- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎 -

i saw the end 'fore it begun

"I DON'T TRUST Ventress," Skywalker growled as he and Regina passed through the Temple's halls. They were hurrying down the Padawan wing, headed straight for Barriss Offee's rooms. Their time was limited. Ahsoka's trial had begun a while ago and Regina had a feeling that it was going poorly. They needed answers and they needed them now.

Regina spared a look for Anakin, pursing her lips before she spoke. "You don't have to," she replied. "You just have to talk to Barriss."

Anakin sucked in a sharp, annoyed breath. Though he'd stated multiple times how much she was usually right, he hated it when she was.

Regina came to a stop in the hallway. "We need to split up," she said, thinking.

Anakin, realizing that it was a smart idea, nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

Regina resisted the urge to smile; that would only vex him. "Check Barriss's rooms," she reasoned as they continued walking. He raised an eyebrow at that but allowed her to finish. "I'll look in the training dojo, the courtyard, and a few other places she could be."

Anakin shot her a quick look. "Divide and conquer?"

"Exactly."

"Good idea." He smiled. "I'll meet you outside her rooms."

So split up they did. Regina searched through the usual Padawan hangouts and found nothing. She was tempted to go talk to Master Luminara, but Regina–as she walked to Barriss's rooms–shot that idea down. That would take too long and Anakin might have come in contact with their suspect.

But even thinking the word suspect made Regina wince. She'd known Barriss for a good portion of her time in the Jedi Temple and hated thinking that someone she had been friends with could have switched sides.

Regina stopped short outside the corridor that led to Barriss's room, the sound of lightsaber-on-lightsaber catching her off guard. She unclipped her own weapon from her belt, ready to activate its blade at a moment's notice.

And then she turned the corner.

Sure enough, Anakin was sparring with the Padawan, his two blue blades–one presumably Barriss's old lightsaber–clashing with Ventress's two red ones. If that wasn't proof that Barriss was the culprit, nothing was. Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The Padawan had betrayed not only the entire Jedi Order and the Republic itself but a close friend and confidant, framing her for murder and a million other atrocities. It made Regina sick with anger.

Barriss was running right toward Regina, but distracted by Anakin chasing her, she didn't seem to see Regina ignite her green bladed lightsaber. Regina was waiting for the opportune moment. Barriss spun at Anakin, but he deflected her easily, knocking her backward.

"Ahsoka trusted you!" Anakin accused Barriss, the anger in his tone matching the emotion he'd put into his words when talking to Ventress. "And you betrayed her."

"I've learned that trust is overrated," Barriss shot back, Ventress's lightsabers still clutched in her hands. "The only thing the Jedi Council believes in is violence."

Regina didn't want to agree with the assassin, but Barriss did have a good point. Stuffing that thought to the back of her mind for further contemplation after the fight was over, Regina advanced toward the duo, making the area for Barriss to run much more limited. If Anakin had noticed Regina standing there, he made no sign. He was busy glowering at Barriss.