Phoenix and Obi-Wan had decided that they would start the tailing later on in the night. It was easier to do things under the cover of night so they had gone to Phoenix's painting studio. They had both eaten and Phoenix was feeling a lot lighter. A lot happier with everything that had happened. Something good seemed to finally be happening even though they were going to tail her assassin.

     But Obi-Wan knew that she wouldn't be happy with the fact that he had to report to the Council. He knew that she would probably want him to stay in the main area of the studio for a bit so it would be the perfect opportunity. He could guard the door to the studio and he could tell the Council what they had discovered. The Republic needed an update sooner rather than later. They had already started questioning Obi-Wan's lack of communication.

     Phoenix allowed him into the apartment and she disappeared into the studio. Obi-Wan stayed sat in the small living space, sitting on the chair and placing his comm down. Phoenix was unaware of what he was doing as she walked across the room, a smile on her lips. She decided that she was going to repaint her old painting of Obi-Wan onto a new canvas. Improve it add more detail. Just make it a lot better. She knew that's she wanted to and now with him in the living space, she could do it without the fear of him watching and finding it strange.

     So, she picked up the old painting and grabbed a new canvas to do it on. Squirting out the paints, she didn't even bother to sketch first. She just went straight in with it, having a good enough perception of what she wanted it to look like. The first brush on the canvas was always the hardest to get right for her but once she had started she was off. It wasn't long before a decent chunk of the painting was done as a hour or so had past. She could hear faint voices from somewhere but she assumed it the adjacent apartment.

     So as she grew tired and her stomach grumbled, she headed towards the door. They had opted for a walk rather than get a hover taxi that day since Obi-Wan wanted to see Mith and Phoenix obliged. Showing him everywhere they used to go before they arrived at the studio. Now she was starving and she was only slightly regretting the hour-long walk. She wanted to order some food so she decided to check if Obi-Wan wanted any too.

     As she opened the door and stuck her head through, she noticed that he was on a comm with Palpatine and the Jedi Council. They were being projected out but in smaller form. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she listened to them talking about her and the assassin. Why was he even telling them? He hadn't spoken to them since they arrived on Mith. It didn't seem logical for him to speak to them if he didn't have any real news. A possible suspect was nothing compared to actually catching them.

     He was giving up all the information they had on the assassin and if the assassin happened to have spies, she would know that the Republic was on to her. That Obi-Wan and Phoenix were onto her and were going to find her. His admission to the Council just felt like a bad idea. But she had no choice in that. Obi-Wan was already telling them so she turned around and went back into her room. Discarding the painting for now. Instead, she moved to sit on the window seat. Her hands resting on her lap as she looked to the outside world. Watching the hover-car and people mill about. They looked like small ants from how far up she was. The frown spreading across Phoenix face as she watched.

     It was another twenty minutes before Obi-Wan came in and saw her sulking near the window. A frown spread across his face as he slipped his comm away. He walked over to her and reached out to take her hand but she pulled away, practically glaring up at him. She then stood up and walked past him. Obi-Wan's eyebrows pulled together as he reached out for her arm. Managing to grasp it and turn her to face him.

     "Phoenix, what's wrong? What happened?" He asked as he made her look up at him. She sighed and shrugged. She didn't want to get into this argument. She wished she wasn't so annoyed at him but she was. He had told the council everything and that was going to risk their cover being blown. The whole operation going wrong.

     "Why did you tell them? The Council. There could be a mole. Someone could be listening into that call. They're not really that secure," She said, her words harsher than she really wanted them to be and than she expected. She didn't want to be cruel but it was frustrating that he was jeopardising all of this. It wasn't the end of the world but it was putting things at risk. She wanted everything to go smoothly.

     "I had to tell them something. They have been asking me for an update and you gave me something to tell them. There isn't a mole on the Council and if there is, then we will find out and it can be investigated," Obi-Wan argued, his voice calm and he was clearly trying to make her feel better. But rather than making her feel better, it was just frustrating her more. He didn't understand what this meant for her, what it could mean.

     "Great, you've discovered a bad egg in the Jedi Order but that hasn't stopped the effects it will have on the now. If the assassin knows that we're after her and knows we have found out who she is, she'll disappear. Make herself obscure and we'll never be able to find her. She'll keep coming after me and we won't be able to track her. She's been sloppy so far but we're not going to be that lucky forever, Obi-Wan," She said, her voice not as angry anymore. She was just frustrated at his thoughtlessness. Obi-Wan gently shook his head at her. His hands moving to take hers, looking into her eyes properly.

     "I didn't tell them that much, Phoenix. I just asked them to give me more time and gave them enough information to satisfy them. I didn't compromise this," Obi-Wan said lying so perfectly in an attempt to diffuse this situation. But Phoenix knew he was lying and shoved his hands away. She had heard a lot more than just him 'satisfying' the Council. A soft sigh escaped her lips. He was just openly lying to her and he didn't even care that it was wrong and that she had heard more than he thought.

     "You didn't. Now, just do whatever the kriff you want. I'm going home. Alone." She said as she glanced at him. Before then she slid passed him and headed towards the door. It was childish to walk away from him and act like this but she wanted to just feel safe. She was so close to that feeling but now Obi-Wan had risked taking that way and she couldn't have that. She just wanted to feel normal and do her duty. That was at risk now that he had spoken to the Council. She didn't know who she could trust and she didn't know if the Council were even trustworthy enough.

     Obi-Wan frowned as he watched her walk away. She was going to risk herself. She was probably going to be attacked if they weren't together but he didn't want to make her more frustrated by following after her. He, however, was going to tail her. He was experienced enough and he'd rather be able to protect her from afar than not at all. He would never forgive himself if something bad had happened to Phoenix. He just, wouldn't.

***

     Phoenix had eventually got home and ended up staying in her room for most of the day. There was something comforting about her room. The memories it held and when she snuggled up into bed, everything just felt better, safer. It allowed her a reprieve from how scared she was about everything. She only decided to get out of bed when her stomach started growling and she tried to ignore it for a while. That was until she decided to just get up and make her dinner. She spoke to her dad and they had dinner together for the first time in a while but about halfway through, Phoenix decided to go upstairs. Her father didn't mind and said that he had some business to do anyway so it would be no bother.

     Now she was sat in her room and finishing off her dinner as she flicked through the evidence and the movements she had tracked of her assassin. Thankfully she hadn't seemed to have discovered quite where Phoenix was living yet so her house was safe from attacked. She hoped. That might have changed in the last day but it seemed like it would be okay. The assassin just seemed to be watching her studio and work out when Phoenix went there. It was a little unsettling how she tracked but Phoenix tried not to let it bother her too much.

     Especially since the assassin had been watching the studio, she was lucky to have not been attacked on the ride back home but she was here and she was safe. Obi-Wan had returned home not long after her and she had a feeling that he'd been following her but didn't let it bother her or even bring it up to him. She didn't see the point in commenting. It would only lead to more aggression between the two of them. Well, it would lead to Phoenix most likely being more frustrated at him while he tried to relentless apologise since he was ever the kind Jedi.

     "Phoenix," A voice said. She instantly knew it was Obi-Wan and when she looked up to see him at the door it was like her mind had conjured him out of it. He then walked in at her recognition of his presence and he closed the door. He walked over to her and sat down across from her on the bed. She turned around and placed the plate on the bedside table. Unable to stop the small smile that spread across his face as she admired his face. Then she moved her gaze down to the bed.

     "Yes?" She asked curiously. It wasn't meant to come off as aggressive but it probably had just a little bit. She wished she could control her emotions a little better but it was hard when it came to him. After so long apart, it's like she had forgotten how to act around him. It was something totally different from what she was used to. Obi-Wan wasn't a traditionalist he was certainly more liberal than her father was.

     "I just wanted to apologise for lying to you about the Council and for not informing you sooner. The Council meeting doesn't seem to have changed the pattern of our assassin though," He said as he looked into her eyes. Phoenix was glad that he apologised but really she was being the one that was over-dramatic. She was being cruel when really all he was doing was his duty. He had to tell the Republic what was going on. It was his job. His job was to protect her and her being over-dramatic prevented him from doing that.

     "I'm sorry too. I was being over-dramatic and emotional. You were doing your job and nothing should really change that," She said as she reached out to take his hands. Her fingers laced with his and she let a small smile appear on her face. This couldn't keep happening. She couldn't be annoyed at him and she couldn't just let herself have to be protected. She had been getting self-defence lessons for years but when she was in those situations, she just froze up. Maybe it was time to get that confidence by talking to him about it.

     "I'm not doing my job well. That's why I wanted to talk to the Council. I need help, I think we both need it because well, it's not going well. They've escaped multiple times and it's only going to end badly if we let them escape again," Obi-Wan responded as he looked into her eyes. Phoenix shook her head, she wasn't going to allow that to happen. She needed it to just be them. More people would make this more complicated. It would make whatever they had complicated and probably impossible.

     "We can do it together. I just need to gain more confidence. I can fight, I've been having self-defence lessons. I just freeze up. I'm not used to doing it in hostile situations but I can," She responded as she shuffled closer to him. Her words caused Obi-Wan to cock an eyebrow. He didn't know that she could fight. He was surprised that she had even been taking those lessons considering how she acted during the attacks. She'd always been so afraid but he was glad she'd at least been thinking about it when she became Senator.

     "Let's just go out and tail her later. Find out where she's going and then it will be fine. We can find out where she is, maybe we can even catch her then," She said as she looked at him properly. He thought it over before he shook his head. It was probably a good idea but he knew that he needed to see her fighting abilities first. That was what mattered above anything else. How well could she fight is what he needed to know and hen they could assess the situation from there.

     "No, we can tail her tomorrow night. I need to see your abilities. We can go to the basement into the gym you have set-up. You can show me what you can do. That's what we need to do first," Obi-Wan said as he looked into her eyes. She nodded, taking a soft deep breath. Then she leant forward and rested her head against his shoulder, pouting a bit. She just wanted this nightmare over with if she was going to be honest but it could wait another day. Just one more day, Obi-Wan was still here and she could at least be protected and home. She loved being on Coruscant in her position as Senator but home was sometimes just nice.

     "Come on, I can stay with you tonight if you'd like," He muttered as he pressed a kiss to her head. Phoenix muttered something that he couldn't understand but he assumed that it would probably be a yes. She enjoyed his company and just wanted to spend some time with him even if it was mainly just them sleeping. Just his presence made her feel so much safer and his protection was all that had kept her alive so far.

     And they did spend the rest of the night together. Phoenix cuddled up to him as they slept peacefully once they'd changed into their pyjamas. The morning came quickly though and she found herself waking up before him once again. When she opened her eyes to look at him, she found him rolled over. His arms over the other side of the pillow. This made her sigh just a little. She wanted to wake up in his arms but he was probably more used to sleeping alone so rolled away.

     Instead of dwelling, she pushed herself to sit up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. A soft yawn escaping her lips as she slid off the bed. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail before grabbing some clothes to change into. If they were going to be doing some exercising then she had to be in the proper clothes at least. She hadn't worn her training clothes in a long while but was happy to be back in them. It gave her an adrenaline rush knowing that she was going to do fighting again.

     Once she was changed, Obi-Wan still wasn't out of bed so she decided to go downstairs and make them some breakfast. Something hearty would be best since they needed as much energy as they could get if she was going to show him what she had learnt. She was feeling antsy to show him since nobody but her father had actually seen her fight. He was the one teaching her after all and after freezing up every time she had a chance. She needed to prove herself now in front of him. She wasn't going to be the hopeless romantic Senator. She was an independent woman.

     As she finished with breakfast, Obi-Wan came down. He was in robes still but they were dressed down. Just his pants and his undershirt and cloak. He looked a lot less formal and she preferred this look than his full robes. He looked more like Obi-Wan like this and she couldn't help but smile as she admired him. He smiled back at her and the two sat down and began to eat breakfast together. Obi-Wan practically devouring Phoenix's cooking. Having something home-cooked was a rarity and the fact that he got to eat her cooking for most of the time he had been away was something he appreciated more than anything.

     "Are you teaching her today?" Brendaen commented as he walked past the pair, heading towards the kitchen. Phoenix gently shook her head at him and stared down at the floor. It felt a little rude for her to get Obi-Wan to teach her over her own father that had spent the last three or so years training her. It wasn't even like he was teaching her, he was assessing her abilities but it still made Phoenix's stomach twist. She didn't want her father to take it the wrong way.

     "No. I'm not authorised to do so. Phoenix said that she wants to become more comfortable with fighting around different people. I offered to help," Obi-Wan said, twisting the truth a little but she smiled along. Nodding her head in agreement as she continued to eat her beans and then her sausages. Not wanting to get involved.

     "Excellent. She needs to learn to defend herself," Brendaen said before he disappeared into the kitchen. Phoenix keeping her face hidden as she continued to eat. As soon as she was done, she got up and headed downstairs to the basement. A soft sigh escaping her lips as she entered the cool room. The mirrors on the opposite wall left her able to see into every corner. Nobody would be able to ambush her down here, thankfully. One place she could be completely safe or at least see an attack coming.

     While she waited for Obi-Wan - who she could hear vaguely talking to her father - she decided to do a warm-up. Mainly just stretching her legs and arms. It had been a while since she had done any sort of duelling so needed to make sure she warmed the muscles before she woke up tomorrow sore. If she was going to be at peak performance, she needed to avoid the soreness and fatigue. She needed to catch this assassin and that meant being able to do everything.

     Just as she finished her warm-up, Obi-Wan jogged down the stairs. A smile on his lips as he looked over at her. She cocked an eyebrow but he said nothing as he pushed his hair out of his face. He then walked to the matted area. Clearly he wanted to start straight away. She was definitely glad that she had stretched beforehand. It didn't seem like Obi-Wan needed it.

     She moved to stand across from him and put her fists up. She adjusted her position slightly and she watched as he scrutinised her. He then moved over to her and used his knee to push her legs a little further apart. He then adjusted her hand's position. Then he stood back and smiled. That was much better.

     "That's the fighting stance. It was fine as it is but it's better like this when we are duelling," He commented before he got into a similar defensive stance. She looked at him and waited to see if he would make the first move and when he didn't, she took the plunge. She swung first and he was quick to knock her hand away. The two trading punches for a few minutes before Obi-Wan finally took on the offensive.

     It got aggressive from then on. His punches got harder and they began to incorporate their feet. Dunking and kicking. Shuffling back and swerving out of the way. Phoenix hadn't had a duel this hard in a long time. She had been getting as good as her father but she was nowhere near Obi-Wan's levels. He knew exactly where she was going to go next and it felt impossible to outmanoeuvre him. He was probably reading her mind to track her movements or maybe it was just his general Force connection.

     The fact was, that she couldn't beat him but she wasn't going to give up that easily. Instead, she decided to try and be more ambitious. Try things that she never would with her father training her and some of the ended pretty well. That was until Obi-Wan got the better of her and managed to knock her onto her ass. Her back smacking against the mat as she let out a soft groan. It didn't hurt as much as she expected it to.

     "That was a bad move," Obi-Wan commented as he moved to sit on top of her. A smirk on his lips. One of his legs was on either side of her stomach as he looked down at her. Phoenix rolled her eyes and then tried to push him off. But his hands quickly grabbed hers and pinned them down against the floor, "You're not getting up from this," He said. His smirk widening. Phoenix tried to push against his grip but it was far too tight for her to be able to get out of it. She brought her legs up and attempted to knee him but she couldn't even reach anywhere that would hurt or weaken him. She was completely stuck.

     The smirk grew on his lips as he leaned closer to her, "Do you yield?" He asked as he looked into her eyes. She pouted a little before she then attempted to push him off one last time. It still failed and she gave in and relaxed on the mat. Staring up at the ceiling. Was she really going to give in to him that easily? Would she allow herself to do that? She didn't know but at the same time she wanted to try and just get him off. It was unlikely to work but maybe there was something she could do. So she pushed her whole body forward in an attempt to disorientate him and get him to fall but to no avail. He just pushed her down against the mat again, his smirk widening as he looked into her eyes. His hand moving to push some hair out of her face.

     "That won't work," He commented casually. Almost teasing in his tone and she groaned. She tried to push forward again but quickly lost the energy. Instead, just deciding that it was probably best to admit defeat. It would satisfy his ego but she could at least stop being this close to him. His cockiness was radiating off him and she hated it.

     "I yield," She said as she looked up at him. He grinned and stood up. Holding his arm out to her, she grabbed onto it and he helped her to her feet. He then looked down at her and his smile widened. His hand moving to push some hair behind her ear. The baby hairs were beginning to stick to her forehead as she panted. The sweat dripping down her neck. It left her feeling a little gross but the adoring way that Obi-Wan looked at her made her wonder if she was really as gross as she thought she was. His smile widened a little.

     "You did well considering you've not been put through rigorous training," He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Obi-Wan's face was flushed a light red and he was sweating a little too. Nowhere near as much as Phoenix since he was pretty used to this sort of training but it was still there. His hair was greasy and sticking to his forehead but with a push through his hair, it was fine again. Her head tilting to the side as she let her fingers then rest in his hair.

     "Thank you," She said. He then leant forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was a proper kiss too that took her by complete surprise. Her arms wrapped around his neck properly as she moved onto her tiptoes. Her fingers running through his hair as they continued to kiss passionately and aggressively. His tongue slipping into her mouth as he gripped her waist keeping her close. However, before they could continue or even have a chance to pull away. There was a thunk of something and then a voice.

     "Excuse me," Brendaen said before he walked through them. Purposefully splitting them up. Phoenix rolled her eyes and then walked up towards the stairs. She needed a shower and maybe Obi-Wan and Brendaen could talk while she did so.

     "I'm gonna get a shower and then we can go and do what we agreed to," Phoenix smiled down at Obi-Wan. Who was now awkwardly standing near the mirror. A sheepish smile on his face. Phoenix chuckled at him and then headed upstairs. She needed a shower desperately. She felt ridiculously greasy and once they were done, they could tail after the assassin like he had promised they would.

***