him, surprised. "I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t know that it can be done, at least not easily, but it's an avenue worth pursuing. Would you like me to ask to have you assigned as my assistant for the project?"

His eyes widened. "Would you do that? I would love it! It's fascinating. Not to mention, of course, that it would give us an excuse to be together more often."

She laughed. "True, true. But trust me, love, I'd work you on this project. I've been doing the majority of the work solo for months now."

Obi-Wan pulled her to him and kissed her softly. "That's fine with me. Now, did you want to talk about your project all night, or did you have anything else in mind?"

She deepened the kiss and leaned into him. //Oh, I can think of a few things we might do…// She sent to him as she slid her hands between his robe and tunic, pushing the robe to the floor.

//Hmm. Are you going to tell me, or shall I just die of suspense?// he responded as he left a trail of kisses across the cheek before reaching her earlobe, which he took between his teeth and nibbled. She pulled him closer, moaning softly.

//Ah…Kayla…I think we're going to…// they fell to the floor as her foot became tangled in the puddle of robes on the ground.

She threw back her head and laughed. "This is becoming a habit for us."

He joined her laughter as he rubbed his tailbone. "We must be gathering an impressive collection of bruises."

Kayla reached for him and pulled him down atop her, kissing him. //Let's get these clothes off, and I'll check you for bruises// she teased. //Among other things.//

//Oh, definitely check for other things// he laughed as she pulled off his over-tunic and slid her hands beneath the under-tunic below, running them over the warm skin of his chest. //Please, check for other things.//

***

"My arm is asleep," she whispered in his ear. "Why don’t we move into the bedroom?"

Obi-Wan blinked sleepily and yawned. "Good idea." He stood and helped her to her feet, and looked in dismay at the tangled and wrinkled jumble of their uniforms on the floor. "Let's leave these here for now, ok?"

She nodded, "Sounds good to me. She took a step towards the bedroom and found herself being lifted up into his arms. "Hey!"

He grinned and kissed her cheek as he held her cradled close to himself. "I just thought we’d make it there with fewer bruises if I carried you." He strode into the bedroom and set her gently down onto the bed.

"I'd like to get a little bit of sleep, if you don't mind," she said as he settled beneath the covers beside her and took her in his arms.

He yawned again. "Wonderful idea. I didn't get much sleep last night, for some reason."

She giggled. "What a coincidence, neither did I." He curled up to spoon behind her and held her to him, placing feather-light kisses on the back of her neck and nuzzling her hair.

"You smell so good. I meant to tell you that last night." Another yawn followed on the heels of the previous one.

Kayla turned to look over her shoulder at him. "Get some sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake, and we can talk then."

He nodded and within moments was snoring softly in her ear; she followed him into sleep within heartbeats.

***

A sensation like rising slowly to the surface from deep water woke Kayla. Obi-Wan was kissing her tenderly, and it was his kisses that woke her. She stretched and pulled him close, returning the kisses and running her fingertips lightly across his back.

//My Kayla…// he sent a current of tenderness and passion, colored with a bit of possessiveness. //You know I won’t share you, love.//

//I would never dream of asking you to. And why would I want another, when I've got the best there is already?//

He smiled and brushed the hair from her eyes. //Mmm. That's how I feel about you, too, you know.// He kissed the tip of her nose. //I can't imagine ever wanting anyone else but you.//

She sat up and folded her legs beneath her, pulling the sheet over her lap. "So how did it go with Master Jinn? He came to see me again, and put me rather on the spot, so I had to tell him what happened last night. He didn't seem too upset when he and I spoke."

"No, he's not upset. He gave me a lecture about how the Council would never allow us to be together, which we already knew, and said all the things a Master's supposed to tell his Padawan in a situation like this. But then he told me that he trusted you and I to be discreet, and that he personally had no objections to whatever happened between us. The only thing he asked was that I practice dampening the Padawan bond when we're together," he blushed. "He said he'd had almost no sleep the night before and was ready to screw anything that moved."

"Oh no!" Kayla's face turned bright red, and she laughed nervously. "I hope you did what he asked this afternoon. I don't want to see the consequences, otherwise."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Yes, I did. He showed me what I needed to do to tune him out. But I have a feeling we won't live this one down easily." He stretched and rolled onto his side to face her. "I'm hungry."

She glanced at the chronometer. "Me too. There should still be a few places open at this hour, if you want to go into the City. Otherwise, we can forage in the kitchen, but I'm warning you, it's not a pretty sight. I'm not a bad cook, just a lazy one. With only me here to feed, I tend to live on junk food and whatever I can fix in a minute or less."

"Let's go out, then." He pulled her down to him and looked deep into her eyes. //Hey, guess what?//

She smiled. //What?//

//I'm madly in love with you, you know// he sent as he kissed her.

//Mmm. That's a good thing, because I'm madly in love with you too.// He smiled and kissed her again. //Gods, I love that smile of yours.//

He blushed. //My smile?//

Kayla laughed as she stood and stretched. //And your eyes. And your kisses. And- well, you get the idea.// She walked to the front room and picked up the pile of discarded uniforms, carrying them back into the bedroom and dumping them on the bed. "You might want to keep a spare uniform or two here so you don't leave here every time looking like you've just slept in your clothes for a week. These aren't too bad, fortunately." She dressed as she talked.

Obi-Wan donned his tunics and pants and sat down on the bed to pull on his boots. "Good idea. So how about while we're out getting dinner, you tell me the true story behind the legend of how you became a Jedi Master at the tender age of, what, twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six. Sure, I'll tell you, but it's nothing spectacular." She fastened her belt and reached for her robes. "I'd hate to disillusion you."

He held her robes while she donned them, and then put his own on. "I promise to be suitably impressed, love." He grinned and took her arm as they walked towards the door. "And then when we're done, we can come back here and I can impress you again."

She giggled as she pulled the door closed behind them and secured the lock. "Oh, I'm certain you will. Very certain indeed!"