"Oh.."
Amalia's gaze had been centered on Jensen as he spoke, the rapid temperature drop suddenly coming to cast a small shiver down her spin.
Her gaze drifted somewhat away from Jensen to look at the wide-open spaced area that was before him.
"Okay then," she said softly after an instant, though her tone didn't sound all that convincing.
"You should probably choose the spot then," she said, looking from the ground back up at him rather quickly.
Jensen took no more but a minute or two to scan the area before finding a spot that looked suitable enough to him. Amalia wasn't sure how the man had come about choosing a place, nothing within the wide tunnel really stuck out. Just pure wide-open space.
She agreed with his choice instantly as he came to point out his desired spot, she could not find any reason not to disagree with him.
Amalia didn't move at first, hesitant. It took a bit of coaxing on Jensen's part to get Amalia to lie upon the smooth cold rock covered floor, Jensen having already spread his body across the floor as if he were used to such conditions.
Amalia, on the other hand, lowered herself onto the ground much more slowly, the front of her body eventually coming to face Jensen.
They lie facing one another, though for a moment at a fair distance apart. She remembered they needed to keep warm. Since Amalia had been the last to lie down, naturally it was her place to close the gab between them.
Amalia still couldn't bring herself to move closer to the man. In truth, she hoped to just avoid what she considered awkward confrontation. She did not know this man, yet she was supposed to sleep rather close to him so that she may keep herself warm. He was a stranger, and that was what made this so awkward to her.
Nonetheless, she needed him for warmth just as much as she suspected he needed hers.
He gently called out her name, reminding her of the coldness of the place. She needed no reminding, but rather, a moment to decide.
"I know," she said rather quietly, perhaps too quietly.
She counted to ten as she held her breath, releasing the small amount of air from her lips as she slowly began to crawl toward Jensen, filling the rest of the gap between each other.
Her right hand lightly came to grasp his right arm, which was sprawled slightly outwards in front of him.
"I'm here now," she said, coming to rest her head upon the upper area of his arm; the rest of his arm coming to support her neck and shoulders as she lain down beside him.
She felt her body tense up as her head rested against his arm; she raised her head briefly, a few times in fact, repositioning her head against his arm. She found that she could not relax herself no matter what she did or how she lay.
She saw him shiver, seeing him shiver only reminded her of what remained for her to do. Slowly yet cautiously the woman brought her right arm over and down to rest across his upper body.
They shivered in unison.
"S.. Sorry," she said shakily, trying to reposition her arm again, unsure if she had disturbed the man or not.
She lay there a long while. Neither saying a word to each other. She was quick to close her eyes, but sleep did not come to her, nothing did except for the fast rhythmic sensation of Jensen's own heartbeat. Her own heart seemed to be an extension of Jensen's, pumping in the same fast motion.
She was surprised to find herself coming to relax; finally, her body falling to a more lose and light state.
"Good night, Jensen.. Sweet dreams," she whispered, a soft small smile falling to her lips as she tried to drift off to sleep.
Yet she found that she could not sleep, even with her body and mind in what was supposed to be tranquility, she could not sleep.
She could not sleep because her mind would not let her.
Her thoughts drifted to home, on Naboo, where her people were. Her friends and her family.
The Jedi, the allies, and the citizens of Naboo...
She wondered how they were faring without her. Who out of the thousands of casualties that were rumored to be lost, had actually survived?
She'd left not knowing if the war had ended, and if it had ended, how had it come to its final end.
Her students...
She'd run from all of them. Who exactly was taking to look after them now without her guidance and support?
She wondered how she was to ever face her students again? How was she supposed to explain to them about something she couldn't even begin to explain herself? Would any of them come to understand? She missed them.
Her children and family....
Were they safe, in good hands?
Lono
She feared for Lono's safety the most. Perhaps it was because of who the boy's father was. Malice. She knew, without a doubt, that with her presence missing, Malice would go looking for their son. He would try and take Lono from her.
Would she ever be able to see him again?
Please.. just keep him safeShe pleaded privately, knowing that Malice could not hear her.
Alexander and Alexandria..
Who was seeing after the twins? She didn't believe that the nanny was looking after them any longer, so who was? Cole possible? One of the Jedi? Warren...
Warren...
Amalia's own heart seemed to cry at just the very thought of her husband. Sadness filled her. He'd been gone for so long now, she wondered if he would even return again.
Just where was he? Was he safe? Alive or dead?
He'd promised to never leave her, to always be by her side. It wasn't like Warren to break a promise.
What has happened to you?
The woman had her suspicions. There was something she was not willing to admit to herself, but still believed.
Thinking about Warren made Amalia think of that mysterious masked man that she had found within the café. Everything on the man's face had appeared hidden except for his eyes and lips.
She had recognized those eyes.. from some place. She had yet to truly figure out where.
The fact of the matter was, Warren was gone.
Her heart still ached with pain and misery.
His children needed him.
She needed him...
Anger.
In a time of need. At a time when she struggled inside herself, searching, torn between the darkness and light. Warren was not to be found.
His promise... what did it mean right now?
She fought back the tears as her mind continued to wander on to other matters of importance to her.
Leia
Strong and sturdy Leia Organa.
How much Amalia aspired to be like her Master. She was, in Amalia's opinion, the optimum of what a Jedi stood for.
A patient and wise mentor.
Brave and.... immaculate.
I can't see you..
Amalia always pushed to look past the strong and sturdy solid form that was Leia Organa, her mentor and friend.
Strong. Sturdy. Brave. Immaculate Leia Organa.
Leia was right, Amalia did not understand why Leia could not and would not fully open up to her. She wanted to know why.
I wish I knew..
... but only Leia knew why.
She had tried to explain, and she had said that Amalia didn't have to understand why. Leia was not able to explain and believed that an explanation could not be presented.
She wanted Amalia to accept things as they were.
Her mind and her inner being were the very essence of who she was.
Fear.
She feared the idea of not being able to get past the masked wall of invincibility that Leia, however intentional or not, presented to her.
The truth was, Amalia could already clearly see past that wall. She could easily find everything that was Leia.
What Leia didn't know was that Amalia had no choice but to take those things, that of which Leia thought she hid away from her by way of mask.
She didn't want to take Leia's spirit and mind just because she could. No, she wanted more than anything for Leia to set aside that wall of invincibility and be the person Amalia secretly already knew. She did not want to be made to feel like everything she knew about Leia was one big secret.
She didn't want the loopholes. Amalia just wanted Leia to be completely who she was when around her.
No more would Leia feel Amalia's negative backlash.
Amalia was still there for the Jedi, and she would always be there for as long as Leia would allow her to be.
Within the inner depths of her mind, something or someone tugged at her.
Jensen and Amalia were not alone.
