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“Good evening, Master.” Qui-Gon strove to maintain a quiet, respectful tone as he addressed her, hoping his dismay at her early return hadn’t shown. He had hoped for just an hour or two more...
“Good evening, Padawan.” Master Yaniko nodded, but she said nothing more; instead she simply stood there, watching him, her expression closed and unreadable.
He resisted the urge to shift his weight or scuffle his feet under her intense scrutiny, a little coil of anxiety wrapping around his stomach. Had he done something wrong? Said something wrong? Worse--had she sensed his true feelings about her?
“The meeting went well, I hope?” he asked politely, struggling to come up with something--anything--to say that would break the awful silence between them, but that sounded completely inane even to his own ears.
“Very well,” came the terse response. “Much was accomplished, but...” She broke off suddenly, narrowing her light blue eyes as she continued to stare at him. “It would seem I have a few matters to attend to in my own home now.”
He froze, feeling his own eyes growing wide with alarm. What did she mean...?
“Pack your bags.”
His entire body turned ice-cold, and he could feel the blood draining from his face.
Gods...He’d done it...Somehow he had messed up so badly that she was repudiating him...What happened? What had he done? Was there any way he could fix it...?
“We’re going to Ridel III,” she added, and he nearly collapsed with relief; she wasn’t getting rid of him after all...
Hiding his shaking hands in the sleeves of his robe, Qui-Gon bowed respectfully and retreated into his room to pack as she had ordered; he didn’t know much about Ridel III except that it was known for its lush terrain. Why she wanted to go there was beyond him. Another training mission? he wondered. Perhaps she planned to make him navigate the entire planet on foot. But whatever the reason, he wouldn’t question or complain; she wasn’t releasing him, and that’s all he cared about. The rest he would find a way to deal with.