Staying on Coruscant for more than a day felt eerie to Leilani; the ghosts of her past popping up their heads one by one as she walked through the temple corridors or their old apartment. The first of her destinations was the temple garden after the chaos in the Senate winded down; reminiscing the moments with Dooku and Qui-Gon; then wandering around, all the memories came back haunting. She had the time to think, for once, and no distraction meant a swirling sonic tsunami of thoughts in her head. Her return back to Tython wasn't scheduled for half a week, and not she could've gone right away, but she simply decided to stay. So, as soon as the melancholic memory-chasing was starting to get worse, she jumped up; getting back right into the Senate chamber to aid Padmé, for once.

"Our Generals inform us that the troops in the field continue to perform valiantly," raised his voice Bail Organa, leaning forward in his Senate pod. "What we cannot afford is to be irresponsible. The Republic is near bankruptcy due to the cost of this war."

Several of the Senators cheered following his words.

"Bankruptcy is not necessary my friends," Senator Lott Dod manoeuvred his pod upwards, gesturing lightly. "If we pass Senator Saam's bill to open new lines of credit, we will gain access to the needed funds."

Mon Mothma spoke up against him, "Won't this bill essentially deregulate the banks?"

"A small price to pay to finance the war, is it not?"

"We must get the war going—"

"Get the bill on the table!"

"Members of the Senate," Padmé said, activating her pod; gesturing for Captain Typho and Leilani to sit down as she neared Bail Organa's position. "Do you hear yourselves? More money, more clones, more war— say nothing of fiscal responsibility, what about moral responsibility? Hasn't this war gone on long enough?"

Senator Saam narrowed his eyes at her. "Senator Amidala, are you suggesting we surrender to the Separatists?

"Of course not," she protested quickly. "But negotiation might be a better course of action."

"You can't negotiate with those animals!"

"Keep the war going!"

"Vote, now!"

And perhaps if it hadn't been for Bail Organa to stop the vote, disaster would have come already. These were complicated debates, many perspectives and each only favouring only their own. The real wars of pride and ego were fought from the elite's comfortable homes— while men died on the battlefield, and the numbers of the Jedi dwindled down. Padmé, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma were rational, and always have been; yet they have had a powerful opposite in the forms of the Banking Clan and Trade Federation, power seekers, only motivated by the size of the pocketbooks and amounts of credit. Mindless assets to take control of the galaxy.

"You must ask the Jedi Council to speak to Chancellor Palpatine," Padmé proposed as the four of them walked down the corridors of the Senate, Ahsoka trailing one step behind.

Anakin shook his head. "Don't involve me in this."

"A peaceful solution is the only way out of this morass of war," his wife argued; and she wasn't wrong in any way; there had to be a walkable path down where no more lives were lost— then again, with all the power-hungry senators walking up and down in the building, it felt impossible.

"It is not our place, Padmé. I may stand in the Senate, but this...is far beyond our reach," said Leilani, gesturing with her right hand helplessly; opening her palm to face the ceiling.

Ahsoka stepped next to the Naboo Senator, matching their pace, as her mimics betrayed her confusion. "Why not?" she asked. "Why isn't this our role? Aren't we Jedi Knights? Isn't it our duty to speak our minds and advise the Chancellor?"

Anakin hid a scoff as he instead cleared his throat. "Uh..., I suggest you teach my young Padawan a thing or two about politics," he said.

"After today's debate, I was hoping she learned a great deal," the Senator sighed.

"Truthfully," Ashoka said, looking ahead, not daring to face the adults next to her. "I didn't understand any of it. I know the Separatists are evil but all anyone argued about was banking deregulation, interest rates and well, almost nothing about why we are fighting this war in the first place."

Leilani opened her mouth to disagree with the Padawan's statement, yet Anakin was faster, stepping ahead and stopping his apprentice with a hand movement. "War's complicated," he started. "But let me simplify it. The Separatists believe that the Republic is corrupt but they're wrong and we must restore order." Of course, the way Anakin saw things wasn't merely flawed, but overly simplified and, frankly speaking, stupid; yet he always thought about politics as a one-way system, as an ideology which could be solved and enforced.

Leilani couldn't hide her not-so-amused look as she looked at Anakin. "Maybe it would be better if you didn't talk to the Council after all," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I agree," Padmé nodded towards the older woman. "Come on Ahsoka."

She resumed her movement, going ahead while inviting Ahsoka to do the exact same; and the young Togruta gladly followed.

"Hey—" Anakin scoffed.

"You told me to teach her about politics," Padmé protested, tossing the words casually over her shoulder. "And I intend to."

Anakin extended his hands in frustration as he was left by both women in the middle of the corridor; only for Leilani to place a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, the slight anger slowly melting away as she smiled.

"Not everything is as black and white as you think, Ani," she said, keeping her tone soft.

"It's just—"

"I know," she stopped him. "And that's alright, but seeing only one point of view will never get you anywhere."

A friend's job was to playfully chide; while a mother's was to guide, and that was always the aspect that he could have found in Leilani; she never judged him for being wrong— never said a word when he was being angry or even selfish in a weak moment. She always acknowledged his feelings, nodding with a smile, listening and then explaining over and over again how she viewed it; with her, it was always a comparison instead of a debate; a slow exchange of ideas and then a review to see which seemed right and which was worse. There was no wrong answer, nor a flawed perspective; just different ones, waiting to be guided instead of bullied.

He eventually sighed in understanding, and went on his way, back to the temple, while Leilani decided to join Ahsoka and Padmé in the Senator's study room.

"If only I could talk to Senator Bonteri," she heard Padmé sighed as she stepped through the door.

Ashoka looked up, confusion once again in her eyes, as she unconsciously touched her lekku. "Who is he?"

"He is a she," Leilani said, briefly tilting her head to the side. "A Senator in the Confederacy of Independent Systems...and a good friend of ours."

"Your friend is a Separatist? One of Dooku's pawns?"

Leilani walked up to stand next to the Senator of Naboo, as Ahsoka still looked at them with disbelief. "The Separatists used to be a part of the Republic," Padmé said. "I was close with many of the senators who left. I may not agree with them, but they are more than pawns."

"Plus, my brother might be an idealist, but he also raised several valid concerns. Democracy is just as important to them as it is for the Republic, no matter if the Chancellor wants to recognise this or not," Leilani added.

"I'm sorry, Master Serenno," Ahsoka murmured, turning her full body towards the two older women; "And if you believe that negotiations could resolve this war, why don't you contact her?"

Leilani blinked slowly, sheepishly considering her words. "They have made that illegal long ago, but—" An utter sense of knowing, and recklessness hit in both of their heads at the same moment.

"Jedi clearance."

"Jedi clearance!"

Ashoka glanced in between the two women, clearly not aware of the situation as their minds were made up.

"You and Padmé can sneak behind enemy lines with your special clearance, little Soka. I know that it is a lot to ask for but—"

"Master Skywalker would do the same," Ahsoka smiled lightly, knowing that her master would be just as reckless. Leilani smiled at her as well, knowing that she was right. Master and Padawan grew to be more alike than they ever realised; just as Leilani and Nia— or Obi-Wan and Anakin; there was a close, natural bond between the two that couldn't have been broken.

As much as she helped them work out the details of how they were going to get to Raxus, she couldn't have been involved, not when her prospects were barely intact. She made however a promise, of helping from the shadows as they embarked on completing the risky business. The idea of how she was going to keep Anakin occupied wasn't yet clear in her mind; it was a strangely dark, polluted thought right in the deepest of her brain, a rotting feeling of indecency caused by the meaning of this. Even as she walked back towards the temple, the same sense haunted her.

She slowly passed the statues of the front gate, glancing up profoundly at the sculptures of the four masters, silently reminiscing how she wished to be one of them; be a part of their way and disappear in a quiet place—giving her life to the Force, to guide it as it will. A melancholic feeling hits deep inside her core while remembers her dreams, how she used to view the world and what she opted to do; and finally how the effects of the war gave her the exact opposite. A path filled with unimaginable grief and sorrow; in a world where no kids can be properly raised—where day by day, she would have to fight to survive as she loses sight of what really mattered all those years ago. And while the epiphany of her thoughts wreathes in her mind, Obi-Wan and Anakin stand outside the main chamber, observing her sore mimics and how her brows furrow. For once, Anakin had to nudge the older, to rouse from the state of dismay as he looked at the woman.

They shared a look, Anakin silently suggesting to him to go after Leilani; and he listens, for once— with his steps first hesitant, yet getting progressively faster as he goes to catch her at the end of the corridor.

Perhaps, at the third bespake if not for the fourth, she finally stops, turning only from her upper body to look directly towards Obi-Wan. "You seem a little on edge," he remarks, his eyes visibly softening under her sharp gaze.

"Merely lost in thoughts," she shakes his words off, no willing to reveal any more than that.

"Might a walk in the mediation gardens help?" The question doesn't come unexpectedly, nor is it pestilential; so she gladly links her arm with his— not noting as Anakin smiles knowingly from the distance.

Suddenly, everything else becomes all so irrelevant to her.

She wasn't yet sure of how they wanted to manage the forgotten relationship, and nor was he; for her, Obi-Wan was now a stranger, a link to the cruel past which still haunted her dreams, an effortless ghost coming into her life yet again when she least expected and stirring the wheel of her emotions she kept at bay. For Obi-Wan, it is more or less the same; she is a string disappearing and coming back yet again, dragging along the cacophony of warmth, unexplainable comfort but also distress. Emotions and silent senses are capable of quickly blending into the deepest of his mind, confusing his flow of words, and prompting him to remain silent as he walks side by side with Leilani in the gardens. Instead, he too, notices her features, the natural blonde hair slowly greying on the sides; or the circles under her tired eyes-- and while it is always easier to spot the worse, he slides over those, rather paying attention to how her cheeks redden, how her eyes hold the fervour with a hint of melancholy and how her lips are surrounded by smile lines. She was happy in the past eleven years, he notes, while the thought unconsciously makes the corner of his mouth twitch upwards.

"We ought to talk," Leilani is the first to suppress the rhythm of her heart, as she speaks, using the transparent yet now seemingly abandoned space to solve what seemed unsolvable. ''A ton of words were said, might that be this week or all those years ago, and I don't-- I don't feel right to leave those unattended and in the past.''

Obi-Wan turned towards her with half of his body, silently acknowledging the words, and finally nodding. ''It is the effect of our past that keeps us at bay yet close nonetheless,'' he says. '' A lot has happened and a lot has changed. We changed."

That was the truth. They both knew.

''And even after all that time, we keep coming back to each other,'' Leilani sighs. ''I feel that we left much unsaid, and mostly I-- fleeing from a confrontation when our friendship deserved more,'' she is being eerie with her words, metaphoric as she doesn't dare to reminisce the exact moments just yet. ''You saw me at my worst, Obi-Wan, at the moment where even I couldn't decide whether I was acting on purpose or not, and that scared me beyond belief. The thought of making an unnoticeable mistake and yet losing it all...was terrifying for me.''

Obi-Wan stops, prompting Leilani to do the same, now turning her full body towards the woman. ''I was never angry with you because of what you did, Leilani-- while, yes, I do remember. I was mad because you did not let me be there when you needed the most. That you closed off and...I've made mistakes too.'' Both of their eyes soften, slowly reminiscing the meanings of their words, and perhaps even wondering if what was happening was real or not.

Most situations in lives are all that, lacking the proper amount of communication; yet when everyone is silent, the dramatics start, resulting in meaningless quarrels, war, and silent suffering. Because both of them did suffer, both believing that they were guilty in cutting off a friendship, both accusing themselves. The knowledge and pain slowly eating them alive from inside. Later; of course, realisations hit hard, but nothing can change the past, the nights when you wake up sweaty from a nightmare, or the day when a sudden memory hits with such strength that you nearly faint.

And all it takes is to say, ''I'm sorry.''

From both parties. "I am sorry too."

It also does not matter who is the first to admit to their thoughts, come clean, as it feels like washing your hands after a long day; scrubbing down the filth and the pain. Yet you both know that there is a certain point when you can walk past your ego, the pride we usually struggle to push aside. It all just happens, and you let it; you make that choice. For your own sake. And for theirs.

Instead, you just let the conversation flow.

"What you did...in the Senate was brave," Obi-Wan says. "How you stood up for your people even though everything was against you." And you are brave enough to acknowledge things that seemed impossible before. ''The past week seems a blur. Going to Mantero, having to fight Ventress; then the betrayal on the Coronet and the Senate; yet you did not give up, not even for one moment. That is the Leilani I remember.''

Leilani blinks, looking deep into his aquamarine eyes, as they both sit down on a bench. ''Yet I feel like a silent witness; I have been through it all and still...everything is so out of my hand. I may seem strong, but that is merely because I have to be. I have people counting on me."

''You are the only one who can't recognise how capable you are, Leilani,'' Obi-Wan smiles sadly. ''You fail to see how determined you are, how impossibly kind and caring. You are completely unaware of it.''

''You shouldn't say things like that, Obi-Wan,'' she finds herself threateningly close to matching his smile.

''I know. But allow me, just this once.''

As if she could ever stop him...or she would want to.

Yet as news comes, Anakin runs through the temple, looking for the two of them; the person that he viewed as the closest to a father, and the woman who always acted like his mother. In the hidden corners of his mind, they were his family. Of course, the death of Shmi was an old pain, one that pierced through his bones every time he woke up; that haunted his dreams each time he even attempted to close his eyes-- but Leilani was there to ease the pain. He could run to her when things turned for worse, a connection that not even his wife could have understood. He smiled, smiles every time he saw her; and that grew even wider now, as he is seeing the two of them happy. He walks into the gardens, his eyes quickly spotting the two of them on the bench, smiling as Obi-Wan reminisces a memory about him, laughing as Leilani then tells him about Nia's training.

He feels bad for disturbing the moment of peace, but he was instructed to. ''Leia, Obi-Wan,'' he greets, getting their attention finally, from afar.

They jump up as if nothing had happened, following Anakin into one of the temple's chambers, where many of the Jedi already awaits. The three of them step through the door, and as the hydraulic hiss signifies their presence, Master Windu initiates the holomessage waiting for them. A distress call, as Leilani recognises.

A small holographic presence appears above the holodisk, the figure of Master Halsey, holding up his lightsabre tightly in his right hand. "The Devaronian temple is lost," he says, his voice holding the ways of his desperation. "I repeat, the temple is lost. We can't hold on anymore. Send no help. No one can stop them—" the message cuts off, and the whispering becomes louder in the chamber; the Jedi looking through the room and observing each other.

"The Separatists? Targeting our temples?" asks one of the Jedi Generals, cutting through the noise.

Leilani finds it hard to breathe as she thinks about how Tython and her Padawan could be the next. "Was this the only attack?"

"Indeed," confirms Master Windu. "We have already dispatched a squadron to help on Devaron. Hopefully, they will arrive on time."

Both Obi-Wan and Anakin look towards the woman, expecting her to say something else, perhaps even acting hysterically, yet she just shakes her head and waits for their next instructions.

"We will place every Outer Rim temple under high alert, including Tython," Master Windu adds, looking right towards Leilani as he speaks the last words.

She nodded. "I will return immediately."

They are soon dismissed with no further instructions but to wait. While Leilani feels the sting of not being able to keep her promise to Padmé, her worry overwhelms her, and she hurries back to her ship. In her mind, there is no time to waste, no moment to spare if her Padawan is in danger; she can't sit idly with a mind tormented by fear.

This time, however, Anakin and Obi-Wan see her off, understanding her urgency and noting the distress etched on her features despite her efforts to conceal it. Yet again, there as so much unsaid, thoughts hidden beneath a smooth surface, yet as much as Leilani wished, she knows that her place is elsewhere.

"It won't be long," she reassures Anakin, yet her words are simultaneously meant towards Obi-Wan as well. Now, as more and more are lost, the Council needs them, the Republic Army needs them; and perhaps, even if not under more peaceful circumstances, but they shall meet again very soon. She places her hand on the younger man's shoulder and waits until he nods, to make sure that he is alright. Only then does she take a step sidewards, to exchange a quiet word with the Jedi Master. "Be careful with him," she says, attentive so Anakin couldn't hear her words.

Obi-Wan crosses his arms in front of his chest. "It's you who should be careful. Not with him, but—"

Leilani smiles at him softly. "I'm going to be alright, Obi-Wan. I have plenty of people with me on Tython, and we can't be sure that this...will repeat itself. You shouldn't worry about me."

"Yet I do nonetheless," he sighs, letting out a breath he didn't remember holding back.

"Just as I worry about you, my dear. But we are way past that," she says, the endearment slipping out so naturally she barely notices. Her eyes search his, finding solace in his presence. "Oh, and I am still not sure about one thing."

Obi-Wan furrows his brows, waiting for her to tell him rather than asking.

"Your beard," she says, unconsciously raising her hand and flexing it, only to gently place it on his cheek, her thumb lightly tracing the lines of his facial hair.

Not even in his wildest dreams would he have expected this answer from her, nor the mesmerising touch that makes him freeze for more than a mere moment and his tone crack as he voices his witlessness. "Why, what is wrong with that?"

"It hides too much of your handsome face."