damned_institute | Day 21

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Day 21 - Sun Room

Ichigo was only too eager to leave the cafeteria and its fresh memories behind when the softened chime of the intercome rang clear. What had begun as another ordinary meal, a rather agreeable one despite the lack of the proper utensils, quickly became somewhat unnerving. His conversation with...what was his name again?...took so many sharp turns, he should've felt dizzy. It was easy to feel a little sorry for the guy, though; surrounded by stangers in a very strange place, it was hard to blame him for being so alarmed.

The Sun Room occurred as a more enjoyable choice to spend the time; he had nothing against music, but something about being surrounded by some of the most unruly characters he'd ever met, each of them armed with cacophonous weaponry, didn't sound smart. Once his nurse departed, the young man picked out a cozy little spot near a flood of sunshine and settled in, cradling his head in the palms of his hands. There, he stared up almost bitterly at the ceiling with sharply focused eyes, still exuding the same unapproachable sense of being as ever.

The room was warm, even a little comforting, for any of the tired, weary masses found in Landel's halls, or even those who just craved a little peace and quiet. All he could hear, from end of the room, were soft footfalls and hushed voices. That sounded just fine to the 'berry head.

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Okay, that got Xigbar's goat, just a little. He rolled his eye, and even though his tone was as light as ever, he obviously was a little upset by the Jedi's statement. "Dude, I know that you may not want to give me the time of day, but at least pretend you're listening to me? I said I was the only one who can do what I do. But every one of my guys can use the Corridors; two totally separate deals here."

...now he almost didn't even want to offer. Stupid Jedi.

"Hey, if you want to be stuck on this rock when everything goes down, have at it. Seeing as how we're the best way to get out, and the only way to get to the right time without asking the Doctor, it's a seller's market here. And here I was being all neighborly and telling you about it first."

"I didn't say I wouldn't give you the time of day," Obi-Wan told him, knowing he really shouldn't be trying to give the scarred man a dose of his own medicine by going out of his way to irritate him. "I've been taking time from my meditations to talk with you, haven't I?"

He watched the scarred man for a moment. "So, these 'Corridors' of yours link time and worlds together?" he said slowly, as if pondering out the implications in his own mind. He wondered if the people of Landel's used the same sort of means to pull everyone here.

"I don't want to be stuck here anymore than you do," Obi-Wan said, and he meant it. "I'm just not entirely sure what you're trying to offer, so you'll have to forgive my skepticism."

Yeah, yeah, that was true; the little monk-type-person was still chatting, which mollified the Nobody. A little. Maybe.

"Nope, just worlds together; for time, that's something that only a dude of mine can handle. He has time, I have space; it'd take both of us to get anyone anywhere. But neither of us can do nothing but twiddle our thumbs without our powers."

"That's where you come in." He pointed his finger at the Jedi, grinning once more. "In black and white, clear as crystal. You and your clone-dude, if you can get him to heel, are gonna keep looking out for where my powers are, or where my gun-arrows are. Instant you get 'em? You give them to me, no questions asked. Then when I've got the juice, it's a one-way ticket out of here for you."

"Deal?"

Obi-Wan watched the scarred man for a moment, his hands clasping neatly in his lap. The idea that anyone could have such control over time and space would have sounded ludicrous, but the fact he was even here to begin with muddled that normally logical view. The Jedi was willing to withhold judgment for now.

Then, the older prisoner laid his plans out in the open, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel relieved they'd finally reached the main point. It was certainly an interesting proposition, to say the least. But there were a few things that didn't quite add up.

Barely tilting his head to the side, the Jedi studied the scarred man. "Why do you need me to do it?" Obi-Wan asked. "Surely someone who has time and space on his side has a few tricks up his sleeve. You can't be all that helpless."

"Heck no, I'm not helpless. But remember what I said, dude?" Here he leaned forward to tap Obi-Wan on the forehead, like an old-fashioned teacher with a recalcitrant student. Darn if he wasn't adorable when he had that quizzical look on his face, though. "What I need is to get my powers back. Powers and guns both. And in case you didn't notice, I've only got one eye; I can't search the whole darn place myself."

A bit of a shrug as he leaned back, still grinning as his plan seemed to be falling into place. Just like fish and bait, really. "See, I don't really need you. Any random schmo off the street would do it. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, and I don't think you'll be trying to punch me in the face any time soon. That's all the reason I need."

Xigbar, helpless? As if!

The Jedi's eyebrow faintly twitched when the scarred man touched him on the forehead, but he bit back any comment he might have made about it. Yes, he'd noticed the one eye. While that wouldn't have been much of a problem for a Force-sensitive, Obi-Wan could see how it'd be a potential handicap for most other people.

"See, I don't really need you," the other prisoner had said. "Any random schmo off the street would do it. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, and I don't think you'll be trying to punch me in the face any time soon. That's all the reason I need."

Obi-Wan's mouth slightly quirked into an odd smile. "You seem awfully sure of yourself on that last bit," he said, though he clearly meant it in jest.

Well, half in jest, at least.

For a brief moment, he paused, as if considering the man's words. "Sounds fair enough. Though, I'm afraid I can't make any solid deals with you until I talk to RC and a companion of mine." He was fairly certain RC would agree to whatever he proposed, but Obi-Wan was curious what Qui-Gon would say to all of this.

Xigbar had been trying to hold back the hilarity, he honestly had. Really. Monumental amounts of willpower had been expended!

...but every Nobody had a breaking point. This? This was Xigbar's. Obi-Wan had no idea how he looked with a twitching eyebrow, did he? So very adolescent in his ruffled dignity, and then turning around and saying that he'd have to chat with his pals? With that little smile on his face?

Xigbar laughed, abruptly tilting just enough to flop on top of the Jedi, unable to contain his mirth anymore. "S-sure," he barked out, "go ahead and ask whoever. But man oh man, if that's not the most adorable thing I've seen all day!"

~~Begin Operation: Cuddle Torture~~

Obi-Wan was visibly startled when the strange man laughed, of all things. The sudden weight from the older prisoner effectively pinned him against the cushions, and he immediately tried to push him off as tactfully as he could. Slightly unnerved, Obi-Wan glanced over at his former Master's chair, only to find Qui-Gon still meditating in peace.

"S-sure," the scarred fellow laughed, "go ahead and ask whoever. But man, oh man, if that's not the most adorable thing I've seen all day!"

Obi-Wan sharply looked down at him, taken aback. "E-excuse me?"

Priceless. That unnerved, startled expression was so hilarious that Xigbar thought his sides were going to split; the fact that Obi-Wan had looked towards someone else- and with the obvious hope of help- meant that it was time to play a little game of Mind Reader.

Namely, he patted the Jedi on the shoulder and promptly hopped up to his feet, letting his touch linger for a second longer before gesturing to the man. "That one of your pals? Go ahead, bother him; I'm sure he'll want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, and this'll be one of the few times I'm not going to be floating around."

Oh, if only he could mean that literally.

He left the 'adorable' comment right where it was. Honestly, the Jedi really needed to get a clue. Or, well, no, he didn't. He was far too much fun this way.

Obi-Wan tried not to look too relieved when the man got off of him, though he did subtly straighten his wrinkled clothing. There was no reason for him not to maintain what little dignity he had left. (He was, at least, thankful he hadn't elaborated on the adorable comment.)

"Unlike some people," Obi-Wan said with an even tone, "I don't go around interrupting others when they're meditating."

Yep, precious as a new-born kitten. Xigbar couldn't help but draw a parallel between Obi-Wan's straightening out and poor Namine's vain attempt to keep her hair in some semblance of order. Honestly, that was a hopeless gesture, if Xiggy was in the right mood. Now, though?

...now, he was in his usual bright mood, and he easily shrugged as he leaned back and gazed at the Jedi. "Hey, you want to spend more quality time with yours truly? Won't hear me complain~!"

Why did anyone ever see any point in meditating? Xigbar knew himself well enough, and it wasn't like anything ever got done by looking in. Outside, and in others, that was what was important.

"Actually," Obi-Wan said as he shifted to get more comfortable, "seeing that we don't have anything left to discuss for the time being, I was hoping to get back to what I was doing earlier." He deliberately closed his eyes and took in a slow, deep breath.

Even so, he got the feeling this was going to be a very, very unproductive meditation session.

...nuh-uh, nobody ignored Xigbar when he was ~~thinking about maybe possibly sometime in the future considering to fix to commence to get started~~ speaking. Nothing was more important than the unending flow of eloquence that streamed from Xigbar's lips like a freakin' fountain of wisdom.

So, with no warning, he snatched Obi-Wan's little ponytail ~~tee-hee it was so tiny and cute~!~~ and yanked it in time with his words. "Yes. We. Do."

He'd think about what they had to talk about later. For now, it was important to not let the Jedi think he'd won. Even if Xigbar wasn't quite sure which contest they were even in.

Obi-Wan felt the tug on his ponytail, and he barely grit his teeth in frustration. Instead of lashing out with some callous remark, however, he faintly muttered a Jedi mantra before opening his eyes and slowly turning towards the man.

Now that he thought about it, Obi-Was wasn't sure why he'd thought he'd be able to meditate in peace. Maybe it was because logic dictated that this conversation was over. Logic that, apparently, this man did not understand. As it stood now, the scarred prisoner, whose name he didn't even know, was bordering dangerously close to Jar Jar Binks levels of annoying. And that was saying something.

"What else could you possibly want to talk about?" he asked after a moment, almost helplessly.

What could they talk about? Um... hm... well, he hadn't really thought this part through. There had to be something, something to keep going just long enough for him to end the conversation on his terms...

...then he got it. And he grinned. "You were talking about darker dudes and people that weren't even in the Jedi Whatchamacallit, but didn't say more than that. You have me curious; I wanna know more."

Smooth. Smooooooooth, Xigbar. Nobody would ever suspect a thing.

"Oh." Obi-Wan frowned a little, settling back in the chair and folding his arms over his chest. Well, he supposed it was a valid question, especially since he'd basically implied the man's enemy could have ties to such groups.

"A lot of it spans back to ancient history," he told him after a moment. History that had basically been irrelevant to his own time, up until the reappearance of the Sith. "When the Jedi Order was initially founded, divisions began to arise among the Jedi, and many violently split off into a group of Dark Jedi. For a time, there was peace, but then a war broke out between the Jedi and Dark Jedi that lasted a hundred years. After that, the Dark Jedi were banished to the far reaches of the galaxy, where they formed a Sith cult." He paused for a moment, briefly rubbing his chin.

"To make a long story short, there were more wars and what have you until the Sith were largely considered to be extinct." He grimaced. "That is, until recently."

But, even Sith used lightsabers with hand-crafted hilts, which was why Obi-Wan had initially thought of other Force organizations when the scarred man had mentioned the concept of an energy blade coming from a person's hand.

"During all of those conflicts, other orders and organizations sprang up across the galaxy, though a good deal of them can be traced back to Dark Jedi," he added. "As far as I know, they don't practice in the art of hand-making a lightsaber, but focus on other, darker Force-related abilities and philosophies instead."

Huh... Xigbar was certainly at the edge of his ~~seat~~ armrest during the explanation, tapping his chin as he heard Obi-Wan describing what had gone on. And, more importantly, that the kid had bought his off-the-cuff answer.

It was that last bit, about the 'abilities and philosophies', that had Xigbar curious. Before he'd been a Nobody, Xemnas had been a researcher... but a researcher without his memories. Had his Superior been a member of one of those groups, or some equivalent? It would explain the severe attitude, at least.

"I'm listening; what kind of abilities and philosophies? I'm guessing they didn't gather around campfires and sing songs."

Xigbar was a little curious about the Sith, but that could wait for another time. For now he was just intrigued enough to keep listening.

Obi-Wan softly snorted at the older man's comment. "You could say that," he said. "They embraced a lot of the ideals Jedi reject. Used their emotions to manipulate the Force, often as a weapon to further their selfish agendas. To them, their own ends were far more important than the rest of the galaxy. Some even used their abilities to practice dark...sciences, I suppose you could say, sometimes at the expense of entire races."

Now, Xigbar was all for dark sciences and selfish agendas, but there was one little clause in there that negated any possibility whatsoever that Xemnas, and indeed the entire Organization, could have been a part of that bunch.

"Man, while I'm normally not someone to say this, we could really use one of those dudes right about now. Someone who could add a little bit of firepower to our side would be just peachy with me, and heck, it'd be refreshing to have someone who's used to being on the other end of the scalpel."

"But it doesn't sound like the dude I'm thinking of. Matter of fact, there's one extremely important reason that my guy couldn't be a part of all that, even if he'd love to massage the 'Force' into his own personal tool."

Obi-Wan turned to the scarred man, his mouth tightening into a thin frown. "Trust me," he said. "You don't want any of those people here. They have no interests except for their own, and most would not hesitate to stab you in the back if it suited them. Some orders are sparsely populated because their members ultimately turn against and betray one another." The Jedi wasn't quite sure what he'd do if a Dark Jedi (or worse, a Sith) showed up, and he wasn't particularly eager to find out.

What the older prisoner said next was a little intriguing, though. Obi-Wan couldn't help but be a little curious, especially since it was possible this "dude" could arrive at Landel's someday. "And what reason is that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hah! Dude, I'm a part of the Organization; back-stabbing is the order of the day." He laughed at that, rolling his eye and patting the Jedi on the head again. Wasn't it cute, when humans thought that betraying each other was reserved for the 'Dark Guys'? Heck, Xigbar had to put up with the backbiting all day long, and that was before he was told about the 'real' traitors.

But at that last question? Oh oh oh, finally, a good opening for him to close the conversation on his terms! With one last grin, he chimed out, "Wouldn't you like to know~?"

Then he hopped to his feet, waved, offered his usual "Be a good boy, now~!" and trotted off to find a warm little spot by himself. This had been a wonderful day.

Obi-Wan turned to watch him go, his eyebrows sharply furrowing. "Hey, where are you going?" he said, but it was too late - the scarred man had made his way towards the other side of the room, and the Jedi didn't feel like chasing after him.

Back-stabbing is the order of the day, he'd said. Obi-Wan frowned, unsure of what to make of the man. While it was obvious the older prisoner was going out of his way to be irritating, the Jedi couldn't get a feel for his intentions beyond that. He certainly didn't give off any malicious vibes, but there was still something strange about the whole situation. It was a little unsettling.

Well, he'd have time to think about the offer, discuss it with Qui-Gon, and get his opinion on the matter. It was certainly an interesting prospect, either way.

Besides, Obi-Wan realized he now had the time to meditate by himself, which had been his initial reason for talking with the man. But the Sun Room was a lot busier than it had been when Obi-Wan had first arrived. On one side of the room, a prisoner with long, reddish hair looked like he was literally on the brink of insanity. On the other, a nurse had just finished scolding a larger, angry prisoner and was now wheeling him off to who knew where.

But then he turned his gaze onto Qui-Gon and saw the Jedi Master had finished his mediations and was apparently conversing with the other patients. Despite all the activity going on around them, Qui-Gon was the perfect picture of serenity. Just looking at him smoothed out the lines on Obi-Wan's face, and his expression softened considerably. Even though Obi-Wan's training was more or less over, Qui-Gon still served as a steady constant in his life that he could always turn to.

Really, Obi-Wan knew he was blessed in a lot of ways, even if he was probably fated to keep his feelings tightly locked in place, never to see the light of day. Simply knowing Qui-Gon was a great privilege, being his friend a great honor. It was a gift beyond price that he would always cherish.

With that comforting thought, Obi-Wan settled into a comfortable position, closed his eyes, and began to take deep, slow breaths...

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Day 21 - Sun Room

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