tushanshu | [video/console]

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If I understand this right, there could be people here I know, despite that I could swear I just talked to them at home, right? [Luke frowns, looking rather tired as he runs a hand through his hair, sitting at the console in the Welcome Center.] In that case, if anyone knows if Leia Organa or... [A pause, because does it work if the last you knew someone was frozen in carbonite and basically in coma?] Han Solo are here, please tell me. Or tell them Luke's looking for them.

[He smiles briefly, his expression brightening a little in general. Something strikes him then, though, and Luke's gaze lowers for a moment, frowning at something out of view before he looks up again.]

Aside from that, I'd like to know what sort of prosthesis are available, and the tools to repair them. Or if the tools could be adjusted for already existing ones. I don't need any of that at the moment, but you never know.

[Better be as prepared as he can, before something happens, for once. Especially in a new place. He's had his new hand not two weeks yet, and he's very, very aware of it... which is probably why this occurred to him at all.]

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You're... [He stops, has to swallow, and just stares for a moment, blankly.

He's lived twenty two years without even knowing his mother's name and now... slowly, Luke smiles, leaning forward again. The first thing he can think of is that her name suits her. For some reason - he's sure it's just the hair - he's also reminded of Leia. Or maybe it's her profession.]

Well, that is my name.

[That, at least, is something that hasn't changed from Ben first lying, to the shattering revelation two weeks ago.]

You're my mother. [It's a little distracted mutter, and Luke shakes his head slowly again.]

[She manages a smile, but it's brittle. She's brittle. How can she deny the truth of Obi-Wan's words about her future with her son staring at her as if he's never seen her a day in his life. Asking her name. Looking like he's going to either cry or fall apart.]

Yes, I'm your mother. I suppose Owen and Beru never spoke of me. Although to be fair to your uncle and his...wife, we'd only really met the one time and for a few days.

[Beru was a good match for what she knew of Owen Lars. And if she wouldn't have the opportunity to raise her son, that would be the woman she'd wants to have him to raise. Breha and Bail are good for Leia as well, but that's neither here nor there.]

Are you at the Welcome Center? I can come to you.

[Rubbing his right wrist, Luke nods, distracted and focused at the same time.]

They didn't really... tell me much at all. About my father or you. But even less about you. But you met them?

[Maybe they hadn't known who she was - or would be, depending on when - but maybe they had. Not that Luke could see why even something like his mother's name couldn't have been mentioned.]

I am, yeah. Haven't moved yet.

[Luke smiles, hesitant and eager at the same time.]

[She nods shortly, still unsure about what to do or say and just responding to him as off the top of her head.

Something she never does.]

I'm not surprised they didn't talk about us. When we met, it was a very stressful, strained time for everyone. Anakin...didn't make the best of impressions. I doubt they even knew that we were married or had children until Obi-Wan showed up with you.

[She's sure that Lars and Beru didn't think about the two virtual strangers after Shmi's funeral and they were gone. And she's not sure she can blame them one bit, considering what she's learned.]

I'll be there in five minutes. Just...stay there.

[She doesn't even waste time in cutting the connection and running out of the hotel all the way to the Welcome Center. It takes a minute for her to catch her breath, pat down her hair and clothes, and then she opens the door. She walks in and heads towards the single person sitting at the bank of consoles.

Her son. Her son with Anakin. Her hands shake as she walks calmly, and she hides them in the folds of her skirt, projecting as much calm as she can.]

Luke?

[Staying, he can do. Trying to keep busy and not fidget or look around every second, harder. He wonders, briefly, if the one time they met his parents coincided with the one time his aunt and uncle had said his father had returned to Tatooine.

He could ask, but maybe that's sometimes saved for later.

Somehow, he manages to distract himself enough that when Padmé calls his name, he jerks out of the chair, staggering upright. Staring at her, Luke takes a breath and nods.]

Yeah. [He smiles, then, and the next words come out before he can think to stop them.] You're shorter than I thought you'd be.

[Not by far as short as Leia, but he'd still imagined his mother either the same height or taller than him... Which might have more to do with the fact that he's had nothing to go on his whole life, and children expect their parents to be tall.]

[She lets out a small laugh at his antics. He's so much like his father, eager and excitable that she knows for a fact that there's no one else he could be.

The remark about her height deepens her laughter.]

I'm sorry for being of average height. [It doesn't escape her that he isn't much taller than her.] My parents aren't very tall, unlike your father.

[Which, considering his childhood as a slave on Tatooine was a feat that only spending as much time with the Jedi could have accomplished.]

You have his smile.

[Her laughter is nice. There hasn't been much of that, lately, if completely understandably. None of them have felt up to laughing since reuniting at Bespin.]

I guess it's you I should blame for my height, then. [He grins, even if it's slightly paler than the first one. Then he ducks his head, not quite blushing.]

Really?

[He'll find out himself, undoubtedly, since she said he was here, but it's... nice, having someone just... say something like that. A reassurance that the only version of his fatherthat he's met is just a man underneath the suit.]

[The smile hurts her in a good way, something she never thought she'd ever think, but he exudes the brightness that both she and Anakin had back on Naboo. It's so obvious that he is hers.

She raises her hand from the folds of her skirt before letting it fall back. She wants to touch him but how can she bridge the gap between them to even get that close to her son.]

You have my father to thank for that. Ruwee Naberrie will never win any height competitions.

[Her father always seemed larger than life, but it was his personality, not his actual size.]

Yes, if you're interested in finding out for yourself, I can take you to him. You'll need a place to stay while you're here, right?

[The idea that he had - might still have, for all he knows - living grandparents is a bit of a wonder, and Luke nods slowly.]

Yeah. I just... [Does he want to see him? Of course. Is he a bit worried..? Yes. But there'salso this, right here, and Luke reaches a hand out, hesitating briefly because it's the right one and in case Padmé steps back.]

You're here too. [It's a mutter, and if she doesn't stop him, he's just going to lay that hand on her arm.]

[She has no idea what will happen to her parents. They can still be alive well after her son and daughter are active. In fact, she hopes they are. As well as her sister, brother-in-law and nieces.

She can note Luke's hesitation and it worries her, but she's not sure what that means. Then there's his hand and she takes it in both of hers, feeling brave and nervous as well.]

I am. We both are. I want to know everything about you. But maybe it should wait until you're settled in.

Let me take you to where we're all staying. You can meet your father and Obi-Wan that way.

[He squeezes her hands easily, after she takes it, not minding at all that's where it's ended up instead. He nods, letting out a slow breath.]

I guess so, yes. [He manages a grin, still feeling both wary and very eager.] It'd be a bit hard to go through twenty two years in a short enough time to be comfortable standing around here.

[Luke is pretty sure he's not going to mentioned everything that's happened in the last three, however.]

But... that sounds good.

[He can do this.]

[She stands there, holding onto his hand, cataloging every feature, both familiar and not, before she shakes her head with a soft laugh.]

Let's go then. [She gently tugs on his hand and starts towards where the Hotel is this week.]

Are you hungry? I think it might be time for dinner soon. I can make you something. I'm sure that Anakin and Obi-Wan will be hungry as well.

[When it doubt, fall into talking like your own mother. Besides, food seemed to be a constant with the men in her life. They always needed to be fed. She wasn't sure what they ate at the Jedi Temple back home, but Anakin was always so pleased to have her cook for the two of them.]

[He still can't quite believe he actually has a face to put to the word 'mother', now, when she has, for so long, been so very abstract. Following easily, Luke grins at the mention of food.]

Actually, yeah. [he pauses, glancing down at himself where he's tied the sleeves of the flight suit around his waist.] I was doing some maintenance on my new X-wing, I guess I fell asleep, and that was after lunch.

[Which he forgot to eat.]

I could help you.

[Aunt Beru didn't raise him to not help.. or not teaching him to cook, after all.]

[She looks at him, unable to turn away for long, even while they walk. It's so strange to think that this man next to her is her son, her future son. He's so much like everything she imagined in a child from her marriage and more.

But that comment is all Anakin. And she laughs.]

That happened a time or two with your father. He'd get so wrapped up in his ships or the droids that he'd forget to do things like eat or sleep. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and I all worried that he'd do himself some harm one day.

And, no, let me do this for you. You can help another time. I... I want to treat you this one time.

Okay. If you're sure. [Luke smiles, looking around him as they walk as much as he glances down at Padmé - he'll probably end up trying to help in some way anyway, but it... feels nice.

Just as it feels nice to hear such a mundane thing about his father, even if there's a vague flicker of guilt and then worry. But it should be fine, this, meeting him now. Luke's sure of it.]

Who's Ahsoka?

[Something tells him she must be important, since she was mentioned specifically...]

I've been cooking for the residents of the hotel since my own arrival. It's been a way to mitigate my room fee since I don't exactly have a salary as a senator here.

[She can tell him all sorts of things about Anakin and herself. Everything he wants to know.]

Ahsoka is a bright and caring young woman. She's also Anakin's padawan learner.

I'll have to figure something out... [Luke frowns, then that thought it immediately forgotten as he catches up to the rest of what she's saying, blinking.]

Right--- You mentioned you were a senator. [He grins wryly, amused. More because of the irony that Leia is one too, because while he now has to think of this in relation to that she's his mother, too, it's not that strange. He's already known Leia for three years after all.]

Really? I wish I could've met her...

[Maybe, though, he'd get the chance here, if that happens.]

I'm sure you'll have no trouble. There are plenty of things to do for Foreigners. I believe Obi-Wan engages in trading between the Kedan of Keeliai and Hatal. Speaking to him might help.

Hm, yes, I find it to be stressful but rewarding work. [She gives her own wry smile, almost a mirror of his own.] There are times where I feel like I'm slamming my head against plasteen though. It's frustrating.

Perhaps, if we are all very lucky, Ahsoka will show. I don't know her as well as your father or Obi-Wan, of course, but I'm still fond of her. She and Anakin function well as a team out on the battlefield. They take turns being the adult in their relationship.

Well, I do know how to haggle. [Snorting, Luke shakes his head, then glanced to his mother with a grin.] Leia said something similar, but I'm pretty sure the Senate was a lot different while Leia was in it compared to what it's for you.

[Considering the whole 'puppet show for literal show' the whole thing had turned (apparently) into years before it was disbanded.]

Huh. [He couldn't help it, and grinned at that description.] When did you first meet them?

I suppose you would, growing up with the Larses on Tatooine.

[She still remembers the moisture farm that she and Anakin visited during that last, horrible trip. But hearing him talk about his sister so casually is wonderful. She's practically voracious for any news about her other child. Galen Marek is the only other person here who's met her.]

If what I've heard is true, then yes, I can't see the Senate staying the same when she's a part of it.

[Considering Palpatine's ego, definitely not surprising.]

First meet whom? Ahsoka or Anakin and Obi-Wan?

[He nods, half agreement, half thoughtfully.]

I guess Ben told you that?

[He couldn't see anything else, since he hadn't mentioned anything like that yet.]

First met my father and Ben, yes... But I'd like to know about Ahsoka too, of course. [He smiled, shrugging. His father having had an apprentice was, after all, interesting in its own right, even if he was slightly more focused on his parents and Ben at the moment.]

[She raises an eyebrow in question at the name for Obi-Wan but lets it pass. It makes sense that he wouldn't use his personal name if he was virtually a fugitive on Tatooine. He and Anakin were far too famous as a duo and separate for Obi-Wan to go unnoticed. Besides, there were many Kenobis throughout the Outer Rim planets.]

Yes, he told me that. In light of the circumstances, it makes some sense.

[However her voice could peel paint with just those two sentences.]

I met Obi-Wan when he was a Padawan learner, actually, under Master Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi Council and then-Chancellor Vellorum sent them as negotiators to the Trade Federation after they blockaded Naboo and demanded that I had over my planet and people to their tender mercies.

I refused, of course. Master Jinn and Obi-Wan were attacked, nearly killed, and then came to help me get off-planet to petition the Senate. My ship was shot as we broke through the blockade and we had to make a stop over on Tatooine. That's where we met your father, in Mos Eisley.

[At her tone, Luke blinks, glancing down at her before he looks away, smothering a smile. In some way it feels very nice to hear her upset about it, no matter how understandable the measure had been.

If not for his... father, for the Emperor.]

That's the part I understand the most. [He says with a shake of his head, then falls silent, frowning as he listens.]

Wait, I think... I read about that at least once when Aunt Beru taught me history, that's when you met?

[Not that the Hutt-slanted sources she'd had to work with had been kind to either the Republic or the Trade Federation, but that wasn't really the point. It was suddenly rather strange and amazing to realise that some parts of galactic history actually was relevant to him personally.]

... so it was before he became a Jedi, then.

[He'd wondered, after Ben had told him, when his father might have ended up with the Jedi, and this gave a pretty obvious possibility.]

[What? Did he think she'd never get upset about that? Tatooine is literally the last place she'd leave one of her children. Understandable or not, it's a horrible truth she hasn't wanted to think about.]

Oh, I understand the wisdom in the choice, in light of circumstances. It doesn't mean I have to like it, Luke.

[It's strange to talk about her past like this, but she enjoys it as well. It may be the only chance they have.]

Oh, yes, he was nine and I was fourteen at the time. From what I understand, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had to make the Order take him since he was much older than most of the children that the Jedi took into the temple.

[She swallows harshly, unable to speak for a minute.]

Had things ended up differently, your sister and you would have been taken to the temple before you were a year old and I wouldn't have had much contact with you. They never encouraged attachments.

Wouldn't have minded growing up somewhere else, no. [Luke grimaced, sighing a little, then shook his head and reached out, squeezing his mother's shoulder.] But it's all right.

[Not really, though. It was a sand-infested, Hutt-controlled hellhole, after all. And if he'd been elsewhere, then Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen would still be alive--- and someone else dead, instead. Biting his lip as he listened, Luke frowned.]

Would you... would you or Father have let them, though?

[Something suddenly makes a lot of sense, when Padmé says they never encouraged attachments. Neither Ben nor Yoda phrased it that way, but, aside from some angles of their arguments that Luke knew, objectively, were true, the vehemence might partly be because of that.

He feels even less sorry for leaving, now, even if it still was a catastrophic decision.]

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