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ARAMINTA disembarked from the shuttle without waiting for anyone, second only after Anakin as they arrived back in the safety of the Resolute battleship. She hid her shaking knees and the stinging in her senses as she soldiered forward, heading for the medical bay alone as Anakin debriefed with the Admiral, who had met him as soon as they docked.
She could only imagine the scolding he was getting. Only imagine, not stand behind and listen, through her spinning world and spotty vision, her ears dull to sounds she would usually twitch at– she wanted to get far away.
Bane and the holocron were presumed destroyed with the wreckage, but she still felt like she had failed on many, many levels. A terrible part of her, like a child screaming behind a thick wall, nagged at her, wanting to return to the security of Obi-wan's side where she needed only to protect and serve.
"Solarii!" Anakin called abruptly, following her. She ignored him, eyes focused ahead of her. She ignored her bruised wrists, she ignored the blood drying on her cheek and the ache in her wrist beneath the bandage. "Araminta, hey." He had jogged to catch up, placing a hand on her upper arm, fingers gently reaching for her.
Araminta reacted on instinct, smacking him away, wheeling around to look at him with angled features and a scowl. He looked surprised by her expression, holding up his hands passively, staying quiet.
She huffed, turning away. "What?" she asked, not wanting to look at him.
"You can't be bitter you lost to Bane," he said, as if that was what had gotten her so twisted. As if that was why she couldn't stand to look at him and the wounds scattered across her body felt like a collection of failures. Araminta shot him a look, a warning. But he didn't heed it– seeing something else in her. "He used a dirty trick–"
"Stop talking," Araminta hissed.
He did, blue eyes slightly widened as he looked down at her. Araminta looked past him at the clones disembarking from the shuttle, Ahsoka amongst them as she helped direct them to the medbay and check the status of their troops after the near-death experience. Anakin didn't look back, his attention solely on the assassin in front of him.
"All that matters is you're okay," Anakin said.
Araminta paused at the words, furrowing her eyebrows, before she bared her teeth and asked. "All that matters?"
Anakin was unfazed by the hostility. "Araminta, if something happened to you– I would never forgive myself."
She wanted to scream, she wanted to bite down on her lip until it bled and took away from the painful lump forming in her throat. She tried to protest, throwing out a hand in exasperation. "But the mission–"
"Fuck the mission." Araminta cut herself off, staring at him. Anakin was reflecting her inner turmoil now, looking angry. "Is the mission all that counts for you? You almost died."
