The chancellor was dead, Mace Windu was in critical condition, and Obi-Wan was returning, victorious, from Utapau.
"Master!" Anakin ran up the hall and clapped his old friend on the back, "It's good to see you Obi-Wan."
"And you as well Anakin," Obi-Wan smiled, resting his hand on his old padawan's shoulder, "I hear congratulations are in order."
"Why would you say that?" Anakin stepped back, his hands trembled, and he had to fold his arms in the long brown sleeves of his robe to conceal them.
Obi-Wan frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in that expression of concern only he could convey, "Don't be so modest, Anakin. After all, you are responsible for the discovery of the last Sith in the galaxy."
"Oh," Anakin laughed, recovering himself hastily, "Well, that was nothing," he felt a pang of guilt. In the rush of things, he'd almost forgotten his own role in the Chancellor's death.
"Well- um," he coughed, "I should be the one congratulating you. Without you I never would have accepted the mission," he smiled mischievously and elbowed his old mentor unceremoniously in the gut, "Not to mention singlehandedly ending the war."
Obi-Wan laughed, "Well," he began, quickly diverting attention away from himself, "There's going to be a lot of cleanup around here, I wouldn't consider it over yet."
"And little rest for the Jedi, I imagine," Anakin sighed. Little rest for the Jedi meant little rest for himself, and Padme, and the twins. He couldn't be overwhelmed, not now. He had to be there for them.
Obi-wan nodded, "I would imagine," he agreed with a sigh, "We'll most likely be sent to the outer rim to deal with lingering separatist troops," he shook his head, "And I've only just gotten back."
"Don't be so gloomy master," Anakin laughed, mainly to calm his own nerves, "I'm sure they'll cut us some slack."
"I'm absolutely certain there's no reason to be optimistic," Obi-wan argued as they arrived outside the Council room
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes," Anakin laughed, a real smile spreading across his face as he joked with his master for the first time in a long time. He held the door open and Obi-wan shook his head.
"You have me there, young Padawan," he laughed, "you have me there."