“Well, I suppose we’re even…I don’t think mine are very interesting either. Except the boots, I do like the boots quite a bit.”
This is incredibly irrelevant, but Anakin is a terrible mixture of being awful at small-talk and being socially deprived. There is an absurd freedom in opining even to a child, the same sort of freedom there is with the Clones…and he consciously realizes neither. It isn’t a recognition of the safety and simplicity present in such exchanges, just the sensation of it, and the desire to talk more.
At least, in this conversation, he has both an objective and a whole galaxy of lurking horror and suspicion to keep him somewhat less chatty than he definitely could be.
Case in point: this with his clothing. It has him trying to fight the expression of confusion and heightened worry for a moment, as it is undoubtedly not good that she does not recognize him for what he is. It would have been bad before the war, but now? The Jedi are everywhere. He, quite specifically, is everywhere. Anakin passed another uncomfortable holo of himself on the side of a building on the way here, he’s far too recognizable anymore. There are children’s toys of his starfighters, children dress as Jedi for play, and everyone has an opinion on the Order.
How, then, does this child not know?
He makes an attempt to answer less like it isn’t odd, more like it isn’t the oddest thing he’s ever been asked. Part honesty, part not wanting to make her feel weirder, and part the reality that it is not, in fact, the weirdest thing he’s ever been asked. That would go to a holonet reporter name Ayl and an deeply inappropriately timed inquiry yelled over the top of other reporters’ heads regarding the physically romantic lives of Jedi. Put far less politely and far less vaguely.
“We all wear things like this, the Jedi. You don’t know any Jedi, though, do you? Um…we use the Force-like what you did when you moved those things without touching them-to keep peace and uphold the laws of the Republic in the galaxy.”
It’s a gross simplification of the Order and the Force, which he has to assume she is also unaware of, and one that he does not entirely agree with. However, it’s an answer, it’s informative, it’s enough for right now.
“Because, I might end up anywhere in the galaxy unexpectedly, so, the …” what did she call it? “Cloak is warm without being hot, resists weather to a degree, and dries quickly when it doesn’t. It’s useful. Everything has to be…useful.”
Less than thrilled acceptance, but acceptance all the same. Besides, bitching about the Order isn’t a great idea, particularly not to outsiders, and Dariya is about as much outside of the Order as one can get, not knowing that it even exists, apparently.
There are also more important things, like asking her about the scientists, what role they play in her life. Her training. Necessary information that might build more of the scaffolding of her. Necessary information that he all but pleads with the Force to not be in the vein of what he’s too correctly surmising about her.
He hasn’t any other explanation, and once she answers him, there cannot be any other explanation. Before her answer, actually. The rapid mulling over of giving an answer, then what answer. The reasonable mistrust colored around its edges with something less normal, something that went well with the idea he’s had himself only moments prior; one does not share information with outsiders.
Anakin is nodding in acknowledgement, as though this is not something makes him feel like he is dropping from what appears to be street level to the miles below where one might actually find dirt. Perfectly normal. Not sickening.
At least he gets some help with his less than perfect charade; a passing speederbike. It shouldn’t be here, he’s aware because he frequently flaunts all of Coruscant’s traffic laws himself. Every now and then, it isn’t a situation he can entirely get away with on the grounds of being a Jedi, thus, obviously, engaged in some important business. He knows…and he also knows that random citizens seem to have the idea that Jedi care about such things. As though they have nothing better to do than to chide beings for traffic violations like droids.
The speederbike sees Anakin about the time he cannot help himself but to look, he does rather like them and he feels like he is going insane, five seconds of visual interest might be a good thing. And when the purple, tentacled being on the speeder sees that they are about to pass within inches of a Jedi who has been recorded throwing and crumpling multiple CIS droids with the Force like its no more effort than breathing…they, entirely within reason to everyone who isn’t Anakin or Dariya in the entire universe, startle a bit. Enough that the speeder precariously rocks in the air, nearly gets exactly the attention its owner didn’t want by losing control and heading for them.
It’s, at most, three seconds, but in that three seconds, Anakin looks neither amused nor entirely there at all. His gloved fingers twitch, in the Force, they’ve already found the optimum place for seizing the speederbike’s frame in order to turn it away. When that isn’t necessary, they flutter again, almost as though they’re disappointed with this inaction.
Eyes back to Dariya before the speeder has made it entirely by them, it’s easier to keep playing at not being perturbed now that he’s had a minor reprieve from it.
“I feel like you probably are the best in your program…if you have such…attentive training and monitoring. And, it does matter that you want to be the best, of course. I have to be the best, too.”
There are thousands of Jedi, even if there are hundreds less than there were two years ago, but there is only one Anakin. He might not believe this Chosen One thing, but some of them do. And what if they were right? Regardless, there will always be some safety in being the best, no matter how many times he has to fail at learning the lesson that such rules do not apply to the Order, where it is more often than not purely subjective what things like ‘best’ even are.
It does not appear that ideas like ‘best’ are ideas for Dariya, they’re not subjective. They’re quantifiable by her scientists. However, his tone has been one of understanding, a somewhat shared experience that he does not elaborate on further.
Not that he would have been inclined to at this junction, the whole thing sounding increasingly mad the farther one got away from the Jedi Order, but with her questioning the war, it goes out of his mind entirely. What enters in its place is itself a bit of madness, his immediate thought of, are you from the Unknown Regions?
That seems incredibly improbable, but not being from the known galaxy is the way he can imagine someone not knowing of the war, the Jedi, and the Force.
This time, he doesn’t immediately give her an answer, he asks his own question first. One of those clarifying sorts of questions, touched with more curiosity than it is anything harsh.
“Is there not a war where you’ve come from? There has been one here for years now. See, it would be polite if a generous donation of a fancy dinner was considered a part of the war effort because I’m a General in the Grand Army of the Republic in that war. And where you are now…it’s the center of the whole Republic.”
An explanation of the joke he’d made, along with an answer, even if it is a low on details. Though, it doesn’t look like it will remain so for long, in giving this explanation, Anakin has fully taken on that look of an inherent sort of benevolence. The look he’s taken on more than once now before offering her something. Be that food or an answer or assistance.
And with the relief of Dariya agreeing to come along with him, it comes. Nodding, smiling, internal animation become external and all. Then again, it could very well be the offer of her hand. No, it’s absolutely this thing that translates to Anakin as being acceptable and safe, and feels like being charged with a divine mission. Important, in a way that he would be unable to make anyone at the Temple understand, to carefully take up that offer, like she might inexplicably be composed of bird bones. All precious things are glass and bird bones, after all.
“In that case, I can tell you more about the war while we walk…or the Jedi…or…whatever, if you want,” he offers, finally, starting on a journey sure to feel longer than usual to him for the care he’s exercising in not walking too quickly.
It does become evident, likely to Dariya’s relief as much as Anakin’s, if for quite different reasons, that she is not going to break quite that easily; holding her hand melds into something infinitely more normal by the time he’s speaking again. Which is to say, not very long at all.
“We’re going to walk just a little farther, then, we’ll catch a ride. It won’t take very long at all…view’s really nice on the way up to the apartment, too.”
Anakin does not say anything about this elevated view perhaps giving her some idea of where she was, something familiar. Not this time, quite possibly, never again. The easiest, most logical explanation is now a flaming wreck, and maybe, children do appear out of nowhere.
As much as it annoyed her afterwards, Dariya was still a child and prone to having her attention snagged by things it shouldn’t at times. This was one of those times. There was no reason to look at his boots, but at his mention of them and how he liked them her attention was diverted to the article of clothing in question, nodding her head.
And they were interesting, but about as interesting as the rest of his outfit. Which is to say the whole thing was something far from her realm of experience. It was possible she supposed that it was just something she hadn’t learned about yet, there was a lot of knowledge out there. It was just as possible that the Red Room decided it wasn’t important information and so had decided not to say anything about it at all. But people that went around wearing cloaks and boots like that had to be a subject of conversation, right?
You would stand out like a sore thumb if someone brought up these people and you had no idea what they were talking about. So it probably wasn’t the Red Room, if anything they would have briefed anyone going on missions about it. In turn she would have heard about it because of who her parents were and they tended to share things like that if there was no harm in it. Although sometimes it didn’t matter because she wanted to know and she had long since figured out that her father was a bit of a soft touch at times.
That was a word she had never heard before and she shook her head to confirm Anakin’s suspicion that she had never met any Jedi, she didn’t even know what the word was supposed to mean. Before she even finished filing away the word ‘jedi’ she was thrown for another loop that she hadn’t been expecting. She did that? Brows rose and eyes widened before both turned down in disbelief. There was no way that she could’ve done that, she knew very well what she was capable of and no one back home could do anything like that. Of that she was very sure.
“I know that a force moved those objects but it wasn’t me.” With no understanding of what the Force even was it was hard to accept the idea that she had moved those objects without even touching them. Despite the strange feelings that she had gotten ever since she had opened her eyes here.
There was a soft hum of understanding and a nod at his words, everything did need to be useful. If it wasn’t why have it to begin with? If she hadn’t proved herself she wouldn’t be here today, its just the way things were. Then again everything had it uses, even if it wasn’t immediately obvious, like random bits of information.
For a moment after she answers his question he looks off and she gets the sense that in that moment that he isn’t all there with her. It reminds her of the look that her father gets sometimes, her mother too, but it isn’t quite the same. Like hes gone somewhere she can’t follow, only with Anakin it doesn’t seem like its inside himself, it is more like he...expanded? Not quite outside of himself but it is definitely not the ‘inside’ feel that her parents gave off.
His attention turned back to her and she couldn’t help but to puff up a little in pride. He reminded her of her father and he was praising her. She was the best--she was also the only one but that was besides the point--but there was no way for him to know that. He also had to be the best in his program.
“I am. I’ve been the victor in all of my peer matches, I’ve only lost against the adults in the three v ones.”
Granted she was getting better and the only times her life was in danger was in the peer matches. Well, danger was a bit of a stretch, she posed more of a danger to her opponent than they did to her. Dariya was being groomed in ways most of the other girls couldn’t be, yet anyways. While she wants to ask if he has to be the best Jedi she knows the leeway to do so has not been given to her.
Dariya shook her head in response to Anakin’s question, because at the moment there was not. That was likely going to change in the next year or two but things were still being prepared as far as she could figure out while sneaking around the vents, listening to conversations she wasn’t maybe supposed to hear.
Knowing that he was a General sent a shiver down her spine because most military men she had known did not behave like Anakin but there was also a sense of relief mixed in. He existed in a structure like the one she was in, her instinct to make him her handler for now was indeed a good idea, if she could not go home she could adapt to this place.
“I’m in a Republic? ...I’m far from home.” Regardless if she was still were she was supposed to be any Republic was hundreds of miles away from where she was supposed to be, last time she had heard news of the government they were still a communist party.
The fact that he took her hand surprised her for a moment, she really hadn’t thought he would do that. The surprise is tempered by how he is holding it. Anakin spoke to her so easily as if he was used to interacting with kids her age but the way he handled her suggested otherwise. Dariya wasn’t sure what to make of the difference.
She obediently starts to follow, and starts to relax more as well what with a plan of sorts in place. It was then that she noticed that this place was not only visually different but it also sounded and smelled different as well. Now that she wasn’t overwhelmed anymore she could process her surroundings more instead of pushing it all to the side to focus on other more important and immediate things.
It smells a lot like the other cities she has been to before, but there is something different that she can’t quite place and it feels like something is missing but that also eludes her. The sounds of the things in the air also make vaguely traffic noises but it is also quite different than what she is used to. It is unsettling and she is relived when Anakin no longer holds her hand quite so gently but how she is used to her hand being held.
“Why did you stop being a Jedi and become a General?” He must’ve because while he said ‘we’ when referring to the Jedi he also said he was a General in an army and peace keeping was at odds with war. Unless republic didn’t mean what she thought it did...
As she walks her gaze moves around curiously, taking in all of the things she had missed in her frantic run to get somewhere quiet and safe. It moves from Anakin to the things in the air, the buildings around them, the people as well, and back to him, then starts all over. Its all so strange and she is trying to gather as much information as she can on her surroundings.
“Why are you at war? Is there something you want?” That was what it usually was when the Red Room had her go out. Granted it wasn’t for war, but she knew it was coming, that she’d be fighting, and whatever she was after would be used to get them closer to their goal.
“I’m very good at getting things. I make an excellent asset.” If they would take her she could be useful to him, generals tended to like that, at least the ones she knew did.
