"I've never seen a planet so lush before!" Bant said, her eyes growing wider and wider as they approached the planet. "Man, I wish I were the one exploring it."
"Stay with the ship, you and I will, youngling," Yoda said. "Go, you and Obi-Wan must. Find your path, you will."
"Whoa, whoa, what?" Rose spat out. "You're going to send two children into this wilderness planet alone?"
"Find your own way, you must," Yoda said, slinking back into his chair. "With you, the Force is." Rose opened her mouth to protest, but Obi-Wan put a hand over her mouth and began pulling her down the landing ramp.
"See you later, Master!" He called out as they dropped out of sight. Rose squirmed out from his grip.
"He's absolutely crazy!" she cried out, flailing her arms in the air. "All of you Jedi are absolutely crazy!"
"And you're joining us," Obi-Wan laughed. "Come on, Rose. Think of it like an adventure! We can do anything we want to without being nagged about it." He gave Rose a big grin, which she returned. "So, which way do we go?"
Rose focused on the area around them. They had landed on the outskirts of a village, the trees above them blocking the sun. She felt the strength of the Force pulling her towards the village.
"Maybe that way?" Rose said. She pulled the hood of her brown cloak over her face, concealing her identity. Obi-Wan followed her lead and the two set out for the village. The dirt of the road kicked up behind them in small clouds as they made their way across the path. Rose heard the engines of the aircraft rev up behind her, causing the pair to halt in her tracks.
"Is that…?" she began.
"Yup."
"They wouldn't, would they?"
"They are," the two younglings turned on their heels, their mouths gaping as they saw their one ride leaving. Rose began to chase after it, but Obi-Wan caught her arm.
"Master Yoda is taking this lesson a little too far," he said. "This is not how I pictured this day going."
"Think of it like an adventure," Rose scoffed, pulling her cloak around her even tighter. "I have a bad feeling about this." The sun was setting over the town, and the light hues of twilight were beginning to form
"Coming, night is, hrrmm?" she said, mimicking Master Yoda's harsh, crunchy voice.
"I noticed. Got any credits on you?"
"Enough for a room for a few days," Rose said, pulling out the credits in her pocket. She tossed them lightly before pocketing them once again. "A cheap room, I should add."
"We won't be able to look for your mystery caller until morning. I heard nights are dangerous on Dantooine. I say we use this time to find shelter and then search for it in the morning," Obi-Wan walked towards the village. Rose stuck close to his side and found a feeling of security there. She saw the locals give them dirty looks as they packed up their kiosks, most likely setting home for the day. There were cottage-like huts on either side of them that were constructed of a nice, smooth stone. Obi-Wan led them to one with a sign out the front of it.
"I think it's an inn. My Huttese is a little rusty," he said as they pushed the wooden door away. The inside was nearly void of all light, save for a small skylight in the middle of the pointed roof. It seemed deserted other than a protocol droid who was approaching them.
"Hello. My master is out. How may I be of service?" it asked. It moved with rigid motions as it spoke, trying to mimic those of a human.
"We need a room for the night," Obi-Wan responded. Rose pulled out the credits from her pocket and offered them to the droid. It looked at them for a moment before taking them in its hand and ushering the two younglings to a room.
"Oi, dork," Rose whispered. "You see that flower thing over the doorway?" Obi-Wan turned his head slightly as they were led by the droid, observing the flower-like insignia that was over the main entrance, carved into a piece of wood.
"Yeah, I see it. What of it? And stop calling me dork."
"On Varia, the Royal Guard would put those over the doorways of their homes as a way to symbolize their power. By the Force, I think we're already where we need to be."
"Damn, I'm just that good. I think would very much like to meet the owner of this place," said Obi-Wan, stroking his chin. They arrived at their room which was situated deep under the main floor. The droid shut the door behind them, scuttling back down the hall. The room itself was nicer than what Rose was expecting, but not by much. A single bed with red covers took up the majority of the square room and a makeshift, wooden excuse for a drawer sat next to it.
"No place like home," Rose mumbled sarcastically as she collapsed back onto the bed. Obi-Wan fell next to her, closing his eyes.
"Bunch of kids buying a hotel room," he said. "Not shifty at all."Rose laughed quietly to herself. She heard a storm overhead, the thunder thrashing the world around them.
"So you think he was from Varia?" Obi-Wan yawned, rolling over so he was facing Rose. She turned to face him as well, propping herself up on her arm.
"Maybe. I think we are in the right place. I feel that all-powerful mojo everyone keeps talking about pulling me here. Good choice, Obi-Wan," she said, rolling onto her back. Obi-Wan yawned again and pushed himself farther up onto the bed, pulling the covers along with him.
"Sweet dreams," Rose joked. A low groan came from Obi-Wan as he pulled the covers over his face, using the Force to dim down the lights. Rose only chuckled to herself and moved off the bed. "I'm going to have a look around and see if I can't find anything." This warranted another groan from Obi-Wan. Rose left their room, careful to close the door quietly behind her. She set out down the hallway, observing the many markings that covered the wall of the modest inn. Tapestries hung on either side of her that depicted epic battles between good and evil.
One photo in particular captured her interest. In it, Rose saw a single man standing on a ledge, a lightsaber in hand. He was facing off against a dragon-like creature, its long horns alone enough to send shivers down Rose's spine. She squinted as her eye caught something in the corner of the picture. It was a little, round blue ball that almost appeared as if it were glowing.
"Interested in the kryat dragons, are you?" Rose turned and saw a man coming down the stairs. His rugged bronze hair fell to his shoulder, numerous beads and ropes braided into it. He was wiping a black substance off of his hands as he approached Rose, his silver eyes gleaming. A crest on his arm was visible underneath his rolled-up sleeves.
"Never heard of 'em," Rose said, turning back to the tapestry. "Pretty large and scary."
"Trust me, kid. They're even bigger in person," the man said, coming up behind her. "So, tell me, what brings a bunch of kids to my inn?"
"I could ask you the same question," Rose shot back, pointing to his arm. The mystery man gave an embarrassed laugh before pulling his sleeve all the way up, revealing the large crest embedded on it. The centerpiece of his crest was the flower Rose had seen above the door, but around it swirled designs she thought she recognized from somewhere else.
"I see you have one also. We're a rare species to find off-planet for personal reasons," he said with a smile. Rose felt uneasy, but slid the tunic up her arm. She saw the man's eyes grow large briefly before they returned to their normal size.
"Name's Ty. What did you say yours was?" Ty asked with a gulp, still eyeballing Rose's arm. Rose took a step back, running into the wall, and pulled her tunic back over her arm.
"I didn't. It's, uh, Anya. Yeah, Anya," Rose lied. Ty seemed trustworthy enough to her, but trust had never come easy to her.
"Anya, eh?" he said, scratching his neck. "Maybe you aren't who I think you are, then. If you and your friend are hungry, I'm about to start dinner. Please, make yourselves at home. The money you gave my droid is enough for about three days' worth of staying here. I don't run high prices."
"So you're the old man that runs the joint?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, me and the droid – I call her Dot – live and work here. She holds down the fort while I go work a stall in the market," Ty explained. "Care to join me for dinner?" Rose nodded hesitantly before turning to go back to her room, but she stopped halfway down the hall.
"Who'd you think I was?" she called out to him. Ty turned and looked at her, his eyes holding some kind of weight behind them. Rose felt an overwhelming amount of sadness coming from him, a feeling of guilt washing over her for asking him.
"No one, kid. Go get your friend. I'll get the food ready," he said abruptly, walking away.
"Crazy people," Rose shook her head and moved the door to reveal a sleeping Obi-Wan. He was face down on the bed, his mouth slightly agape with some drool coming out. His auburn hair was disheveled and fell lightly over his face. Rose scooted her way around the edge of the room to the side of the bed he was sleeping on.
"Obi-Wan," she whispered, leaning over him. He only slightly stirred in his sleep. "Oi, dork. Wake up," Rose poked his shoulder hard. Obi-Wan's sleepy eyes fluttered open to see Rose's anxious ones.
"That wasn't even twenty minutes, Rose," he said grumpily, hiding back under the covers. Rose caught him and pulled the covers off the bed, causing Obi-Wan to shoot her a dirty look.
"Okay, long story short, my name is Anya now," Rose said hurriedly, glancing over her shoulder to ensure Ty wasn't around. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I lied to the innkeeper, told him a fake name. He's invited both of us to dinner. Come on, you dork. Get up already."
"If we're using fake names, I want one, too," Obi-Wan whined, slowly getting up from the bed.
"What about King Dork?"
"Rose."
"Fine. How about Ben?" she suggested, a hint of disappointment on her face.
"Ben it is."
Rose led him out of the room and back down the hallway she saw Ty disappear into. It wasn't hard to find him and Dot, as the smell from the kitchen was enough to draw the hungry younglings there. Ty was standing at a makeshift stone oven, pulling out what appeared to Rose to be bread. He smiled as they entered, gesturing to the stone table on the other side of the room. Obi-Wan and Rose took their seats, hungrily eyeing the fresh food.
"Just in time. I just pulled the bread out of the oven. Anya would you and, er –"
"Ben," Obi-Wan said quickly. Rose kicked him under the table, causing him to yelp a little. He mouthed "what?" to her, and she only widened her eyes at him, tilting her head slightly.
"Right. Would you and Ben like anything to drink?" Ty offered as he set the bread on the table. "Water, perhaps?"
"I would do for some water," Obi-Wan said. "And she would, too." Ty brought them both a cup of water and sat down across from the two, eyeing them both.
"A bunch of kids running around Dantooine is a dangerous thing," Ty observed, chewing his bread. "So, tell me. What would bring the two of you to the outer rim?" Obi-Wan and Rose looked at each other, daring the other to come up with a decent lie. However dangerous it was to be children running around, it was even more dangerous to admit you were Jedi without any kind of weapon to defend you.
"Personal business," Obi-Wan said, eyeing Ty suspiciously. He held up his hands in defense.
"A man's business is a man's business. I can respect that," Ty smirked and took another bite of his bread, the crumbs falling into his lap. "Feel free to use whatever facilities you find in the house. And if you try to steal anything, remember it won't be worth much on this rock." Ty went away, taking his plate with him, his bread still hanging out of his mouth.
"The mojo is strong with this place," Rose whispered to Obi-Wan.
"Up for some snooping tonight?" he asked. Rose felt a smile creep up on her face.
"Hell yeah."
"As soon as he's asleep, let's find what's pulling you here and then get out," Obi-Wan moved from his spot and placed his dishes on the stone countertops. She followed his lead and the two headed back to their room, waiting for nightfall.
Rose heard the storm outside raging on, the rain battering against the house. Using the darkness as their cover, Rose and Obi-Wan snuck their way back into the main living area of the inn. There were dim lights all around the room, betraying the younglings' cover of darkness. Rose allowed the Force to be her guide, leading her to a locked door. She rummaged around one of the pockets on her belt before producing a slim device. Sliding it into the door's key port, she heard a sharp click before the door slid open, revealing a dark passageway. They both gave each other a look before descending down the stairs.
"How the heck did you do that?"
"Everyone gets one in the Shadow Dwellers. It's like a super master card that can get you in a hell of alot o' places," Rose explained, sliding the keycard back into one of her belt pockets
The temperature began rapidly dropping as they crept along the walls, the air growing stingier the farther they went. The stairway wound endlessly on, their only light source – the lights from the living area – now gone as they swirled their way down the steps, careful to not misplace a foot.
"Whatever – whoever – it is better be down here," Obi-Wan whispered into Rose's ear. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body, happy she brought it with her. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, had insisted he wouldn't need his, and was shivering violently with each step they took. Taking pity on her friend, Rose moved one of her shoulders out from her cloak. The Temple had given her one that was a little too big (despite it being the smallest size), which now worked to her advantage. Stopping, Rose wrapped the other half around Obi-Wan's shoulders, the warmth allowing him to cease his shivering. He mumbled a quiet "thank you" before the two continued on, supporting each other with each step. When the staircase finally ended, they were met with an illuminated pathway that seemed to go on endlessly.
"What kind of weird stuff is this guy into?" Rose asked as they walked past numerous displays. They were filled with everything between weapons, maps, and even animal bones. A slight twinkle on the other end of the hall caught her eye, and Rose moved towards it, dragging Obi-Wan along with her. There was a brown casket with a golden lock on the front, sealing away potential thieves. Rose picked the lock on the casket. With a little help from Obi-Wan, they managed to lift the heavy lid, revealing two small orbs in the bottom. They glowed a deep blue, their cores black as the night. Rose reached in and picked them up, nearly dropping them at the sound of a voice behind them.
"Looking for something?"