darkforcerising | OPEN POST

"Really?" Bail asked in jest. "You don't want to draft legislation you know will fail again and again? I can't see why not."

He grabbed a tray and handed it to Obi-Wan and then grabbed a tray for himself before heading to a table.

He took the tray without looking at it, and headed straight for the table where he immediately sat down. "I don't want to draft legislation at all. I particularly do not want to be surrounded by politicians." A pause: "present company exempted."

"No offense taken," Bail said. Even in the best of times he would still understand. He didn't choose to be a politician, but was born into it. He supposed one could say he did choose it by not abdicating, but he would argue there was a difference, slight though it may be.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened this time?" Did he want to know? Sometimes it was better to not know. But Obi-Wan was his friend, if the man needed to tell him anything, he would listen.

He started eating as soon as he sat down, though methodically rather than with any particular awareness of what he was eating.

He paused at the question, though, looked up and again realized Bail was not just magically aware of what was going on. "Maul happened. Again." A pause and of relevance: "We have another Star Destroyer for you."

Bail paused, utensil to mouth and blinked at Obi-Wan, his mind trying to figure out how the two connected. But he couldn't make the leap.

"Did you steal it from Maul?"

"No. We stole it with Maul's help. Then Maul was... Maul."

He didn't hate the man, which surprised him. After his trip to the Dark Side at Anakin being kidnapped....

But Maul was dead, and he had come back. All he felt now was worry for Anakin (and, okay, yeah, fear there) and frustration, confusion, and a peculiar kind of heartbreak about the entirety of Maul's life.

"He turned on Anakin once we'd secured the Destroyer."

Saying 'That was a bad idea' was self-evident and he knew Obi-Wan didn't need a scolding right now. Considering how the man lost his Master, this must not be the easiest time for him.

"You got him medical help in time. He's going to recover."

"I got him medical help in time. He will live." He looked up pointedly. "Recovery remains to be seen."

He was tired, he was definitely feeling guilty but he was also, in some ways, steadier than he had been. It was... a strange place to be.

Still worried as anything, though.

"Obi-Wan," Bail said, calmly, but unyielding. "You did everything right. He's here now and receiving the best medical attention possible. Have faith in the medic's abilities."

"This isn't guilt." Well, not just guilt. "He took a light saber through his spine. That isn't a simple thing to recover from. That he lives is what matters most to me, but I am concerned about his long term mental and physical health." And short term if Anakin woke up still in that tank.

"Your concern is justified. But people do recover from spinal injuries," Bail said. "Have faith in him as well."

"I have a near endless amount of faith in him. It has nothing to do with the state of his spine." He was worried, but - he loved Anakin regardless. "I'm all right, Bail. I"ll stop worrying when he's awake and we know what we're looking at, but I'm not writing him off."

Never, that. At least never again.

"Whatever the prognosis, you won't have to manage it alone. The both of you." He wished there was more he could say to reassure his friend, but it really was just a waiting game now.

"I know." He smiled, tiredly. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to your friendship." Which was - maybe he was learning to use words for emotions. "And I'm sorry. I know I'm being rational and not, and that's a very difficult state to navigate. That you even try is... above and beyond."

"It's what friends do, actually," Bail said warmly. "You are never an imposition." By now, he'd figured out that the Jedi had some ideas about relationships that he didn't agree with. And from what he could tell, Obi-Wan might be trying to disentangle himself from those teachings. He assumed patience was the best way through that.

"I believe that you believe that. I just wish I was more able to do things that were more useful to you in return." He was trying, actually, to figure out how people who weren't Jedi worked amongst themselves. Without disliking the Jedi, because....

Well, lots of reasons, including a sincere love for so many of them who were gone now.

"I understand the work you're doing. I'll forgive you needing my help with it from time to time. You never need to pay me back." Of course, Bail's generosity was more about their friendship than it was simply because of the Rebellion. But he bet that would be harder to explain to Obi-Wan.

He accepted that - with some work and checking his first impulses and went with a statement of feeling, and fact, instead. "I hate feeling useless."

"I can honestly say I know exactly what you're talking about," Bail said with a soft, consoling smile.

"These are always hard moments to wait through. If you need company, I'll stay the whole time."

"I need both the company and sleep. Given your marital status and dignity those are probably at odds, but I'm sure we could arrange alternating?"

Bail was too good for... nearly everyone. The degree of his loyalty and ... stability were impressive. Nearly awe inspiring.

Not all of Bail's skill was natural ability. Bail was privileged with a stable upbringing and thorough emotional education and a stable support network, and a planet's worth of wealth.

"What do you want first? Company or sleep?" Because he didn't need sleep he could stay with Obi-Wan's schedule.

"Company, though I intend to sleep in Anakin's room regardless. Perhaps retiring to there for a while and you can leave when you like." He couldn't - probably - make any kind of request for Bail to stay or go or conform to his schedule, not really.

"After you've finished eating," Bail said. "We can go back in." And he would stay as long as Obi-Wan needed him.

He looked down at his plate and was surprised to realize that yeah, he'd stopped eating.

He shook his head slightly and resumed, with a little bit of speed. "Thank you."

It was going to be a short conversation before he fell asleep sitting up, waiting on Anakin to wake up.

It felt like both a minute and an eternity had passed since he'd shut his eyes.

He was aware of sounds first - a machine beeping, but slowly. As he focused on it, became more attuned to it, the speed of the sound quickened.

It was still yet more time before he opened his eyes. He was vaguely aware that the Force was a thing, a thing he couldn't do more than passively feel. And it was odd, because that fact should seem odd to him, or alarming, but he didn't care, actually.

He felt... fine, just as he was.

Opening his eyes and taping that sense was just as slow for him as sound had been. Nothing came into focus for what seemed like forever. But when the shape and pattern of the ceiling did make sense to him, it was unfamiliar.

And age and a day later he could move his eyes just a fraction to the side and there was Obi-Wan. He tried to smile, but he didn't have control over more than his eyes just yet.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject