Ahsoka groaned and rolled over in her bed as someone pounded on her front door. She double-checked the time on the clock mounted on her wall, but it was still the middle of the night. It was too early for visitors, and Ahsoka was an early riser, so that was saying something. Besides, who would visit her?

She pushed the sheets back and walked carefully back to the main room, where the door was connected to. She reached out with the Force, trying to see who the knocker was, but when she did she did not hesitate to open the door.

When it slid back Assaj Ventress was standing behind it, her mask up and a bag in her hands. "I was wondering if you were going to answer."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "So you did know I was sleeping? Something had better be wrong."

"Let's start with the obvious." Ventress folded her arms and nodded at Ahsoka's stomach, which was doing better, but still was weak. "You're supposed to be dead."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on in, there's no point in making you stand outside." She stepped aside so Ventress could slip past her, and after checking that her visitor hadn't been followed she locked the door and led the assassin to the main room.

It wasn't advised that you should let dangerous killers into your house when they come knocking at your door, but Ventress had been the one to help set her up with a house and had stocked it up with tons of things Ahsoka would never have thought of. Food, clothes, supplies, a few appliances, furniture, and a couple of other basic needs. Despite their rocky past, Ahsoka had no reason to doubt Ventress now. Not after she had helped her this much.

"I'd offer you food," Ahsoka told her, "but I wasn't expecting visitors at 2 in the morning."

Ventress lowered herself onto the couch, and Ahsoka sat on the opposite end, making room for Ventress' bag, whatever was inside it. "Well, I'm a bounty hunter, Tano, I work in the dark. If I went running around with a mask and weapons during the day, I might get arrested. Of course," she eyed the Togruta accusingly, but playfully. "If you had cleared my name as you said, that wouldn't be an issue."

Ahsoka groaned. "First of all, the Republic wouldn't have believed a word I said, which I didn't realize. Second, you would have gone right back to bounty hunting, so it wouldn't have mattered." She sighed and leaned back. "I do still owe you, twice now. You really outdid yourself with this place."

Ventress chuckled. "Don't worry, Sister," she teased, alluding to her Dark alias. "After what you went through, you deserve it. Believe me, I know."

Ahsoka winced at the mention of her old name. "Don't remind me."

"Sorry," Ventress apologized, realizing the depth that she had been hurt. "I'm numb to it. It slides off me now."

Ahsoka nodded, understanding but still a little shaken. "How long until it slides off me?"

Ventress lowered her gaze. "For me, a while. I had to get over my anger before it stopped affecting me so much."

"I thought the reason you agreed to help me in the first place was that you wanted revenge. I'm not complaining, not anymore..."

"It was because I was there, years ago. I guess I'm warming up to you, pet, but I've been betrayed by Tyrannus too."

Ahsoka forced a smile. "I did the betraying this time around."

"For both of us," Ventress affirmed, and Ahsoka nodded before she went on. "I saw your fight with Skywalker before you went down. How's that healing?"

"Oh, that?" Ahsoka lifted up her top, a light razorback shirt, unbloodied, thankfully. She pulled it up far enough that Ventress could see the healing wound. "It's not that bad."

Ventress scooted closer so she could see it better. When she saw the scab already beginning to fall off, and the scar underneath it, her eyes widened. "How? That was three days ago, there's no..." Ventress looked up at Ahsoka in surprise. "Skywalker."

Ahsoka only nodded. Ventress lifted a careful hand to brush against the disappearing scab.

Ventress let out a soft chuckle. "You always were Skywalker's little pet." A pause, then, "You still are."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, no, no, I couldn't be. Not after, not after this."

"That was not you."

"Oh, so you weren't a Sith? All those years ago, that wasn't you?"

"You were forced, Tano! Wake up!"

"I chose it, just the same as you did." Ahsoka set her jaw, but Ventress objected.

"Skywalker doesn't think so, or he wouldn't have healed you!"

Ahsoka didn't respond. He's just kind, she thought. He pities me. I don't deserve pity.

"Don't try to tell me about it, I had to figure it out for myself. It's your turn now."

"I have figured it out. The only reason I'm not trying to leave right now is that it's easier for a monster to lay low down here, under the surface, instead of out there."

Ventress didn't say anything, but she started working what Ahsoka had said through her head. She had seen plenty in her life, and she thought she knew what this was.

"Tano, he never used the whip on me. He threatened, a few times, but..."

"Tyrannus chose you, he favored you."

Ventress nodded. "How many times?"

"I stopped keeping track."

She fell silent. No wonder she thinks she's a monster.

"You want to hide out down here, but I can't stay and keep an eye on you. You're going to have to get a job, probably soon." Ventress watched her carefully. Hopefully, I can help the monster know who she is, over time. I really have gotten soft.

Ahsoka nodded. "Any suggestions?"

"There's always room for another bounty hunter," Ventress teased. "I could show you the ropes, once you get on your feet."

Ahsoka snorted. "Don't make me laugh. If the Republic finds out, I'm dead for sure. Not to mention I have a year of my life to hide."

"I figured I would offer. What else can you do, then? You've got to have some sort of trade if you want a decent job."

Ahsoka thought through what she had been taught. "I can fly ships, or I can repair motors and equipment. Anakin taught me those during training as we went."

Ventress drummed her fingers on her knee. "Well, flying ships bring in a decent wage, but you don't have one, and you won't exactly be lying low. If you want to stay under the radar for a while, that might not be your best option."

"So a mechanic, then," Ahsoka decided. "Know any businesses that are hiring?"

"I'm assuming you want to steer clear of government and surface shops," Ventress mused, running through a list of places she knew.

"Probably. I don't want to take chances right now." Ahsoka still didn't quite know how Anakin had covered for her, but she didn't want to blow it and the government didn't like her very much.

Ventress grabbed a napkin from the kitchen and a pen with the Force, pulling it to the low table in front of the couch. She started writing down the names of businesses and their addresses. "Start with these, see if any are a good fit. Hopefully, you'll find something."

Ahsoka took the napkin and examined the suggestions. "Any one in particular that might be better?"

"The top one just lost a mechanic, so they're probably on the lookout for a good set of hands, like yours. Try that one first."

Ahsoka looked up at the bounty hunter. "Why did they leave? Did something happen?"

Ventress shrugged. "A friend of mine stopped in there recently, that's how I knew. You'd have to ask once you get in."

Ahsoka turned back to her list. Well, it's better than being an Inquisitor, at any rate.

Ventress turned to her bag. "Another thing, a helpless looking girl like you is going to get jumped sooner or later." Ahsoka glared until she emphasized the 'looking' part. "You can probably handle most of the thugs down here, but this might come in handy." Ventress untied the knot of her bag and pulled out a small, but bulky blaster. Ahsoka took it and examined it.

It was falling apart, in certain areas, but Ahsoka knew she could mend the pieces if she got her hands on the right resources. "Junk pile?"

"It was either that or the black market, and I figured you wouldn't approve of the second option," Ventress answered, and Ahsoka smirked.

"Thanks." A thought occurred to the Togruta, and she walked over to a closet in the corner of the room. Ventress had left her a pile of knick knacks to fiddle with, and some of the small pieces were what she needed to fix the blaster. She set the box next to her and started using the Force to take apart the inner workings.

The blaster wasn't pretty by any means, but it was small and about as heavy as Rex's blasters, which were the weapons he had trained her with years ago. She could also tell that it had a decent amount of power in it, judging from the inner workings.

"I made sure to pick up one with two settings, stun and kill," Ventress noted.

"I think I'll stick to stun for now," Ahsoka admitted.

"You're getting kind of predictable, Tano."

"And you're getting soft, harpy. Deal with it."

It was Ventress' turn to roll her eyes at the old nickname Ahsoka had used to insult her.

Ahsoka finished repairing the blaster quickly and put it back together. She held it in both hands, like Rex had shown her, years ago, and tried to feel the inside of it, but this wasn't a lightsaber. It had no kyber crystal in it, no life. At least it wasn't Dark, like her previous weapon had been.

"You're good," Ventress commented. "I've never seen anyone repair a blaster that fast. You'll have no problem getting hired. You might even be able to get a few private deals. I can set you up if you want."

Ahsoka glanced over at the Nightsister. "You have a couple of shady friends that need a hand?"

Ventress shrugged. "They would pay a good price for it, especially with your quality of work. You can start with this." She pulled out a small projector, able to be held in one hand. "Not many people know how to repair these down here, and I don't want to pay the ones that do."

Ahsoka took it and took off the bottom, exposing the circuit board underneath. There was a dent in one of the connections running across the middle, and it was fritzing out the whole device. She rummaged through the box again and found a liner that could make a new electric passage on the board. Using the Force to steady her hand, she applied the liner and double-checked the rest of the parts. Usually, only one thing at a time was wrong with a projector, since that was all it took to break one. She replaced the circuit board and resealed the back. When she turned it on, it activated immediately.

Ahsoka allowed herself a small smile before being interrupted by Ventress, pulling out a credit pouch. "How much do you want for your first job?"

She thought for a minute, the replied, "How about I trade in one of those favors we were talking about instead?"

Ventress looked up, smiling. "Even better." She took back the projector and replaced it back on her belt. "I had better go, I'm meeting a client in an hour. I'll stop in when I'm nearby, but I go into other sectors pretty often, so you won't see me."

Ahsoka nodded. "Thanks again, Ventress. You want me to show you out?"

Ventress shook her head. "Rest up. You have to go job hunting soon." She saluted on her way out. "Good luck. May the Force be with you."

Ahsoka chuckled. "May the Force be with you."

As Ventress left, Ahsoka took the blaster in her hands again. It was a crude weapon, and definitely not her style, but it was a weapon nonetheless. Since she didn't have any other options, she was grateful for the gift. Ventress really had gone soft in the past year.

Ahsoka hadn't. She had hardened and developed a shell around her that she had once ridiculed others for having. She hadn't understood why anyone would want to hide who they were and hide their past. Now she knew that some things were better left a secret. With a tough outer layer, she could hide the Darkness from the people she passed. It couldn't hurt them if they never knew.

She stared at the napkin again. She would have to go to at least one of those places that morning if she wanted to get a job soon. Her wound was still healing, but very quickly, thanks to Anakin. She was sure that she could last the whole day, as long as she didn't have to do any heavy lifting or running.

Later, though, she thought. It was still over three hours until she normally woke up, and she was still tired. Ahsoka brought the napkin and the blaster to her room as she returned to bed. The napkin she set on the nightstand, but she contemplated putting the blaster away too. On Dromund Kaas, she had kept her lightsaber with her while she slept, in case Sideous or Tyrannus decided to do a 'late night training session'. In the end, she tucked it under her pillow with the safety on and rested one hand on the handle. She laid on her stomach and rested the other hand next to her face. Time for another couple of hours of sleep.