Ahsoka turned to the civilians on the wall. "Is anyone hurt?" she asked, but no one seemed to hear her. They all began cheering and murmuring, pointing at her and coming up to thank her. Flustered, she accepted the thanks quickly and tried to move through the crowd, looking for people who had been wounded and were still on the ground. Everyone seemed to be all right, though.
The only real scarring had happened on a few children, less than ten years old. They were clinging to their adults and still crying, most of them. She knelt down as close as she could get to them and tried to make eye contact with them. "Don't worry," she soothed them. "They can't hurt you right now."
One of them, a little human boy, looked over his father's shoulder at her. "Are you a superhero?" He asked her, and she giggled just a little bit.
"No, but I know how to fight when I have to," she told him.
"She's a war veteran!" Someone behind her shouted. She turned and saw a woman pointing down at her arm. It was then that she remembered she was wearing her jacket, the one with the emblem on the shoulder.
"You've fought in the Clone War?" a male asked, and the crowd quieted to hear her response.
Well, it wasn't like she could deny it. "For a few years, yes. I haven't recently, though. Come on," she beckoned the children before anyone could react to her answer. "Let's get everyone outside. Clone troopers will be here any minute to clean up the mess."
At the mention of clones, all questions were forgotten. Customers picked up their personal belongings and employees put a few things away before scurrying out of the door. Sure enough, a squad of clones was already booking it down the street.
Ahsoka was escorting an elderly woman out when she saw them. She guided the lady to the side so she wouldn't accidentally get trampled, and turned to face the clones. They didn't see her, though, and went right into the restaurant. Just as well, really. She needed to find Granger.
She scanned the crowd and found him easily. She forgot how convenient the Force was at times. Walking over, she was relieved that he hadn't gotten hurt either. He ran up to her and stopped with his hands on his knees, out of breath.
"Took you long enough," he complained, taking a second to breathe.
Ahsoka looked around at the people fleeing the building. "Sorry, but I had to make sure everyone was okay."
He waved his hand. "No, not that, I meant the thugs. For a second I thought we might actually die."
"You weren't the only one," she commented, staring down at her own hands. She could still feel the Force flowing through her, but it had calmed down and it felt stable. Like a balance with equal weight on each side, and was resting in equilibrium.
Granger noticed. "Is something going on with your...Force..thing? I could have sworn that it...I don't know, turned on...back there, but I couldn't even tell that is was off."
"It's complicated. After I lost control in the shop, I stopped using-" she froze, then looked down at him. "You felt it? You felt me reconnect with the Force?"
"Is that how you're supposed to say it?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "I mean, right before the guns exploded, I just...had this feeling, like...almost like a generator turning on inside of you, and the only thing I knew was that I needed to back up, stay out of the way, you know?"
Ahsoka knew exactly what he was saying but did not speak. Her face must have given something away, because he asked her, "What?"
His voice startled her out of her trance. "Sorry, it's just...most people can't feel the Force at all. Maybe..." she sat down to explain. "I'm a Force user because I can manipulate and control the Force, to some extent. You can't control the Force, but you might be Force-sensitive. It seems like you can feel the Force, even if you can't control it."
"Is that a thing?" he questioned, sitting next to her. "Are there other people that can do that?"
"I think so. There is no way to know for sure, but I have a feeling that I might know a few people who would fall into the same category," she answered. "The Force flows through all living creatures whether they are sensitive or not. Perhaps you aren't as in tune with the Force as I am, but you are still a part of it."
He stared at her for a moment, then leaned against the wall. "I can't process that right now. That is too much information at once."
Ahsoka laughed softly. "Sorry. This isn't as natural for you as it is for me. I should remember that."
"Eh, it's not your fault," he assured her, resting for a moment before standing up. "I should go home. Are you going to stick around to deal with the feds?"
She glanced over at the clone troopers before responding to Granger. "I think so. Just in case."
Granger nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow," she affirmed, and she watched him walk away before standing up to address the clones.
They had already moved the pile of unconscious bodies into a ship to take to the Detention Center. One trooper, a shiny, she noticed, saw her standing around and called out to her. "Miss, this is a dangerous area. Please clear the site until further notice."
Well, all right then, she thought. I guess I'm not staying here after all. Might as well go back home.
As soon as she walked in through the door, she could hear the crystals hiding in her vents again. Instead of trying to block it out, though, she listened to them. The song had not changed in two weeks, but she had. It was enough to make a difference.
Ahsoka dropped her bag off in her room and pulled the crystals from their hiding spot. Walking into the front room, she set them on the ground, pulled a pillow to her, and knelt on it. Some in-depth meditation was in desperate order. It was about time she truly reconnected with the Force.
First things first, she simply let herself sink into the layers of the Force, submerging herself at a comfortable level to start. Two weeks was not very long chronologically, but her system needed a serious reboot. She had never gone so long without the Force and needed to recenter herself. For several minutes, she let her mind float in the thinnest layers, getting a sense of the area she was in. Again, she felt the people, the hundreds of people surround her, but not much else. It was enough, though.
Then she turned inwards to herself. Similar to the restaurant, she allowed the Forces to awaken inside of her, and instead of channeling them into energy cores, she allowed it to spill out and engulf her body, her mind, her spirit.
In her mind's eye, the Dark Side of the Force had always been red, but for some reason, the Light was a bright blue. For a long time, she had envisioned it as green, as her lightsaber had been, but perhaps it was a sign of change. That lightsaber was a lifetime away now, and the Jedi she was closest to had a blue lightsaber, after all.
Ahsoka let the Light and the Dark swirl around her, and she did nothing but watch them for a moment. Where their spaces overlapped, it shone white, but it did not overlap often. Only in flashes, momentary flashes, did she witness this phenomenon.
She began to guide the Forces so that, to her, they appeared as pillars, Dark on the right and Light on the left. The Force had a way of depicting itself in visual metaphors, at least in Ahsoka's limited experience. If she could observe the Forces inside of her here, then maybe she could make sense of them and of herself.
On the left, the Light was a strong, wide, steady beam that shone calmly and soothingly. It was familiar to her, as it always had been. It made sense because she had studied the Light for thirteen years. Her understanding of the ways of the Jedi was solid and grounded in her past.
It seemed somewhat dim, though. Much like her current outlook and trust in the Jedi Order, it wasn't as strong as she had remembered it once being. She no longer thought of herself as a Jedi or a Light-specific user, but she connected those titles to other people. It was a part of her, but she was not necessarily a part of it.
The Dark Side of the Force, on her right, was much more inexperienced and appeared as a much thinner, much less stable pillar. It was more like a pole, really, but it shone much brighter than the Light did. Likewise, she had only been a student of the Sith for a year, but she knew that the Darkness was much more powerful, more overpowering. The Light took dedication and devotion, but the Dark Side was self-serving. All you needed were your emotions and passion and you could tap into the Darkness. Sure, the skill would take time, but the power did not. It was how it ensnared greedy and power-hungry Force users, like Tyrannus.
Her experience in the Light counter-balanced her strength in the Darkness. It was not a perfect combination, but it was functional. Today had proven that.
It will take time to perfect the balance, she reminded herself. I'm still young, and I have a long way to go, hopefully. Wherever this path is leading me, I won't get there quickly.
I did not promise myself to be quick, only to learn. I knew that this journey would include mistakes, and even setbacks at times.
Not to mention that the Forces are changing. The strength of the Light and of the Dark fluctuates, and the middle road between the two will follow suit.
You will be alone on this journey, you know. No one else is taking this path, not like this. There is no teacher this time.
But I can learn. I already know that neither the Jedi nor the Sith is perfect, but I neither have to adopt their ideologies nor ignore them. I can take what I believe in from both, and decide for myself what is right.
Ahsoka focused on the pillars again and saw that they had moved closer together. The space between them began to glow white. Balance, she thought. Power from Light, and power from Darkness.
Satisfied for the night, she retreated out of her meditation and opened her eyes. She felt calmer than she had in weeks, maybe even months. For once, her mind was completely clear. The Forces inside her laid to rest, and her heartbeat was as steady as it had ever been. She was so calm that she almost forgot about the crystals lying in front of her.