(no subject)

[politicallyinclined]

I would never turn down a chance to see my son or daughter. [What mother would? Padmé doesn't want to know.] But you realize that seeing them - no matter how briefly - only makes me homesick? Family has always been important to me. If my mother, father, sister or nieces had asked me to stay behind, I would have.

[She wouldn't have been happy being a homebody, but her point stands.]

Ani too. I would have been there for him in a heartbeat. If he had asked.

Comments

[renkylo]

And what of grandchildren?

[politicallyinclined]

They matter too, of course!

[renkylo]

So you don't think of family as a weakness.

[politicallyinclined]

Never. Family is strength and support. Why would they ever be a weakness?

[renkylo]

That is what I've been told. They are an unnecessary complication and distraction. There should be no attachments in order to succeed.

[politicallyinclined]

You speak like a Sith. [She cannot approve of that.] Are you my grandson?

[renkylo]

.... I am your grandson but, no, I am not a Sith. The Sith are long gone in my time.

[politicallyinclined]

I will count that a victory. They have done irreparable harm to our family.

Why do you feel so negatively about family? Do you feel they failed you in some way?

[renkylo]

That is the simplest way to put it. It's complicated to give details.

But my training does not permit such attachments.

[solo_junior]

Actual homesick? Or the kind of homesick that's for something you never had?

[He knows who she is, but he's not going to presume the opposite.]

[politicallyinclined]

Both. [She gives him a small smile.] There is much I missed.

[solo_junior]

[His smile isn't exactly the same, too much of his father in it, but it's similar enough.] Both is tough. Especially if it's because of what's been missed.

[politicallyinclined]

I barely experienced a proper marriage and I never had the chance to raise my children. [The latter she regrets keenly.]

[solo_junior]

[He gives a little shrug] Sometimes kids still turn out okay if someone else raises them.

I'm, uh, not one of those cases though, but it's bound to happen sometimes, right?

[politicallyinclined]

I do not doubt Obi-Wan's choice, but as a mother, I wish I could have raised them myself.

[It isn't entirely logical and she realizes that.]

For which your mother is likely very grateful.

[solo_junior]

[There's a flicker of expression in response to that, not quite a grimace, but something close.]

I actually wouldn't know, I haven't spoken with her in... some time.

[politicallyinclined]

...why not? [As if she would let such a statement go.]

[dorkvader]

Would you have? Truly?

[Excuse him if he's just a touch skeptical. Or is it bitterness? Melancholia? Whatever it is, he's not thrilled to feel it.]

[politicallyinclined]

In a heart beat. [He is mistaken on his - or, rather, Anakin's - importance in her heart.]

[dorkvader]

I know you feel that way.

[He can feel the sincerity of her words easy enough. Painfully easy. But her thoughts now and her actions then... He had already asked her. Just wait for him on Coruscant... trust him. Believe in him. Stay until he returned and he could tell her everything, he would have shared everything with her.]

If only it were true.

[There's no anger in his voice. Once, he would have been furious just to think about what happened... now, he just feels sort of empty.]

[politicallyinclined]

You doubt me. [Which...hurts. She does not deny that she didn't always listen to him - she has been hard-headed and stubborn since the beginning. Their friction was one of the qualities that drew her to him in the first place. Difficult men are more fun.]

We were both stubborn; we both thought we knew what was best. I do not respond to orders from you or anyone else. If you had approached me differently...

[They would have still argued.]

I thought I was protecting you.

[dorkvader]

It's hard not to have some...questions about this.

[They were certainly both highly opinionated and frequently butted heads. Despite that, it never shook his devotion to her. He did find himself having to apologize with embarrassing regularity.

That hurt on her part makes part of him feel he should offer some sort apology.]

I only wanted to keep you safe. Obi-Wan shouldn't have used you against me.

[politicallyinclined]

I did not always do what was best; I only tried to do what I thought was right.

[Her brow furrows and she shakes her head.]

He didn't. He wanted to reach you. He loves you, Anakin; as do I.

[dorkvader]

This[He gestures at himself.] is the measure of his love for me.

[He brings his temper back under control and takes a sip of his latte. It really does help calm him. Honestly, he should started drinking it much sooner.]

Imagine what he would have done out of hate. No, he was sent to kill me... he failed.

[politicallyinclined]

[She flinches and takes a moment to look at him - from head to toe. The pain he must have endured...]

You fought. He was protecting himself and trying to reach you. [She had been mercifully unconscious for it all.] Your anger overwhelmed you.

[Absently, she touches her throat.]

When he told me you were becoming a Sith, I...needed to see you. That's why he took me to you.