You know, I usually have this rule about not posting stories at a certain time. But seeing that I'll be away for a few days, I'm going to break that rule now. And re-visit my favorite fandom. (Hi! Didjya miss me?)
Enjoy!
Quiet
Dancing was not Ahsoka Tano's favorite thing in the world. It was an unnatural feeling for her to be "swept off her feet", when she should be using her feet for running – or walking – or maybe even kicking something or someone in the face. They were not for dancing or some other frivolous, girly activity.
But this was her gift for Padmé Amidala, who was having her birthday party today. The celebration wasn't supposed to be that formal, but there were going to be other senators who all wanted to take part in as many bright jollies as they could, since they were so scarce in war time. So Padmé had convinced Ahsoka into wearing one of her older dresses – a silken white evening gown that fluttered around her shins – and coming to her apartment with Master Skywalker.
"I don't like this at all," Ahsoka muttered out of the corner of her mouth as Anakin knocked on the door. Anakin cast Ahsoka a peculiar look, though he only replied, "Smile, Snips – might as well prove that you have a feminine side." Ahsoka snorted and looked back at the door. "I'm going to ignore that semi-sexist comment for tonight, because I don't think Senator Amidala would be too happy to see a friend with bruised shins."
"That's sweet that you're worrying for Padmé and yourself," Anakin replied loftily.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about my shins, Skyguy," Ahsoka shot back as the door slid open.
Padmé Amidala stood in the doorway, a bright smile on her face. She looked stunning, as always – with her chocolate colored locks piled atop her head in an elegant, flowing style and a violet colored dress slipping past her ankles. Her collarbone and arms and ears were adorned with jewelry, but Padmé didn't seem aware of her current state. She extended a hand and said cheerfully, "Come in!"
Barely suppressing an unenthusiastic smile, Ahsoka slipped in with Anakin at her side. The Togruta instantly drank in the sight of Padmé's apartment – which had always been a thing of beauty and comfort – which seemed to triple in the amount of décor and furniture.
"Big party," Ahsoka commented, already eyeing a group of senators laughing in the corner of the room.
"More people are coming," Padmé replied, a somewhat sheepish smile on her face. She sighed and turned to the guests. "But I couldn't say no to them – I don't think I can blame them for wanting a bit of fun for today." Ahsoka only nodded back, whereas Anakin replied respectfully, "This'll turn out fine, Padmé."
"Thank you, Anakin," Padmé replied with a happy smile. She turned to Ahsoka and added, "And you look wonderful, Ahsoka."
"Well, it's the least I could do, right?" Ahsoka asked, shrugging her shoulders halfheartedly. Still, she smiled back at Padmé to let her know that her comment wasn't supposed to be offensive. Padmé simply laughed and patted both Anakin and her shoulders. "Why don't you two have some fun – I'll just be seeing too some other details."
With that, the senator vanished from their side.
Ahsoka looked back at Anakin and let out a slow, long sigh. "Well." She said shortly.
"Well," Anakin nodded. He gestured at the set-out before them. "Shall we go and…mingle?"
Ahsoka wrinkled her nose. "Please don't tell me you just used that word," she muttered, shaking her head as she took a few steps forward. Anakin grinned. "What? I think that word is fairly usable," he replied, following after her. Ahsoka could only roll her eyes.
After a few hours of watching other senators and guests walk into the apartment, a decent party was stirring. It was mostly just a few people laughing and talking, with an occasional pair dancing halfheartedly to the music playing in the background. Ahsoka – not knowing too many people in the room – had to duck out of the way of other senators and watch other people.
So, perhaps it wasn't the most exciting way for Ahsoka to be spending her evening, but she supposed it felt nice to see other people enjoying themselves. She couldn't help but to notice that even her master had started to loosen up (a bit more than usual, that is). He was giving Senator Amidala a large smile, for one thing (or maybe that wasn't so unusual…) and looked completely and wholly at calm. Ahsoka couldn't help but to giggle at the sight.
She turned her attention to the lights dancing outside of the windows. Coruscant still wasn't asleep – then again, it never was. Shooting a glance around the room, Ahsoka stepped out onto the balcony, enjoying the sensation of the cool wind slapping against her face. Slowly, the din of chatter and glee faded into the background, leaving Ahsoka alone outside.
There was an odd sense of melancholy to it all, too. It wasn't that Ahsoka was sad (definitely not), but there was a quiet sense of peace that Ahsoka realized was so rare to find these days. Taking in a long, deep breath, Ahsoka leaned over the balcony and took to watching over racing speeders. The Togruta wasn't quite sure how long she had been standing outside, but she knew that her arms were growing numb with the cold of staying out.
"Needed to get away?"
Ahsoka turned around to see her master leaning against the door. She gave him a sheepish smile and gesturing out to the city, said, "Might as well. Can't beat the view."
"Which you've seen a dozen times," Anakin pointed out. Sticking out her tongue, Ahsoka looked back to the balcony railing. "Yeah, but it's different right now. It's different each time," she argued. She felt her master advancing – and sure enough, only a few moments ago, he was standing right next to her, leaning against the balcony. "I think there's some deeper level of philosophical thinking in that, Snips," he said with a small laugh.
Ahsoka poked Anakin teasingly on the arm, shooting back, "Well, I suppose a girl can have some thoughts."
"Never said you couldn't," Anakin responded with a halfhearted shoulder lift.
"Ha," Ahsoka muttered, and drumming her fingers against the balcony railing, fell into silence. She couldn't help but to notice that Anakin had done the same thing – and the two remained right there – outside, doing nothing but watching passing speeders and citizens.
Sounds stalker-like, Ahsoka thought to herself, resisting the urge to laugh.
Instead, she said aloud, "It's really quiet."
"Really? I always thought Coruscant was a loud planet," Anakin replied. The Togruta rolled her eyes and said, "That's not what I really meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
There was a pause and then, with a grudging nod of his head, Anakin replied, "I know." Ahsoka pursed her lips into a dry smile. "Not that I don't dislike quiet," she said pointedly. "But it's nice, isn't it? To get away from something once in a while?" To pretend that things are normal. To pretend that maybe, people aren't always addicted to excitement and adventure. Because excitement and adventure is exciting. But to have a home – to have a quiet place – is just as exciting.
Anakin was still nodding his head – whether to himself or to Ahsoka, the young girl couldn't tell. "Quiet is alright sometimes," he remarked. Ahsoka cast a sidelong glance to her master. "You'd hate it if it was too quiet, though," she pointed out. Anakin laughed and pushing himself away from the balcony, he said simply, "But so would you."
With that, he gestured back inside. "Come on, Snips; I think that's enough silence for tonight. Time to get back to something stirring."
Ahsoka beamed and hurried back into the room with her master.
A/N - I don't know, okay? I just miss my favorite duo. (I may or may not have been re-watching the season finale of Star Wars Rebels...)
Anakin: Can we come out now?
Me: SKYGUY!
Ahsoka: Hey.
Me: SNIPS! MY CHARACTER RANTS ARE BACK!
Ahsoka: And let's not make it too long, hm? Reviews would be great - constructive criticism is tolerable, but flames are not.
Anakin: Ahsoka. Gimme the cleaning-thing. It's dusty in Caroline's brain.
Ahsoka: Y'mean the vacuum? On it.