the protector! → obi-wan kenobi ✓

v. attachment

⋆☆.* ✧✰ .✦⋆*☆

IT WAS NOT A FORMAL OCCASION, but even so, it was far too fancy for the Jedi's liking. Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a knowing glance as they sat down at the long table in the Minister's dining hall, for the fancy setting only made the situation even more uncomfortable than it would have been to begin with. If there was one thing both men detested equally, it was having dinner with elected officials.

And, of course, the Minister's affection towards Vienna only made it all the worse for Obi-Wan, who couldn't seem to rid his mind of it. The logical part of him knew precisely why he was feeling this way, but the stubborn part of him refused to acknowledge it—it wasn't the Jedi way, anyhow, and acknowledging certain feelings would surely only make things worse.

Vienna, meanwhile, had found herself in a similar situation.

She had felt an attraction to the Master Jedi shortly after his arrival (once her anger had subsided, anyway), though at the time, she had assumed it would pass. He was very handsome, she knew that much, but as they spent more time together, she became aware of his other promising features as well. His kindness, his compassion, his determination...everything she learned about him only made her care for him more, but where would it get her? Jedi were forbidden from acting on those sorts of feelings, and for all she knew, he was only being nice and doing his job. She wasn't anything special, after all, surely not compared to everyone else he had met in his war-fighting peacekeeping adventures across the galaxy. If she gave into her own feelings, she would only be setting herself up for disaster.

That was the primary reason she had accepted the Minister's dinner invitation—as a distraction. She needed that more than anything else, even more than she needed an excuse to leave the apartment. She needed something to take her mind off of it all, to help her forget about her silly feelings that had developed much too quickly for her taste—and what better way to help her forget than spending time with someone like Jon Auclair? It was no secret they had a past, or that he still cared deeply for her; the dinner would do nicely in helping her with her problem.

Or so she thought, anyway. Feelings never do go away as quickly as one hopes they will.

Even with the dinner being a casual affair, it was still far fancier than many of the meals Vienna or the Jedi had ever had. His employees (servant was too strong a word when he paid and treated them incredibly well) brought out the meal, setting it down before them with a certain flourish, and they ate in silence, the only sound being that of cutlery scraping against plates. The silence, however, would only last so long.

"I must admit," began the Minister as they all neared the end of the main course.
"I was unaware the Republic would send two Jedi with such experience to be Vienna's protection. Don't they usually reserve you lot for the grand battles?"

"There are many Jedi just as qualified as us to lead the battles," Obi-Wan replied casually.
"Besides, only a small percentage of our work is on the battlefield. Jedi are often assigned to protect senators and their families, among other various tasks."

"Have you ever dealt with anyone being threatened by Dooku directly?" Auclair pressed, clearly beyond curious.
"I mean, it's a bit strange, isn't it? You'd think he wouldn't want his people to find out how much of a snake he really is."

"It doesn't matter," Anakin interjected.
"The Separatists already know he's a Sith Lord, and they may not agree with some of his darker dealings, but this is war. They'd rather deal with that than be under the control of the Republic."