Rubbing his face after glancing at the closed door, Qui-Gon slowly turned to look at Yoda, giving his old grandmaster a long stare. “…Your sticky fingers are too long grandmaster.” He finally ventured, forgoing all formality even as the council shifted uncomfortably.

“Know not what you speak of I do.” Yoda sniffed at him, giving him a gimlet eye.

Staring back evenly, Qui-Gon shook his head slowly. “I might have put the ice around Obi-Wan’s heart, but I was not the reason it continued to grow,” He stated gravely, holding the ancient master’s eyes. “And forcing him together with me will only keep the ice there, Obi-Wan has no obligation to forgive me, regardless of what a Jedi’s philosophy is. He still walks in the light, by some miracle, considering the missions he has hinted to being given by both the council and the Chancellor himself.” He continued steadily.

There was a long, painful silence before finally Yoda was the one to look away.

Shaking his head while tucking his hands into his sleeves and grasping his own wrists, Qui-Gon let his thoughts rummage a bit before shaking his head again. “I will accept this mission with Obi-Wan, but hear me grandmaster, what you want from it won’t happen. Obi-Wan has moved far beyond me and maybe, one day, in the far future, he may forgive me, may,” He stressed when Yoda looked back at him. “But if he doesn’t or does is up to him. And even if he does forgive me… he is not required to have a relationship to me beyond the letters that state that I was registered as his master. Obi-Wan has moved far beyond me.” He continued gravely.

The silence of the council chamber had never been so uncomfortable as in that moment, at least not for Qui-Gon.

Not even when it was clear Yan had fallen had it been like this, when all the eyes of the council had been on Qui-Gon, prodding and questioning as now both a padawan and a master had fallen.

He was dismissed minutes later, nothing left for anyone to say but he didn’t take the elevator down just yet, opting to move to the large window of the entrance hall to the council chamber.

After a moment, he stepped out onto the balcony, breathing deeply as the fresh wind far above the buildings and traffic of Coruscant hit him.

This far up, the pollution became none existent, especially as public speeders, cars and ships were prohibited from entering the airspace.

Settling his arms on the balcony rail, Qui-Gon let out a deep sigh as he stared out over the city.

Sometimes, he wondered how everything could come to this.

‘Greed. Isn’t that what it all comes down to in the end?’ He mused, staring at the Rotunda.

He didn’t disagree that the Separatists didn’t have the right to leave, of course they did, considering how the outer rims and mid rims planets were often treated, but the way everything was going now…

It was a detriment and the Senate did not make it any better.

He was very aware that the Senate had made it illegal to meet with any Separatists in an attempt to broker peace as it ‘legitimized’ the CIS.

Bantha shit.

Narrowing his eyes, Qui-Gon took a deep breath through his large nose, hearing the council doors swish open as he continued staring at the Rotunda. ‘There is something rotten on Coruscant, like mold, slowly spreading through the entire planet, reaching even the Jedi temple… and it will not be the Senate and what is rotten that will pay the price of that rot.’ He ignored the quiet noise of his grandmaster coming to a standstill beside him.

“…Thinking you are?” Yoda peered up at him.

“…That price we are paying for the Senate is too high.” Qui-Gon murmured, both falling silent once more. After all, the Jedi were used to paying the price when the Senate and the Senators eyed them up.