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[neverjedi]

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[justasmallfry]

"Okay!" Anakin said will sorting parts as if he'd just been given a table full of new toys. And... well, it was a table full of toys for Anakin. They were like puzzles for him to pull apart and put back together. And, the best part, he was helping a fellow slave, not Watto.

"You won't have to wait long. Mom and I will have these fixed in no time."

[neverjedi]

He's actually not back for a couple of days and when he does turn up he looks a little dazed, but there's nothing visibly wrong with him and he smiles when Anakin opens the door.

"Hello, Anakin. May I come in?"

[justasmallfry]

"There you are! I was starting to get worried."

Anakin smiles back and reaches for Obi-Wan's hand to lead him inside. He needed no further prompting. Probably not the safest practice, but Anakin had a feeling about Obi-Wan, and his mom had liked him, too. So that was good enough for the child to trust Obi-Wan. Which said something, considering how much experience had taught him there were people you could not trust. Just, he knew Obi-Wan wasn't one of those people.

"We finished days ago."

[neverjedi]

He was more than happy to let Anakin lead him inside, though he sat down on the floor rather than a chair once they were firmly in. "I'm sorry. Sebulba's been a little cranky. I'm sure he'll be in a better mood now though I'm surprised you got those parts finished that quickly." Impressed more like it. "Thank you."

[justasmallfry]

"It's why Watto tricked Gardula into losing me and mom in a bet," Anakin said. "I can fix anything." A grand claim for an eight year old, and almost entirely true. Somethings were beyond repair. And somethings were still a bit too complicated and dangerous for him yet. But these parts, and most of the parts people came to Watto's shop for were no difficulty for Anakin.

He jumped down from the chair and went to Obi-Wan, because they had chairs.

"Why are you sitting on the ground? It's easier to see the parts at the table."

[neverjedi]

"I just really like sitting on the ground. It's more comfortable." In general, thanks to all those early years with the Jedi, and at the moment in particular for reasons. "And you can't fall off the ground. I don't know much about most of the parts, anyway, so why don't you show me the ones you're most proud of down here and tell me about your last couple of days?"

[justasmallfry]

Anakin tipped his head to the side at that answer. He was only vaguely aware that maybe he was missing something, but not experienced enough to understand.

"Well... okay," Anakin said, going back to the table. He started bringing over parts.

"The part for Watto's pod-racer came in. And I got to work on that the last few days. I think his pod-racer is going to be better than ever."

[neverjedi]

He looked things over and mostly just listened to Anakin. "Does that mean it's going to be in the next race?"

[justasmallfry]

"It sure is!" Anakin said excitedly. "I'm hoping this time, I actually finish the race." He thinks about it. "Ya, the new part should really do it."

[neverjedi]

"You're hoping you actually finish the race?" What the hell? This was not good. In fact this was terrible even if Anakin seemed completely content about it.

[justasmallfry]

"Ya," Anakin said. He paused and frowned and grew introspective, though his answer probably did nothing to ease any sane adult's mind.

"I've never finished a race yet." As if that wasn't some inhuman experience Watto forced on him every few months. "Sebulba always manages to knock me out of the competition. But," he brightened, for all the wrong reasons, "I get better each race! One day I'm gonna not only finish, I'm gonna win!"

[neverjedi]

He really wanted to protest the inhuman experience pressed on an 8 year old, especially when people died doing this, but he wasn't going to.

Because he couldn't stop it, anyway.

He did however narrow his eyes slightly because.

There were things he could do and... probably would.

God he was never going to have skin on his back again. If Sebulba figured anything out and that - well he had ways. He had been trained by Jedi for a while.

"Yes," he said, with a smile that was only a little strained. "I am sure you are."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin studied Obi-Wan for a moment. Clearly he was trying to work something out. But it wasn't trying to find the hidden meaning of Obi-Wan's agreement. No, Anakin was too guileless still for that.

He was deciding how much he trusted Obi-Wan.

And he decided that for whatever reason, he didn't question it, he trusted the man implicitly. Anakin was good about listening to his instincts.

But he still lowered his voice.

"I'm making my own pod-racer," he said. "Watto doesn't know. But when it's ready, I'm gonna win a race and win mom and my's freedom. Cuz it'll be my pod-racer and Watto won't be able to claim the prize."

[neverjedi]

Ouch.

He had so many things he wanted to say there, but he didn't say any of them. He just rested his forearms on his bent legs and leaned forward a bit, studied a part and then looked back up at Anakin once he was more sure he could keep his outward mood steady.

"Oh yeah? What comes after that?"

[justasmallfry]

For the first time in the conversation, Anakin is stumped. But he sat, ankles tucked under him, frown on his face, trying to work it out.

"Well..."

He knew he hated Tatooine. His first memory of the place upon arrival was of watching a slave, also newly arrived, try to run away, and the slave master activating the slave chip and the man blowing up.

But there were too many people in his and his mom, and Obi-Wan's position for him to want to abandon everyone.

"I guess... I've always wanted to make something that can find and deactivate the slave chips so I can help everyone else. They don't ever show us slaves that device and I don't remember when mine was put in so I can't make it from memory. But when I buy mom and my's freedom, then I'll see it, and then I can figure it out."

[neverjedi]

"That's a good idea."

It was a terrible idea and it didn't matter right now. What mattered right now was listening to Anakin and what he had to say and letting him have his hope. Hope on Tatooine was rare. So was hope in a slave. Combine the two, and well-

"I don't remember my chip being put in either," he said, like he was confiding. In reality he was just... talking.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin pushed up his sleeve, showing his forearm. "This scar," it was a thin line less than half a centimeter long, "that's where mom says they put it in when I was born." He looked studiously at his arm, like it was any kind of math problem or philosophical quandary. "But it's not there in my arm... I can tell."

[neverjedi]

"They migrate," he said, absently, because there was something more pressing here. "How can you tell it isn't there anymore?"

[justasmallfry]

"Mmm..." Anakin thought about how to explain it. His mom knew what he could do. So could Watto. His mom only encouraged him. Watto exploited him.

"I don't really know... but I just know things about machines and electronics... like, they tell me what's wrong with them and how to fix them. Even things I've never seen before. Like- Oh! I haven't shown you Threepio!"

[neverjedi]

"Just machines?" he asked, though he was getting a pretty good idea in a hurry. And if he'd wanted to help this sweet kid before, he wanted to help even more now. Even though the idea made him tired.

"You haven't. What's Threepio?"

[justasmallfry]

"Threepio is the droid I'm rebuilding," he said shooting to his feet. He held his hand out for Obi-Wan.

"Come, I'll show you! I found his parts in the gutter and mom and I picked up as much as we could before other scavengers got to him and carried him home. And I've been putting him back together. I have to wait for parts to come into Watto's shop before I can finish him, but I'm getting there."

[neverjedi]

He took the small hand offered to him, but he pushed himself up to stand without help and with only a minor tightening of his jaw. "What are you going to do with him when he's done?" Just keep talking about stuff you love, Anakin.

Better yet? Keep loving it.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin dragged at Obi-Wan's hand, anxious to show him his prize project. He pulled him into the room Anakin slept in, and there, laid out on the table was the protocol droid. Or the inner workings of one. Anakin hadn't found many shell parts yet, and besides, he was still working on the insides.

"I'm rebuilding him to help mom because she has to do everything for Watto and there's no one to help her."

[neverjedi]

He looked over what was there. He was not particularly force gifted with mechanics but he'd been decent once upon a time - just like once upon a time he'd enjoyed flying.

"That's really kind, Anakin, and you're doing a really good job with him." Real pride, there, and a lot of encouragement, he hoped. "Does anything besides machines talk to you?"

[justasmallfry]

Anakin beamed up at Obi-Wan, pleased that Obi-Wan thought he was doing well.

"Umm..." he thought about the question. He did have something to add but it was weird saying it like this.

"Pod-racing is kinda like it, too. Humans can't usually do it, but I just... know what to do. .. Sometimes before I should know."