(no subject)

[beardstrokes]

Who: Obi-Wan Kenobi and You
Broadcast: Video
Action: Hospitality Deck - Marsiva
When: January 2nd

[ Obi-Wan is no stranger to waking up to unknown locations, but this seemed odd . . . even for him. He gropes for his lightsaber . . . which is gone, obviously. He huffs, before straightening himself and brushing his hair back. Communications . . . communications . . . ah, there it is.

A video feed. Somewhat archaic, but it'll do. He doubts anyone from the Republic will be nearby, but perhaps the locals will offer some aid. Obi-Wan clears his throat before speaking. It's time for his other skill set to come in use. ]

Greetings. My name is General Kenobi. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing? And I don't suppose there is someone willing to answer my questions? Because I have a great deal many of them.

Comments

[beardstrokes]

There's always room for an unexpected surprise. Who knows? Perhaps the padawan has surpassed the master.

[ Too bad I have you both beat. ]

[sandhate]

[ He laughs, slowly, at the irony of that statement. ]

She's - She's not my Padawan anymore, Obi-Wan. She said so herself.

[beardstrokes]

[ That's not a happy laugh. So he's gentle when he replies. ]

That does not mean you're not invested in seeing her grow and get stronger, Anakin. Jedi have left before. That does not mean they are forgotten.

[sandhate]

[ His mouth twist downwards and he feels like snapping at Obi-Wan, just a bit. He doesn't know how it feels, to disappoint, to fail. It's so easy for him to say it. Instead, he replies just as softly. ]

I know that.

[ A beat ]

Sometimes, it almost feels like nothing has changed then she reminds me.

[beardstrokes]

"Who we are never changes, who we think we are does."

[ He lets that quote settle before continuing ]

Change is a constant, for better or for worse. And we've all been guilty of clinging onto the past. You may no longer be Master and Padawan, but you can be friends. Surely that's not a terrible alternative.

[ Sometimes, Obi-Wan wonders if they did enough, to reach out to people like Dooku . . . even Maul, who was used by the Nightsisters, by the Sith. Would things be different?

Friends are a luxury the Jedi are rarely afforded. ]

[sandhate]

I can't help but think that I have failed her. If I had fought the Council harder, if I had talked to the Chancellor instead of doing nothing. I know it's not what I should be focusing on. I should be glad she's here at all. But seeing her only reminds me that I've failed her.

[ A long exhale. ]

She would've been a great Jedi Knight.

[beardstrokes]

She still can be.

You did not fail her, Anakin. If anything, you saved her. Trust in your training. I think she knows what she's doing.

[sandhate]

[ Blast it.

Luke introduced himself as a Skywalker. And if him and Ahsoka have both figured it out within a day, there's no longer any point in stalling. He has to tell Obi-Wan. He has to tell the truth, once and for all. Selfishly, his thoughts takes a detour and wonders if there's a way, an excuse he could use; maybe this son of his is from another universe, a relative from another Skywalker. Anything he could use to keep things the way they are makes his stomach drop and his heart ache.

This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. He trusted this man with his life on numerous occasions. He has to trust him now. He inhales and exhales quickly and before his courage runs out on him, he blurts out. ]

There's something else. Something I need to tell you.

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan folds his arms behind his back, taking a deep breath. He needs to be calm in order for Anakin to be calm. Showing any kind of disappointment, anger or sadness and Anakin would interpret it as a failing on his part. Obi-Wan is hardly going to hold him accountable for the future. A future, the future . . . he does not know. ]

Is he your son? You would know. Whether it has yet to happen or not . . . you would know.

[sandhate]

[ Suddenly, he finds himself begging for a Separatist attack; for General Greivous to show up, better yet bot him and Ventress. As a matter of fact, why not just add Dooku to the mix.

Anything to distract him from what Obi-Wan said, from what he has to explain.

Where is a war when you need one.

After a long pause, he swallows hard. ]

He is... strong in the Force.

[beardstrokes]

Oh, Anakin.

[ Fond, exasperated, but knowing. ] That is an answer, in itself.

[ He turns to look away, just a bit. Not out of fear or regret, but he finds he needs to ask these questions now, when it is all out in the open. ]

He represents a future, one away from the Jedi. A possibility that could . . . very well happen. It could be a future with a family, if you . . . desire.

[ The last part was harder than he thought. It is a future Obi-Wan cannot be part of. Ever since Yoda's return, it feels as though he is watching the life he knew slip through his fingers. ]

[sandhate]

[ He feels his chest tighten. A future away from the Jedi. Away from Obi-Wan, a man he called his brother, his father and his best friend? He can't imagine it, nor can he imagine that future without Padme. He struggles to find the words that will sooth his Master's hesitations and the dull ache he feels in the Force. ]

Obi-Wan, this. [ A beat ] This isn't how imagined this conversation going. I've wanted to tell you, for so long. But we had so much going on, I couldn't just leave the Order.

[ He doesn't say that he needed the Order, but he knows he does. Just as he... thought he needed a battles and actions to prove himself to the Council the same way he has proven himself with the GAR.

Softly, quietly: ]

I'm sorry, Master.

[beardstrokes]

[ He turns to face him, his arms crossed. Anakin wants it both ways. That will never do. ]

I've always known. I simply did not think it would lead down this path. [ At least, not so soon. ] At any rate, condemning any action that took place in the future is unworthy, not when that future is ours yet to be set.

[ But is it set? Yoda's cryptic warnings have done little to ease his mind of late. ]

Were you ever going to tell me?

[sandhate]

[ To Anakin, every word Obi-Wan says is covered with disappointment. The frown on Obi-Wan's face is betrayal and hurt. His crossed arms is frustration. He finds himself feeling like a Padawan again, caught sneaking out to the junk yards in the lower levels at night.

He struggles to find the words when he feels so guilty. The only thing he could do was be honest. ]

I don't know. We haven't been married for long, and we were always so far apart. Any time that Padme and I had together. [ A sharp inhale because he knows how this is going to sound ] We tried to focus on happier things.

[beardstrokes]

[ Married. That's . . . a commitment. An attachment. He knew they were close, but to claim that kind of bond. That is immense and for a few seconds, Obi-Wan has no words for it.

In a way, it mirrors his choice to stay. As a friend, as a brother, Obi-Want is not upset. As a teacher . . . he's failed miserably. Qui-Gon would have known what to do, he thinks to himself. Qui-Gon would not have led Anakin astray. ]

You can't have the Order and your marriage. Having both might mean losing both. Surely you can see that.

[sandhate]

[ His chest tightens again. It's as if the air in his lungs have been sucked out. ]

What are you saying?

[beardstrokes]

I am saying . . . [ He sighs lightly ] That you need to think about your future. I know the war doesn't allow for such time, but you have it now.

Anakin. Your happiness is and has always been important to me. And you have not disappointed me. Not even in this. It is human of us and the Force does not reject love in any form.

[ At least, in that, Obi-Wan hasn't done wrong by him. ]

But I do not think the Council is ready for such things.

[ And attachment, a strong attachment, can lead to a grief, an anger inescapable. He understand their stance on this, too. ]

Do not come to a decision now, but . . . think about it. Please. Forget the Jedi and the war and everything that comes with it. Think about what you want.

A Master can ask for nothing more.

[sandhate]

[ For all his hand wringing and hesitation earlier, he wishes Obi-Wan would just come out and say it. There's that hint of anger in his voice. Anakin is anything but happy right now. ]

You mean the Council will expel me out.

[ Just as they did to his Padawan. Maybe it's time the Master learned something from the Padawan anyway. ]

I can't just forget that I'm a Jedi, Obi-Wan. It's been most of my life! It's what I've wanted for most of my life. How am I suppose to forget that?

[ He flexes his mechno-arm. A constant, physical reminder of what he's given to be a Jedi. ]

How come it's wrong to love her?

private

[beardstrokes]

[ It's like he's saying one thing but Anakin hears something else entirely. ]

I never said it was wrong, Anakin, but those kind of attachments can backfire. If someone gets hurt or worse, die, you could use the Force to unworthy ends. It is not wrong to love her. What can go wrong are the actions we undertake in the name of love, actions that could take us down the Dark Side.

[ He almost wants to talk about what happened with Maul, with Satine, but that grief is still too close to his heart to discuss. ]

private

[sandhate]

[ So, same as usual. ]

What is it you just said a moment ago, "condemning any action that took place in the future is unworthy". This isn't even in the future, this is a possibility. There's a possibility that it would lead me to the Dark Side. It's--

[ He wants to say that it's not fair. But it sounds childish, even to his ears. He understands, ultimately, what Obi-Wan is saying. But to make him choose between his purpose and his love... He bites back the anger, buries it deep. ]

I know that the Council has never approved of me. Maybe they were right.

Re: private

[beardstrokes]

Anakin, that possibility exists in all of us. Not simply you.

[ He's had several Sith Masters attempting to get him to the Dark Side. Regularly. It's a thing now. ]

Whether the Council is right or wrong is not for them to decide, but for you. Which is why I'm encouraging you to take time to figure this out. Don't rush into any kind of decision with this knowledge.

I'm hardly going to report you for the future, but you need to realize that this . . . stalemate will not last. And if you wait too long, you might not get a say in how it ends.

[sandhate]

[ Don't rush. He won't. He'll try very hard not too, and the circumstance right now doesn't really allow him to confront his Masters about it, anyway. A thought suddenly occurred to him: the Chancellor would know what to do. He wishes Palpatine were here to give him warm comforting words.

A sigh escapes. ]

I know. And I will... I will try, Master.

[ A beat ]

And I'm sorry. I can't imagine this is welcome you expected.

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan waves off his concern with a tired smile, though not flippantly. ]

Don't worry about me. I imagine it's twice as hard for you, to deal with these revelations. And don't apologize for things out of your control. That is not your guilt to bear.

[sandhate]

[ But it will be in his control. And he has to ask a more important question: is there anything keeping him in the Jedi Order, besides Obi-Wan? Certainly not the fear and distrust he feels from the Council. Not the mocking whispers through out the halls. Not emptiness he feels when he looks to side, where Ahsoka ought to be.

He wants to ask Obi-Wan, what if I told you that you are the only one that is keeping from quitting the Order?

Anakin smiles, feeling tired and sick. ]

Please stop looking like you're about to pass out, Obi-Wan. That will be my burden to bear.

[beardstrokes]

Anakin.

[ He's hardly going to add to Anakin's supposed guilt, guilt which Obi-Wan hopes, he will be able to let go. So he looks affronted.]

I'm hardly at that stage in my life. No, it has been a busy day, but sometimes we are due for such days in our lives. The new knowledge we have learned will cease to be a shock and we will all be stronger for it.

Besides, I think my young apprentice needs more rest than me.

[ He stresses on that to make it clear. Whatever Anakin chooses, Obi-Wan isn't giving up on what they have. ]