Ahsoka sank down on the couch of her house when she finally got home that night. Going out to eat had been so much fun, but she was tired and was ready to go to sleep. She might have fallen unconscious right then and there if she didn't have to put away the gifts from earlier.
She set her bag down on the table and placed the rug on the floor next to it. The tools she had left at the shop since that was where she would use them most often. Opening the clasp to her bag, she started putting away the smaller items.
The projector, she set on the table and left there. Momentarily, she turned it on and stared at it smiling. Now that she had a chance to look at it, she could see that not only were the names of the planets by their images, but also their coordinates. She had already memorized some of the more popular planets and where they were, but seeing it in front of her again made her grin. This was the world she knew.
Ahsoka turned it off, not wanting to drain the battery. Next, she pulled out the set of candles, which she had unpacked and repacked into her bag so she could take them home. Opening a mostly empty cupboard in the kitchen, she stacked them as neatly as she could. She wondered if there was a lighter somewhere in the house.
Next came the comlink. She finally opened up and read the instruction manual that had come with it, and figured out how to link it with her large, cumbersome communication portal. She kept it in the closet so it wouldn't be in the way, and also since no one called her. Now, though, she could carry it with her if she needed it. She attached to her left gauntlet like she always did. No point in messing with a good system.
She decided to roll out the rug after that. Sliding it under the table, she took off her boots and let the fur tickle the bottom of her feet. Ahsoka only had carpet in her bedroom, so the rug was certainly a welcome gift.
The last thing she had to put away was the sewing kit. She decided that the best place to keep it was with the spare parts she kept on the shelf. She pulled the basket down, then brought it over to the table with her bag. She had more spare pieces to add to it.
It was getting pretty full now. A month of collecting tech was certainly taking up room. She grabbed some more out of the bottom of her bag and added it to the pile, and she was about to put it away when something caught her eye.
She looked back, but whatever she had seen had disappeared. Still, though, she had recognized something, she knew she did. Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached a hand over the pieces, and tried to use the Force to find what she had seen. It couldn't be that hard, right? It was just a piece, maybe two...
No, she told herself, and let the pieces fall. Not piece, pieces. Pieces to a lightsaber. She hadn't seen just one gear or washer but had seen a pattern that she knew by heart. I don't even have a crystal, and I'm done fighting. No more.
Ahsoka set the basket on top of the sewing kit and put them on the shelf. She refused to think about it again.
She undressed, hanging her new jacket on the hook next to the door. After a long shower, she had long since forgotten about lightsabers and crystals and the war.
She decided that she wouldn't meditate that night. Tucking the blaster under her pillow, she settled in for the night and began to mull over the day in her mind. The whole thing: the party, the cake, the gifts, the dinner, the drinks. Ahsoka was about to doze off when a knock came at the door.
Typical, she thought and rolled back off the bed again. Reaching out into the Force, she looked to see who it was. She definitely wasn't expecting anyone, but that didn't mean anything these days. She probably should have guessed who it was, though, because who else would come knocking at midnight other than Asaaj Ventress?
She left the blaster on her bed and threw on a pair of sweats on over her shorts. Sure enough, when the door slid open, the bounty hunter was waiting on the other side.
"Mind if I drop in?" Ventress asked. "Since I'm in the area."
"Not at all, come on in," Ahsoka bade her, and stepped aside so she could get in with all of her gear. "Hungry? I can heat up some steak."
Setting down a rifle and a large bag of Mortis knows what, Ventress smiled. "I won't say no to that," she answered.
Ahsoka shut and locked the door before moving to the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down, it'll take a few minutes."
While Ahsoka reheated the food, Ventress took a look around her house. With the new additions and the regular cleaning Ahsoka had taken to, the place was looking a lot better than when Ventress had seen it last. It was less of a last-resort hideout and more like an actual home.
Carrying a plate and a glass of water, Ahsoka joined her in the front room on the couch. She set the meal on the table and leaned back on the cushions while Ventress dug in.
Between bites, Ventress nodded at her. "You're looking a little more alive than the last time I saw you. The Lower Levels have been treating you well."
"Better than Dromund Kaas, if that's what you mean," Ahsoka agreed. "It's nice to eat real food, especially so often. I hope I never have to eat rations again."
Ventress agreed through a mouthful of steak. "Welcome to civilian life. I see you've also spruced up this place as well."
Ahsoka motioned to the new rug. "I just got that today, as a gift."
"You know, for only having lived here for a month, you're doing nicely."
"All thanks to you, Ventress. You got me started."
She waved it off. "A deal is a deal, and I have more ways for you to hold up your end. Hang on," She told her, and she walked over to her overstuffed bag. "I hope you're ready."
Ahsoka began wishing for her new tools but then realized that Ventress already knew she could use the Force so she wouldn't need them. "What do you have this time?"
"All of this," Ventress answered, and dumped a pile of gadgets on the couch. "Have at it," she told her, and Ahsoka laughed.
"It's not the worst I've seen these days," she observed and picked up a pistol from the top of the pile. "Any stories from the Chasm?"
The Nightsister stared at her. "When did you find out about that?"
Ahsoka smirked. "My first week, actually. I wanted a faster way to get to work. I've run across some nasty people, but it's better than taking the elevators every morning."
"I assume your wound is healing up just fine, then."
She spared a hand to show her the fading scar on her stomach. "Like a charm."
Ventress set her plate down and relaxed. "Just the usual, as far as stories go. A few captures, some kills, when necessary. You would have hated the one I shot down last week, he was wanted for child abuse. I had no problem hunting him down."
Ahsoka groaned. "After the things I've heard recently, I'm not surprised."
"What kind of things have you heard?"
"Just from my colleagues," she explained. "I didn't realize the things they lived through. I thought fighting in the Clone War was bad, until I heard what some of them deal with."
Ventress took a drink. "The more people you meet, the more horrible the world seems. If you want my advice, though, don't try to compare their story to yours. There's always something worse out there."
"Like what, starting a war just to rule the galaxy?"
The women chuckled, despite the joke being deadly serious.
"Anything big happening on the surface?" Ahsoka asked.
Ventress nodded. "I assume you heard about the new Chancellor?"
"Kayla Kanai, wasn't it? How's that going?"
"I can show you if you have a map handy."
Ahsoka pulled out Jackson's gift and activated it. Ventress enlarged it and began pointing.
"You'll never believe this, but she actually followed through on the 'rebuilding' idea she had. The war finally slowed down a bit. Even the Separatists are taking a break. A lot of systems have switched sides, and some dropped out completely, so everything is a bit confusing right now."
"It's about time," Ahsoka commented. "After Sideous, I think everyone needed a break."
Ventress sat forward. "Even the Jedi are trying to slow down a little bit. The only missions they've had that I know of are to protect the reconstruction projects and following around politicians. As far as action goes, none of them have had much to do since the riots died down."
Ahsoka faced her. "I heard a little about those, but not much. Where were they?"
"Nearly everywhere. Once people found out about Sideous, they got scared. Personally, I don't blame them."
The Togruta nodded. "It makes sense. I wouldn't have expected anything different, honestly." She leaned over and deactivated the map before going back to her tinkering.
The two of them sat in silence for a while, Ahsoka working and Ventress watching her. At first, Ahsoka wondered if her guest was bored, but if anything she seemed at peace. She might not settle down just to relax that often, Ahsoka thought. Bounty hunters probably don't get to rest like this. She thought no more of it and concentrated on her work, and made no comment when Ventress dozed off for a few minutes.
When she had worked through the pile, she quietly got up and loaded the fixed products back into her bag by the door. After a moment's thought, she stole to the kitchen and grabbed some of the sealed food and hid it in the smaller pockets. Ventress would find it later, and hopefully, it would save her some trouble. After all that she had done to look out for Ahsoka, it was the least she could do to repay her.
The couch shifted when Ahsoka sat back down, and accidentally woke Ventress back up. "You should have woken me," she reprimanded Ahsoka, but she just smiled.
"You looked like you could use it," she told her, and Ventress kicked her in the shin.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched. Ahsoka had been right, she really hadn't relaxed all that recently. After a moment, she pulled something from her belt. "You might be interested in this," she mused, and she held it out to Ahsoka. "Take a look."
Immediately when she touched it, she felt a pulse in the Force. Within seconds, Ahsoka knew what she was holding: a lightsaber, fully constructed and complete. The crystal inside was strange, unlike any other Ahsoka had felt before. It definitely suited Ventress, though, because it radiated the same lawless, chaotic, but purposeful energy she did. When Ahsoka activated it, the blade was a startling yellow.
"Impressive," Ahsoka praised her, for whatever it was worth. "How did you get the parts for the handle?"
"Oh, I picked up the pieces here and there," Ventress answered smugly. "It's not hard, you know."
She decided against telling her about her own findings earlier that evening. "It suits you. The handle looks a lot like your armor, now that I think about it."
Ventress pulled out a second, identical lightsaber from her belt. "I decided to go with a more functional design. That, and I wanted to forget about my old ones. Too many sour memories."
Ahsoka nodded in agreement. "I'm assuming not many people know about this."
"If by 'people' you mean the Jedi, then absolutely. How do you think they would react to this?"
"Not well," she replied and deactivated the saber. "Although they couldn't do anything about it. It's not illegal to own weapons, even lightsabers."
"True," Ventress yielded. She took back the first saber and attached them both back to her belt.
Ahsoka furrowed her brow. "How did you get crystals?"
She smirked, and Ahsoka knew she was in for a story. "Funny you should ask. I was tracking down a black market dealer, and I ended up taking a look inside his house. He was hoarding a few kyber crystals, actually, but two, in particular, caught my attention. After dealing with his security system, I pocketed the crystals before dragging him back to my client. Maybe I should have grabbed some for you."
Shaking her head, Ahsoka waved her offer off. "You know that wouldn't work. You and I both know that the crystal chooses the user. Unless you forgot that after all of this time."
"I didn't forget," Ventress assured her. "But you really don't want new lightsabers? You can't be that attached to your blaster."
Ahsoka glanced over at the shelf. "Not right now, if at all. I don't mind punching the occasional thief in the face, but I don't want to go back down the road I finally escaped." She looked down at her hands. "I can't risk it."
Ventress watched her and understood. She may have healed physically, but there were some wounds that never really closed. The Dark Side wasn't something a month could cure. "Then it's a good thing you're down here, not up there."