Chapter Text
As the doors to the Council Room slid shut, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt his shoulders tense—an all-too familiar sensation at this point in his life. Years of stressful missions, battles, and planning with the Jedi Council had caused his muscles to be in a constant state of tension and anticipation for the next problem to solve. Not to mention the many years training Anakin had taken off his life. Obi-Wan smiled to himself as he thought of Anakin’s precocious new Padawan, Ahsoka.
A taste of his own medicine, he thought.
Obi-Wan moved swiftly down the corridors of the Jedi Temple, past rooms of younglings, padawans, and their masters training, sparring, and meditating. Obi-Wan enjoyed the familiar hum of activity around him, but he was grateful to be heading towards a calmer location. Obi-Wan was perfectly adept in social situations—he hadn’t received his reputation as “the Negotiator” for nothing—but in all honesty, he preferred solitude. Being alone with his thoughts, perhaps a book and a cup of tea, was when he felt the most at ease. Obi-Wan hoped to feel at least a little respite in the Jedi Archives, despite the importance of his newest mission. The quiet of the vast library was always pleasant, and the presence of Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu was reassuring, even if her old age and tendency to talk his ear off made the process of retrieving data slower than was usually convenient.
Obi-Wan had been tasked with researching a trading company that the Council suspected of having ties with the Separatist movement. This assignment would have been given to a lower-ranking Jedi Knight, but the meeting Obi-Wan had just left had discussed whispers of a possible connection between this company and a much more dangerous force: Darth Maul. Master Yoda had been hesitant to assign this mission to Obi-Wan, considering Maul was responsible for the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan’s old master. However, Obi-Wan was known among the Jedi for his composure—one of the reasons he was assigned to train the headstrong Anakin. And of course, no one knew how to find information like Obi-Wan. He had thousands of connections, and his charming politeness made people much more willing to give up their secrets to him. All this, along with Obi-Wan’s familiarity with the Archives, made him the best candidate for a mission of this kind.
As he approached the grand building of the Archives, he noticed a lot more activity around it than usual. Droids were rushing in and out with brooms, paintbrushes, and hammers. Slipping through the entrance, Obi-Wan headed toward the reference desk in the middle of the building, hoping to find Master Nu. All throughout the library, droids were dusting, refurbishing, even washing windows. It was certainly not the quiet atmosphere he had been hoping for, but he supposed they had to clean the building sometime.
He spotted Master Nu leaning against the large desk. She was speaking to a young woman seated behind the main holopad when she saw him making his way to them.
“Master Kenobi!” she called out, smiling. Obi-Wan closed the distance between them and shook her hand warmly. She immediately turned to the young woman at the desk. “Master Kenobi, this is Master Y/N Li. She will be taking over as Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archives.”
The young woman rose, and Obi-Wan was able to see her properly now that she wasn’t behind the large holopad. The first thing he noticed was her intricate updo. Her hair was long but braided, looped, and pinned beautifully out of her face, with rings of various color and size braided into the strands. She looked confident, kind, and perhaps a bit mischievous. Obi-Wan recognized that twinkle in her eye.
“Master Kenobi,” she said smiling, shaking his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise, but I’m afraid you have the advantage over me,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “I know nothing about you.”
Master Nu interjected eagerly. “Y/N is from Kilas. She studied data collection and research with the Master Archivists at the Royal Kilani Library. She’s the best of the best,” Nu grinned.
Y/N laughed. “You flatter me far too often Master, I already have a disgraceful ego.”
Obi-Wan turned to Master Nu. “I didn’t know you were retiring, Master. The Jedi Order will crumble without you,” he joked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nu laughed. “You know I’m getting far too old to be running around these stacks.”
“Old?!” Obi-Wan feigned shock. “Why Master Nu, I wouldn’t have thought you were a day over forty-five!”
Nu sighed dramatically. “Poor Y/N,” she said, turning to the woman who was silently laughing at the exchange. “Now it will be you who will have to put up with all Master Kenobi’s flirting. A terrible burden, to be sure.”
Y/N faked a somber expression. “A sacrifice I’m willing to make,” she said, before grinning at Obi-Wan. He was taken aback by her smile and how it reflected in her intelligent eyes. It hadn’t really been Y/N’s hair that he noticed first, after all. He would be a fool not to recognize her inherent beauty. But these were thoughts Obi-Wan methodically stored away to the back of his mind.
Well, I’m sure you didn’t just come down here to get in the way,” Master Nu said. “What can we do to serve the Jedi Order?”
Obi-Wan refocused, feeling the pressure of his task return. “As much as I love getting in the way, you’re right. Unfortunately, this is not an easy request. I need as much information as possible on the Yanturi Trade Corporation. Their creation, their methods, their partnerships—everything.”
Nu turned to Y/N. “Sound doable to you?”
Y/N blinked. “You want me to do this one by myself?”
“Of course! I’ve been telling you what to do for too long already.”
“I’ve only been here for two weeks—”
“Exactly! And Master Kenobi is very familiar with the Archives as well. This is the perfect opportunity for you to assist in a large project. There will only be more as long as this war keeps going. Unless you don’t trust my judgement…?”
Y/N laughed. “Don’t bait me like that. You know I do. Especially if I didn’t think your judgement was motivated by a retirement on the Naboo beachfront…”
“Don’t tease me in front of Master Kenobi!” Nu said playfully. “I can tell he’s already thinking of making you his new favorite librarian just from how beautiful you are. I can’t afford any more disadvantages.”
Y/N laughed, but the faint blush on her face didn’t escape Obi-Wan’s notice.
“Master Nu,” Obi-Wan declared gravely. “No one will ever replace your position as My Favorite Librarian. I swear it.”
“Well, there’s nothing you can do about that,” Nu said to Y/N smugly. “Just remember that when he’s flirting with you. Now, get started on that project. I have to go make sure those cleaning droids don’t leave streaks on the windows.” She shuffled off into the stacks.
Y/N turned to Obi-Wan. “Well, I hope you can bear with me on this project. I haven’t been here very long, of course.”
“Don’t worry at all, my dear. I’m sure we’ll work splendidly together,” he said warmly.
Y/N smiled, the bit of red in her face deepening. “Well, let’s not waste any more time. I’ll look up where we can find our preliminary information.” She sat down behind the holopad and began to type excitedly. “Got it. Follow me!”
They headed off toward the stacks together. Obi-Wan decided to fill the silence. “You are from Kilas?”
“Yes, I was born there.”
“I hope you don’t find this insensitive, but I suspected as much when I saw your hair.”
Y/N smiled. “Not at all! I really appreciate anyone’s interest in Kilani tradition. Unless they immediately start touching my hair or asking weird questions.”
“Well, you must inform me immediately if I say anything you find uncomfortable. I know Kilani hair is significant, but I’m afraid I don’t know the true meaning behind it…”
Y/N reached up and absentmindedly touched her braids. “I appreciate your sensitivity. I’m sure you know that most native Kilani grow their hair long, both men and women. The length represents both growth in age and maturity, as well as just a symbol for our heritage. It also is seen by many as a spiritual connection to nature and to themselves, as well as their community. It’s kind of like an outward expression of love and appreciation for the galaxy.”
Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. “That is beautiful,” he said sincerely. “And the rings?”
“Oh, of course. The rings are not necessarily characteristic of all Kilani. Different regions will braid different things into their hair, like ribbons or feathers. Families with a long tradition will often have unique ornaments as well. The Royal Family of Kilas famously braids fresh flowers in their hair every day.” Y/N smiled as she reached up and rubbed one of the rings in her hair. “But I like the rings. They’re not just random, you know? They have meaning.”
“Oh?”
Y/N turned her head and pointed to a tarnished but beautiful silver ring with small etchings. “This was my mother’s. She gave it to me when I turned sixteen. And this one,” she turned her head again, finding a bright gold ring with a small insignia, “is new. The Master Archivists on Kilas gave it to me when I finished my training. The two small ones are from my friends when I was a kid. And this blue one I made myself out of sea glass.”
The rings in her hair truly were beautiful, and Obi-Wan couldn’t help but be captivated by not only the jewelry, but the clear passion and love that Y/N had for her heritage. He wanted to reach out and touch the ornaments—for pure curiosity’s sake, of course—but he remembered what she had said earlier about strangers touching her hair. He shook the thought out of his mind. They had reached their destination in the stacks anyway.
Y/N was typing a call number into a small holopad next to the large shelf. In a moment, a small mechanism started extracting data containers and a few physical tomes from the shelves.
“This is everything that has to do with Yanturi directly,” Y/N said, as the containers and books descended towards them. She picked up a data container. “It’s been around for about two years, so it’s not too much to go through.” She turned to Obi-Wan and grinned. “You’ll have to help me carry all this. Should be easy since you have the force and all…”
“Master Li, are you asking me to show off?” Obi-Wan returned her mischievous smile. “You should know the powers of the Jedi are to be used strictly in keeping peace and balance flowing through the galaxy.”
“It won’t be very peaceful once I start complaining about having to carry all these.”
Obi-Wan laughed and moved his hand slightly to levitate the stack of data. “Anything for my second-favorite librarian.”
“Master Nu was right. You are an incorrigible flirt. Come on, there are some desks close by.”
They moved towards the desks with holopads that were built specifically for searching the dense data compacted in the containers. Setting the data down, Obi-Wan spoke, knowing he had to really focus on his task now, rather than the enchanting librarian with whom he shared his company.
“I’d like to begin with the origins of the corporation and who was involved, then jump to their most recent activity,” he said. “The Council suspects Yanturi of colluding with the separatist movement. I’d like to see if they had any kind of connections from the beginning.”
“Sounds good,” Y/N responded. She selected one of the data containers and connected it to one of the holopads. Obi-Wan could tell she had also turned her focus to the project, which he appreciated. She seemed like someone who knew how to read the moods of others—an important trait for someone whose profession was dedicated to helping others find things. No wonder Master Nu held her in such high regard.
Y/N looked back up at Obi-Wan. “I’m assuming you’re already familiar with how to navigate the data containers.”
“Indeed.”
“Perfect. I’ll let you start here, then.” She moved out of the seat and started typing on the holopad directly next to it. “I’ll use our basic cross-referencing system to find out what other corporations have been doing business with Yanturi recently while you start making a list of any other data you want me to extract.” She paused for a moment, the briefest unsurety crossing her face. “Unless you prefer to work differently.”
“This sounds wonderful, Master Li. I will greatly appreciate your assistance.” He sat down in the seat she had just vacated, and noticed her expression turn back to one of relief. He was impressed with her confidence in the face of what he only assumed to be a daunting change in her life—moving to a new planet and starting a new job, one with so much responsibility no less, was no small event.
“Also, I will apologize for the noise,” Y/N said, glancing at a pair of droids dusting a nearby shelf. “I was finally able to convince Master Nu to give the library a deep clean. It should be done by tomorrow afternoon.”
“No trouble at all.”
They fell into a pleasant silence, each at their own holopad. Obi-Wan began to lose himself in the data, reading about Yanturi’s beginnings as a small company from the planet Scindo that traded their natural minerals for other resources with planets in the same system. From what he could tell, they didn’t initially have connections to separatist systems, especially since they stayed local in their trading. He began to make a list of names and corporations as Y/N had suggested. Every once in a while, she would leave the desks, summoned by the front-desk bell, but she would always return, diligently searching the data by his side.
“It’s been a few hours already. Need a break?”
Obi-Wan blinked and looked up at Y/N. She had returned from the front, this time holding two cups of tea. He hadn’t noticed the time passing. “That sounds lovely, thank you.” He took the cup and stood up. “I didn’t realize how long I had been sitting.” He paused. Then before he could stop himself, he said, “Walk with me through the stacks?” Y/N nodded graciously, and they began to stroll through the building, sipping their tea.
“Well, I told you a bit about myself, I think it’s only fair you return the favor,” Y/N said, smiling mischievously at Obi-Wan. He chuckled.
“There’s not much to tell, I’m afraid,” he said. He began to tell her about his childhood—what little he could remember of his life on Stewjon, and then his upbringing as a padawan in the Jedi Temple. He found Y/N to be an attentive listener, and he felt that she was truly interested in what he had to say—that she wasn’t just making polite small talk. They had nearly circled the entire library when he found himself divulging the story of Qui-Gon’s death. It had been many years since his beloved master had died, but it was still a painful subject. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure why he was telling a woman he had met that day about his most painful memories, but he felt at ease in her presence. Somehow, through his connection to the Force, he could tell she truly cared.
Y/N had been silent as he told her of his master’s death, and he appreciated that she didn’t try to offer up any empty platitudes in an effort to fill the silence. She merely touched his arm and smiled at him, offering to take his empty teacup.
“Shall we keep working?”
“We shall.”