Room 213 - [late evening]

[auroryborealis]

Rory realized how long it had been since she had talked to Paris.

So there she was on her phone.

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[emo_padawan]

Anakin's mouth was a thin line. "There's being aware of your surroundings, there's understanding the fundamental nature of sentient beings and then there's allowing your fears to taint the world around you," he said quietly. "Yoda was right."

[auroryborealis]

Rory bit her lip and hugged her knees to her chest. "You don't think I'm scary, do you?"

[emo_padawan]

Anakin bit back a snort of laughter. He scooted over and nudged his shoulder against hers. "Not even a little bit," he said firmly.

And hated Parker just a little more for making Rory hurt.

[auroryborealis]

"I'm pretty sure I've never been viewed as dangerous before. Competition, yes. Actually dangerous, not so much. I hate it," she said, drawing with her fingertip on the bedspread. "Anyway. I told her that if she pulls that crap with you again, or with anyone, we're done. She has no right to judge the people at this school, regardless of how paranoid she is."

[emo_padawan]

"Parker is out of her mind," Anakin said. "That kind of fear? Can eat you up inside. Will eat you up. Viewing the beings of universe as chess pieces rather than living, breathing, thinking, feeling creatures who make their own choices, have their own souls..." he gave a small shudder. "That leads to the Dark Side."

He looked Rory straight in the eyes. "But you still want to be friends with her?"

[auroryborealis]

"I did, this morning," Rory replied. "Now that I've seen the paranoia, I'm not sure if I want to be friends as much as just on speaking terms, because now I want to watch her and keep her from getting out of hand. Because yeah, she's completely psychotic. She trusts no one. She's afraid of everyone. I told her that it must be very scary to be Parker. And she needs mental help in the worst way."

[emo_padawan]

"Fear leads to anger..." Anakin chanted under his breath, then was suddenly all business, every inch a Jedi.

"Personally, I'd say let her be. When she implodes, which seems rather inevitable, the fallout is going to be ugly and I don't want you getting more hurt." He swallowed hard. "Especially if I'm not here any more."

[auroryborealis]

"I can't give up on people like that. I promised her a second chance," Rory said, shrugging. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, "I'm going to miss you so much."

She blinked. "Where the hell did that come from?"

[emo_padawan]

"So you're not going to miss me?" Anakin asked, looking hurt.

[auroryborealis]

"I'll miss you so much that it hurts to think about it right now," Rory confessed, then looked alarmed again. "I keep saying things I don't mean to say. Not that I don't mean them - just that it's like I'm drunk and I've lost my filters or something."

[emo_padawan]

"Weird," Anakin said, looking a little concerned. "I don't think the same thing's happening to me...which is good, because I'm not sure the school would be better off if I told Parker what I really think of her right now."

[auroryborealis]

"She would take it badly. She told me she wanted to write to Obi-Wan or something, before, so yeah," Rory told him.

[emo_padawan]

Anakin's eyes flashed. "Sure like to see her try. It's not like I'm giving her that address. Obi-Wan has enough to worry about at home without have to deal with paranoid delusions from someone who doesn't understand Jedi."

[auroryborealis]

"Plus she'd probably try to have sex with him."

Cue the blushing.

[emo_padawan]

Anakin laughed. "Again, I'd sure like to see her try. She is sooo not Obi-Wan's type."

He touched Rory's cheek. "Or was that more of this thing where you say everything?"

[auroryborealis]

"Yes. I'm saying everything I'm thinking. I miss my filters," Rory replied, very red. "I have no idea what happened to them, but I blame Parker."