Voice Test

[prophesiedone]

Your sense of humor is in desperate need of a repair.

No, I won't go with you. It would serve you well to send me back on the fastest ship available. I have business to finish.

[Don't be such a Sithstick in the mud, Anakin.]

I'd rather not waste my lightsaber on you.

Comments

[diplomaticsolutions]

I'm afraid you'll find that no matter what means you attempt, muns are a bit hard to negotiate with, especially when they have set their minds on something.

[morecivilizedage]

You still need to learn patience, Anakin.

( Look! It's your master! Only he's.... really really old. Whelp. Still, the rebuke comes with a smile, and it's very clear he is glad to see you, if also a little saddened. )

And, I confess, I feel using your lightsaber would probably be a failed exercise. Not near as effective here.

[prophesiedone]

[For her, he softens his guard and smiles.]

They remind me of you.

[prophesiedone]

...Master? [Okay, he can go with this. Timelines are funky. Right.

But it's somehow disheartening to hear that he still needs to learn patience.] Are you saying I'm impatient my whole life?

[Yep, that about sums it up.]

I noticed. [Much to his irritation.] How do you handle yours?

[morecivilizedage]

Yes, I do believe you are. ( He had to pause a moment to ponder that one, but it seems to hold true. And Obi-Wan is clearly amused and humored by that fact, if also a little grieved in some quiet way. Impatience it isn't the worst of your flaws. ) Though I suspect you improved somewhat when I was not around.

I don't, usually. ( For one, it's totally illegal and attracts all sorts of unwanted attention. For another, he's an old man, and he's seen enough fighting to last him several lifetimes, much less just this one.

And he can never forget that one of the last battles he had with that lightsaber was it's light crashing against yours.

He wishes he could forget it. )

It is... I rarely have use for it, in my days. ( He can't risk being seen with it, of drawing attention to Luke. And, by the end of it, it isn't a lightsaber that he needs. )

[prophesiedone]

And I believe you're too cautious. [So there. What is maturity? But they both know it's a defense mechanism to hide his discomfort. Anakin has never felt comfortable in his own skin.] Why weren't you around?

[An uncomfortable topic. He curses himself for following that thread. If he pulls too hard, the whole thing will unravel.]

But you're still a Jedi, surely? [His eyebrow arches. What. Unless...] Do you see their errors too?

[dowhatimust]

It may seem that way now, but perhaps there is a deeper purpose to what your mun wishes to do.

[diplomaticsolutions]

I hope that doesn't mean you think my humor is in desperate desperate need of repair, Ani...

[prophesiedone]

Most of the time, no. [Teasing.]

[prophesiedone]

... [He stares in wonder, face paling.] Master Qui-Gon? How is this - [Timelines again.]

I'm not so optimistic.

no idea why i wrote desperate twice there >>;

[diplomaticsolutions]

And the rest of the time, you are simply mistaken.

[dowhatimust]

Hello, Anakin. It has been some time.

You'd be surprised. A little faith can go a long way.

[morecivilizedage]

Perhaps I was too cautious, for a long time. ( After some of the chats he's had after his mun dragged him to this place, he isn't entirely surprised. And now the harder questions. Why weren't you around? is hard enough, but Do you see their errors, too? ... He has to hand it to you, Anakin. No one can quite so thoroughly shatter his heart the way you can. )

I found that I had... different duties to attend to, that kept me far from you, for the most part. ( Until one last duel on the Death Star, that truly wasn't much of a duel at all.

Do you see their errors Oh, he has seen his errors, and theirs, and yours, and a great number of people's errors. And yet, he cannot answer 'yes' in the way that you are seeking it. )

I have had a great deal of time, to see what had been done wrongly, or poorly. To see what failings lie before us, and the pitfalls that we stumbled into. To meditate on all these things.

( But he is still a Jedi, will always be, and the thought of all of this hurts so much, he is not so sure how well he is keeping his sorrow from his voice, from his face. )

[prophesiedone]

I prefer to rely on planning. [That way nothing can go wrong. So naive.] Enough has gone wrong. Someone needs to take control.

[prophesiedone]

I never thought you would admit that. [His eyebrows raise in surprise and his posture stiffens. How is he supposed to react to Obi-Wan not being right? The edges of his lips twitch, the shadow in his eyes softening for a moment. The affection he has for his Master hasn't really dimmed - it has just been overshadowed by his desperation.]

Why didn't I visit you? [Mouth dry, he swallows with difficulty. Does his worst fear come true? Are Obi-Wan and Padmé...

Scowling, he clenches his hands into fists.] And what have you discovered, Master?

[Sorry his voice is so cold. His jealousy is rising like the tide after a fierce storm.]

I didn't even notice haha.

[prophesiedone]

I concede to the Senator's intellect.

[dowhatimust]

Be mindful of your anxiety. The force will always guide us, even if we do not know where it might take us.

[prophesiedone]

That's what I fear most. What if the Force's plan makes us miserable?

[dowhatimust]

Then you are focusing too much on what may be, and not enough on what is.

[prophesiedone]

How can I not focus on the future? [He's a married man with a child on the way.] I've had dreams.

[dowhatimust]

You sound much like Obi-Wan. The future shouldn't dominate the present.

Dreams can mean many things, or nothing at all, and come from different sources. The here and now is where your concentration belongs, Anakin.

[prophesiedone]

He wouldn't understand how I feel. [That's said tightly - like a child on the verge of a tantrum.] I see things he doesn't. He chooses to ignore them, but I can't.

I won't let her die.

[dowhatimust]

You do him an injustice. [A gentle chastise.

Although there are traits that Qui-Gon and Anakin would share more than Obi-Wan.] And be mindful, Anakin. The force offers many paths, but it is not always what you may think. The situation may not be what it seems.

[prophesiedone]

[His shoulders hunch and he inhales shakily, his chest feeling tight. Jedis shouldn't feel this way. The calm he once had is gone and he can't imagine himself regaining it without taking drastic action.]

I don't mean to. I've followed him and learned from him for years. I trust him. [Most of the time anyway.] Sacrifices will be made in the future if nothing is done. I know that much.

[Sacrifices he isn't willing to make.]

My power is growing, Master Qui-Gon. I can make a difference.

[dowhatimust]

Be careful about what you think you know. Some secrets are not so easily discerned, and a false answer may hide the true one. Especially if one does not delve deeper to the heart of it.