And Tahiri was definitely aware of who she'd woken up next to, yes; her Force senses were just as honed as ever, even if the Jedi Order liked to operate on the premise that the Imperial Knights weren't their peers.

Waking up with someone wasn't unusual, exactly, even if it wasn't something she made a habit of these days.

Under the current political climate, though, waking up in this situation?

"Well," she said, sitting up (and not particularly bothering to keep the sheet wrapped around her). "I expected to be here for a reunion; I didn't expect to be . . . furthering relations between the Empire and the Alliance, too."

"She'd be thrilled by the details, I'm sure." Tahiri yawned and rubbed a hand over her face. "Though Force knows the gossip mill doesn't need any more kriffing fodder."

"The squirrels are the least of my worries," Tahiri told him, and saying that made her realize how long it had been. She sighed and fumbled over the edge of the bed for a shirt. "As bad as we thought the radio was, it's got nothing on the HoloNet."

Tahiri snorted a laugh. "Believe it or not, we do hear things about that from time to time. The Empire is hardly cut off from the entire galaxy, you know."

"Busy," Tahiri answered. "As you'd know -- I imagine you know a little more about how this all works out eventually than I do, still."

She was a little bitter about the time difference by now.

Pulling her hair back, she stood and dressed hurriedly; she knew better than to ask why her things were all here in the old dorms, and she wasn't arguing.

Pointedly, she added, "Sometimes I'm amazed you pay enough attention to what we do to know."

"The Jedi Order needed to maintain solidarity, and I was hardly the Knight to do that with all the objections I was voicing, and you know that. Besides, Jaina needed someone on her side." It was an argument that sounded like one they'd had before; Tahiri pulled on her bracers and looked at him. "It was the only choice I could have really made."

"You and I are never going to see eye to eye on this, are we?" Tahiri asked; if the sight of her in uniform didn't sit well with him there was hardly anything they could do about it now. "I'm used to that by now; I just wish it wasn't the case."

"No," Tahiri said ruefully. "I'm half sorry I don't remember that, but . . ."

But their history was already far too complicated without any more help.

"Friendship, at least -- I'd like to hang on to that, yes."

She'd been worried that he'd forget how to smile -- like he'd worried about her all those years ago -- so seeing that was a relief.

"Likewise," she answered, then quirked a grin. "Even if we saw more than we were bargaining for."

"No," she answered, "I really don't."

Which had been a bit of a loaded statement, so she followed up with:

"Neither do you, for that matter, Skywalker. It's been a while, but I remember."

"Ben, Ben, Ben." Tahiri sighed and shook her head, a tiny bit exasperated but mostly affectionate. "Always the overachiever, I see."

Tahiri laughed and gestured at the mess of the bed. "I'd say you're off to a good start for today, aren't you?"

"You're getting less ambitious in your old age, Ben," Tahiri chided teasingly. "That's a little disappointing."