#and obi-wan is like well honestly anakin it made sense when you were a child

[tennessoui]

I just read the hanahaki au and I feel like I AM GOING TO START THROWING UP FLOWERS MYSELF FOR THE TOO MUCH LOVE I HAVE FOR THIS AU!!!! It's amazing. Can't wait for the next chapter x

thank you!!!!

next chapter starts like. anakin bursting in on obi-wan just having a soothing sore throat cup of tea and he has like 12 billion things he wants to say and they all want to come out at once and what he actually says is like. why the FUCK is VOS still YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT.

and obi-wan is like. ah. i take it the healers did not honor my request that the appointment notes be written on flimsi and kept close to chest.

[queenie-official]

Chapter Seven: ‘Something New’ Bridgerton Au!Anakin

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

a/n: i’m back 🤭 this is a lot of fluff y’all so i hope you eat it up 💪💪 it’s bit long because i sort of combined chapter 7 and chapter 8 since it made more sense for it to be in this one compared to what i have planned out. anyways that’s all i’ve got say love you all 💋💋

seven days, that’s how long you had with Anakin before the responsibilities of the world would catch up with you two. seven days then your honeymoon would be over. thankfully even though the first day was a little bit of a rough start it was what you needed to begin truly getting to know each other. and that’s exactly what you’d been doing, over the last four days you’d learned a lot about him- like his favorite color was light blue. and he wasn’t the youngest but in fact had a little sister making him the middle child, which honestly explained a lot.

you were currently taking a stroll with him in the royal garden, conversing and listening to him explain his family dynamic a bit more thoroughly. Anakin had told you how he’d purposely mess with his older brother to keep him on his toes since in his words ‘he’d be to stuck up and a complete stick in the mud’ if he wasn’t there. which prompted you to then ask what would he be now since he was here.

“that’s what my little sister is for, she looks up to me. practically a mini me but smarter” you snort a laugh at that and he smiles brighter. he truly had a pretty smile. “you sound like you adore her” you say with a soft smile and he chuckles “i do but never tell her i said that.” you quirk a brow “why not?” you ask curiously. “because she’d never let me live it down” he states a bit dramatically but completely serious and you can’t help the smile that never leaves your face only growing with each interaction.

“so Obi-Wan can never escape you then” you voice the thought out loud and Anakin laughs, everything about him you’ve been finding incredibly charming. “oh yea he’s never going to have it easy- Ahsoka is like my apprentice of mischief. star pupil” he said with a mischievous smile leaning in towards you as he speaks making you blush slightly. “only pupil” you point out and he rolls his eyes “for now.” your brows knit together in confusion “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“time will tell” he says with a shrug, you scoff and think about pressing more but decide to drop it. you’re both quiet for a moment, silently enjoying one another’s company as you continue the walk in the garden. the warm sun and floral smell from all the flowers creating the perfect bubble. it was your idea, coming on this walk- in fact you insisted he’d join you so you could show him your favorite spot. he seemed reluctant at first but you quickly realized that was just him messing with you and not how he truly felt. you felt your mind wonder back to his sister “it sounds like she cares about you as much as you do her, so how come she wasn’t at the wedding?”

“my mother was afraid she’d cause a scene- which to be fair i wouldn’t put it past her, she can be a bit….snippy and she’s not afraid to speak her mind it was just not the right time or place for that.” you let his answer hang in the air for a bit, in all honesty she sounded like a good person. a free spirit for sure but still a good person “she sounds like she’d make a good leader” you offer as a response. “i suppose” he says with a wrinkled nose, clearly not agreeing with the thought. “i personally can’t see her as much more than a bratty teen.”

“i’m sure that’s how Obi-Wan feels about you” you counter and he can’t help but laugh “well then i guess i got a taste of my own medicine” you giggle at the thought and begin to lead Anakin across the bridge. you where close to the spot you wanted to show him now, just a bit more of a walk but Anakin had stopped. when you turned to see why his footsteps ceased you where met with him looking over the bridge out across the water admiring the view of the fish swimming up the stream and the way the sun reflected across it. you take a moment to admire him first before walking back over and standing beside him to look over the stream yourself.

“i wish i could meet her, i feel like id love her” it came out soft, almost like you hadn’t fully meant to say it out loud. you could feel his eyes on you now, and then a sudden warmth on your back. his hand was pressed against the small of it, you had to fight back the way your cheeks burned at the action. “if she warmed up to you i think she’d like you as well” he says and you finally force yourself to meet his gaze. “as of right now i’m guessing she’s not to keen on me” you ask with a tilt to your head and he bites back a smile. “very much so” not surprising you did technically take away her brother.

“she’s the main reason i agreed” you blink a few times trying to process what he meant. “huh?” he pulled his hand from you and you had to fight a frown at the loss of contact as you watched him lean an elbow on the bridge railing “well i wasn’t really given a choice- but the reason i was so compliant in the matter, and i know this is selfish. was for her not my kingdom.” you mimic his actions leaning onto the bridge railing yourself as you listened to him speak carefully.

“the kingdom of Tatooine is falling, already on its last leg. i knew if i went along and everything went well then we would get the support we need from Alderaan, which would mean my sister would not have to bare witness to what would happen if we hadn’t gotten the proposal and that was the only reason i was remotely okay with everything.” you felt your heart tug at the confession, that familiar feeling of guilt resurfacing. “you’re a good brother Anakin” he smiled at the sentiment. a small silence filled the air before he spoke again.

“could you tell Obi-Wan that, he seems insistent on the fact i’m nothing but a bad influence” clearly the conversation had gotten a bit to emotional for his liking judging by how quick he was to play it off. you smile at that and pull off from the railing “well i never said you weren’t a bad influence.” you retort as you begin to walk off the bridge and continue the original intention of this walk. “ouch, you wound me” he places his hand over his heart in mock offense “honestly me a bad influence? doesn’t even begin to sound true.” he was smiling as he said it unable to take himself seriously with that statement and you can’t help but laugh “you are full of yourself.” he shrugs “i think i have every right to be” he says smugly and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“so what does Tatooine need most?” you ask, promptly changing the question as you both round a corner, now in a much smaller section of the garden. the flowers where much more overgrown here the only clear pathway was leading to the center of some pillars. you turn to him with a smile, this was what you wanted to show him. it was your favorite place to hide when you where younger and upset. you’d stumbled across it on accident but it quickly became your favorite place.

he raised a brow but smiled regardless, taking the time to look around before following you up the path. the center of the pillars was clear just a bunch of grass. you plopped down on the ground opting to lay rather then sit after all your dress wasn’t exactly the sitting kind. he stood over you for a moment looking down and contemplating something, you weren’t sure what but you decided to just brush it off once he followed suit and laid down beside you. “what do you mean” he finally asks in response to your question. “i know our coronation isn’t for another few days but we could begin preparations now, and then once we are officially crowned we can take immediate action. so what in your opinion does Tatooine need most?” you explain, turning your head to the side to face him. tracing over his jaw with your eyes and trying to memorize each detail of his face from this angle as he thinks. it was strange how quickly you found yourself falling for him, but he made it easy and you honestly weren’t mad about it.

“the route of our problems is lack of funds. we have a high crime rate, not for lack of laws but lack of ways to in-force them.” he begins and you move your gaze back upwards, staring out at the passing clouds. “go on” this time he turned to look at you “the only jail we have is the palace dungeons, outside of that there’s nothing. and there chalk full already. we’ve thought of building more but all of the money rightfully goes towards feeding the people” he continues and you nod, turning back so you both where facing each other now. “so funds and military support would be most welcome?” you ask carefully wanting to make sure you got what he was implying.

“yes, of course food and supplies would also be a good help but with money they’d be able to buy their own” you hum a brief response before giving him an affirming nod “understood, then we have our priorities” he raises a brow, a small half smile appearing on his face “just like that?” you smile back “well we are to be king and queen, our word is law.” not entirely true, you both did have your own set of rules and regulations to follow. but overall you two where at the top, the people look to you not parliament. “i guess being a king isn’t as bad as i thought” he joked.

a comfortable silence fell once more, only this time you where staring at each other when it happened. you hadn’t realized just how close he’d laid next to you until now, his entire body pressed against your side. faces only inches apart, if you moved any closer you’d kiss. the thought made your stomach erupt with butterflies, it wouldn’t be your first kiss since technically that happened on your wedding day. however it was different then than now. now it was you wanting to kiss him and not a requirement, you felt uneasy. not use to this type of thing, you force yourself to break the eye contact looking back up to the sky before starting a conversation for a distraction.

“tell me more about Tatooine- the good parts what’s it like there?” you ask him and he laughs.“Tatooine has very few good things in my opinion- for starters we’re a desert kingdom, which means there’s sand for days.” he says annoyed and you turn your attention back to him with a raised brow “not a fan of sand?” you ask and bite back a laugh. “i hate it. it’s course and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.” you couldn’t hold the laughter in anymore especially with how serious he meant it, brows furrowed like he was cursing the sand in his mind. “well remind me to never take you to a beach” you say in between giggles, it was his turn to roll his eyes at you as you kept laughing. “there is one thing that i love about Tatooine- aside from my family” his sentence pulls you back and you force yourself to calm down. “what’s that?” he relaxes more once you ask and smiles as he speaks “the races.”

“races?” he nods and begins to explain “we have horse races, i was a rider- against my mother and fathers wishes but they never exactly stopped me either. it’s not like i took place in the gambling side of things, i just like the adrenaline of it.” you watched as he spoke with the enthusiasm of a small child. it was cute and his eyes sparkled “have you ever won?” you wonder out loud. “oh yea just about every time i’ve raced, ill miss it” he says rather solemnly and that made your heart ache.

“what if we introduced the races to Alderaan? it seems like a harmless enough tradition” you spoke before really thinking and he snapped straight up like you’d just told him the best news in the world before he quickly shut himself down not sure if you where being serious. “honestly?” he presses needing confirmation before he allowed himself to be to excited. “why not, it could be fun a way to unite our kingdoms- people from Tatooine can come here to compete and vice versa.”

he’d kissed you then. it was gentle but passionate, a smile on his face the whole time. it made your head spin, face burn but you liked that and when he pulled away you did your best to act unaffected not quite ready to express yourself.

The next two days with Anakin where just as sweet, you both where getting along great. opening up about any thought that came to mind. it was wonderful and then something changed.

you weren’t sure what caused it but he was acting different today. more shut off and distant, it hurt. this was the last day of your honeymoon and somehow you’d messed it up without even realizing. all day he’d been brushing you off and keeping as much physical distance as possible, your head was spinning trying to find where you’d gone wrong. each conversation you’ve had with him running on repeat looking for even the smallest inkling that you’d crossed a boundary of sorts but you kept coming up empty. you tried asking him what was wrong as well wanting to just rip off the bandaid but he simply said nothing was wrong.

talk about emotional whiplash, if nothing was wrong why was he acting this way. why would he not even let you get near him. you’d let him be alone for about an hour before you couldn’t take the pit of anxiety anymore and decided to face him once more. This time you weren’t going to stop asking him until you got an answer, so you made quick work to hunt him down. which was surprisingly easy compared to the last time he’d disappeared. you found him struggling to walk up the stairs, you where quick to rush up to him not even giving him a chance to process it was you who now stood beside him. “Anakin what happened?” you ask concerned reaching out to help him but he moves away from your touch. “i’m fine” he says curtly and you’re taken aback briefly but recover “are you confident in that fact because-“

“i said i’m fine!” he shouts and you go silent letting your arms fall to your side as you begin to pull back, feeling yourself mentally shutting down. you see a look of regret on his face when he finally looks at you, as well as a sheen of sweat on his forehead. actually now that you got a better look at him he was pale, sickly so. he took a deep bated breath before proceeding up the stairs.

“i mean it i’m fine.” you scoff at him before following behind, he was heading in the direction of his room and you where going to make sure he got there safely. “could you just leave me be” you roll your eyes and cross your arms “i’m not going anywhere Anakin so would you just let me help yo-” you watch as he began to fall backwards, in a panic you do your best to catch him only to realize just how heavy he was the second his weight hit your arms and you fall down with him.

he was out cold, you on the other hand where now stuck underneath him. at least you’d broken his fall.

you wring out a wet cloth before placing it on his head that rested in your lap. you had gotten the attention of your guards and made them carry him to his room as you got a hold of the royal physician. that was two hours ago, now he was resting much more peacefully after he’d been woken up to take some medicine to help fight a fever. The Flu was what the physician said it was, and he’d insisted you not be in the room with Anakin in fear you might get it as well. as if that would stop you, he was sick and you wanted- needed to make sure he was okay. if you got sick in the process then oh well.

you watch over him carefully, running your fingers through his damp sweaty curls. what irked you about all of this was that he said nothing, suffered in silence instead of asking for your help. you thought you guys where finally getting somewhere. finally trusting one another- liking one another, learning to love one another and then he does this. ignores you, pushes you away when he needs you most. you see his eyes twitch and your mind goes blank, waiting patiently to see if he’d finally fully wake up. at least enough to have a conscious conversation.

soon enough his eyes do flutter open, looking around himself briefly to process his surrondings before looking at you. “you said you where fine” was the first thing out of your mouth a frown gracing your features and he had the audacity to smirk. “i was” he huffed, and you had to fight the urge to flick his head. “i’d believe you if you hadn’t passed out right after you said it” he remained silent after that statement and so did you. upset with his actions and not wanting to make a scene while he was sick you figured it best to just quit speaking entirely.

“why are you doing this” you raise a brow and he sighs knowing what you where going to ask “caring for me i mean” you feel your nose scrunch up, what a stupid question in your opinion. “I am your wife, it is my job” he closed his eyes at that “i didn’t think that applied to us” he said simply. “what?” your brows knit together “the duties of a married couple” he adds. it triggered you a bit, why would he think you wouldn’t want to help him. “you’re sick, was i just supposed to stand to the side and watch you suffer?” he opens his eyes and shrugs. “the vows i said may have been empty when i made them but i still made them nonetheless and i for one keep my promises.”

“so you’re only doing this out of obligation?” he asks and you frown “no-” he shifts slightly so that his head is more propped up on your thigh, closing his eyes and letting out a soft groan like it physically pained him to move. “then why? because you like me?” he smiles as he asks- unbelievable he could not possibly have the energy to be teasing you right now. “i’m doing this as your wife and nothing more” you say but it’s clear you aren’t being entirely truthful with that statement and you can tell by the look he gives you he’s not buying it.

“i think you just don’t want to confess you like me” he chuckles but quickly regrets it, closing his eyes again in pain. “if i did i would tell you” you say and begin to run your fingers through his hair again and watch as he relaxes. “well make sure you shout it” he mumbles. “i’m sorry?” he opens his eyes again, scanning over your face before answering “when you tell me you like me, shout it so i can hear you and know you mean it.”

“you’re delusional” you huff but can’t hide your smile and he’s quick to mirror you. “that’s probably the fever” he says with a shrug before allowing himself to doze back off to sleep in your lap.

part 8

Tag List: @luvvfromme @gatekeepingirlboss @bimbo-baggins86 @iluvanakinskywalker @bby-imasociopath @curlycarley @burnthecheshirewitch @misscaller06

AHHH OKAY HERES CHAPTER SEVEN LOVES💋💋 side note i could not resist the urge to include Anakin’s hatred for sand- it was too good of an opportunity 😭 not to mention idk about you guys but i am completely with him on that ☝️as someone with sensory issues sand is one of my worst nightmares💀 anyway i hope you huns enjoyed Xx<3

[queen-of-mandalore]

Em’s Star Wars Rewatch part 17:

The Clone Wars #15 - Droid Factory (2x04, 2x05, 2x06)

2x04: Senate Spy

The scenes of Padme and Anakin together at the beginning were actually so cute. The show really made me see them as a couple which the movies never really did.

I love that by Anakin telling her she can’t do something, Padme instantly becomes intent on doing it.

Anakin having zero chill around Clovis.

Padme plays the innocent love sick girl so well, she manipulated Clovis masterfully.

Honestly I think Clovis took a page from Anakin’s book of pick up lines - ‘if you get tired, you can rest your head on my shoulder’ 🙄😂

Padme’s dress was stunning, although I think it was using the force to stay up 😂

The Trade Federation are such real villains. Like they are the bad guys but they aren’t overtly evil, just playing both sides and acting in their own self interest. I could easily see them existing irl.

2x05: Landing at Point Rain

This is one of those episodes that remind us just how fucking brutal war is. This isn’t our heroes rushing to victory, it’s violent and messy and all their plans go wrong. The direction of this episode is so good and gives you a sense of the pure chaos.

I love how Anakin tries to make the war fun for Ahsoka with their little competition. She is literally a child and it melts my heart that he’s trying to keep it as lighthearted as he can (plus Anakin is a child at heart as well haha). Plus it was hilarious when Mundi throws in his total at the end.

I love to see the different nose art on the LAATs. You can imagine the troopers gathering around painting them between campaigns.

The sand trooper armour was very cool.

I love Ahsoka’s sass towards Anakin.

Poor Rex being thrown off an exploding wall. His scream of pure terror is too funny 😂. He really must question what he did to deserve Anakin as his general. I also love that Ahsoka was thinking the exact same thing as Anakin when they threw him off.

The way Obi-Wan’s men fall back in a circle to protect him and the way he struggles to his feet to make his final stand 😭

2x06: Weapons Factory

I find it odd that Barriss introduces herself to Ahsoka - surely they would already know each other from growing up at the temple?

You can really tell that Anakin and Ahsoka have an unorthodox padawan/master relationship. It’s a stark contrast to Barriss and Luminara. But honestly it’s even different to what Anakin and Obi-Wan had. Ahsoka and Anakin are siblings, they bicker and they love each other.

Ahsoka and Barriss crawling through the catacombs whilst the bugs were sleeping was straight out of a horror film.

I think Luminara gets more hate than she deserves. At no point does she tell Anakin they shouldn’t search for Ahsoka and Barriss, she’s just more realistic about their prospects for survival. She cares if Barriss is alright, but she’s not going to become unstable and turn to the dark side if she loses her like Anakin would. I also think she just expresses herself differently to Anakin, she doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve like he does, so on the outside it might seem like she’s uncaring but I think she really does care a lot.

[jasontoddiefor]

A gift for @thenegoteator :D

It took a Temple to raise a child, and Mace Windu was very much aware of this. However, it did not explain what Ahsoka Tano was doing at his door in the middle of the night. Ahsoka had deep bags under her eyes, which wasn’t too much of a surprise considering the current living arrangements of her lineage. While little Luke and Leia were relatively well-behaved newborns, they were still only a few weeks old. If their human caretakers didn’t wake up at every single little whimper, then the togruta with the superior hearing certainly would.

“Do you want to come inside?” Mace asked, not letting his confusion show. He was used to people coming to his door at the oddest hours.

“If—if I can?” Ahsoka replied as if only now becoming aware of her actions. In this, she reminded Mace of her Grandmaster and the many nights Mace had found Obi-Wan coming to his doorstep during the first months of Anakin’s stay at the Temple.

“My door is always open, Padawan,” Mace said – and watched her wince.

Ah.

So there was the problem.

“Caleb is currently sleeping in my bed as Depa is away,” Mace explained. “So please keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake him unnecessarily.”

The boy had already had a hellish enough month behind him, he needed all the rest he could get. Even though the war was officially over, enough planets refused to surrender, drawing out the battles until they had nothing but children left to sacrifice. It weighed on Mace’s shoulders, making him wonder whether he wasn’t too old to carry such burdens still.

Ahsoka nodded and followed Mace inside. He couldn’t recall whether Ahsoka had been in his room before, but from the way she eagerly looked around his quarters, taking in the sight of old instruments, books, and holos, he guessed she hadn’t. Well, at one point in their life, every Jedi had set a foot inside Mace’s quarters, so this was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Do you want a cup of tea?”

Ahsoka tore herself away from the sight and looked at him with surprise. “I—yes? That would be nice.”

“Then I will make a cup. Do you have any preferences? I believe I even have Obi-Wan’s favorite blend here.”

Mace had no idea whether he had bought it or if Obi-Wan had just left it here from himself when he came over. Knowing the other man, it was likely that the latter was the case. For a man claiming to be so very polite, Obi-Wan could be a right brat.

Mace’s kitchen was small, with only a few cabinets and one shelf, two cooking tiles, and an oven. He wasn’t much of a cook himself and preferred to eat in the cafeteria with everyone, frequently taste-tasting what the Initiates had prepared. He selected two uneven cups Depa had made for him when she’d been young from the shelf. Why she had decided to pick up pottery of all hobbies was beside him, but he supposed that she found the motion soothing. Devan did enjoy parkouring through the lower levels and Echuu was quite content playing the guitar to calm himself.

Perhaps Mace should focus less on why all three of his Padawans had decided they wouldn’t follow him into theatre so they could continue to make fun of him. Setting the water to boil, Mace searched through his cabinets until he found Obi-Wan’s favorite blend. The fruity tea was far from the blend he preferred, but Mace prided himself on being a good host. While he waited for the tea to finish steeping, Mace enjoyed the quiet of the night. For all that there were few sounds as dear to him as that of people walking, or in the case of some younglings and few selected Knights, running, down their large hallways, Mace could appreciate the quiet when the world came to rest.

With two finished cups in hand, he returned to the living room, where he found Ahsoka curled up on the sofa, no longer studying his quarters for any hidden secrets.

“Thank you,” she said when she accepted the cup from him. She held it in her hands as if to warm them, letting the steam hit her face. She breathed in once, twice, finding her rhythm again. Mace waited until she’d calmed enough to speak up.

“What brings you to my door, Padawan Tano?”

Ahsoka flinched and appeared to make herself even smaller as if attempting to vanish. When it became apparent that it didn’t work, that silence hadn’t been what she had sought him out for, she let out a sigh. “You keep calling that.”

“Calling you what?” Mace asked, his brow raised, playing oblivious.

“… Padawan.”

“Are you not? I was under the impression that you had returned to the Temple.”

“I did, but I still left,” Ahsoka replied. “I left and I was convinced that I had to leave and that it was good that I did. I still think I had to leave the Temple behind.”

“Then why are you torn?”

Ahsoka’s hold on her cup tightened and so, perhaps in wise anticipation, she set it on the table and buried her hands in her robes instead, hiding their twitching from view. Mace could trace all her mannerisms to her teachers and couldn’t imagine what it must be like to purposefully rip all those pieces from yourself when they had become so ingrained in your very being. Even Dooku, who’d fallen so far from their beliefs, had been unable to fully rid himself of Yoda’s lessons. Maybe it was for the best. Hope had become a scarce commodity during the war, yet Mace considered the possibility that in a decade, they wouldn’t be imprisoning a Sith anymore.

“But am I still a Padawan? A member of this Order?” Ahsoka asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she shook like the leaves on the trees in the courtyard.

“Has your Master told you anything different?”

Ahsoka paused. “…. No.”

Seeing that realization was settling within her, Mace nodded. “Then you should not doubt him. You are a Jedi, Ahsoka Tano, and you will remain one as long as you live by our tenets.”

That teased a startled laugh from her. “Compassion for all except people who cheat at push-n-pull?”

As if transported back ten years, hearing Anakin say the same, Mace snorted. “The similarities between you and your Master astonish me every time. Yes, Padawan Tano, compassion for all.”

This seemed to calm the youth as she reached for her cup again and emptied it slowly. “It’s good.”

Mace smiled into his own cup. “I’d be insulted if it wasn’t. Obi-Wan forced me to memorize all the steps for making it.”

The then young Knight had been frazzled, and Mace honestly couldn’t tell what it had been about and had forced Mace to learn how to make this tea until he’d more or less collapsed on Mace’s sofa, completely knocked out until morning when Anakin had picked him up.

“He does do that,” Ahsoka agreed. “I think this is the only thing anyone can make reliably now.”

“Sleep-deprived much?” Mace inquired.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Like you wouldn’t believe. I love Luke and Leia dearly, but they are demanding and need a lot of attention.”

That was honestly kinder than Mace would have described newborns at her age.

“There is a reason why we usually don’t have children this young in the Temple,” Mace said. “They are very handful. Do you get enlisted to help very often?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “No, Obi-Wan, Skyguy, and Padmé got it covered, and I’m mostly just helping out somewhere else.”

She trailed off a little. This, perhaps, was another issue, but one that could be equally easily dealt with.

“Thank you then for going where you are needed,” Mace told her.

Ahsoka blinked. “Huh?”

“You will grow into a specific role someday, Ahsoka, and that needs time. Do not feel as if you need to earn back your place in the Temple. You don’t need to earn yourself a home you have always had. For now, trust me when I say that everyone you’ve helped is glad that you were there. It is an admirable quality to have a sense of where you are needed. Do not see it as being the odd one out.”

This was the hardest lesson to teach and learn, the fact that there was a path out there for you, but that it took time to see where it would lead. Too many of their Padawans now felt utterly lost without the structure the war had provided them with.

“Oh. I guess if you say so.”

“Yes, I do say so,” Mace agreed. Then, eyeing Ahsoka’s empty cup, he added on, “do you want another?”

“No.” Ahsoka yawned. “I think I might best head back.”

“You can also sleep here if you want, and don’t mind Caleb hogging the blanket. I won’t go to bed tonight anyway.”

Ahsoka squinted at him as if attempting to discern whether he was lying. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really—”

“Ahsoka, go to bed.”

Clearly feeling better already, she saluted and, after Mace showed her his bedroom, made herself comfortable in it. She took off her shoes and tossed her robe over a chair before climbing into the bed. Ahsoka had barely laid down when Caleb already turned around to curl around her, clinging like a little monkey. After a moment’s apprehension, she relaxed and was fast asleep. Stealing one last glance at the two Padawan, Mace returned to his living room, looking through the incoming reports.

Hectic as the aftermath of the war was, as much effort as caring for their children was, Mace wouldn’t trade it for a single thing in the world.

[gffa]

I read your post about children don’t get to chose the religion they grow up with because of their parents and while that is correct. I HARD DISAGREE with the Jedi on that. They go out looking for children that possess a special gift (Force sensitivity) and to train as servants of the Republic. They are sent out with their masters before they are even adults on missions where they may have to fight, kill, or die.

And the reason this is supposed to be okay is based on the idea that they can leave whenever they want. When they leave the Order they’ll have nothing. If some Padawan wanted to leave and they told their services with a lightsaber to someone the Jedi would stop them and the Padawan would be wrong.

The Jedi should not take in infants.

You are welcome to your views if you want, but since you came into my inbox, I in turn am in hard disagreement with your assessment, both for how we're not shown a lot of what you're assuming here and because what we are shown paints it with a lot of different context. What we're shown in canon is that, if the biological parents say no, then the Jedi don't adopt the child. What we're shown through the way Jedi seekers work is often that--like in the case of Ahsoka, through word of god commentary--is that the parents called them. What we're shown is that the galaxy is not kind to Force-sensitive children and the Jedi were able to help them. We're shown that Force abilities are really dangerous if you don't have a rock-solid grip on yourself and that it really, really helps to start from a young age with that, that George Lucas has even said, had Anakin been trained from when he was an infant, he would have been trained better. They have nothing when they leave the Jedi Order? Nothing in the movies or TV shows even says what they do/don't have when they leave. Further, they're trained with a ton of various skills to be able to make their way through the galaxy, we see Jedi being incredibly capable when they get stranded somewhere or when they're going on a mission somewhere, because they're trained to be able to make their way through the galaxy. They're taught languages, they're taught mechanics, they're taught history, they're taught self-defense, those are incredibly marketable skills. And I'm just going to crib off @agoddamn's post about how Jedi using lightsabers (and thus being trained to fight) has specific context that isn't "actually the Jedi are bad", as well as point out that before the war started happening (and the war was not an inherent part of anyone's lifestyle in the Republic, including the Jedi) we have no evidence that Jedi died a lot or that the Jedi were in much danger when they went on missions. And it wouldn't make sense that they're not allowed to use the Force, given that the Jedi speak warmly of other Force-using groups like the Guardians of the Whills or the Bardottens. We don't even know if they're allowed to use their lightsaber or not, nothing in the series says one way or the other. I can agree it might be discouraged because the lightsaber was associated so strongly with the Jedi but like. Yoda literally gives Asajj back her lightsaber in the first episode of TCW and no Jedi ever says, "That's illegal to have that!" whenever they see someone other than a Jedi with a lightsaber. Anakin gives Ahsoka back her lightsabers in season 7 and Obi-Wan is right there and has no objections to it, the entire Council doesn't object to it, even when an important distinction is made about how she's not a Jedi. Yes, she's going after Maul, so she's going to need hers, but there's never a point where anyone says that only Jedi are allowed to use lightsabers. The source material and word of god commentary seems to generally support that Jedi should be adopted when they're infants, and honestly that generally reflects real world context (not that everything in SW should be held to a 1:1 real world context relationship, mind) so you're welcome to disagree if you want (no shade there, honest), but I'm pretty convinced by what SW has actually shown me!

[amikoroyaiart]

KENOBI SPOILERS

I loooooved when Reva tried to interrogate Leia but Leia outsmarted her. She got so damn frustrated at a 10 yo it made me laugh. And when she thought she got her Leia piled out the “but I need to tell my father first” and Reva almost lost it. Tala is in my top 10 fav characters now. The way she talked down to that security guard made me love her even more. She made him back off and it looked like something straight out of a fanfic (actually I was reading that kind of fanfic earlier today). When Obi Wan got to the secure sector I was so scared that we were gonna find out that actually Quinlan is dead and not alive like they made us believe. Would that be cruel to us fans, sure. Would the directors do it, probably. And when Obi paused looking shocked at the last body I was like, that’s it, it’s Quinlan, he is dead. But it was just a child. And I felt such relief at that moment you have no idea. I really hope we get to see Quinlan alive and well and that he and Obi get to meet one last time. And also I need more Luke content. It’s just two episodes till it’s over (I’m hoping for a second season). And Luke was in the show for what? 4 minutes? Why would they even announce a cast for that? Just pick a random child of a street, ask it if it wants to make some money and there you go. Child Luke. I need Luke to talk and hug Obi wan like Leia got to hug him. And Leia holding Obi wand hand in the end made me emotional.

I’m sorry if it’s chaotic to read

Oh I adored all scenes with Reva and Leia. I loved when she said 'is this a staring contest?' YOU GO QUEEN

Tala is amazing! One of my favs for sure! She was so badass and I just love this actress in general so I am happy to see that her character is amazing as well.

Honestly I was thinking the same, that Quinlan will be there for one second but he is still alive <3 I hope so haha. Fingers crossed for him to maybe appear in JFO sequel or maybe still in last two episodes.

I don't mind that there is no Luke to be honest. I needed Obi-Wan and Leia bonding and I am so glad this series provided it. Her message to Obi-Wan in episode IV makes more sense.

And yes I agree I totally teared up when she squeezed his hand. Also the beginning section with Obi-Wan and Anakin parallels aaaaa so good.

In general I love this series. It's so different from other projects and I am glad honestly.

[aboardthehavocmarauder]

Beautiful Mischief [Pt. 3]

Bad Batch x Reader • Angst/Fluff/NSFW (yknow the whole deal) • Mechanic [hidden Jedi] ! Reader • Female reader

Fall on your knees, sweet girl

Sweet girl...

——

“SHES A FUCKING JEDI”

“And how the fuck would you know that?”

“HER PETITE FUCKING ASS CANT TAKE DOWN A TREE IN A SINGLE PUNCH”

“You think she used the force?”

“She did! Don’t believe me?! Wait till the next incident”

Y/N frowns outside the cockpit hearing Cross talk about what he saw with Hunter and Tech. She straightens up when Echo came into the common area seeing the angered look on her face. He didn’t say a word. They stood in the silence and Y/N felt overwhelmed all of a sudden causing her to leave the room, before he could reach—-

“Don’t touch her Echo. We don’t know what she’s capable of” Tech states witnessing what just happened as Echo gave him a worried look.

——

“You’re taking on a Padawan? You know what Anakin turned out to be. You think you’ll produce a normal one?”

“They are Anakin’s age now. Not a child. I believe I can train them to be the best”

“A little late to find a force sensitive being”

“I didn’t find her, she found me”

“I trust you Obi Wan. But—“

Don’t be surprised by the hardships

——

Wrecker finds himself in the storage compartment looking for extra ration bars in their food supply when he saw Y/N sitting on the ground propped up against her crate staring at the ceiling.

“Hey?” He tilts his head confused seeing the redness in her eyes and swollen cheeks. “Hey Y/N...what’s wrong?” He decided to sit with her waiting for her to respond and if she didn’t, he would’ve stayed as a comfort.

“I’m a monster Wrecker”

“What? I don’t think so”

“Crosshair does, he’s telling everybody what he saw in the forest. Just another monster in this galaxy full of darkness”

“Okay now that’s a lot of talk. I’m going to need context”

“He didn’t tell you? None of your brothers did?”

“Honestly I ignore what most of them say” Wrecker laughs as he handed her a ration bar seeing her take the offer.

“I worked on your ship for a year before you decided to add me on this journey with you all. Then it’s been six months and as much as you’re all close with one another...I don’t think I’ll ever been looked at normally ever again”

“Y/N...from the time with the scar thing. Scars are scars. It was stupid of us to push you to tell us what happened. As for this recent thing. Speaking for myself, I don’t care what you are. You’re Y/N. A badass mechanic that knows a lot more than we expected. And if shit changes. Who gives a fuck? Imma still like you for you. Besides. Half of my face is a scar and I don’t give a fuck” Wrecker smiles hearing her laugh a little, feeling better.

——

“Two lightsabers? Ha! This will work nicely for you young apprentice”

Y/N stares with grey covered eyes standing still like a solider as the dathomirian receives the kyber crystals for the hilts before handing the new and improved sabers to his mindless slave.

“You’ll receive a new look. Keep you hidden away from the so called Jedi you used to call your family. Little do they know your parents died and adoptive sister left. Or you left her. I’ve always wondered why you did so”

“I wanted to become a Jedi, Odious...” Y/N says groggily before freeing when he started to force choke her. “I’m sorry sir...”

“Mmm. Are you truly, sweet girl?” He smirks pushing her against the wall and keeping her there like a wall ornament. “We don’t want you to remember to good old days...we need information and you will kill for it if it deems necessary” Odious laughs squeezing his hold hearing her choke. “You will kill if they won’t expose their secrets. We will take down the Jedi council”

Soon Y/N dropped on her side feeling the cold ground turn into a cold surrounding. Feeling like death was crawling in but she quickly stood to their feet seeing Odious’s accomplices approach her to start the appearance change.

No one said it was pain-free

——

Returning to Coruscant, Y/N thought she was being dropped off but Hunter assured her it was for Echo to receive some simplicity with his brothers in blue.

Even the clones need to go back to their home.

“You coming?”

“No”

“But come on. The mess hall will have more of those ration bars you like” Wrecker adds as Y/N stayed glued to her seat feeling a weight grow in her chest when she sensed him. “Y/N?”

“I can’t Wrecker...I know we’ll be here for three days but I’m safe here”

“Well you know where we’ll be” He smiles being the last stepping off the ramp as it closed behind him.

But it didn’t take until nightfall for Y/N to step out and take a look at something that over came their thoughts.

——

“You’ll be staying”

“No Obi-Wan”

“Y/N you’ve come so far. Why give up training now?”

“Your master was a grey-Jedi because he didn’t believe in the rules the council had held accountable on us all. I can’t live in a cult that doesn’t want me to seek out for more in my life”

“But you can—“

“I’m not becoming a whore of the Jedi council all because I can fuck every man that steps into the facility. I want to fall in love. I want to be free. Free from my personal burdens. Reunite with my sister. Go home. I won’t be corrupted Obi Wan. You can keep your tabs on me if you like. But I cannot be here”

“Y/N. Please”

“Take a look behind you Obi Wan, and what do you see?”

Obi Wan turns around to look at the city of Coruscant erupt in colors and volumes of plenty. He was about to say something but when he turned around.

She was gone

——

And now she’s returned

Y/N stepped into the quarters she stayed in during her time there. The nostalgia started to hit when the familiar feeling returned.

“Leave”

“Y/N—“

“Leave me alone” She frowns clenching her fists. “You shouldn’t have come out of whatever corner you were in”

“Y/N it took courage for you to come back inside this place. Please just let me spe—“

Obi Wan suddenly hit the wall outside of her room as she stepped out quickly leaving.

“General I heard—“ Cody stopped talking seeing Y/N and his General on the floor, triggering him to take out his weapon. “You stay right there”

“Don’t hurt him Y/N”

“I’m not a monster like you Kenobi” Y/N frowns lifting her hands and before Cody could even do anything, she booked it in the other direction.

“What the—“ Cody started chasing after her as Obi Wan quickly gets on his feet following in suit after the two.

Having no obstacle in the way made it easy, until Cody called in reinforcements from Rex and a few more from the 501st.

“This—“

“It’s Y/N. Why would Cody—“

“Cody explain?!”

“Cody stand down for maker’s sake” Obi Wan states. “You can’t just—“

“They—“

“NO” He snaps as the distress in his voice made Cody finally stop thinks but the actions still confused his brothers. “Now leave. All of you. Except Y/N”

As the sun sets on today

We’ll never know about tomorrow

——

“General Kenobi. New information has come up”

“What about this time Cody?”

“About fugitive x. You said to dig up anything on them and we got something”

Obi Wan turns to Cody seeing the information on the datapad and taking it, leaving to process this all.

Fugitive X

Name: Y/F/N Y/L/N

Found in the streets of the black market wielding duel lightsabers. Nothing life threatening. But they were found with a kyber crystal that was floating around in the market.

“This...isn’t giving me anything...” Cody frowns flipping through the pictures and finding the video from one of the street cameras of them taking out a knife and suddenly—-

Fuck

——

“Why didn’t you come back once you escaped?”

“Why would I?”

“What do you mean...”

“Just because you had spies in my life to keep tabs on me. Doesn’t mean they saw everything. You......” Y/N stops talking as she brings her knees to her chest staring out in the scenery as Obi Wan sheds his robe to be comfortable around her just enough. “You...you lost your master. Imagine that pain, but with your humanity, sanity...”

“Y/N, what happened?”

“A lot...”

A lot that nobody knows

Until now

[magicalforcesau]

Dancing With Ghosts in Your Garden~ Chapter 24 - Year 3: September

(ao3 link)

In lieu of Dooku’s attack on Diagon Alley, a screening process leading to platform 9 ¾ was put into effect. Disguised as muggle security personnel, Aurors compared the names and identifications to the list presented to them by Yoda, himself. Obi-Wan could hardly blame them for taking precautions, even though his parents and many others were quite perturbed by the lengthy line that formed against the wall. He wasn’t sure what enchantment was used to sway muggle gaze away from them, but no one paid the line any mind.

He guessed it was possible that the everyday busyness of the train station was enough to distract people.

“Honestly, this is where our taxes are going?” His father huffed, bumping his walking stick against the concrete with a small thud. Obi-Wan didn’t bother to remind him that Dooku had essentially tried to set Diagon Alley on fire a mere two weeks before.

“Just because they don’t have anything better to do does not mean the same for all of us.” His mother agreed, just as stuffy in her delivery. Obi-Wan also didn’t bother to mention that this was the first time his parents had accompanied him to see him off since his first year.

“They’re no better than mall cops,” He fixed his bored gaze down at Obi-Wan, “And you want to dedicate your life’s work to this?”

“There are many departments.” He offered neutrally.

Anakin, who looked a bit like a mini-me in a sense with his hair combed and parted to the side like Obi-Wan’s, ducked his head around the group in front of him to try and see how far they were from the front. The hair had been his mother’s doing, of course, but it was still strange seeing the boy look so sleek and his clothes so pressed. He still didn’t go as far as wearing his uniform before boarding the train, but Obi-Wan was still floored by the presentation.

“I don’t see the Fetts yet.” He frowned.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s far more likely that they’ll be heard before they are seen, my dear.” His mother said, “They’re like their own army, that bunch.”

“To have that many children and not one girl,” His father shook his head, though Obi-Wan honestly couldn’t tell if his father believed this was an accomplishment or not. His parents had never given any indication to wanting more than one child. He’d never asked for a sibling, but he wouldn’t have minded the company.

“I like it better that there aren’t girls,” Anakin protested, “Girls complicate things too much.”

“Affairs of the heart, you mean,” His father nodded, “An astute point, Anakin.”

“Well, that and we wouldn’t be able to burp the alphabet freely if they were around,” He shrugged.

Where Obi-Wan surely expected a tirade on the importance of proper etiquette and manners, even in this public setting that ensconced them, his parents only exchanged a curious look before tilting their heads back and laughing heartily. Naturally, he was relieved that it had gone that way, but it didn’t take away any of his confusion.

Anakin smiled, happy to make them laugh. Obi-Wan couldn’t blame him. He knew from experience that this was a tough sell.

“You are a riot, my boy.” His father patted Anakin on the shoulder.

“Were you not to save us all, I’d argue you’d make a mighty fine comedian.” His mother added once she calmed down as well. “If that weren’t a dreadful career choice, mind you.”

“Yes, quite funny.” Obi-Wan sighed through his nose and took advantage of the moment to scan the crowd for his friends. Naturally, the Fett’s were likely running a bit late, but it was unlike Satine to be behind. He supposed it was possible she was already on the platform with her family, but knew it was quite possible that her sister delayed their arrival. Satine always complained about such behaviors from Bo-Katan.

His internal debate on the matter was abruptly interrupted by his shoulder forcefully being checked by a passerby. However, when he turned, he had the desire to turn to ice on the spot when he made direct eye contact with Asajj Ventress.

“Obi-Wan,” She sniffed, unimpressed. Had her mother not been by her side, he was sure she would have scowled. After the events of the previous year in which Ventress performed horrific acts on students, it was likely she was under more scrutiny than ever before.

“Ventress,” He said with just as little emotion.

“Obi-Diah, Wanda, funny seeing you all here.” Madame Ventress said evenly. While it was now publicly known that the Ventress’ had secretly adopted their daughter, it was still difficult to believe they weren’t biologically related. After all, there was unmistakably a sharpness and severity to the esteemed Madame that her daughter most certainly mastered.

“Same to you, Anoth.” His mother said with a familiar brand of forced kindness to her tone, “Though, I’m sure you’ve heard we’ve been tasked with the pleasure of ensuring the safety of Anakin Skywalker over break. It’s not the sort of thing one takes lightly.”

This sort of verbal sparring was typical amongst his parents’ inner social circle, especially the women. Most of his mother’s tea times, book clubs, and school board meetings consisted of this exact type of conversation. It’s why he was surprised when he branched off and went away to school that friends didn’t have to be at constant competition.

“Yes, I read the Daily Prophet just like everyone else. Our names have also been in the papers quite a bit as well.” Her bright green eyes flickered to Anakin only for a moment before looking back to her daughter with contempt. Obi-Wan knew his summers could be dreary, but for the barest of moments, he glumly wondered how Ventress’ had been.

“Tabloids do tend to twist events.” His father added rather unhelpfully, but seemed distracted by the increasing amount of time they spent in the winding line. “Particularly towards their desired narrative and audience.”

“Indeed,” His mother nodded and steeled her gaze into Anoth Ventress’s eyes, “Even with the extenuating circumstances, you know our offer still stands.”

For a moment, they were suspended in time. Obi-Diah Kenobi still looked quite bored by the ongoing events, but Wanda and Ventress’ own mother were transfixed in silent discussion. Anakin and Obi-Wan looked between them, trying to figure out what in the blazes was going on.

“I’m surprised,” Anoth’s smile was small, but not ingenuine. “Seeing as it’s not necessarily what was advertised.”

“We have considered it at great length,” She admitted, “But through avid research and deliberation, we have decided it would still advance the business and benefit both parties.”

“I see,” Her smile grew broader and all the more like the cat that got the canary, “Well, you know we must accept.”

“What are they talking about?” Anakin finally whispered, “Is this a business deal?”

“Essentially,” Mr. Kenobi sighed tirelessly, “What in the word is the hold up?”

“They are allowing muggle born children to advance the line,” Asajj said bitterly, “In lieu of recent events.”

Recent events being her former employer’s attempt at domestic terrorism, that is.

“That is positively ludicrous !” His mother cried out, “Why should they receive any special treatment?”

“Well, I’d imagine they feel they might be targeted because of Dooku’s stance-” Obi-Wan began, but effectively cut off by his father’s matched rage. Admittedly, he startled a great deal at the heavy sound of the metal walking stick striking the ground. Many other families turned their heads at the commotion.

“-Oh, spare me that dither! Are we expected to believe that their lives matter more than the purebloods and half-bloods?”

“We received priority because of any potential target Dooku might have placed on Asajj.”

“Now that is understandable,” Obi-Diah sighed, “I only wish they didn’t have to punish all purebloods in the process because of that man’s aggressive actions.”

“Not to mention, do they not care for their chosen one ?” His mother emphasized her point by referring directly to Anakin, “Was he not the object of last year’s attack by the loathsome creature?”

“Dooku is trying to get me.” Anakin said. “He’s made that pretty clear.”

“You know these sad sacks,” Anoth sneered quietly, turning her head in the direction of the families that were being escorted to the front by other Aurors and faculty. “Always playing the victim.”

“Yes, well Hogwarts existed long before their kind was even allowed through the doors,” Obi-Diah muttered just as discreetly, “It seems our Headmaster and Minister of Magic have jointly forgotten.”

“I will not allow such insolence.” Wanda turned her nose up, “Come now, boys, we will not stand for being treated like second class citizens.”

As Anakin began to follow her out of line, albeit looking a little befuddled by the change in events, Obi-Wan remained where he stood.

“I don’t believe that is what’s happening.” He said, “I think they’re just-”

“-Do you not believe the lives of all witches and wizards matter?” His mother rounded on him, “Or are you to just stand and allow yourself to be disrespected as such?”

“I just think we should listen to them.” Obi-Wan offered, “Clearly, they’ve got a system.”

“My, your boy is… Optimistic. ” Anoth commented as she scrutinized Obi-Wan. For a moment, he felt like he was being examined for any defect or system reset button. However, as quick as her scathing stare had landed on him, it was back on her daughter.

“He reads too much.” His mother gritted her teeth, “Now come. Now.”

When Obi-Wan didn’t immediately move, his father stuck his walking stick in front of his feet, blocking any chance at approaching anyway. His eyes were cool and unimpressed, which juxtapositioned against his mother’s fiery temper, made for an equally concerning contrast.

“Leave him,” His father scowled and turned to follow the Ventress’ and his wife, “Should he see himself deserving of less, perhaps he is.”

Relenting, his mother nodded once, “Yes, well, should you miss the train because of this, you will be finding your own means to Hogwarts.”

Obi-Wan only watched them go for a moment, having a difficult time listening, let alone watching the scene that his parents made on the poor Aurors that guarded the entrance to the platform. The sound of surrounding chatter and distant trains entering and departing helped muffle some of it out, but his mother’s voice could be quite shrill when she wanted it to be and astutely recognized the sound of her threatening to write the Daily Prophet about this “discrimination”.

He sighed, pinching his nose and trying to remain unseen in the crowd as he waited out his turn to approach the front.

Satine took a breath as she looked around her, allowing herself just a moment to take in the surrounding atmosphere of her last start of a new school year. In a sense, it was everything she’d remembered and far more than that. Each year created a new layer of significance and experience that while never the same as the initial awestruck charm that overcame her the first time she stepped onto the platform, it both sharpened and softened its impact.

It was all so familiar: students reunited after a long summer spent apart, eager to share all the details of their time away while also gushing about the upcoming year. Parents were just as frequent- those who represented first years hastily trying to ensure their safety and comfort while holding back tears. The parents of seventh years held it together for their soon-to-be adults, though it was easy to spot misty eyes amongst them too.

She had been pleasantly surprised by the measures taken to ensure the safety of the muggle-born children and their families. In all fairness, they were still the most vulnerable group, since in her case, only she could perform magic in an emergency. While certain she could defend herself if she had to, she was glad that it seemed the Ministry was at least a little more eager to take preventative measures than last year.

“Cody!” Satine practically leapt into her friend’s arms the moment she saw him enter the security clearing. Trailing around him was the full entourage that was his family, of course, and all immediately scattered like marbles the instant they also saw their respective friends.

“Boys! Return to this spot in no more than 7 minutes!” Jango Fett, their stoic and usually emotionless father, ordered. All of them nodded in agreement, but continued the search for their other classmates. The energy for the return to Hogwarts was unlike any other school Satine had ever heard or seen.

Even with the ever present danger that hung over them.

“Business as usual, I see.” She laughed a little when they parted.

“Yeah, you know how it goes,” He shrugged easily. “Where’s your family?”

She rolled her eyes, “My sister felt “sick” and so they had to duck out early.”

“Oh, well I hope she feels better?”

“Yeah, it’s the same ailment that tends to strike her every single year at this time. This time she only grew smarter in how she presented symptoms.”

“I see…” Cody nodded, “You think she got her hands on a puking pastille?”

“Not sure how that would be possible since I don’t mess around with those things,” She looked around him, scanning the area for another familiar face, “Have you seen Ben?”

“If you haven’t, surely you can’t assume I have.” Cody reasoned with a smirk.

“And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?” She crossed her arms and fixed him with her patented prefect- now Head Girl - glare.

“I thought we were getting a bit too old for playing pretend.” Expectedly, he didn’t back down from her appraisal. If he had, he wouldn’t be the thick-headed Gryffindor that she treasured dearly.

She sighed, “It just isn’t like him to run late.”

Well, except for when they scheduled to meet at Screed & Sons. For many reasons, that day certainly stood to mind. So much so, that she wouldn’t afford it any thought for the time being.

“I’m sure he’ll be along.” He shrugged.

“I saw his parents and even Anakin, but not him,” She bit her lip. She didn’t feel like it had to be said why she didn’t approach them. Cody was braver than most and she doubted he would have done so either.

“I heard them earlier,” He winced, “You missed quite the scene.”

“I’m guessing they didn’t respond well to waiting in line.” She said.

“I doubt they’ve ever done so.”

“No, I’d imagine not. Not even at the store.” Thankfully, her time spent with the Kenobi’s had been extremely minimal in all her years of knowing Obi-Wan. That didn’t mean she didn’t have a decent idea of what they wouldn’t tolerate. If it hadn’t likely meant a humiliating scene for Obi-Wan, she might have chuckled at the thought of their outrage.

“Bold of you to assume they do their own shopping,” Cody rolled his eyes and then looked around them again, clearly doing his own survey of the area for their friend.

For a moment, an irrational thought overcame Satine in the form of his parents locking him up in that cold mansion to prevent him from coming to school for their final year. Her heart plummeted at the very thought of carrying through their victory lap without him. She’d always been a bit of a bookworm and enjoyed school to the fullest, particularly exploring the magical realm that had unfolded before her when she most desperately needed it. However, she knew it would not have been the same without him.

For it was not just the literal sort of magic that had kindred her spirit.

“Well, if they’re here, he’s got to be around here somewhere. Knowing him, he’s probably ensuring the train is up to regulation.” Cody offered, though she could tell by looking at him that he was not as relaxed about it as he wanted to convey.

“I’ll have you know, the Hogwarts Express can never fail regulation standards. The charms surrounding it make it physically impossible.” A familiar voice from somewhere behind them lectured.

Before even turning, Satine felt her lips naturally curl into a bright smile that couldn’t be fought even if she’d wanted to. Cody seemed almost equally elated to see Obi-Wan dressed head-to-toe in a perfect uniform ensemble as always.

“Kenobi!” Cody didn’t hesitate to clap a hand on his shoulder, giving him a good squeeze that Obi-Wan smiled at.

As for how she was to greet him, she wasn’t wholly sure. Both stepped forward as if to go for a hug, but lingered long enough that it got awkward just standing there.

���Present and ready with a history lesson, I’m assuming?” She quipped.

“Of which I’m sure you are already well-versed.” He beamed and she swore that the way the sun suddenly broke through the clouds and shined through the windows to cast a glow on his face had to be some intentional act of divine intervention.

She’d noticed at Screed & Sons as well, but standing tall and solid in his uniform, it was even easier to tell that there was something unmistakably different about him. She believed even from an unbiased perspective that it was obvious Obi-Wan was handsome. Anyone with eyes could see that, but now, there was a quality- a maturity, even- that there hadn’t been before.

Where there had once been a rather boyish looking roundness to his face, he was bestowed with a sharp jawline and notable cheekbones. His shoulders were broader and his arms not nearly as bony as they’d been prior. Plus, there was no doubt that he’d grown. While not the tallest in their year by a long shot, he didn’t fare much shorter than Cody anymore. Where their eyes had once practically been at even level, she was now left to stare at a defined Adam’s apple that she watched with mild curiosity as it bobbed ever so slightly.

Instinctually, her eyes drifted up to his chin and then his face, where she had to fight off the memory of leaning closer in a quiet bookstore.

She cleared her throat, “A correct assessment, indeed. I’ve certainly done my fair share of reading on it.”

“Why read about it when we ride it four times a year?” Cody sighed, exasperated, “I guess that’s what makes you two the Head Boy and Girl, though.”

“It’s not the sole requirement, but I can’t argue that it didn’t help,” He admitted with a small shrug.

“Cody! I said seven minutes!” Jango called from just a few meters over. Even over the echoes of mass conversation in open space, he was still one to be heard.

“Oi, I’ll see you two on the train. We’ll talk about summer!” He promised before patting them both on the shoulder and trotting off to join the rest of clan Fett by the water fountain.

This left Obi-Wan and Satine to stand on their own in the midst of the controlled chaos of onboarding. She supposed the easy thing to do would be to immediately jump into work, to throw themselves into their responsibilities. That was certainly what they usually did and it worked fine in the past. They were definitely good at that.

He smiled at Satine again- this time smaller and somehow more dangerous to her poor heart- “Congratulations again, by the way. For getting Head Girl. I’m usually not one to say I told you so, but-”

“-Since when?” She raised an eyebrow teasingly. She reached out and straightened the pin on his lapel that reflected his position, “Same to you, of course.”

“Yes, well, there were many deserving candidates. It could have gone either way.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” She rolled her eyes. “There was no question who deserved the title. I think you’re the only person who had any doubts.”

“Qui-Gon always said humility is nothing but truth.” He said.

“Humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself.” She countered easily and stuck her chin up. “If you’d like to toss the ideologies of your mentor back and forth, I do not have all day. We do have places to be. So, should you have any prominent arguments, I suggest you voice them now.”

He shook his head, though he still allowed for the ghost of a smile to linger at the corners of his lips as he did so, “How can I refute the arguments of the brightest witch of our age?”

Her heart fluttered, “You can’t. You should know that by now.”

“Well then, I suppose I concede, if only for the sake of efficiency.” He said, staring at her just a little too long. “I heard you got bag duty.”

“Yeah,” She grimaced. The easiest way to take one out of a moment was to remember that they had to assist in lugging all the heavy items from students onto the train. “No such thing as seniority, apparently.”

He shook his head, “I’ll switch with you.”

“You don’t have-” Though she was cut off by the hand he raised in immediate rejection.

“I understand that you can handle the task and that I don’t have to take over for you, but I want to.” And then he winked, “And besides, I think we can both agree I could use the workout.”

“I wouldn’t say that .” She murmured, forcing herself not to scrutinize that statement. “Though I do appreciate the assistance.”

“I’ll see you on the train.” He smiled and handed her his clipboard.

“On the train.” She repeated, not able to resist the anticipatory smile that gave way on her face. She was sure, as she passed the hoard of students trying to shovel their way onto the train, that she looked like an absolute dope of a girl. That’s how she felt in a sense and she didn’t really care.

For what Satine Kryze was feeling, was hope.

They were growing up.

“You were merely reading that day in Diagon Alley, hm?” His mother’s fingers dug deep into his arm, dragging him away from the student he’d been trying to help, “Nothing more?”

He winced, “I don’t know what you’re-”

“-You may be able to fool everyone, maybe even yourself, but you will not fool me,” She said coldly, “I see the way you look at her, Obi-Wan, and I will not stand by and allow you ruin your life simply because your hormones have decided to run rapid over someone perceived as lesser than.”

“Do not speak of her like that, Mother,” He shook off her grip, an intensity and bravery igniting at the hearth of his spirit. For a moment, even she had the decency of looking taken back by his outburst. In all of his years, he never argued and never formally rebelled in such overt ways. He could not bring himself to find any guilt in his words and only continued with confidence, “She’s a lovely person who deserves respect.”

“I never said she was less than, but she will be seen that way. And what of your family?” She snapped. “Do we not deserve the same courtesy?”

“I have always respected you and father.” He said.

“You have defied us at every turn.” She poked him hard, “You have been nothing but a disappointment, but this …” She pointed onwards to where Satine helped a first year student load some of his things on the train, “This is an offense that will not be forgiven.”

He didn’t say it, but she was starting to sound like Dooku.

As if reading this thought from his stare alone, she sighed wearily, “Do not stare at me as though we haven’t been abundantly clear what was expected of you this entire time, Obi-Wan. It is pitiful as it is inexcusably ludicrous. I am merely looking out for you. I have nothing personal against the girl.”

“Are you sure?” He frowned, “Because you haven’t even taken the care or time to know her name .”

“I know her name,” She said, “And so will everyone else should you go through with this charade.”

“If only you knew-”

“Oh, if I only knew?” She laughed incredulously, “If I only knew? My dear boy, you may believe me to be the villainous wench in this narrative that is preventing you from going to your troubled princess, but I must remind you, my son, that this is no fairytale and you are most certainly not a knight in shining armor. And do not speak of me like I have not heard this song before. Do you truly believe your father was who I’d swooned over when I was 18?”

Obi-Wan honestly never pictured his mother swooning over anyone , including his father.

“But even in our wealth, we’re all just trying to survive,” She bore her teeth at him, “And I did what I had to. I climbed the ranks, played the social games, continued the bloodline, and stayed far away from anyone who would put me and my family under scrutiny or on the outside. And should you care about that girl the way I believe you do, I highly recommend you do the same.”

“What are you saying?” Obi-Wan asked, using every bit of practice at keeping his tone measured and even despite the thinly veiled implications of her words.

“I’m saying, we live in the real world, Obi-Wan,” She straightened, “Come back to it. Your name has expectation to it and should you drift outside of that pretense, I cannot promise there won’t be collateral damage.”

The death of Qui-Gon Jinn flashed before his eyes, unwarranted and certainly unwelcome.

“Many in our community, particularly the extremists, will not see your little trist as I do: experimentation. Many, my dear, will see it as treason. And you will not be the one punished for that offense.”

“Is that a threat?” He asked, conviction practically gone to the fear that climbed up his spine and imprisoned him. Had something happened to Satine because of him, he was unsure what he would do.

“No, son, it’s as good as a promise.” She winked and patted him on the shoulder as though dusting him off “Now, do be a good boy and go find Anakin. He is in your care. That, and nothing else, should be your primary priority this year.”

For a moment, Obi-Wan stood dumbstruck and lost, feeling not the usual hope and excitement that came with the promise of a new year, but dread. Dread, because, this would be the clear and sufficient end to any childlike wonder and freedom that he experienced. His duties and responsibilities were finally catching up to him and while he’d taken careful thought not to ponder much of them during his years at school, they would soon be unavoidable.

Unless…

His treacherous stare found Satine as she knelt and consoled a student who had from the looks of it lost her mum. The sun poured through the windows, catching her hair and almost making it look as bright as sunlight. Her skin was milky white under its scrutiny, though even from the shadows of where he stood, he could make out every bright detail that etched into her brow.

As though feeling his stolen gaze, she turned and waved him over, smiling encouragingly.

He could not be the reason the smile on her face disappeared from this earth. She wanted to do too much, be too much. He could not, in good conscience, risk any of that for his own selfish wants.

It was time to grow up.

“Oi mate what’s up with your hair,” Rex was already snickering before Anakin could get a greeting in. He glared daggers at his friend before ruining Kenobi's hard work with a quick ruffle.

“I was trying to be polite ,” Anakin hissed as the two lugged their bags over towards the train, “I didn’t want to embarrass the Kenobi’s!”

“They do a pretty fair job of that themselves,” Rex scoffed, “Didn’t they make a big scene earlier?”

“They just wanted me to be safe,” Anakin shrugged. If anyone was embarrassed by it he was pretty sure it was only Obi-Wan. His mentor really wasn’t a big fan of the spotlight.

“So do I,” Rex shot him an appraising glance, “But you don’t see me crying to the Aurors about it. ‘Do you know who this is?! The Chosen one!’” Rex mocked the more tame bit of Mrs. Kenobi’s threats.

Anakin laughed, “So what, it did get us in faster!”

“Yeah sure,” Rex rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

“They just want me to be safe I guess,” Anakin shrugged as he ascended the steps into the train, “They sure were worried after Dooku’s attack near Diagon Alley.”

“That was pretty bloody scary, chosen one or not,” Rex cringed, “I’m just glad we all made it out.”

“Yeah it ended up being some muggle who died,” Anakin frowned, he didn’t think anyone should have died, but he was glad it wasn’t one of his friends. He’d already lost too many as it were.

They fell into silence as they walked down the train aisles. An empty compartment shone like a beacon to Anakin and eagerly he reached for it.

“Hold up mate!” Rex lit up suddenly with a wide smile, “I’ve already got us a compartment all squared away!”

“How so?” Anakin gaped, such a thing was impossible if his friend was still standing in front of him.

“You’ll see, come on!” Rex pushed past him and hurried down the aisle, nearly taking out the trolly witch and her assortment of sweets along the way.

Anakin raced after him, it was this sort of hijinx he’d definitely missed out on over the summer in the Kenobi’s stuffy mansion. Eventually Rex skidded to a stop and opened up a compartment door, waving Anakin inside proudly.

He entered, and tried not to look too surprised at the sight. Rex’s older brother, Ninety-Nine turned from gazing out the window to smiling brightly at them standing in the doorway. Anakin’s thoughts raced with questions, but he was deterred from asking any of them by Rex pushing past him to sit right across the way.

“Glad you could join me,” Ninety-Nine placed his hands on his knees and looked between the both of them, “It certainly is exciting! Finally getting a chance to ride.”

“It’s so great!” Rex oozed enthusiasm and waved for Anakin to sit down next to him. He did so, lowering his bag from his shoulder and setting it in the seat beside him, “You’ll love the castle, and everything’s so interesting. I know all the nooks and crannies thanks to Anakin.”

“I’m sure I’ll have time to learn my way around.��

Anakin was hesitant to ask, but he felt a little lost, “Aren’t you a little old to be going to school?”

Rex turned to give him a look, but Ninety-Nine always seemed to be able to put anyone at ease if they were willing to listen, “I’ve been hired on as the groundskeeper!”

Anakin tried and failed not to remember what horrible fate the last groundskeeper was said to have had and instead tried for a smile, “Oh that’s cool.”

“It’s hard to find work,” The oldest Fett turned and looked out the window as the train lurched out of the station, “I’m grateful they were willing to give me a chance.”

Anakin didn’t think the school could be too choosy, the last guy had his head put on a stake. There surely weren’t too many people lining up for the position.

“Ninety-Nine’s only been to Hogwarts once, last year,” Rex told Anakin, “It’ll be great fun having another brother around.”

“Not tired of us yet, Rexy?” Ninety-Nine chuckled, “Then, surely we haven’t been doing our job as annoying brothers well enough. Perhaps if I mention it to Echo and Fives-”

“-No thanks, you’ve done plenty well,” Rex winced, shaking his head, “Those two could get me expelled if you let them off the leash.”

“They’re not so reckless,” Although Anakin was pretty sure they were.

A knock on the side of their door caused all heads to turn and immediately Anakin’s brow furrowed.

“Hello there, do you mind if I sit here?” Obi-Wan stood hesitantly at the doorway.

“Shouldn’t you be off with your friends?” Anakin said, but at the same time Ninety-Nine extended a gracious hand.

“Of course, please come in Obi-Wan.”

“Thank you,” His mentor seemed to have chosen to ignore his own question and instead took the seat right across from him, “I won’t stay long, I’m just quite tired from bag duty,” an odd defense. Obi-Wan didn’t seem very tired at all, nothing was off about him but the subtle pull of his brow.

“It’s no trouble, I haven’t seen you in ages,” Ninety-Nine gave him a pat on the shoulder, “You should come over more, Cody never stops talking about you and Satine.”

Obi-Wan seemed contemplative at the sound of his friends' names, but he answered nonetheless, “Perhaps someday, I’m usually quite busy outside of school.” Anakin didn’t think so. All he did this summer was wander around after him and read occasionally. There was no reason why his mentor couldn’t visit his friends, especially now that he could apparate. He opened his mouth to say so, but Ninety-Nine spoke first.

“I know, but you’re always welcome in the Fett home,” Ninety-Nine looked quite serious, “And I do mean always .”

“Ah, well thank you,” Obi-Wan seemed to realize all eyes were looking at him because he cleared his throat and looked towards Rex, “Ah, Rex how was your summer?”

It was all it took to get Rex to delve into his summer of Quidditch practice and mischief. Obi-Wan did seem to find quite a lot of humor in a particular prank of charming Cody’s hair to change colors whenever he said the word Quaffle. Fett summers always seemed quite fun to Anakin, he hoped maybe one year he could spend some time over at his best mate’s house.

“And I’m sure you’ll get in much more trouble this year at school,” Ninety-Nine grinned, “But don’t let me catch you or I’ll have to take points off!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Rex teased, “You want Gryffindor to win just as much as Cody!”

“As groundskeeper I certainly can’t be having any such house loyalties,” Ninety-Nine pointed out proudly.

That seemed to wake Obi-Wan up from whatever trance he’d fallen under during one of Rex’s more boring stories, “Oh, congratulations by the way. Cody spilled the news to me quite early of course, but it’ll be an honor to have such a wonderful groundskeeper for my last year.”

“I’ll certainly be doing my best, but you ought to come and visit every once and awhile! All three of you,” He turned his attention onto Rex and Anakin, “I’d love to hear all about your classes.”

Obi-Wan suddenly jumped up out of his seat, eyes fixed out the window. The rest of the car turned to give him a questioning look, but he shook his head, “It seems I’ve lost track of time! I should get back to Cody and Satine before they hunt me down.”

Anakin just rolled his eyes, if his mentor had just gone back to his own compartment it certainly would have saved him the trouble.

Cody was rambling on about his Quidditch strategies for the year, but he knew Satine wasn’t really listening. Her eyes were glued on the door to the compartment and her fingers were tapping swiftly against her knee. He knew why of course, but Obi-Wan was on the train somewhere. Unlike the time Satine had missed the train. It was just likely he got held up by something. He was the Head Boy now. The Head Girl however was only stopped from going after him, by her willingness to listen to her friends. He was pretty sure if he stopped talking for even a minute she’d explode out of her seat. She was a good friend and despite the, somehow , still unspoken words bouncing around between her and Obi-Wan, he knew she’d never ditch him.

He found a stopping point in his rant, just to test such a theory and sure enough after a moment of silence Satine sprung from her seat.

“I’m going to find-”

“Sorry I’m late,” Obi-Wan Kenobi, unfashionably late, slid the door to their compartment open and looked between his friends in surprise, “What’s going on here? It’s safer to sit down.”

“I wouldn’t have to be standing if I wasn’t going to have to go looking for somebody ,” She gave him a glare and he shrugged sheepishly.

“I had to give my congratulations to Ninety-Nine. We got a little carried away discussing Rex’s summer,” He looked to Cody with a mischievous grin, “Quaffles huh?”

Cody groaned and Satine gave him a questioning glance.

“It’s worn off already thank you,” Cody slouched into the corner, thinking up some creative way to get back at his siblings at a later time.

Obi-Wan sat down right next to him.

It was an innocent move to anyone who had not been by his side since first year, but Cody was shocked right out of his own thoughts. He always sat next to Satine on the train.

Satine herself seemed surprised as well, a glimmer of confusion and possibly a little hurt flashed through her eyes in a blink. She seemed to shrug it off, but Cody could see the gears turning in her mind.

Obi-Wan was trying to act casual, but something seemed off about him too. Not that he could place it. He went straight into explaining Rex’s little prank on Cody as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but the air felt strange. Satine responded in jest and Cody groaned again, but it still seemed off.

He had to wonder, what happened? They were both in good spirits on the platform and Satine had been quite happy when they’d sat down in their usual compartment, so the answers lay with Obi-Wan. Not ideal considering he locked his feelings down tighter than security at the world cup.

Satine crossed her arms over her chest and Obi-Wan looked past Cody out the window. Cody was, for once, at a loss at where to go from here.

He started on his Quidditch strategy again.

Obi-Wan tried to ignore how odd it had felt all the way to school. He was trying to act civil, but he could tell he was coming across as weird. Cody had already shot him a few curious looks. He definitely had made a mistake in not sitting next to Satine on the train. He was just worried such a thing would be too tempting to do something stupid.

Speaking of Satine, she’d headed quickly for the boats with not much more than a quick nag for him to hurry up with bag duty or the boats would leave without him. It was their last year to welcome the first years into the school after all, they had signed up for it together.

Cody said he’d help, which was a little curious, but even if such a thing led to some awkward conversation, he certainly could use the help.

The bag car was hot and quite full, and both boys wasted little time pushing up their sleeves and getting to work.

The silence was getting to Obi-Wan, despite the fact he was used to quiet work. He eyed Cody trying to think of anything to say, anything at all, “I like your watch, is it new?” It was obviously new.

“Yeah, I got it for my birthday,” Cody shrugged, “Probably won’t wear it much since I don’t want it to get busted,” Case and point, “Dad and Boba picked it out for me. I was surprised either of them knew my taste.”

“It’s not like you’ve got particularly extravagant standards,” Obi-Wan shrugged. Cody eyed him up over a trunk.

“And what about you?” He asked suddenly, “Do you think of yourself as someone with extravagant standards?”

Obi-Wan scoffed, “Of course not, while my family may relish in ornate decorations and over the top dinner parties, I’ve always preferred things much simpler.”

“Really? You sure?” Cody questioned.

“Why wouldn’t I be sure?” Obi-Wan ducked his head behind a suitcase trying to escape the gaze.

“I dunno mate, just when I think I’ve got you figured out you throw me through another loop,” Cody sighed and shouldered another couple bags.

“I don’t think I’m that complicated!” Obi-Wan shot up to cock an eyebrow at his friend. Cody had the audacity to laugh as he was shaking his head.

“Mate you’re the most complicated guy I know,” He rolled his eyes, “And honestly that’s saying something. I know a lot of people.”

“What’s this all about? Did I do something?” Obi-Wan certainly didn’t want to offend either of his friends.

“Unfortunately you haven’t,” Cody muttered under his breath, but Obi-Wan still caught it and frowned in confusion, “Why didn’t you sit next to Satine on the train?”

He blinked, “That’s what this is about?”

“I think you upset her. You know she loves debating with you on the train.”

“She still could have! And she did,” They’d gotten a little debating in around their discussions of summer readings.

“Yeah, but-” Cody shook his head, “All I wanna know is, why? Did something happen?”

For a moment Obi-Wan wanted to explain it to him, but the whole thing was so nuanced. It was almost like he could feel his mother breathing down his neck and watching him with a wary gaze. He’d seen his mother destroy people, usually through gossip, but sometimes through the newspapers. If she decided to destroy Satine, she could.

Instead he just shrugged, “I didn’t really think about it. I guess I just wanted a change in view.”

Cody seemed to take in this information, calculating it like he was playing a game of chess that Obi-Wan could not see, “If you say so mate.”

Satine wasted no thoughts on Obi-Wan as she helped divide the first years up into boats. It was enough of a struggle to make sure no rowdy kids shoved anyone into the water. That said she still could practically sense his presence before he rounded the corners of her vision.

“That didn’t take long,” She commented while preparing to untie boats from the dock. He shrugged and moved to do the same.

“Cody gave me a hand,” His fingers moved with precision as he untwisted the knot and let a few more boats float aimlessly in the water.

“That was kind of him,” She hummed as she let the rope slip through her fingers.

“He was under the impression that perhaps I’d upset you,” Ben said with a frown in his voice, “If I had, I didn’t mean to.”

Satine felt the urge to brush the whole thing off, just like always. Ben was still keeping his distance, purposely walking a foot or so away from her as he passed her on the dock. It was hard to feel anything, but frustration at the moment. It wasn’t about where he sat, but how the energy had changed. She could tell the moment he’d boarded their compartment. Something had happened in between their conversation on the platform and now and she couldn’t understand it. Moreover, he wasn’t telling her.

She sighed deeply before straightening up to look at him. He paused what he was doing and met her stare evenly.

“I’ll accept your apology,” a ‘for now’ was perhaps implied. She wasn’t aiming to start their first night back with an argument so instead she approached him, he stood his ground even if his eyes gave away his sudden urge to move. She studied him like she often did, with scrutiny, “Something’s bothering you. You know you can tell me?” It wasn’t even just that, but it was obvious they hadn’t had their breakthrough moment yet.

They would have if it hadn’t been for Dooku staging an attack. She was sure of it.

He sighed before offering her a hand as they both stepped towards their own boat, “I know I can tell you anything,” He parroted, before pulling his wand. The rope to their boat slithered away and they set off across the glassy lake under the rocking light attached to the bow.

“Then why don’t you?” She pointed out, but without her usual fire, “You always say you know, but you never do anything about it.”

“Don’t I?” He gazed at the water as they coasted around the boats of curious first years.

“You don’t,” She leaned down to catch his eye, “Just-” She wanted to demand him to admit it, right here, right now. She didn’t want to have to push him into it though, it didn’t feel right, “I’m here for you.” She reminded him. In a rush of quick courage she reached over and wrapped her hand around his, giving it a brief squeeze, and allowing the contact to linger as she pulled her hand back.

He swallowed, looking at where her hand had been on his before turning towards the castle, his eyes usually such a beautiful ocean blue looked a little more steel.

“And I for you.”

Obi-Wan was quick to fall into his normal prefect act as soon as their boat touched the shore. Satine mirrored him easily like they had been cut from the same cloth. Whatever tension had been between them on the boat ride seemed to dissipate as they wrangled the first years up the stairs and into the castle.

He aimlessly fed them facts and pointed out details of the ancient castle while Satine managed to speak on Hogwarts founders and the four different houses. He always admired the way she explained it. It was something he grew up knowing, but she’d gone in mostly blind, save for her early correspondances with Cody. It was clear she had worked on her speech so that the muggleborn children would know exactly what they were getting themselves into.

The walk to the great hall, had seemed so long when he was a first year, but doing it again his last year, it was hardly long at all. They left the first years in the capable hands of Mace Windu and opened the doors to the Great Hall together.

They walked at a reasonable pace towards their usual spot at the Ravenclaw table, but unlike in many years past there was quite a lot of whispering and eyes following them.

“...killed Maul!”

“Dad said he cut him clean in half!”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi, father’s talked about him...”

It was enough to make him tense, memories of Maul’s yellow hate filled eyes and Qui-Gon’s blood were unwelcome as always. His time fighting for his life on that bridge was something he knew he’d not forget even in his oldest age.

Satine’s hand brushed his, casual, but clearly purposeful, “Are you alright?” She murmured and he tried to relax, focusing on the way her hair glittered under the candle light.

“I’m alright,” He affirmed, but he felt a lot better once they sat down.

The student body’s attention was soon captured by the first years, parading down the grand aisle towards the sorting hat. Obi-Wan would always feel fondly watching the first years enter the great hall for the first time. Starry eyed expressions of the innocent and yet to be troublemakers, a Head Boy’s fondest dream.

“You looked bored,” Satine seemed like she hadn’t meant to say it outloud.

“Pardon?” She looked back at him with an amused sort of look.

“During your sorting? You looked like you were absolutely bored by the whole experience,” He felt his face go red in slight offense for his younger self.

“Well I wasn’t! I had been waiting for that day my whole life,” He corrected her.

“Cody guessed I’d be a Ravenclaw right off,” She turned her gaze back onto the sorting, a nostalgic look, eyes reflecting the twinkling light of the candles floating above them, “Can you believe we’ve almost finished ?”

“Come now,” Obi-Wan admonished though the thought did stir something inside him, “The year’s barely even begun no need for this sort of talk.”

“I suppose you’re correct,” Satine leaned her head on her hand, her golden hair which had been brushed behind her ear fell forward, “No need to say our goodbyes so soon.”

The thought of saying goodbye to the school that had been his home for so many years struck a chord with him. Not as much, however, as the thought of saying goodbye to Satine , his best friend and his greatest rival. She had been a steady presence by his side for 6 long years that would soon turn into 7. It was hard to imagine living the rest of his life without her nearby. Who would correct him fiercely even if he didn’t want to hear it? Who would he debate with long hours into the night when they should have been asleep long ago? Before, he’d never even considered the possibility of them ever being apart, but he knew his mother’s plans did not involve Satine whatsoever. But would he really have to say goodbye ?

The sudden cheers from Ravenclaw table shook him out of his stupor, it seemed they had received a new member for their house. Satine smiled so warmly at the young girl joining their table that Ben felt like his throat had closed up completely.

“Ben?” She asked, confusion in those stunning blue eyes that caught his so easily, “You look like you’re choking on something.”

“Nothing!” He replied too quickly, “I mean, not to worry, I’m fine!” He ducked his head, turning away from her and schooling his expression. Satine had said he looked bored during his own sorting, where was that mask when he quite needed it.

Anakin always liked when they got new first years. Sure he was only in his third himself, but the flow of continuous new students did bring a certain level of energy into the school. Perhaps it was because the past year was so grim, but it was exciting to see the younger students just happy to be there.

Gryffindor broke out into more cheers as another student was placed with them. Echo and Fives liked to place bets on which house would get the most students, and they were busy having a heated discussion about where the last few students would end up.

“I have a good feeling about this year,” Rex told him as the clapping died down, “Everyone’s in high spirits!”

“I hope so,” Anakin eyed Slytherin table as they cheered for another one of their own, “I certainly could use a break from murderers and creeps.”

“Just stay positive mate!” Fives called over to him with a grin, “That’s how I always come out on top.”

The final student was placed into Hufflepuff and it certainly didn’t seem like Fives always came out on top. Echo pocketed a few new galleons with a smug expression on his face.

Food appeared on the table in front of them which was quick to squander any hard feelings from Fives. Everyone dug in with gusto. Anakin went for the more familiar food of bangers and mash. He’d been privy to trying lots of different fancy foods at the Kenobi’s home that summer, but in his mind nothing was better than a classic.

“I’m surprised they started with the food this year,” Rex paused halfway through a chicken leg, “They’ve got new professors to announce after all.”

That was enough to slow Anakin’s appetite. He glanced up at the professor’s table, Qui-Gon, of course, wasn’t there. It felt like he’d walk into the room at any second, but his seat had already been filled by a tall woman with sepia-toned skin and obscure multi-colored eyes that were distant and unfocused.

“Because they wanted us to have an appetite,” Cody grunted, looking pointedly at the gold plate in front of him, “No one really wants to think about dead professors before a meal,” That left the Fetts and Anakin in silence before Rex tentatively broke it again.

“So I read that new comic you sent me,” He pulled the tattered thing from his bag, “Batman’s pretty cool, but I couldn’t figure out his super power.”

“He doesn’t have one!” Anakin perked up, “He’s just rich and trained with monks.”

“But he stops all those guys,” Rex flipped through, trying not to get grease on the pages.

“He’s just really strong,” Anakin pointed out a panel of Batman hurtling a batarang towards the Joker, ‘And someday I’m going to be strong just like him.’ He added in his head.

Satine couldn’t deny that Obi-Wan had seemed off since they’d parted ways before getting on the train, but she couldn’t figure it out. He’d not said much since they’d started the meal, besides a quip here and there to prove that he was in fact listening to her talk. Aayla and Stass were much more active listeners however, both had distracted her with their own summer stories.

Aayla was in the middle of a story from her small Twi’lek village when the sound of a glass being tapped turned heads towards the front of the room. Headmaster Yoda stood in his seat, like he did every year and waited for eyes to fall on him before he began his yearly speech.

“Welcome you back, I do,” He smiled, but it seemed a little smaller than it normally should be. Especially as he turned and gestured to his fellow professors, “As do some new faces,” He started with the easiest pill to swallow, turning towards Cody’s brother, Ninety-Nine with a much more genuine smile, “The keeper of the keys and grounds, Mr. Fett,” The cheers that exploded from his brothers at the Gryffindor table seemed to be enough to drown out a few whispers and turned heads that looked towards Ninety-Nine with a little too much curiosity for Satine’s liking.

Yoda continued on with a gesture in the other direction, “Our new Muggle Studies professor, Professor Jolee Bindo,” He stood from his seat and gave a polite wave before sitting back down. Satine glanced over at Ben who was purposely not looking in that direction at all. The new professor certainly wouldn’t be able to fill the very large shoes left behind, not fully.

“In need of a new Head of House, Ravenclaw also is,” Yoda nodded, Satine found herself averting her eyes as well, “Welcome, Professor Tahl,” Their whole table broke out into polite claps, but Satine couldn’t bring herself to join in. Head Girl or not.

“Finally,” Yoda waved a hand at the last unfamiliar face at the table. The man stood, he was gray and stony-faced and looked not much suited for the role that he was about to be given, “Professor Gunray, Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Like this was a parade or something Gunray waved around the room looking much too pleased. The student body eyed him warily. He too, wasn’t very likely to be truly filling anyone's shoes either.

“He’s an… interesting choice,” Satine scoffed. She turned to Ben, but he was just aimlessly picking at a piece of cake.

“We’ll see,” He said simply and Satine frowned.

“I know Muggle Studies won’t be the same, but we’ll get through it,” She placed a careful hand on his shoulder.

“Well, I won’t,” Ben met her eyes, “I actually dropped it.”

Satine blinked several times before finding the words to respond, “ You dropped a class ?” She seemed to come back to herself and said a little more calmly, “Is it because of-” It was still hard to say his name. He’d been just as much of a mentor to her as he had been to Obi-Wan at times.

“I can’t sit in on that subject, Satine,” It was the most open he’d been about his feelings in awhile, but before she could comment on it he practically locked them away right in front of her, “I’ve switched to Care of Magical Creatures.”

“Are you going for the NEWT?” She asked and he nodded.

“I studied quite a bit over the summer, I’ll have to take a few extra tests, maybe an occasional supplementary lesson,” He looked up towards the front of the room finally, “Headmaster Yoda worked it out for me.”

“Well if that’s what you want,” Satine nodded determinedly, “But you best not fall too far behind me, I’d hate to have no competition.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” The light seemed to return to his eyes as he smiled at her.

Yoda interrupted the chatter once more with a tap of his glass, “More I have to say!” Eyes were once again on him as he pulled out his wand, “Much, will be different this year. Visitors we will soon have,” He laughed gleefully which didn’t put Satine’s mind at ease, “Share more information with you soon, we will. For now, goodnight.”

“What is that all about?” Satine muttered under her breath and Ben shrugged next to her.

“It can’t be anything like last year,” Ben pointed out, “Nothing can ever be too boring around here, I suppose.”

Satine bit her lip as she looked towards the professors, all who looked like they knew too much, “I’ll agree with you there.”

As the raucous chatter that was typical for the first night of the school year once again consumed the great hall and it no longer seemed the faculty had any other hollow promises to make, the reality of this year’s finalty began to sink in. At long last, Asajj Ventress was at the precipice of being through with the pitiful excuse of an institution that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She kept her head down and focused on her notebook instead of engaging with the squalor for the meantime. It wasn’t worth it if there wasn’t something to be gained. She’d lived enough life in her 17 years to know that people were not worth trusting. Everyone she’d ever been expected to trust and care for had betrayed her one way or another and she was through with playing the same game and hoping for different results.

Stripped of her academic placement and her power as prefect and captain, alike, she no longer had the pull that she used to around the halls. Well, not officially, anyway.

While she’d found it strange at first, since she’d been fully prepared to be a complete recluse through the year in preparation for her bigger plans to set into motion, Ventress was still surrounded by the same elitist snobs that always kept her company. It didn’t take long to figure out that they’d been scared into it, likely by their parents, but even that was an anomaly.

Of course, her mother (or the woman whom she thought was her mother) had dedicated the summer to committing extensive damage control amongst the inner and outer circles of pureblood communities. So much so that all of the dastardly and vile things Ventress had said and done were now seen by most as something far worse than she could ever imagine: exploitation.

Her mother’s words had stripped her of her agency, removed her voice, and made her into a victim to be empathized with. As though she had no say or thought in the matter at all. Now she understood how the history of the Nightsisters could be so artfully erased. History was truly in the hands of who wrote it.

It was inane and tactful, absolutely gobbling up all of the hyper conservative purebloods that only condemned Dooku on paper and not by moral belief. It, much like the result of her partnership with Dooku, was a lesson she swallowed like bile in order to chip away at her new plan.

After her dreadful summer of staged repentance and groveling, she understood better what it was she would have to do. She had been a fool to believe she could break the chains of her capture so easily. Her chains were not literal, but they could be put to grand use if she optimized them correctly.

With little more to do than drone around and read, Ventress did plenty of that. Where her mother saw her learning up on becoming a lady and preparing to advance into society and broker deals for the political empire that was her family, Ventress saw keyholes to other opportunities and means at which they could be acquired.

And the only way was to get to the top.

In a sense, her mother did her a big favor by cleaning her record of malice and smearing it with victimhood. Yes, she’d been given a new tool of underestimating that was slurped like fine wine in their world. She believed she might have been rejected for not being a true Ventress by blood, but the truth of her birthright seemed to make her all the more valuable to those that were so desperate to further a “pure” lineage. That was how Anoth Ventress spun it anyway: there was nothing more sacred than being born to the witches of olde and being the last of her kind.

She also knew for a fact that some would appreciate her gifts, just not publicly.

She looked around her, taking in her surroundings with what she hoped to appear as only mild annoyance. It was possible she would require these plastic allies that were stuck with her for the remainder of the year. Shu Mai, the Gossam that wouldn’t quite meet Ventress’s eyes with her own little bulging ones, tried and failed to flirt with Faro Argyus. Faro, for his part, was unsurprisingly checking himself out in the reflection of his spoon.

Yeah, she was definitely operating beneath herself at square one. This year, would be all business and no attack. Yoda did say it would be a different year, but not for the reasons he believed. Gunray was obviously going to be a flop of a professor and quite possibly befall some miserable fate like his predecessors, and surely, he didn’t expect Dooku to let up on danger.

However, it would most certainly be pivotal for her. It was just excruciating knowing that there was little to be done at this point beyond waiting. It didn’t appeal to the darker side of her, the side that Dooku brought out so easily with his Sith teachings. As she squeezed a tight fist around her quill, nearly snapping it in two, she tried to contain the buzzing rush of toxic magic that tried to come to fruition at her impatience.

There would be a time and a place for that.

When she reunited with her true family. And then, together, rip Dooku limb from limb for his betrayal. For now, all she needed to do was wait, because her plan, for the foreseeable future, just happened to coincide with what her mother and father expected of her as well.

Good news for them, she would not be coloring outside the lines on this one. Not when the resources she needed for her answers were within them.

She doodled on the top corner of her notepad, carving a dark line across Obi-Wan Kenobi’s name. Then, if only to humor herself, drew an over-inflated heart next to the words: “til death do us part”.

“Headmaster, you know I don’t typically go against the grain of your judgment.” Professor Windu entered Yoda’s office unannounced, not ten minutes after dinner had commenced. His demeanor was guarded, though weary, and he looked confused beyond anything else. This did not surprise Yoda, as he assumed it was something many of his faculty speculated amongst themselves. Few were quite as bold as Windu was in terms of voicing their hesitance, but this was something he admired about the Charms professor. The only other that had been more forward was Qui-Gon Jinn.

As an unexpected rainfall tapped against the stained glass windows of his office, his heart dipped in memory of his friend and colleague.

“About Tahl becoming Head of Ravenclaw house, this is not.” He said.

“No, it’s about Gunray.” Windu cut straight to it.

“Oh?” Yoda’s ear raised in curiosity, though he knew where this conversation was going.

“He’s clearly a Ministry plant, not to mention completely unqualified.”

In all his years, there had always been a bit of a notorious difference between what the Ministry’s belief of carrying on and Hogwarts’. He couldn’t formally speak as to what was correct, but did have the wisdom and understanding that politicians rarely did anything without an additional caveat to it.

Hogwarts simply wanted to keep its students safe and happy. Or at least, that’s what he wanted and after being cast away and hastily welcomed back the previous year, he could sympathize with Windu’s hesitance to trust any Ministry insertions amongst their own.

“More use to us than he is to them, should that be the case,” Yoda said.

Windu’s eyes widened a fraction, “You intend to use him.”

“Not use , Professor Windu,” Yoda chuckled in good nature, “Prefer the word “utilize”, I do. A resource, he shall be. Know it, he will not.”

“Does Valorum not recall that it was his choices pressured by his board of supporters that made all the wrong decisions last year? Not us?” He shook his head, “If anything, we should be spying on them!”

“Reveal he will, the Ministry’s intentions,” Yoda said calmly, “In due time, know what we are up against, we will.”

Windu nodded and slowly took a seat, relaxing a bit as he did. He was always most comfortable when he understood the full extent of a plan as possible. While he would indubitably make a fantastic Headmaster of his own one day, he still had much to learn on thriving in the unexpected and the unknown. Not everything could be planned for.

“So, we keep him on a short leash and observe what he’s looking for to figure out the Ministry’s angle.” He stroked his chin and then sighed, “That doesn’t solve our conundrum about his being seriously unqualified.”

“Little say, we have, over the new curriculum,” This was the hardest part to swallow by Yoda, “Offer as many resources as we can, we must.”

It was the fifth and seventh years, who had OWLs and NEWTs to complete at the end of the year, that would suffer the most. Yoda was truly hoping that they could uncover any secrets far before then and that they would be able to plead arguments and cases later on. For now, they needed to get to the bottom of the Ministry’s interest in Hogwarts.

It wasn’t like he had much say in it anyway. The best they could do was cooperate and hopefully twist it to their benefit. He could see the worry etched across Mace’s brow and sympathized with it greatly. Sometimes, they had to play the long con to get anywhere and he hoped he would understand.

“By the way we’re talking, it sounds like we’re at war with the Ministry, not the Sith.” Windu finally said.

“One or the other, handle we can.” Yoda took his own seat and folded his hands together on top of his desk, “Both, is what I fear.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” He said, “Dooku was a popular man and a powerful one, not just on a literal scale.”

“Many friends he had,” Yoda sighed, “Broken not so easily, they are.”

Obi-Wan had been completing his nightly rounds, trying desperately hard not to jump on the bandwagon of thinking of it as “the last first time” he would do this. Still, as he amicably chatted with the ghosts and poltergeists and walked the emptying halls with practiced confidence, it was tough to overlook how much had both changed and stayed the same.

“Kenobi, you still owe me for that Zillo Beast information!” Meetra Surik fluttered by with the usual disdain in her eyes towards Obi-Wan. Alongside her, Mission Vao only shrugged, shifting her blue lekku in the process.

“For the last time, Meetra, I don’t believe you are Cody’s type.” He didn’t add that while Cody never explicitly told Obi-Wan what his type was, he knew enough to know that the person needed to have a pulse.

“You just don’t want me to crash your precious trio.” She scowled, “If it worked for Hondo and Kreia then it can work for us!”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to deliver a rebuttal, but then closed it, “Wait, Hondo dated a ghost?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal? You’ll all be ghosts one day! Better get a jump on who you want to spend the afterlife with!”

“Thanks, but I’ve got enough going on with this life.” He shrugged and continued on his way. He usually knew better than to engage too much with the ghosts. After all, they never had anywhere concrete to be. He’d learned the hard way his first year that with no concept of time, they literally would not stop talking unless told otherwise. It had been the only time he was tardy for a class and it had been embarrassing explaining to Professor Palpatine why this was the case.

“So rude, that one is! Gets to spend all day with the most beautiful boy at Hogwarts and is too focused on that blonde girl to set him up with anyone!” He heard her continuing her rant to Mission and briefly felt bad for the ghostly Twi’lek.

He halted in his tracks when he noticed a soft blue-tone light in what had previously been an empty classroom through all his years at Hogwarts. There were many of these, as locations of classes did shift based on the size that the class necessitated. However, it was the classroom that his 17th birthday party had been held in, so he knew it quite well.

Expecting to find a pair of snogging students or troublesome pranksters, he flushed quite red when he burst into an unsuspecting Professor Tahl as she stretched to set up a poster with musical notes and their meanings beneath them.

This wasn’t exactly how he wanted to meet his new Head of House, though with no disrespect meant towards Tahl, he didn’t quite want to face Qui-Gon’s replacement at all. Though he logically expected a professor to fill the role just as Qui-Gon had stepped up the previous year, that didn’t mean he was fully ready to acknowledge it.

Though, it seemed, fate had a different say on the matter.

“My apologies, Professor.” He swiftly made to turn on his heels as fast as he’d entered, but was stopped by the door closing before he could. He turned, finding her smiling brightly at him and her wand outstretched.

“Well, if you’re going to charge in like you own the place, you might as well help me, hm?” She teased lightly. “I thought the Head Boy was supposed to have manners.”

As a Noorian, where most would have whites to their eyes, hers were striped with green and gold. However, up close, he realized by the pale blueness of her irises and their lack of focus that she was blind. Immediately feeling an even deeper wash of guilt for not noticing and helping, in addition to his intrusion, he stumbled around the desk to scramble up the ladder to pin the poster to the wall.

“Yes, yes, of course.” He swallowed, “My name is-”

“-Obi-Wan Kenobi, yes I know you just as you know me.”

Obi-Wan didn’t ask her how she knew. It wasn’t like they’d met before for her to understand the tone of his voice. Then again, she’d had him pegged as the Head Boy upon his immediate entry.

“I expected you would be dropping in eventually, but I’ll admit, I didn’t predict it would be this soon,” She chuckled, “Though admittedly, your cocospirator beat you to it.”

“My-” He cut himself off with a glance down to her desk, finding the only thing on it to be a fruit assortment in a basket. Signed brightly on the card that stuck out on top in pink cursive was Satine Kryze’s signature. “Ah, yes, her.”

He couldn’t wait to tease her for being a suck up later. Then again, doing so would require explaining his embarrassing first meeting with their Head of House.

“She believed you wouldn’t be along for a while either,” Professor Tahl’s voice was almost unnaturally neutral when she spoke. It was as though she would not be the one to set the emotion of the room, instead choosing to feed off of it. It was likely useful when someone was trying to pry information from her, though he didn’t know enough about her to know if that was ever put to practice.

“I believed this classroom to be vacant,” He tried to explain as he fiddled with the tacks. “I’m on my scheduled patrol.”

He didn’t exactly need her to have the wrong idea about what he could be doing with an empty classroom either.

“I was supposed to be across the castle in the late Professor Jinn’s office.” She supplied. “But I liked this space better.”

Obi-Wan stilled, nearly dropping the final tack to the floor. There were hundreds of rooms within the castle and just like that they wanted to shuffle someone else in his office? He supposed it made sense in a way. That was where everyone expected the Ravenclaw Head of House to be now. Plus, Obi-Wan had helped clean it out of valuable trinkets at the end of the year.

“I just didn’t think that was right.” She added with more depth to her voice, “I’m not even teaching Muggle Studies, after all.”

The fact that she said anything at all in regards to Qui-Gon meant that she clearly knew him and not just in the way that they likely went to school together. She didn’t give much away, but it was enough to know that she didn’t want to step on his memory.

“You’re teaching… Music?” He leaned back to admire his work. It looked straight enough. He had to bite hard on his tongue from making the faux paux of asking her if she felt the same.

“I am.” She smiled, “Though I intend on comparing muggle and wizarding music theory, I can’t say I’m nearly as versed in muggle dealings as he was.”

“It’s been ages since Hogwarts has had a music class.” He said.

“I know,” She nodded and fiddled with the long dark braid that draped over her shoulder and down to her chest. “Not since I was in school here.”

“What made you want to come back?” Obi-Wan followed her as she started unpacking some of the boxes. After basically admitting he had no intentions of formally introducing himself tonight, he wanted to at the very least assist in any way he could. The person of whom he’d get in trouble with for staying out later than his patrol mandated was right in front of him anyway.

“I’ve lived a very adventurous life, Obi-Wan,” She said calmly, “Full of deep research and close integration with more cultures than I can name. I’ve learned so much and I believe I am finally ready to share it in a formal setting. Even if I am a bit too late on that front.”

“Well, you’re here,” He shrugged, “I reckon that means you can’t be too late. If anything, your extensive knowledge only makes you more qualified.”

“Wisely put,” She smiled sadly, “Though I am not speaking solely of teaching, exactly. You see, I’ve taught everywhere, constantly, and learned in the process. Music has bound me to my students and teachers in a way that cannot be disputed. That being said, I always knew I would end up back here, but I delayed and delayed with the excuse that there was more to see, to learn.”

“When there always is.” Obi-Wan nodded, “I understand.”

“Yes and no,” She nodded, “I explored, but what I was also doing was running and avoiding.”

“Running?”

“Missing out.” She smiled ruefully and then changed course abruptly, “Qui-Gon has told me much about you.”

“You were close.” He didn’t ask, “You and Qui-Gon.”

“Once upon a time, yes, when we were in school. We stayed in touch, but...” She trailed off and then placed a small box within the top drawer of her desk, “But we must live life in the present. That is why I’m here. To learn and to teach.”

“It sounds like you should be running a philosophy class rather than a music class.”

“If you were taking my class,” She winked, “You’d learn they were not that different.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure I’ll hear great things,” He smiled, “Both from your class and about your class.”

“My frog choir is going to knock your pressed socks off.” She said, determined in this statement. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about Qui-Gon either at the moment and if they were as close as Obi-Wan was beginning to believe was the case, he couldn’t blame her. She seemed like the kind of person that would amuse his mentor: worldly, intuitive, mysterious.

It was just a bit odd that he hadn’t mentioned her.

“I look forward to it,” He said and bowed a bit, “Well, I must be on my way. Tomorrow is a big day.”

“Ah, of course, the first day of school,” She agreed, “Many consider this to be the beginning of the end for seventh years, as the outside world awaits not long after.”

Obi-Wan’s gut twisted a bit at the thought of what that meant for him.

“But it’s not,” She said quietly, “It’s merely the end of the beginning.”

One of the things Anakin hadn’t grown quite used to since they returned to Hogwarts was the freedom that being there allowed him. The years before, he had been elated at all the nooks and crannies that begged to be explored and had assuredly done so, but he couldn’t bring himself to be as annoyed about the continued closure of the tunnels as he should have been.

Luckily, Obi-Wan never seemed to be too far off, even with his increased responsibilities as Head Boy and their differing houses between them. That much was comforting and served as a reminder that not everything had been taken from him.

Even as he returned from his Herbology class en route to his first Divination class, he stopped outside of Potions, knowing that Obi-Wan was surely the last one out of the classroom. Plus, it gave him the opportunity to see his own favorite professor for the first time since school started up again. After all, he didn’t have his class until the next day.

He leaned in, making sure they weren’t discussing anything important, and then remembered it was only the first day of school before entering and moving past the departing seventh years. Some gave him inquisitive looks, but others knew by now how close he was with Palpatine and Obi-Wan, alike.

“I am quite thrilled you have chosen the path of an Auror, Obi-Wan, and should you need any references, to you and your parents I would be more than happy to offer my services,” Palpatine had finished saying to an interested Obi-Wan. It was strange, he’d always thought Obi-Wan looked like a mini-adult in all of his time of knowing him, but now, standing over Palpatine in height and in stature, he actually looked like a real adult.

“I appreciate that, Professor. I’m sure this class will be most useful to further my education in preparation for the future.”

“Most of these methods are still used on the force today!” Palpatine chattered excitedly. “Fingerprints are still pulled with the sticky putty I invented years ago.”

“That’s most-” He was surely about to say something distinguished in response, but his tone changed to surprise as he noticed Anakin coming, “Anakin?”

Palpatine turned, his wrinkly face lighting up in elation as he caught sight of him, “What a pleasant surprise! To have two of my prized pupils in the same place at the same time.”

“It’s good to see you, Professor,” Anakin grinned, “I wanted to stop by sooner, but you know how the first day back goes.”

“Always on the move! Well, an idle mind is a foolish one, my dear boy. You know you are always welcome in my class!” Palpatine placed a hand on his shoulder, “I was absolutely ecstatic to hear that your summer with the Kenobi’s was a pleasant one and that they took good care of you.”

When Obi-Wan frowned in confusion, Anakin explained, “Oh, I wrote Professor Palpatine some questions about my homework. I might have mentioned the water slide your parents installed over the summer in the process.”

Looking between the two of them almost warily, Obi-Wan nodded and then checked his watch, “I see, well we really should be on our way. The warning bell is going to ring at any moment and it’s certainly not prompt to be late on the first day.”

“They really ought to give us more time to get to and from our classes,” Anakin complained, “How’s a guy supposed to carve out time to run to the loo?”

“You don’t use our breaks for that as is!” Obi-Wan reminded him pointedly, “Last period I caught you and Rex playing tag in the left wing.”

“Who gives detention on the first day of school?” He whined. “I wish there was recess here.”

“Recess?” Obi-Wan and Palpatine questioned.

“A time to play midway through the day! Muggle schools have it!”

“Ah, well, those muggles sure are… Innovative in how they choose to spend their time,” Palpatine smiled, “Perhaps, some day. Obi-Wan does have a point though. It seems he was not made Head Boy without reason.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Obi-Wan nodded and moved around Palpatine, “Come now, Anakin.”

When Anakin began to begrudgingly follow, Palpatine stretched out a hand, “Actually, Obi-Wan, if you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow Anakin just for a second.”

Obi-Wan looked as unsure as he did when Anakin mentioned writing letters over the summer, which was odd, but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As Head Boy, he did have more power than most students, but not more than a professor. Either way, Anakin didn’t mind lagging back with Palpatine, even if he’d originally come with the intent of following Obi-Wan around.

“Yes, of course, I’ll see you later.” He nodded firmly and rigidly turned to go about his business.

“Is everything okay?” Anakin turned back to Palpatine, who watched him curiously. He moved around his desk and took a seat, extending an arm to ask Anakin to do the same.

“Yes, of course, my boy! I only wanted a moment alone with you to see how you were truly doing. While I’ll admit that you have become quite articulate in our correspondence, letters can only go so far in reflecting the human spirit.” He said, “So tell me, how are you doing?”

“They haven’t had any word about my mother.” He said with a sigh, “And I’m starting to feel like they’ve stopped trying.”

“Nonsense, Anakin, why would they ever give up on her like that? They’ve no reason to believe she would up and leave.” Palpatine shook his head, “Then again, I wish I could understand the decisions made by our governance more recently.”

“You mean Gunk-ray?” Anakin asked, “Because I had his class earlier, and I’m pretty sure he was holding his wand backwards all day.”

“Now, now, it would be improper to speak of a colleague in such a manner,” Though Anakin knew this was for show only, because he could see the grin stretch across his professor’s face before it even bloomed, “I was referring more so to their lackluster pursuit of Count Dooku. It’s as though they still don’t quite believe the Sith to be a true threat.”

“I think they’d lead to the same result anyway,” Anakin said, “If it wasn’t Dooku, I can’t possibly imagine anyone else being behind my mum’s disappearance.”

“I wish I could do more for you, I truly do,” Palpatine shook his head. “But, you need power and pull to acquire such knowledge. Maybe one day, when your friend Obi-Wan becomes an Auror, he can assist with this matter.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Anakin thought of that either. While it was clear Obi-Wan’s parents wished he’d pursued the law track in life, they had also begun to discuss the positives of having an official Auror in their back pocket. While Anakin couldn’t imagine the Kenobi’s breaking petty laws, they did seem to value information above all else.

“You said you’d give him a reference. Do you have friends that are Aurors?” Anakin asked.

“I have quite a few former pupils who went in that direction,” Palpatine said, “It’s an admirable track, where one must be brave, noble, wise, and cunning at all times- lest they lose more than just their jobs in the process. It’s one that I could see you excelling at in the future.”

“Really?” Anakin’s mind buzzed with the possibility of leading his own investigation in finding his mother, knowing then that he’d scour over every detail on the earth to find her, regardless of the consequences. It wouldn’t be unlike some of the defecting cop shows he watched on the tube sometimes.

“Truly,” He nodded kindly, “A few more years and you’ll be at the helm of making such a decision, just as Obi-Wan has.”

“Obi-Wan is going to be the best Auror ever,” Anakin admitted, “You should have seen how much he studied this summer. I’m pretty sure he understands every law that ever existed at this point.”

“He will be a force to be reckoned with,” Palpatine said, “In fact, I pity the dark soul that tries to go up against him. For as long as he is in the way of danger, I feel confident in saying that evil cannot win. It is wonderful that he has taken your protection and care so seriously.”

“You rang, my master?” Tyranus’s voice sounded watery like it always did when they communicated across the plains of a dream. Speaking by means of Floo network felt unwise with the growing presence of the Ministry seeping through the castle walls. Even if this was something that was ultimately necessary in Sidious’ master plan, it still made for more complications.

“This time, we are alone,” Sidious confirmed more to himself rather than his apprentice. The setting was simple- a small living room area of an old townhome. Between him and Tyranus, there was a billiard’s table that was fully lined and ready.

He handed him a cue and began to chalk off his own. Without speaking yet, he bent over and performed the break shot, deciding to choose solids over stripes in this round.

“The boy is able to slip into our conversations… Why?” Tyranus asked as he followed suit with his own move, hitting a bank shot on a striped 11 on the left hand corner. There were few that could match Sidious’ prowess at cue sports, but Tyranus was a worthy opponent in more ways than one. It was also what made him a formidable ally to have in his arsenal.

He secured another, but missed a bank shot by a hair, accidentally knocking one of Sidious’ own balls into a hole.

“He is the Chosen One,” Sidious replied and curved the 1 ball into the back corner hole, “Eventually, there is little he won’t be able to do.”

“Does that not make him a greater threat?” Tyranus said, watching him avidly, “They will be encouraging his growth now that I have shown the intentions of our cause.”

“You’ve shown what we want them to see,” Sidious cursed as he missed a shot, “And what we want, is to give a cause that will split this weak government down the middle, exposing all its flaws and hypocrisies.”

Tyranus, admittedly, had a bit of a streak on his own, only vanquishing it by accidentally committing a scratch play. Unlike Sidious, he didn’t display his disdain for the mistake, and remained completely stone-faced.

“I must admit, master, I do not understand why you have resigned to shift our focus for the time being.”

“Because, Lord Tyranus, this game we play is not unlike this game of billiards.” Sidious explained as he made two shots in a row, “If Skywalker is the 8 ball, then he is our goal and required for victory.”

“Yes, indeed,” Tyranus said and missed his shot on the 10 ball. “Should we leave him for Yoda to grow and to nourish, he will be secured and we will lose.”

“Focus, my apprentice,” Sidious said and pointed to the table, “I have but one ball left besides the 8 ball. Should I choose to ignore this solid blue 2 ball and aim for the 8 instead, what would happen? Do I win?”

“You lose,” He said. “The 8 ball must be taken out last.”

“Exactly,” Sidious pointed his stick at him, “The only way either party can secure the win is by removing the 8 ball from the equation. However, if done too preemptively, the entire operation falls apart and we are left with nothing.”

“But so are they,” Tyranus pinched his bearded chin, “Balance.”

“We are not looking for balance, Tyranus,” Sidious made his shot, securing the blue 2 in the middle right pocket with practiced ease. Then, he knelt down, bouncing the white cue ball against three different walls before gently tapping the 8 ball in its desired hole. “We are looking for victory.”

Staring at the green table for a moment longer, he finally met his dark eyes with Sidious’, “Kenobi is the final ball.”

“Indeed,” He scowled, “The pitiful excuse for a pureblood chooses to spend his time babysitting rather than utilizing his standing for better use. He disappoints his entire community, yet is heralded as a hero for destroying Maul. He will not allow anyone to get to Skywalker so long as he lives.”

“Then he cannot live.” Tyranus smirked, “If I didn't know better, master, I’d accuse you of trying to diminish the lineage of proteges that follow me.”

“You were always the best of your kind, Tyranus,” Sidious sniveled, “But it is Maul who destroyed your apprentice in the end, not I nor you, not even that dreadful excuse of a protege you took on last spring.”

“Kenobi destroyed Maul.”

“And I know that makes you mad,” Sidious said in a low voice, “That you did not receive the pleasure of doing so. That he did what you could not.”

“I will destroy the boy, rest assured,” He said with a calm sureness that would have been almost funny had he not been so serious. Tyranus never had any room for humor in his disposition, which saved a lot of time.

“Perhaps, we need not strike so blatantly,” Sidious shook his head, “He will never lead us to what we desire should this go the wrong way. Quite possibly, it could be the most painful yet.”

“And his mother?”

“A card that will be played in due time,” Sidious said, “But not yet. No, you will get your chance at Kenobi and eventually Skywalker as well, but we must follow a series of events first.”

“And what’s that?” Tyranus asked.

“We must play the game.” Sidious clenched his fist, crushing the stick in two between his hands. The insurmountable power behind rage had always been a delicacy he’d reveled in, ever since he could remember, and now was being afforded the luxury of drifting down memory lane, to when he first accepted darkness not just as his mistress, but as his life.

“I will figure something out.”

Conversation was abuzz in the Great Hall. Rumors had been flying about how Yoda’s big announcement would likely be revealed tonight. All students had been required to come to dinner and when they got there it seemed the room had been expanded. Satine had arrived earlier with Ben and the two had been busy directing students to sit with their houses tonight. More importantly to leave the two empty tables on each side of the room alone.

Now they were all impatiently waiting as Yoda and Windu talked quietly with one another. Satine had sat herself next to Ben at the head of Ravenclaw table. While not usually where they sat, they had chosen their seats to maintain order. No one knew what Yoda had alluded to, although the rumors ranged from integrating muggle technology into the school to getting rid of the houses. Satine doubted all that she had heard. For one thing, she knew muggle tech would make any pureblood’s head spin, and houses were quite important for organization if nothing else.

Finally, Windu stood and approached the podium at the front of the room and the crowd hushed instantly. The room felt quite exciting, even Ben sitting next to her was peering at the Professors in curiosity.

Not one to mince words, Windu got right to the point, “This year we will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament-” Unfortunately he got through no further explanation as the rest of the hall was filled with excited chatter. Satine balked, she’d heard of the tournament of course, but such an event was quite dangerous and rather unnecessary. She thought they’d outlawed such a thing. Her sentiments weren’t shared with the vast majority though because all over children were already planning to throw their hat in the ring.

“Silence!” Windu called, his voice booming with added magic from his wand and it certainly did the trick, “The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between three magical schools. This is a way to test the merits of each school and have a little fun while doing so,” Satine didn’t think so, if they wanted to test merits, then why not have a testing competition! Or perhaps a nice calm display of spells, “Only those 17 years old or older will be allowed to put their names in-” That was met with just as much angry disdain as she would have expected, but she felt it was only fair. A first year would never survive.

“The other schools will be joining us shortly,” Windu continued over their voices, but he looked sternly enough that most had quieted down, “Classes will continue as normal, but we will have to suspend a few after school activities, notably Quidditch-”

“WHAT?” Satine turned to see Cody, at the Gryffindor table, looking quite pale and his brothers eyeing him carefully. She winced. He’d been planning for this his whole summer and he wanted more than anything a chance to win the cup just once before graduating.

“Poor Cody,” Ben sympathized, but looked not at all perturbed from the standpoint of a player.

“Way to crush a boy’s dreams,” Satine complained, watching Gryffindor table carefully since their friend looked just about ready to faint, “This whole thing is utter nonsense.”

“It’s a little more intense than Quidditch,” Ben agreed, “But it is traditional-”

“A tradition they put off for how many years now? It’s dangerous!” She hissed.

Windu, who hadn’t been at all alarmed from Cody’s shouts (Satine privately assumed he’d expected it) continued on, “The Tournament will have 3 trials spaced across the year. Please be reminded that this will not exempt you from your school work,” He paused for the groans of fellow 7th years and then held a hand up to the sky, “Hogwarts welcomes our first partnering school, Beauxbatons!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth when across the skies mirrored in the ceiling a carriage flown by several pegasi soared over. Satine found herself gaping as it dipped and swooped before landing somewhere just out of sight. There were a few minutes of hushed silence before the doors creaked open and a tall lady with an overly long neck walked slowly inside followed closely by her students.

Her students walked orderly behind her, seemingly mostly in their 6th or 7th year. She supposed it would be hard to move their whole school across countries. They were all dressed in a powder blue uniform with a half cloak top. There were a variety of genders and species among them. One particularly pretty, green Twi’lek girl stood out from the crowd. At least Caleb Dume seemed to think so as he found himself quite literally knocked out of his seat.

Gryffindor table burst out into laughter and teasing, causing the tension to break across the room. Even the Beauxbaton kids couldn’t help but laugh. Their headmistress shushed them quite quickly and waved them off to sit at the far left table.

“Next, may I introduce Durmstrang,” Windu pointed to the windows overlooking the vast water spanning one side of the castle. There were a lot of surprised gasps as they all noticed what looked to be a huge ship sitting peacefully in the middle of the water.

The doors once again opened revealing a purple creature inching his way in. He looked a little young to be the headmaster, but Satine had read about the hutt species and they seemed to have long lifespans. His students shuffled in after him, in their red uniforms with a bit of fur. Definitely added more for style than warmth. One of the students wasn’t even wearing his uniform buttoned shut, instead leaving his abs out for all to see. He had darker skin and a yellow marking across the bridge of his nose. He was certainly where most people’s eyes and likely their conversations followed.

The Durmstrang students were seated at the far right table and their headmaster stood alongside the others. Yoda himself had somehow moved to stand beside them, she hadn’t even seen him get up.

“I am Nala Se or as you may call me Headmistress Se,” Her voice was quiet and yet it seemed to reach every corner of the room, “Beauxbatons was pleased to receive your invitation once again. My students are prepared for any challenge.”

“As are mine ,” The hutt moved forward a bit trying to dominate the conversation, though it seemed to fall a little flatter than hers had, “You can call me Headmaster Tiure. Durmstrang is so happy to have a chance to have a little friendly competition.”

“Thankful I am, for both schools to join us,” Yoda seemed oblivious to any competitiveness in his peers, “Ziro and Nala, I am thankful you have come,” He then turned to address his own students as well as the new additions, “Share our space, we will. Our home, Hogwarts is, but too, it is theirs, for now.”

“Tonight, we’ll have a feast,” Windu stepped forward again, “But tomorrow we’ve canceled morning classes in order to properly greet our new friends.” This seemed to brighten all students in the room, “For now we’ll leave you with this.”

Yoda and Mace raised their wands and from somewhere, hidden from all eyes until now, a huge glistening goblet descended into the room and was placed right at their feet. It was much bigger than Satine had guessed from her reading and covered in a smattering of gemstones in all sorts of colors. Magic never really ceased in its amazement.

“They weren’t kidding when they said this year would be interesting,” Ben’s eyes were full of intrigue as he eyed the cup and Satine felt her eyes narrow.

“Interesting indeed,” She hummed, “But a waste of time if you ask me.”

“It’ll be more interesting than watching Quidditch I’m sure,” He answered with a shrug.

“I’d rather not watch anyone wrestle a dragon or fight off an army of angry gnomes,” Satine stuck her nose up right as the food appeared on their table. Ben reached for a meat pie.

“Gnomes aren’t so bad,” He said, “But they do have sharp teeth.”

“It’s still dangerous , we’re children,” She pointed out, “We don’t even have to get our parents permission to enter and we need that for Hogsmeade!”

“I never said it wasn’t,” Ben glanced back up at the cup.

Anakin couldn’t help but laugh as the Gryffindor table had descended into chaos. Zeb was spooning more and more green foods onto Caleb’s plate since he “liked the color green so much.” Caleb himself looked just about ready to hide himself under the table and never come back out. This caused an awful lot of snickering from all around. The Fetts on the other hand were quite busy trying to snap Cody out of his stupor. Their Captain was absolutely gobsmacked by the easy dismissal of Quidditch in his last year. Rex also seemed a little subdued about the turn of events, any chance of him starting this year had been quite thoroughly crushed.

Anakin eyed the goblet. It was impressive, sparkly and eye-catching. He’d be more tempted to go after such a thing if he wasn’t already the chosen one. Plus, Rex friend had given him the rundown on how absolutely dangerous the whole thing was and he had no interest in adding any more of that onto his already full plate.

Speaking of plates, it seemed that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had each gotten different foods then they had. He wondered if they’d get to try any dishes from the schools’ home countries. He was feeling a little more adventurous after his summer at the Kenobi’s. Maybe not enough to try snails though.

“The timing’s a little odd don’t you think?”

Anakin nearly choked on his meat pie. He managed to turn to see Padmé a few seats down from him warily eyeing the cup. She made eye contact with him and he blinked.

“Maul attacked the school just last year, and now we’re having a dangerous tournament,” She brushed her hair behind her ear and turned her gaze onto the headmasters, “It’ll be interesting meeting people from other schools, but surely we could use a normal year.”

“I dunno,” He said dumbly, truthfully it hadn’t occurred to him, “I guess Headmaster Yoda probably wouldn’t have decided it himself.”

“Maybe the ministry then,” She frowned, “I hope no one gets hurt.”

“It’s only for the older students,” Rex pointed out, “I’m sure they did that on purpose.”

“Yeah they can handle themselves,” Anakin agreed. He knew a fair few older students and all were very talented.

“Maybe, but no one’s invincible,” She turned and took a delicate sip of pumpkin juice, “Perhaps those first aid classes I took will come in handy.”

“If you’re helping out, they’ll be in good hands!” Anakin grinned.

Truthfully Obi-Wan had never seen his fellow students so excited to wake up in the morning, but despite the canceled classes, the common room was buzzing with activity. He scanned the crowd for Satine, and caught a glimpse of her short blond hair on the other side of the room. He waded through the crowd until he reached where she sat, half awake at a table with Stass and Aayla.

“Hey, Kenobi!” Aayla greeted, much more sunny in the mornings than Satine ever was, “Which do you prefer? Beauxbatons or Durmstrang’s uniform?”

He hummed in consideration as he leaned on the back of Satine’s chair, she hadn’t turned to berate him yet, so he assumed she didn’t mind, “Honestly? I prefer Hogwarts.”

“Boo!” Aayla complained.

“That’s a lame answer Obi-Wan,” Stass pointed out, “And it doesn’t answer the question.”

He shrugged, “I’ve toured both schools and although they are both wonderful institutions, I’m quite happy here. I don’t know if I’d look very good in red and I certainly couldn’t pull off Beauxbatons’ hat.”

“What about Satine then?” Aayla grinned, gleefully. Satine shot her head up and shot the other girl a glare. Aayla just shrugged, an innocent sort of look crossing her face, “Hey! We already decided that the blue would wash me out and Stass would probably pull both off.”

“Beauxbatons,” He answered easily and Satine looked up at him curiously; though he’d expected a stern expression for humoring them. Under her watchful gaze he looked away and stared across the room, “It would best match her eyes.”

Aayla was too busy cackling to respond, but Stass just looked between him and Satine before nodding, “An educated observation.”

Satine stood suddenly and looked over at him expectantly, “Isn’t it about time we go?”

“We’ll be there a little early-”

“I believe the Head Boy and Head Girl should always be ahead of schedule.”

He certainly wasn’t going to argue with her in the morning. Not about anything trivial at least.

She led him out of the common room, most knew to step aside when they saw Satine in the morning. A few first years had to be gently tugged away by older students, but they too, would soon know that a grumpy Satine Kryze, was not someone to be trifled with. He chuckled remembering a particularly rough morning when she’d lined up a group of third year troublemakers and pointed out every single uniform infraction she could find.

One boy even had his fly down!

“And what’s so funny?” She eyed him as she pushed the door open.

“Nothing really,” He responded, but it didn’t look like she bought it. It was silent for a few moments more, so Obi-Wan just took in the way the early morning light spilled through the stained glass in the empty hallway.

“So,” Satine was pointedly not looking at him and instead brushing her hands through her hair trying to tame it, “You think I look nice in blue?”

He cleared his throat, “As I said it best suits you- your eyes,” He didn’t want to come off as if he’d spent time on such thoughts. Truthfully she looked wonderful in anything, but he locked that away in his heart before his mother’s words could surface again, “I’m sure that would go for me too,” He had no idea. As she would be sure to tease him endlessly about it until the end of time, he could never say he knew much about fashion.

“Oh, sure,” She didn’t seem to have much of a response. Instead just reaching into her bag and pulling out the headband that matched her uniform.

Anakin ducked as a firecracker zoomed over his head. Unfortunately this was a surprise attack and Rex had not had the foresight to dodge. It exploded in his face, causing his eyebrows to be a little singed even after he angrily scrubbed the ash off his face. The fireworks just drew images of his surprised face all around the Gryffindor common room and Fives and Echo were cackling as they prepared to light another.

“Bloody hell those two,” Rex growled and Anakin just tried to brush a few pieces of cardboard out of his hair, “It’s too early for shenanigans.”

“Cheer up!” Fives called over to him, “We don’t have classes today so we should make the best of it!”

“Correction,” Rex turned to see Cody who had appeared just a pace behind him, “We don’t have early classes, we still have to go to our afternoon courses,” Cody didn’t look very happy about that either honestly. He knew his brother had taken the loss of his final Quidditch year hard.

“As if,” Echo popped up from where he’d had to duck under the table to avoid a rocket to the face, “No one’s actually going to go to class today.”

“I’m sure Dad would love to hear that you’re already skipping classes,” Cody threatened with a shrug, “Now come on, let’s go get this over with.”

Rex and Anakin followed him out of the common room, mostly to avoid being singed anymore than they already were. The rest of Gryffindor house followed suit.

“Cody?” Rex moved from Anakin’s side to look up at his brother, “What’s the point of this tournament anyways? They just pick some bloke out of the cup and make them do something dangerous?”

“Essentially,” Cody frowned, “But they don’t pick just anyone. They only pick the best of the best.”

“How?” Anakin trotted over to Cody’s other side.

Cody looked down at the two of them with a raised eyebrow, “Magic?” He shrugged, “The goblet selects one person from each school. Someone who’s brave and talented in spells and strong in mind. There would be no challenge really if it didn’t pick the very best each school had to offer,” And although Rex was quite sure he would prefer to best the other schools at his own game, his older brother did seem to be opening up to the idea.

“So why only let the older kids compete?” Anakin interrupted, “What if our best isn’t 17 years old yet?”

“Do you really want to see some first year students get their brains splattered on a wall?” Cody eyed him carefully. Anakin blanched and tripped over his feet, “This is no simple test. They used to let anybody join, but the injuries and occasional death really put a damper on everyone's mood. They rarely even host it anymore, this is a complete surprise-”

“But if the cup did pick a younger student,” Anakin tapped a finger against his chin, “Wouldn’t that mean that they could beat the tasks?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Rex piped up, “But most first years barely know how to hold a wand and even if they were a bit older… Well it just makes sense for it to be a student who’s pretty much learned everything.”

“I guess you're right,” Anakin shrugged, “Still it would be a great underdog story, don’t you think?”

“What would be?” Anakin did trip then nearly collided into Cody while Rex hid his laugh with a cough. Padmé Amidala was sitting at a table near the entrance to the courtyard. She’d paused her task to question them with a smile.

“Oh you know, if someone unexpectedly won the tournament,” Anakin explained sheepishly, “Won’t it be kind of boring if it ends up just being some obvious choice?”

“What like that muscle-y Durmstrang bloke?” Rex pointed out, but Anakin didn’t seem to appreciate his help.

“Yeah sure,” He agreed anyway.

“Well personally, I hope it’s not too eventful,” Padmé shrugged, “But you needn’t worry about it being boring, they say having the opportunity to watch a tournament is pretty much as exciting as it gets.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Cody cut in.

“Oh!” Padmé seemed to remember herself before she leaned down and handed something to both Anakin and Rex.

It was a little square with their names written on it and Anakin looked at it with wide eyes, “Wow thanks!”

“What is it?” Rex asked point blank and Padmé just picked up a square with her name on it and set it gently on her robe where it seemed to stick with no effort whatsoever.

“Name tags! I volunteered to make all of Gryffindor’s,” She started handing the others out, “This way it’ll be easier to meet with our friends from the other schools.”

“How kind of you,” Anakin grinned.

Rex rolled his eyes at his friend as he pushed past him into the courtyard. Hufflepuff seemed to already be here in their entirety as did the other two schools.

He didn’t really know where to start.

It seemed like Yoda had been in charge of activities which wasn’t the best call considering Rex was sure he must have played with sticks and rocks as a kid. There was a bean bag toss and an old deflated ball that a few first years were trying to kick around without success. Rex did note the entire table dedicated to wizard sweets though and he immediately gravitated towards it.

“Oh wicked!” Anakin had appeared next to him again, clearly done schmoozing with Padmé for the time being, “They’ve got chocolate frogs.” Anakin didn’t waste any time already reaching to gather as many things as he could onto his plate when a gentle hand stopped him.

“Uh-uh Mr. Skywalker,” Ninety-Nine smiled down at them, “We’ve got limits on the sweets for a reason,” He pointed towards the sign and Rex sighed. Yes, that seemed much more likely than a free for all sweets fest.

“Alright, free sweets!” Echo, Fives, and Cody seemed to have eyed up the table just as he and Anakin had. Rex had to admire Ninety-Nine’s endless patience as he pointed out the rule to his other brothers.

Rex couldn’t admire much more after that than the dirt as someone rudely shoved him aside. He spat out a little grass turning, his head as Anakin scowled.

“Hey, watch it!” Anakin called to the group of rambunctious red uniforms. Rex pushed himself back to his feet just as the tallest one turned around and glared down at them. Rex automatically took a step back.

“Well,” he drawled out, “Long time no see, Rex. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Cody.” Pong Krell, older, yes, but still as ugly, sneered down at them.

“Krell,” Rex grit his teeth together.

“Thought we’d gotten rid of you,” Cody crossed his arms.

“So am I Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum?” Echo just raised a bored looking eyebrow.

“Definitely Tweedle Dum,” Fives joked.

“Now boys,” Ninety-Nine stood in front of them. He knew of Krell from his brother's stories, but it didn’t stop him from trying to diffuse the situation, “Behave yourselves, I’d hate for anyone to get into trouble so early in the year.”

“Is that a threat?” Krell scoffed and his Durmstrang buddies snickered to themselves, “Not sure you’re really in the place of making such threats, tiny.” Cody took a step forward only to be blocked by Anakin and Rex, himself.

“I’m the person in charge of making sure your ship goes undisturbed,” Ninety-Nine said calmly, “And it is no threat, simply a statement.”

“Hogwarts is weak,” Krell shook his head, “There’s nothing in that water Durmstrang can’t handle,” His friends egged him on in the background, “And when I win the tournament, I’ll prove it.”

“You?” Cody laughed, “A coward like you won’t ever get picked, unless you’re the only one entering maybe.”

“I’d like to see you try the tournament,” Rex’s lips twitched up in a smirk, “I bet you’re not so hot when you're all on your own with no one to boss around. Isn’t that why you left in the first place?”

Krell growled, but turned back towards the sweets, “We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

Ninety-Nine seemed pleased that the tension between the two had simmered down, “Now I’m sure-” Whatever he was sure of however would not be known as Krell had stuck the end of his Durmstrang staff out just enough to catch Ninety-Nine’s ankle. The man fell hard, the breath getting knocked out of him and in an instant Echo had a hand on Cody and Fives as they both prepared to swing. Rex found himself on his knees, helping Ninety-Nine back to a standing position.

“I’d be happy to knock the smirk right off your face mate,” Fives tried to shake Echo off of him.

“Boys,” Ninety-Nine managed a breath and sent an extra pointed look towards Fives who stepped down begrudgingly, “It was certainly an accident,” It wasn’t though. Rex knew that, his brothers knew that, even Ninety-Nine himself knew that. It didn’t stop their eldest brother from sending them a shooing motion with his hands, “Let bygones be and why don’t you all go off and meet some new people,” Neither party moved for an agonizing few seconds before Cody turned and stormed away first without a word. Krell turned as well and slowly the only people left were Rex, Anakin, and Ninety-Nine.

“Ninety-Nine, why didn’t you tell them off?” Anakin asked, and Rex sent a similar confused look at his brother who simply smiled and dusted off his shirt.

“I did, didn’t I? They’re gone now,” He handed each of them a chocolate frog. Rex looked at his as it tried to hop out of his hands. He didn’t think his older brother quite got it. Krell was a menace, someone who had to be told off and gotten into trouble, you couldn’t just let him get away with anything.

Anakin seemed ready to sweep the whole thing under the rug for now, happily eating his frog. Rex however, wasn’t sure he could stomach anything other than frustration.

Satine hadn’t really ever considered the greater wizarding world at large. Surely she knew about it, she was well read and interested in anything and everything. That being said, the only exposure she’d ever had was Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and the few times she’d been to her friends' houses. It wasn’t a lot to go on truthfully.

So it was exceedingly interesting to talk to the other students and hear about what their schools looked like and what their wizarding customs were. Most she’d spoken with hadn’t seemed too interested in talking semantics, but a few had humored her and she’d tried not to get starry eyed at their descriptions.

The green twi’lek girl from the previous night, Hera she’d introduced herself as, had been one of the few to answer pretty much all of her questions and in turn she exchanged whatever things she could about Hogwarts and London. She’d been interesting, but before they could exchange much more Zeb had interrupted them with a red-faced Caleb. She knew when it was time to bow out.

She’d seen Cody a few times in the crowd, but he seemed to be in a rather sour mood. She’d thought it’d be about Quidditch until she caught sight of Pong Krell skulking around. He certainly had the capacity to ruin anyone’s mood.

She struggled to keep track of Obi-Wan, who seemed to appear and disappear between conversations so seamlessly she wondered if he was actually talking to anyone or just an aloof sort of chatter. She watched him laugh easily at a joke she doubted was actually humorous to him before transitioning to the group to his left as if he’d been there the whole time. He was well practiced, that she could say for sure.

Sooner than she’d have expected however they were all being shepherded to the great hall for lunch. She had to say despite the dangerous tournament looming ahead, everyone seemed to be in good spirits and when they reached the great hall, they all sat amongst each other, no house or school rivalries in sight. Satine would definitely admit that the community aspect of this tournament had thus far exceeded her expectations, she just hoped it would stay this way.

“Ventress? Lurking in the shadows hardly seems appropriate given the point is to engage with the masses,” Obi-Wan admonished as they’d been encouraged to head back inside. It was hardly purposeful now, but he still didn’t like the idea of Ventress plotting or scheming.

She scoffed at him, “Don’t pretend like you see a point in any of this.”

“Quite the contrary, I believe it’s important we all get along,” Obi-Wan said, even if he had admittedly not been giving his full focus to the day.

“Then you’re just as soft as the rest of them,” She rolled her eyes, “Don’t tell me you’re trying to boast yourself as the mightiest warrior present?”

“No, that sounds more like your angle,” He said, “I suppose you’ll be tossing your name in the goblet.”

“These people need to be reminded of what true strength looks like,” She said, “And though it’s not imperative to my plans, yes I will.”

“Well, if you wish to get any backing, you ought to stop shooting everyone who comes your way a look that makes them desire a knife to the eye,” He commented.

“You’re charming to the last,” She glared, “Though I didn’t see you exactly breaking your back to make any new friends.”

“I met quite a few nice people today,” He responded neutrally, realizing this conversation wasn’t doing him any good. Interacting with Ventress never did.

“And you actually believe it’s going to do anything?” She asked, “Pretending that we’re all supposed to get along and hold hands and sing songs before we gleefully watch our champions rip each other apart?”

“I wouldn’t gleefully watch that,” He said.

“Because you’re a coward.” Ventress said simply, “And a poor representative to your lineage.”

Not the first time he’d heard that by far, “Perhaps, you should try aligning yourself with better people. You could use some practice based on your previous allies.”

She raised a thin silver brow at him, “And what would you know about making alliances, Kenobi? You’ve stuck by the same cabbage patch since you were a meek little first year. You’ve never made any real advances that will actually get you anywhere.”

“I like my friends,” He said, “And I intend on keeping them.”

“Ah, intentions,” She said loftily, “They never work out the way we want them to, do they?”

“I’ll let you know.” He said before turning sharply away from her the first chance he got and slipped next to Cody and the Fetts, who were angrily discussing a rather negative interaction with Pong Krell during the meet and greet.

“Pardon, am I hearing that correctly?” He asked, “Pong Krell is amongst the Durmstrang group that came abroad?”

“It would seem so,” Rex cursed and pounded a hand on the table, “He’s going to be nothing but trouble. So much for a quiet year.”

“No offense, but what about this year made you think it would be quiet?” Fives asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head, “Well, Krell wouldn’t be the first person to behave so abrasively towards the other schools. Not everyone is in support of unity.”

“He had other blokes with him,” Rex grunted, “I don’t get why this stupid tournament is even happening.”

“Frankly, neither do I.”

Residing at the front of the great hall, illuminating the stone lined walls with its azure glow, the location of the Goblet of Fire had quickly become something of a popular hangout spot for students of all houses and schools, alike. Per the rules, it would only glow for 24 hours after ignition, meaning that prospective students had exactly that amount of time to decide whether or not to enter.

Since it was a Saturday and most had little else to do besides wait and see who entered, no one wanted to miss a thing. If there was one thing Satine could appreciate about the added chaos that the competition brought, it was the unity it inspired among schools. She was rather thrilled to have an opportunity to speak to students from other wizarding schools.

“I’d never considered there being other schools when I first got accepted into Hogwarts.” She mused as she watched Caleb Dume try and fail to build up the courage to walk across the room and talk to Hera Syndulla of Beauxbatons. The green Twi’lek had just placed her own name in the goblet and was garnering enough attention as it was, meaning she hardly noticed the sixth year standing outside the circle.

“What? Did you think every witch and wizard in the world came to England ?” Cody scoffed.

“I was eleven, give me a break.” She rolled her eyes, “I hadn’t even known our school existed up until that point, let alone several others.”

“It’s always struck me as a bit weird that there are so few,” Obi-Wan drawled.

“How do you mean?” She asked.

“There’s only one in America, which while I’ve never visited myself, is supposedly quite big. China only has two and they’ve got ⅙ of the world’s population! India apparently doesn’t have one at all. The math simply does not add up.”

“We’re considered a rare breed,” Cody joked and then looked back to his homework, “What’d you get for number 7?”

“I’m not in DADA.” Satine reminded him. “Thankfully, from what I’ve heard about Gunray.”

“Oh, he’s dreadful,” Cody groaned, “I thought I didn’t know anything, but that bloke had a hard time opening his bloody briefcase the other day. He stuttered so much through the spell that a student had to help him.”

“I am concerned what this will mean for our NEWTs.” Obi-Wan grimaced. “Yesterday he tried to teach us how to perform a knockback jinx.”

She frowned, “We learned that first year.”

“Exactly my point.” Obi-Wan said.

“Does Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have to take the NEWTs?” Satine asked.

“It’s likely not the same test, but I’m sure they’ve got their own versions.” He said, “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason,” She shrugged, “Frankly, I’m quite interested in what sort of curriculum the other schools run. You know, the differences in how they learn magic and how we learn magic.”

He grinned with interest, promptly closing his book much to Cody’s disdain, as he was clearly trying to peak over Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “I have read studies that show Durmstrang places a larger focus on physicality, meaning they likely know offensive spells we haven’t even heard of. As for Beauxbatons, they are more centered on mentality, placing greater efforts on mind tricks.”

“Do you think the lexical differences of our first languages affect the semantics of the spells and how they’re assembled?” She returned, “Like, since French is a romance language and Latin is not. What are the differences in how the spells are conveyed?”

“Oh, that would be a very interesting juxtaposition to make,” He stroked his chin and for a moment she was able to marvel at the return of brightness to his features, “Do you think they’ll show us some of their homework so we can examine it?”

“If we asked nicely, I’m certain of it.” She said, “You speak French, right?”

“Oui ma chérie," He smirked, “Découvrons à quoi ressemblent leurs devoirs.”

She flushed red and stammered, “Y-Yes, excellent,” as her heart and mind tried desperately to control itself and think about anything besides how lovely the language sounded coming from his lips.

“The most exciting and highly publicized event of the century and you two are trying to get yourselves more homework,” Cody shook his head, “I can hardly understand Gunray’s assignment in plain english let alone a second language!”

“You’re just bummed about Quidditch.” Obi-Wan said.

“Of bloody course I am!” He burst, “Where do they get off canceling a cultural phenomenon that has united the wizarding community for centuries?”

“Probably because they believe this to be a different phenomenon with that same purpose.” He said.

“Nothing is like Quidditch!” Cody shook his head vehemently. “I don’t care what they say. This would have been Gryffindor’s-”

“-Why did you have to get him started?” Satine sighed.

They weren’t given much of an opportunity to get up and complete their desired quest, anyway, because Anakin and Rex came running up to slide in front of them on the floor.

“Do you guys want to play a pick up game of cricket on the back lawn?” Anakin asked as he caught his breath, “Rex talked the twins into it and some Beauxbatons kids agreed to play too.”

“Anything is better than doing homework,” Cody conceded as he closed his own book. “I’ve got some steam to blow off.”

“You know that’s due on Monday.” Obi-Wan warned him.

“So I’ll do it on Sunday as the maker intended.” He grimaced, “Doing homework on a Saturday… Who am I? I’ll tell you, someone who’s spent far too much time with you nerds.”

Neither Satine nor Obi-Wan took the jab to heart, as it was the sort of response they were used to from Cody over the years. Their banter included referring to him as a jock and he retorted by calling them nerds. Obi-Wan crossed sides by playing Quidditch, but he did hate it, so she felt that counted him as more of a nerd.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Rex looked around at the other students that watched Eeth Koth pass through the protective charms and place his name in the Goblet of Fire. Like each time before it when a person’s name was offered, the parchment burst into ash amidst an emboldened bright blue flame.

“Yeah, this is like watching paint dry.” Anakin complained.

“Everyone is getting their bets ready for optimum earnings!” Hondo Ohnaka, who no one was talking to, helpfully supplied as he scooted his way down the row to be near them. “It’s a chaotic time for Hondo, as I have to watch every single person that enters and retrieve the odds at which people are betting on those people getting picked.”

“Are you even trying to keep your side hustle under wraps anymore?” Cody asked and gestured to Obi-Wan and Satine, “They’re prefects!”

“And Head Boy and Head Girl, which would make them formidable candidates.” Hondo raised his eyebrows up and down, “If either of you enter, I’d put 20% of my sum bet on each.”

“As if I would ever consider wasting my time on such a needlessly violent competition.” Satine rolled her eyes.

“Here we go,” Cody sighed.

“I’m serious! The TriWizard Tournament is attractive on paper, but all it really is are children thinking themselves adults and fighting nearly to the death for the benefit and amusement of actual adults. It’s sickening to think about all of the trauma that past contestants have endured.”

“Yeah, but think about all the glory!” Hondo emphasized.

“Glory?” Anakin asked.

“Kid, this is the first TriWizard Tournament in a century!” Cody explained, “Not only do you get loads of galleons for the efforts, but whoever wins this thing is automatically inducted into the Wizarding Hall of Fame and is basically set for life with connections and sponsors.”

“Sponsors?”

“Companies that essentially pay the champion to represent them through their brands,” Satine frowned, “It’s a big monopoly, I tell you. These companies pretend to care and be invested in the good of the kids and they just want to make money.”

“You know what they say, money buys happiness!” Hondo nodded sagely.

“No, that’s actually not what they say,” She sighed tiredly, “If anything, the reemergence of the tournament is proof of what dire straits our world has come to. We’re back to putting children up for slaughter for sport? That’s where we’re going.”

“You’re radicalizing what is basically an over spirited sporting event,” Cody said, “They’ve modified the rules to keep everyone safer this year.”

“Safer, not safe!” Satine emphasized.

“Are there dragons?” Anakin asked.

“Sometimes!” Cody and Hondo excitedly answered.

“Cool!” Rex and Anakin both exclaimed.

“I’m really not sure why I bother.” Satine shook her head.

“Well, I can appreciate a little old school tradition. It’s a chance to show the world what you’re made of and to represent your school,” Cody countered and pulled out his own small piece of ripped parchment, “And I bet Quidditch scouts would see my performance as something to consider too.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Satine groaned as he made a point to step over them, folded paper in hand, and waltzed right over to the glowing circle at the center of the room. She didn’t feel the same level of excitement that erupted from Gryffindor house when the flame grew bigger at Cody’s entry.

Instead, she felt fear for her friend.

“Just curious, Hondo, what are the odds my brother gets it?” Rex asked, pulling out some sickles.

“Not bad,” Hondo mused as they all watched Cody delicately place his name in the running. “It’s a good sign when the Goblet reacts at all, let alone grows .”

“Cody does have guts,” Rex chuckled, “Only a matter of time before he gets some glory too.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet over there,” Satine said, feeling desperately out of control by the terrifying reality that their friend could be placed in harm’s way should he be chosen, “I’m surprised you haven’t elected to verbally spar with me over my refusal to properly analyze traditionalism or some dither like that.”

“Is that so?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, I mean, you two are always going on about something,” Anakin said.

“I don’t entirely disagree with you, is that so hard to believe?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Sometimes, yes,” She said tightly, “Particularly when it involves my more intense belief system.”

“The tournament is essentially a big distraction from our academic calendar, of which we truly do not need. And with Dooku at large, it feels irresponsible.” He said, “Perhaps, under the correct circumstances, I could see the benefit, but now is not it.”

She tried not to burst into a big cheer at that. Instead, she settled for a small smile and professional nod, catching his eye, “I respect that.”

“You’re not gonna enter, Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked.

“No, I’m not,” He said and Satine felt more of the tension roll off her shoulders at this admission.

“Why not? You’re going to be an Auror one day!” Anakin said, “Won’t they want to see you show off some moves?”

Obi-Wan smiled, “I appreciate the concern, but frankly, I’ve got enough to worry about with NEWTs and graduation to tie myself over for the time being. I’ll just allow someone else to have all the fun and excitement this year.”

“Really, I think our bunch has had enough of that.” She muttered.

“Maybe it’s Cody’s turn anyway,” Rex shrugged, “He could hold his own.”

Satine really hoped so as she looked over at their friend again, who was currently fist bumping the rest of his Quidditch team and talking about strategy. Of the two, she’d prefer it to be Cody over Ben in this contest, not because of the level at which she cared for him, but because he was built much better for something like this. The kid had taken and survived so many should-be fatal accidents in Quidditch that he knew what it meant to cheat death.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, had been through enough trauma for the time being.

“Dammit, Kenobi,” Hondo whined and stood up to storm off, “I would have made so much money…”

“Why not enter for yourself, Hondo?” Obi-Wan asked, “Flip the script?”

“What do you think I am? Some sort of superhero? Compete and be the best bookie in the game? Hondo only has two arms, Kenobi.”

“Sorry I asked,” He winced and then shared a smile with Satine, “Now, shall we go snoop on the other schools to find out what their curriculum is like?”

“It’s a date,” She winked.

And then, as though a switch had been flicked within him, he straightened and leaned back, placing some strange amount of space between them suddenly as though she had just belched in his face, “You know, for research purposes only.”

“Not sure what other purposes there would be, but alright.” She said slowly.

As relieved as she was that he wouldn’t be entertaining the idea of entering, she had no idea what on earth had gotten into him lately. Still, she was going to count her losses and take the win for now.

“Oh look, there’s Padmé! We should ask her if she wants to play.” Anakin said, but before he could jog over, was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Careful!” Rex hissed, “You almost stepped in the circle!”

“So, what’s the worst that could happen?” Anakin rolled his eyes, but flinched at the deafening sound of an explosion behind them. The room was aghast with shock as they all turned to see Caleb Dume, covered in soot with every hair on his head sticking straight up. Evidently, he’d stepped within the aforementioned circle and was launched several meters back. If it were possible to glow red beneath the dupree caked on his face, he surely would.

“I’ll be 17 in six months!” He complained to Professor Windu, who was likely already writing out a detention slip.

“That happens,” Rex deadpanned when everything resumed back to normal. Well, if normal was everyone consumed with jokes about the look on Caleb’s face when he went flying and how apparently he was trying to impress some girl. Anakin didn’t bother to pay much attention to all of that.

“Oh, good call,” Anakin said, “Now, let’s go ask Padmé.”

“Kenobi did say he might join us later.” He said, “We don’t want to overstuff the teams.”

“Please,” Anakin rolled his eyes, “When he and Satine start hypothesizing together there’s no stopping them. They’ll probably blink and it’ll be next week before they remember us.”

“I dunno, mate, he’s seemed pretty glued by your side recently.” His friend pointed out, “I think he’ll notice before then, at least.”

“Either way, it’s Padmé , Rex,” He leveled with him, noticing that they were around the same height this year. Maybe he was finally hitting his much-awaited growth spurt. Despite this possibility, it didn’t seem to intimidate Rex into immediate conviction.

“The very same Padmé that you said you were going to try being friends with, remember?”

“Like it was yesterday,” And not for how scathing the rejection had initially felt.

“Which doesn’t mean biding time and acting like friends until you ask her out,” Rex clarified, “Just so we’re clear.”

“I know, I know,” Anakin waved a hand at him, “I’m asking her to play cricket with us, not marry me.”

“The cricket rings would be the closest thing you have to a ring anyway.” He quipped.

“That’s croquet, Rex.”

“Oh, well either way!”

“Either way, we’re inviting her. Hey, Padmé!” Anakin approached the small brunette sitting on one of the bleachers with her friends, “Do you girls want to come play with us?”

“You could have made that sound a little cooler, mate.” Rex murmured from beside him, “We are 13 now.”

“Play cricket, that is!” Anakin immediately corrected, “Not like dolls or any of that baby stuff.”

Padmé and her friends exchanged looks before giggling amongst themselves, a reaction that Anakin wasn’t sure whether he should feel positive or negative about. He’d witnessed the whole “fake laughter” thing from girls in his previous schools growing up, but he never pegged Padmé for the sort.

As it was, her smile did seem genuine. “I’d love to, but aren’t you interested in who’s entering the competition?”

He shrugged, trying not to seem completely disappointed that “I guess, but we won’t know until tomorrow afternoon anyway. That’s like… forever.”

She laughed again, “Maybe later, but I appreciate the offer. Who are you playing?”

“Beauxbatons since Rex won’t play Durmstrang.” He said.

“Why not Durmstrang?” She frowned.

“They disrespected my brother.” Rex said gruffly, “And that’s a line you can’t uncross.”

“I’m still not sure that Krell can be a good representative of an entire-” Though Anakin shut his trap at Rex’s lethal glare and cleared his throat, “Yeah, we’ve got some bad blood.”

“A bit early for that, since the tournament hasn’t even started,” Sabé said from beside Padmé. She was always on Padmé’s right, no matter what. Anakin sometimes wondered if it was intentional since it was so frequent. Most might not notice, but Anakin did spend the greater part of two years staring at Padmé whenever she walked by, so he picked up on a few things.

“Well, school spirit and all that,” Anakin shrugged, “Which sounds good and fine, but I personally can’t sit still long enough to wait until someone else accidentally blows themself up again.”

“Fair enough,” Padmé smiled. “I’ll let you know if that happens.”

“Thanks,” He smiled and waved at her and her friends before turning on his heels with Rex in tow.

“I knew they wouldn’t want to play. No one can think about anything else but this tournament.” Rex said, “Especially not some game named after a bug.”

“It’s fun, Rex!” Anakin said indignantly, “Maybe we’ll start a tournament of our own!”

“That would require people to play.” Rex retorted.

“Play what, boys?” Professor Palpatine asked as he was shutting the door to his classroom. It wasn’t uncommon for professors to get work done after hours, particularly if they lived in the castle like Palpatine did. However, it never felt completely normal for Anakin to run into his professors on the weekends.

“Oh, we’re playing a game of cricket!” He chirped, “I don’t know if you’ll want to run, sir, but you can keep score if you want.”

“You certainly know how to make an old man feel young, Anakin.” Palpatine laughed, “But I must decline. I’ve actually got a very important dinner to get to.”

“Dinner? It’s 2 pm! Is that like an early bird special?”

Rex elbowed him in the ribs pretty hard, but Palpatine seemed tickled by the comment and held his stomach from laughing so hard. He needed a moment to take a sip from the little bottle he kept in his robe pockets. Anakin never knew what was in it, but it always seemed to refresh the old man.

“No, no, but public figures do tend to talk for a while, making dinner last longer.” He smiled, “But you can walk me out if you see fit.”

“Okay,” Anakin and Rex both agreed, but Rex didn’t seem nearly as eager as Anakin was, “Are you excited about the tournament?”

“I am always a massive fan of reinstating tradition, boys,” Palpatine smiled, “So much of the progressive movements in today’s world are grand, but I do fear sometimes we lose pieces of what our forefathers taught us in the process. This tournament represents the best of us and how we endure.”

“That’s what Cody thinks too.” Rex said. “Well, he didn’t say it that clearly, but I think that’s what he thinks.”

“I’m not surprised at all that your brave brother volunteered.” Palpatine said, “He’d be a worthy adversary, that’s for sure. Many of this year’s seventh years would be, actually.”

“Hondo is taking bets on who gets picked,” Anakin snorted, “I’d say Cody has the best shot for Hogwarts.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Not Obi-Wan?” Palpatine asked, “He is the Head Boy and representative of the school as a whole. He’s certainly a skilled wizard and has the bright mind to succeed.”

“Oh, Obi-Wan isn’t entering,” Anakin shrugged, “But anyway, do you think there will be dragons this year? I hear that’s a possibility.”

Palpatine’s smile flickered and he completely stopped in his tracks, “Obi-Wan isn’t entering?”

“No, he says he’s too busy,” Rex supplied.

“That’s… Interesting.” Palpatine swallowed tightly, “I suppose his parents have had a change of heart then.”

“I doubt they know,” Anakin said, “I mean, he’s not big on writing them for some reason.”

“No… I would imagine not,” He pondered somewhere in the distance, far from where they walked in tandem, “Well, I must be on my way, boys. I would love to have this talk of dragons and sorcery another time, if that’s alright with you?”

“Is everything alright, Professor?” Anakin asked, “You look a little tense?”

Immediately, Palpatine softened, “It’s heartwarming of you to worry for me, my boy, but really, I’m just not feeling too well.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to the dinner then,” Rex offered.

“I’ll be fine,” Palpatine insisted kindly, “Now, good luck on your game!”

Asajj Ventress had been amongst the first to put her name in the Goblet of Fire, even if she knew that the consequences of her name being picked could be grave. However, stepping even a toe out of line seemed all the more lethal at the moment. She wasn’t a fool and knew what this tournament would mean for her adoptive family.

Even more so, she fantasized about it garnering attention from her bloodline.

A foolish thought, cultivated by the same meager desires of her youth. That same despicable urge to fit in that never quite came. Eventually, it hardened, as all once soft and fleshy wounds do. However, the past was never forgotten.

“Careful, if you stare any harder at that goblet, it might turn to stone,” A smug voice said from somewhere behind her.

She turned, prepared to glower at whoever would dare to make such a poignant joke to her of all people. No one had been so bold about bringing up her past indiscretions, even if the past was truly never gone. However, it wasn’t a student from Hogwarts that chose to challenge her, but a Durmstrang boy.

And none other than their prized poster boy, Quinlan Vos, posed with one leg up on the bleacher and leaning on his knee. It was obvious he was trying to give her his most cockamamie grin to charm her into buying his antics, but she knew his type. They’ve had their fair share of hot-shot pretty boys pass through Hogwarts too and they were never worth wasting time on.

“Was that supposed to be funny?” She returned, not bothering to sound remotely bothered or put out by his interruption of her brooding.

“Well, it was supposed to get you to unclench your jaw a little bit there,” He pointed at her jawline and she swatted his hand away without question. Instead of looking offended, he only seemed amused, “I’m Quinlan.”

“Yes, I know,” She rolled her eyes and looked back to where Hondo Ohnaka was trying to get more people to put their names in the Goblet of Fire.

“You know.” He said, not giving up and taking a seat beside her. He wasn’t quite in her space since they weren’t touching, but he wasn’t backing away either, “Well, that’s pretty unfair, seeing as I don’t know you.”

“And you expect me to just hand that information over so easily?” She shook her head, “And you expect to be a chosen Champion.”

“I’d like to think I’ve got other contributing strengths,” He shrugged and even from the corner of her eye she could see that he was flexing his noticeably toned arms. They were so noticeable, of course, because his shirt didn’t have sleeves. This was a trait that was quite popular amongst most male students already, especially those that wanted to garner the same attention.

“If you would like someone to polish your ego, I believe there’s a band of harpies just across the way that would be most interested in doing so,” She scoffed, “I’ve got plans of my own.”

Ever since Durmstrang’s arrival, Quinlan Vos couldn’t go anywhere without a little troop of girls following him like a shadow. Worst of all, Vos didn’t seem to give it much thought. Clearly, this was a regular occurrence in his life.

“I wasn’t recruiting,” He joked, “I saw you enter earlier and was just trying to stake out the possible competition.”

“Exercise some brain power for a change and do your own research,” She said and stood up, looking down on him, “Because nothing will be given to you easily here at Hogwarts.”

The long-haired bloke still didn’t have the decency to appear offended nor concerned by her severity and raised his hands in defeat, “Message received, scary lady.”

“You can do better than that,” She stepped over the bleacher in front of her, ready to be on her way.

“It’s sweet that you think that.” He smirked.

“The fact that you believe I’m sweet is proof enough that you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into here, Vos.” She called over her shoulder.

“Maybe, but I look forward to finding out.” He answered.

Great, just what Ventress needed, another idiot to deal with.

Just as Sheev Palpatine took care of gathering all of his favorite students every year in celebration of their successes and with the hopes of collecting them for future use, he did the same for parents. It was less along the lines of utilizing them for connections as he would later with their children. Adults, while just as foolish in their own ways, would not be as easy going about bending to his will. Instead, he allowed it to be perceived that he was the one being collected in this scenario.

He was their good-natured, inside source as to what was going on in the school.

He looked out for their children and would flourish their careers if they got in good with him.

He was the last remnant of a dying age that they so desperately wanted to hold onto, even if they couldn’t publicly say as much.

And that was something to be celebrated. So, the beginning of every term meant one of these dinners, hosted by none other than Kenobis. That was just as good with Palpatine, as it was more like two birds with one stone now that they’ve taken Anakin in.

For once, his sights were not set on Skywalker, but their often forgotten son. Palpatine would not make the same mistake as them. He saw how proficient Obi-Wan Kenobi was and his ability to take out Maul with nothing more than feral energy and emotion meant for something ruthless in the future, should he be allowed to go on.

Which, incidentally, he would not.

“We wanted to thank you for swaying the vote in bringing back the TriWizard competition, Sheev,” Anoth Ventress raised a glass, “I know Asajj is most excited.”

“She’s entered, I’m assuming?” He asked.

“But of course she has!” She laughed haughtily, “What powerful witch with hopes of a prominent future wouldn’t?”

“With those carbon freezing powers, she’s got a bit of a head start.” Madame Scarlet Scintel purred from across the table, “I’m sure she’s looking forward to it.”

“You are merely jealous that your daughter does not get to represent you.” Anoth scoffed, “The fact that they set an age limit shows just how weak this society has become.”

“My great grandfather was a fourth year student and he won the tournament.” Lu Mai huffed, “Everyone has gone soft.”

“I second that,” Obi-Diah Kenobi added, “Plus, there’s no respect anymore.”

“That stunt at the train platform? Abominable.” Wilbur Tarkin sneered, “I’m drawing to the point of embarrassment.”

“And they’re allowing muggle borns to enter the tournament!” Wanda Kenobi shook her head, “It’s criminally unfair, not just to the roots that our ancestors bled for, but for them! They say they want to protect them, but even the most decent muggle-born wizard would fall flat in comparison to someone who has known magic their entire life.”

“It’s that Headmaster Yoda, I tell you.” Tarkin scowled, “He is always trying to pander to the minority factions that cry louder than most.”

“Either way, the Goblet is the same from centuries ago,” Scintel reminded them, “It still has the properties to only choose the best witches and wizards of the bunch.”

“We have nothing to fear then. Primarily purebloods and half-bloods enter.” Anoth added with a sniff. Her skin was paler than the china plates before them.

“Any self-respecting pureblood, that is,” Obi-Diah shook his head. “Some of these kids these days are despicable… They don’t deserve the title.”

“Yes, well, surely there are admirable reasons not to participate in the tournament.” Palpatine knew he had to play his cards correctly. Even at these dinners, surrounded by elites that were meant to be of similar mind, he always had to play the unassuming ally. He couldn’t come right out and say it in the accusatory tone that he felt.

“Nonsense, Professor, I respect your opinion, but choosing not to at the very least volunteer to display your talents and worth is basically announcing that you are a meaningless coward. I could understand why muggle-born’s wouldn’t, because they’d die, but purebloods have no reason not to.”

“I’m surprised you feel that way, Mr. Kenobi,” Palpatine sighed, “Because, well, no, I shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t what, Sheev?” Tarkin asked.

“You know I never want to instigate matters,” He dabbed his mouth with the cloth napkin that had previously been resting on his lap, if only to have something to briefly cover the way his lips tried to twitch into a smile.

“You deliver the truth and fact that most would not,” Wanda said and patted his hand with hers. They were terribly cold and not comforting in the slightest. Luckily, Palpatine only needed to pretend to be, “Whatever it is, you can tell us.”

“Well… So long as you promise not to be angry, I only share this information because I feel as parents, you are entitled to know what your children are placing their futures. And because I, myself, couldn’t believe it when I heard it from my valuable source.”

“Yes, of course, we promise.” Obi-Diah said. “We will be the picture of calm and understanding.”

“OBI-WAN KENOBI IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR DISGRACEFUL, ENTITLED, LACKADAISICAL ARSE OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT, YOU WILL WISH WE ALLOWED THAT RIDICULOUS SEAWEED ALLERGIC REACTION TO SWELL YOUR FACE INTO THE SIZE OF A BALLOON UNTIL YOU POPPED.”

Obi-Wan startled forward so fast, hardly registering the leap from dreams to reality, and slamming his forehead against one of the bedposts that propped up his four-poster bed. Not sparing a moment to wince in pain, he scrambled through the dark, pulling back the curtains to the very displeased and cranky roommates that likely also wanted him out of bed and out of their hair.

His eyes flew to the source of the sound, finding their disgruntled family owl, Arfour, at the windowsill, an open red howler latched in its maroon claws.

“I was supposed to open that myself you mangy-” He reached for the bird and recoiled when he received nothing more than a sharp peck on the hand.

“AND IF YOU LAY A FINGER ON OUR PRECIOUS OWL’S HEAD YOU WILL ANSWER TO YOUR FATHER, YOUNG MAN, WHO IS SO BEYOND ENRAGED WITH YOU THAT HE CANNOT EVEN FIND THE WORDS TO COMMUNICATE VIA HOWLER.”

If only he could say the same about his mother.

“Shut that bloody thing off!” Someone shouted.

“I’m trying!” He said as he chased the fluttering owl around the room, effectively stubbing his toe in the process and cursing before he could stop himself. A few younger boys giggled at the sight of their Head Boy running around in a circus suit at this ungodly hour, chasing a squawking owl.

“Some keeper we have,” Muttered Jax Paven, “Can’t even catch a bloody bird.”

Finally, with the assistance of Eeth Koth and Cin Drallig, he was able to catch the shrieking letter and silence it by crumpling it in his hands. He had to hold it tight, as while the status quo for most howlers, it was never fully finished until whatever the writer wrote was properly shouted. As it were, he knew his mother could be very long winded if she chose to be.

“What the hell did you do to her?” Cin asked tiredly, “I need my beauty sleep.”

“Yeah, you do,” Eeth joked.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, “I suppose I should Floo them to find out.”

“Downstairs, please,” Eeth frowned, “Some of us don’t want to start our day at 2 am.”

He nodded, drifting down the stairs with a firm fist around the ball of parchment, feeling it vibrate in his hand from its rant. On his way, he snagged a spare jar and his wand on the way. Once through the bookshelf and closing it carefully behind him, he stood still in the center of the common room, hoping that the ruckus didn’t wake the girls as well. He’d hardly hear the end of it from Satine if he had.

When all seemed well and the only shuffling that could be heard was from the boy’s end, he took a seat on the couch and carefully jinxed the jar to absorb all sound before shoving the aggravated letter inside and sealing it shut. He could still make out the words that the howler mouthed, but placed it behind him and frowned towards the fireplace.

Before he could make the move to call his parents, his mother and father’s combined faces (a startling sight without their disapproving gaze) appeared before him without warning.

“Mother, Father,” He nodded cordially, like he wasn’t ripped from slumber in the middle of the night for what was surely going to be a verbal beating.

“Don’t “Mother, Father” us, boy.” His Father started off hot and that wasn’t simply because his face was made of firewood and crackling flames. “For any son of mine would never spit on his legacy as you’ve chosen to do so.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not following,” He admitted.

“He’s not- Are you completely daft?” His mother gasped, “You have embarrassed us beyond repenting and hadn’t even possessed the courtesy to inform us prior. It would be one thing if you possessed the will to do so on your own accord, but clearly, it’s simply carelessness that has driven you.”

“Carelessness for what?” Obi-Wan frowned, “I assure you, my grades are already-”

“-This isn’t about your grades !” His father spat, “This is about you once again disavowing your namesake and bloodline at every turn. I know you possess great ability within you or else you would not be where you are now.”

“And instead of choosing to showcase your family’s hard work, you opt for the easy way out,” She added just as cross. “Where did we go wrong?”

“This isn't about the tournament, is it?” It was the only thing he supposed they could be referring to, actually.

“Ah, so his head is capable of more than growing hair,” His father grunted, “You do realize that the Kenobi family tree isn’t just ensconced in participants in this tournament, but champions of it.”

“Back before they were all called “champions” like some participation award.” His mother muttered under her breath.

“I was aware,” Obi-Wan said, “I don’t believe now is the most optimum time to have such a broadcasted competition. Not to mention, I have enough going on between NEWTs and-”

“Grades are meaningless should you acquire the necessary glory that this tournament bestows, Obi-Wan.” His father said, “And what sort of Auror thinks like that, anyway?”

“The soft kind, like those meager souls at King’s Cross.” His mother sniffed, “Certainly not anyone worth recruiting.”

“You’ve said it yourself that my primary priority is to look out for Anakin this year.” The only chance he had at getting through to him was by using their own words. “Dooku is still going to be after him.”

“What Anakin needs is an example.” His mother said, “And what sort would you be by backing down at every challenge that approached you?”

“And how is he to feel protected by someone of your paltry merit?” The longer this conversation went on, the more Obi-Wan could hear how their inflections dipped from the throes of alcohol fueling their words, “Stop lying to yourself and say it. You don’t give a damn about this family and what it would do to us if you didn’t so much as show face and put your name forth.”

“That’s not true.” Obi-Wan said firmly.

“I think he knows he won’t be chosen,” His mother added, “To be chosen is to be the best.”

“And how does it feel to be counted out so soon?” He asked, “To know that because of this indiscretion that we will be forever targeted? To know that forevermore, you have failed those that love you?”

Anakin wasn’t sure he liked how used to waking up in the middle of the night he was getting. His dreams were often dark and swirled around his head like a cloud of smoke. He didn’t even remember them half the time, and the other half left him confused. This time it was the former, he huffed in frustration rolling around his bed trying to get comfortable enough to fall back asleep, but really he was awake and there was no sense in trying.

It was dark in the room and all the boys were snoring soundly so he knew he wouldn’t be getting away with playing or waking anyone up to plot with him.

And Qui-Gon wasn’t around anymore.

Of the things he could do in the middle of the night without punishment it looked like reading a book or working on homework was top of the list. Neither seemed appealing. His thoughts turned to the game of cricket they’d played, Hogwarts had won. Beauxbatons had given them a good run though. It was a shame Obi-Wan hadn’t ever joined them, not that Anakin needed him to have a good time.

His thoughts flickered to Professor Palpatine. The head of Slytherin house had said he wasn’t feeling well, Anakin hoped he made it back from the banquet okay. His thoughts paused as he stared up at the ceiling.

Maybe he’d just go and check on him.

It was a nice thing to do and he doubted the other professors would be too harsh if he was caught. He stood, grabbing his wand, but not bothering with shoes and he padded down the stairs into the common room and snuck his way out of the portrait hole.

The paintings were asleep, but the ghosts were still roaming. Shimmering silver trails followed them as they moved about the castle. Anakin doubted they’d be too focused on a student out of bed, but he wasn’t going to take any extra chances.

He tiptoed his way through the halls, purposely taking long back routes in case anyone was on patrol, but it was silent nearly all the way to Palpatine’s office.

When he was a few corners away, however, he heard frantic whispering and he froze, hiding in the shadow of a knight before slowly creeping forward. It didn’t sound like adult voices, but ones of other kids. Anakin was here because he was bored after all, he certainly wasn’t opposed to a little harmless trouble making.

He followed the sounds until he rounded a corner and a gross, smelly hand was pressed over his mouth.

Sebulba and a group of younger students were all looking at him with caution, or in the former’s case, a sneer.

“Quiet Sky-talker we’re trying not to get caught,” Anakin ripped his hand away from his mouth and scrubbed roughly at it with a sleeve.

“Me? I could hear you all whispering from halfway across the castle!” Anakin whispered back. That definitely sobered the crowd.

“We need to hurry!” A Hufflepuff 4th year urged from the back.

“What are you all doing anyway?” It wasn’t Sebulba’s normal crew, in fact most among the crowd looked like they didn’t have much to do with each other outside of this very moment.

“Didn’t you hear?” Sebulba smacked the back of his head, “Gunk-ray’s assigned to reset the charms on the cup tonight.”

“Well that’s going to go poorly,” Anakin frowned.

“Exactly,” the dug hissed, “We’re going to stick our names in before someone better figures it out.”

Anakin’s eyes widened. They were all going to enter the tournament? Surely none of them would be picked.

“Are you coming or not?” Sebulba shoved past him and Anakin felt himself match step with the other students. His heart thudded in his chest, would he enter the tournament?

“Why enter? It’s just a pissing contest,” Anakin hissed, pushing his way up to Sebulba’s right. The dug rolled his eyes and made a good attempt to trip Anakin, forcing him to take a step back.

“Fame, glory, but more importantly, money,” He sneered, “Wouldn’t know much about that though would you?”

“Do you know who you’re talking to? Try again!” Anakin gestured to his robes, brand new this year, courtesy of his hosts.

“Yeah, but it’s not your money, do you really think they’ll buy you anything ?” Anakin hated that Sebulba was correct. Although he’d gotten plenty of shiny new things there was one thing he’d asked for and been rejected on all summer long. Paying for an investigation into his mother’s disappearance. He’d gotten the idea from a movie he remembered seeing and he had asked many times, but kept getting misdirected and never given a real answer. He eyed the Slytherin who was peeking around a corner checking both ways. If he won money he could do whatever he wanted.

He was handed a quill and a piece of torn parchment by a fifth year and he found himself writing his name on it swiftly before passing the feather back. They continued in silence, any more idle chatter was immediately hushed until they crept up to the entrance of the great hall. The place was deserted, but Gunray had definitely been there because the once straight outline around the cup was wavy and uncertain with a spilled potion nearby. Sebulba waved them all in and stood just at the edge of the line. He tested it with a hand which… passed right through the barrier with no trouble.

Hushed gasps and a few cheers were immediately silenced, all turning to glance at the door. Sebulba wasted no time dropping his parchment in the fire. It did little more than hiss at him, but he still looked quite pleased. The others fell into a line quickly putting their names in before hurrying out of the great hall.

Anakin was almost to the cup. It glittered at him like many of the Kenobi’s old antiques had, he was sure it was just as old. The flames were low, but he was thinking about the conversations he’d had surrounding the thing. Eternal glory.

Such a thing would strike fear into his enemies he assumed, maybe winning this would be a way to get stronger. He threw his parchment in and his hand moved out of the way just in time for the flame to rise suddenly. The other students looked at him, but he just shrugged. He was the chosen one.

As the light died down to a quiet yellow it reminded him of his last summer with his mum. A bright yellow sun shining down at them as they made time to walk through the park. His heart only beat faster as the flames fell to a dull blue again. If he could get in, could get chosen, could win… he’d be one step closer to finding her.

“Someone’s coming!” A student hissed and all froze before making a run for the door. Anakin too could hear the clacking of shoes as a pair of wizards neared them. Anakin did what he was rather good at and squeezed between a statue and the wall. As students scattered like roaches.

“I insist Gunray,” It was Windu, walking beside the DADA professor who looked quite annoyed, “I check upon all the spells placed on the goblet.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, not you!” How could anyone forget, “I know how to do a simple age line.”

“Then you won’t mind me taking a look-” He trailed off as a clatter was heard down one of the halls. Anakin held his breath.

Both professor’s looked around for a hint of danger or students out of bed. Gunray’s eyes flickered to where Anakin was hiding and he could have sworn they made eye contact, before the two returned to the task at hand and walked into the great hall.

Anakin wasted no additional time rushing around corridors and he didn’t stop running until he was back in his room shaking Rex awake.

“Mate you won’t believe this!”

Satine had been performing her rounds when Stass and Aayla came rounding about a corner, knocking an unsuspecting third year flat on his bum, before b-lining straight for her with wide and eager eyes.

“Easy, easy!” Satine admonished, moving past them to help the younger student gather his books, “There’s little need to be in that much of a hurry to get anywhere, thank you.”

After sending the boy, who still looked a bit winded, on his way she turned to her overzealous friends with what she hoped to be stern disapproval. They were seventh years now- top of the school- and meant to be an example for younger students. Should they all start behaving like neanderthals, the school would dissolve into chaos.

“I’m not sure you’ll agree when you hear what news we’ve got for you.” Aayla insisted, ignoring Satine’s purposeful glare with ease.

She crossed her arms, “Try me.”

“Okay, Obi-Wan’s gone and put his name in the goblet of fire.” Stass said bluntly.

Satine regarded both of them, back and forth, waiting for a catch that would never come, and was hyper aware by the way the two of them analyzed her every movement. Then, without thinking much on the hypocrisy of it, bolted down the hall.

Obi-Wan had been chatting up some of his teammates on his way to potions when with the force and rage of a tumultuous hurricane, Satine appeared from nowhere and wordlessly yanked him by the hand towards the nearest broom closet. From behind them, he could hear Eeth call out, “Oi boys, I think Kenobi’s got himself in trouble with the Head Girl.”

His ears burned as he overheard Cin Drallig respond with, “If he’s lucky, she might break out the ruler.”

He didn’t have time for rebuttal or even to spare them a glare worthy of their comments, because Satine snapped the door closed behind them before he could think of anything. She ignited her wand, illuminating the entirety of the small space and showcasing just how confined they were.

She looked positively lovely in lowlight- or any light- but in her eyes burned a hot anger that could scorch the coldest of men. He’d back away if that were at all possible, but as it was, their torsos were nearly touching and he could still feel the cool stone wall behind him.

“You entered your name into the goblet of fire?” She poked him with her wand for emphasis, seething with rage and incredulousness.

“Ah, so you’ve heard.” He winced, because for a large castle, word traveled impossibly fast, even with magic involved.

“Yes, I’ve heard .” She gritted and poked him again, “And not from you!”

He sighed, “Look-”

“-What happened to taking it easy this year?” She spat, the light from her wand waving around as she threw her hands up, “Just yesterday you were going off about how disruptive and dangerous it is!”

“Well, maybe I’ve changed my mind!” He snapped, not appreciating being treated like he had to go through her before making every decision, “Had I not, I would have been the only Kenobi in history not to enter an active tournament. Do you not understand what that could say about my character? To any possible job prospects? I want to be an Auror, Satine. You can’t be a coward as an Auror.”

“You weren’t a coward before this.” She said vehemently, “Ever. But then again, I never took you for a fool either.”

He laughed sardonically, “Just because you don’t agree with the competition doesn’t make me wrong for participating. It’s been a tradition for many years!”

“And that doesn’t change that it’s essentially dangling the lives of children for the amusement of adults!” Satine rounded on him, “And I know you don’t want to do it.”

“What’s done is done.” He said plainly.

“That’s for damn sure.” She scowled, “And by the way, pride and legacy matter little if you are picked and you’re killed!”

“And you think I'm incapable?” He fired back.

“I never said that.” She said gravely, “Do not put words in my mouth, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am just utterly pissed that after all this time, you continue to operate without thinking, regardless of how bright you are, that should something happen to you, what that would do to the people who love you.”

“My family were the ones who insisted, Satine, so of course I’m considering-”

“-I’m not talking about them, Ben.” She said and just like that, the air felt like it was sucked out of the room and any scathing argument that had been tingling at his lips faded into obscurity as he regarded her with renewed softness at the implication of her words. His eyes flickered to her mouth for a second.

He hadn’t realized that somewhere along in the midst of their rage how much closer they’d gotten to one another- even if the little closet made that seem impossible before. Their chests were touching and she was nearly too close to truly see, but not quite. He could still make out the sadness that seemed to replace previous vigor and how intensely she stared at him. Something soft and warm kindled in the pit of his stomach as he felt the sudden urge to reach out and take her hand.

He knew he couldn’t do that though, so instead, he opted for words. “The odds of my being picked are exponentially low.”

She shook her head, keeping him entranced in her stare, “The cup is designed to pick the best wizards, Ben.”

“I know.” He said, nodding.

“No, you don’t, you idiot,” Though her voice was soft, “You are the best.”

And with another moment suspended in time, she finally opened the door and left him alone in the now dark broom closet.

It was a rare occasion when all students reported to the proper places at the proper times. No one wanted to miss the once and a lifetime event to see the names chosen by the goblet. Obi-Wan was one of many among the sea of students filing into the great hall. For such an event, risers had been set up and the professors were wasting absolutely no time organizing the students into houses or schools and instead seating everyone as efficiently as possible. This meant that Obi-Wan found himself between Faro Argys of Slytherin and Quinlan Vos of Durmstrang which perhaps wasn’t the most comfortable place to sit. Quinlan kept turning around to talk to some friends behind them and it took a lot of core strength for Obi-Wan to not get knocked into Faro each time.

He saw Cody alongside his brothers and Anakin up front and Satine was across the room from him sitting next to Stass. He wasn’t so surprised that they’d had better luck than him.

“So who’s your top pick?” Quinlan surprised both him and Faro by spinning quickly in their direction.

“You're talking to us?” Faro looked down his nose at the Durmstrang.

“Sure! You must have an idea of who the best in your school is,” Quinlan prompted. Obi-Wan’s eyes flickered across the room to Satine. She wasn’t talking to anyone really, just tapping her foot and looking anywhere, but at him.

“Well a Gryffindor perhaps,” Obi-Wan floundered for someone to say.

“Oh please,” Faro scoffed, “Gryffindors might be known for being brave but they're not known for talent, it’ll clearly be a Slytherin. Asajj Ventress perhaps.”

Possible, Obi-Wan couldn’t discredit her although he certainly wouldn’t pick her to represent their school.

“I think Bail entered,” Obi-Wan offered.

“Organa,” Faro considered, “I don’t think he’d have the guts, not many Hufflepuffs would.”

“I don’t get your school's little clubs,” Quinlan stretched his arms above his head until his shoulders popped, “Surely the best of the best would be obviously above the rest.”

“Well it’s all a matter of opinion I suppose,” Obi-Wan managed before Faro could open his mouth to talk about Slytherin’s values or anything. In the end it was not a house that made you, but your own merit. He’d learned that his very first year, but a lot of those he’d known growing up had not.

The door opened and the Headmistress Se and Headmaster Tiure made their way through the room, past the goblet itself and up onto the main stage. Headmaster Yoda was already there, Obi-Wan privately assumed no one had wanted to wait for him to hobble his way in. The audience hushed quickly, the anticipation buzzed in the room, even the younger students, who had no stake in such things were on the edge of their seats.

He noticed to the side a few witches and wizards with cameras and pads of paper scribbling frantically. He was sure he recognized a few from the Daily Prophet, but they were likely wizarding news gatherers from around the world.

Mace Windu stepped behind Yoda and spoke first, “Each Headmaster will pull a name from the flames,” He explained, his voice booming to fill every corner of the room, “There will be no take backs, no changing of your minds,” His eyes scathed over the crowd, “You made the decision to enter and like many decisions in your soon to be adulthood, you would do best to follow through.” A pin could drop in such silence. Windu raised his wand and slowly the fires lighting the room began to dim, washing everyone in only the bright blue light of the flaming cup.

“Begin the tournament, we shall,” Yoda waved a hand toward his right where Nala Se stood, so much taller than him, “First, Beauxbatons may go,” It looked very much like Durmstrang’s Headmaster had wanted to be first, but he held his tongue as Nala Se approached the Goblet.

Raising a careful hand she let the flames curl around her palm as she waited. The flames turned from blue to red and a slip of parchment landed square in the center of her hand. She removed it with painstaking slowness that was surely not purposeful as it matched her blinks.

“Beauxbatons welcomes Hera Syndula to represent us,” She turned her head, to offer a hand towards her student. Beauxbatons cheered, clearly Hera was a well liked member of her class. Her friends seemed endless as they stood and cheered for her. She stood with grace and seemed not flattered, but assured that it had made the right decision. Obi-Wan even caught Satine clapping for the girl and he wondered when they’d had time to talk.

Hera made her way up to her Headmistress who had her stand up on the stage just behind the Headmasters so that all could see her. The cameras had begun flashing as each paper tried to get the best possible shot of the first champion.

Things simmered down naturally, it seemed whether for dramatic effect or because there was no need to hurry, Yoda did not call for their silence. Instead, he made use of it immediately when it presented itself to him. It looked like he’d been prepared to go next, but the purple hutt seemed particularly antsy so Yoda extended a hand to him, “Wish to go, do you?”

He didn’t bother answering and instead slithered up to the cup and held his hands out above his head.

“Durmstrang is a force to be reckoned with!” He announced to the room as the fire turned to red once more, “I know our champion will show great strength and fortitude!” Thankfully he was not able to continue on with his little speech because a wadded up slip of parchment flew from the flames and nearly beaned him in the head. He managed to grab it after fumbling a moment and smoothed the creases out. He practically beamed with pride reading off the name, “Quinlan Vos! Our champion!”

Quinlan jumped up immediately, somehow he’d managed to take his shirt off without Obi-Wan even noticing and was flexing his muscles for the camera. His peers stomped on the ground like a herd of cattle as they cheered for him. He held his head high and took his time marching slowly up to the front to stand behind his own headmaster. Ziro gave him a pat on the arm, and Quinlan pumped his fist in return. Despite the way he held himself, it was clear that Quinlan had some aptitude with spells if the goblet found him worthy of competing. Once again the cheers eventually died down and this time Yoda did step forward himself.

He didn’t bother giving a grand speech or announcing himself, probably thought it was all a little repetitive since everyone already knew what was left to come. Obi-Wan looked down to Cody who was excitedly whispering to Fives before turning to watch Yoda… hit the goblet with his stick until it turned red. That was certainly one way to do it.

Silence followed as the cup spat out a piece of neatly folded parchment. It fluttered through the air as if to drag out its descent, but Yoda did not move to catch it, simply held his hand open. Eventually it did land right where he’d anticipated. He unfolded it and took his time to inspect it and to think while the whole room held their breath.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hogwarts Champion.”

Stunned, he tried to take a minute to process what he’d just heard, what they’d all just heard, but he wasn’t given much time. There was cheering, which was quite loud and blinding flashes of light from the press. He looked across the room towards Satine, who met his eyes for only a brief second before looking away. She looked sad, but unsurprised. He felt quite the opposite, all he could feel was surprise.

How had he of all people been singled out as Hogwarts Champion ?

He realized he should stand, and did so abruptly, he felt a metaphorical mask fall across his face. One that had seen many press junkets. He couldn’t bring himself to smile or look tough. He didn’t feel assured like Hera or confident like Quinlan, he simply felt like himself. Out of place, unsure, and confused.

He made his way to the stage, passing by Cody who gave him a gentle shove. The kind of push he really needed to walk behind his headmaster and stand next to the champions from the other schools.

Because I’m a champion too, His shock addled mind provided him unhelpfully. He absentmindedly tried to smooth out his already wrinkle-free sweater and run a hand through his already smoothed hair, A champion?

Before he could continue to think, although he was always sure to resume later, everything in the room seemed to pause as the flames burst up in a blinding red hue for a fourth time.

On instinct Windu moved in front of the headmasters, using his body to block them as everyone else seemed to take a step back. The flames curled and crackled like they were trying and failing to spit something up, like a cat with a hairball. Finally it hissed and wheezed and another piece of parchment twirled through the air and was promptly caught in a quick grab by Windu. His eyes narrowed significantly as he read the crispy parchment and he managed to speak through tightly gritted teeth.

“ Skywalker! ”

Obi-Wan’s heart dropped into his shoes and he very nearly toppled over right there. It couldn’t be, Anakin was too young and Hogwarts already had a champion. You , his brain reminded him unhelpfully, but his new shock was enough to quell the first.

“Alright!” Anakin jumped up from where he was sitting, the Fetts gave each other looks. No one clapped.

Then the press was on him, cameras flashing reporters shouting, students shouting.

“Quiet! QUIET!” Windu projected his voice with his wand and the room fell into silence.

“Anakin,” Yoda pushed his way in front of Mace with a few less than gentle looking taps from his cane, “Put your name in, did you?”

“Well,” He froze, Obi-Wan could see the admission of guilt written clearly on the boy's face. It was clear he didn’t want to fully admit it, not when it could get him into trouble.

“Did you or did you not?” Windu’s hand was twitching for his wand, “We need to know if this is some kind of planned attack.”

“Okay okay!” Anakin threw up his hands, “Yes, I did it myself.”

There was an uproar, mostly from younger students angry that they themselves didn’t get a chance. But the three headmasters and Windu simply looked at each other and frowned.

“It’s cheating! Treacherous slope to climb explaining this one,” Ziro was quick to say.

Nala Se however looked towards the cup whose flame was dying now and she hummed dreamily, “The cup is a magical artifact,” She reminded them, “It chooses who is worthy-”

“Then why not one of mine, hmm?” Ziro tried to get in her face but considering the height difference it would never have worked.

“The chosen one, Skywalker is,” Yoda was frowning at Anakin’s sloppy handwriting.

“I believe my champion will have no trouble competing with such a young boy,” Nala Se looked down at Ziro, “Is your champion up to the task?”

“O-of, of course he is!” Ziro spluttered before pointing a finger towards Quinlan, “And when my champion beats the chosen one, it’ll prove to all what Durmstrang is capable of.”

“Permission, Skywalker will have to get,” Yoda hesitated, “From his guardians.”

Obi-Wan didn’t need to listen anymore. Anakin’s guardians, Obi-Wan’s own parents, would be delighted to allow Anakin to enter.

Anakin had joined them on stage standing right in front of Obi-Wan which truly only highlighted how small he was compared to the others. As Quinlan flexed and Hera smirked beside him, all he could feel about the year before him was a numbness that filled him with dread.

Anakin really didn’t see what the big deal was. He’d been ushered into the little room behind the stage alongside Obi-Wan and the other two competitors. His mentor had taken his shoulder in an iron grip, but his eyes didn’t really look like they were seeing the fancy tapestries or the flaking gold on the molding. Anakin however thought it would be best to look around. Professors were usually the only ones allowed back here and it had been how he and Rex had attempted to escape the sleepover the previous year. Who knows? Maybe it would be useful again.

“Let me go, Obi-Wan,” He had already tried shaking off the older students grip, but to no avail. Obi-Wan was in a world of his own, he could practically see gears turning behind his gray eyes. It reminded him of when he’d tried to explain how the internet worked earlier that summer and Obi-Wan had lost his whole day thinking it over. Ravenclaws . It took wrenching his shoulder out of the grip utilizing his own frustration of being babied to gain his freedom.

“So...” Anakin approached the other two champions who looked down at him in curiosity, “I’m Anakin...” His mum always did say it was polite to introduce yourself.

“Nice to meet you, Skywalker,” Quinlan shook his hand with a little more force than was really necessary, “Vos, Quinlan Vos. Durmstrang’s top Quidditch player, possibly the top Quidditch player.”

“Careful now,” Hera raised an eyebrow, “I’d hate for you to be found a liar,” She flickered her gaze to Anakin and offered a smile, “I’m Hera Syndulla,” She turned her gaze back onto Quinlan, “Captain and best Chaser at Beauxbatons.”

“I play Quidditch too!” Anakin chimed in, “I’m one of Gryffindor’s starting beaters,” He felt a little underwhelming after their much more impressive description, “And the chosen one,” He felt the need to add. Then a little flustered for dropping that out of nowhere, a habit he was really looking to break, he went on, “I guess we’re all Quidditch players then, imagine that!”

“Oh?” Quinlan looked over to where Obi-Wan had somehow found a scrap of parchment and a quill, “He plays too?”

“Yeah,” Anakin shrugged, “He’s Ravenclaw’s starting keeper, but he’s really not much for sports.”

“Clearly more of an academic,” Hera mused.

Anakin nodded, “Yeah he gets caught in his head quite a bit, like now . I stayed with him all last summer and he never wanted to do anything fun. All he does is read.”

“I guess that’s why he’s Head Boy,” Quinlan mentioned and the other two turned to look at him in surprise, “What? I pay attention. Especially to my possible competition.”

The door opened and professors poured into the room. Anakin found himself sectioned off from the other competitors and instead standing next to Gunray and Palpatine. He peeked over their shoulders to see Beauxbatons’ headmistress with Hera and Durmstrang’s with Quinlan. Obi-Wan was largely still on his own, because the other Hogwarts professors were in a bit of a debate. Hogwarts’ own headmaster had yet to appear.

The room was loud with chatter and debate, even if he wanted to talk he really didn’t have a chance at being heard. Palpatine just gave him a tight smile before shooting a look at Gunray who dabbed the sweat off his forehead and tried to look less cowardly.

It didn’t take much longer for Yoda to appear in the doorway. The small headmaster did little more than wave his hand and it summoned all the adults from the room.

Replacing them it seemed were their friends. Satine was first to rush through the door in a mix of sparking fury and an odd sad look that really left her looking like she’d eaten something quite sour and trailing behind her as usual was Cody.

“Ben, sit down!” Was all he was willing to listen to as she ramped up some kind of rant for his poor mentor.

Hera’s friends from Beauxbatons and Quinlan’s mates entered as well, filling the space with much more positive congratulations which he was a little more than grateful for.

“You bloody bastard,” Rex had come. Anakin grinned widely and Rex matched it. Anakin high fived his best mate who shook his head, “Couldn’t have brought me along for the ride huh? Had to have one midnight adventure without me?”

“Hey you’re always complaining I ruin your sleep far too often,” Anakin rolled his eyes.

“And it was the best night of sleep I’ve had in awhile,” Rex reminisced.

“That’s all well and good,” A new voice had Anakin whip his head around and stare in surprise. Padmé Amidala. Padmé stood in front of him with her arms crossed across her chest. Her hair curled upwards like the flames from the goblet and her lovely brown eyes shone like amber in reflection of the candlelight, “But what business did you have putting yourself into more danger?”

“Worried are you?” Rex cut in slyly and Anakin tried to kick him as nondescriptly as he could, “Anakin’s had worse in Windu’s class than whatever stupid riddle he’s going to have to complete.”

“Of course I’m worried,” Padmé frowned and Anakin’s heart flipped, “Anakin’s my friend, weren’t you scared when he went after Maul? It was reckless and he could have gotten himself killed, just like now.”

“Yeah,” Rex admitted softly.

“Heyyyyy, no need to worry about me!” Anakin cut in waving his arms around as if it would dispel the tension, “The cup wouldn’t have shot me out of it if I didn’t have a good shot! Plus this- this isn’t anything like Maul.”

“I guess so,” Padmé pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and Anakin tried not to be transfixed by such a simple action.

“Anyways, I’m… surprised to see you here,” Anakin twisted his hands behind his back, hoping she’d fill him in. They were still more like acquaintances than anything else.

“You need me,” She poked him in the chest causing him to trip back a step, “You’re only a third year and I’m a fourth,” She reminded him as if he didn’t think about that near every time they saw each other, “I’ve learned way more spells than you and I know you hate reading.”

“Well I don’t disagree,” Anakin raised an eyebrow, “Why does that matter?”

“ Because ,” Padmé rolled her eyes, “This is a dangerous tournament, one that only the older students were supposed to be entered into,” She shot him a look, “As your friend, I want to help! We can research for the tasks together and I can try and teach you any spells you might need, but haven’t learned yet,” Her determination shone in her eyes and Anakin’s heart skipped a beat, she was truly good. Full of a desire to help people and it was like he could see a brief glimpse at the real her, not the one he’d perhaps manufactured. He glanced over to Obi-Wan and Satine. His mentor had finally come out from his own mind and was debating with Satine as usual. Both of them had told him, first year, that becoming friends with Padmé, true friends, would do better than just pining after her from afar.

He smiled at Padmé and she smiled back at him just as warmly. He was pretty sure he’d like that, being good friends.

“Thank you,” He answered her, genuinely humbled, for once, “I’d like that.”

Sidious snarled as he slammed the door to his office. It locked itself into place securing both himself inside of it and perhaps more importantly, the unsuspecting who might try and enter it. In his anger he grabbed a potions vial and tossed it across the room shattering it into pieces.

How had his plans derailed themselves so early ? It had been easy to get Kenobi to enter and easier still to sit back and watch. How had Skywalker weaseled his way into the picture yet again ? He was willing to sacrifice the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrang champions, they would have been just another stepping stone toward his goals, but now he had to work around the boy?

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at his fireplace. The flames leapt up immediately turning a bright green and he pushed his way through, muttering his destination with quiet anger. He pulled his hood up and appeared in a dark and dingy fireplace where certainly no one would bother investigating. He pushed his way through Knockturn Alley, taking his anger out on some of the lowlife who dared step into his path. The whole magical Alley was filled with narrow passages and rickety staircases, but neither would stop him, such trivial things wouldn’t dare.

He didn’t bother knocking, just burst his way inside and slamming the door, just as he had at his own office. Dooku, who had been asleep, shot up quickly, wand already out, at the intrusion.

“Go on and try it Tyranus,” He growled storming his way up to his apprentice. Said apprentice immediately lowered his wand and tried to stand, but Sidious grabbed him by the beard and forced him to his knees. He would grovel at Sidious’ feet whether he liked it or not.

“Master, to what do I owe the pleasure,” But Sidious just let his foot rest on Dooku’s hand. He felt a flicker of neutrality when he noticed the scar from previous conversations. So perhaps his apprentice would listen after all. He put his weight onto Dooku’s hand, keeping him pinned to the ground as he forced his head up to look him in the eye.

“Did you change our plans again?” Sidious enunciated such words carefully, making sure they were heard as he twisted his fingers into Tyranus’ silver hair, “Be honest.”

“What is this about?” He asked and Sidious raised his boot and stomped down hard making Dooku grimace. Ravenclaws always asked too many questions.

“The Goblet, the Tournament, what else?” He shoved Dooku’s head down as he moved to pace towards the other corner of the room. Smartly his apprentice stayed right where he left him.

“I didn’t do anything, Master,” It sounded truthful enough, but there was a hint of smugness as he added, “Did things not go as planned?” Sidious growled, but didn’t dignify it with a response. Tyranus would see in the morning when the papers came out, just like everyone else.

“If I find out you're lying,” Sidious warned, “You’ll live to regret it.”

“Understood,” He answered smoothly, finally standing to his full height, “But you won’t.”

Sidious turned and left. He couldn’t waste his whole night here, he had plans to change.

[the-last-kenobi]

AHHH YOU’RE TAKING REQUESTS 🚨🚨🚨 Okay okay uhhhhh I can’t decide between 13 or 18 so you choose! With hurt Obi-Wan and caretaker Anakin, please!

I AM INDEED TAKING PROMPTS

And because you’re amazing and I love all your writing I have decided to write both 13 and 18 into one story, we’ll see how this goes yikes.

From this various prompts list

_

Anakin moved quickly up the hallway, trying to keep his footsteps as soft as possible.

It was very late — or very early, depending on one’s point of view. The low-lights were on, and Anakin felt like he was intruding somehow, in this residential wing that was almost entirely deserted due to the war.

The damned war.

Anakin clenched his fists. I can’t afford to be angry right now, he told himself. I need to talk to Obi-Wan and I can’t start out by yelling at him.

It was tempting to lash out at Obi-Wan.

They hadn’t had a proper conversation in months, not since the Hardeen operation and everything that it had entailed, and then Obi-Wan up and vanished on some discreet mission, stopping only to ask Anakin for a ship to borrow.

Anakin had discovered Obi-Wan’s return only when Acquisitions had notified him that his ship would be late in returning to his care due to extensive damage. Flight logs indicated that his Master had returned a full five days before. Five days without so much as a comm message letting his lineage know he was back home. Nothing.

For a few hours Anakin had foundered, stewing in disbelief and anger, but as night crept in he had begun to feel something different.

Concern.

And something that might have been the Force, prompting him, pushing him.

And so here he was, silently keying in the manual code to Obi-Wan’s quarters — technically still his own, although he spent most nights at Padmé’s or in a private room.

The door swished open.

It was utterly dark.

That wasn’t unusual; when he had the chance, Obi-Wan preferred to sleep in complete darkness. He said it felt more natural. No distractions tugging at his brain.

What was unusual was the state of disarray.

There was a kettle sitting on the counter, so near the edge it made Anakin nervous. He walked over and moved it a few inches, his eyebrows flying up when he felt the weight. When he lifted the lid, it was obvious that this was days-old, and untouched to boot.

Was Obi-Wan sick? Was he in the Halls? Surely someone would have notified him. Surely.

Anakin looked around and took note of the robe discarded against the wall, the boots left in the middle of the walkway. There was an empty mug on the reading table, and a holo-still sitting beside it, as if Obi-Wan had stared at it for awhile and then set it down — the only item that looked carefully treated.

On closer inspection, it was a holo of Obi-Wan, far younger than Anakin had ever seen him, next to Qui-Gon and a dark-skinned woman he had never seen before.

Qui-Gon was in the center, facing a little to the left, his eyes on the woman, a full smile on his face. Anakin stared. The Jedi he remembered had been understated, his smiles always a little sad. This Qui-Gon looked about to throw his head back in laughter. The woman was looking down at Obi-Wan, who stood on Qui-Gon’s other side. She was nearly as tall as Qui-Gon, her hair was braided into several intricate sections; she was smirking conspiratorially at the young Padawan.

And Obi-Wan was smiling shyly back. Although his Master wasn’t looking at him, he had draped one arm around Obi-Wan, and the boy was leaning into the casual touch.

They all looked ridiculously young and ridiculously happy, and Anakin didn’t even know who one of them was. He had never heard of this woman, or why she wasn’t around any more, because she must not be, and he had certainly never heard stories of Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship. Not unless it was relevant to whatever they had been doing, or whatever lesson Obi-Wan had been trying to teach.

His Master was so damned secretive.

Angry again, Anakin replaced the holo-still and glanced around the room, thinking to check the Halls of Healing next.

Then he spotted something that made him instinctively recoil.

A Mandalorian helmet, sitting on the chair, painted in stark black and red and rendered in Death Watch’s style.

Heart hammering, Anakin picked it up and examined it, finding gouges and dents in the beskar alloy, signs of years of wear and tear.

Why was it here? Why was there a Death Watch helmet here, in their rooms? It didn’t make any sense!

His first wild thought was that the extremist group had somehow broken in, taken Obi-Wan, and left this behind. Then he mentally shook himself. That was beyond absurd.

So what then?

Anakin tucked the helmet under his arm and cautiously approached his former Master’s room, pressing the door aside slowly.

Obi-Wan was right there.

Sitting on his bed, dressed only in stained and scorched trousers and an undershirt, his head in his hands. His fingers were buried so deeply in his hair it looked as if he were trying to tear his skull open.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin burst out without intending to, the last few hours of anger, confusion, and momentary panic getting the better of him.

Except the older man didn’t react at all.

“...Hey. Obi-Wan.”

After a pause, the man on the bed shifted slightly, and then sat up. His fingers hastily brushed his hair back into order as he did, and his face, though white as a sheet, was a perfectly blank mask.

Anakin didn’t buy a bit of it.

“Obi-Wan... tell me what’s going on.”

The man who was Obi-Wan but wasn’t acting at all like him gave a slight shrug. “There’s a lot going on, Anakin, we’re at war. What is it you needed at one in the morning?”

Well, at least he knows what time it is.

“You’ve been back for days. I haven’t seen you.”

“Ah. Your ship?”

“I’m not worried about the ship. I’m worried about you. I don’t even know where you were!” Anakin said, his voice rising again. He cut himself off quickly.

Obi-Wan frowned slightly. “I was... on leave.”

“On leave?” Obi-Wan didn’t go on leave. Obi-Wan never stopped working, hadn’t since Geonosis. “You said it was a mission.”

The older Jedi passed a hand over his mouth before speaking again. “I... it wasn’t an endorsed mission. I undertook it myself.”

A non-endorsed mission... “You mean you went off on your own?” Anakin demanded, shocked. “Tell me you weren’t chasing Maul!”

Obi-Wan went white to the lips. He opened his mouth to speak, and then he spotted the helmet under Anakin’s arm and choked on his words, falling dead silent.

Anakin considered for a moment. Then he studied the helmet again. Taking it in.

Death Watch.

Mandalore.

A personal, self-assigned mission.

Satine.

Red and black.

Maul.

“...Oh, Force, Obi-Wan.” Anakin said numbly. Thinking of Padmé. Thinking of Obi-Wan and the confession he’d made to Satine, one that Anakin had not been meant to overhear. “I’m so sorry.”

Obi-Wan said nothing.

He just stared at Anakin for a few moments before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Anakin set the helmet down on the desk and edged closer to the bed, his eyes on his friend, wary as if he were approaching a traumatized animal. “Can I sit?”

A nod.

Anakin sat down.

“...Is it all right if I hug you?”

A very long pause. A small nod.

Anakin placed his palm on Obi-Wan’s back, then slowly moved so his arm was around the man’s shoulders. When Obi-Wan didn’t pull away, Anakin drew closer, tilting his head down to rest on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Like he had when he was younger, and his Master was the best in the Temple, in the whole galaxy, and there was no war, just missions and too much meditation and time enough to just sit like this when they were tired and overwrought.

Obi-Wan shuddered in his hold. Not repulsed, but something else. Like he was cold.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked.

His friend shook his head, but trembled harder, his breathing fluctuating.

“Obi-Wan.”

“Feel... nauseous,” the redhead mumbled, and then he doubled over, toppling head over heels towards the floor. Anakin cried out, lunged and caught him just in time, hauling his former Master into his arms and holding him, his heart pounding from the sudden shock.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept? Or eaten?” he demanded, thinking of the tea kettle.

“Mm... not since the night I got back. For eating. I don’t know about sleeping. I honestly... can’t remember...” Obi-Wan murmured. He was shivering now, his face pale and twisted with discomfort. He looked too weak to move, and he really must have been, because all he managed when Anakin cradled him closer and stood up with him in his arms was a low groan.

“We’re going to the Halls,” Anakin informed him curtly, striding out of the room with Obi-Wan in his arms, still trembling.

Obi-Wan made a noise of protest, but Anakin shook his head. “No. You need to see Healers.” He watched his friend’s eyes mist over vaguely, with grief or with illness it was hard to say. “I’ll stay with you the whole time,” Anakin vowed, meaning every word. “It’ll be fine. As soon as they’re ready to release you we’ll come right back here and you can sleep in your own bed.”

Obi-Wan mumbled something that seemed to include, ‘not a child.’

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not your Padawan anymore. We still boss each other around. Just how it is,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh, tilting his head against Anakin’s shoulder. He took a deep breath. Then another. And then he was asleep.

“Damn,” Anakin whispered aloud. “Damn, damn, damn, you’re really not in good shape. You shouldn’t be this easy to carry, for one thing. Dammit, Obi-Wan. Why do you have to be so secretive?”

Is he secretive?

Or have I just never asked, and never listened?

Anakin honestly didn’t know, and that bothered him.

“Sleep, Master,” he murmured, adjusting his arms so that Obi-Wan was more comfortable. “We’ll talk when you’re ready. I promise. I’ve got you. We’re going to make it through this whole damn war, together.”

_

[anakinisvaderisanakin]

Vader: There is a refugee camp the rebels have provided aid to in the past. 

Kallus: Yes, Tarkintown they call it. You suspect the rebels are in hiding there?

Vader: No, but I want you to burn it. The compassion of the rebels is a weakness, one we will exploit.

This is honestly a very underrated little tidbit from Vader, taken from the Siege of Lothal arc. Despite the more child friendly tone Rebels was going for, especially in its earlier seasons, you can see Vader’s ruthlessness clearly on display here. He’s not above burning an entire innocent, unsuspecting town simply for personal gain. He knows the rebels are compassionate, and thinks destroying the town will draw them out - rightfully so.

It’s just jarring in all the best ways, to see Anakin willing to help and save every last person in TCW whenever the war comes knocking on civilian doorsteps - only to do a complete 180, and pay little to no heed for humanoid life. It goes to show just how far Anakin has fallen, and how he (despite of course not being overtly sadistic like Palpatine) sees no issue in violent or dishonest actions, in order to further his own interests.

Vader doesn’t care for himself, and with no one whom he loves left alive or in his direct circle to benefit from his being kindhearted and compassionate - he throws it completely out the window. Goodness landed him where he is now, he doesn’t realize that his self centered way of suffocating his dear ones with love is not kindness, as much as a toxic sort of codependency. He doesn’t realize that he was never really selfless as much as self serving, and this is why Anakin’s relationships to Padmé, Obi Wan and Ahsoka were all doomed to fail - he expected them to give all of themselves unto him, as he did for them. This is bound go south, as people can never live up to expectations from their peers when placed up on a pedestal.

The typical mindset of Anakin falls back on, “if I give everything I have to you, you’re going to give me everything right back. What do you mean you can’t? That must mean I’m not enough, I’m never enough for you to give me all you’ve got! How dare you think of yourself when you should be thinking of me, because I put you before myself.”

Vader in a sense believes that if no one can be what or who he expected them to be, he might as well surrender that strategy. Anakin being just and good, and a hero, got him nowhere. It failed to produce him the results he desperately wanted. It failed to save Shmi and Padmé. He listened to the Jedi Order, and his mother died for it. He listened to Obi Wan and Yoda, and to a larger degree that he won’t admit to Palpatine - only for Padmé to abandon him anyway. For Padmé, Obi Wan, and eventually also Ahsoka, to turn him down.

Vader is jaded at this point, and he has the Empire to show for the fact that his new heartless, cruel tactics are bearing fruit. The Imperial persecution of naysayers and Jedi sympathizers has been working, they have successfully scared their people into silence. Killing them with kindness didn’t work out, and thus, Vader goes in the opposite direction. By intimidation tactics, by dirty tricks and schemes, he makes sure that he is not respected but feared. Because if people are afraid of you, they won’t dare to take a stand. If people are afraid of you, they won’t turn down your presumed authority. If they fear for their lives, or even more important the lives of those whom they love - you can bend them to your will every which way.

This is what Vader has picked up from Palpatine - although he was always leaning a bit in that direction - and it may be a skewed and distorted world view, but it has proven itself to be working. Hence, Anakin who was never a truly compassionate man to begin with as much as he stuck up for those he loved, for fear of being abandoned or betrayed, has shed his skin. He has abandoned the pretense and the attempts to please everyone, to always be subservient to others. Of course, he is in every sense of the word still a slave to Palpatine’s whims - but that comes down to his disregard for his own person, as well as the underlying guilt that has him thinking continuously that he deserves nothing less.

Whatever you may say, or think, of Rebels - it did do Vader justice.

The developers made him frightening, reiterated the fact that he is a villain - something that has been expanded upon by the comics, Rogue One and Fallen Order. Vader cares for no one and nothing except serving his master, as Palpatine is the sole surviving person he has left in this world to attach himself to. Anakin, and thus Vader, cannot exist without a person to be obsessed with, or to depend entirely upon. This is why he allows himself to be manipulated by Palpatine, and used as a pawn. He has no one else, and he doesn’t trust himself to know what to do if he were to be entirely free.

Vader is a tragedy, but he is also a menace. And this is one of the brilliant little moments in which Rebels manages to remind us of that fact.

(Repost from old acc)

[dinner-djarin]

Until the Sun Rises

Part 1: Chosen or not

Anakin Skywalker x Jedi!reader

Notes: As much as I love Star Wars, I am not completely versed in how the Force works, so I may or may not have made some stuff up. Honestly I'm not really sure, but I tried not to make it too drastic. Also I made up a name for the readers Master (Master Setne). I hope it doesn't take anyone out of the fic. Also this fic is dedicated to @hellotherebonky. Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy ;)

Word count: 2.9k

Rating: T

Summary: Growing up as a Jedi isn't all you wished it could be. You wonder if this path is the right one for you, that is until you meet a young Anakin Skywalker.

Warnings: Nothing I can think of immediately. There might be light swearing somewhere, but honestly it's pretty PG, being about the Jedi and all. Very Angsty. It's kinda self doubty and there's some negative thoughts about the readers own abilities and stuff (pls be kind to yourself)

The Jedi life is all you’ve ever known. But if you’re being honest with yourself, you aren’t quite convinced you’re cut out for it.

Sure, you want the galaxy to be safe and at peace. Sure, you understand that you have been blessed by the Maker; given the ability to use and understand The Force in a more intimate way than most. But every day that passes in the temple makes you wonder whether this life is the one you would choose for yourself, or if it just so happens to be the life you’ve ended up with.

Being a Padawan is no easy feat. You study day in and day out. You practice and you meditate, and you learn as much as you can, as fast as you can. Your Master has been a guiding lighting through your training, taming your desires and chaotic nature. But as much as you appreciate all they have done for you; they aren't the reason you stay.

There’s only one person who keeps you trapped in the life you wish you could leave. He’s the only true friend and family you feel like you’ve ever known. Even though Master Setne has been there for you through all your highs and lows, only Anakin Skywalker feels like home.

Your first few years at the temple felt so dark and clouded, but the day you met the young boy changed everything. His aura was warm and inviting, and it blended so beautifully with yours - his light blue the perfect complement to your vibrant orange.

You were acquainted quickly, and inseparable from that moment on. Your training was slightly slower than his, but still you made the point to work hard and stay close to him. Even as younglings, any time you could be together, you were. Later in life, Anakin would taunt you for this, saying you were always chasing after him, following him like a lost Loth-cat. But you knew in your heart that he never wanted to be without you. He felt protective over you. He liked knowing you were with him should anything go wrong, as if the boy could do anything to stop impending threats. It brought him joy and comfort to see your smile as you chased him down every hall of the temple.

Later on, however, your training would take you down slightly separate roads. Obi-wan insisted that Anakin’s training be practical and hands-on, something you wished desperately for. However, you were stuck at the temple, learning theory and force abilities, glued to holo-screens full of ancient texts, your brain overwhelmed and understimulated. You longed for the day you got to experience a fight; you craved danger and secretly wished for an outrageous calamity on a far-off planet where you could sweep in and save the day.

However, the days where Anakin joined your studies kept you hopeful. The stolen glances behind monitors and quiet laughter that arose from your persistent silly faces kept a smile plastered on your face for weeks. Any moment shared with Anakin filled your days and nights with a longing bliss; a dream of what life could be like when it was just the two of you, the rest of the world falling away. Every responsibility or dread of impending doom faded to a place you could not reach and did not care to look. Only he mattered. And you hoped - dreamed - that he felt the same for you.

You wondered if maybe when he was on assignment off world, facing unknown dangers and near-death experiences, if you were on his mind. If when he came back bloodied and bruised, he wished for you to greet him first, for you to comfort him at his side in the infirmary. Obviously, you were important to him, being one of the only other people willing to put up with his boyish arrogance, but still you feared you may not have brought him the same comfort that he did for you.

As you grew older, you were lucky to find your bedchambers right next door to those of Anakin’s, and even more lucky to know that your headboards fell against the same adjacent wall. The two of you spent countless nights reaching out through the force to feel each other's presence. A tease for what you could have, had your barrier disappear. As you tuned your skills, you were able to do more than feel each other's auras. Eventually, you lay awake night after night speaking to each other in a way most could never understand. It was more than words shared amongst friends. It was a swirling mix of emotions and images and fears and dreams, blended together intimately between the wall which kept your physical forms separate.

When you were teens - almost adults - you found ways to become more reckless. Sneaking out to roam the temple halls and explore to places previously forbidden. Finding your way to rooftop balconies of your own making and watching the stars of Coruscant’s sky. Anakin would list off the plethora of different systems he had been to, whereas you were only able to name a handful that you’d visited yourself. You followed his lead, as he yearned to push every boundary in his way. He had never been one to follow commands blindly, and it leaked into the life he shared with you. Your stolen moments were often a direct product of Anakin’s juvenile disregard for the Order’s attempt to control him.

One night, you were readying yourself for sleep when you heard your door quickly slide open and shut before you could even turn to observe it.

“What the-” you start to question as you turn to face the intruder.

“Your senses must be dulling, young Padawan” he starts with a whisper. “If you cannot sense my presence after so many years together.”

“First of all, Anakin, you’re a Padawan as well, so don’t even start that. And second, as much as I wish I could ignore your cocky presence in the Force, I tend not to expect anyone's presence when I’m about to go to sleep for the night.”

“Well, if you can only feel my presence when you are expecting it, you won't be a very efficient Knight, will you, little one?”

“Anakin, I swear. I’m only a year younger than you, please stop calling me that!” Every time he talks about how young you are, your heart splinters just a little. Every day you wished he saw you in a better light, saw you for the woman you almost were, instead of the child he first met. “And I would be a better Jedi if Master Setne actually believed in me. But no. I’m stuck here while you get to go wave your saber around every star system in the galaxy. I mean come on it’s not like you're so special. Hmm Mister ‘Chosen One’”

“Erg, I wish you’d stop that.” He grunted quietly.

“What? I mean Obi-wan believes it. His master believed it too. It’s not so crazy-”

“No. I wished you’d stop. Stop thinking of me like that.” His words pierce you like ice, a harsh grip at your throat. Stop thinking of me like that. His words brought an irrational wave of confusion to your thoughts. Every fear you’d known came bubbling to the surface in a moment, fearing he knew of your affection… and subsequently didn’t return it. “And I wish you didn’t think of yourself like that. You are talented, little one. You're brilliant and cunning. I’ve sparred with you enough to know that you would be able to hold your own out there.”

He moves to sit on your bed, although you remain frozen on the spot. Anakin gazes out of your floor-to-ceiling window, “I’m not better than you. I’m not who they want me to be. I’m not Chosen.” He whispers quietly, almost low enough that you wonder if he even intended for you to hear.

Slowly, your heartbeat evens out and you think you begin to breathe again. It's not your feelings of love that he despised, but your eagerness to view him as superior to you. The feeling in your fingertips and toes returns and it is enough to get you to move towards the window as well.

You move carefully to sit cross-legged beside him, and you join him in watching the bustle of Coruscant in silence. After several minutes of gazing at speeders pass by and store signs blink repeatedly you place your hand on his thigh and gently tilt your head to rest on his shoulder.

“I know you Anakin, arguably better than most, and you are talented. You’re amazing. There’s a reason you're out there keeping peace, while the rest of us barely get to leave the temple. You may just be the best Jedi of our age one day. Chosen or not.”

“I doubt that very much.” He spoke plainly, almost compulsory. Like he knew your words were true, but he had to deny them anyway. Anakin had always been self-assured. He never tried very hard but could somehow always tackle any difficult topic during training. Something that might take you a month to master took him mere minutes.

“Modesty doesn’t look good on you.” You note, as you take in the way his brow furrows and his lips scrunch into a frown. He always looked good, the damn jerk, but poking at his ego always came easy to you.

“I won’t lie to you,” He starts as he meets your examining gaze, and you dare to raise your brow, “You’d see right through me if I even tried,” he smiles, and you stifle a giggle as you listen closely to his next confession, “I do think I could be great. I notice how easy everything comes to me, how little work I have to put in, especially compared to you. Sometimes I even think Obi-wan is running out of things to teach me. He deals more in life lessons now than saber training. And I do wish to one day be on the council, maybe even lead it-”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream that far Anakin,” you cut him off, and you don't miss the worry that fills his face. Eager to ease him, you finish, “I doubt you’ll be able to outlive Master Yoda. 900 years he’s going on, if I’m correct? Good luck topping that.” And with a wink you see ease wash over him, with a huff of laughter barely escaping his nose.

“You’ve got me there, little one.” He says as he turns his stare back to the city. “Regardless, even though I know I could make it, I wonder if it’s truly the place for me.” He finishes. But in a second you whip your eyes around to meet his staring back at you.

“What are you talking about Anakin! You’re everything the council looks for. Brave, talented, brilliant, and even after all that, you care. You care about protecting the galaxy, keeping peace. You care about everyone around you. They should count themselves lucky to have you amongst their ranks. And besides…” You start to confess, but quickly lose momentum.

After a moment of quiet, Anakin presses you, “Besides what?”

“Anakin, if you don’t belong here… You have to because…”

“Little one?”

“If you don’t belong here, how can I?” You finally admit, both to him and yourself. You know it is foolish, but you’ve always thought of him as the ideal Jedi. Perfect in every way. Ready for battle, or negotiation. Wanting to save everyone with his kind heart. If he didn’t believe he fit here, how could you? How could anyone?

“Hey, don’t say that. You’re an amazing Jedi, well Jedi-in-training.” he corrects himself, “I just think sometimes I’m not made to sit and talk about issues. And I worry that when I have the freedom to be a fully-fledged Knight, I may not agree with the council. Even now I often wonder if their decisions are the best, or most efficient. They seem so detached from it all…” His eyes fall to his lap, and from only his profile you can see how worried he truly is about the matter.

“You’re right.” His eyes dart up to meet your own, that lost look beginning to melt in the presence of your agreement. “They do seem detached but isn’t that the way it's supposed to be. ‘No attachments’ and all that. If they - if we - attach ourselves to things, we cannot make educated decisions. We must trust in The Force for guidance. And since our Master’s have developed their connections fully, we must trust their decisions as they work through The Force.”

“Yes. You are right.” Anakin begins, a tone of disappointment lodged in his voice.

“But we must also trust ourselves,” you counter, “And know that our own connection to The Force might guide us differently from what the council suggests. If we can’t trust ourselves, we have no business being Jedi, in-training that is.” You finish, and you hope that Anakin has not lost hope in your words. He basically told you that he feels the same struggle that you do, but you were too ashamed to admit that. You wish to yourself that you could be like him. Brave and courageous. Daring and bold. Willing to bare himself to you so openly and knowing full-well what consequences may come. “Anakin,” your voice now only a whisper, and you make your way to hold his hand, “I hope you know that you do belong here. Even if you never make it on the council.” His eyes now full of confusion and hurt from your words, but you persist. “Even if you are the Chosen One... or not. All I know is what I’ve seen. And I have seen you become a strong, caring man. A man who does what he believes is right, no matter the consequences to himself. Even the things you neglect to tell me, I hear from the Temple gossip. I know how close to death you’ve been, for the sake of others. You’ve risked your life, even for your Master on occasion. I mean come on, Anakin. How could we not be lucky to have you here? One day you will do something incredible for the Jedi order, I know it. Even if you don’t think so, I know. I know you belong here, and I know you will be the best of us. So, if you don’t trust yourself, or your Master, or The Force... then trust me.”

The words tumbled from your tongue like an avalanche, unstoppable and devastating. The moment they left you, you wished for your Life Force to be sucked away on the spot. But Anakin just stared at you. He stared and you stared back. And if not for the noise of the upper levels of Coruscant, you might have thought you had been transported somewhere new; to a place where only you two existed. You could feel his body heat diffusing through his fingers to your frozen clutch, yet still your blood ran cold out of the fear for what might happen next.

“What will come of us when we are Knighted, little one?” He asked through an equally hushed tone. “What will I do without your constant guidance?”

“What will I do without you, Anakin? I already can’t stand being left here alone so often, watching you traverse the galaxy with Obi-wan. When you’re Knighted, which could very well be any day now, you’ll be gone for so much longer. And I’ll still be here.”

You barely manage to breathe in the presence of the suffocating silence that follows your words. But soon after, you hear Anakin's quiet unassured voice return. “I could take you with me?”

“Stop it, Anakin.” You playfully retort.

“I’m serious.” His voice becoming stronger in his conviction, “Once we are Knighted - the both of us - we can ask to be assigned together. It would be unwise for the council to deny how well we work together. You’d only have to wait until you face the trials, which I know won't be long either. You work hard enough, and Master Sente would be a fool to keep you locked up here much longer.” The dream of partnering with Anakin brings warmth back to your body, and you allow yourself a moment to indulge in the picture. You and Anakin defending each other, protecting each other. The long trips through hyperspace where you could strategize, and train together. You could spend every day and every night with each other. The dream is delectable.

But it is just that. A dream.

Not only would you need the approval of the council and need to wait until whenever your Master decided you were ready for the trials. But you also knew that new Knights were rarely assigned together. If anything, they were often stationed with their Master’s for months until it was assured they could handle any troubles on their own.

“It’s a nice idea,” you placate his wistful thinking, “I truly hope we get to see that day soon.” And with those words you decide the night must come to an end. You nudge Anakin's side and remark the hour, “Our Master’s will have us running drills for days if they catch us up so late past curfew.”

“Well then. Until the sun rises,” He says with a wink.

“And until the sun sets.” You finish as you watch your door slide shut between you and him.

~~~~~~~

Part 2

Thanks for reading!

There will be 3 parts to this story, so if you enjoyed, stay tuned!! Its gonna be tragic..

[standard-muse]

What happened to Rey?

Rey was honestly one of my favorite characters coming out of TFA, but I couldn’t figure out why I was walking out of TROS feeling like there was something off about her. I decided to dive into a character study to see what the issues were. That’s when I realized the unbelievable character regression we witnessed in TROS. I know I’m not the first one to notice this or comment on it, but here are some of the key elements I noticed.

Rey’s Wardrobe:  Rey’s wardrobe in the first two movies does an interesting thing. She starts off in an off-white outfit, very similar to the looks we see on Anakin in TPM and Luke in ANH. This signals the beginning of all three of their stories. Each character begins as a child and is inexperienced and naïve in their training and maturity. Then, we move to the second movie. Rey progresses to cool grays, Anakin movies to a series of deep blues, browns and black; and Luke also moves to a gray color scheme. This signals the growth, the changes, the rise in maturity and knowledge, and signals the step that they are no longer in that place of innocence and adolescence. This matches what we see on screen in ESB as Luke dives deep into his training, Anakin goes on his first solo mission in AOTC, and Rey trains with Luke in TLJ – it fits perfectly.

Then, we get to the third movie. And here’s where the problems begin with the choices they made with her character. In ROTS Anakin is wearing all black, he has a gloved hand -- his wardrobe not only signals his completion into maturity but also foreshadows his eventual turn to Vader. Luke is also wearing all black, at one point he has a cloak, and his wardrobe shows the struggle and trials he’s been through. Luke is no longer the same man he was in ANH. Famously, Luke’s all black wardrobe raises the question of “will he turn to the dark side like his father?” And after he refuses, we see the white lining to understand that he was always good on the inside. If we were to follow this trend (since Star Wars is supposed to rhyme), Rey should have been wearing dark colors. A darker color would have also been a nice callback to the teasing question we had with Luke, but instead the question would have been “Will we see Rey join Kylo on the Sith throne?” Instead, what we got was a blindingly white outfit that was identical to her TFA outfit. Not only does this symbolically point to a regression in her character and the work and training she’s gone through, the stark white paints her as an innocent – a pure creature that is untouched and has a naivety about her and her experiences. More than that, it’s almost identical to the outfit she wears in the flashback when her parents leave, telling us that after the acceptance we witness in TLJ that her parents are gone and her place is ahead of her instead of behind, she’s suddenly regressed back to waiting for her parents to return to her. This outfit did not suite the Rey that we left in TLJ who showed development and experience. 

Rey’s Hair: It’s been a common theory that the reason Rey has her 3-bun hair style is because it’s the same hair she had when her parents left; and the reason she kept it was so they could recognize her if they returned. This ties into the same point made that she is wearing the same outfit she had as a little girl so they could recognize her too. The irrational hope that even as she knows (as Kylo unlocks this memory within her) that her parents are gone, she still won’t let it go. The problem with this hair choice for TROS is that Rey had already moved passed this way of thinking. In TLJ we see his beautiful moment of her accepting Kylo’s words to “Kill the past so you can be who you were meant to be”, seconds later after this scene she dives into water (i.e. a rebirth or baptism) and comes out with her hair down. This was beautifully done and was a great way to show the big step Rey had just taken in her character journey. Not only that, but immediately after she lets her hair down, she reaches out to Kylo again and they admit to each other that they’ll never let the other person be alone (i.e. a new family). Unfortunately, the writers of TROS decided not to follow up on this, and instead her character goes back to the same little girl hairstyle she’s had since she was a young child. This felt like Rey tacking a Padawan braid in her hair after she had already ceremoniously cut it off. There was no excuse or reason to justify it either other than that she reverted to a child like state.

She was living with Leia, the Princess from Alderaan, the place with a culture famous for their braids. Would it not have made infinitely more sense for Rey to be sporting an Alderaan-like braided hairstyle? Not only would that have helped TROS’s “New-Found Family” theme they were poorly trying to convey, but it also would have emphasized the relationship and connection between Rey and Leia. It would have been an easy way to show the audience that Rey and Leia had bonded, without them having to film it (which they couldn’t have anyways).

Rey’s Staff and Saber: Now, Rey’s staff has been with her since the first moments of TFA. She relentlessly carries it around with her all across Jakku and it’s her main form of protection. This makes total sense in the TFA timeline. However, about halfway through TLJ we see her shift her attitude towards the staff. There is a moment on Ahch-To where she’s practicing with it, she stops, and instead shifts to using the legacy saber for her training. Not only that, but during her fight with Luke she uses the staff for a moment, only to quickly drop it in favor of the same saber. After which point, she never uses it again in TLJ. By the beginning of TROS, after we’ve clearly seen the legacy saber working and her using it, it makes no sense for her to continue carrying around the staff. The staff was a symbol of her time on Jakku, it was her main weapon of choice before she became a Jedi and before she joined the Resistance. After she goes on her journey for a little bit, in TLJ she moves past that, she sets it aside in favor of the saber since that is where her future is. However ��� in TROS she inexplicably goes back to carrying it around like a safety blanket. It's another tether to her childhood that the writers insisted on keeping around even though it had no purpose. She uses it one time with Zorii Bliss, but even then in a second she swaps it out for the saber. There was no purpose for her to have this staff with her and more often then not, it hinders her ability to use her saber, the true Jedi weapon. In one scene—ridiculously—she carrying around the staff, the saber, the sith dagger, Han’s blaster, and Chewie’s crossbow and bandolier. She looked like the character from Jumanji with the giant backpack that is just known as the weapons valet.

As for the saber and how it relates to her character regression… In TFA we hear Maz Kanata say “This lightsaber belonged to Luke, and his father before him, and now it calls to you.” She then proceeds to use the lightsaber to defeat Kylo Ren and the Praetorian Guards all on her own. She’s trained with it, it flies into her hand when she calls to it, and she retrieved it after Luke threw it away on Ahch-To. This was Rey’s saber. However, in TROS we get this perplexing line of her returning the saber to Leia (who never owned it?) and saying she’ll earn it again one day. This was wrong on so many levels. Not only did Rey already earn this lightsaber, and it called out to her in Maz’s castle and on Starkiller; but the fact that she doesn’t even assume she’s worthy of holding a lightsaber means her Jedi’s journey is in it’s infant stage in the final film of the trilogy. Compare this to our other main protagonists Anakin and Luke, they’re both masters (sorry, Anakin) at their craft and proficient and confident with a saber. Anakin defeats Dooku when Obi-Wan can’t and Luke has built his own saber and takes on an entire barge of criminals. They’re both exactly where they should be in their Jedi/Hero’s journey at this point in the story. But, in TROS, Rey takes an epic step backwards from all the groundwork done in TFA and in TLJ and is put in the place of a Padawan. Where she should have been prepared to fill in the shoes of master, she’s not even fit to carry a lightsaber without permission from a parental figure. What’s worse, it is brought to our attention that Rey is trying to earn this saber, and in the end, she ends up just burying it in the sand and making a new one anyways. In a weird way this feels like she gave up on that idea entirely, or failed at it, and instead decided to make a new one because in the end she didn’t feel worthy to use it.

Rey’s Maturity/Emotional Mindset: For lack of better word, Rey’s maturity in this movie takes a huge step back as well. Again, if we look at our other protagonists Anakin and Luke, they both start off as young, naïve, and somewhat whiny. Rey, blessedly, never whined but we do see a great amount of youthfulness and child-like behaviors from her in TFA. She slides around on sand dunes, she runs away in Maz’s castle when she gets scared, she plays around with a x-wing helmet. This is the perfect place for her character to begin and balances great with the parallel of Luke and Anakin who both are in similar states. Then, in TLJ, like Luke and Anakin, Rey matures. She’s no longer playing around, she faces Luke head on and fights for what she knows is right, she doesn’t shy away when she’s scared, she enters into a relationship much like Anakin did – signaling her maturity and stepping into adulthood. Rey in TLJ grows up so much in the best possible way. After her hair comes down, and after she shares the hut moment with Kylo, she steps up fully and makes the choice to go and save him, moving away from her master to go on the journey on her own. She faces Snoke with her chin held high and doesn’t cower or get persuaded by him. She never lashes out irrationally and is poised and dignified the entire time. We see this again at the end with Kylo and her during the last force-bond scene of TLJ. This is after they’ve already parted ways and after she realizes he’s taken on the mantle of Supreme Leader. What we see is Rey standing there, poised and dignified, mature and calm as she looks him dead in the eye and closes the door on him. I’ve seen 50-year-old adults less mature than Rey is in that moment – and it is a wonderful moment of her character growth.

This was mentioned by @Forcebond-Shenanigans and I wanted to touch on it a little bit more. Rey in TROS acts completely irrational to Kylo up until…well Exegol basically. In one particular scene, Kylo is calmly standing there (in the weirdest framed shot ever, but that’s besides the point) talking to her normally on his ship, warning her that Palpatine is trying to kill her, and Rey immediately pulls out her lightsaber, bares her teeth, and threatens him. In fact, any time he is present around her, she attacks even though he never tries to attack back. Kylo, in every scene, is just trying to have a normal adult conversation and Rey—for some reason—keeps trying to fight him. It’s undoubtedly immature and goes against everything we’d seen between the two of them in TLJ.

This. Does. Not. Make. Sense.

In TLJ she’s already established a close, intimate connection with Kylo. She’s told him her deepest thoughts and feelings and he’s listened calmly. She already knows she can sit down and have a normal, easy, rational conversation with him even after what happens in Snoke’s throne room. It might have made sense for her to lash out at him if he too had his lightsaber out, or was threatening her, or doing something else sinister. But even when he’s trying to help her by letting her know Palpatine is after her, she still lashes out at him. This, in no way, fits the Rey we saw at the end of TLJ who was able to calmly close a door on Kylo without so much as creasing her forehead at him. Her attitude towards him for 95% of this movie feels like we’re stuck in the middle of the Starkiller Battle.

Rey’s Hero Journey/The Tatooine Ending: For Anakin and Luke, we see their hero’s journey come full circle within their trilogies. Anakin starts off as a child, learns the Jedi ways, becomes proficient at it, and by the end of ROTS is ready to lead the next generation (He just…takes a detour to the dark side instead). Luke as well, begins as child-like figure, learns the Jedi ways, moves beyond the point of needing a master, and by the end is ready to pass the baton to the next generation of Jedi. Rey begins as a child, learns the ways of the Jedi, becomes very skilled at it…then goes back to needed a teacher, is unworthy of her lightsaber, needs the help of other Jedi to fight off Palpatine, and ends the movie going back to the home of her masters who were also a sort of parental pair to her (which is weird, but for other reasons).

Now, Rey was put in this place of taking on the mantel of the Last Jedi. She inherits that from Luke after Luke passes. Presumably, that set her up to lead the next generation of Jedi as that was what Snoke was trying to prevent Luke from doing. She is supposed to pass on that knowledge so that the Jedi can survive. However, by the end of her story she’s simply…not ready. Comparatively, if we look at either Anakin or Luke, they were ready to pass the baton to the next generation. Luke had proven himself to the point where even Yoda says, “No more training do you require.” And Obi-Wan says to Anakin, “I’ve taught you everything I know, and you’ve become a far greater Jedi than I ever hope to be.” Both our protagonists in the OT and PT are clearly shown to be at the end of their training and ready to lead the next generation. Rey, on the other hand, begins TROS still acting like a padawan who’s trying to earn her lightsaber. This was such a bad writing choice as we now finish this story with Rey not in the place of being able to adequately pass that knowledge along to others, and even worse, not even ready to be considered a master at her own craft herself. This would be like Anakin ending the trilogy in a Pre-AOTC state of being. It’s unresolved, it’s unfinished. They backtracked her journey so much she’s not even close.

To further this blunder, we get this extremely bizarre scene on Tatooine. It’s weird from the second we see the ship land and it gets weirder every second we’re there. Rey, who should be a mature leader, stepping into the shoes of Luke and Leia, ready to lead the next generation of Jedi as a master is…sliding around in the sand like she did on Jakku. One might call this a cute callback to TFA, but in a lot of ways all this did was further drive home the blatant character regression we see in Rey. She is now ending her story in the exact same way she started it in Jakku. Comparatively, If we look at Luke in ANH we see him in white, dreamily standing and looking at the twin suns. At the end of ROTJ, we see him dignified and powerful as he watches the force-ghosts. Luke by the end also has a new outfit on that’s drastically different than the one he started with, he’s surrounded by his friends and family, and you can see the change in him. Anakin in TPM compared to ROTS is even more extreme, the little boy is now a full-grown man, a man who got married, who had kids, and is now second in command to the Galactic Empire as he’s clothed in metal. Rey, in TFA starts off alone on a dessert planet, clothed in white, dreamily looking up at the sky. And ends her journey in TROS alone on a dessert planet, clothed in white, dreamily looking up at the sky.

And as if that wasn’t strange enough, the scene gets even more bizarre. At the end of her story, Rey should be confident in who she is, she should be taking on the mantel of master she should be leading others, and she should be at the point in her life where she’s not looking for her parents so she can be a kid again, but instead is thinking about starting her own family (not saying right away, but that’s where her direction should be). This is the natural place for somebody who’s now fully an adult and has gone through all the growth she did. By the end of her story she should have fully replaced her master’s roles and would be taking in her own padawan. Instead of looking for a parental figure, she should be in the place of being a parental figure.

And yet, instead of that, what we’re left with is a moment where somebody asks Rey who she is and she inexplicably turns to her metaphorical parents, as if asking for permission, and then tells this lady she’s a Skywalker. And as much as I’d like to think she took this name because it was Ben’s name and she was claiming herself to be his wife, unfortunately I think the reason she took it was because she was still, still stuck on trying to replace this parent figure in her life.The issue here isn’t with her choosing a new family, which presumably was the point of her story in TROS even though it was botched and spliced together, the issue was that the writers decided to end her story with Luke and Leia, in the weirdest way, almost taking her in as their kid. It might have worked if there was the whole family of Skywalkers there and she was embracing everybody equally, but the fact we only see Luke and Leia (who she calls her masters and who act as the parental figures to her in this movie), and the fact she doesn’t choose Solo or some other new name, one could argue the point that this wasn’t a new name by marriage or a new name by embracing a new identity, but decidedly was Rey stepping into the roll of Luke and Leia’s adopted daughter. The complete opposite of where you’d expect her character growth to end up (e.g. moving forward and starting her own family and being the leader of that family), Rey finishes her story by stepping into the role that is almost always reserved to the role of a child. And it makes no sense for our main protagonist to end up here.

.

Not only did Rey’s character stay stagnant throughout this movie, in a lot of ways it made a complete 180 to the point where if felt like we were watching TFA Rey.

Overall, this left me feeling unbelievably frustrated at TROS and the disservice it did to all of it’s characters – but Rey in particular. She is such a great character and we could have seen so much more from her than this. She deserved so much more than this. She earned it. Rey was a strong character and a wonderful inspiration to many people and this movie completely sacrificed her story for the sake of fan service. I have never cried more during a movie than I did during this one and all of that can be traced to how bad I felt for all these characters and what the writers did to them. I hope one day we can see them again but in the hands of somebody who takes care of them.

[palpipeen]

And Nothing Bad EVER Happened!AU Brainstorming

Y'all know the drill: If you're under the age of 18, DNI with this post/this blog. Nothing NSFW under the cut, but just in case~

So I'm going to put a bunch of these ideas in a fic/under a specific tag at some point, but I'm Having Thoughts™ about what exactly happens and how things work

First of all, nothing bad ever happened doesn't mean that nobody dies. Lots of people died. It was a fucking war, of course people died. But the war DOES end early in this AU - maybe Dooku gets killed by Anakin and Obi-Wan/the Jedi and Palpatine gets discovered. Maybe not killed so there's still high stakes, maybe the rest of the war efforts are spent trying to kill him and protect whoever will replace him (Bail Organa Bail Organa Bail Organa Bail Org-).

O66 obviously does not happen because like - come on. Palpatine was right there, how could they not sense the Dark Side just pouring off of him once he's realized he's been discovered? IDK, I can't claim to know all there is to know about Star Wars lore, but maybe someone manages to prevent him from sending the order out. And maybe the inhibitor chips are very secretly removed or deactivated in order to not arouse suspicion. (For personal reasons, I think the most important ones to start with would be the Guard/the 501st/212th.)

Honestly in this AU, I think one of the most poetic things that could happen is Anakin sacrificing himself to kill Sidious. Maybe it almost works - maybe while Sidious and Anakin are facing off against each other, Siddies almost successfully talks Anakin into turning against the Jedi. He's faced a lot of hardships becoming a Jedi - Sidious can offer him power, and can help him ensure that Padme never dies. But in this AU, Anakin perceives that as a threat against his wife. And his twins, who were born mere hours before this big fight. So he dies for her and his kids, in front of the members of the Council who'd come for the final showdown. IDK who lands the killing blow - maybe Obi-Wan, maybe Plo Koon, WHO KNOWS. But because of this, Anakin is still lauded as a hero, as the chosen one, because he resisted Palpatine's attempts and whittled him down so he could be killed.

Padme is never quite the same after his death, but I think she lives long enough to see Luke and Leia make it to their preteens-young adulthood. She's still a senator and a strong woman, but her heart just sort of breaks slowly over the years and she never recovers. I'm not gonna give her Disney-Mom-Syndrome and say she gets killed off while they're itty bitty children. Luke and Leia know that their parents loved them.

So obviously, with their dad gone, everyone around the Skywalker-Amidala family take on the 'it takes a village to raise a child' mentality. Uncle-Obi is arguably the closest father figure they have, though Rex and Cody come in at a very close second. Ahsoka also is a steady figure in their lives, and if anyone were to train Leia I could see it being her. (Also Leia and Padme have a very similar dynamic to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.) Luke I could see joining the Jedi Order later on down the line.

Speaking of later down the line: Serious reforms are made to the Jedi Code. Particularly the age at which children are taken in. Padme in particular is a HUGE advocate for this, bringing up Anakin's case and treatment to drive home the point. The Jedi Order isn't perfect, but nothing ever is in this universe.

Speaking of things not being perfect...how 'bout them Clones?

So for the clone army, when the war ends and the inhibitor chips are all either removed or deactivated safely, the Republic and the clones are just staring at each other like 'what do.' Because seriously, what do you do with hundreds of thousands (or a million, I know the sources aren't reliable about that) of cloned soldiers who are now left without a war to fight in?

Well, first of all, give them fucking basic human rights. Yet again Padme and Bail are the ones to spearhead this, with the Jedi Order being very loudly supportive of this. It's pretty much a unanimous decision, though I can see the seeds of future villainous bullshit being planted by those who drag their feet about it.

More in part 2 bc tumblr hates blocks of text HEE HEE

[jasontoddiefor]

Title: infinitely varied Ship: obikin Summary: Sometimes your husband decides to develop an artificial intelligence capable of free choice and something called a soul and succeeds in the middle of a Thursday night. Or, more concretely: he's in the middle of succeeding because said intelligence first has to learn how to speak.Also known as Obi-Wan and Anakin teach a tiny program called A.H.S.O.K.A. how to be something more than lines of code via the power of linguistics. AN: Happy birthday @ghostwriterofthemachine

Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation.

Noam Chomsky

I.

Life was a query of expectations, margins on doorframes, bucket lists, first loves, broken hearts, and happy middles because only fools would settle for a happy ending when they had so many decades left to live. The thought never failed to bring a smile to Anakin’s face, no matter how frustrated, remembering the simple way Obi-Wan had proposed. There had been no fancy dinner, particularly stunning outing, or anything resembling outlandish romantic gestures. Anakin would have appreciated them because every act would have been colored by Obi-Wan’s love, but now, older and wiser than the rash youth who’s fallen in love at first heated debate, he preferred the way their proposal had actually gone down. A quiet Sunday morning, eating breakfast together on the sofa while the news droned in the background from Anakin’s old radio, a hesitant “I don’t need forever, but I want the present”.

And, well, for all his genius, Anakin could be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but not when it came to this.

Married life was interesting.

Somehow nothing changed, except also everything. They had bought a real house, moved out of their old apartment and made more compromises than Anakin had ever thought himself capable of, for they hadn’t been like fighting an uphill battle but dancing together. It had made him happy to paint the entrance hall in the shade of green Obi-Wan preferred if he got to paint the kitchen in the light blue he wanted.

Obi-Wan got the attic for his office where his antique book collection looked right at home, and Anakin got the basement where the hum of his servers and the generator powering them annoyed nobody else.

It was as close to white-picket-fence as it could be with two queer men, no kids, a bratty cat, and an anxious dog under one roof. His childhood self would be appalled to see how much Anakin, always the whirlwind, had settled. To a nine-year-old, Anakin probably looked very adult.

Anakin, however, did not feel very grown-up, banging his head against his desk in the middle of the night. Obi-Wan had gone to sleep hours ago, and so had Anakin until inspiration had struck and he’d snuck out of bed to return to his favorite project.

A.H.S.O.K.A may not be a child, but Anakin certainly could relate to exhausted parents when they complained about their children in endless repetitions. To this day, Anakin didn’t know why his mother figured it would be great parenting to encourage her WarGames obsessed kid to dig into the world of artificial intelligence when WOPR nearly started a nuclear war, but he’d forever remain thankful.

Or, he’d resume being thankful when he could finally get A.H.S.O.K.A to learn. He’d rewritten her code a thousand times. It was his ever-constant companion, from his first awful-looking early 2000s website to its current incarnation. A.H.S.O.K.A could solve simple logic puzzles, given that he fed her enough data. Her solutions to tasks could be downright hilarious, but they were not enough. He wanted her to be smarter, better, capable of gaining true understanding.

Perhaps, it was a dream for the future and not a Thursday night.

Anakin didn’t have any work tomorrow morning as he worked as a freelancer, so he could afford to pull an all-nighter. But his dear husband had planned a nice afternoon for them, so Anakin should call it a night or a morning as a glance at the clock told him.

Staring at the many lines of code again, Anakin sighed and leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his by-now cold tea. Obi-Wan would definitely complain that Anakin had snatched his favorite mug once he got up and couldn’t find it in the kitchen. Anakin had bought it at the last linguistic convention Obi-Wan had taken him to.

Language is a process of free invention, it read in delicate cursive before the rest of the quote disassembled in pure chaos.

Huh.

Now there was a thought. Anakin got out of his chair and left the basement, haunted by fixed principles and infinite combinations. Up in the attic, carrying Obi-Wan’s computer downstairs again, Anakin thought on interpretations and free creations. He was as giddy and nervous as he’d been on the morning of his wedding day, which had started similarly early. Connecting Obi-Wan’s computer, and more importantly, the priced result of his thesis, to Anakin’s server felt a little like unwrapping birthday presents.

language_acquisition_prediction.exe

Enter.

II.

Obi-Wan was not surprised when he woke to an empty bed. Anakin had a habit of suddenly pulling all-nighters or getting up early before the sun even thought of rising. Given that he couldn’t smell breakfast yet, Obi-Wan deduced that Anakin had pulled an all-nighter again. He slowly crawled out of bed to avoid disturbing Artoo and Threepio sleeping to his feet. Obi-Wan was pretty sure he shared his bed more often with his pets than he did with his husband.

He walked down the stairs to the ground level and went by the kitchen to prepare himself a cup of tea. To his displeasure, Obi-Wan couldn’t find his favorite mug and so had to settle for another. After another thought, he decided to make a second one for Anakin, lavender this time so Anakin would hopefully crash after breakfast. He put both mugs on a small tray together with a couple tomatoes. Obi-Wan usually wasn’t one for eating a full breakfast on workdays – that was the influence of Anakin and his mother’s kitchen – but he was the expert in smalltime snacks. With both in hand, he walked down the second flight of stairs, down to the basement. As expected, he found Anakin at his desk, clinging to what was bound to be a cold cup, staring intensely at his screens, which were running one program or another.

“Good morning,” Obi-Wan greeted him and kissed Anakin’s cheek.

“Mo-orning,” Anakin replied, a yawn interrupting him halfway. “Wait, what time is it?”

“Eight,” Obi-Wan said. “How long have you been up?”

“Uuuh.” Obi-Wan didn’t need to see Anakin’s face to know the answer. “Did you even go to sleep?”

“I did sleep for a while!” Anakin argued. “But then I had an idea, I mean, look at this!”

Obi-Wan gave the screens a closer look. Despite common misconceptions, he was not technically illiterate. Privately, he blamed the fact that Anakin was quite well known for his tech know-how and Obi-Wan tended to talk more about literature given that he was filling in as a lecturer in the British Lit. department. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan had gotten his professorship with a program he’d written, and the code currently displayed on the screens looked very similar to a section that had given him stress nightmares. “Is that my thesis?” he asked.

“Yes, sorta, partially?” Anakin replied. “I kind of took it apart a lot and maybe corrupted it a bit, but that’s not the important part! Look what she’s doing with it.”

She could only refer to one person, intelligence. There were a few constants in their life, their new house the most recent one, and Ahsoka was probably the longest. Obi-Wan didn’t know why Anakin hadn’t set her aside already, he was happy enough to leave other started-never-finished projects lying around, but the last time he’d even just suggested such, Anakin had looked heartbroken.

Obi-Wan looked at the screen Anakin was pointing at and began to read.

script input: inhibition auditory input 1 designation skyguy: /ˌɪn.ɪˈbɪʃ.ən/ auditory input 2 designation professor: /ˌɪn.hɪˈbɪʃ.ən/ analysis: mismatch diagnosis: outstanding

script input: better auditory input 1 designation skyguy: /ˈbet̬.ɚ/ auditory input 2 designation professor: /ˈbet.ər/ analysis: mismatch diagnosis: rhoticism? query: define

The text continued for a while, though apparently Ahsoka only picked out the mismatched parts in her analysis.

“Is that ‘Must have done something right’?” Obi-Wan asked, the connection between the words suddenly starting to make sense.

“Yes!” Anakin grinned. “I wasn’t quite sure how to teach her sounds properly because I hadn’t equipped her with a sound analysis program before and I figured that if babies just learn by listening to their parents, Ahsoka could learn by listening to us.”

“So you fed her audio of us singing?” Obi-Wan wasn’t sure whether to be impressed, confused, or just plain tired but decided to settle on confusion for now and let the course of the conversation determine where they’d end up.

“That too, but I actually just started by playing old voice messages. I figured getting her used to just one phonetic inventory would be enough for now. Honestly, for the first hour, I wasn’t even sure whether that would be of any use because she had no symbols to connect the sounds to, and I thought using the IPA might bias her.”

Because, of course, Anakin never deleted any of Obi-Wan’s voice messages and just kept them on his phone. The fact that he just glossed over it as if it weren’t anything special either made Obi-Wan smile.

“It’s cute that you think we have the same inventory,” Obi-Wan commented. “But continue. You just let her listen to sounds and then? Don’t tell me you gave her written texts.”

Anakin rolled his eyes and confirmed another one of Ahsoka’s queries before answering. “No, I gave her the IPA then and let her listen to the full inventory and then analyze which ones we use.”

That made enough sense. Obi-Wan was reasonably sure it was a great deal more complicated than Anakin was lying it out right now, but it was still within the realm of possible and not downright sci-fi. There were enough programs that could analyze speech and filter out patterns, recognize even emotions and tone. Feeding data to a computer wasn’t too different from the way babies learned, though, as far as Obi-Wan knew from talking to people with children, they didn’t like their progeny being compared to lines of code.

“And you accomplished this by feeding my thesis program, which is meant to predict the language acquisition of children, to Ahsoka?”

“Yes, that, uh, happened more or less,” Anakin said, his nose scrunched up just so that Obi-Wan knew he wasn’t certain. “I’m pretty sure I like, wrote some of it down. Not all of it because I knocked out at like 4 a.m., which resulted in pretty interesting inquiries on the great vowel shift.”

Obi-Wan froze. “She’s asking about the great vowel shift?”

There was a difference in the size of the Atlantic between analyzing sounds and recognizing a six-hundred-year-old change in pronunciation.

“Not really,” Anakin said. “She just noticed the patterns? And had inquiries? We’ve been following up on it since, mostly by also giving her written text, but I think that might have backfired and confused her a bit. I’m thinking of synching up the input with a visible feed so she’d learn to associate an actual object with the sound, but I’m not sure whether that wouldn’t just lead to her matching data instead of actually learning its relevance. Can teach an AI what an apple looks like, sounds like, tastes like, but that doesn’t mean you can teach it what an apple is and all that.”

Anakin smiled impishly, and unfortunately, despite his generally messy appearance, Obi-Wan still thought he was handsome. “Please don’t cite my book back at me like that.”

Closing his eyes for a moment and pinching his nose, Obi-Wan tried to focus. This was not how he expected to start his free day. He needed to wake up and possibly grab his notes to sort out this mess. This almost made him wish the car was still wrecked and Anakin would spend all his free time fixing that. “Did you have to start her on English of all languages?”

Anakin was fluent in two other romance languages; it would have been much easier to deal with a French AI than an English one. Sighing, Obi-Wan looked at Ahsoka’s latest question and promptly frowned.

script input: bear auditory input: /beər/ match found: bare analysis: mismatch diagnosis: failed word formation query: bear = bare? query: deletion >bare<?

“How long has she been doing that?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Doing what— oh, that’s new.”

So Ahsoka had jumped from matching sounds to text to comparing sound to words and then referencing those words against one another. That was a logical step, but also a step Obi-Wan wasn’t quite sure she should be doing without prompting.

“She thinks bear and bare are related because they have the same sound. Didn’t really expect that turn of events. Should I show her those are two different words?”

“Does she even know what a word is yet?” Obi-Wan asked in turn.

“No.”

“Then teach her what a word is first— after breakfast. I want your pancakes.”

“You never want pancakes on a Friday.”

“My husband also never decided to rope me into teaching an artificial intelligence morphology before.”

Obi-Wan needed a proper meal for this. He could talk to his students on an empty stomach, but he could not deal with the latest brand of Skywalker insanity without something sweet first.

“I haven’t—”

Ever the negotiator, Obi-Wan decided to shut Anakin up with a kiss. “After breakfast.”

Ahsoka’s many questions could wait for an hour.

[gffa]

OKAY, IF I’M GONNA DO THIS, I’M GONNA DO IT PROPERLY.  WHICH MEANS YEAH IT’S GONNA GET REALLY LONG. A couple of things to say ahead of time:  Lucasfilm’s Story Group has always said CANON > WORD OF GOD when it comes to these matters, so when I quote canon examples from supplementary materials that contradict what he says, that’s LF’s official position, but that doesn’t mean that an influential person like Dave’s views couldn’t affect how things will be shaped in the future, like Deborah Chow listening to this may be influenced by it on the Obi-Wan show, despite that Master & Apprentice contradicts him.  It’s an incredibly murky area!  Mileages are going to vary.   Another thing to keep in mind is that Dave Filoni never worked on The Phantom Menace, that was long, long before his time at Lucasfilm (which I think he joined sometime around 2007? and TPM was released in 1999), that he has worked with George more than probably anyone else, but we cannot and should not treat him as infallible or the True Authority on things, because even Dave himself has said things like: “I mean, I know why I did that and what it means, but I don't like to explain too much. I love for the viewers to watch stuff and come up with their own theories -- and they frankly come up with better things that I intended.”  --Dave Filoni, Entertainment Tonight 2020 interview Or, in the same episode as the above Qui-Gon interpretation:

So, when I dig into this, I’m not doing this out of a sense of malice or even that I suddenly hate Dave or don’t appreciate all the incredible things he’s brought to SW, but in that I disagree with his take, Dave understands that he doesn’t always get it right, that he enjoys that fans come up with different things than he does and sometimes he likes those even more.  There’s room for both of us and, for all that Dave mentions George a lot (and, hey, fair enough, the guy worked with George and I’m just quoting what George Lucas has said) doesn’t mean that this is straight from George, especially because I have never seen George Lucas utter so much as a peep about how the Jedi were responsible for Anakin’s fall.  He has explicitly and frequently talked about how Anakin’s fall was his own choice, as well as I’ve never seen him say anything Jedi-critical beyond “they were kind of arrogant about themselves”.  I have read and watched every George Lucas interview I could get my hands on and maybe I’m still missing something, but that’s literally the extent of him criticizing the Jedi I have EVER seen. (It’s from the commentary on AOTC where he put in the scene with Jocasta to show they were full of themselves, but I also think it’s fair to point out that Obi-Wan immediately contradicts this by going to Dex for help, showing that it’s not necessarily a Jedi-wide thing.) Before I go further, I want to say:  this is not a post meant to tear down Qui-Gon, he is a character I actually really do love, but the focus is on showing why the above interpretation of him is wrong, which means focusing on Qui-Gon’s flaws. He has many wonderful qualities, he is someone who cared deeply and was a good person, I think things would have been better had he lived!  But Anakin’s choices did not hinge on him, because Anakin’s choices were Anakin’s, that has always been the consistent theme of how George talks about him, the way he talks about the story is always in terms of “Anakin did this” or “Anakin chose that”, and the Jedi are very consistently shown as caring, they believed very much in love and Dave’s own show (well, I say “his own show”, but honestly TCW was George’s baby primarily and he had a lot of direct, hands-on say in crafting it, through at least the first five seasons) is plenty of evidence of that. I’m not going to quote the full thing because this is already a monster post, I’m just going to focus on the Jedi stuff, because I like the other points a lot, but if you want the full text, it’s here.  The relevant part is: “In Phantom Menace, you’re watching these two Jedi in their prime fight this evil villain. Maul couldn’t be more obviously the villain. He’s designed to look evil, and he is evil, and he just expresses that from his face all the way out to the type of lightsaber he fights with. What’s at stake is really how Anakin is going to turn out. Because Qui-Gon is different than the rest of the Jedi and you get that in the movie; and Qui-Gon is fighting because he knows he’s the father that Anakin needs. Because Qui-Gon hasn’t given up on the fact that the Jedi are supposed to actually care and love and that’s not a bad thing. The rest of the Jedi are so detached and they become so political that they’ve really lost their way and Yoda starts to see that in the second film. But Qui-Gon is ahead of them all and that’s why he’s not part of the council. So he’s fighting for Anakin and that’s why it’s the ‘Duel of the Fates’ – it’s the fate of this child. And depending on how this fight goes, Anakin, his life is going to be dramatically different. “So Qui-Gon loses, of course. So the father figure, he knew what it meant to take this kid away from his mother when he had an attachment, and he’s left with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan trains Anakin at first out of a promise he makes to Qui-Gon, not because he cares about him. When they get Anakin, they find him on Tatooine, he says “Why do I feel like we’ve found another useless lifeform?” He’s comparing Anakin to Jar Jar and he’s saying “this is a waste of our time, why are we doing this, why do you see importance in these creatures like Jar Jar Binks and this ten-year-old boy? This is useless.” “So, he’s a brother to Anakin eventually but he’s not a father figure. That’s a failing for Anakin. He doesn’t have the family that he needs. He loses his mother in the next film. He fails on this promise that he made, “mother, I’m going to come back and save you”. So he’s left completely vulnerable and Star Wars is ultimately about family. So that moment in that movie which a lot of people I think diminish, “oh there’s a cool lightsaber fight”, but it’s everything that the entire three films of the prequels hangs on, is that one particular fight. And Maul serves his purpose and at that point died before George made me bring him back, but he died.“  --Dave Filoni  I’m going to take this a piece at a time to show why I really disagree with the content of both the movies and The Clone Wars supporting what Dave says and, instead, contradicts it a lot. The rest of the Jedi are so detached and they become so political that they’ve really lost their way and Yoda starts to see that in the second film. He doesn’t explain what this means, but I’m pretty sure that he’s referring to this conversation: OBI-WAN: “I am concerned for my Padawan. He is not ready to be given this assignment on his own yet.” YODA: “The Council is confident in its decision, Obi-Wan.” MACE WINDU: “The boy has exceptional skills.” OBI-WAN: “But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him... well.... arrogant.” YODA: “Yes, yes. A flaw more and more common among Jedi. Hmm... too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones.” MACE WINDU: “Remember, Obi-Wan, if the prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only one who can bring the Force back into balance.” OBI-WAN: "If he follows the right path.” None of that has anything to do with being “detached” and, further, I think this is something that’s come up with Dave’s view of Luminara a lot, because he’s described her (re: the Geonosis arc):  “We were trying to illustrate the difference between the way Anakin is raising his Padawan, and how much he cares about her, and the way Luminara raises her Padawan. Not that Luminara is indifferent, but that Luminara is detached. It’s not that she doesn’t care, but she’s not attached to her emotionally.” Here, he says that the Jedi care, in the above, he says that the Jedi don’t care, which makes me think there’s a lot of characterization drift as time goes on, especially when fandom bombards everyone with the idea that the Jedi were cold, emotionless, and didn’t care.  However, look at Luminara’s face in that arc, when she’s talking with Anakin:

That is not the face of someone who doesn’t care.  She even smiles brightly in relief when Barriss is shown to be okay, that this really doesn’t convey “detached” in an unloving or uncaring way.  (We’ll get to attachment later, that’s definitely coming.) (I’m also mostly skipping the political thing, because I think that’s just a fundamental disagreement of whether Jedi should or should not lean into politics.  My view basically boils down to that I think ALL OF US should be leaning more into politics because we are citizens who live in the world and are responsible for it, and the Jedi are no different.  This is evidenced by:  - M&A’s storyline has Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan saving the day specifically because they play politics, that’s how they manage to free the slaves, through playing politics and being part of the Republic/having Senate backing. - The Clone Wars has shown that the Jedi believe “lasting change can only come from within” and “it’s every citizen’s duty to hold their leaders accountable” when Ahsoka teaches the cadets on Mandalore, as well as that politics are not inherently bad, given that Padme and Bail are working to make the system better or “create lasting change from within [the system]” - "Trying to serve the greater good does not always make you popular” says Padme Amidala in a very caring speech - Star Wars Propaganda makes the case that the Jedi might have won the war had they leaned more into politics. - Sometimes the Jedi get unfairly accused of playing politics when there’s just no good choice and they still have to choose one or the other.) But Qui-Gon is ahead of them [re: caring and loving] all and that’s why he’s not part of the council. This is flat-out wrong in regards to canon.  Mileages are going to vary, of course, on how much one takes a novel into consideration, but Dave Filoni is not a fan with the luxury of deciding what is or isn’t canon, he works on Star Wars where canon is canon.  Now, does that mean canon will never contradict itself, especially if Dave gets to write something for Qui-Gon?  Of course not, SW isn’t immune to continuity errors and they themselves have never said otherwise, even when fans want to hold them to that standard. However, this is still pretty much a big “that’s not what happened” instance.  In Master & Apprentice, the Jedi Council offer a seat to Qui-Gon on the Council, specifically BECAUSE he has different opinions from them and they welcome that.  (Excerpt here.)      “We hope it will also be our gain,” Mace replied. “Qui-Gon Jinn, we hereby offer you a seat on the Jedi Council.”      Had he misheard? No, he hadn’t. Qui-Gon slowly gazed around the circle, taking in the expressions of each Council member in turn. Some of them looked amused, others pleased. A few of them, Yoda included, appeared more rueful than not. But they were serious.      “I admit—you’ve surprised me,” Qui-Gon finally said.“I imagine so,” Mace said drily. “A few years ago, we would’ve been astonished to learn we would ever consider this. But in the time since, we’ve all changed. We’ve grown. Which means the possibilities have changed as well.”      Qui-Gon took a moment to collect himself. Without any warning, one of the turning points of his life had arrived. Everything he said and did in the next days would be of great consequence. “You’ve argued with my methods often as not, or perhaps you’d say I’ve argued with yours.”      “Truth, this is,” Yoda said.      Depa Billaba gave Yoda a look Qui-Gon couldn’t interpret. “It’s also true that the Jedi Council needs more perspectives.” Ultimately, Qui-Gon is the who turns them down and gives up a chance to shape the Jedi Council because he doesn’t like the shape they’re taking.  That he does become less political, but this is after he’s argued that the Jedi should be working to push the Senate harder, so when he has a chance to help with that, he turns it down.  It has nothing to do with caring and loving, it’s about Qui-Gon’s desire to not have to deal with the work himself, when he wants to be more of a hippie Jedi.  (I’ve written a lot about Qui-Gon in M&A, why I actually think it’s really spot-on to someone who can be both really kind and really kind of a dick, but it’s not the most flattering portrayal, even if narrative intention likely didn’t mean what came across to me.  I think this post and this post are probably the most salient ones, but if you want something of an index of the web that’s being woven with all the various media, this one is good, too.) So he’s fighting for Anakin and that’s why it’s the ‘Duel of the Fates’ – it’s the fate of this child. And depending on how this fight goes, Anakin, his life is going to be dramatically different. I have only ever seen George Lucas talk about Anakin’s fate in one instance and it’s this:  “It’s fear of losing somebody he loves, which is the flipside of greed. Greed, in terms of the Emperor, it’s the greed for power, absolute power, over everything. With Anakin, really it’s the power to save the one he loves, but it’s basically going against the Fates and what is natural.“ –George Lucas, Revenge of the Sith commentary I’ve made my case about why I think Anakin’s fate is about that moment in Palpatine’s office, and so I’m not fundamentally opposed that “Duel of the Fates” is about Anakin’s fate, but here’s what George has provably said about the “Duel of the Fates” part of the story: - In the commentary for The Phantom Menace during “Duel of the Fates” and none of Dave’s speculation is even hinted at, there’s more focus on the technical side of things and the most George talks about is that it’s Obi-Wan who parallels Luke in going over the edge during the fight, except that instead of a Sith cutting off a Jedi’s hand, it’s a Jedi cutting a Sith in half, drawing the parallels between them. - He does say of the funeral scene that this is where Obi-Wan commits to training Anakin and how everything is going to go (though, in canon we see that Obi-Wan still struggles with this a bit, but Yoda is there to support him and nudge him into committing even more to Anakin, because the Jedi are a supportive community to each other).  This is some solid evidence for that Obi-Wan is already caring about Anakin beyond just Qui-Gon. - Then here’s what he says about the “Duel of the Fates” fights and themes of them in "All Films Are Personal": George Lucas: “I wanted to come up with an apprentice for the Emperor who was striking and tough. We hadn’t seen a Sith Lord before, except for Vader, of course. I wanted to convey the idea that Jedi are all very powerful, but they’re also vulnerable — which is why I wanted to kill Qui-Gon. That is to say, “Hey, these guys aren’t Superman.” These guys are people who are vulnerable, just like every other person. “We needed to establish that, but at the same time, we wanted the ultimate sword fight, because they were all very good. It sort of predisposes the sword fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan later on. There’s real purpose to it. You have to establish the rules and then stick with them. The scene illustrates just how Jedi and Sith fight and use lightsabers.” “So Qui-Gon loses, of course. So the father figure, he knew what it meant to take this kid away from his mother when he had an attachment, and he’s left with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan trains Anakin at first out of a promise he makes to Qui-Gon, not because he cares about him.  We’ll get to the “attachment to his mother” thing in a bit--but, for now, let’s just say, George Lucas’ words on this are not that attachment to her was a good thing. Fair enough that “not because he cares about him” is up to personal interpretation, but canon has also addressed the topic of Obi-Wan’s treatment of Anakin and Obi-Wan stepped up to the plate on this.  In addition to how we see Obi-Wan REPEATEDLY being there for Anakin and being concerned and caring about him, they specifically talk about Qui-Gon and overcome this hurdle.

No, Obi-Wan is not Anakin’s father figure, on that we definitely agree.  Anakin never really even treats Obi-Wan like a father--he says “you’re the closest thing I have to a father” in Attack of the Clones, as well as he says Obi-Wan practically raised him in The Clone Wars “Crystal Crisis” story reels, but Anakin has never actually acted like Obi-Wan is his father--”then why don’t you listen to me?” Obi-Wan points out in AOTC--as well as Obi-Wan glides past those remarks, which I’ve always taken that he doesn’t want to reject Anakin’s feelings, knowing that Anakin can be sensitive about them, but neither does he want to confirm them. This does not mean Obi-Wan was not supportive, caring, and loving.  He says, “I loved you!” to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith, he asks after him and if he’s sleeping well in Attack of the Clones, and even George Lucas himself said that the elevator scene was set up TO SHOW OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN CARE FOR EACH OTHER:

PUTTING THE REST UNDER A READ MORE FOR A BETTER LENGTH REBLOGGABLE VERSION, IF  YOU WANT.

This is further evidenced by how the Jedi do see themselves as family, they just don’t need to put it into strict nuclear family dynamics:     - “You were my brother, Anakin!  I loved you!”  [–Obi-Wan Kenobi, Revenge of the Sith]      - “We are brothers, Master Dibs.” [–Mace Windu, Jedi of the Republic - Mace Windu]      - “Did your parents bicker?” she asked. “The adoptive ones, I mean.”         A slow smile broke across Ashla’s face, curling first one side of her mouth and then the other. Whatever she was remembering, Kaeden could tell it was good.         "All the time,“ Ashla said, almost as if she were talking to herself. [–Kaeden Larte, Ahsoka Tano, Ahsoka]      -  Vos, brought to the Temple even younger than most, felt that he had hundreds of brothers and sisters, and it seemed that whenever he went into the dining hall he ran into at least half of them. [Dark Disciple]       - “It was not his birthplace, exactly, but the Jedi Temple was where Quinlan Vos had grown up. He’d raced through its corridors, hidden behind its massive pillars, found peace in its meditation hall, ended-and started-fights in rooms intended for striking blows and some that weren’t, and sneaked naps in its library. All Jedi came here, at some point in their lives; for Quinlan, it always felt like coming home when he ran lightly up the stairs and entered the massive building as he did now.” [Dark Disciple] Brothers, sisters, and other more non-traditional kinds of family are not lesser and Obi-Wan and Anakin absolutely were family, just as the Jedi are all family to each other, so, no, there was no “failing” Anakin, except in Anakin’s mind, perhaps.  (In that, I can agree.  But not on a narratively approved level, canon too thoroughly refutes that for me.) Rebels as well pretty thoroughly shows that non-traditional families are meaningful and just as important--we may joke that Hera is “space mom”, but she’s not actually Ezra or Sabine’s mother, Kanan is not actually their father, and even if they sometimes stray into aspects of those roles (as the Jedi do as well in the movies and TCW), that they don’t need that traditional nuclear family structure.  Mentor figures--and Kanan is Ezra’s mentor--are just as meaningful and needful as a “dad”.  And I’m kind of :/ at the implication that anyone without a dad/father figure or mom/mother figure is being “failed”. When they get Anakin, they find him on Tatooine, he says “Why do I feel like we’ve found another useless lifeform?” He’s comparing Anakin to Jar Jar and he’s saying “this is a waste of our time, why are we doing this, why do you see importance in these creatures like Jar Jar Binks and this ten-year-old boy? This is useless.” Whether or not Obi-Wan is being genuinely dismissive in this movie (I think you could make a case either way), the idea that Qui-Gon is better than Obi-Wan about this, as shown through Jar Jar isn’t exactly very supported given how Qui-Gon and Jar Jar first exchange words:

QUI-GON: “You almost got us killed. Are you brainless?”   JAR JAR:  “I spake.”   QUI-GON: “The ability to speak does not make you intelligent.” Qui-Gon is just as bad as everyone else to Jar Jar, he’s not somehow elevated above them. It’s also baffling because, Dave, I have watched your show.  The Jedi are specifically shown to be kind to people and creatures, not considering them “useless”.  Henry Gilroy (who was the co-writer for The Clone Wars and frequently appeared in featurettes on the same level as Dave Filoni) explicitly draws this to The Jedi Way, that “life is everything to the Jedi“, when he said this about the Ryloth episodes:

(Caps cribbed from Pan’s blog, because I cannot make another gif, save me, please.)      Henry Gilroy in an Aggressive Negotiations Interview:  "Obi-Wan truly is a Jedi in that he’s like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to murder these creatures [in the Ryloth arc of The Clone Wars].  They’re starving to death.  They’ve basically been unleashed against these people as a weapon, but it’s not their fault. They’re just doing what they do.  They’re just animals who wanna eat.’     "So the idea was–and I think there was an early talk about how, 'Oh, yeah, he’ll go running through them and slicing and dicing them and chop them all up or whatever, and save his guys.  And I’m like, 'Yeah, but that’s not really the Jedi way.  He’s not just gonna murder these creatures.’     "And I know the threat is [there], to save one life you have to take one, but the idea of him [is]: why can’t Obi-Wan just be more clever?  He basically draws them in and then traps them.     "It says something about who the Jedi are, they don’t just waste life arbitrarily.  And someone could have gone, 'Oh, yeah, but it would have been badass if he’d just ran in there with his lightsaber spinning and stabbed them all in the head!’  And 'Yeah, you’re right, I guess he could be that, but he’s trying to teach his clones a lesson right then, about the sanctity of life.’       "That is the underlying theme of that entire episode.  Which is:  A tactical droid is using the people as living shields.  Life means nothing to the Separatists.  The droids.  But life is everything to the Jedi.  And even though he doesn’t have to say that, it’s all through the episode thematically.“ It’s also Obi-Wan who teaches Anakin about kindness to mindless creatures in the Obi-Wan & Anakin comic:

"These beasts are nearly mindless, Anakin.  I can feel it.  They are merely following their nature, they should not die simply because they crossed our path. Use the Force to send them on their way.” Now, fair enough if you want to say Obi-Wan was taught by Qui-Gon, but also Qui-Gon is dead by that point and Obi-Wan growing into being more mature is his own accomplishment, not Qui-Gon’s, especially given that we see Qui-Gon himself being pretty dismissive to Jar Jar in TPM. This isn’t unique thing either, Padme is incredibly condescending to Jar Jar in “Bombad Jedi” and expresses clear annoyance with him to C-3PO when sighing over him.  Jar Jar is a character you kind of have to warm up to, pretty much the only one we’ve seen consistently being favorable to him is Yoda (and maybe Anakin, though, Anakin doesn’t really interact with him a ton) and Mace Windu warms up to him considerably in “The Disappeared” and even specifically is shown to be teaching him and helping him, which is a huge theme of the Jedi and how much they care.

So, ultimately, the point I’m winding my way towards is--the other Jedi do show kindness and consideration to Jar Jar Binks, including characters like Mace Windu, so if you’re judging the Jedi based on that, the conclusion of Qui-Gon somehow being more compassionate and loving is really pretty thoroughly disproved by The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars themselves. So, he’s a brother to Anakin eventually but he’s not a father figure. That’s a failing for Anakin. He doesn’t have the family that he needs. He loses his mother in the next film. He fails on this promise that he made, “mother, I’m going to come back and save you”. So he’s left completely vulnerable and Star Wars is ultimately about family.  You could be charitable and say this is just from Anakin’s point of view that it’s a “failing”, but within the context of what Dave’s saying, it’s clearly meant as a more narratively approved take, not just Anakin’s point of view, and I really, really dislike the idea that Anakin--or anyone, really--needs a traditional nuclear family, ie a “mom” and/or a “dad”, or else it’s a “failing” for them. Setting aside that the idea that Qui-Gon would need to be Anakin’s dad to be kind to hi (which is ?????) is contradicted by The Clone Wars as well.  Yes, Qui-Gon is warm with Anakin in several scenes, which is what Dave is presumably drawing on to show that Qui-Gon believed the Jedi should be caring and loving, but you know who else is warm to younglings?  OTHER JEDI COUNCIL MEMBERS.

Those two scenes have the exact same kind of warmth to them.  Ie, THE JEDI ALL BELIEVED IN BEING LOVING AND KIND, NOT JUST QUI-GON.  The things evidenced to show Qui-Gon was loving and kind are evidenced just as much in other Council members, in Dave’s own show. As a bonus--have Mace Windu, known Jedi Council member, being super kind and loving towards a young Twi’lek girl he just met in a canon comic:

But I know that this is about the way the Council treated Anakin in The Phantom Menace testing scene, but here’s the thing--when I go back and I watch that scene and the Jedi aren’t ever mean to him, they’re neutral in an official testing situation, where they are trying to determine if he’s able to adapt to the Jedi ways.  They never once say he’s bad for holding onto his fear, only that he does--which Anakin digs his heels in and gets angry about, he can’t really even admit that he’s afraid and that’s a huge deal for the Jedi. I’ve made a longer post about it here (and here), but the basic gist is: - That scene has Yoda giving the famous “Fear leads to the dark side” speech which is almost word for word how George Lucas describes how the Force works, showing the Jedi are narratively correct - “Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi” may be from the sequels, but it is thoroughly supported by the movies and TCW and Rebels and even supplementary canon material, including that the Jedi literally design their tests around both Masters and Padawans for it (Ilum, the Jedi Temple on Lothal, etc. - Anakin cannot admit to his fears in that TPM scene - We have examples of Jedi younglings do admit to their fears and the point isn’t not to have them, but to face them--the younglings in “The Gathering” are the most blatant example of this, but it’s also pretty much the entire theme of Jedi: Fallen Order, especially when Cal goes to Ilum to face his fears and get another kyber crystal. The point isn’t that Anakin--who has very good reasons to be afraid! nothing in the story or the Jedi have said he didn’t!--is wrong or bad, but that he’s not a great fit for the Jedi life because he is “unwilling to accept [Jedi philosophy] emotionally”.  And they’re right about this, because this is how George Lucas describes Anakin in commentary: “The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through his life and that he can’t hold onto things, which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn’t willing to accept emotionally and the reason that is because he was raised by his mother rather than the Jedi. If he’d have been taken in his first year and started to study to be a Jedi, he wouldn’t have this particular connection as strong as it is and he’d have been trained to love people but not to become attached to them.”  --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary And so this brings us to A T T A C H M E N T, which, yeah, we’ve been having this discussion forever, but I’m going to state it again:  Within Star Wars, ATTACHMENT IS NARRATIVELY A BAD THING.  It is consistently tied to possessive, obsessive relationships, to greed and an unwillingness to let things go when it’s time (letting go is a huge theme in Star Wars) and equating love with attachment is fundamentally wrong according to George Lucas’ Star Wars worldbuilding: “The Jedi are trained to let go. They’re trained from birth,” he continues, “They’re not supposed to form attachments. They can love people-- in fact, they should love everybody. They should love their enemies; they should love the Sith. But they can’t form attachments. So what all these movies are about is: greed. Greed is a source of pain and suffering for everybody. And the ultimate state of greed is the desire to cheat death.” --George Lucas, The Making of Revenge of the Sith If attachment and love were the same thing, then he would be saying, “They should love their enemies, they should love the Sith.  But they can’t love.”  The way George makes the distinction shows that, no, attachment and love aren’t the same thing at all, attachment is not caring.  Further, there’s another instance of him showing there’s an important distinction between relationships and attachment and the association of attachmets with possession:  "Jedi Knights aren’t celibate - the thing that is forbidden is attachments - and possessive relationships.” --George Lucas, BBC News interview So, yes, when Anakin is attached to people, it is directly tied to obsession, possession, and greed, all things of the dark side: “He turns into Darth Vader because he gets attached to things. He can’t let go of his mother; he can’t let go of his girlfriend. He can’t let go of things. It makes you greedy. And when you’re greedy, you are on the path to the dark side, because you fear you’re going to lose things, that you’re not going to have the power you need.”  --George Lucas, Time Magazine  “But he has become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation. And it feeds into fear of losing things, which feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, wanting to keep his possessions and things that he should be letting go of. His fear of losing her turns to anger at losing her, which ultimately turns to revenge in wiping out the village. The scene with the Tusken Raiders is the first scene that ultimately takes him on the road to the dark side. I mean he’s been prepping for this, but that’s the one where he’s sort of doing something that is completely inappropriate.“ --George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary ATTACHMENT IS BAD IN STAR WARS AS THEY DEFINE IT. Finally, I’m going to circle back to: Because Qui-Gon is different than the rest of the Jedi and you get that in the movie; and Qui-Gon is fighting because he knows he’s the father that Anakin needs. Because Qui-Gon hasn’t given up on the fact that the Jedi are supposed to actually care and love and that’s not a bad thing. Here’s the thing about this:  You know who else, by this logic, Qui-Gon should have been a father to?  OBI-WAN KENOBI. This isn’t said as “Anakin specifically needs a father” (which I think would be an interesting idea to bandy about and I’m not disagreeing, though, it’s complicated because of what Anakin refuses to accept emotionally), it’s said in a bigger context, that Qui-Gon is better than the other Jedi because he understands the need for fathers (and thus this ties into Return of the Jedi) and he’s ahead of the other Jedi, who apparently think loving and caring about people are bad things, but Qui-Gon does not treat Obi-Wan like his son.  Or, if he does, he’s not exactly a stellar dad about it. Within Master & Apprentice, there’s an incredibly consistent theme of how Qui-Gon thinks supportive things about Obi-Wan, but never says them aloud.  He thinks he should talk to Obi-Wan about the upcoming decision to be on the Council and then never does.  He could have explained why he kept Obi-Wan training the basics but he never does.  There are multiple instances showing that Qui-Gon is actually really, really bad at actually handling a young apprentice who needs him to talk to them about important things.  Qui-Gon continues this in From a Certain Point of View where he still never talked to Obi-Wan about everything that happened, even after he became a Force Ghost.     Damn, damn, damn. Qui-Gon closed his eyes for one moment. It blocked nothing; the wave of shock that went through Obi-Wan was so great it could be felt through the Force. Qui-Gon hadn’t thought Kirames Kaj would mention the Jedi Council invitation. It seemed possible the soon-retiring chancellor of the Republic might not even have taken much note of information about a new Council member. --Master & Apprentice     That comment finally pierced Qui-Gon’s damnable calm. There was an edge to his voice as he said, “I suspected you would be too upset to discuss this rationally. Apparently I was correct.”     “I thought you said my reaction was understandable,” Obi-Wan shot back. “So why does it disqualify me from hearing the truth?”    Qui-Gon put his hands on his broad belt, the way he did when he was beginning to withdraw into himself. “…we should discuss this at another time. Neither of us is his best self at the present.” --Master & Apprentice     Obi-Wan walked toward the door, obviously outdone. “At the beginning of my apprenticeship, I couldn’t understand you,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s just as true here at the end.”     Only yesterday they had worked together as never before. How did Qui-Gon manage to get closer to Obi-Wan at the same time he was moving further away?     Just before Obi-Wan would leave the room, Qui-Gon said, “Once, you asked me about the basic lightsaber cadences. Why I’d kept you there, instead of training you in more advanced forms of combat.”     Obi-Wan turned reluctantly to face him again. “I suppose you thought I wasn’t ready for more. The same way I’m not ready to believe in all this mystical—”     “That’s not why.”     After a long pause, Obi-Wan calmed to the point where he would listen. “Then why, Qui-Gon?”     “Because many Padawans—and full Jedi Knights, for that matter—forget that the most basic technique is the most important technique. The purest. The most likely to protect you in battle, and the foundation of all knowledge that is to come,” Qui-Gon said. “Most apprentices want to rush ahead to styles of fighting that are flashier or more esoteric. Most Masters let them, because we must all find our preferred form eventually. But I wanted you to be grounded in your technique. I wanted you to understand the basic cadences so well that they would become instinct, so that you would be almost untouchable. Above all, I wanted to give you the training you needed to accomplish anything you set your mind to later on.”     Obi-Wan remained quiet for so long that Qui-Gon wondered if he were too angry to really hear any of what he’d said. But finally, his Padawan nodded. “Thank you, Qui-Gon. I appreciate that. But—”     “But what?”     “You could’ve said so,” Obi-Wan replied, and then he left. --Master & Apprentice     "I owe you that. After all, I’m the one who failed you.“     "Failed me?”     They have never spoken of this, not once in all Qui-Gon’s journeys into the mortal realm to commune with him. This is primarily because Qui-Gon thought his mistakes so wretched, so obvious, that Obi-Wan had wanted to spare him any discussion of it. Yet here, too, he has failed to do his Padawan justice. --From a Certain Point of View, “Master and Apprentice” (Further, in Master & Apprentice, Qui-Gon thinks that the Jedi give Rael Averross--who is HUGELY paralleled to Anakin--too many exceptions, were too soft on him because he came to the Jedi later than most and has trouble thinking of them as his family, and he thinks they should have been stricter with him.) It’s also readily apparent within The Phantom Menace itself:

You can take some charitable views of this scene, that Qui-Gon was pushed into a corner where he had few other options (and this is the view I generally take even!), but this is after the entire movie where he’s never once indicated that Obi-Wan was ready, has instead indicated that he still has much to learn (not just of the Living Force, but in general), as well as made it clear that he’s still teaching Obi-Wan, like on the Trade Federation ship. And I do think Obi-Wan got over this because he understood, because Obi-Wan actually is a very selfless person, he clearly cares (which is furthered by how we see him warm up to Anakin very quickly), but look at their faces. This was not a good moment, and they do somewhat make up, where Qui-Gon says that Obi-Wan has been a good apprentice, that he’s wiser than Qui-Gon and he’ll be a great Jedi--but if we’re counting that as Qui-Gon being this great Jedi, then you can’t say Obi-Wan failed Anakin, given that we show him doing the exact same thing, except better.  He tells Anakin, “You are strong and wise and will become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be.”, echoing Qui-Gon’s words, but also he never threw Anakin aside for someone else. This is kind of a major undercurrent throughout The Clone Wars, where Obi-Wan never takes another apprentice, where he continues to teach Anakin, to support him, even to the point of occasionally co-Mastering Ahsoka with him.  “This has been quite a journey for our Padawan.” Qui-Gon’s treatment of Obi-Wan in this scene isn’t the worst, he’s kind about it later (though, he never actually specifically apologizes for this), but we can see that this is a moment where Qui-Gon hurts Obi-Wan and knows it. And you know what George Lucas has to say about Qui-Gon?  This: “So here we’re having Qui-Gon wanting to skip the early training and jump right to taking him on as his Padawan learner, which is controversial, and ultimately, the source of much of the problems that develop later on.”  –George Lucas, The Phantom Menace commentary There’s nothing about Qui-Gon being right or better than the other Jedi, but instead that Qui-Gon’s actions here are a source of much of the problems that develop later on. So, ultimately, I liked some points Dave made in that speech, it’s a beautiful and eloquent one, but I thoroughly disagree with his interpretation of George’s intentions for Qui-Gon and I thoroughly disagree that that’s what the movies, The Clone Wars (DAVE’S OWN SHOW), and the supplementary canon show about Qui-Gon and the other Jedi.  I still stand by my appreciation of Dave’s contributions to SW as a whole, I think he does a really good job at making Star Wars, but he doesn’t always get everything right and this is one thing where I think the canon and George’s commentary show otherwise, as much as I love his desire to defend the prequels’ importance in the story.  Because, my friend, I have felt that every single day of my SW life.

[crispyjenkins]

I dare you to write an Ani5 fix-it fic. I will not be taking criticism and will die on the hill that this is the most powerful ship and could’ve saved the entire clone wars. Bonus points if it features the ship Mace Windu/headaches (bc anakin is a walking mess of shatterpoints and lives to annoy Mace). Codywan to help knock some sense into anakin would also be top tier. I LOVE YOU ZEPH’BUIR

(of course i can’t do a whole fix-it in a quick prompt answer, but i think i’ve set it up for a far happier ending than in canon! support communication and education in relationships (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) and also adhd clones.

fives might be the most i’ve ever struggled with a character (‘cept maybe ahsoka....) so it took a little while to figure out how to write this scene in a way i liked. also, had to go and watch fives clips to try and get my autism brain working, and BOY HOWDY do i actually hate dbb’s take on the clones, especially the accent but everything else too. their character designs make me want to cry. so i’m begging, for me, to imagine this fives like this especially because then we get Tol Anakin and a Smol Clone BF and i think that is a seriously underutilised dynamic.

thank you for the prompt, ad, and for cursing me with this ship in the first place. someday i’ll get around to actually writing them as the battle husbands they are 🧡)

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  Echo's always been good with programming, but Fives is better with the actual building. He's not any good with inventing, maybe, but putting things together? Opening them up and knowing immediately what's wrong? Fives would even say he enjoys it — and being able to talk shop with Skywalker like they're nobody mechanics from the Outer Rim instead of General and Soldier makes the long hyperjumps between missions actually bearable. 

  How that led to him sitting in a rarely used hallway on the Resolute with Skywalker ("Anakin," he keeps insisting with a smile), both leant over a mouse droid in pieces on a drop cloth, Fives isn't really sure. It probably had something to do with Skywalker's excited bounce when he'd come to ask if Fives wanted to help him, the sparkle in his eye reminding Fives just how young the both of them are. How, technically, he's older than Anakin.

  Because, yeah, he is Anakin, not Skywalker, when they're like this. With his growing knight cut a curly untamed cloud around his ears, grease smeared on the underside of his jaw, with Fives stripped down to his blacks from the waist up, with even his blasters set on the floor next to them. 

  With it quickly becoming clear that Anakin doesn't actually need help to rewire the mouse droid, but had asked for Fives to join him anyways.

  They've been at it for a few hours now, their jokes winding down to companionable quiet as they both work on separate parts of the droid. It honestly might have been easier to start from a scrap droid than try to rewire this one correctly, but it's easy work Fives could do blindfolded, and sharing the mutually-focused silence is actually quite nice.

  Anakin is elbow-deep in the outer casing when he finally asks, "Do the clones feel love?"

  And Fives almost gets up and walks away. He knows not every battalion ended up with a good Jedi, that the 212th and the 501st had been so kriffing lucky to end up with "The Team", but sometimes he forgets. Maybe that's the worst part of it: slow, personal moments like this, Fives forgets he's not natborn and bearer of a face shared with millions. Being around his general makes him forget, and maybe he had taken that for granted until now.

  Or maybe it's for that reason that he hesitates from storming off, because Anakin had been the one to name Alpha, to insist on giving them proper leave, to defend them from anyone who talks down at them even if they're a planetary leader. And Rex had said something, once, about Anakin’s brain working in either/ors, being hardwired in some way to only see in black and white and believing that if you're one thing, you can't be another. That what Anakin says isn't always what he means.

  So instead, he asks, "What kind of love are we talkin'?"

  Anakin refuses to raise his head, and Fives can almost see him stressing about how to phrase this.  "Y'know, grand romance and stuff. One-and-onlys and holodrama romcom propaganda and imagining growing old together."

  "'Not quite sure what you're asking, sir." He takes a deep breath. "The short answer is yes, we can and do feel that, but the long answer is I can't speak for every brother, and I would not want to. Some of us don't feel that." Shrugging, he passes Anakin a socket wrench before he can ask for it. "But it's not because we can't, not because of the longnecks. We're bred to be obedient, sir, not emotionless."

  Quiet settles over them again while Anakin processes this, his mouth twisted rather horribly. Fives starts to think he would do a whole awful lot to turn that frown back into a haughty smile. 

  "What do you really want to ask, General?"

  "I'm married to Senator Amidala."

  Now, everyone with eyes knows that. Maybe Torrent knows even better, when they've been covering for their general for over a year now, and clearly the Jedi just aren't doing anything about it — but Fives also knows Anakin has never actually told anyone about this, not even General Kenobi. Rex says Anakin still thinks they've been discreet.

  "If I may be blunt, sir, this is not news."

  And Anakin actually laughs at that, shaking his head as he tosses down his tools to stare at the opposite wall instead. Fives watches his gaze go distant, somewhere far away from the Resolute lost in the middle of space. “I’ve loved her since I was nine years old, Fives. I loved her through not seeing her for a decade, through her assassination attempts and the First Battle of Geonosis and becoming a knight, and I...”

  Fives sighs once. “No one said you had to stay in love, sir.”

  “But that’s just it,” he groans. “I’ve never known how to do anything else, how to be anything else. I don’t... know who I am without it.”

  He has to look away from Anakin, then, because he’s seen brothers go stupid for people they meet on campaigns, or for their Jedi, and Fives isn’t nearly as young as some of the shinies out there, but he knows what it looks like, when they leap in without thinking. He lets out a long, slow breath, his eyes falling on the ‘saber at Anakin’s hip. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

  Anakin blinks at him, and nods.

  “That’s too young to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.” Fives raises a brow at his general’s startled expression, which is maybe more amusing (endearing) than it has any business being. “General, you’re barely an adult, just the same as the vode. If my mental timeline is right, you weren’t even twenty standard when you married Amidala, which, frankly, was reckless and unfair on her part.”

  “Padmé would never–”

  “I don’t mean intentionally, sir. The fact of the matter is, no wonder you don’t know who you are without her, because you’ve always had her.” That decade of no contact notwithstanding, considering Anakin didn’t not have her, either. “Senator Amidala knew who and what she was before you, and she’ll know who and what she is without you.”

  “That’s not quite fair,” Anakin grumbles, but his throat is flushed in what Fives hopes is entirely appropriate guilt, or at the very least embarrassment. “It was my idea to get married after Geonosis.”

  Fives snorts. “The idea of a child thrown into war, afraid to lose anything.”

  “You’re being uncharacteristically candid, Fives.”

  “Respectfully, sir, the last thing you need is to be coddled.” His general laughs again, this time good and bright in a way he hasn’t heard before; and then Fives can’t help what he admits next. “We weren’t allowed toys, or anything.”

  Laughter cutting off abruptly, Anakin’s eyes grow haunted instead. There might not be anyone else in the galaxy with quite the same experience as the clones, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those that understand.

  “Hevy made me and Echo– Well, he said they were mythosaurs like Kal taught us about, but they looked more like sad loth cats. He cut up his own bedsheet to make ‘em, and couldn’t tell the longnecks what he’d done with it, so he just slept on the bare mattress.”

  “Fives...”

  But it’s clear Anakin doesn’t actually know what to say, so Fives pushes on. “Some of Fett’s instructors tried to teach us Mando’a, you know? I think Spar is the only brother that ever got fluent, the rest of us have been making up words and combining them with Basic and Kaminoan and whatever else the Cuy’val Dar spoke that sometimes we don’t even remember what language they are anymore.”

  “I didn’t learn Basic until I was five.” Anakin thunks his head onto the wall behind him with a sigh, the mouse droid forgotten at his feet. “Other padawans always told me I was lucky Master Obi-Wan knew Huttese.” Ahh, kark, his general had been a Hutt salve; at least the spice runners made sure their slaves could communicate with their customers. “I couldn’t read a word of Aurebesh when I first came to the Temple, though to be fair, I couldn’t read anything else, either.”

  “You grow up around other kids?”

  “Yeah, my mom and I lived in the biggest slave slum on Tatooine.”

  Fives doesn’t need to tell him how lucky he was just to have had their own quarters. “I think, sir, that the vode know better than you think, what it’s like always standing on the edge of losing everything.”

  Squeezing his eyes closed, Anakin inhales sharply and clenches his fists over his knees. “What happened? To your mythosaur toys?”

  “One of the longnecks found them while we were in training, ‘threw them out before we got back. I think Hevy was even more upset than we were.”

  The leather glove over his prosthesis creaks as he tightens his grip on his own palms. “Was it easy? To just... forget about them?”

  “Of course not,” Fives snorts and crosses his arms, “we were the equivalent of eight standard at the time, but we honestly didn’t have a choice. As we got a little older, we stopped trying to put meaning in things, because we weren’t allowed things. Our names are our only real possession, even our armor can be taken from us, but we will not, cannot, let anyone take our names.”

  Groaning, Anakin scrubs his hands over his face before pushing himself up to finally look at Fives properly. He still doesn’t speak for a moment, just watching him, then teases flatly, “You’ve been spending too much time with Cody and Obi-Wan, you’re starting to speak in riddles.”

  “They are riddles only to you, sir.” He offers a small smile, and is only slightly disappointed when Anakin doesn’t return it.

  Instead, he lets out a winded breath. “So. You’re saying that it’s not easy to let go of even small things, but we must. And then there are things that we shouldn’t let go of?”

  “Some things aren’t ours to keep.”

  Anakin swallows. “Like Padmé,”

  “Like any person, no matter what sort of love we have for them.”

  Groaning, Anakin pulls his knees back up close and drops his face into his arms. “But I still love her.”

  Knowing that this is not a new problem, that General Kenobi has been trying to teach his general this for as long as they’ve known each other, Fives takes a moment to consider. “You don’t really have to stop loving her.”

  “But you said–”

  “You think I stop loving my brothers when they die?”

  Whether or not it’s healthy to hold onto affections for someone after a romantic relationship is a conversation for another time, Fives decides, and leans over to pick up where Anakin had left off with the droid.

  “General, it sounds to me like you already know all this,” he says, twisting a wire into the grip of his glove to yank it from the motor. “And  that you’re digging your feet in — which is the crux of the problem, isn’t it?”

  “You sound like Obi-Wan,” he groans, but doesn’t deny it.

  “Hmm, well, at least we’re still just kids.”

  Anakin very slowly looks up from his arms, just enough for Fives to see his wide eyes. “What do you...?”

  “Well, we’ve still got time to learn, don’t we?” Fives raises his eyebrow as he fits the new wire into the motor and starts to close all the panels back up. “I still think about Hevy and Droidbait and Cutup, and honestly, I still think about Echo’s and my mythosaurs. That’s not a bad thing, I don’t think, not even the Jedi would think that’s bad. I’m still angry when my vode don’t get funerals and I honestly hold that against the Chancellor and the Jedi both. But I don’t get to go back to Kamino and take my anger out on the longneck that took our toys, and I’m... working on it, not being so angry with the generals. I’m still angry. But I know the Jedi have about as much say in all of this as we do, and I know burying my brothers won’t bring them back. So I’m working on it.”

  “I... don’t have to be good at it all at once.”

  “Great Maker, General, just because you’re the Chosen One doesn’t mean you have to actually be good at absolutely everything from the start. You just have to try, and you still have time to.”

  He looks up and finds Anakin already smiling back. “Fives, I could kiss you.”

  “Considering it sounds like Senator Amidala just divorced you, I think that’s a very bad idea, sir.”

  “Bah, you’re no fun.”

  Fives feigns offense, “This mouse droid we’ve rigged to follow Captain Rex around and scream says differently.”

-

  The night the 501st returns to the Resolute after finally (kriffing finally) leaving Umbara, Fives finds a hand-sewn stuffed mythosaur on his bunk, with a string collar and a dogtag etched with CT-782.

-

Mando’a: Cuy’val Dar — “Those who no longer exist”, group of 75 Mando’ade and 25 others put together by Jango to train the clones vod/e —  “brother/s, comrade/s, sibling/s”, technically gender neutral but used most often in fandom as “brother/s” (*in this context, fives is using brothers as gender neutral as well, because you won’t take trans and nb clones even from my cold dead hands*)