Im Sorry 17

"Master Kenobi, you open this door NOW!" Master Mace yelled from the other side of the door, his fist pounding loudly on the metal.

Obi-Wan dropped the back of Anakin's tunic and stared wide-eyed at the shaking door. Yes, it was actually shaking in its frame. Werewolves were a lot stronger than he had thought, which clearly was bad news.

"Master, you're going to get into trouble..." Anakin remarked as he picked himself up off the floor. "Master Windu sounds very grouchy."

"Quick! Hide the girl!" Obi-Wan shouted in a wild panic as he raced towards Padme.

“But why…?” Padme said as she started to back up uncertainly from the wild-eyed Jedi. She had never seen Obi-Wan act so … so undisciplined, as he was always calm and in control of his emotions. It was clear that Anakin’s behavior had pushed him over the edge. She squeaked loudly as he gripped her by the shoulders, spun her around and started to shove her rapidly back towards his bedroom. “It’s only Master Windu. Surely he means me no harm…”

“We’re not supposed to have a girl staying in our quarters!” Obi-Wan replied quickly as he glanced over his shoulder fearfully at the door where Mace’s loud voice still rang out. “If he spots you here, I’ll be in even more trouble!”

“But Ani and I…” Padme started to say but was quickly cut off.

“No excuses!” Obi-Wan shoved her into his closet between the various pieces of clothing. “Now stay here and be silent.”

“Yes, Master Jedi.” Padme replied sweetly. “The last thing I want to do is to get you into more trouble. And I’m sorry that Ani keeps biting you. I’ll be sure to have a meaningful talk with him later.”

“Good. You do that.” Obi-Wan swiftly closed the closet door and strolled past his Padawan. Anakin was standing there staring at him, mixed feelings coming through their training bond. “Not a word from you, Anakin. It’s bad enough that she has to hide in my closet because your closet is filled with her clothes. Now let us go see to Master Windu.”

“Yes, Master.” Anakin fell into step behind Obi-Wan and dutifully followed him to the apartment’s front door. He watched as his Master palmed it open, a perfectly calm expression on his face.

“Yes, may I help you?” Obi-Wan asked innocently.

The werewolf stood glaring before their door, it’s long ugly snout having a curled lip to expose sharp meat-tearing teeth. The hated muzzle was still locked securely onto its face. “Master Kenobi, why did you stick this … this thing onto my face?”

Obi-Wan blinked his blue eyes innocently as his mind raced for an excuse. “Do I know you?”

“I’m Master Windu, as you very well know!” Mace replied, his tone of voice slightly louder than necessary. His fur-covered hands were still on his hips, sharp claws on each finger.

“Oh, I didn’t recognize you, Master Windu.” Obi-Wan replied as he made a show of moving his eyes from Mace’s head to his furry feet and back to his head. “I’m not accustomed to seeing you with hair – or is that fur? I mean, I’ve known you’ve been using those hair tonics all these years but…”

“That still doesn’t explain this thing you jammed onto my face!”

“Oh, the muzzle?” Obi-Wan made certain to keep his expression perfectly normal, which wasn’t exactly easy. The werewolf was standing way too close for comfort. It had those beady red eyes that looked very evil, more evil than any Sith he had faced in the past. “I was trying to put it on my Padawan actually and he ran out into the hall and fell over the Supreme Chancellor and than I tripped over them so it accidentally ended up on you…”

“That isn’t how I remember it…” Mace commented as he narrowed his red glowing eyes, leaning closer to Obi-Wan. “I seem to recall a certain Jedi shouting ‘the werewolf!’ and dashing forward to stick this thing on my face.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t do that.” Obi-Wan stated as he leaned backward slightly to keep out of reach of the awful teeth. “It must have been someone else.”

Mace straightened up and scratched his furry chin through the muzzle, thinking. Then he focused his gaze onto the Jedi again. “If I wouldn’t know better, I’d say you’re scared of werewolves.”

“Scared of w..ww..werewolves, me?” Beads of sweat broke out onto Obi-Wan’s forehead.

“Yes, you!” Mace glared. Then he shifted his eyes from Obi-Wan onto Anakin, who was standing next to his master. “And what’s your problem? Why was your Master trying to stick this muzzle on you?”

“Because I bit him?” Anakin replied honestly.

“Just because you’re a vampire doesn’t mean you can go around biting people! I don’t get to bite anyone. A Jedi needs control and you need to learn it, son. You’re far too reckless and your recklessness affects other people. Now I got this thing stuck on my head and it won’t come off!”

“Thank the Force!” Obi-Wan cried happily, relieved.

“What was that?” Master Windu turned to look at him suspiciously. “I hope you just didn’t say what I thought I heard…”

“I said ‘use the Force’.” Obi-Wan swiftly corrected, hoping Mace would fall for it.

“The both of you need to spend more time with non-humans.” Mace commented and then pointed a sharp claw at Obi-Wan. “Especially you! You’re getting prejudice against other species. And there’s nothing wrong with either werewolves or vampires.”

“But he keeps biting me!” The Jedi protested loudly.

“That’s because you let him get away with too much stuff.” Mace commented as he turned to stare at the fat Hutt-sized suitcase stuck in his doorway. “Now the two of you help me free that monstrosity so I can get into my quarters. I have a nice fat roast sitting in my refrigerator that I’d like to gnaw on…”

Anakin walked up to the suitcase. “Do you want it in your room or in the hallway?”

“The hallway, please.” Palpatine replied as he eyed the werewolf.

“You got something against werewolves, too?” Mace asked the Supreme Chancellor.

“No, of course not.” Palpatine replied. “I just don’t appreciate you calling my suitcase a ‘monstrosity’. Besides, I need all of my things, Master Windu.”

“No one needs that much stuff!” Windu replied as he rolled his red glowing eyes.

“Tell that to the Senator.” Obi-Wan remarked quietly.

“Hmmm?” Mace glanced at Obi-Wan. “Which Senator?”

“The one from Naboo that we had to guard. I’d swear she had about fives times that amount of stuff. And those odd hats!”

Mace turned to Palpatine. “Aren’t you from Naboo, too?”

“Yes, of course. What of it?” Palpatine said as a confused expression appeared on his elderly face.

“You people have a problem hoarding stuff obviously.” Mace commented as he eyed the bulging suitcase with distaste. “If you simplified your life you’d be far happier. All that clutter breeds unhappiness.”

“I think it is clear you do not understand the life of a common person. It is completely normal for them to have material possessions.” Palpatine said with a smile.

“Nether less, this is the Jedi Temple. Don’t you have anywhere else to stay?” Mace asked, clearly not exactly happy with the situation.

“Doesn’t the Temple have any empty rooms?” Palpatine waved his hands about in the air. “Surely with this massive building you must have one unoccupied room?”

“Well,” Mace rubbed his furry chin again as he stared across the hall. “The rooms on either side of Master Kenobi have been empty for ages…”

“Oh?” Palpatine turned to look at Obi-Wan and Anakin. “Why is that?”

“Because the two make horrible racket in the middle of the night!” Mace exclaimed loudly. “Why else do you think I have these dark circles under my eyes?”

“Surely you are mistaken, Master Windu. I think I know both of them very well and I cannot believe that they would do such a thing.” Palpatine said smoothly in his politician voice. “Besides, I only need a room temporarily until I can find a new apartment. It shouldn’t take more than a week or two…”

“Just don’t blame me about all the odd sounds…”

Anakin glared at Mace, but then concentrated on yanking the suitcase free. With Anakin’s incredible Force powers, the suitcase popped free almost instantly and then settled smoothly onto the floor. Palpatine chose the room to the right of Obi-Wan’s apartment and Anakin shoved the Hutt-sized suitcase through the doorway with the Force.

“Thank you, Anakin.” Palpatine said politely as he placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “You have been a great deal of help. I’m sure we shall be seeing a lot of each other in the future.”

Obi-Wan frowned as the Supreme Chancellor disappeared into his new quarters. He didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t trust that man.”

“Neither do I.” Mace agreed as he tried to pull the muzzle off of his face. It seemed to be squeezing the sides of his head tightly and he was beginning to get a headache. “Looks like I might have to go down to the medical section…”

“I’m sure I could cut it off with my lightsaber…” Anakin offered as his hand slid to the weapon hanging at his waist.

“No!” Obi-Wan shouted wide-eyed.

“What do you think I’m going to do, bite you?” Mace asked the other Jedi as he continued to tug unsuccessfully on the metal device.

“Well…” Obi-Wan looked uncertainly at Master Windu. “You are a werewolf…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been watching those awful horror holovids!” Mace rolled his eyes as he reached behind his head to try and unreleased the various catches that held the muzzle on, but they seemed to be stuck. “Jedi aren’t supposed to watch that junk.”

“Well, I happen to like watching them.” Obi-Wan stood in the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest. “You … you wouldn’t happen to know any on vampires, would you? So far I’ve only seen werewolf ones…”

“No! It’ll only make you more paranoid than you already are. The next thing you’ll have your poor apprentice sleeping in a wooden coffin with a layer of soil at the bottom…” Mace complained as he gripped the thin strips of metal at the back of the muzzle, got a secure hold and then starting pulling. His arm muscles strained.

“Oh, are they supposed to do that?” Obi-Wan asked as he watched Mace, a worried expression forming on his face. He could see the muzzle starting to bend and then it snapped apart, the pieces flying about the hallway. “It’s free! Run for your lives!”

Obi-Wan ran back into his quarters and locked the door behind himself.

Mace jabbed a sharp claw into Anakin’s leather tabard. “This is your fault! If you wouldn’t be biting him, he wouldn’t be scared of me!”

Anakin blinked lazily at Mace. “I thought it’s those horror holovids?”

“Horror holovids, of all of the stupid things!” Mace’s stomach rumbled loudly and he disappeared into his quarters, shaking his head in disbelief.

Anakin stood in the empty hall for a few moments staring at Mace’s closed door. Then a delicious smell wafted to his nose from somewhere. Turning, he saw the deliveryman coming with the order from Coruscant Pizza. A Twi’lek Youngling was being his guide. “Finally I can eat!”

Anakin waved his hand and the door to his quarters slid open and the Padawan stuck his head within. “Master, the pizza is here!”

Obi-Wan had let Padme out of the closet and the Jedi went to go pay the deliveryman the proper amount of credits. Carrying the food to the table, he set it out while Anakin went to get the glasses for the soda.

“Do you really think they made Blood Pizzas, Master?” Anakin asked as he watched the older Jedi pour the soda into the glasses. “I never knew they’d just put anything onto the pizza. I thought you could only choose from their list of pizza toppings…”

“Well, I was desperate and the idea just popped into my head.” Obi-Wan admitted as he felt heat rising into his face slightly. He handed out the three containers of breadsticks and then turned to the boxes of pizza. To his relief, each box was clearly labeled with a sticker on the front. Obi-Wan claimed his normal pizza and then handed the Blood Pizzas to the two vampires.

Anakin held his breath for a moment, unsure what he would find inside. He sniffed the air around the box but only smelled the normal spices, cheese, sausage and so forth. Gripping the opening with his fingernails, he pulled it open, both Padme and Obi-Wan leaned closer to Anakin to see what the Blood Pizza would look like. The lid rose higher and higher and he pushed it back. The large pizza sat before them revealed in all of its glory of melted cheese, spices and pepperoni. The slices of pepperoni had been carefully arranged on top of the pizza so they spelled out the word ‘BLOOD’.

Upon seeing the word, the three of them started laughing.

To be continued…

Author’s Note: Mace was referring to my other story “Pranks” where Ani & Obi often got loud and noisy at night due to the pranks they would play on each other. Obviously Mace hasn’t forgotten.