Circe feels the buzz of anxiety in her all morning. Anakin has been gone since first light, long before she had been awake which is a rare happening, and even rarer that he didn't comm her once while he was away.
The Temple walls feel smaller than usual, the sweet smoke of incense more of a choking smog than a cleansing property. She longs to be out, to get on a ship and travel somewhere new. But the Council is unusually reserved in mission assignments, spooked from the Ahch-To attack.
They need something to take their minds away from the tragedy. Circe needs something. But it will be hard to convince the Council of letting them take the Younglings out again. She feels the tension all throughout the walls, in every conversation she overhears, falling like dust over everything.
She thinks of the loss of life, all the years that were cut down so quickly. It sickens her—the thought of just how many lives Separatists have claimed. And it sickens her even more knowing that there are hundreds more bounty-hunters out there, eager to kill if it means they'll get a few thousand credits. Her thoughts stay with her well into the afternoon, when Anakin finally makes himself known.
When he does, she notices a change in his attitude. An air of satisfaction in the way he holds himself. If she weren't so glad to see him, she might inquire more directly, but she's happy just to be in his presence. Her mind has stopped spinning for the first time since she woke to find him gone.
"You've had a good day," She guesses, falling in step with him as he travels down the glossy hall.
"I don't know what you mean?" He says.
She sees through him as one looks through a pane of glass.
"Don't lie, Anakin," She says, "You're a bad liar."
"What! I was just out for a walk."
She cocks her brow. "Really. A walk? Anakin Skywalker wasting the day for a walk. I don't believe it."
He scoffs jokingly at her. "Oh, taking time to be one with nature is unbelievable to you?"
"We live on a planet-sized city."
"There are trees along the street!"
She shakes her head, swelling with joy at the fact that they're back to joking with one another. He is there, brighter and warmer than the sun, and she is relieved.
"Fine, keep your secret outings to yourself," She says, clasping her hands behind her back. "But I want to talk with Obi-Wan and propose another trip."
"No, we should rest while we can," He says, to her surprise.
Anakin wants to stay until he knows whether the Council will hand the bounty-hunter over to the Chancellor, but he can't tell Circe that, even if the words are trying to jump out of his throat. He can't say anything. He has never been a good liar, she is right, and his secret is begging to be told.
"Why? You always want to get off Coruscant."
He forces another lie out. It scratches against his throat like rough nettle. "Yes, and Ahch-To was a reminder that perhaps we are too eager to rush out into space. Maybe we should take this free time and relax. Recuperate."
The battle on the islands flashes in Circe's mind again, the look on Anakin's face still fresh behind her eyes. She wants to ask about it but knows she shouldn't.
Why did he look so frightened? Why was he so worried that she wouldn't be able to handle herself? Why was he so furious with Kiger? She keeps the questions buried inside her and they eat her up.
"I don't want to stay here. I want to go out and do something productive. Go on a mission that ends well," She says glumly, "I want to plan something else. The Younglings deserve it, after everything they've been through."
Anakin knows she needs something to put her mind on, so he keeps his objections to himself.
"Fine," He nods down the hall, "You lead the way."
The halls leading to the west meditation wing are lit by sun that pours through the huge windows on the wall. They make the stone shine, a bright radiant beige that is warm to the touch. Circe's hair is blinding white in the light, bouncing off her shoulders like a sheet of stars.
For a moment, it is just them. Not the Chancellor's request for the bounty-hunter, not a million questions fluttering like birds in their stomachs. Just them.
Obi-Wan is in the west tower, sitting peacefully in the middle of the large, sun-bathed room. It smells like him there, a warm familiar scent that comforts Circe greatly. It reminds her of the way the library smelled when she young and the books seemed to tower over her, or of the fresh natural dyes they used for their robes, drying in the sun.
"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin says, stirring the elder Jedi from his quiet.
"I've had far too many meditations disturbed by you recently, Anakin," He says, his eyes still closed against the colorful light in the room. "What can I help you with?"
"It's me, actually," Circe answers, "I want to plan another trip for the Younglings."
Obi-Wand doesn't reply, which can only mean that he's listening.
She goes on. "I just don't think it was fair to them, the way we returned home. They were so excited about going somewhere outside of the city, and it was our job to make that happen. I don't want to leave them with the horrors of Ahch-To any longer."
Obi-Wan sighs. "Circe, it's not the best time to be going out again."
"But we'll be smarter about it this time. We'll make sure—"
"The Younglings were directly attacked. It can't be a coincidence. Someone went after them on purpose. We are under threat. "
Anakin furrows his brows. "You think this was an attack on the Order?"
"What other reason does someone have to target children? They're the people that are going to carry on the Jedi legacy, continue our practice. If you want to end a group of people, you remove its next generation."
"Who could want to do that? Surely not the Sith, they fight Jedi. Warriors. Not children," Circe argues.
Obi-Wan gives her a doubtful look.
"It was a bounty hunter!" She continues. "Those people would do anything for money!"
"Exactly, Circe," He says in a quiet, gentle tone. "We can't risk it. If you want to take the Younglings out, you have to stay on-planet and take more Jedi with you."
She shakes her head, dropping her shoulders in defeat. "I still can't believe someone would do this. Going after children—after Younglings. They can't even defend themselves yet."
"We'll figure something out. Something fun for the kids that is still safe," Anakin assures her. "We'll come up with a plan and then present it to you, Master."
"Alright, I'll be here. I was just beginning to feel the tingles of complete inner peace," He replies, closing his eyes.
"Really?" Anakin says, impressed, "What was it like?"
"I wouldn't know. You interrupted it. Now go away."
A smile twitches on Circe's face and she pulls Anakin towards the door, turning her attention to trying to find something fun for the Younglings to do.
As they walk back the way they came, Anakin gets a message on his comm that takes his attention from their task.
"I suppose I'll talk to Padme tonight about it. She's smart, I'm sure she'll be able to come up with something good," Circe says mindlessly, eyeing Anakin when he doesn't respond. "Important comm?"
"What?" He asks, putting his device back into his pocket. "Oh, no. It's nothing. You're going to see Padme tonight?"
"Yeah," She says suspiciously, "We're going out to dinner again."
"Oh, bring me back something? Please? I'll pay you back," He pleads.
"You don't have any money."
"I'll pay you back in the future!"
She scoffs. "Didn't you say that last week? And the week before that? And don't you owe me 200 credits for—"
"Oh, whatever!" He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his broad chest. "Never mind then if you're going to be that way. I was actually about to pay you back tomorrow but now I've changed my mind."
"Oh really," She says, looking up at him. "You've changed your mind."
"Yes, I have," He answers, turning away from her.
She shakes her head and follows him back into the main part of the Temple, energized by the prospect of a new plan.