Timeframe: 32 BBY – Final year before Initiate Trials
Setting: Jedi Temple – Inner Training Chambers, Meditation Dormitory, Small Archives Study Room
Catching Up
The echo of wooden sabers clashing echoed in Training Chamber Cresh, as Barris Offee and Derran Talvos moved in tight circular patterns around one another.
"Again!" Barriss said, wiping sweat from her brow.
Derran grunted. "You know we don't have to spar until collapse, right?"
"Yes," she replied. "But they've leapt. If we're going to stand beside them, we must grow too."
Derran understood. Cain, Seris, and Anakin had entered a new tier—not in rank, but in presence. And as much as Barriss was proud of them, a small part of her—the part with pride—ached not to be left behind.
Derran admired her tenacity, even if he didn't say it.
He was sharp in combat now—calculating. He wasn't the strongest, but he often saw the path before others did. Barriss called it intuition. He called it "staying alert."
Their practice continued until the chamber dimmed to orange light.
And then, Seris entered.
She walked straight toward them, training robe half-loosened from her earlier drills.
"I want to help," she said. "And… I want to ask something."
The Question
Later, in the shared Initiate meditation dorm, Barriss and Seris sat in the far corner of the room, a soft glowstone lantern between them. Derran had bowed out—said something about needing air—and Cain and Anakin were in the archives.
It was quiet.
"I've been thinking," Seris said softly, drawing her knees to her chest. "About… attachments."
Barriss tilted her head. "What about them?"
"I've always thought they were dangerous. I told Anakin to let go, remember?" Seris looked down. "But… now I'm not sure."
Barriss watched her in silence.
"I think… I feel something," Seris whispered. "Not just friendship. For someone."
Barris didn't blink. She didn't even pretend not to understand.
"I do too," she said gently.
Seris looked up, surprised.
"I think it's normal," Barriss continued. "Not what the Code wants, but… we're not droids. We're still growing. Still feeling. Maybe the mistake isn't the feeling. Maybe it's ignoring what it teaches us."
Seris nodded, slowly.
"…I think I like Cain," the two thought,
They didn't speak again for several minutes. They didn't need to. The admission hung between them like truth drawn from the Force itself. Neither claimed him. Neither competed. They just… understood.
They were children. They weren't in love. But they were learning what it meant to see someone so clearly that you feel something more.
The Boys' Retreat
Meanwhile, Anakin and Cain sat in a dim study room deep in the Archives. A flickering projector glowed softly in front of them, replaying a battle sequence from the Great Hyperspace War.
"You think love's really that dangerous?" Anakin asked suddenly.
Cain blinked. "Where'd that come from?"
Anakin shrugged. "I was just thinking about what you said. About Nomi Sunrider. And the Qel-Droma brothers. They all loved someone."
Cain leaned back, thoughtful.
"I don't think love is the danger," he said. "I think it's fear—of losing love. That's what breaks people."
Anakin looked down. "I'm scared all the time. That I'll never see my mom again. That I'll forget what she looked like. That if I do become a Jedi… I'll be too far gone to help her."
Cain didn't interrupt. He listened.
"That's why I like being around you," Anakin continued. "You don't make me feel bad for feeling things. You help me stay here."
Cain smiled. "And you help me remember to live. Not just think."
There was a long pause.
"…You ever think about someone that way?" Anakin asked.
Cain blinked. "What way?"
"You know… more than just friendship?"
Cain paused.
"…Sometimes. I think I might. But I don't know what it means yet."
"Me neither," Anakin said, a little too quickly.
They both laughed.
The Future Between Them
Later that night, the five met in their usual moonlit courtyard.
They didn't talk about feelings. They didn't talk about the past.
They trained, slowly, together.
Barriss and Derran were sharper.
Seris was quieter—but softer.
Cain's smile reached his eyes more now.
And Anakin?
He didn't feel alone.