Obi-Wan was meditating when Talia came up at lunch time. He knew it was her, and that Anakin wasn't back, because Anakin didn't knock on the door. A shame, really, he needed to speak to the boy. Not that he disliked Talia's presence, of course.
"Come in, Talia."
"I thought I told you to sleep." Talia replied, sitting down beside him and passing a plate over.
"Thank you," he took the plate from her, then sighed. "You did. I'm sorry, but I had to notify Master Yoda. We've been told to stay put while he investigates the issue." Talia stared at him with a deadpan expression.
"Darling, what makes you think I can read your mind?"
Obi-Wan hesitated to speak. Talia stared at him, an expectant look in her eyes. He dropped his gaze to the floor, his shoulders slumping. A soldier defeated.
"You were right about him. About Anakin." Like that's a surprise, she thought.
"I'm still not following," Talia told him, taking a bite of her lunch. "Continue."
"That nightmare was a Force vision," he met her gaze, blue eyes grave. "Anakin went dark." It felt right to trust her with this, to tell her of these things, oddly enough.
Talia wasn't surprised. She'd sensed the darkness in him the moment they'd met the day before. She could feel the potential for it, slowly growing over time. Someone was nurturing it, manipulating his fervent emotions, stoking them into a wanton wildfire. An influence she recognised.
"Beware of powerful men," she nodded, her voice soft now. "For powerful men are dangerous men." A warning from her mother, a memory from a long time ago...which Talia hadn't listened to, clearly. Power and charm. Stay away. Stay far away. Ironically, she would probably have loved Obi-Wan.
"You worried about Zoe being close to him." Obi-Wan pointed out.
"She can take care of herself, thankfully. But I've been in her position."
"Verräter."
"Yes." She inclined her head towards his plate, still untouched. Obi-Wan took it, but his focus remained on her.
"What did he do to you?"
"Torture." Talia finished her plate, setting it aside. Obviously, Verräter had done a hell of a lot more than that, but she wasn't going to tell the man her entire life story. Obi-Wan nearly choked on his food.
"What?"
"I'm not kidding." Talia brought one knee up, leaning back with her arm resting on top, watching him through her peripheral vision. She could feel the anger rising in him, the indignation on her behalf. Well, she'd have to come to terms with him being a decent person, she thought with another spike of surprise.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Are you okay?"
Talia raised an eyebrow at him. She'd been changed beyond all recognition from- was he insane?
"Oh," his eyes widened in realisation and he ducked his head, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry."
"You're cute when you're flustered, Kenobi." Talia smirked, highly amused by this. She'd got the legendary hero of the Republic flustered, after all. Obi-Wan blushed even more at her words, feeling his heart start to beat faster, a soft chuckle escaping him.
Her grin broadened and she winked at him, making his face grow even redder, his breath catching. Talia was tempted to keep teasing him. But, with a valiant effort at self restraint, she dropped it, leaning back with a sigh.
"So, yep. Nineteen years of torture to inspire loyalty, ironically enough."
"The way I felt seeing my comrades like that..." Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head, dislodging the thought. "I may suffer, but protecting the galaxy is far important than a singular feeling I have."
There was a pause.
"I feel very selfish," she stood, shoving the thought from her mind. "Well, good for you. Protect the light, ignore the shadows."
"Both the shadows and the light can be indistinguishable," Obi-Wan pointed out. "I just protect the distinguishable light. As a Jedi master, I need to represent the best in sentient life across the galaxy, and I cannot deal with the absolutes of passion."
There was a pause. Talia turned her head to look at him from over her shoulder. Her voice was soft, intimate.
"I wish I had you there as a kid."
She made no sound, but he still felt the loss of her presence when she left the room. Obi-Wan sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor. Shame and guilt hit him again, a sudden brutal force to the chest that made his eyes well up with bitter tears. Yet another failure of the Jedi Order. Of him. Something clutched at his heart, its claws digging in hard.
"I'm sorry I wasn't, my dear."
Talia didn't return for dinner. Theo, Anakin and Zoe were talking animatedly, exchanging advice on training tactics as they ate. Anakin had beat Theo fairly quickly in using the Force, but found it more difficult in lightsaber combat. Zoe, naturally, was the opposite. She and Anakin were quite evenly matched in terms of Force ability.
Obi-Wan listened to their chatter in silence, not eating much. His conscience persistently nagged him to do something to help Talia, unrelenting. He couldn't change what had happened to her, but he could help her heal. Like she was doing for him, somehow. If someone like Talia thought he was selfless, that he was that good...well, Obi-Wan wanted to believe her. Perhaps then he could save Anakin too.
It was cruel and horrifying, he thought, that a fourteen-year-old had gone through such trauma. He felt sick to his stomach, just thinking about it. And yet she'd stayed strong, all those years, never once giving into the dark. This woman was not Dark, and neither were her wards. He could see it quite clearly in the way they looked out for each other. They weren't monsters.
It was strange. Everything seemed easier to bear when Talia was around, the weight on his heart a little lighter, as if her presence gave him strength somehow.
"Rancor got your tongue, Kenobi?" Theo managed to say, between huge mouthfuls of food.
"Don't eat with your mouth full." Zoe scolded him.
"You sound like Lia."
Zoe sighed heavily. "I swear to the Force, I have no idea what I'll do with you."
Theo smirked at her. "Ah, you'd miss me like crazy," he glanced over at Obi-Wan, his expression changing to one of concern. "Seriously though, what's up? Something with Lia?"
"We had a brief discussion about our perspectives but nothing other than that," Obi-Wan cleared his throat, looking to Zoe. "Where is she?"
Zoe's comms device chose that moment to beep.
"Clubbing, apparently."
"Great," Anakin rolled his eyes. "This mission couldn't get any worse."
"Look," Zoe sighed. "Talia entrusted you guys to me. I trust her as you all should do, and if I remember, you want to go in all guns blazing," her eyes narrowed, her voice darkening. "Which would compromise the mission and the galaxy."
"There's something up. She wouldn't go clubbing halfway through a mission." Theo mused.
"You think I would just let Talia wander off?"
"Probably."
"Really not the time, brother."
Zoe's comms device beeped again. Theo craned his neck to look, a smile spreading onto his face.
"See? She's working."
"Anakin, I highly suggest holding your tongue," Obi-Wan sighed, his brow furrowing. "We can't chastise our colleagues here, especially Zoe and Talia."
"Hey, what about me?" Theo frowned.
"Well, let's see what you can do, dear fellow." Obi-Wan patted Theo on the back in a companionable fashion. Anakin rolled his eyes again.
Zoe's comm link beeped once more. Zoe's face lit up.
"She found a lead."
A slow smirk twitched at Theo's lips.
"That's our girl."
"Well, obviously, Theo," Zoe rolled her eyes. "She entrusted this to me, 'cause I wouldn't go running around." She glared at Anakin across the table.
"Anakin, please be patient with us," Theo agreed. "You can't exactly do anything covertly due to your reputation."
"Master, they're bullying me." Anakin turned to Obi-Wan for help.
Obi-Wan looked between the three of them and shrugged.
"I see no issue here."
Anakin huffed out an annoyed breath, flinging his fork down on the table, and swept out of the room with the impatience of a cruel gale in the midst of a storm. There was a pause. Obi-Wan sighed.
"I'm terribly sorry for his behaviour."
"Talia." He heard Zoe whisper to Theo as he left the kitchen. He ignored it, making his way through the condo.
"Anakin, where are you?"
"Here."
Obi-Wan turned to see Anakin leaning against the doorway to the living room, blue eyes hard and cold.
"For goodness sake, Anakin," he sighed in frustration. "How many times have I told you?"
"Enough."
"Then why are you acting like this? Do you not trust them?"
"Obviously, no."
"I don't either, but for the sake of the galaxy, we must." Obi-Wan pointed out calmly, trying to soothe him. Unfortunately, it only seemed to make it worse.
"You always take her side!" Anakin protested, his voice getting louder, harsher as he spoke.
"Anakin please-"
"Don't please me, Padmé's at risk while she's frolicking about in clubs, no less!"
"She said she got the lead."
"So how long do we have to wait before we actually do something?!"
"Not long."
The two of them spun round to see Talia standing in the doorway, watching them both. "I got the lead and we can go in a week, or maybe even days, but till then, we don't move."
She was dressed in black jeans and a dark blue spaghetti top that showed off her arms, covered in black ink and scars. Her copper eyes shone bright, as if a fire had been lit deep within in her soul. Her auburn hair was slightly dishevelled, and Obi-Wan felt a strange warmth coming from her. She was devastatingly and ruggedly beautiful. Her gaze fixed on Anakin, her body tensing as the warmth disappeared, leaving her cold as ice.
"I'm trying to protect you."
"I don't need protection from others." Anakin snapped at her.
"I mean from yourself. And, preferably, don't tear up the house." She gave him a withering glare, turned, and walked out of the room. Zoe and Theo stood awkwardly in the doorway. Zoe stepped in front of her, biting her lip.
"Um...I'll make up a plan so we can prepare."
"Thank you, Zoe," Talia nodded, continuing on her way. "At least someone's being productive."
The twins turned their attention to the Jedi once she'd left. Zoe looked sad, disappointed, but Theo...Theo was furious. His brown eyes fixed on Anakin much the same way Talia's had, with the same intensity. He was surprisingly intimidating.
"How dare you smear our names when we've been doing all the legwork for you," he spat, pure hatred coming to light in every inch of him in that moment. "You don't know what we've been through."
Anakin snorted, and Theo's face went bright red. Zoe had to restrain him from lunging at the young Jedi.
"Walk a fucking mile in our shoes, then repeat what you said." Theo snarled at him, fighting to free himself from Zoe to no avail.
Anakin took a step forward, only to be Force pushed back into the living room by Zoe, his eyes widening in surprise at the power behind it.
"Oh look what you've done, you've messed up the carpet," Zoe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, unconcerned with all that was happening. "Talia won't be happy."
"You dare raise your hand against a Jedi?!" Anakin got to his feet, moving in close to her. Zoe stood her ground, boldly meeting his gaze.
"Yes, I do." She Force pushed him again, this time even harder.
"Especially when that Jedi is an obnoxious arsehole." Theo agreed, anger still lacing his words.
"You're lucky I didn't throw you out of the apartment," Zoe growled menacingly. "Now pick up the mess you've made and apologise."
Anakin hung his head low out of shame. The twins gave him one last cold glare, and left the room. Obi-Wan shook his head, both angry and disappointed with Anakin, who stooped to gather up his things from the floor.