The Guardian's Path

Chapter 8 - Distractions

Ahsoka shifts, raising her head off the back of the couch as Padme enters the room. It's been at least two or three hours since the Senator left to try and resolve the situation regarding Custos. In that time, Anakin and Ani moved to the couch, the latter of whom is finally dozing, head resting on Ahsoka's shoulder. She doesn't want to disturb him. Anakin is oddly still, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He's hardly even moved, and it's unnerving to see. Usually, he's always active, and seeing him in this state of apathy worries her.

She wishes that she could say something, do something to shake some life back into him. It feels as if she's losing him slowly, second by second. If only she understood what he was thinking. His past has always been mysterious, now so especially, and she – she can't help him if she doesn't know what she has to help him with. Maybe Padme could shed some light on the situation, but Ahsoka doubts that she'd be willing to divulge anything without Anakin's consent. She'll have to talk to her master.

"Well?" Ahsoka queries, looking at Padme.

Anakin shifts for what seems like the first time, turning towards the Senator. He seems to remain distant though as their bond is clouded and blocked off. Ahsoka doesn't like not being able to feel him; she doesn't like when she can't sense his presence in the back of her head at all times. It's a testament to how close they've become, to how much she cares about him. It might be attachment, but she doesn't care.

"I sent the petition to the Council through Obi-Wan, marked important an hour ago," Padme tells them. Ahsoka already knows the outcome from the look on her face. She seems frustrated, though not defeated. She won't give up, even if there's not much else which she can do. Yet. "He responded that the Council refuses to hear anything pertaining to Custos because it's an internal matter."

Maybe that's part of the reason why Obi-Wan called Ahsoka over an hour ago. She turned her comm to silent after that, completely ignoring the call. It's not as if there's anything for her to say to him. If something urgent comes up, Rex will contact them – her, actually, because Anakin's comm is still off. She understands his need for quiet. After everything which just happened, he doesn't need anyone or anything else to stress him.

She forces herself to remain calm at the news, even if she really wants to scream right now. If she becomes agitated, Ani will pick it up, because of his sensitivity, and he'll awaken. He needs the rest. There's a flare of anger from Anakin before it's smothered. "I'm not even surprised," he grinds out. The depth of his anger takes Ahsoka off guard, and she'll admit to being worried about him. "The Council has grown complacent, arrogant, unwilling to look at any view but their own. They're wrong!"

He sounds so furious, so defiant, it nearly scares her. Anakin doesn't – he isn't like this normally. He doesn't stand up and fight back against the Council. He's... passive. The second she realizes that, something clicks in her head, and she wonders how she didn't realize sooner. He is passive. He doesn't resist Obi-Wan or the Council, not like he is now. It's not simply out of respect; it's how he is, which is strange in and of itself, because she's not like that and nor are any of the other Jedi she knows. So, why is Anakin?

He has always been different. It's one of the reasons why she's long admired and looked up to him. But in the end, she gives up trying to puzzle out the mystery. She's missing far too many pieces to put together a cohesive story, and she doesn't want to wrongly interpret her master's past. There's something there, teasing the edges of her consciousness, but she can't make sense of whatever it is, so she focuses instead on Anakin.

"They could kill him, claiming it's for the 'greater good,' and not even care that it would do more harm than anything else," Anakin continues. He's shaking from suppressed rage.