FROM THE ASHES, obi-wan kenobi ✔

CHAPTER SEVEN

"I'm not going home. I don't need to go home. Imagine what my father would think, what my mother would think if I gave up at the first sign of trouble," Phoenix said as she looked into his eyes. Jax sighed and moved his hand to take hers, pulling it to his face so he could press a kiss to her palm.

"Your father would much rather have an alive daughter than a dead one. You can make him proud while you live but if you stay here, you risk dying and losing everything," Jax said. His thoughts were incredibly coherent considering how he'd only woke up a few minutes earlier. Maybe he had thought about this or maybe he was just the embodiment of reason that Phoenix knew she needed in her life. Either way, she knew he was right.

"Just let me think about it for today," Phoenix said as she looked at him. Jax nodded and pressed another kiss to her palm before he let his eyes close. He seemed just as exhausted as Phoenix felt but he could sleep. She couldn't. So, as he dozed in and out of sleep. Her gaze turned to the wall opposite. Her daydreams clouded her mind and the thoughts of her mother returned. It had been so long since she'd talked about her to anyone.

The painting studio was beautiful and bright in the early morning sun. Winter was slowly beginning to creep in on Mith but the sun still rose early for now. The light flooded the room and illuminated every detail. From the peeling paint on discarded palettes and the slightly shimmery rose patterns on the walls. It left the room feeling warm but not too warm, the perfect temperature to paint.

Which was what Phoenix was doing. A palette in hand, her paintbrush in the other and a boy sat in the window seat. He quieitly read a book as the two spent a lazy morning together. It wasn't long until Phoenix was bored of painting and the temptation to instead watch the city come to life was too strong.

So, she walked over to the window where the boy was already sat. The Padawan was hunched up, reading a book on Jedi techniques. His braid tucked behind his ear as he engrossed himself in the different fighting patterns that an opponent would take. Phoenix didn't care about fighting or just about anything that the Jedi learnt. Maybe the debating was a good skill but it wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. What she wanted to do was paint and sell her paintings.

If she could be famous for her paintings, that would be ideal but today was not the day of dreams. Today was her birthday and her birthday marked the death of her mother. Someone Phoenix could never seem to forget about, not that she wanted to. 

So, as the city began to come to life, she sat on the window seat. Her feet dangling out in the open air as she looked out at the buildings across the city. The painting studio was a large place, cluttered with things and paintings. It made her feel part of something but when she sat on the window seat, everything felt so small and insignificant. The window opened up completely and she could see across the capital from so high up.

"You're gonna fall out of that window one day," Obi-Wan said, his head lifting from his book. He gave her the side eye and she looked back, rolling her eyes at him before shuffling over so he could join her. He usually did despite how much he said he disliked her doing it.

"Well, when I do, you can save me with your Force," Phoenix teased as she watched the city. The sunlight bounced off the large skyscrapers and created shadows along neighbouring buildings. When the sun was high enough, the shadows would get shorter or change direction. Exposing new places for Phoenix to look and inspect despite the fact she knew every inch of this city.

"My Force is not that strong yet," Obi-Wan said as he closed his book. He then crawled over to the window and sat down next to her. His cloak was left discarded on the window seat as the two looked at the city. The city had been set aflame by the morning sun.