Miona stared at the ceiling, going over her daily routine, all the while Anakin snored on her chest. After taking a glance at the clock on her wall, Miona gently shifted her brother onto the pillow and got up to make breakfast.
The routine was all the same, except something felt different.
Miona, even without a guide, continuously meditated to stay connected with the Force. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel and didn't know what to look for, but she tried.
But today, there was something that disturbed her. And maybe it wasn't a thing, but a person.
Anakin, right on schedule, flew in with energy and rambled about a dream he had. Miona loved the adventurous part of him, and constantly encouraged him to be creative.
Most importantly, Miona would smile and ask questions, making sure that he felt seen and heard.
It was easy to feel neglected on Tatooine, but the little bubble the siblings shared in the morning felt like their haven. Anakin would stuff his face with food, Miona sipping delicately at her tea, reprimanding him on every other, bigger bite.
A little after the middle of the day, both Miona and Ani were working at Watto's dealer. Even though Watto wasn't the nicest being around, Miona gave him credit for not being the worst. The siblings were often in the back cleaning.
Anakin mostly watched the shop as Watto used Miona to either negotiate business or woo the many men to get what Watto wanted. It wasn't the best experience she's ever had.
But, there was also time for fun. Miona reached out to tickle Anakin's sides, making him laugh. She would do anything for her brother, as long he kept smiling, and laughed with as much joy as he did then.
Watto soon called for Anakin, and Miona patted his back. "Time for work Ani," she sighed, ruffling his hair. Ani got up and ran, while she followed him slowly, her long strides a natural thing she did within the dealer's parlor.
"What took you so long," Watto said in Huttese, making Miona scoff. "We were cleaning the fan switches," Miona replied, making the creature sneer at her.
"Watch the store," Watto said to Anakin, "We've got some selling to do." The last remark was to Miona, to which she rolled her eyes.
"So... let me take thee outback, huh?" Miona had already turned around and walked back through the entryway. She knew 'thee' was a tall man and seemed wise from a glance.
But, she also sensed how open he was with the Force. But the disturbance wasn't him.
"A T-14 hyperdrive generator. Thee in luck," Watto said, Miona had walked up on one of the droids, and bopped its nose, making it shrink and stop moving.
"We're the only one around who has one," Miona said, looking toward the man. Her gaze blazed at the sight of him, his aura reminding her of her past friend. His face was guarded, but his eyes spoke of his interest in her.
She grew wary the longer he stood near, but she didn't have the choice to walk away. So lost in her thoughts, Miona barely heard Watto ask him how he would pay for this.
"I have 20,000 Republic dataries," he replied, and Miona tilted her head with realization. "Republic credits? Republic credits are no good out here, I need something more real," Watto replied, the Hutt growing frustrated, and looked at Miona to fix the issue.
She could only shrug, feigning innocence at the awkward situation. She had no clue what the man was trying to do but knew there was no use negotiating.
"I don't have anything else, but credits will do fine," and Miona felt a small wave of Force. He moved his hand; a little mind trick, and she sighed. For a man who looked as if he knew exactly what he was doing, he was slowly slipping from certainty.
"No, they won't," Watto said, getting annoyed. Miona stood behind him and was shaking her head, moving her hand side to side in front of her neck.
"Credits will do fine," he tried one more time and gave a slightly confused face at Miona. He realized she wasn't tricked and even hinted not to do it.
"No, they won't! What, you think you're some kind of Jedi, waving your hand around like that?"
Miona huffed in frustration, with a frustrated lower of her hand. Something near the back knocked over, crashing with a clatter, causing Watto to fly over to fix it quickly.
"Don't do that," she whispered, sparing a glance at how far away Watto was. "He's immune, that's just his species. You're going to have to find another way to pay, or just not get the part."
Qui-Gon looked at her with a small spark in his eye, and she sighed at the sight of Watto returning. She pouted, and her eyes urged him to look guiltily and regretful.
"Like I was saying: No money, no parts, no deal," he said, getting close to Qui-Gon's face. "I was just saying that Watto," Miona sighed, "but he's now insisting that he must go somewhere else instead."
"No one else has a T-14 hyperdrive, I promise you that," he said in amusement, but his tone betrayed him, showing a hint of urgency.
Miona glared at him and walked back with Qui-Gon and R2. "We're leaving, Jar Jar," Qui-Gon said, walking past the chaotic sight of 'Jar Jar.' Miona looked closely at the little crew, especially the girl conversing with her younger brother.
"I'm glad to have met you, Anakin," Padme said, then looked at Miona. She gave her a smile and a wave, and Miona returned it in kindness. She thought the girl was kind and pretty.
"I was glad to meet you too," he almost yelled, making Miona chuckle. "Someone's got a crush," Miona teased after seeing them fade from view.
"I do not," he said immediately, his cheeks a roaring red. She just chuckled more, shaking her head.
Later, when Miona and Anakin finally could go home, they approached upon the sight of what was happening to Jar Jar Binks. Being who they were, they immediately walked over to find what was causing such a scene. Of course, it also involves Sebulba.
"Careful, Sebulba," Anakin said, looking the creature dead in the eye. "He's a big-time outlander," Miona said, stepping forward. Her face was calm, but her eyes blazed with intensity.
Her hands pushed the two problems apart and stood, covering Jar Jar. "I'd hate to see you diced before we race again," Anakin said.
"Don't touch me, girl! Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you," Sebulba said. Miona got in his face, "Over my dead body."
And even though Sebulba was scary-looking, he knew not to push his luck in front of Miona.
Sebulba snorted and soon began to walk away. Qui-Gon and Padme walked up to the two. "Hi," Ani said, making Miona wave at the two. She kept her eyes pinned on the Dug, ensuring he stayed far away.
"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo," Miona said, smirking at Anakin. Anakin giggled, but quickly fixed his composure, seeing as Jar Jar was friends with these strangers.
"He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba," Anakin said, looking at Jar Jar. Said creature flinched, hunkering down into himself.
"Mesa haten crunchen. Das da las ting mesa want," Jar Jar said, his eyes wide. Miona immediately calmed her aura, wanting to soothe the spooked creature.
"Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading into trouble," Qui-Gon shamed Jar Jar. "Thanks, my two friends," he said, turning away. Anakin immediately protested, making the older man turn.
"We'll show you guys around," Anakin offered, desperately wanting him to agree. Qui-Gon looked at Miona, who shrugged, though they both knew she wanted to learn more about them.
"Alright," Qui-Gon agreed, and everyone smiled and moved along.
The group was now at a little old woman's stand, buying some of her supplies. Miona looked worriedly at the old woman, but also the dark shadow slowly floating toward the area.
"Oh, my bones are aching," she said as she gathered her things. "Storm's coming up. You two better get home quick," she said, and Miona grabbed her arm to help her. She turned to look at the group, especially looking at Ani.
"Do any of you have shelter," she asked, partially putting her focus on helping the woman pack up. "We'll head back to our ship," Qui-Gon said, making both Skywalkers shake their heads.
"If it's in the outskirts, you won't make it in time. Ani, you take them back home, now," Miona said, lowering to her brother's height.
Anakin originally protested, but Miona put her finger to his lips. "I got this, Ani," she whispered.
"What about you," Padme asked, her voice holding an edge of worry. Miona smiled at the girl, "I'm going to make sure this woman gets back home safe. It's not the first time I've done this."
She grabbed the largest items, the effort barely there. Qui-Gon seemed to step forward but halted as she turned away.
"Ani, get them home in time," Miona ordered and turned to give one last smile. They then took their separate ways.
When she returned, she was covered with sand and had small scratches. Her face was slightly contorted with pain, but when she saw Qui-Gon standing nearby, she quickly fixed her face to a smile.
Even covered in scratchy pieces of sand, she still looked ethereal. Her hair was set in an intricate style, making it secure, no matter what her day entailed. Her aura glowed like the purest emeralds, with mystifying swirls of sage. It drew you in and made you want to listen to her.
"Hello, is supper almost ready," she asked, to which he shook his head, no. She nodded and bent down to take her boots off. She shook out as much sand as she could out of her boot, but didn't seem too worried about it.
She stood at the doorway, where a small mirror sat nearby on the wall, and proceeded to undo her hair. The hair flowed in ivory ringlets, framing her face in such an effortless way. She also decided to start picking at the sand that stuck to her face, her face sometimes wincing in pain due to little cuts.
The man near her didn't seem bothered by her presence but did seem to keep himself distanced away from the people in the home.
"It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace," Qui-Gon muttered into a small device, and Miona pretended not to notice.
She had begun to shake the rest of the sand off her clothes when she heard another man's voice. This one sounded younger, maybe her age, and with an accent. Foreign and thick was the accent, but his voice was smooth.
Something in her flickered, something she'd never felt before. And maybe it was the sand that flew in her ears, but her head raised to hear more of the smooth drawl.
"Either way, we're running out of time," Qui-Gon said back to him and ended the conversation. He looked over to Miona, fully unaware she'd been listening in.
"Are you coming," he asked, and she looked at him. The ringlets around her face bounced as she nodded, plastering a smile and greeting the others.
"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere," Shmi said, while she and Miona finished putting stuff on the table. "I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine and Miona's," Anakin said, making Miona ruffle his hair slightly.
Shmi and Miona sat in the last seats, Miona sitting closer to Qui-Gon. "Any attempt to escape-," Shmi started, pouring out the drinks.
"And they blow you up!" Anakin slapped the table, "Boom!" Jar Jar looked at the boy, "How wude!"
"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy," Padme started, "The Republic antislavery laws-"
"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Miona interrupted, though her tone was kind and patient. "We must survive on our own," Shmi said, taking Miona's hand.