Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

After his weekly sparring session with Ben, Anakin was in his office putting up new photos of baby Juliet on his wall.

She was three weeks old now! A lot had changed! She was sleeping three hours at a stretch now--which was why Anakin was not sleeping meditating in his chair for once.

The door was open.

Comments

[sith_happened]

"Then she didn't really know the task she was asking of you," Anakin replied. "It's not an easy path."

[trigons_child]

"I do not regret my ability to help and heal," Raven said. "But the rest...I wish I could step off that path. I wish I was able to love and laugh and even cry."

[sith_happened]

"How do they know that your emotions are what your father would choose to attack through?" Anakin asked.

[trigons_child]

"I do not know how Azar knew," Raven said, for she was unaware that Trigon had been accidentally created when those of Azarath mystically expelled all their darkest passions, "but she was correct. Before I learned to control and bury my emotions, I could feel my father's presence if I began to feel anything strongly. Anger, hatred...but even passion or joy opens that door."

[sith_happened]

"I'm so sorry," Anakin said before he could stop himself. "That's a horrible way to live."

[trigons_child]

Raven ducked her head, forcing back her own sorrow. "I must accept it," she said unconvincingly. "But...I came here to learn from you, not to complain about my life. I do not wish to waste your time."

[sith_happened]

"The more I know about you, the better I can assist you," Anakin said. "I was assigned to the same teacher for most of my life based on that principle. You're never wasting my time."

[trigons_child]

"Thank you," Raven said. "I am relieved to know that. My time with you has been invaluable to me."

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "How are your shielding exercises working? I know life gets a little more...compressed...in the cabins."

[trigons_child]

"It has been more difficult in the cabins," Raven said. "And harder to meditate because there is so little privacy. But I have managed so far."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I used to get some peace in the preserve," he offered.

[trigons_child]

"I saw part of the Preserve during the Magical Reserves meeting I attended yesterday," Raven said. "It did seem as if it could provide some peace and privacy."

[sith_happened]

"There was a tree in there I carved my initials into when I was much younger," Anakin said with a small smile. "I'd be surprised if you could find it. It's a good place to get lost in."

[trigons_child]

"Are there any dangers to be aware of?" Raven asked. It had seemed peaceful enough, and she had not heard of anyone being injured in the Preserve, but it was best to make certain.

[sith_happened]

"Forever ago, there was a tree around that would pick people up and shake them," Anakin said with a grin. "But I haven't heard about it in years. Other than ants and teal deer, it's very safe."

[trigons_child]

"Then I will have to explore and find a place where I may meditate," Raven said. "Perhaps a place that reminds me of home."

[sith_happened]

"What is your home like?" Anakin asked.

[trigons_child]

"It is beautiful," Raven said. Her eyes shone as she thought of home. "The buildings and streets are made of marble and gold. There are fountains and pools of pure water and gardens filled with trees and flowers and fruits and vegetables. The skies are blue-green, and the clouds are crimson. There is no other place in the Universe like it."

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled. "It sounded a lot like Naboo until the clouds," he said, "and that's still the most beautiful place I've ever seen."

[trigons_child]

"Is Naboo your home?" Raven asked. She remembered Tahiri telling her she was raised in a world of sand, like Arrakis, but she supposed not all Jedi came from the same world.

[sith_happened]

Anakin shook his head. "I come from the same world as Tahiri originally. My wife--" he paused, smiled sadly, then amended it to, "my first wife was from Naboo."

[trigons_child]

Raven nodded, not pressing for any details about that, though she felt and quickly buried a pang of sorrow. "The desert world," she said. "Before Lady Ghanima took us to her home, I could not imagine such a place."

[sith_happened]

"I'm not sure of the differences between Lady Ghanima's home and my former planet, but they both shaped our personalities," he said with a smile. "Neither of us have much patience for idiocy. There's no room for error in that kind of environment."