Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

Anakin arrived a little late to work today: traffic coming through town had been a mess, and he'd almost had to start fights with three different little old ladies aggravating shoppers.

He put down his bag of decorations--lights and tinsel (stupid tinsel), bows and greenery--and began decorating his office.

And then taking pictures to send to Rory's phone. He had a promise to keep, after all.

The door was open. Holiday music was definitely not playing.

Comments

[solo_sword]

Jaina stared. "Are you serious? First, good things came of some of the things I did, and I learned from the good and the bad. I wouldn't take it back." She would, but not right now. "And second, what I needed was time to figure things out myself without everyone telling me what I was doing wrong. That didn't help, you made it worse for me."

[sith_happened]

Anakin stared at her stubbornly. "What you needed was someone watching out for you before you tipped over that edge to begin with. There are healthy ways to deal with grief and anger. Obi-Wan found them. If it's the last thing I do, this family will learn them, too."

[solo_sword]

"Oh, yeah, you're a shining example of what to do. Break some furniture instead of crushing someone's throat, you obviously have your rage under control enough to teach someone else."

[sith_happened]

"I had a lot practice crushing people's throats," Anakin said. "It's a habit I'm working to break. Furniture can be replaced."

How terribly Zen of you, Anakin. Really.

[solo_sword]

Jaina wasn't buying it. "That makes it better then, right? You don't have any better of a handle on it than any of us, but because you haven't killed anyone lately, you can judge."

[sith_happened]

"Absolutely," Anakin said firmly.

[solo_sword]

"Sithspit," she said. "And this is coming from Kyp Durron's temporary apprentice."

[sith_happened]

"I go to sleep every night remembering the exact number of lives I destroyed," Anakin hissed, "and it's in the trillions. That is what stops me from taking another life. I didn't pick up a lightsaber for months after coming back. I work every single day to make up, even a little bit, for what I did. And so yes, I get to worry about you and Ben, and judge when I think you are getting too close to a terrible line, because no one else here has been where I have. And I will absolutely stand in front of a lightsaber to prevent it from happening to either of you."

[solo_sword]

"But you don't give anyone the option to make their own mistakes. You decide where the line is, like it's that simple. No matter how bad you want it to be that simple, it's not," Jaina told him. "You decide what's too much and what's too far and don't take into consideration that you might not know all the facts, or be completely wrong."

[sith_happened]

Anakin's lips settled into a stubborn line. "So you're going to tell me that you didn't go too far?"

[solo_sword]

"I think I went as far as I needed to go to snap out of it," she said honestly. "Too far depends on your point of view. Considering how bad I know I could have been, I don't think I did. And I make that choice for myself. With guidance, not force."

[sith_happened]

"Don't expect praise for it," Anakin said shortly. "Most don't come back."

And that was what terrified him.

[solo_sword]

"Yeah, I'm a screw-up, I get it," Jaina said, and she truly didn't care if he thought that. "But it's possible to come back. And I'd rather be hopeful for that than doom someone to a black suit and a bad reputation when they're having a rough time to begin with. If that's all, I have work to do."

[sith_happened]

"I'd rather stop them from going to begin with," Anakin retorted. "Regardless of what you might be learning, it is entirely possible to be a well-rounded Jedi without ever going to the dark side. Coming back isn't something to be hoped for because going there at all is nothing to encourage."

[solo_sword]

"I get it!" Jaina cried, rolling her eyes. "You don't know how we do things nowadays, Jedi were much better before you killed them all, everything was perfect sunshine and rainbows and you know what's best for everyone. Too bad you can't control everything and that doesn't work, and it's tiring lectures from someone who really doesn't get it."

Apparently Jaina had just decided to let all the stress out today?

[sith_happened]

Anakin stood there and took the tirade, then pointed to the door. "I believe you had work to do?"

[solo_sword]

Without another word, Jaina spun on her heel and walked out the door. Note the lack of talk about next week.