I'm Safe Inside Your Head

3. These are our Differences

WARNING: description of a scar. References to nightmares. Brief mentions of potential past slavery (it's a theory, unconfirmed).

Please take care of yourself and only read if doing so will not be harmful!

Obi-Wan had never quite been able to bring himself to move out of the room he'd once shared with his former padawan. Anakin had long moved out, getting his own room which he had then shared with his own padawan in turn until she'd broken away from the Order.

He wondered what Anakin would think as Petra carried her small box of things into her new room. He hoped his old padawan would be excited to have a padawan sister.

It wouldn't take Petra long to unpack, but he busied himself with taking out things to cook with. It barely felt like moments later that Petra was beside him, chopping vegetables while he set water to boil. They moved about each other in an easy quiet, the meal coming together around them. It was like they'd cooked together a hundred times.

Setting two plates down on the table, Obi-Wan came to the realisation they'd sunk into a shared meditation. No wonder they'd managed to create a meal without a word shared. Sitting down, Obi-Wan caught her lightly tugging at her new padawan braid, twisting her first bead between her fingers— a familiar tic.

They traded questions as they ate. Favourite subjects. Interesting missions. She didn't ask about the war. She hadn't even been born yet when it ended, but that had never stopped younglings and initiates in the past.

"You should know that someone else lives here," he told her. "He'll be back later tonight. His name is Cody and he was my commander during the Clone Wars."

Petra nodded, glancing at her bedroom door. "I hope I haven't taken his room."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Cody shares my room."

She only nodded again, pushing food around her plate. Obi-Wan breathed through the flutter of nerves in the air, though he couldn't figure out if they were his or Petra's. "Is everything alright?"

Petra let her cutlery rest against the plate. Despite the changed positions of her food, he was starting to think she hadn't eaten anything. "You're aware I've interacted with Quinlan Vos before." There was something wary in her voice, understandable, really. Considering the highly redacted file that had only been worth a glance over, he could imagine she'd been told to keep that information to herself.

"Quin was my clanmate and a notorious gossip. I don't know the details, but I know the two of you were on some kind of mission for a few months."

As her master now, he'd be allowed to read the report she'd written in its unredacted form. Or he could simply ask her about it.

He didn't ask her, however. Quinlan's work was difficult to speak of even when he was allowed to talk about it. A confidential mission would be harder to discuss, especially for someone as young as Petra. While it was likely the cause of her impressive lightsaber skills despite years away from the Temple's classes, Obi-Wan wished she hadn't had to go through it.

"It's a long story."

"One I'll listen to if and when you're comfortable with sharing."

Her shoulders fell from where they'd been gradually rising. He took that to mean he'd done something right. "Thank you."

"Of course, padawan mine. Now, I believe I have failed to understand how your species eats. Have I got that correct?"

She nodded. "I thought you were making extra for someone else or to eat another day," she explained. "I would've said otherwise."