"Not at all, my dear." Elesse Vendar, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, favors Anakin with a smile. Her clothes are muted in color but finely tailored, and her bearing and manner is impeccable. "I am glad you could make it. My sources backstage tell me that the technicians have at last brought the flame projectors up to the new code and the third act will not need to make do with holoprojections. Tonight's performance promises to be exciting." She takes Anakin's shoulder and starts gently steering her along. "But come, let us away to the box. A side entrance tonight, I do not feel like smiling for the press," with another grin for Anakin.

She grins back and happily lets herself be steered. "It'd be a bit wasted on them," she says, teasingly. "And live fire does sound fun."

To the box! Just them, as usual, until the end of the show - Anakin's been happy to handle getting Elesse any refreshments or the like ever since she was old enough to sit still through actually watching a play. She glances around at what's already been placed for them, reaching out in the Force to make sure there's no dangers half out of habit, then glances over at Elesse. "Do you want me to get you something, ma'am?"

"Just a drink, my dear." She flicks a hand in the direction of the minibar.

She nods. "Alright." She heads over, preparing drinks for both Elesse and herself with a light hum, before heading back to sit with Elesse. 

She takes her drink and settles back, one arm across the back of Anakin's chair.

"To your continued good health," she toasts to Anakin. "And many happy returns."

She raises her glass back, grinning and ducking her head and leaning only a little into Elesse. "Thank you, Elesse," she says, softly, shyly. Then: "To your good health, and success in all you do."

"Naturally." She takes a sip.

"Now, this piece being performed tonight is considered one of Orvied's more accessible works, but I am, as always, of the opinion the full context ought to be considered. Have you covered Jel Orvied in your cultural studies?"

She takes a somewhat longer sip, humming. "Only in passing."

"Then if you will indulge me," smile, "I would be pleased to provide a more focused overview."

"I think my brain has enough room for another lesson today."

"Excellent."

Then they can spend the rest of the time before the show starts discussing the life and times of playwright and composer Jel Orvied, his variety of works, and the reconstructed Chellish legendarium this particular one derives from (with a brief digression into the historiography thereof).

Anakin has fun with it, only reluctantly wrapping the conversation up as the show starts. She's fascinated by old tales in general - mythologies, legends - and she finds artists' lives interesting. 

She meters out her drink enough that she only has to get a second one - checking if Elesse also wants a refill - as they're close to show start, though she's embarrassingly sensitive to alcohol so Anakin probably shouldn't have a third...

Elesse has heard that some Jedi have a trick for filtering poisons out of their bloodstream. Perhaps Anakin could use a similar technique to keep her intoxication to a manageable level.

Giggle. "I'll try it, ma'am. Might be best to before drinking more..."

"That seems likely," she laughs.

Shiver.

Then she closes her eyes a bit, humming - she's warm and content and glowing, which usually isn't how she meditates... But it seems to be helping the kind of focus she needs to actually turn her mind to her body without it skittering away, and she clears a bit of the toxin out as the lights go down.

Not too much. She does really like the soft buzz alcohol gives her before she goes all silly with it.

Anakin opens her eyes and smiles at Elesse just before the curtains open. "Think I'm good," she murmurs.

"Well done, dear."

She ducks her head and blushes, then makes herself go quiet as the opening monologue begins, instead simply leaning happily into Elesse.

The play starts somewhat slowly, introducing character and setting details with lots of subtle political maneuvering. It picks up by the end of the second act as the various plots being crashing into each other and the overarching theme is revealed.

At the intermission, hovering servitors bring a dinner into the box for Elesse and Anakin to eat. Chellish cuisine, to fit the theme of the evening.

It's delicious. (And Anakin takes care of actually serving the food.)

She's been loving the play, which she chatters about excitedly as they eat, picking apart characterization, various secrets and mysteries, what she thinks is going on here or there, who she thinks knows what...

Elesse encourages her theorizing while coyly declining to confirm or deny any specifics.

After they've eaten, another servitor brings in a tray bearing a cake covered in blood-red icing. "Happy birthday, Anakin," Elesse says.

She beams.

"Thank you!" she says, eyeing the cake with undisguised interest. "It looks delicious, Elesse - thank you for remembering..." Small giggle - "I'd forgotten that was today..."

"Lucky for you that I remembered, then. Would you like to cut it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Knife, knife, where's the knife...

Over to the side of the tray, next to the plates. Elesse takes it and hands it to Anakin. "Here you are, dear."

Grin. "Thank you." She turns to the cake. "Do you want any, Elesse?"

"Please."

"Of course." She cuts off two slices, plating them up with a happy hum. "Is this enough, ma'am?"

"That will do, thank you."

It is cheesecake with cherry icing, and it is very good.

She is making quite a few appreciative noises! Especially about the dark chocolate woven into it. "You're going to spoil me..." she says around one horrifyingly delicious bite. 

"Oh, come now. I glanced at the Temple's budget just the other day. I am quite sure there is enough money there to support a decent patisserie."

"The council would think cake this good would lead to inappropriate attachments or something silly like that."

"That does sound disturbingly plausible. It is a good thing I am not a Jedi. I am not sure I would be able to cope."

She giggles. "I think it'll be better once Master Palpatine is on the Council, and even right now I don't have to be in the Temple with its nontempting food all that often."

"Fortunate for me. I do enjoy our time together."

"You're a very excellent breath of fresh air, it's true."

Elesse smiles back.

And the play is about to resume.

She settles in with her cake - a second serving, though only a half slice this time - and a drink to watch, not wanting to miss any of the plot. She's humming softly throughout, unable to express the pleasure curling through her body any other (non-disruptive) way. 

Elesse's hand seems to have wandered around the back of Anakin's chair again, and by the climax of the third act (fire is heavily involved) is quietly playing with a curl of Anakin's hair.

She's shivering a bit, eyes wide - fixed on the play, but her mind is hyper-aware of Elesse's hand, every brush near her skin... She does manage to keep track of the play, but, well. She's keeping track of her Chancellor, too.

Elesse, of course, is focused on the play and has no idea of Anakin's turmoil. It's dark, and she doesn't have a Jedi's capacity for receptive empathy. Of course.

The little hitch in Anakin's breathing might be audible during this or that lull, but, well - it's a loud finale, and loud applause after. Entirely reasonable Elesse wouldn't notice. 

(Anakin isn't even really entirely sure what she's in turmoil about. Except maybe the 'wants to throw herself at Chancellor Vendar like a lovesick heroine in a cheap holodrama' part. She's probably in at least a little turmoil over that.)

"Would I be correct in assuming you have no further plans for the evening?" she asks as they wait for the theater to empty after the applause dies down.

"You'd be correct, yes ma'am," she says with a slightly more noticeable shiver. "Master Palpatine did tell me not to stay up too late, but I don't have early morning plans, either..."

"In that case, I hope I am not overstepping by inviting you back to my apartment. We can attempt to finish off this lovely cake."

"You're not. I'd love that," she says with a grin. "Though finishing the cake might take a while..."

"Then we had best be off. The building should be empty enough that we will not have to employ undue amounts of stealth."

"Awesome." Small grin. 

Off, then? 

Off.

Would Anakin prefer to take her own speeder or come back for it? Elesse can also have someone pick it up.

"I'd like to go with you... I don't mind someone picking up my speeder."

"I will make arrangements on the way. As long as you do not mind driving, of course."

"I like driving," she says with small smile. 

"Good."

The Chancellor's speeder is very nice. Many fun little gimmicks for the... adventurous pilot.

Which Anakin certainly is, especially if Elesse doesn't start objecting when Anakin pulls stunts. 

Not at all. Her quiet giggles might be encouragement, even.

Well then...

Anakin is a very, very talented pilot, even for a Jedi. They'll be at Elesse's apartments in record time - and having not even caused any crashes, a more impressive feat than it might otherwise be, given how Anakin was flying. 

"Excellent driving, my dear. I am almost tempted to offer you a position as chauffeur, if that were not a dreadful waste of your talent."

Giggle. "Bodyguards do often also drive, which wouldn't be a waste at all."

"But even still - maybe whenever we're," out on our dates, "meeting up, I can do any driving. Just as a compromise."

"That sounds like a fine idea."

Grin. "Good." And inside? (Anakin gets the doors for Elesse.)

Inside.

Elesse leaves the cake on the counter and takes a seat on one of the long couches, using a remote to switch on the external privacy field.

She waits a moment to give Elesse time to object before sitting beside her, smiling over at her. "You have a very lovely apartment."

"Being Chancellor does have its perks. Not that that is the reason I took the job."

She laughs. "Why did you?"

"There are many things about the order of the galaxy that I would like to change, and the office of the Chancellor offers a platform from which to do so."

Serious nod. " - What sorts of things? I know what your public election platform and record is, but a lot of politics isn't that public stuff, right?"

"Most of it, even. By the time a bill makes it to the floor, one will already know who will support it and who will oppose it. The speech-making in session is for the benefit of the constituency or to swing a few undecided votes that aren't important enough to meet with individually."

She nods.

A pause, then, like she's thinking through her words as she's talking: "I am really interested in - everything you do, and you're a really good politician, and..." Shrug. "I want to help, if I can." Small smile. "Though 'talking politics' might be an odd thing to spend my birthday on."

"Not at all, if that is what you would prefer to do."

"Though I must confess I did have an ulterior motive for inviting you here tonight, only tangentially related to politics."

...Brain please do not go to how pretty her lips look when she's smiling like that. 

"Oh?" Anakin asks, squishing down her hormones. 

She leans closer. "I know I have often offered you alternative points of view, but I need to know. Anakin. How much do you... trust the Jedi?"

She frowns a little. "...I guess it depends on which Jedi and what's going on? I trust most random ones to more or less do their jobs, and, like, if handed a baby not lose track of it, but I don't confide in most of them? And I'd trust the ones I've run missions with to watch my back in a fight, though how friendly we are does kind of vary. Master Palpatine specifically has been really trustworthy for everything that's come up so far, though."

"If there's a secret you're hesitant to know if they can be trusted with - guess it again depends on what it is and what you'd want them to do about it? But I won't tell them about anything you share without your permission."

"This is a secret I would rather you keep to yourself. Which is why I am telling you now, and did not earlier."

Slow nod. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"Thank you for your trust." Elesse seems to relax in some brief, undefinable way-

-and a rush of power bursts forth from her to batter at Anakin like a dark waterfall, swift and raging and seductive-

-and then it's gone, pulled back into Elesse. "I am a Sith Lord."

Her muscles tense at the first rush of power, eyes going wide, heart pounding, lips gasping open - she doesn't really have time to react past that, beyond the flush through her body and the tight coil in her core, before the power withdraws. 

(She reacts much faster when in danger. Her reaction now is not that of someone who feels threatened.)

"Oh," she gasps after a moment. " - Oh."

She swallows, mouth dry, pupils still blown wide. A breath, then, reaching without even thinking about it for the techniques Elesse has taught her to get a hold of her emotions - and: "Why tell me?"

"The central tenet of the Sith Order for the past thousand years has been what we call the rule of two. One master, one apprentice. I have other tools," she flutters a hand dismissively, "but not one truly worthy. I have brought the galaxy now to the precipice of change. I would have you at my side when it tips."

"Oh," she says, feeling dumb, and - something else. Not revulsion, at all, but there's enough of a chaotic mix she's having trouble picking out individual emotions. 

"...What would you want to do? With - me, with the galaxy?" Pause. "As much as you can tell me when you're not positive if I really belong to you." Brain why did you word it like that. "I - don't want to be lied to, but I won't feel lied to about just... Common sense keeping secrets."

"You, Anakin Skywalker, are the brightest and best Force user of our age. Your talents and potential are being sorely wasted. And," she gestures around the apartment, "I enjoy having pretty things around me. Your beauty has blossomed to match your brains."

"By the time I am done with the galaxy, the Jedi Order will no longer exist, and the Republic will likely be unrecognizable as well."

She blushes! 

"I - "

"Elesse, please, can you be more specific with me?" She identifies two of her churning emotions - anxiety... And yearning. "I want to know what I'm signing up for, at least - "

"I'm assuming you want the Jedi dead." A sick feeling in her gut - she has friends, there, she has Master Palpatine. Then a thought - the Jedi won't tolerate Elesse, either. 

The thought of being Elesse's enemy makes her even more sick. 

"Any that prove too inflexible. Which will be almost all, yes. They will be tested, twisted and stretched beyond the narrow confines of their doctrine and they will have no idea who is doing this until the end."

She nods, slowly, thinking. 

"What would the final plan look like for the galaxy, and - is that something I could influence?"

"Of course, my dear. I would value your input. Best and brightest, as I said."

Soft smile. 

"...I can tell you're not answering the question about what the galaxy is going to look like. Is there - a time you'd tell me?"

"Yes."

She bites her lip, thinking.

"I'm... Still kind of unsure? But I'm not going to turn on you - I need to think, and - probably ask more questions, but... If I don't want to be yours, I won't get in your way, either? I've been considering leaving the Jedi anyways, I don't think it'd surprise anyone if I did..."

She reaches out to brush Anakin's face gently. "Take all the time you need to think it over."

She leans into Elesse's touch a bit. "Thank you."

Hum. (...She kind of wants a hug.) And then, thinking over what she wants out of this...

Knowing that Elesse is a Sith is - big.

Anakin wants to not feel lied to, and... To know if she can still feel safe with Elesse - if the person she's fallen in love with is the real one.

"How much of - all your interactions with me - have been honest?"

"My lies to you were of omission only, and as few of those as strictly necessary. I have always shown more of myself to you than any other."

Slow nod. "Thank you." Then, almost without noticing, "Ma'am."

She shifts a bit.

Soft smile.

That gets her a little return smile.

"...I think better when someone's touching me, sometimes," she says, shyly, "Or if I'm exercising..."

"Do you want me to touch you, Anakin?"

"Please, ma'am?"

She reaches out to pull Anakin into her, laying them down stretched out across the couch.

"Like this?" she whispers into Anakin's ear.

She shivers a bit, heart rate picking up - and she snuggles into Elesse, tucking her head under the older woman's chin (conveniently hiding her massive blush, though Anakin's realizing that if Elesse is Force sensitive she should be able to feel Anakin's emotions when she isn't masking them, which she hasn't been).

(That makes her blush more, but the idea that Elesse knows what she feels and hasn't told her to stop feeling it also sets off a warm glow in her chest.)

"Yes, ma'am," she whispers back once her vocal chords feel like producing words and not little nondistinct sounds.

She hums, pleased, and smooths Anakin's hair.

"Good."

Oh this is nice.

Anakin snuggles Elesse for a bit, letting her brain wind itself down, until she can identify more of her conflicting emotions and start working more straightforwardly through everything that's been said.

...And then something pings her brain.

"Elesse, as a Sith Lord - are you aware of other dark siders and, like, what they're doing and who they are?"

"At least in general terms, yes."

She hums.

Then: "I - think I told you, a while back, but - we think my father was a dark sider, or... Gardulla thought that, at least. And - I haven't found any trace... Do you know anything about that?"

"Nothing immediately comes to mind. I can make inquiries, if you desire it."

"Thank you - and I would, yeah. I want to know what happened, if nothing else..."

"Of course, my dear. I will investigate the matter."

Small smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You are welcome, Anakin."

Happy hum.

She thinks more, eyes closed a bit.

"...If I decide I want to - be your apprentice, then I later decide to leave - will you let me?"

"That would sadden me. But I would not clip your wings."

"Thank you," she says, sincerely.

Another long pause, then: "I want to be your apprentice, ma'am."

She kisses the top of Anakin's head.

"Excellent."

Shiver!

She blushes even more deeply and makes a small noise.

"Traditionally," she says, "this sort of thing is sealed with a vow and a new name. Will you kneel before me and pledge your loyalty, Anakin?"

That gets a small 'ah' out of her. She swallows, eyes wide, and says, "Yes, ma'am. What name should I use when swearing to you?"

"I am Darth Sidious."

She nods, mouth dry, and levers herself up enough to slide to the floor at Elesse's - Darth Sidious's - feet. She looks up at her new Master, face flushed, heart pounding, and says: "I give you my loyalty, Darth Sidious, as my Master. I swear to turn my mind, my body, and my power to your goals. I swear to listen faithfully and to learn from your instruction, so that I may grow in power and ability to serve. I swear to set no other above you in my regard. I swear to stand with you against all your enemies, and to never work to your detriment."

"I swear that if this becomes unacceptable to me, I will ask you for release from my vow, and I will even after never turn against you."

There's something hot and tight in her core, her entire body struck hypersensitive.

"I hear your vow and accept it. Rise, my apprentice. Rise, Darth... Sangua."

She stands, beaming. "Thank you, Master Sidious."

"And now that tradition is done with... Will you seal the bargain with a kiss?"

Nnn!

"Yes, ma'am," she says, breathless, leaning in a bit.

Kiss! Kiss that quickly deepens.

Mmmph!

She'll end up back in Elesse's lap if Elesse doesn't stop her.

That is an entirely desired outcome.

Having compatible desires here is quite excellent.

Anakin - Darth Sangua, and she should maybe get used to thinking of herself like that - has no particular idea where to go beyond deep kissing, but is rather enthusiastic about clinging to her Master all the same.

That will serve well enough for tonight.

Sangua definitely agrees.

"What should I call you?" she asks during a break for air. "Just - when we're in private."

She lets her hands run idly down Anakin's back.

"'Mistress' would suit well."

"It does suit you well, Mistress," she says, wiggling a bit.

"A good response, my dear apprentice."

Another kiss! Because she can kiss Elesse now, she's Elesse's, that is probably not the most objectively important highlight but her brain finds it very, very important.

Kiss.

"So, apprentice mine. We will have to do something about your cover amongst the Jedi."

"Do you want me to stay in the Order?"

"For a certain time. It would be far too suspicious were you to tender your resignation now and immediately begin making appearances at my side."

"And if you openly steal me as the Chancellor's bodyguard, there might be politics?"

"You would need to be a Knight on your own merits before I could manage that easily. Unless you think I should attempt to seduce that Palpatine girl."

"If freed from the yoke of 'Jedi don't involve themselves in politics,' she might steal your job," Sangua teases. "But... I like her a lot, and - it'd be nice if she was on our side."

"I will see what I can do about that."

Snuggle. "Thank you, Mistress."

"But until then... Can you keep this a secret from everyone?"

Serious nod. "Yes, ma'am."

"This will be your first test. If you are able to hold this quiet for one week, I will begin teaching you true techniques, not the drabbles we have toyed with in the past, and we will speak further of the future of the galaxy."

"Yes ma'am." Lean. "I'm looking forward to it."

"As well you should be." Kiss.

Kiss! "What else do you want from me tonight, Mistress?"

"How much are you willing to give me tonight?"

Small shrug. "I'm not really sure? I don't - know all the things you could want to take." Snuggle. "But... I can't think of many things I know about that I wouldn't give."

"Then why don't we play a game? Given your display earlier, I assume you are at least passingly familiar with traffic laws. I will do something, and you tell me red, yellow, or green. Red means stop, you don't want this. Yellow means go slow, you might want to switch to something else. Green means yes, continue, you like it."

Grin. "Sounds fun. And I'll pay more attention here than I do to traffic laws," she teases. 

"I hope you do."

She kisses the side of Anakin's neck, runs her fingers through Anakin's hair and trails down her back.

She gasps a little, shivering, and says, "Green? But - maybe less light touch? Almost tickles..." Anakin's brain is maybe wired backwards because very light touch is way more aversive than broken bones; her bodily control will outright try to error out if she brushes her hand along her fine body hairs without touching skin, in the way most people seem to only get with self injury. (She can override it, but, ugh.) Her Mistress's touch isn't at the unpleasant point, though - "Firmer is good."

She grabs Anakin's hips and starts biting down her collarbone.

Wiggle ah! "Nnn, very green," she says between soft noises. 

"Shall I take your shirt off, apprentice?"

Mmmmmmmph. "Yes, please ma'am," she gets out the instant her auditory processing centers come back online. 

She gestures, and Anakin's shirt splits neatly in two. Another flick slips it deftly off the corner of the table.

And now with more canvas exposed, Elesse thinks Anakin should be laid with her back on the couch and Elesse pinning her down.

A very agreeable turn, as far as Anakin's concerned, though Elesse will have to pin her quite strongly (or give her an explicit command) to stop her from wiggling in a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and pleasure. (Is she still able to kiss Elesse while pinned? A very important question, since she would like to be kissing Elesse right now.)

Briefly no, as Elesse strips off her own top, but then yes as she bends closer again.

Wiggle!!!! Elesse is so pretty and Anakin stares a bit dumbly until her Mistress is in kissing range again - which rather cuts off Anakin's view, but, also, reopens 'kiss' as an option. (Which she does.) (Also now their skin is touching and Anakin's brain is lighting up with 'yes good.')

She scrapes her way across Anakin's body more roughly, pressing and pinching and biting.

Sidious can wring a mixture of wiggles, shrieks, moans, and little laughs out of her pretty easily - everything so far is rather firmly in 'green,' and Anakin doesn't really seem to know what to do with her limbs or the eagerness in her chest. Kisses are a definite thing to do, but, otherwise - she feels a bit along for the ride, right now.

"You can touch me if you want to, apprentice."

Eeeee. Hands - where does she put hands, there are so many options here - her Mistress's hair, because it is very soft and pretty (even if Anakin's unsure about welcome-ness of 'drag Mistress into Yet More Kisses'), and grabbing at her waist before sliding up a bit to explore?

"That is a green, my dear."

Giggle!

Yet More Kisses time! Also, more explorations, also, more wiggling, her Mistress is the absolute prettiest and Anakin has had a very emotional evening and her brain is not turning off, she would like it if her brain could turn off - perhaps kissing Sidious more will help that.

Perhaps it will.

Initial experiments seem promising!

Oh good.

She's getting more confident the more her boldness is reacted to positively, getting quite handsy as she goes. 

(She definitely has the abundant energy of the young, here. Might be hard to tire her out all the way.)

Then Darth Sidious will have to try harder.

Perhaps a light touch of Force lightning?

!!!

Sound proofing might have been a rather essential investment. Her apprentice's yelp is rather loud. Sangua spasms a bit, not trying to fight the wash of Sidious's power at all - though she recovers fast enough to suggest she could have resisted it some at least. 

"Green," she says with a little giggle. 

"Are you sure, my dear?"

Shiver! "It's green so far, ma'am."

Then she will continue.

She gets to the point where Sangua stops being able to communicate verbally before she gets to Sangua's actual limits. Her apprentice is a content, pained mess by that point, floating deeper into a rather sublime headspace the more her Mistress shocks her. 

Sidious enjoys basking in her apprentice's state for a while, but she slowly starts stepping down until they're simply cuddling again.

The first coherent emotions back online: hazy pleasure, adoration, amazement, joy, followed by contentment - and something deeper, a seed of genuine love that's just been very well watered. Appreciation, gratitude - a warmly banked longing and desire, but in with the greedy twinges there's something devout. (She wants all the good things for her Mistress, and that's been rather highlighted now that her urgent need for more has been momentarily satisfied.)

Her vocal chords aren't really working yet, but she's up to nuzzling her Mistress and whispering, voice very soft, "Thank you, Mistress."

"It was my pleasure, my dear."

Small wiggle! "Good. Wanna make you feel nice."

Pet pet. "You have."

She beams and leans into her Mistress's hand, making a contented noise.

...Before a small yawn slips past her, leaving her blinking.

"Ready for bed, apprentice?"

"Think so, ma'am."

"Can I stay the night?"

"It is late enough that you may as well."

Snuggle! "Thank you."

"Master Palpatine will ask where I was probably, but I can just say I lost track of time and fell asleep on accident..."

"Tell her I thought it better you stay rather than send you home in the middle of the night."

"I will. Tomorrow morning."

Snuggle. 

"Do you want to move to the bed, my dear?"

"Yes please."

Sidious will carry her to the bed, then.

Good and wonderful and delightful. Anakin is pretty sleepy, so will drift off not too long into cuddles. (She is very clingy when sleeping.)

It's cute.

This has gone just about as well as she had hoped. Now to see what happens over the next few weeks.

She gives her Mistress quite a few more kisses before leaving the next morning.

Which she tragically must.

Back to - being a Jedi, then. (Pretending to be a Jedi?)

Sangua - Anakin, she's Anakin here - doesn't regret swearing herself to her Mistress. Doesn't regret her path (not yet, something in her whispers).

But she's seeing a lot of the people Elesse plans to kill. Many of them she doesn't really know. Many of them are - young, incredibly so. (Surely children aren't set in their ways yet, and she can talk to Elesse about these...)

Some of them she knows.

Anakin makes it back to her suite before encountering any friends, at least. Stepping into the fresher gives her a chance to breathe. Changing into new robes gives her an anchor of routine.

She's going to have to spend an entire week not letting on that anything's changed. She can do that.

(Is she positive?)

Her teacher finds her not long after she gets resettled into the living room, stepping back into the suite from the hallway outside. "Anakin," she says, voice even, tinged very lightly with concern. "I noticed you didn't make it back last night."

(She would like to be positive.)

She rubs the back of her head a bit, awkwardly, trying to cover the small lurch of emotions in her gut, trying to dismiss them into the Force before her teacher can really get them. "Ah, yeah. I got to talking to Chancellor Elesse after the show, and - kinda just lost track of time? Fell asleep, then I was super groggy when she got me awake, so she offered me a bed rather than sending me home in the middle of the night..."

Anakin should probably have remembered that she's a terrible liar before making any plans requiring she lie to a temple full of empaths. That would've been a good thing to remember. Right now she can't stop feeling awkward and nervous, and the bubble of joy that's been floating through her mind after kissing Elesse is tripping over itself and joining the nerves, now.

Her teacher considers her as she sits down on the couch next to her.

"Anakin... Is everything alright?"

AAAAAAHHHHH. Nope no screaming only calmness and light embarrassment and vague curiosity, brain!

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

...Nope she is not going to crack.

"Anakin..."

"I'm here for you, you know? Whatever you want to talk about. Whenever." She leans into Anakin a bit - not pushing touch if Anakin doesn't want it, but making it obvious she's available, and clearly telegraphing a reach for one of Anakin's closed hands.

"I'm fine, really." She doesn't pull away.

She takes Anakin's hand, squeezing it. "Okay."

"Do you want to go spar?"

Small, relieved smile. "Yeah."

That sounds like the perfect thing to get the last of her jangled emotions soothed, actually.

She smiles back. "Alright." And, teasingly: "We'll have to see if the Chancellor's expensive beds made you soft."

...Blush.

She shoulder bumps her teacher in an attempt to hide the Sudden Awkward. "Don't think one night could ruin me," she says - aiming for teasing, but it sounds flat to her ears.

She gives Anakin a Look. She's being very polite, really, letting Anakin see the Suspicious Look. Probably she wants Anakin to resolve the suspicions voluntarily. Seems like a her thing to do.

...To the room they usually spar in?

A small smile again - alright, if Anakin's that eager to get her ass handed to her.

She always appreciates a good learning experience.

A good trait for a padawan, really.

The room is on the small side for those used by Jedi, since neither of their styles really center acrobatics, especially when the goal is 'fight until Anakin feels like talking.' It's deserted when they get there - pretty typical - and Lily makes sure everything was cleaned up from the last time, adjusts her lightsaber to a sparring mode, and ignites it, the vibrant orange blade humming to life.

Anakin does the same - with some quick stretches thrown in. Her own blade is a dark, murky purple, and she throws herself cheerfully into the intense focus Form VII demands of her, lightsaber flashing for her teacher - her worries flow out of her, consumed in the intense spear of her determination. (Anakin's a bit bad at channeling proper anger through Vaapad - or anything, really; she seems to do exceptionally well with gritted teeth or vicious joy, though.)

She's going to lose, of course, but Anakin's well suited to this form, and she's made progress already since the last time she and Lily fought.

Lily's style flows through her anger, same as her Master. Her worry. Her determination. Her anger at any who would hurt her student. (Something is wrong; she's not as good at shatterpoints as her Master - but she's second only to him, and a massive one shifted around her padawan apparently overnight.)

(Her rational mind is calm, within the storm of their fight. She's passed through the dark side; the spear she wields her emotions as doesn't cloud her thoughts in anything resembling the same way.)

She gets Anakin on her back, once the girl seems to be flagging.

...Yeah Anakin's going to lay here. Ow.

Lily turns off her saber.

And, from the sidelines: "Good fight."

...Okay so Anakin sort of noticed her grandmaster showing up, but, no. Why. Is the Force conspiring against her now.

Fortunately she is too sore to have many emotions so she mostly just feels some vaguely unpleasant things while she stares at the ceiling and wonders if today could just stop it already.

He raises an eyebrow at her, then gives Lily a questioning look.

She nods a little.

"...You know Lily," he says, musingly, "At least she hasn't locked herself in an ancient Sith tomb."

"I thought we agreed never to talk about that again."

"Technically," he says, "I just didn't contradict you. I never said I agreed."

That startles a giggle out of her.

Her grandmaster's lips twitch like he's pretending he never smiles again, and then he sits next to where she's still sprawled on the floor. "So, what's this generation's teenage drama?"

Okay no more giggles, now she's making a very annoyed face at him. "I'm not being dramatic!"

Anakin hates her entire teaching lineage and their stupid ability to sense emotions and see shatterpoints. Very unfair of them. Cheating.

...She should possibly go meditate and also get some sleep that isn't being interrupted by wanting to make out with her Mistress.

...She's going to have to give something up, isn't she. She does not want her teacher and grandmaster poking anywhere at Elesse's things, but Anakin is aware that she's acting very strangely, going to continue acting very strangely, and also that she is probably about to be spending an awful lot of time in Elesse's presence on the heels of starting to act weird.

At least secretly being Sith isn't normal teenage drama? (...Although, knowing her lineage...)

What's normal teenage drama. What do normal teenagers even do. Pod race? Drugs? Anakin would not be acting like this about those, no one who isn't Force sensitive can challenge her in a racer and she's very aware her teacher's opinion on illegal drugs is 'just make sure you know what you're taking before you put it in your body.' What else... Stupid fights with friends? Anakin has not had enough time to get in a stupid fight with any of her friends, and she doesn't want to pretend to be in a stupid fight with Elesse. Petty crime? Lily has posted bail for her before, so...

...Okay, teenage romantic drama, But, However, Anakin is pretty sure that despite the complicated morass of the Republic's pretense at age of consent laws, Elesse is not supposed to have been kissing her. Though she has never actually looked up any local ages of consent, maybe Coruscant's one of the places that doesn't have any. Would be on brand... Also though Elesse could get in other trouble, and Anakin might be banned from seeing her which would be terrible.

She's been thinking for a while, hasn't she.

Her grandmaster interrupts her spiraling thoughts by pulling her to her feet and handing over her lightsaber. "Come on. Lily clearly didn't beat you up enough."

Rude.

She does feel like another spar, though.

He doesn't end the fight early, and instead keeps going until Anakin falls over. He corrects some of her form mid-fight as he goes. Provides tips on focusing herself.

She successfully falls on her butt, at least, and not her nose.

The corrections help.

The fight helps, too.

"...Something did happen," she says, after a few moments of staring at the ceiling and getting her breath back. "It's a good thing. But - I guess 'teenage drama' isn't wrong, and it's a thing I'm scared will cause bad things to happen if I tell people. Can I have - forty eight hours, to think stuff over?" Not the full week Elesse gave her, but - anything much longer, and she knows Lily will definitely start poking on her own. Her teacher can restrain herself for two days, though. Hopefully.

Her teacher and grandmaster trade Looks.

Lily sits next to Anakin, squeezing her shoulder. "Of course," she says. "We're on your side, and - I can't promise that zero things you don't want will happen if you tell us, depending on what the information is, but I can promise to hear you out in full before taking any actions, alright?"

Mace sits on Anakin's other side. "I can promise the same. Though perhaps we can have a lineage meeting somewhere other than a training salle floor one of these days, padawans?"

Anakin giggles. "But it's atmospheric!"

"Be that as it may..."

She shrugs, closing her eyes a bit.

The two Jedi Masters take the hint, turning instead to talk to each other about Serious Temple Matters that are definitely not just gossip, until Anakin's recovered enough to want to move.

Might be a bit.

But she does get up eventually. She does have things to do...

Like homework?

She finished that yesterday.

He ruffles her hair.

But - he has things to do, too, so he'll leave them be.

And they can go about their day. Lily had mostly planned today as a rest and recuperation period, since Anakin's been busy with academic work...

She's fine keeping it that way.

And - not exactly the next time, but at some point when she's alone -

Darth Sangua needs to figure out how she's going to have a conversation with her Mistress about what, exactly, she can afford to give to her teacher and grandmaster as a distracting bone. If they don't have a scheduled date tomorrow - she could send a message, or she knows Elesse's schedule by now, she could possibly just show up at the apartments, sneak out of the Temple...

Perhaps conveniently, a message arrives for Anakin. An aide for the Verpine Senator would like to meet with her briefly to confirm a few details about one of the missions she had been on in their space recently. The proposed time for the meeting would have it ending just about as Elesse's usual lunch hour begins.

She accepts, readily. (She's hoping this is more her Mistress being very on top of things than convenience - it's a comforting thought, that Elesse might be watching over her enough to tell if Sangua trips. Sangua usually doesn't like being smothered, but... Maybe loving Elesse makes it different, or maybe this situation is just so tense that it's - relaxing, to have someone else worrying.)

The meeting with the aide goes smoothly. Anakin sets the details straight, has a pleasant chat, leaves feeling like the aide has a good impression of her, and - she's also very conveniently passing by Elesse's office on her path out, isn't she?

In fact, she is.

"Ah, Anakin. This is a pleasant surprise."

Just being around her Mistress makes her feel better already. 

"Chancellor Elesse - it is," she says, smiling. "My schedule today seems to be lining up a bit better than it usually does."

"I assume you wish to talk about something?"

"If now's a good time..." 

"Of course, my dear. The privacy field is on."

Small, brief smile. 

Then: "...I messed up, Mistress. My teacher noticed something had changed with me basically immediately. I deflected some and now have until tomorrow to get something plausible to tell her and Mace Windu."

"I don't think they suspect anything like the truth, but... If Lily isn't satisfied, she'll start poking around."

"Good that you are willing to address this before the problem spreads. What is the shape of their present suspicion?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but - Mace mentioned 'teenage drama,' and I leaned into that when asking for time..."

"Mm. I imagine that your feelings for me might have been noticed before now, yes?"

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious to anyone who's ever been in a room with me when you're being mentioned, honestly..."

"I - was thinking I could let on about relationship stuff? At least a little? But - I'm not sure if that'd get you in trouble."

"From an outside perspective, that would be questionable, yes. Though the age of consent on Coruscant is seventeen. Perhaps you got a little drunker than you intended and worked yourself up into kissing me?"

Grin. "'Spontaneous confession' seems more in character for me, and wouldn't even require you handing me alcohol... I also lose physical coordination when I'm actually drunk way before I lose that much impulse control, so I'm not sure they'd believe I successfully kissed you while drunk."

"Spontaneous confession, then, which I did not necessarily accept, but neither did I decline. Perhaps the implication was you need only wait a year or two more."

Small shiver. "And I'm off course getting my hopes quite up... While also worrying about keeping your eyes on me."

"Do you think you can make that work?"

...Hum.

"I'm usually not very good at direct lies, is part of the problem here... Especially not against Lily."

"You could make your confession now."

Giggle. "I do very much like you."

"I do not think that carried quite the necessary spirit."

"Elesse - I think I have a crush? I really like you. I've liked you as long as I've known you, because you're smart and pretty and funny, and you have excellent ideas, and you're so amazingly competent, and I want to be around you, as much as you'll let me, I want to help you with all your goals, just please don't send me away."

Hmm.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, my dear, I sense that you are not quite ready to believe in this."

She quiets, clearly struggling, then, slowly: "...You know a lot more about lying and manipulating people than I do, especially since I really suck at it, but - "

"I really suck at it? I'm bad at saying even misleading but true things at all convincingly." Awkward shrug. "Also if I had just confessed to you, and you didn't accept but didn't push me away and implied I should wait, I would've gone straight to Lily to bounce about that? I wouldn't be hiding it from her, probably even if you'd implied I shouldn't gossip. Lily and Mace both know I'm considering leaving the Jedi, and... Leaving in a year or two, once I'm ready for my Trials and have thought this over, to be your guard or aide or something, would be a 'that's not their path but they're happy for me' type of situation?"

"I also wouldn't hide anything that'd get me in trouble, even if I did something extremely big. I trust them both and they know that, so - all of the stuff I'd lie to them about would be protecting someone else, and they know that, and that means I'd have to think the someone needed protection from them?"

She shifts. "And... Especially because I like them, I want to minimize how much I'm lying to them. I don't like lying, it feels bad..."

"But - the idea that still sounds best to me is telling them you kissed me, and I'm at least perceiving us to be in a relationship? It's true, and it's something I'd be reflexively hiding since it is extremely questionable and could be politically damaging if it got out - and 'the adults in my life might be mistakingly protective of me' is a... Sort of acceptable thing for me to be protective of someone else over, especially since they know I might get overly worried about it? Especially with how much I like you."

"The obvious side effects to me would be... Any politically damaging fall out, which I think I could at least steer those two away from causing, also if anything I'm doing or experiencing as your apprentice makes me stressed or unhappy, and then I'm evasive about that, they'd assume relationship issues, which - at least would give me an easy thing to let them assume without directly lying."

"I - don't know if there's any problems with that idea that I'm missing, though, or if the drawbacks I've seen would be bigger or more certain than I'm estimating."

"It would be more damaging to me if this story got out, yes. But I think that you are perhaps better positioned than I to predict your master's response to your specific actions here. If you think that you will be better able to quiet their suspicions with this, to ground or misdirect their investigations, then do so."

She nods. "Yeah, I think - given what I know, this results less in them poking in the worst directions?" A quiet moment, then: "I'm sorry I wasn't able to hide that something had changed better, or think up a better lie on my feet before it got obvious I was hiding something..."

"Reflect on this experience. And next time, do better."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now come and kiss me, my dear. For luck."

Grin! She steps over to kiss her Mistress. Quite throughly; she needs a lot of luck. 

Her apprentice will have all the luck she desires.

Oh, good.

She'll be full up on luck by the end of her Mistress's lunch hour, hopefully, before she has to head back to the Jedi. 

"Do send a message if you need further assistance. Otherwise, I will see you at the week's end."

"Yes, ma'am." One last quick kiss. 

"Off with you, now."

Giggle. "Yes, ma'am." She heads out. 

And returns to the Temple. 

She doesn't track down her teacher right away - she has a few tasks to take care of, and spending some time in the Archives and gardens is pretty good for settling her nerves the rest of the way... But she's not exactly avoiding Lily.

Who finds her soon enough. "You seem to be feeling better," she says, giving Anakin a gentle hug around the shoulders. 

She leans into her teacher. "I am, yeah."

"Thanks for being patient with me."

Squeeze. "We could all use a little patience from time to time."

"Are you okay to talk about it?"

She hums, glances around the garden - currently empty, but... "Maybe back at our suite? It's more private."

There, then - Lily busies herself a little bit with getting a tea she knows helps Anakin relax prepared.

And Anakin gets her thoughts together. 

"...Elesse kissed me," she says, trying not to glance away from her teacher's expression but feeling like she should. 

"Ah." She says the tea down in front of her padawan, sitting on the couch beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. 

"How do you feel about that?"

She relaxes a little.

"Good," she says first, immediately. "She's - she's Elesse. I feel - silly and giddy and like I just had another growth spurt, but I'm tripping over my emotions instead of my limbs. I want - everything with her. I want the future I can see by her side, and I want to help her accomplish her goals, and I just want to be around her. And also kissing her, kissing is nice."

"And... I feel nervous. It could really damage her if a relationship with me got out. And - I am aware she's over forty years older than me, and that she's been a really regular fixture of my life since I was nine, and that she's in a position of power over me, and that she kissed me literally the same day a relationship with me became legal rather than just politically questionable, so she's - probably been interested for longer."

"But - I didn't feel pressured. She didn't do anything without asking or checking in with me, she understands that I might want to leave her someday and she doesn't want to hold me back - and I think she's being honest, there. She encouraged me not to leave the Jedi to join her own team, because - even if this isn't my long term path, it has been good for me, and I'm... Not ready to leave, just yet. And she said I could tell you about our relationship - she'd rather risk that fallout than drive a wedge between me and you."

(That last bit is... Possibly not true, given Elesse is going to kill Lily if Lily doesn't side with her, but it flows with the rest of everything enough that Anakin almost forgets what she's saying isn't the whole story.)

Lily hums, shifting to stroking Anakin's hair. "How much did she do with you?"

Awkward shift. " - I mean, I think emotional entanglements are more questionable than sex here, but, uh." Blush?

She snorts. "You don't strike me as the hook up type, Anakin."

Pout. "I could be."

Lily ruffles her hair. 

Sigh.

"Not, like, full sex, but - "

Very awkward shrug. Anakin does not actually know like... Good words for this. She got sex ed, and it covered the whole gamut of weird things people get up to, but none of it felt connected to her enough for her brain to go 'that is the thing I'm doing' in a way where she can use it to describe her feelings. 

Except the incredibly embarrassing discussion about total power exchange stuff and people doing slavery kink things, and Anakin does not want to bring that up at all ever. Especially not with her teacher when Anakin's baby crush (which lasted she's pretty sure an entire, like, week) is probably what caused that discussion in the first place. 

"I'm pretty masochistic and subby I guess? And was kind of being pushy on, like, biting..."

Hum and squeeze. "Okay. That's something to be careful with, but - if you're enjoying yourself, it's not bad."

Lean. "...You're not upset?"

"Oh, if she hurts you, I won't bother going to the Council or the press. They'll just need to hold emergency elections for a new Chancellor. If she isn't hurting you - Anakin, you're wiser than you think. You know yourself better than anyone, and if something is good for you, then I want you to have that."

"Also, if she starts hurting you, it'd be convenient for going to ground if me having a motive isn't widely known right off the bat."

"...Please don't murder my girlfriend."

"As long as she's meaningfully your girlfriend, I won't." Hair pat.

"Uh huh."

"Well, I'll let you know if I need help there?"

"Alright." One last squeeze, then - going about their days? 

Sure. 

Lily, true to her word, doesn't immediately start trying to get Elesse in trouble, or even head into her office for a shovel talk. She does sit Anakin down with a friend of hers for Sex Talk Refresher, though. 

(And she lets Mace know about their talk, and that she currently doesn't need help hiding any bodies, but she'll let him know if that changes. (And, far more subtly - well, Lily has no actual compunctions about spying on her padawan's girlfriend, just in case. She won't find anything right away, especially not being as cautious as she is - and Chancellor Vendar was pretty thoroughly background checked after her election - but Lily is very, very patient, and her old colleagues among the Shadows still owe her favors. She doesn't make any moves that'll ping even a Sith Lord's radar in the next month, though. Not yet.))

Anakin isn't exactly happy about the refresher - it's still embarrassing - but... This went well, she thinks. 

She's pretty calm and relaxed by the time her next scheduled date with her Mistress rolls around. 

They're meeting for lunch at a fancy restaurant. It is in public so they're only Chancellor Vendar and Padawan Skywalker.

Sad, but - she does like being Chancellor and Padawan sometimes. Likes spending time around Elesse, like the fancy restaurants, the energy of those around them...

She does also want to make out with Elesse, but she can exercise patience there. 

After their entirely-appropriate lunch in public, they can retreat to Elesse's apartment, at least.

Oh, good. Anakin has been very well behaved this entire time, and would very much like a kiss as a reward.

She can have several kisses, even, and her mistress's hungry hands all over her body.

Good wonderful lovely, and Sangua is very enthusiastically returning the favor - Jedi robes really aren't that hard to get off, and it's probably convenient to get her shirt off before her Mistress cuts it off again, and Sangua would very much like her mistress's hungry hands directly on her body. (The Chancellor's robes of office are significantly more frustrating, though.)

And not to be damaged by overeager grasping. Perhaps Sidious will need to restrain her apprentice so she can disrobe in peace...

Whine!

Aw, poor baby. But still, this is a task best attended to with slow, careful diligence.

Wiggle!!!

"Please Mistress, pretty please let me touch you, wonderful lovely Mistress, please..." And there's the begging.

"Patience, my young apprentice, patience."

She takes her time carefully hanging up the robe before returning to Sangua.

She's turned from begging to soft whining, eyes wide and hungry. 

Anticipation will make it all the sweeter, as she releases Sangua from her binds.

Kiss!!!

Most excellent kisses.

And hands? 

Hands are also allowed.

Good, good, because Sangua is putting her hands over just above every inch of exposed skin. Her mouth follows a good bit, when she's not getting distracted by her Mistress's lips. 

How delightful.

Her Mistress is the delightful one - of course, Sangua is quite happy to throw herself into pleasing her Mistress more. 

What a charmingly dutiful apprentice.

(Wiggle!)

Well, it is fair for her to tend to her Mistress's every need or whim...

So it is.

An apprentice's duty. Or perhaps right. One of those. 

Most certainly at least one of those.

Hm, Sangua thinks she'd like if it's both. 

She can have both.

Wiggle! 

"You can have any toys you want," she murmurs, "But I might get a bit jealous of anyone else who gets to touch you..."

"I will certainly keep that in mind, my dear."

Kiss! "Of course, might feel better if I get to make sure they're worthy first."

"My word would not be enough for you?"

"Well, it'd be fun if I got to test them myself at least a little bit, don't you think? For instance, see how much pain they can take for you... At least make sure results of those tests replicate."

"I might consider that a service worthy of you."

Wiggle!!! "At least give me a chance to prove myself..."

"I could make that your next assignment, to find someone worthy of me."

Serious hum. "I do like having you to myself for now, though... Perhaps a long running assignment, if I encounter anyone with potential on my other missions..."

"Note that I will expect you to produce someone eventually, apprentice."

Kiss. "Yes, ma'am."

"But until then... I do believe you are owed a lesson."

Interested noise. "You did promise, Mistress - what are you going to teach me?"

"First, I think, we will teach you to veil a part of yourself, so you are not betrayed by later lessons."

She nods. "It makes sense... And it'll help avoid problems like earlier this week."

"That is the hope. I will talk you through the meditation; arrange yourself however you are most comfortable."

Well, so, technically, she's most comfortable draped over her Mistress, but that isn't exactly the type of meditation that lends itself well to learning new Force techniques.

She detangles herself, finding a bit of smooth but not cold floor to sit cross-legged on, back straight, eyes partially closed.

Sidious gently guides Sangua through the process of looking through her own mind and finding the state or viewpoint necessary to fold up a piece of it and hide it away. This is how the Sith have been hiding in plain sight for the past millenium, so she has a number of approaches that have worked in the past to help Sangua find her own.

It takes her a bit...

But she finds a mental, emotional anchor in mythologies she liked as a child and still holds dear -

And a practical anchor in abilities she had as a child, which she still does have, even if in more totality than this skill - Anakin had never been able to lie to Gardulla (she hadn't needed to; Gardulla wasn't clever enough to do anything with 'this child is hiding something,' and as long as Anakin could keep her mouth shut even under torture - it hadn't mattered), but she's always been able to vanish. To walk through the fortresses of the Hutts as a vengeful ghost, visible only to those she came to rescue - or those she came to kill, if Gardulla had wanted her to make a statement.

(Anakin has never revealed herself to people she's stalked and murdered on her own recognizance. She doesn't see the point in grandstanding. - And it feels like that Anakin is sliding into Sangua, now, she's realizing, she's identifying with that bit of her past in a way she doesn't fully identify with her acting as a full Jedi when she's around her Mistress.)

It's incredibly easy to wrap her head back around that kernel - she's kept it up and refined it as an ability under Lily's guidance, though as a Jedi she isn't assassinating people unless a mission goes very interestingly pear-shaped. And then, a step to the left, turning the ability in her head, clicking into a different place - rather than hiding her entire self based on alliances, hiding... Perhaps -

"Mistress," Sangua says, "I can - sort of create partitions in my head. It's hard, sometimes, especially to make them complicated or lasting, and they have... Different skill sets? Usually I do this to black box boring repetitive tasks or to increase the number of complicated things I can do with the Force at once, since my direct stream of consciousness can only do so many things at a time, but... I think I could partially section off entire sets of memories and skills, rather than just one type of task, in a way more complete than the thing I already do, where - I have different memories and emotions and thought-patterns in easy reach in different circumstances? But I can still bounce between those - sets of me? Without them being all the way in an opaque black box that only spits out results of mental tasks..."

"The thing is - I think pushing at this would make it a lot easier to hide parts of myself, because they'd be discrete and defined, without hiding the information from me entirely, just - variably burying it."

"...I have no idea if that made any sense; I have a lot of trouble explaining how my mind works to people kind of in general."

"I believe I understand. You would in a sense be creating multiple personalities."

"...Yeah, I would, wouldn't I?"

"Probably the main drawback of that is if - the part of me that is Anakin gets too drawn away from your goals..."

"Indeed. Or if too great a change is noticed, based on what you seal away."

"Hm... I think if I don't put up a memory partition at first - there'd still be potential I as Anakin would act weird because of Sith stuff, but I could define the areas of myself differently enough to at least anchor hiding in the Force to only one... And I already have pretty big shifts in expressed personality in different circumstances..."

"I think I'd also be able to... Leave the older memories commonly held? I think they'd drift to associated anyways, there's - already strains of that? Some of my memories feel more - Sangua, some feel more Anakin? But I could access them regardless The main thing would be..."

"I think I'd do - most of existing me, leave with Anakin, split off - me as Sangua primarily from when I became yours? - That might then though risk leaving me with poor access to techniques I learned as a Jedi, on future missions... But if there's good movement between the parts, especially at first, and I have access to the memories, it might not be bad, and I think since my small self shards can do really simple Force techniques, I might be able to have two full cognition streams doing two complicated sets at once... I also think fully partitioning memories would be - bad, anyways, I as a person do very poorly when I don't have full information, and I think that is a bit more fundamental - one area of me might end up less inclined to that, but the way things are drifting is - "

"When I'm inhabiting - being Anakin? In the Temple, away from you, I'm anxious about all the things I don't know even the shape of, in a way I'm not when I'm around you, and I think increasing the - gap between Anakin and Sangua would worsen that?"

"Which - might add up to 'that is a bad idea and I should lean very away from it,' might add up to 'that has a lot of advantages and we should mitigate the bad idea parts, proceed slowly in case it breaks.'"

"I think there are enough advantages to this that we should proceed. Any complications will be manageable. And having more of you could never be a bad thing."

She giggles and kisses her Mistress. 

"Yes, ma'am."

"I think... I'm Sangua, other me should keep the Anakin name..." She pokes into her head, turns the existing divisions around. "I think try to get Anakin leaning into the part where if I'm anxious, I feel safest if you're taking care of and on top of things, rather than - feeling more anxious about not having control... Which can be more my trait, I think, it feels like it's leaning towards that..."

"Anakin should love you, and should be given reasons to love you more - maybe... If I'm the secret one, the one we're anchoring the hiding technique on, Anakin could be the one who meets you for public dates? Then you get to have her, too."

Poke poke.

"Think she'll want to know - at least enough of what's going on to feel secure? More than I already do, though. Or - at least enough to trust that anything she doesn't know is being handled in a non-horrible way..."

"That seems a fair distribution."

"What is going on has a great deal to do with the true nature of the Force and the effect that those who call themselves Jedi have upon it. It is not something they do intentionally, to the best of my knowledge, but neither is it a problem they would be consciously capable of fixing, were their attention directed to it."

"So the Jedi Order itself needs to stop existing?"

"And its doctrine broken, or very much marginalized."