"The Council doesn't need to know everything."

Small smile. "Yeah." Just that information was gotten, possibly. 

"That's the important part, as far as they're concerned."

She nods, sighing.

...She's kind of. Mentally done. She's not sleepy yet, but - she wants to just rest. 

There's plenty of time for that on their trip back. Nothing exciting happens in hyperspace.

Good.

Anakin collaborates with Elesse on the mission report, including exactly what's necessary from the Council's perspective.

And then - settling back into Temple routine, such as they can. Anakin has appointments to make, of course, and friends to catch up with, and stuff she's continuing to process, and lessons to take back up...

All the normal business of existing as a member of the Jedi Order. It's a change from their recent routine, but not an unwelcome one. Elesse has her own processing to do, responsibilities to catch up on.

Yeah. 

Anakin is hesitant about her mind healer visits at first, and doesn't share with Elesse what she's been discussing - but, after her third session, she brings Elesse a pad, and says, "There's some - screening stuff that apparently knowing what you've - observed of how stuff's been changing with me, or how long a thing's been present - would help narrow down, uh, problems. I have one for mom, too..." She fidgets.

She takes the pad. "Of course."

Nod.

Then: "It's - seeming kind of really likely I have some kind of - underlying thing going on. Not just - trauma."

"That may be hopeful news. Some illnesses are more easily treatable."

" - Guess I hadn't thought of it like that."

"It can be a helpful frame, sometimes."

"Right now I just feel - kind of powerless. And lots of mental illness sounds like - you manage it but you don't cure it?"

"They're things you- figure out how to live with."

"Yeah."

"That feels - I don't know. Scary? Because it's - a problem that'll never really go away?"

"It's okay to be scared by that thought. But not a problem you have to face alone."

Soft smile. 

"Yeah."

"Sorry I've been shutting you out. It's - not healthy for me, even beyond if it's fair to you. I think I'm just... It's the being scared?"

"The mind healer - he helped me notice that - the voices go down or away when I'm talking, and my thoughts get less twisted around if I'm communicating with someone, and he - kind of neutrally recommended I think about not trying to meditate alone for a while? Until the underlying problem is - addressed more - to see if that helps break any feedback loops."

"And - even if that's not the thing that's wrong, hiding stuff feels - unpleasant."

"But - that scared me."

"I'm always an ear when you need one, Anakin."

"And I have been worried about you."

Hug?

Hugs.

Snuggle. 

"...I also do feel kind of dumb about falling back on 'authority has suggested I do a thing so I'm going to do the exact opposite' just 'cause I'm stressed... But - I didn't do it for long? And - stress is hard."

"You're improving," Elesse says.

"I guess? It just feels - slow."

"It's an ongoing process. One you've been working at for comparatively little time."