Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

78.

Padme had no peace of mind after Anakin's abrupt transmission. She remained in the living space with the nail of her thumb in between her teeth, and her nerves jittering. She barely slept throughout the night, and C3-PO constantly offered to make some warm tea to help her worries. But it was no use, so the senator remained standing in her night gown until the early hours of the morning staring at the destroyed Jedi Temple.

'My Lady, there's a speeder docking on the veranda,' C3-PO said as he approached her with hissing joints. Padme turned from the window with wide eyes before rushing through her bedroom to reach the hidden space at the back of the building.

She stepped out into the cold, pre-dawn air and shuddered at the feeling of the icy cement that had been exposed to its elements throughout the night. Padme had left the door to Anakin and Sol's shared bedroom open in hopes that either of them would return, but instead, it acted as a way for Padme to rush through to the balcony without needing to pause.

On the landing platform, there was a speeder that Padme didn't recognise. It wasn't the yellow speeder that she knew was Sol's, but was a plain, boring grey colour. But she didn't care about its unfamiliarity, as its occupants were the most important.

'Oh, Maker... oh, kriff...' she muttered as she ran around the living space and towards the landing platform.

Revan helped Sol out of the vehicle once he turned off the controls. With cuts and bruises covering their bodies, the two Jedi rigidly made their way onto the platform and towards the senator who let out all kinds of exasperations. Sol muttered that she was okay to walk on her own to Revan, before she collided with the body of a frantic Padme.

'Sol! I've been so worried all night!' she cried with her arms crushing the Jedi's top half. Sol let out a small yelp at the pain in her shoulder, and Padme pulled away just as quick as she had embraced the woman.

'Oh, I'm sorry!' she said, but squeezed Sol's arms as a sign of affection. 'Are you alright?! I heard there was an attack on the Jedi Temple! You can see the smoke from here-'

'We're okay, Padme...'

Padme could see that that was not true. She saw Sol's heavy-lidded eyes that were bloodshot and glossy with past tears. Her brown hair that had been in a neat, braided ponytail down her back was now frizzing out of its pattern. Sol's bangs were caked in white dust and mattered to her head. And not to mention the blood that stained her robes and the cuts that lined her bare arms and dirty face.

With tight lips, the senator glanced to the Jedi beside Sol that she didn't know. He was in a similar state to Sol but seemed to be standing more alert. But just like Sol, the black-haired Jedi looked exhausted, broken and pained. Something had happened at the Jedi Temple, and Padme knew that Anakin would want to hear about it.

'Threepio!' Padme turned to the bedroom behind them. 'Contact Anakin's ship! Sol is here with-'

'No! Do NOT contact him!' 

Padme whipped around at Sol's sudden outburst. She eyed the woman who had suddenly perked up from her sagging state and  noticed how Sol looked with wide eyes to the bedroom where C3-PO stood confused. Padme could feel the quivering arms underneath her hands and could see the pools that formed within Sol's already glossy eyes. There was a fear that Padme had never seen in a Jedi before, but after a moment, it dwindled into a crippling sadness.

'Don't call him here...' Sol's voice was broken, and Padme was beyond worried and confused.

'Why? He called saying that he was looking for you everywhere!' Padme said and lowered her head to try and meet Sol's wandering gaze. 'Sol, what's going on? No one is telling me anything...'