WALK AWAY || a.s.

11

marwen was surprised at how cold the cave had grown to be despite its status as a light energy oasis. her arms were crossed tightly over her body, teeth chattering on occasion. she clenched her jaw to keep it from echoing.

"when you were a youngling," marwen started, her gaze remaining forward as she kept in time with anakin, "what was this experience like? give me the encounter through the eyes of a child." she chuckled. anakin gave her a sideways look.

"what, like you're not a kid yourself?"

marwen grumbled internally. "no, i am not." anakin only laughed in response. the girl wasn't amused.

"it was....fulfilling." he said. he thought about it for a moment, recounting his time as a youngling. it seemed ages ago. the figure he now stood as was barely the man he thought he would become as a bright-eyed slave boy--- whether or not that was a good thing, he had yet to decide. "i remember feeling impatient. on my toes. this was the moment that made me a hero." he marveled, recounting the emotions in real time. marwen nodded at this.

"interesting." she said simply.

"and how do you feel?"

"i don't think i quite know." marwen confessed. this time, anakin gave her a full look. he was surprised, and not really in belief of her claim.

"what?"

"i'm being honest." she pressed. "i do not have any set feeling on this leap into my progression. i feel a lot of things, but i don't know what it means for me." marwen explained to him. he pondered for a moment. the girl took his silence as a cue to continue. "i suppose i should be excited--- and i am--- but i'm also calm. ready, but afraid, i think." she furrowed her brow. "i don't feel like a hero. i don't feel like i'm going to be one."

"well, do you want to be?" anakin asked her.

"another question that i don't have an answer for."

they continued on in silence. anakin thought about her words. marwen was an intriguing person, at least as far as he could tell. she had questions, and strongly-rooted viewpoints. and yet, no answers, and no stubbornness to stay planted in her ways. marwen could flow with changed plans, but always with reluctance--- always with something to say. she reminded him of padme in that sense. it was clear that the time she spent with marwen had a lasting impact. perhaps some of what he saw in padme had been as a result of marwen. they complimented each other that way.

anakin had sympathy for marwen. he knew what it was like to be driven by passion, only to have to reroute your source of purpose. while he had been raised for most of his childhood within the jedi temple, a good portion of his growth had been on tatooine with shmi. she had taught him the value in partnership and love, and the true meaning of creating purpose in making up for the loss of another. the jedi way skewed what it is that he had been bred to believe. it had changed him for the better, but not without turmoil.

the two continued for quite a while before something had caught his attention. he paused, marwen walking a few more paces until she had noticed his refrain. she turned to face him.

"what is it?" she asked. anakin trotted over to a crevasse in the ice, reaching his arm in, and plucking out a blue crystal. he gave it a quick toss in his palm before shoving it quickly into his belt.

"got mine." he said smugly. marwen rolled her eyes. "see anything that catches your attention?" he asked scanning the surrounding walls. the girl shook her head. "no worries. we just keep walking then." anakin offered as a more encouraging sentiment. marwen took the initiative of wandering down a new tunnel. anakin, thankful she was becoming more comfortable, followed en suite.

marwen's brow was furrowed, she focused in on every inch she could absorb. what is it that i'm supposed to be looking for, she asked herself. in all honesty, she didn't know. she hadn't seen whatever it was that anakin had. she was wandering in the dark, metaphorically and literally.

the duo made their way into a clearing, which seemed to break into a hollow room. the ceiling was illuminated with a thin sheet of ice, allowing the sun to seep in. the walls seemed to bounce in the light. marwen's eyes scanned momentarily before stopping   on the upper corner of the cavern.

"there!" she said, pointing in its direction. her excitement dimmed as she realized there wasn't a way to get to where the crystal was wedged. "i won't be able to reach it." she huffed. anakin looked between the girl and the corner before crossing his arms.

"you're a jedi, just use the force." he gave her a patronizing look, all in good fun until he read her features better and realized marwen was not at all in a light mood about the current situation.

"correction, i'm training to be a jedi."

"you've taken courses on manipulation and formation. you're fast-tracking your training, marwen, you're not that far behind." anakin offered. the girl huffed, taking a step towards the crystal. she tried to scale just how much energy it would take and how far she would have to reach, but shook her head in defeat.

"there's no point in trying, that crystal is too far up, and too stuck in the ice." anaking didn't seem convinced. he planted himself and motioned towards the corner.

"try." he told her. marwen watched him for a moment, waiting for him to offer to get the crystal himself. when he didn't, she realized he had been serious. the girl groaned internally.

marwen turned back to her target and took a deep breath. she closed her eyes, and tried to focus on what it is she was aiming to do. free the crystal, pull it down. she repeated the phrase in her head, steadying her breath. a humming made itself present, a sure sign of energy surgence. she focused her thoughts and intent, opening her eyes only to find that nothing had happened. she gritted her teeth.

"i told you, it won't work." marwen shook her head again. anakin took a few steps towards the girl, turning her back to the corner. he placed a hand on her shoulder, lowering himself to her level. he pointed up to where marwen had previously.

"you need to clear your mind." he told her. "and when i say that, i mean the thoughts encompassing the force itself, too." anakin explained. marwen took another deep breath and closed her eyes. the jedi beside her took a step back. "you aren't trying to conjur the force, you're trying to channel it. remember, it's already here. it surrounds us. you're simply allowing it to flow through you." anakin instructed. marwen steadied her breath and released her thoughts, emptying her mind and body as anakin told. with each breath she took, the force entered her being, flowing through her soul. the energy encompassing her body took note of the direction towards the crystal.

the wall cracked with pressure, and the crystal seemed to float out from its trap within the caked ice. marwen allowed her eyes to open, marveling at the hovering crystal. she had used the force before, but only to move small objects, or to jump to larger feats, but never before had she tried such a complex manuever. perhaps anakin's instruction had been something she needed, something she could hold onto.

the crystal dropped into the girls hands. she turned to anakin in surprise at what had just occurred, but he only gave her a knowing nod in response. marwen couldn't help but chuckle at herself, marveling her prize. she had truly done it.