╚»★«╝ Location: Tattoine ╚»★«╝

Aurora's POV:

I have given up.

I have given up on finding him.

I wish I never did but...

The pain of searching for him and coming up empty-handed every time has become too much to bear. I thought I could never give up on someone I cared about so deeply, but the endless cycle of hope and disappointment has worn me down. As I stand on the cliffs of Tattoine, feeling the twin suns beating down on me, I can't help but wonder if Obiwan is out there somewhere, thinking of me as I think of him. 

But for now, all I can do is accept that he may be gone for good and try to move on with my life, even though a part of me will always be searching for him. The wind started pulling my hood off, exposing my shoulder-length pink hair, my blue eyes, fair skin, reddish-pink freckles in a straight line, white lines on my cheeks below the freckles, and full pale pink lips.

'Ten years, huh?' I thought before I pulled my hood deeper to conceal my face from the world whereas the inhabitants of the city of Mos Eisley were seen from afar. With a heavy sigh, I made my way down and managed to walk my way through the dusty streets, my footsteps softly touched the sand while some of the civilians were either gambling, shopping for food, or any kind of item of clothing of their choice. 

After all, Anakin once said 'The sand is merciless, it takes everything from you...' This is true, the sand has always had a habit of taking people away from you without you knowing where they are; The thought of never seeing Obiwan again weighed heavily on my heart and mind, but I knew I had to be strong. The bustling market ahead seemed to mock my sorrow, its vibrant clothing colors and sounds a stark contrast to the emptiness I felt inside. 

As I passed the saloon, a familiar tune floated out, bringing back memories of the day Padmé and I spent laughing and teaching me how to dance when we first met. Later, another familiar tune played as a memory of my time as a bounty hunter, and Obiwan offered to slow dance with me which is how we were together. 

But now, those happy memories only brought tears to my eyes. I hastened my pace, desperate to flee the pain that threatened to engulf me. Deep down, I knew that no matter how far I traveled, my heart would always carry the weight of what could have been. The ache of losing everyone, felt like I had a shadow following me wherever I went. 

But I pushed forward, clinging to the hope that maybe one day, I would find him again. Until then, I would carry on, a restless wanderer seeking a home that no longer existed.  

My stomach growled.

In annoyance, I retraced my steps and entered the saloon, eager to find a seat and order some food; Sitting in the far corner of the room was enough to avoid being seen by the Inquisitors... Especially Darth Vader. However, I do not wish to discuss it at the moment, when suddenly, I felt the force turning dark to which I instantly took notice of the arrival of a black, ominous Imperial shuttle. 

Several Inquisitors, including the Grand Inquisitor, the Fifth Brother, and the Third Sister disembarked from the shuttle; as I slowly began eating my lunch, they walked into a saloon and approached the manager, asking: "You know who we are." 

The manager nodded, "Inquisitors."  

"Do you know what we do?" 

He then responds: "You hunt Jedi." 

"In actuality, I would say the Jedi hunt themselves." The Grand Inquisitor began telling the manager, while I silently stayed still, feeling the tension brewing in the air and obediently chanted in my mind to not do anything with the force; Just like how Yoda taught me after becoming a full-fledge Jedi: "Do you want to know the key to hunting a Jedi, friend?" 

The atmosphere in the saloon seemed to grow thick with tension as the Inquisitors began to speak. I tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I kept my eyes fixed on my food, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. 

The Grand Inquisitor's words sent a chill down my spine. The idea that the Jedi hunted themselves was a harsh reality that I had grown all too familiar with. The fear of being discovered, of being hunted, was always lurking in the back of my mind.

I took a slow, deliberate bite of my food, trying to blend in with the other patrons of the saloon. I knew that any sudden movement or display of emotion could be misinterpreted and attract unwanted attention. I had learned to be cautious and to keep my emotions in check.

The Inquisitors were always on the lookout for any signs of Force sensitivity, and if they discovered me... "It is patience." He begins telling everyone and walks towards the other side of the saloon, thankfully, he wasn't going to me because I have gotten used to it. "Jedi cannot help what they are...Their compassion leaves a trail, for example, in our line of work, rumors run rampant, and here's one I heard recently." 

As I chewed, I felt a surge of fear and anxiety rising inside me. The Inquisitors were always on the lookout for any signs of Force sensitivity, and if they discovered me...I shuddered at the thought. I took another slow bite of my food, trying to calm my nerves. I had to be careful, had to keep my emotions in check. I couldn't let them find me, not now, not ever.

This caused me to think of Obi-Wan: 'Was he out there somewhere, watching over me? Did he know what was happening?' The thought sent a pang of sadness through me, and I quickly pushed it away.

I had to stay focused. I had to stay safe.

"It involves a Jedi hiding right in this lovely saloon," The Grand Inquisitor pondered if the Jedi fugitive rumor was true, tension was already choking me but I held it in from getting it from me and I listened on, "Let's say ours is a wanderer..." He paces around the place like a circle: "Maybe he is looking for people like him. Comes across this establishment, a nice place, and then he sees you..." 

Silence. 

I looked at the interaction before I was met by another man, who instantly recognized me with his wide blue eyes. He had black curly hair, and fair skin, meaning that he was near-human and he made a look of wanting to approach me but didn't because of the Inquisitor circling around the manager; The magnetic pull from him was something I instantly recognized, it turns out that he has the force and has been using it to help him.

'He's a Jedi? This would make it worse for me if we both interacted with each other.' My thoughts were stopped when I heard more from the conversation. "A man of need... Perhaps the locals are stealing from you? Threatening you?" The Grand Inquisitor asks the manager, who clenched his injured fist, trying his best not to break: "So, what does the Jedi do? Help you and risk exposure or move on?" The manager sighed heavily, the weight of his decision evident in the furrowed lines on his forehead. 

He glanced around nervously before The Grand Inquisitor's piercing eyes locked onto the manager's before walking away towards the exit only to stop midway as I prayed in the name of my grandmother through the force that nothing bad would happen to these people: "Now if we were smart, he'd keep moving on." He continues, "But the Jedi code is like an itch, he cannot help it... So he steps in and saves his saloon! You offered him a place to hide!" 

Closing my eyes in fear of what's to come next, "Freshwater, shades from the sun! But the stories begin and travel quickly. His compassion has been his undoing—" All of a sudden, The Third Sister hurls a knife at the manager but it is stopped by a young Jedi motioning with the Force. 

The Inquisitorius stops the man from fleeing, and The Grand Inquisitor orders, "Prepare him for his interrogation." "You're wasting your time! You know that, right?" He defiantly tells the Inquisitors with his hands raised of surrender, "You'll never find us all!" And sure enough, the Third Sister attempts to use her lightsaber to kill the man but is restricted by the Grand Inquisitor. 

This results in the would-be fatal strike only burning part of his left shoulder. Using the Force to push away the Third Sister, The man flees from the saloon, and the Grand Inquisitor chastises her about her recklessness, it seems like she warns the Third Sister to stop her fixation with Obi-Wan Kenobi or she will be relieved of her duties.

Once they departed and boarded their shuttle, I let out a sigh of relief and asked the waiter if I could take my leftovers. The waiter gladly agreed and promptly brought me a container to pack up the meal so I could eat it for later on the road. Stopping in my tracks, I went over to the manager and bowed: 

"Can I work here?" To which brought him a weak nod, I thanked him, and he told me that I start in the morning; A couple of hours after I got the job at the saloon, I went on a search for a place to sleep for the night, then saw an eopi from the corner of my eye. 

Having a soft spot for animals has always been my favorite. As I was about to approach it when a man dressed in a blue tunic, off-white tunic, brown pants, and a short brown cloak caught my attention.

My heart stopped at the sight of a bearded man...

The one I sought for ten years...

The one I had lost hope in...

"Obiwan...?"  

The words slipped out, he froze and quickly turned around to see me, tears falling from my bluebell eyes.

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