Sage's Fiction Pages

Title: Postcards
Category: Alternate Universe, Pre-Slash, Humor, Challenge fic
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Series: Part of my "Bonding Universe" collection of stories. Not exactly a series -- just a collection of episodes.
Summary: Correspondence to and from the creche
Notes: These are the collected postcards I wrote for the postcard challenge on the m_a list
Feedback: Oh please, oh please! Either in my guestbook or by email would be lovely; I'll take anything.
Disclaimers: Not mine. No money. All hail the mighty Lucas. Thanks and much praise to Anne Higgins for creating her wonderful Bonding Universe and allowing other authors to write in it.

``偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`

On the front of a postcard: A picture of a gorgeous, brilliantly colored sunset sky over a rolling green meadow with snow-capped mountains in the distance. In the middle of the shot is a single, intricately carved stone bench; it is empty.

On the back, high up in one corner, is affixed a wafer-thin chip containing a voice recording of the card's text that is activated by touch, a useful device when writing to recipients who may have trouble reading Republic Standard.

To: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Initiates' Creche, Jedi Temple, Coruscant
From: Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Acting Ambassador-in-residence, Corellia

Dear Obi-Wan,

I am so very proud of you, my Impling. Your writing is very good already, and I can tell you've been practicing very hard. I was so glad to get your postcard; it made me smile, just like you always do. I carry it in a pocket in my robe now, the same pocket that always has a bit of chocolate for you when I am home. Do you like the picture on the front of the card? Someday, when you are a bit older, I will bring you here, and we will sit on that very bench and watch the sunset together. I miss you, Imp; I miss you so much. I'll be home in two tendays, and I promise to bring home some fresh qualla berries. We'll make qualla frost together when I get back to the Temple.

Love you always,
Quigee

P.S. - I may have forgotten to tell you. Master Aronna likes it when you jump on her bed in the morning to wake her up. Remember I showed you how to deactivate the lock? She'll be so happy to see you. ~QGJ

``偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`

On the front of the postcard: A picture of a small, furry, kittenish creature native to Corellia. It is a little, snow-white fluff-ball with softly-pointed ears and huge, clear, deep blue eyes that fairly radiate adoration and complete innocence.

On the reverse:

To: Jedi Creche Master Aronna, Jedi Temple, Coruscant
From: Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Acting Ambassador-in-residence, Corellia

Dear Aronna,

Putting ideas into Obi-Wan's head? Me?? You wound me, Master. You know I have nothing but the greatest respect and affection for you. Surely, you cannot think I would deliberately goad any of your charges into doing anything untoward. I hope you are well, and that all the children are minding their elders, as they ought.

MTFBWY,
Qui-Gon Jinn

``偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`偽犖寸韄別鷬內滌躬`

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Aronna raised her eyes heavenward and begged the Force for patience. Never had she had a more incorrigible charge than Qui-Gon Jinn. If she were completely honest, elevation to the rank of Jedi Master, while providing a veneer of serenity, had done little to tame the rapscallion lurking underneath.

She put the postcard, with its picture of the deceptively innocent kitten, onto her bedside table before crawling into bed and turning off the lights in her quarters. She surrendered gratefully to sleep, worn out by the strain of caring for not one, but five colicky infants and a homesick Mon Calamarian toddler who had refused to get out of the main fountain in the Water Gardens.

~~~~~~

Obi-Wan came awake very early in the morning. The creche was still dim and quiet, but his internal timesense told him that it would soon be time to get up.

He'd listened excitedly to Quigee's postcard the previous evening and had taken his advice about Master Aronna very seriously.

Silent as smoke, he slid out of bed and tip-toed across the creche to Master Aronna's door. A tiny furrow appeared between bright copper eyebrows as he concentrated on the locking mechanism.

He smiled triumphantly when the door swished open in front of him. Master Aronna would be SO pleased to see him.

Obi-Wan crept across the small Common Room to the Creche Master's open bedroom door. He peeped in cautiously. Sure enough, Master Aronna was fast asleep, fairly mummified in her blankets. As luck would have it, she was curled up tight, leaving Obi-Wan plenty of room to scramble up onto the foot of the bed.

He smiled softly at the slumbering woman. He really loved Master Aronna, almost as much as he loved his Quigee. She took such good care of him and all his friends. Obi-Wan could scarcely contain a happy wriggle. He was so glad Quigee had told him how to make her smile.

Obi-Wan beamed sunnily, then pounced on the oblivious Creche Master with a gleeful giggle.

"Wake up, Master 'Ronna!" he shouted, bouncing up and down.

~~~~~~

The children in the Jedi Temple Creche were awakened a bit early that morning. No one was quite sure what had made their Master shriek so loudly. The only answer they got when a puzzled crecheling bravely approached and asked her what was the matter was a series of testy grumbles and something about short-sheeting a certain Master's bed before he got home.

Fin