She smiles back. (Blinking back a few tears, too.) "Tell me - more of your journey?"

"All right. The first person I met was an alt of Luke..." She spins the tale in more detail than she was able to write.

She listens, intently - letting go enough they can actually sit down.

"...Most of my alts haven't - resonated that much," she says, softly, leaning against Elesse.

"Indeed. There were a large number of correspondences between you and Ashes."

"Not an exact copy, though."

"No, not quite."

She hums, thoughtful.

"Leia will like having an alt of her own, I think."

"They can swap tips on effective governance."

"Suss out what's universal or different between governing in preindustrial and modern societies."

"This will lead to great advances in the field, I am sure."

"To everyone's benefit."

"I've missed you, Anakin."

She quiets, a bit.

"I've missed you, too. Just - so much." She shivers.

Hug.

"Would you like to meet the others?"

...She doesn't know the answer to that. She - doesn't know how to say all the - unreal thoughts and emotions she can't quite grasp.

"Anakin. Remember to breathe."

Deep, even breaths, leaning against Elesse, for a short while.

Her emotions still don't feel like they belong to her - they usually don't for a while when she gets like this, no matter what anyone else does -

But she's getting a bit more centered in her actual body, and her thoughts are - slipping away less.

"...Sorry."

Pat. "You do not need to apologize."

Shrug. "I don't like it when my thoughts do that."

"Have you... been meditating?"

"Yes. As best I can, though - sometimes I dissociate while meditating, which isn't pleasant... But it's - something I've dealt with before, anyways, and... Healed from, eventually. After Vader. I'd... Stopped, for a while, but - I guess I backslid a bit."

"Oh Ani," there's an echo of the teacher in Elesse's tone as she brushes her hair back. "You deserve to be happy."

She presses her face into Elesse's neck a bit.

"I - am. Usually."

"Just."

"Isn't always... Real."

Hug.

Hug. She's shaking, a bit.

"I don't - know how to be okay just - all the time."