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A DRAGON COULD SENSE DANGER. It could smell the pain and the captors that kept it bound. Even though Elli was born beneath twin scorched suns, even though her veins ran with fire and heat, she was no dragon. She was fractured and damaged; a broken shell. A baby free from its egg.
Still, Elli could feel the danger of Padmé's stare, the Senator having kept a close eye on her since the incident. Elli's foot bounced up and down as they waited in the living room. This was going to be a moment where everything changed, for better or for worse. Perhaps she could talk to Obi-Wan, who just might understand the sins of the past. Or maybe Anakin - one of the last remnants of Elli's life on Tatooine - would be able to calm her nerves, make Xanthe disappear from her head, no matter how temporary.
Elli's eyes flicked upwards and back down quickly. She had almost caught his eye. And she couldn't afford to catch his eye when Ani would be there any minute. He would see right through her.
Elli jumped as Padmé leaned in close. "Is it the nightmares?"
Elli let out a shaky breath, keeping her eyes on the soft blue carpet. She had been the one to help pick it out all that time ago, before Xanthe had invaded every aspect of her mind.
Padmé placed a gentle hand on Elli's leg, and it took everything in her not to flinch. "What happened the other day?" Padmé asked. "It wasn't... that's not like you. What's been going on lately?"
"The Jedi will be here any moment," Elli said, ignoring her racing heartbeat.
"Elli, you can talk to me—"
"I should go wait for them." Elli stood, throat aching, the dragon in her stomach raising its head to roar. Fire threatened to burst from her lips if she opened her mouth, so she just kept walking, stopping only when she reached the elevator.
Maybe she should apologise to Padmé. It wasn't her fault that Elli was so broken, so fragile. She could shatter like glass if dropped from a great height, but her skin would remain perfect. Untouched by the fall, like fire.
The elevator brought her back from her thoughts. Elli held her breath as the doors slid open. She almost smiled as Obi-Wan stepped out, and she really did smile when Anakin followed behind him. Something in her stopped her from bounding onto Ani, but she couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in tight.
"Ani," she breathed. "My little bub. I've missed you."
He didn't smell the way he used to; sweat and sand and mechanical parts. Now, he was clean, fresh, as if he had seen a million planets in their time apart. He had a short haircut and a Padawan braid. How much longer would he be under Obi-Wan's command? How long until he would be a free Jedi, a free man once and for all?
