"Ah." Elesse nods in understanding.

" - This was right after she found out I was a Sith. I couldn't risk her revealing me to the Order." Why does she feel uncomfortable and defensive, even distantly. 

"My terms were - effectively that she protect Anakin first, and avoid betraying me second, and that I'd give her more freedom as she proved herself trustworthy."

"And I suppose that over time, you both simply got used to the arrangement?"

...Awkward shrug.

She definitely feels defensive. Unfortunately the Jedi Order don't tend to think 'but I like her and want her to stay' is a legitimate reason for imprisonment.

"The - external factors were obviated five years ago. There's been plenty of opportunity to renegotiate."

"Opportunity, but not necessarily action." Hum. "Food for thought."

Dang, hot mom Elesse is kind of quietly vicious, isn't she

- She wants to present a united front. Doesn't want to say something her Elesse objects to about their relationship. 

So.

She reaches out to her Elesse in the Force - there's no words that summarize this perfectly, but... Fondness, possessiveness, it's none of her business, love, she likes having her Elesse around and wouldn't want to lose that, she doesn't want to harm her Elesse, Elesse is hers and she doesn't appreciate someone else clawing at that - 

'You aren't my prisoner. You - haven't been in years. Not really.' She wants to tell the other Elesse to fuck off. 'We can talk about details again if you want. Boundaries and all.' (But what they have works just fine.)

(This feels... Different from Anakin trying to talk them into getting married. Like - threatening to take something away.)

'I know.'

'And probably she guessed that and wants me to acknowledge that to myself or start thinking about it again.'

'She's really not much like you.' Her Elesse doesn't get Lylí's hackles up like this. Pushes her, sure, but - it's different. 'You're mine. Asking for more won't upset that.' (Possessive isn't always the right word either. Neither is 'mine.' But her Elesse always knows what she means.)

'I'm more than happy with what we have. And - '

She told Shmi what feels like an eternity ago that she's only nice to her enemies. It's not as true now as it was then, but... She's still sometimes bad at asking without demanding. 

'We'll talk more later on it, how about. When you don't have to spend half your energy hiding that you're talking.'

Fondness and amusement echo across their connection. 

'Can I tell your alt to fuck off now?'

"We'll think about it," she says out loud. "But this isn't an immediate problem."

Her alt inclines her head in acquiescence.

'Always the polite one.'

(Her emotions get a bit less tightly wrapped up, enough her apprentice and maybe the other Elesse can get a proper read on her.)

She relaxes, a little, and then openly sends a fond look at her Elesse.

- And the local Anakin catches up to them, ducking into the sitting room after a quick knock.

"Everything going okay?"

"Not too much fire." She holds her arms to welcome Anakin into her lap.

Heee.

And snuggle kiss.

Uh.

Oh.

"As I believe I mentioned, I did not meet my Anakin until much later than you."

"And all this is - pretty recent." By a certain definition of recent. 

"Cool, cool."

" - I'm not judging, just... Surprised." (She'd have absolutely no room to judge given her relationship with her apprentice, especially since she's gotten increasingly comfortable claiming Salacis as her daughter. And she's never stopped believing conventional morality is utterly arbitrary and made up.)

"...Is our Anakin - likely to end up attracted to our Elesse when she's older?" (...She'd trust her Elesse to not hurt her daughter with - that. Even with - the potential for a very fucked up relationship.)

"...I honestly have no idea."

"I've never been attracted to Shmi - but I can't imagine a world where I would be? And - of the other worlds where I got a real sense of the me and the Elesse's relationship, it was romantic."

"But my Elesse met me when I was nine. So that's really different?"