#moonoflego

There were not many things that could soften Yan's demeanor, and while sparring did not soften it, per se, it had always been one of his pleasures: he was a duelist, he lived for the conversation that was a proper spar, a proper battle, when given time to shine.

It was also the only thing keeping him reasonably busy and steady, given the situation, and the time, and the way he was being kept on Coruscant. Ostensibly for his own safety, which he had some thoughts about.

But he liked the salles. Whether he was learning, or teaching, or just sparring, and he had not often found oponents that made the challenge exhilarating.

Anakin was one of them. And so, the answer was already a given, the moment a spar was offered: it didn't matter that Dooku had spent half of the night scouring the holonet for anything that might lead him to clues about Sifo-Dyas.

"I'm in." He said.

And after a moment of consideration, because his current clothes would do, he'd just changed anyway, he nodded, and while he didn't smile, not exactly, the thrill of the spar was there in his presence in the Force, and in his voice as he spoke again.

Belarilia's balmy breeze lifts skirts in one direction ⸺ these curtains are the only thing dividing the indoor-outdoor space she occupies ... a conversation pit in the midst of flush landscapes and flora. The only thing that can make a doorframe's thin existence extend on its aperture is anticipation. And she does anticipate him ⸺ there's two cups instead of one, fabric ruffles up to the knee an extra inch of two to view in where she sits comfortably. One leg under a lap, the other bent with her foot flat against the ground.

And yet, the tickle of encroachment interupts her tea time anyways. She stills mid-pour. His footsteps grew nearer. It takes her entirely too long to greet him by glance.

Past her shoulder, she gives him a soft once-over as he steps out of the corridor and onto the steps needed to join her. He looks himself and entirely not at the same time. No buzzcut. More angular. Held into himself the way a time does to young men ⸺ especially Jedi. Her smile grows as she turns her face back to her task. And by the time she takes a sip, it's pressed fully to the rim.

@moonofiego: "i have felt so lost for so long." ( from ahsoka, for din ! )

To   a   degree,   he   can   understand.   Outside   of   his   childhood,   and   what   had   happened   before   he   became   a   Mandalorian,   Din   had   experienced   his   faith   wavering   years   after.   Started   questioning   The   Way,   even   if   silently,   just   to   himself.   Mind,   the   questioning   came   once   the   safety   of   his   youngling   came   into   question,   and   now   that   all   was   back   to   the   way   it’s   supposed   to   be,   so   was   his   faith.   Not   every   story   was   so   quick   to   resolve   itself,   some   don’t   even   resolve   themselves   at   all.   And   that   might   just   be   Ahsoka’s   case.   

This  was  no  light  matter  to  her.  Mentally,  she  couldn't  dream  of  waltzing  to  the  Jedi  Temple  without  risk  of  being  arrested.  It  was  why  she  kept  her  saber  in  the  lining  of  her  jacket  instead  of  on  her  waist  for  everyone  and  their  uncles  to  see.  But  it  didn't  stop  her  from  using  her  charms  to  get  past  security  despite  being  nervous  about  being  so  close  to  any  Jedi  in  the  immediate  area. Vi  had  her  ways.  There  were  rumors  about  Senator  Amidala  and  Anakin  being  close.  It  reached  her  even  in  the  underworld  of  Nal  Hutta.  With  enough  of  a  lead  to  go  off  of,  she  thought  it  would  be  safer  to  meet  her  brother  on  neutral  ground.  Just  to  avoid  others  from  nosing  in  where  they  don't  belong. "I  know  you  both  are  very  good  friends,"  she  said,  coming  in  after  the  gold  droid  closed  the  door.  Rounding  her  way  to  a  chair,  she  decided  to  stand  there.  "Maybe  a  little  too  close."  Violet  sat  down,  letting  her  words  sink  in  as  she  drummed  her  fingers  on  the  chair  arm.  She  could  be  patient  when  she  wanted  to  be.  Vi  had  all  day.  "I  can't  go  to  the  temple.  Any  Force  sensitives  not  under  the  Order  would  draw  unneeded  attention  and  probably  be  imprisoned.  Unlike  Anakin,  I  wasn't  lucky  enough  to  be  noticed.  So  you  can  see  my  problem."  Lifting  her  hand,  she  made  she  saw  the  holocron  in  the  internal  pocket  and  brought  it  out.  "This  is  my  proof.  Shmi,  my  mother  speaks  on  it  along  with  my  father.  They  both  explain  how  I  was  separated."

He'd  let  it  slide  for  now.  Slipping  into  the  copilot's  seat  without  a  fuss,  he  shrugged.  "Never  Snips,"  Anakin  smirked  slightly  as  he  started  to  plot  the  coordinates.  Her  eyes  felt  like  lasers  on  the  side  of  his  neck,  and  he  could  easily  sense  her  confusion  through  the  Force.  Sometimes  he  loved  to  make  her  guess  his  next  move.  It  wasn't  often  he  gave  up  the  pilot's  seat. Flying  was  one  of  Anakin's  favorite  things.  It  was  freeing  and  one  of  the  few  ways  he  could  control  the  outcome.  Slowly,  he  was  learning  to  let  go.  His  anxiety  no  longer  bubbled  in  his  stomach.  The  Grandmaster  was  making  certain  of  that.  Now  there  was  a  new  confidence  instead  of  the  intense,  constant  storm  he  always  felt.  But  it  was  still  there,  just  not  as  powerful,  and  it  did  not  control  every  move  he  made  anymore. "No.  Why  can't  you  take  it  for  what  it  is?"  His  brow  lifted  as  he  glanced  over.  "Stop  questioning.  Just  leave  it  be.  Enjoy  yourself.  Not  everything  has  to  be  so  serious,  Ahsoka."  Shaking  his  head,  he  returned  to  the  panel  to  punch  in  the  planet  they  were  going  to.  "And  I  do  blame  Fives.  Oh,  and  you  too.

Seeing  the  confusion  on  her  face,  he  bowed  his  head.  "I  thought...  I  dunno  what  I  thought."  Almost  ashamed,  he  turned  slightly  to  hide  it.  Mostly  to  hide  the  fact  that  he  still  loved  her.  They  lived  in  two  different  worlds  now.  Anakin  had  little  time  to  himself.  Having  a  relationship  would  not  be  in  the  cards  for  him.  But  still,  he  thought,  what  if?  Would  he  be  able  to  balance  two  lives?  So  many  questions  with  few  answers  circled  his  head.  He  just  hoped  she  did  not  regret  the  decision  they  made  years  ago.  Because  he  did. Being  friend-zoned  hurt  worse  than  he  originally  thought.  He  managed  to  hide  the  wince  he  gave  the  moment  she  called  him  General  Skywalker.  "You  were?"  His  head  lifted  in  curiosity.  "I'm  fine.  The  sieges  in  the  Mid  Rim  just  took  time  to  settle  down.  Honestly,  I  didn't  think  it  would  ever  end." Anakin  straightened  his  back  and  gazed  back  at  her.  "I  was  actually  going  to  ask  you  something.  About  the  delegation."  Palpatine's  growing  power  bothered  him.  He  didn't  agree  with  how  the  Senate  was  handing  him  whatever  he  asked  for.  The  Republic,  in  his  eyes,  was  starting  to  fall  apart,  and  he  couldn't  just  sit  there  silently  anymore.  "I  wanted  to  join.  Master  Windu  thinks  it  would  be  beneficial  to  have  the  Jedi  involved...  that's  if  it's  alright  with  yo

Sleep evaded him for several nights already, but this one was no different. Anakin stared into a mug of tea as if it might give him the answers to his insomnia. So far, the green tinted liquid was doing nothing but waft steam into his face. He took a slow sip, the drink still hot, and grimaced at the bitter taste. There was no honey to be found in the ship's slowly dwindling rations. Still, it was comforting in its familiarity. Obi-Wan always made tea for him when he was feeling unwell.

Anakin wasn't sure if 'unwell' was the right feeling at the moment, but it was more apt than any other.

The hiss of hydraulics told him someone was coming. Anakin slowly looked up from his mug to see her. They had picked her up on their last refuel, a chance encounter Anakin scarcely believed. He lifted a hand in greeting.

❛ What are you … How did you find me? ❜ || continued || @moonofiego (ahsoka)

Obi-Wan didn't even know why he did it. And more importantly, why did the Dark Side even let him? His relationship with the Force was tumultuous at best since his fall. He didn't have any real control anymore, and it terrified him how easily the Dark Side TRULY took over. But those moments were far and few between.

Mostly, he just felt like he was collapsing upon himself in a maelstrom.

He was mid-flight, heading toward Ord Mantell, when he felt a weird pulse in the Force. It was different from the suffering and grief that he had felt before. No, this....this was familiar. The fallen Jedi punched the coordinates of Coruscant into his navigation before he even thought about it.

Finding Ahsoka, sick in the back alleys of the underbelly of Coruscant, and the corresponding acquisition of a small hotel room (with the help of the Force, of course), was a blur.

Now, he was really regretting making that decision.

Hearing her stirring, Obi-Wan moved closer carefully, hesitant. Just to see if she was stirring or waking up. Her eyes met his. He had to fight the urge to shrink away. The Force felt so oppressive; the normal tendrils of the Force felt like a heavy gravity that hung behind his eyes and caved in his chest. The longer he stared at her, the buzzing in his ears grew to sound akin to a violent storm crashing upon cliffs.

Quickly glancing away, he busied himself with getting her water, knowing she was sick and most likely parched. Of course, truthfully, he couldn't bear to look at her.

( WHAT MUST SHE THINK OF YOU )

( FAILURE. FAILURE. FAILURE. )

Obi-Wan flinched at the stabbing pain that erupted at the base of his head and attempted to breathe through the pain. He wasn't entirely gone; in his more lucid moments, he saw how horrible he looked. Obi-Wan looked more like he belonged on the streets of Coruscant's lower levels than Ahsoka did, especially with his Mandalorian armor

Returning to her side, but not daring to meet her gaze, he finally answered her question.