LEILANI SERENNO bridged the past and the present, born into a family of cruelty and then groomed to fulfil a role in the grand scheme of things. She was a puppet manipulated by her brother, ensnared in a larger narrative orchestrated by the Force. Y...
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The morning was quiet, painted in soft hues of dawn that filtered through the cottage's small window. The embers in the hearth had long since dimmed, leaving only the faintest trace of warmth in the air, a reminder of the night before.
Leilani stirred first, not fully awake, but aware. The weight beside her was familiar, steady, a presence she had long memorised in the depths of her soul. Obi-Wan's breathing was slow, even, the kind of rhythm only found in rare, stolen moments of peace. He was not one to sleep deeply, always poised on the edge of wakefulness, but now, here, his guard had lowered just enough.
She turned her head slightly, taking him in-his features softened by sleep, his expression free of the careful neutrality he so often wore. He looked... at ease. Not burdened by the weight of war, duty, or expectation. Just himself.
It was a sight she knew she would carry with her, a moment so fleeting it almost hurt to hold onto.
But time was not theirs to waste.
She exhaled, sitting up slowly, careful not to disturb him too much. The movement was enough, though-Obi-Wan shifted, his eyes blinking open, hazy for only a fraction of a second before clarity settled in. He looked at her, and for a moment, neither of them moved.
The weight of the night before still lingered between them, not suffocating, but present. Soren's words, the undeniable truths spoken aloud, the way neither of them had denied it.
But now, the day had begun, and reality was knocking at their door.
Obi-Wan exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face before sitting up beside her. "We should find a ship," he murmured, his voice still edged with sleep.
Leilani nodded, pushing herself fully upright, fingers brushing against the thin fabric of the blanket before pulling away. "Before Anakin gets impatient and steals one himself."
A faint smirk tugged at Obi-Wan's lips. "Too late for that, I imagine."
They dressed in silence, slipping back into the roles they had always played, though something unspoken remained between them, a fragile thread woven into the quiet.
But reality waited.
By the time they emerged from the small room, the rest of the crew was already awake, gathered around the table where the remnants of breakfast sat half-eaten. Leilani and Obi-Wan stepped apart instinctively, moving as if nothing had shifted, as if they were still only what they had always been. But she caught the way Obi-Wan straightened his tunic just slightly, the way his fingers brushed over his belt as if to reset something.
Ahsoka barely noticed, already engaged in a conversation with Nia about the repairs needed on the ship.
Anakin, however-
Anakin noticed everything.
His gaze flicked between them, sharp and knowing, and then-slowly-he smirked.
