Later that morning, at a more decent hour, Ahsoka had achieved a major accomplishment: bathing. The water had stung the whole time but she managed to fight through her pain long enough to freshen up. One of the cons of having a side wound was the inconveniences of everyday life. Walking was okay, now, but her side was still tender to the touch. She was just going to have to wait it out.

She ate a small breakfast, not trusting herself to indulge in food just yet. She needed a job before she started allowing herself to relax. Job first, then she could start figuring out things like how to kill time. As she munched on some dried fruit, she looked over the list again, although she had memorized it by now.

It was a little after 6 in the morning now, and soon, Ahsoka would set off to try out the first business on her list. It was privately owned, of course, and one level above the one she lived on. It was called Gauges and Gears, and it repaired pretty much everything from what their HoloNet ad said. Motors, electric appliances, any type of machine, it even took hyperdrives, although there was an asterisk after that last part. Ahsoka guessed that the mechanic who had walked away was the only person on hand that could fix hyperdrives. That would bode well for Ahsoka since she had plenty of experience fixing hyperdrives. Hopefully, it would make her an asset to the owner, whoever they were.

Ahsoka didn't know how long she would be out, but she knew she was going to have to walk at a regular pace and she wasn't about to run, so she packed some sealed food in her bag in case she got hungry. A few credits went in too, just in case she needed them. Her blaster she tucked into the back of the waistband of her new cream pants, another provision from Ventress. She was also sporting a light blue top, one that covered her whole back. She didn't want to scare any onlookers.

She double-checked that her door was locked before setting off down the street. Thankfully, she didn't have to pass the spot she had 'died' at but instead turned into the thick of the sector. After a few days down in the Lower Levels, she had become accustomed, somewhat, to the layout of the planet. There were tons of levels, but they were divided into sectors, kind of like on a battlefield. The sectors went all the way from the surface to the core of the levels, to which Ahsoka had never been to. Then, in the sectors, there were streets, and buildings had numbers. Her house was on 308 Brush Street in Sector 7, Level 22. She was living down in one of the lowest levels, but the property was cheaper down there.

In the most densely populated part of the sector, there were elevators going between the levels but stayed in the sectors. Ahsoka waited in line until she could get in one, then went up to Level 23. She didn't quite feel comfortable standing in a closed area with a bunch of other people, but she forced herself to ignore her instincts. This wasn't a mission, this was life. Most of these people were probably just on their way to work, they weren't going to try and kill her. Probably.

Ahsoka wondered how many of the...ten? twelve? people she was standing with had weapons on them. Did they prepare to be attacked every day, or did they hope for the best, and choose not to arm themselves? They had to know how dangerous it was, living down here. Crime thrived in the Lower Levels, even if the surface ignored it. Maybe they were good enough at hand-to-hand combat that they didn't need weapons. Ahsoka wished she was feeling up to par, so she could do the same.

She was one of the first people to get off, thankfully. Ahsoka decided that if she got free time later, she would find an alternate route between levels, one that didn't include a crowded lift. There had to be some obscure passage, probably dangerous, but with fewer people. Ahsoka could handle the risk, as soon as she could start running again. For now, she was just going to have to deal with it.

The shop was near the shaft that Ahsoka had fallen down a few days ago. It made sense, being a repair business, but Ahsoka felt like every time she came this way, something bad happened. She shook her head. Now's not the time for karma. I'm starting over, it's going to be fine.

She found the building and went to go inside, before noticing the stickers on the windows. They weren't open to customers on Saturdays or Sundays. Ahsoka wouldn't be able to talk to them for another two days.

Great. She had to improvise in Step 1.

Ahsoka leaned up against the door and tried to listen for anyone who might be working. Just because they weren't open didn't necessarily mean no one was there. She definitely heard someone or something working inside. It might be a droid, but she could still leave a message.

She turned to look on either side of the door frame. On the right, there was a panel with a speaker and a small button. Worth a shot. She pressed it.

A small microphone sprang from the panel. A male voice came through the speaker. "Hello, we apologize, but we aren't open today. If you need to drop off an item please come back on Monday. If you would like to leave a message, please press the button again and speak clearly into the microphone. Have a good day."

She pressed the button again, and the panel beeped before the voice talked again. "Please record your message now, then press the button again when you have finished recording."

Ahsoka cleared her throat before speaking. "Good morning, I heard from a friend that your business might be hiring, I was wondering if I could apply for the position. My name is...Ahsoka Tano, and I'll be back on Monday if that's all right. Sorry to bother you." She pressed the button again.

"Thank you," the panel told her. "We will listen to your message during our next business day."

Ahsoka sighed. She had been a little cautious about sharing her name, but Ahsoka Tano was not a criminal anymore and she wasn't the Inquisitor either, as far as anyone else knew. She would be fine.

She turned away from the shop. If no one was going to talk with her, she had no reason to stay any longer. Time to look for an alternative. She'd probably have to, anyways. Ahsoka didn't know much about living out here, but she definitely couldn't expect to succeed on the first try.

Adjusting the bag on her shoulders, Ahsoka started back off towards the shaft. The next shop from Ventress' list was three levels up. The less time she spent here, the sooner she could find a job.

As she walked, her foot kicked something on the ground. She stopped and looked down at it, a broken handle, probably from some old toy weapon. She could imagine a child swinging it around, playing with a sibling, or a friend. They probably imagined what it would be like to a hero.

A hero, something she thought she was, once. She picked up the handle, imagining her lightsaber instead. Not her Dark one, but the green one with the matching shoto. If she closed her eyes, it was right there. Alive, a part of her, not like the blaster in her waistband. She used to be the child, swinging her weapon at inanimate objects.

Some days, she wanted to go back. Not to the Order necessarily, but to the battlefield. She wanted to be right, she wanted to fight for the 'good guys', but she had lost her faith that 'good guys' existed. Maybe the galaxy was filled with...people, just people trying to live. She had met Separatists as the Inquisitor, talked with them, watched them. All her life, for some reason, she had imagined them as faceless masses, not people that felt emotions, but some of them, like the Bonteri family, were friendly, reasonable even. They weren't necessarily wrong, and the things they were fighting for, they were honest, worth fighting for. How could she fight in a war in which she understood both sides? Fighting battle droids was one thing, but now...now she didn't know. It was one of the reasons she had found the courage to kill Palpatine when her opportunity came.

She was still looking at the handle in her hands when she heard the door open behind her. She didn't turn around right away, since she didn't want to make any sudden moves. It was an old fighting instinct, but it had served her well so far. Sometimes she wondered if she ever left the Clone War, or rather if the war had ever left her.

"Miss!" A man called behind her, and it sounded like the same one from the panel by the door. "Are you Ahsoka Tano?"

Now she turned, looking at the man who had spoken. He was a little intimidating, but only by civilian standards. His small eyes tried to pierce into Ahsoka, peering out from under his bushy eyebrows. He was leaning out from the door that she had just walked away from. She had been right, there were people inside.

Ahsoka breathes deep and answered the inquiry. "I am, sir." Sir? This isn't the military. "I'm sorry if I bothered you."

"You looking for a job? You've come to apply?"

Ahsoka nodded, unsure of why her stomach was twisting inside of her. Why was she nervous.

"Come on in," He said, waving her inside. "Let's see what you can do, then."

She dropped the handle and scurried inside, hoping that she wouldn't seem too excited. The man shut the door behind her. "Back here, miss." They went behind the counter and into the back, where the noise she had heard earlier was much louder. The shop might not be open to customers, but it seemed that Saturday was a business day.

He led her down the hall and to a room at the end. Once the door had sealed, he turned to face Ahsoka, leaning against a table on the side of the room. "So you're the Tano from the news? The Jedi Gone Rogue?"

Ahsoka nodded, unsure of where this conversation was going. It didn't seem like she would be shaking off her past anytime soon.

The man nodded, then held out a thick hand for her to shake. "Hank Fuller, it's a pleasure."

Ahsoka shook it, noting that his hand completely enveloped hers. She guessed that most mechanics probably had rough, large hands like his. "Likewise, Mr. Fuller."

They released and he leaned back on his hands. "So. You're getting away from the war? Settling down, deep in the Levels?"

Ahsoka nodded. "I heard from someone that you had a position open."

"I do." He chuckled. "Yeah, Frand found a job on the surface. Hurt us, though. He was the only one I had that knew what to do with hyperdrives. I should have had him teach the others a thing or two."

"How many other people have you hired?"

"Seven other mechanics, and four desk hands," Fuller answered. "I've got one bench left. Here, come on," He said in a gruff voice. He motioned to a large machine on the wall. "I've built this to test hands. It will give you some of the things I've had brought here over the years."

"Like a simulation?" Ahsoka asked, fingering the system.

"Maybe. I don't know, but it will run tests on what you do, see how well it works after you're through it. It records time, rotations, output, the works. You have until eight tonight, that's when I'll kick everyone out, the workers too. That enough time for you?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, sir."

He laughed. "No need for 'sir', just call me Fuller, for now. Have at it." He asked out the door, and Ahsoka was left with the machine.