"In Need of Wings"

Chapter the Fifth

~ One month later ~

.

Ahsoka stared at the bank teller in disbelief.

"There has got to be a mistake. I had two-hundreds credits in my account just last week."

The bank teller sighed, almost sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, but your account went over. Two-hundred is how much you owe on your credit, not how much is in your account."

"But that can't be right!" She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. Calm down. Focus. Not going to get anywhere by freaking out. Plus she hated the idea of making a scene at the bank knowing that Bane was outside, waiting to give her another lesson in self-defense or bartering or some other crap.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tano."

"So I can't close my account until I get another two-hundred credits that I thought was already here."

"That's correct," the bank teller said sadly.

Hey, at least I got a new speeder, right? Forget that Bane deliberately broke the engine, just so I could figure out how to repair it on my own. And then I had to go to the trouble of finding the part I needed all on my own. Asshole. He could certainly use a little fixing in his head.

"All right, so how am I going to do that if I'm out of work?"

"I'm really sorry, Miss Tano."

Fuck this. Ahsoka stormed outside. She had known this day was coming ever since she was fired from her job. A shitty job, really…she would never take a waitress for granted again now that she knew what it was like. But now her money wasn't just running out; it was in the red. She needed a job soon or she would lose the apartment…the one thing she had left.

Bane threw a jab at her shoulder, like he always did, just to make sure she was paying attention to her surroundings. Ahsoka knew it was coming and slipped out of it, not in the mood to hit back.

"The look on your face suggests you didn't receive good news."

"Brilliant deduction skills, Bane," Ahsoka snapped. She shoved her hands into her pants pockets. They made their way to the train station and got on the first train leaving for the neighborhood where Ahsoka's apartment was. Ahsoka didn't say anything until she had found a seat, while Bane stayed standing in the aisle across from her. "But yeah. I need two-hundred credits to get my card activated again, plus money for rent and food and the new paint job for my speeder. Well, forget that last part, it's not getting a paint job anytime soon." She was scowling.

"How soon is rent due?"

"Two weeks." When she said it aloud it hit her hard. Ahsoka pressed her palm to her forehead. She felt like her world was spinning too fast, and she wanted everything to just stop and be over with already. It all felt like too much.

Bane stopped as well and took out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He was watching Ahsoka but not saying a word.

"Two weeks and then I'm going to lose everything. I could try to sell some stuff, but it would hardly get me anywhere. I need the speeder so I can get around." She slapped her forehead. "Fuck. This is stupid. Who fires a waitress just because she's Force-sensitive?! Not like I never wanted that stupid job anyway."

"No kidding."

Ahsoka spotted the cigarettes and, against her better judgement, blurted out,
"Gimme one of those."

Without saying anything, he handed her a cigarette and lit it for her. She gagged a bit at first, but this wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. It had become a bad habit of hers to ask for one whenever Bane was smoking, and he had yet to turn her down. Ahsoka was beginning to like the feeling it gave her while she was smoking. Her thoughts collected themselves, and she felt calmer. It was nice.

"Long story short, you need to find a way to get a lot of money in a short time span."

"That pretty much sums it…" She glared at him. "I know what you're thinking, and I won't do it."

"Huh?" He shrugged and gave her his innocent puppy dog eyes look. It was the look that made Ahsoka wonder if she had the strength to cave his head in with one Force-induced blow.

"I'm not going to let you teach me how to steal, or cheat, or anything illegal. General Skywalker would be very disappointed if you started teaching me stuff that would get me arrested."

"You wouldn't get arrested if I was teaching you."

"Ironic that you would say that, considering that I helped in your arrest not even two years ago."

He frowned, clearly taking offense at the comment. "Well, I'm not the one who's in need of a job right now."

Ahsoka pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I keep trying to forget that Anakin is actually paying you to do this. Someone should pay me to be a pain in your ass."

"It's nice to make money doing something you're good at," he said dryly.

"Oh, so you admit that I do get on your nerves?"

"You get on everybody's nerves, just by breathing."

"Ooh, ouch. That really hurt." She hugged her hoodie tighter around her and glanced out the window to the city lights whizzing by. The cigarette was helping, but Ahsoka wanted to get away from all the people and the crowds. She wanted to shut herself away in her apartment and forget how much her life was spinning out of control. "You know what, Bane? I just can't do this. I know this is your job from Anakin, but I don't want to do deal with this right now."

"Deal with what? Me? It's not like I asked to be here, you know."

"Why can't you just walk away? I don't want you here," she snapped. "I'm serious. Just go. Get off at the next stop."

"I would, but I need to finish my—"

"No, you are finished with your job. I should have a say in this too, you know. It's my personal space we're talking about here," she said coldly. "I never want to see you again."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

She glared daggers at him. "Go away."

"I understand." He glanced down at her, not appearing happy. "If I were you, I would never want to see me again either."

Ahsoka was about to ask what he meant by that but the train had already stopped. Bane tipped his hat and her, and just like that he had left.

She felt relief that he was gone, especially once the train started moving again and she saw no sign that he had gotten back on the train. Although, knowing both Anakin and Bane, either or both would be back. Anakin would take some drastic measure to make sure Ahsoka was all right, and Bane would come back if leaving prematurely meant he did not receive his full payment. The ordeal was far from over. But at least, for the first time in a month, Ahsoka was alone again.

She got off the train and went back to her apartment. By habit that she had picked up over the weeks, she almost hollered at Bane to get some takeout food for dinner…then she bit her tongue, remembering that he had left. Good riddance, anyway—last time he ordered takeout for them, he added extra spices to the food without telling her beforehand. Her tongue still throbbed even after she had eaten a lot of ice cream.

Ahsoka began playing some music from her pod and she fell down on the bed. After she had kicked off her boots, she listened to her music while staring up at the ceiling for a while. A lot was on her mind. She needed a job or she would be evicted in two weeks. Maybe even less than that if the landlord was tough on her, and that wouldn't be a surprise.

A dark thought crossed Ahsoka's mind. Not because of its legality, but the morality tied to it, and her own sentiment. But it just might hold her out financially for a little while…

Even though she grew sicker the more she dared think about it.

By morning, Ahsoka had made her decision on the matter. She did not sleep a wink that night. When it was daylight she went to the fresher to wash her face and put on some makeup. Hanging from the top of the mirror was the Padawan braid Bane had given her as proof of the job he had been hired to do. Ahsoka looked at it for a while, remembering how it had once laid so delicately in Anakin's hand as he offered her the chance to join the Jedi Order again. How all the hope faded from his eyes when she closed his hand, convinced she would never see or touch her Padawan braid again.

She hastily blinked the memory away and put the braid in her pocket. After a breakfast that consisted of half a stale doughnut and some diner coffee, Ahsoka took the train to a district of the city known for its popular street markets.

As she thought about what she was going to do—what she was about to throw away, just so she could survive a little longer—Ahsoka's throat began to choke. She had to force herself not to cry. No turning back now. She had made her decision.

She walked down the street, taking note of the signs around her. When she saw what she was looking for, she slowly approached them. There would be no taking it back as soon as she said the words she had rehearsed all night:

"How much will you take for a Jedi Padawan braid?"

A very rare item on the market, she knew. Someone had once tried to steal her lightsaber and sell it as well…and even though a braid was far less practical than a weapon, Ahsoka imagined a lot of people would like to use it as decoration, or a personal trinket. Someone would pay a handsome price for it. More than enough to get her bank account out of the red and pay for the rent, and other expenses, for a couple more months. Long enough for her to get another job, at least.

She could hear Anakin's voice. See the hope in his eyes. Feel the stares of the Council as she turned and walked away. She reached down and squeezed the braid in her pocket. Although her senses were distracted by all the commotion of the street market around her, she could feel just the slightest beginnings of the emotions and the memories attached to her Padawan braid.

Her vision became cloudy.

I can't…I can't do it.

After idly walking around for several minutes, taking all her strength not to have another public meltdown, Ahsoka finally left and took the train back home, still holding onto her Padawan braid.

It should have been easy…I'm not a Padawan anymore, so this braid is worthless to me. And I need the money. I need the money way more than I need sentiment.

I'll lose the apartment. I'm going to be living on the streets. I'll starve and have to find shelter in the lower levels…

She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Ahsoka trudged up the stairs back to her apartment. She had to clean up, then go out and get some job applications. Anything to make herself useful instead of sitting around feeling miserable all the time.

She opened the door and something on the floor stubbed her toe. When she picked it up Ahsoka discovered it was a bank chip, from the same bank she had her account in.

"What the hell?" She looked it over, but the amount of credits on the chip had been left blank. There was no way of knowing how much was on the chip. Maybe it had been lying around her apartment for weeks and she found it just now. Or someone put it there. "This has got to be some sick joke…"

Still, the anonymity in credit amount compelled her to find out for herself. Within the hour, she was at the bank, unaware that she clutched her Padawan braid tightly in her pocket, as if trying to squeeze out the small ounce of luck that she desperately needed. Maybe it helped after all since she made it to the bank a close twenty minutes before it closed.

When the bank teller punched in the code number for the chip, she handed Ahsoka a receipt. Ahsoka read the numbers.

"I…I don't understand…?"

"The bank chip was worth three hundred credits. Now your account is active again because you don't owe two-hundred on it anymore," the bank teller said.

"What? But where is the bank chip from? It's good, right?"

"Yes…it checks out just fine. Looks like this bank chip was activated yesterday."

"Was it charged to the Republic?" she had to ask.

"No, it was activated with cold credits only."

Ahsoka stopped to think. Yesterday. Who from yesterday would put three-hundred credits on a bank chip and sneak it into my apartment…?

Fuck.

Sure enough, when Ahsoka was back at her apartment, she found who she was expecting, standing right outside her door.

"I told you I never want to see you again!"

Cad Bane was smoking a cigarette, like he knew it would tempt her to ask him for one. Now she was even angrier.

"I know what you said, but Skywalker was insistent that I talk to you again."

Ahsoka jabbed her finger at his chest, snarling up at him.

"How dare you! How dare you tell Anakin that I needed money! It wasn't charged to the Republic, so I know Anakin had to find the money on his own. Why would you do something like that?!"

"Watch it. You'll make me drop my cigarette," he muttered, resting his hands on his holsters. "No, Skywalker doesn't know about the money issue."

"Then who snuck the bank chip into my apartment?" Ahsoka made a face. "It…wasn't you, was it? Are you trying to make me feel pitiful? Like I'm too weak to ask for help but I need the charity? Is that what you want?!"

"No," he said flatly. "I did it because I figured it would be easier on both of us to continue your lessons if you had a roof over your head. You do need to keep the apartment if you're going to be safe."

"Oh…" She was still angry and snarled slightly. "Well, how did you get the money?"

"If you want to know, you'll have to let me show you. Consider it a lesson in how to make quick money in an emergency."

"Sounds illegal."

"Sure, but on the other hand, you do have one hundred credits in your bank account right now."

Ahsoka crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Good point…" She had to admit, participating in illegal activities sounded better than selling her Padawan braid to the street market. After all, maybe Bane was on to something. Maybe if she wanted to survive and eventually find a new home for herself, she had no other choice but to do a few things on the other side of the law. Was that really so bad?

Suddenly she realized another thing that made her angry. "But you snuck into my apartment!"

"Like hell you would have taken the bank chip if you knew who it was from. Change the lock if it makes you feel more comfortable."

She frowned. "I don't get you. You could have asked Anakin for the money. Why did you get it yourself?" she snapped. "Why are you trying to make it look like you care when you obviously don't?"

His slight smirk faded and he looked down at her, seeming lost in thought for a few fleeting moments. "I don't care," he finally said. "But I do know what sort of things money troubles can lead to. And as part of my job, I shouldn't let that happen."

"Yeah? I bet you do know what those things are. Bet you hurt a lot of people that way," she said darkly.

He sighed, looking very tired and frustrated and annoyed. "Look, I'm not asking for a 'thank you.' But when someone does you a favor with no strings attached, you shouldn't be complaining to them."

"I think I can make an exception with you."

"Fine." He turned to leave. "If you decide to let me show you how I got the money, comm me. My schedule is free."

Ahsoka thought about what he had said and felt a slight twinge of guilt. Maybe not all her accusations had been right. After spending a month under Cad Bane's training and protection, Ahsoka had learned that he took his job seriously and didn't like to play around when he could be making money instead. That alone revealed the fact that if he had willingly made a few credits to put in her account—even if part of his intention could be to embarrass her—there was a significant purpose behind it.

"Thanks," she finally muttered.

He stopped before descending the staircase. He probably hadn't been expecting that.

"You know what money troubles are like?" Ahsoka challenged, her tone threatening, as if daring him to spill a secret.

"Of course I do."

"You know from experience?"

"There's a reason I don't work for free."

She glared at him, not sure what sort of conversation they were exactly having. "I don't want that. I don't want to end up on the streets. Doing Force knows what just for food and a place to sleep." She shuddered at the thought.

"I know. And if I were you, I wouldn't want that either."

For the first time, Ahsoka felt the stirrings of curiosity into Bane's story. What drove him to desire money so much? How much had he implied just now? Did he mean to say that he did not want those things for her, because he knew what it was like?

"You know what, fine," she blurted out. "Teach me whatever illegal shit you did to get that bank chip, I don't care. Just don't give me anymore handouts."

"I understand."

She stepped forward before he could leave. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my place, why?"

"Split a takeout dinner? Money's a little tight for me these days. I should share with someone." She smirked a little.

He smirked right back at her. "Yeah, sure. I'll be right back."

Just like that, I've invited him to dinner. Whatever…