Chapter Text
Anakin disliked the desert. Yes, he grew up there and could be called 'a child of the desert' but that doesn't mean he liked it.
The only reason he had to return there was his mother. Shmi Skywalker refused to move to Sumeru City when her son offered her an apartment there, claiming that Aaru Village would always be her home.
"You never come home anymore!" Shmi smacked her sons head from behind, causing him to choke on the food. "Always off adventuring in some unknown place with who knows what dangers.."
"No, Mom—" Anakin reached for water before continuing, swallowing the piece of fish stuck in his throat. "— I just needed to go to Nod Krai to repair Artoo and my arm, remember? I promised to come back and here I am."
Artoo's malfunction wasn't even his fault; the Ruin Guards around Stormterror's Liar knocked him too much, causing him to lose all the map data and damaged his navigational system. Anakin still mentally cursed the Ruin Guards but was glad he had a backup copy of Artoo's memories, just in case. As for his arm… admittedly, he rushed the upgrades quite a bit. At least the grappling hook was intact. Most of his time had been spent working on his arm seeing as how little knowledge the Nod-Krai craftsmen had concerning King Deshret technology.
"I know," Shmi sighed wearily. "It's just, you didn't write back to me and I got worried."
Guilt weighed upon Anakin as he watched his mother. The wrinkles on her face seemed to get more pronounced with every visit, weariness dragging down her cheerful smile.
"I'm sorry," He moved to the seat beside her, hugging his mother tightly. "I'll write back on time. Last thing I want to do is make you worry, Mom."
"It's hard for me to grasp sometimes but you're not a little boy anymore," Shmi embraced him tightly, kissing his forehead. "You've always had a penchant for adventuring, it seems cruel to tell you to do something else."
"I understand, I do." He murmured into her shoulder, letting himself relax. He loved adventuring, he really did. But there were times when he just wanted to stay with his mother and be a young boy again.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm taking a commission in Sumeru this time."
"Already?" Shmi moved back, shock coloring her expression. "But you just returned…."
"Uh.. haha, yeah… about that…"
"Is it true that you have only ten mora to your name?"
Anakin scoffed before closing his backpack and securing the belt tightly. He specifically woke up earlier to avoid being bombarded by the villagers. Unfortunately, he forgot that Candace was already wide awake by sunrise. What a consistently frightening woman.
"It's a little more than ten mora, I'll have you know."
Artoo beeped beside in disagreement and Threepio — his floating translator bot — audaciously chimed in.
"Sir, if I am to recall correctly, you spent all your remaining mora on the return trip and now only have approximately a little less than five coins left. Of course, the most expensive thing was fixing up Artoo, if only he didn't get himself into that mess…"
Artoo beeped indignantly, jumping up and down while Candace only laughed.
"My fault?!" Threepio exclaimed in his robotic voice, practically fuming. "Your programming clearly wasn't fixed as you seem to forget that I was the one who told you not to go!"
Anakin covered his face, hoping to spare himself from witnessing even more embarrassment as they kept arguing. Candace moved up closer to him, gently nudging his elbow with a soft smile on her face.
"I heard about what happened in Nod-Krai recently. You're okay, right?"
"That? Uh, yeah. Don't worry, I evacuated to Fontaine. I'm alright."
Truthfully, he wanted to stay and see what exactly happened but the danger was even beyond him. He tried to get the whole picture but only understood that the Fatui Harbingers had officially left the region.
Maybe he'd go investigate the Experimental Design Bureau next time. Ahsoka would definitely be up for it, Obi-Wan would scold them and tell them it was too dangerous but probably join them anyway.
"I hope you're not planning another trip back already." Candace commented with a smirk, picking up her shield. "You had that look in your eyes again."
"I wasn't thinking of that!" Archons, he was a terrible liar. "Just… wondering what type of commission I'll be taking."
"And you? I heard about the crisis with the Irminsul. I hope no one was seriously hurt."
Candace shot him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, everything was managed well. Your mother was safe here."
Anakin let out a sigh of relief. He'd tried to go back to Sumeru as quickly as he could but the border had been activated before he could even enter. At least his mother and everyone else had been safe.
"Thank you, Candace."
"Just doing my duty." She picked up her shield, nodding at him. "Good luck with your commission."
She waved goodbye to him with a nod, one Anakin reciprocated back warmly. His Anemo vision was clipped on his belt alongside his other utilities, glowing softly to assure him. He pulled his backpack over his shoulders with a slight groan before stretching his legs and inhaling the cold morning air. The colors of purple night were slowly bleeding into golden sunlight, bringing its hot winds and intense heat along with it. The screeching of the red vultures told him it was time to go.
"Artoo, Threepio!" He called out to his bickering bots, walking towards the Statue of the Seven and the exit path. "Keep up you two!"
"Oh dear, Master Anakin— Artoo, stop, you're going too fast! You two! Wait for me!"
"Hello Katheryn," Anakin greeted as he reached the Adventurer's Guild booth. "It's been a while since I've seen you. Got any commissions I can take?"
Anakin was aware that Katheryn was a robot; still, he always thought of each Katheryn differently. The one currently in-front of him greeted him with a friendly wave, pulling out the notebook full of newly listed commissions.
"Is there anything you want me to specifically look for?"
"Ah, no. Any will do. As long as the pay is good."
Katheryn nodded and began flipping through the book while Anakin waited. Sumeru City was nice; he much preferred it to the scorching heat of Aaru. The greenery, wind and cool summer rain of the rain forest always felt pleasant whenever he went to the city — his favorite scents of coffee, Padisarahs wafted around as he took in the sweet air. He'd have to stop at Puspa Cafe for a pick-me-up; the coffee in Nod-Krai was just disappointing. Far too sugary for his liking.
Oh wait. He had no money. Please, he prayed to himself, holding his head up with his eyes shut. Dendro Archon, please give me a good commission.
"Ah, here's one. An Akademiya scholar has requested someone to guide her to through the Desert of Hadramaveth. She's willing to pay around fifty-thousand mora for an upfront fee and is willing to pay more after the commission is completed."
It wasn't uncommon for Akademiya scholars to request guides. Most of them were terrified of the desert and it's dangers but they were extremely fascinated by the history and lore that lay in the dunes. It seemed to be a fair deal and the commissioner seemed reasonable.
"Yeah, I'll take it," Anakin replied after a beat, taking the written details from her. "Did the lady say where and when I should meet her?"
"She said that she'd be at Puspa Cafe. Her name is Padme."
"Padme.."
Archons, that's a pretty name…
"Perhaps she's there right now." Katheryn quipped suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Good luck with your commission, Anakin."
"Thanks Katheryn." He grinned at her before taking off for the cafe, wondering what his commissioner was going to be like.
Cafe Puspa was one of Anakin's more favored cafes to haunt whenever he was back in Sumeru. He always pet Gata and listened to Maddah's stories even if they were nothing new. The aroma of coffee beans hit him the second he walked in, the hot brew practically calling his name.
Do you think I can get a cup for five mora… No, focus.
An Akademiya scholar. That was going to be hard considering how popular this place was for students. And it wasn't like he could go up to every single Akademiya student there and ask them if they were Padme. That'd be embarrassing.
"Anakin, welcome back!"
He looked up to see Enteka, feeling himself slightly relax. She in return offered him a seat, placing a freshly brewed cup in-front of him.
"I can't," He shook his head profusely, gently moving the cup back towards here. "Got no mora to pay you with."
"Then consider it on the house." She firmly responded, pushing it back in-front of him. "Next time, you pay me. Deal?"
Instinctively, he got ready to argue. Prepared himself to say 'you can't do that, at least let me help you clean up' but he was immediately shot down by Enteka's menacing smile. Oh, well. At-least he got the coffee he was craving so badly.
"So, what brings you here? New commission?"
"Actually.." Anakin looked up at her earnestly, his fingers wrapped around the hot cup. "I'm looking for an Akademiya student named Padme. She's my client."
Enteka wordlessly nodded, looking around the cafe. Finally her gaze settled on a corner close to the south-side windows, right behind Anakin. "I think that's your lady. You should ask her though."
He turned around to where Enteka was looking and oh—
All the air had suddenly left his lungs, his hot coffee nearly spilling all over. Thankfully she caught it in time but Anakin didn't notice.
Oh Archons above. His mind was racing wildly as he stood up, approaching her. She's..
"Hello?"
She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Large brown eyes were observing him with confusion, the light behind crowning her brown curls like a halo.
"Are you okay?"
Even her voice is like a melody.
Fuck, I can't keep staring at her. Say something. Speak. SPEAK!
Hi, are you my client?
"Are you an angel?"
He immediately regretted his words, his face turning red. The angel, Padme, only laughed softly. How did he manage to mix up his thoughts?!
"An angel? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know-, um.." He was blushing profusely but quickly cleared his throat. "You've probably heard of Seelies, right? According to some texts, they used to be a race created by Heavenly Principals…"
When did their eyes meet? Ah, it didn't matter. Padme seemed interested, waiting for him to continue and Anakin saw no reason not to.
"It was their job to guide humanity but when one of them, Koitar, fell in love, the Heavenly Principals cursed them all to become seelies. It's said that they had beautiful forms… bore silver wings and wore a crown of seven colors.."
"You're quite knowledgeable, it's impressive."
Her smile had him thinking it could rival the likes of Nabu Malikata.
"Well, I am an adventurer." He grinned at her, sitting down in the free chair. "I think it'd be a bit embarrassing if I didn't know a thing or two."
"An adventurer?" She looked at him for a moment before letting the dots click together, a bright smile lighting up her entire face. "Oh, are you here because of my commission? I wasn't expecting someone to already take it!"
Right. The commission.
Focus, Anakin. Focus.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Padme, from the Haravatat Darshan. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Anakin." He mumbled, dragging his chair closer. "I'm pretty well-versed in the desert and its topography. What it is you want help with, exactly?"
Padme reached for something beside her, placing a notebook on the table. It was thick and large, the glue bindings barely hanging on for dear life. When she opened it, smaller notes flew out which she caught quickly, stuffing them back in before showing it to Anakin.
"I'm researching the differences between the language of King Deshret's kingdom versus current day desert dialect. The main goal of my study is—"
"—to find the semantic differences between the shared words of then and now. Through that, you're going to try and understand the thought process of King Deshret's subjects, am I right?"
Anakin didn't mean to interrupt her or come off as rude. He was genuinely fascinated by her subject, he really was. But too many times, others got mad at him — they said he was acting like a know-it-all and being crass. He wanted to argue how that was not the case and he just wanted to talk more about it yet it never came off as that.
Padme, however, was observing him quietly as he spoke, his face burning up once again. Lesser Lord Kusanali, give him strength. How did he keep messing up?!
"I'm sorry-, I didn't mean to interrupt you… I just found it really interesting, that's all."
For a moment, she said nothing. Instead, Padme curiously tilted her head while doe brown eyes dissected him — for a moment, her pupils seemed to reflect every color of the rainbow. Even if it was just the light from the window, she was still angel-like to Anakin.
"I'm surprised," She spoke up after a while, taking a bite of the baklava. He waited for her to finish, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"You're so much more interesting than half the people at the Akademiya. I have to ask why you're not enrolled."
Oh. What?
He wasn't expecting that. Aside from his mother, no one considered him to be Akademiya material. Obi-Wan didn't understand the prestige of the Akademiya in Sumeru and had thought it was something everyone could attend; Anakin and Ahsoka laughed at him for a few minutes before fully explaining it to him.
"Well, I honestly prefer adventuring," Anakin answered, his gaze moving away from hers. "Can't imagine being stuck in a room, writing and researching all day. Nah, I can't do that. 'sides, I learn more from the hands on experience."
Again, Padme was just listening to him with the same look on her face. Why was she so interested in him? He was just someone who enjoyed exploration, the thrill of adventure and sharing knowledge.
Though, he supposed there weren't actually many people like that, were they?
"I think I understand what you mean," Padme said as she moved her half-eaten baklava towards him. Gingerly, he took a small bite. "I'm glad you picked my commission, seems like it'll be a lot of fun."
He was so glad he left Artoo and Threepio at the Guild office for rest because if they saw the look on his face right now, there would be non-stop teasing.
"Great!" Get hold of yourself! "Good, I mean. Good, so when do you want to leave? And do you have any specific requests?"
Scholars were a weird bunch, Anakin came to learn after years of different clients. Some were easy-going which was great and others were assholes who saw him as inferior. He never treated those clients with respect, letting them accidentally fall down a slope or trip over something.
Padme was different. He couldn't get a read on her; it annoyed yet intrigued him. Frankly everything about her was intriguing, drawing him like a moth to a flame.
"We can set off in two days, if that's alright with you, no special requests, relax," She chuckled softly.
"And before I forget… here."
Padme placed a pouch on the table, handing it to him. "The fee I promised to pay upfront. Feel free to count the amount but I promise you, it's fifty-thousand mora."
Not that she seemed like the type of cheat. Anakin trusted her, pocketing the pouch with a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Thank you. We'll meet at Caravan Ribat in two days time, in the morning then. Just as a reminder, only bring items that are essential. Transporting heavy books will be too much work, so take what you need, bring a lots of water and cover up in lighter fabrics, 'Kay?
Padme nodded, taking in his every word. Good, the desert was not forgiving to first-timers and he didn't want her to go in blind. They talked a bit more in detail about what she was looking for — the libraries in the King Deshret's Mausoleum — and other specifics.
"That should be everything," Anakin sighed, falling back into his seat. Padme had already gotten up, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. "I'll see you in two days time then."
"Mhm, see you!" She got ready to leave, her bill paid and everything cleared up. Yet before she left, she ran back to Anakin. Confusion colored his features as she bent to whisper in his ear.
"For the record, I think you're pretty handsome, too."
Oh that little—
Before Anakin had the chance to respond, Padme was already walking away with a smirk on her face, cheeks pink, like his were. She was waiting for the right time to embarrass him again!
Oh shit, he thought as he let out a breathless laugh.
This woman was going to be the death of him.