Chapter Text
“Obi-Wan.”
Mace couldn’t even try to sound stern, because the sight of the youngling with that cookie in his hands was adorable. The biscuit was as bis as his own fist and by the look of it it was still hot from the oven. The child could have easily come from the kitchen.
“Hi, Knight Mace!”
“What are you doing here, little one? Master Alrisha must be worried for you.”
Obi-Wan looked anxiously at his left, not at all the direction for the Creche but still, the feeling was obvious.
“I…”
At this point it was common knowledge for the Temple that Obi-Wan’s wandering was not on purpose. He knew for sure that the Council had at least one session over this and that the majority of them believed that he was guided by the Force.
“Would you like a bit of help to return to your Clan?” he offered, already kneeling to pick him up.
Obi-Wan giggled, happy to be taller than usual.
He changed his path and went to his right, towards the Creche. If Obi-Wan was out it was likely that his Clan was out too, maybe in the Archives or in one of the gardens. Well, he was free for the rest of the day, spending it with the child was better than reading in his quarters.
“Were you hungry, little one?”
Obi-Wan shook his head “I had a dream last night.”
“Oh. Really?” he tried to sound cheerful. His visions tended to come true and even if the Council refuse to change his position (mostly because of Yoda) everyone listened to him when he remember them.
“What did you dream of?”
“It was strange.” Obi-Wan wrinkled his brow “You were there too.”
“Why it was strange?”
“There were too much people all together and it was difficult to see.”
Of course this poor child could not even have the mercy of a clear vision. Shatterpoints weren’t exactly easy to read but at least he could see them.
“And what did I do?”
“You were running away from a cat. This one, look.” Obi-Wan wriggled in his arms until he had a flimsi in his hands. The drawing showed a man - recognisable as a jedi for the lightsaber and as Mace for the purple blade - who was running from a cat that was three time bigger than the stick figure. The face of the animal was angry and its mouth open, showing long black teeth.
“Did it catch me?”
“I think yes, because you run in the water but it knew how to swim too.”
Great, killed by a giant cat, what a story. He didn’t say that out loud but damn. He knew the life of a jedi was a dangerous one but he refuse to die that way. As soon as Obi-Wan was safe with Master Alrisha again he was going to read everything the Archives had to offer about big feline. Maybe the drawing was accurate enough to be recognisable for an expert…
“Mmm! No! There…”
He stopped his train of thought to focus on Obi-Wan’s voice. The child was leaning to the left, one of his hand holding his tunic for stability and the other outstretched.
He turned, obeying the implied order. He saw maybe ten masters, speaking to each other in a circle. They were all members of the High Council.
“Down. Down.”
He raised a brow.
“Please?”
Mace put him down and followed him once Obi-Wan went towards the masters.
They didn’t notice him right away, but they stopped speaking once Obi-Wan made a bee-line to Master Dooku.
The man kept his stoic expression even while Obi-Wan grabbed his sleeve to get his attention “Master Yan.”
“Yes, youngling?”
The majority of the others stifled a laugh at the scene.
Mace was a padawan when the fame of the perfect and inflexible master started, but it quickly became Temple-spread and almost a legend between the Initiates. The knights who went on a mission with him also partake in the rumor mill, telling tales of stern words and incredible lightsaber skills.
But he was more than that. His lessons were ones of the best Mace ever attended and he was a good teacher if a bit strict, patient with the ones who struggled and able to challenge the ones who were quick learners.
Seeing him interacting with little Kenobi was a perfect mix between hilarious and adorable. And Mace was not the only one thinking it.
Unaware of the reactions he caused, Obi-Wan smiled at him while extending his hand up, offering the cookie to Dooku.
The master raised an eyebrow, tilting his head a little to made his gesture less overbearing.
Mistaking it for the wrong question Obi-Wan shook the cookie a little “For you.”
“And why are you giving me a biscuit?”
“I had a dream.”
The atmosphere shifted quickly, from light and relaxed to tense. Now all the eyes were on the child.
He felt it too, so he brought the cookie back to his chest and pressed himself against Dooku’s leg, searching protection.
The master kneeled next to him, forcing him to focus only on himself “Obi-Wan, do you remember what you saw?”
“A bit. It was strange.”
“Why?”
“There were too much people all together.”
The words were almost the same he told Mace before. Maybe Dooku would be able to get better answers.
“Did it scare you?”
That was a thing he didn’t consider. He felt bad for it; Obi-Wan was only a child and visions were often scary.
“No.”
“Who did you see?”
“Knight Mace and a big cat and you.”
Dooku looked at him, his question clear in his eyes.
“He told me I will be chased by an animal. I’ll make sure to study the fauna of every planet I’ll go.” Mace showed the drawing as an explanation. That was enough to lower the tension in the group.
“Always prepared, you should be.”
Dooku turned back to Obi-Wan, ignoring Yoda “And what did I do?”
“Don’t know. I didn’t see.”
“Then why did you bring me a biscuit?”
“Master Nu was angry at you. She is scary when she’s angry and cookies make me feel better so I took one for you.”
At that, any pretense fell and laughters filled the air. Master Nu’s was the loudest. Master Piell covered his mouth to hide his smile. Masters Yoda and Yaddle were openly giggling like children. The others had similar reactions.
Mace himself had to force himself to stop laughing, managing it after a few moments. He wasn’t on the Council, he was just a knight there by chance. But Force, the expression on Dooku’s face was something he would never forget.
Obi-Wan giggled too, feeling the joy of the masters in the Force. He offered the cookie again and this time Dooku took it, thanking the child quietly.
His mission done, Obi-Wan walked back to him, outstretching his hand.
Mace took it “Are you ready to go back to the Creche?”
“Yes.”
“In the Room of Thousand Fountains, Crechemaster Alrisha and her clan are.” interrupted Master Yaddle “There until lunch, they will be.”
“Thank you, Master.”
They went away and Mace let Obi-Wan’s chatter about his crechemates’s adventure cover the words of the masters.
He was sure the Temple was going to learn more as soon as Dooku actually crossed Master Nu.
He was a patient man, he could wait.
----------------
Yan Dooku apparently managed to keep everything quiet enough for Mace to almost forget about Obi-Wan’s vision, until one day he walked into the Archives to return a book on Dhesarian tigers and heard them speaking.
“Jocasta, don’t be a child…”
“You destroyed my only copy of a nine hundred sixty-five years old essay and I’m the childish one?! You were even warned!”
“It wasn’t me and Obi-Wan didn’t…”
“I don’t care. You are forbidden from taking anything out of the Archives for the next year, Yan, and I’m ready to argue in front of the Council over this!”
The same day Obi-Wan Kenobi offered Master Dooku another cookie, the man accepting it with a defeated look.