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[neverjedi]

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After the Race

[justasmallfry]

He'd finished a race!

A giant grin plastered Anakin's face from the moment he realized he was going to cross the finish line until this moment while he was recapping the race for Obi-Wan.

"Sebulba almost got me in the canyon, but- but I knew something was going to happen and dropped back just before he wouldda swiped me into the wall! Do you know what I mean, Obi-Wan- I knew!"

Sebulba still won the race - no big surprise. And Anakin hadn't even come in second. But he had finished - this was the first time he'd ever finished a race. And there was minimal damage to the pod-racer, so Watto couldn't be too mad.

Re: After the Race

[neverjedi]

Sebulba still winning meant Obi-Wan wasn't suffering from an owner in a foul mood as well as generally being incredibly ill tempered. He felt guilty for his relief at that, but-

He was relieved that that could be at least postponed for a while, though he'd much rather it be his neck on the line than Anakin's.

He grinned at Anakin's enthusiasm and happiness. "That's wonderful. You're getting better both in flying and in the Force. Soon no one will be able to beat you."

Well, win.

Re: After the Race

[justasmallfry]

Anakin would have understood. Slaves took relief where they could.

He was, however, happy to learn his assessment of what happened was correct - he had used the Force! To fly! But in a way that was odd... like telling the future, kinda.

"Obi-Wan," he said thoughtfully. "What else can someone do with the Force?"

Re: After the Race

[neverjedi]

"Lots of things," he said, with just a touch of worry. "Move things, see bits of the future, feel other people's emotions. Heal themselves and each other. More things I don't know."

He'd been young when he stopped being Jedi.

Re: After the Race

[justasmallfry]

Anakin's eyes went wide as saucers. "You can heal people?"

What did he need to know other people's emotions for? He could already always tell when Watto was mad at him.

But medical care was a luxury in the slave community. They had their home remedies, but too many people maimed and injured and left to just die because it was too costly to get them treatment or couldn't be fixed as new like before.

Having the power to heal... that was useful.

[neverjedi]

"I can a little bit. I've mostly only practiced on me. I can try to teach you but it will take a long time and we have to be careful. Both in teaching you so we don't get caught and so we don't make anyone worse, ok?"

He really wished he'd gotten to learn more from the Jedi. In that particular regard, anyway.

But also to hell with the Jedi.

[justasmallfry]

Life had seemed like it was started to look brighter for Anakin. He had a new friend in Obi-Wan (even if Obi-Wan was Sebulba's slave, the man didn't carry Sebulba's grudge for Anakin for his master). And Obi-Wan was teaching him how to use an amazing talent that made working with machines all the more fun, and flying even better. He bet he was going to be able to find his slave chip (and his mom's and Obi-Wan's, too, obviously) sooner than he through before.

He couldn't foresee how things could go wrong.

But he should have. He should have been more careful.

Watto wasn't in the shop just thing. Just him and his mom. Anakin didn't think it would be bad to try to the Force to lift the droid parts he was tasked with putting on the shelf. And it was going just fine, slow, stead, but fine, until he heard a noise from the junk yard - Watto was coming - and he lost his concentration on the Force. The droid part fell, and on it's way down, it crashed into a precariously stacked pile of parts causing them to scatter everywhere with great cacophony.

His mother was by his side in a moment to check on him. And Watto was not long to flying through the door to the junk yard to investigate the noise.

One look on the drunk Toydarian's face and Shmi took the blame.

Watto was unforgiving.

When Watto's rage was spent and he finally let Shmi and Anakin go, Anakin helped his mom home and then ran to the one person he thought could help the most.

He banged on Obi-Wan's slave quarters, hoping he was home right now.

When the door opened he wa so relieved he almost couldn't speak, but after a hiccuping sob he said, "I need your help. It's mom."

[neverjedi]

Obi-Wan was tired - body and truthfully soul - but there was nothing unusual about that. Anakin brought a little lightness to his life and he cherished that. Having a really bright kid who was full of hope did good things for his heart.

He was nowhere near tired enough not to respond to the banging. One look at Anakin's anxious face and those words and he grabbed Anakin by the hand and took off toward their hut. "What happened?"

[justasmallfry]

It all came out of Anakin in a rush. "It's mom. Watto got mad 'cause I dropped some droid parts and made a mess and mom said it was her fault so he wouldn't get mad at me. But he hurt her. And she needs help!"

[neverjedi]

That is more than enough information for Obi-Wan to feel not just Anakin's urgency but his own. He pivots, picks Anakin bodily up and runs toward their quarters. No force assistance (except perhaps in helping him hold Anakin's weight), but as fast as he can move without that.

He uses the Force to open the door, puts Anakin on the floor as soon as they're inside and makes a beeline straight for Shmi.

He isn't letting her die. It just simply is not going to happen.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin didn't object to being picked up if it meant they would get back to his mom faster. He even missed where Obi-Wan used the Force to open the door, his mind was so preoccupied.

One down on the floor, Anakin watched on just long enough to see that Obi-Wan was helping his mom, and then he back into the wall and crouched down, holding his knees. He didn't try to stop his crying.

When Obi-Wan finally comes back for him, he asks in a small voice, "Is mom going to be alright?"

[neverjedi]

He sits down on the floor beside Anakin, and pulls the boy into his lap in an open display of affection that he never would have been allowed as a Jedi. He even stroked the fine, blonde hair a little bit in a show of just pure, familial, comfort.

"She's gonna be fine," he promises. "She probably won't wake up before morning, and she'll have some bruises but she's okay now."

[justasmallfry]

His mom treated him like this, and Obi-Wan was kind to him when he had no reason to be. Anakin knew that sometimes slaves could be mean. Sebulba was a former slave and he got out and now has slaves himself. But Obi-Wan was always kind.

Anakin sat there a while, he felt awful for what had happen because of what he'd done. That his mom was going to be okay was a major relief, but he still knew none of this would have happened if he's been more careful.

"It's my fault."

[neverjedi]

Sebulba was most definitely not kind and not just because he owned slaves himself, but that was neither here nor there.

He kept stroking Anakin's hair, feeling the complicated mix of emotions -relief and guilt.

"You didn't hurt your mom, Anakin. Making a mess shouldn't get anyone hurt."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin was quiet for a little while thinking about that. It sounded logical, but it butted against a lifetime of dealing with Watto's mood swings that made Anakin learn to walk on eggshells... when he remembered to. And he never seemed to remember to do that enough. And he'd been using the Force. Obi-Wan had told him to be careful.

"I was using the Force... to put droid parts away. And I messed up and dropped the part and it knocked over other parts and made the mess. And that's why Watto was mad. If I didn't do that, Watto wouldn't have been mad."

[neverjedi]

The thought of Watto catching Anakin using the Force scared the hell out of Obi-Wan. He did not want to see this kid in a collar - or worse - because someone realized what he was capable of.

It made him hold his breath for a little bit, until he could stop his heart racing.

"You do need to be careful with using the Force," he murmured. "It isn't safe for you to, because if you get caught you - or someone else - will get hurt. That doesn't mean using it is wrong. It just means that the people around you are wrong - and mean, and cruel. So be careful to protect people, but never, ever, think using it is wrong."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin was quiet again. He'd stopped crying now.

How could he not be afraid of using the Force now? He didn't want to get anyone hurt, especially not his mom or Obi-Wan.

"Maybe I could just... not use it to move things. Watto couldn't see me using it to work on droids and ship parts. Or when I'm flying." If he just used it in a way no one could see, no one would get hurt.

[neverjedi]

It was sad, but the whole situation was sad. "That's what I do. And if no one knows, you can help people with what you can do, too. It'll get easier as you get older and more practice."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin didn't think this was fair. It made him hate Watto and the other masters more. But his desire to never see his mom hurt again outweighed his anger at the situation.

"Do I need to do anything for mom?"

[neverjedi]

Obi-Wan is pretty damn mad about it, too. He isn't about to chastise Anakin for that. He kisses the top of Anakin's head and gives him a brief hug. "No. She needs to sleep tonight and we should let her. She should eat tomorrow when she wakes up, though."

If he could help the bruises heal faster without her noticing he would, but otherwise those visible remarks were superficial and not dangerous.

"You should eat tonight."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin nodded and asked, "Are you gonna stay for dinner?"

[neverjedi]

"I am going to stay all night to make sure you eat and you and your mom stay safe. I'll leave once she's awake and had something to eat in the morning."

He let Anakin go and gave him a very gentle push. "Come help me put food together, please."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin got up when prompted. He felt better knowing that his mom would be okay and that Obi-Wan would stay the night to keep helping.

This just made him all the more resolved to figure out how to find their slave chips.

“Okay,” he didn’t sound his usually bright and happy self, but he sounded at least sure of what was going on.

“After dinner I can show you how far along Threepio is.”

[neverjedi]

Overall, Obi-Wan was pretty good at staying out of trouble - even with an owner as volatile as Sebulba. Not perfect, he certainly got his share of being physically rebuked and just plain used as a punching bag. He did, however, usually manage to avoid anything bad enough to be a problem - or anything that was overly visible.

No one was good enough to avoid indefinitely. Not even Obi-Wan and particularly not with that particular owner.

He didn't want to alarm anyone, least of all Anakin and Shmi, but the need for help overrode that. He was badly sunburned, dehydrated, one eye was swollen nearly shut and his lower face was a mask of dried blood from his nose and split lip. His ribs on one side were absolutely black and blue, making breathing hell.

He still knocked politely at the door and waited for an answer.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin was working in the kitchen area with his mother, making food, when they heard the knock at the door. The raps were polite, but they echoed oddly in Anakin’s ears, like time had slowed down and they pierced right to his heart.

It all felt… wrong.

His hands were clean, while his mother’s were covered in flour.

He nodded when she asked him to get the door.

Answering the door didn’t feel wrong, in fact, Anakin felt an overwhelming panic that he should open that door as fast as possible, but every step towards the door something was telling him things were very, very wrong.

When he opened the door, he saw exactly what was wrong.

“Mom!” he shouted back.

Shmi rushed to the door in an instant, what flour she couldn’t wipe off ignored, and helped Obi-Wan inside and to the bed.

“Anakin,” she said, much more calmly than he felt. “Get some rags and one of our rationed bottles of water.”

And while Anakin did that, Shmi started questioning Obi-Wan about what happened, what needed to be addressed.