xxxii: Prison Cell Talk

                                    

                                          
Ahsoka groaned as she regained consciousness, feeling the full extent of her fall backwards. She opened her eyes and looked around. The room seemed to shake, and her eyes were having a hard time focusing. 
                          
Her arms were restrained above her, keeping her against the wall. Her shoulders burned from holding the weight of her body, as her feet were a few inches short of touching the ground.
                          
"Great," she muttered. "Just great."
                          
"Ahsoka!" 
                          
She blinked a few times, willing the dizziness to dissipate. Lux sat on the other side of the prison cell, but he didn't appear to be chained to the wall. He straightened his posture, and she couldn't help but notice his puffy eyes. 
                          
"How long was I out?" Ahsoka asked. "And where's Ventress? Don't tell me she ran off."
                          
He stood up and walked over to her side. "Long enough for me to worry," he said "Ventress should be here any minute. She said she'd find you and then get me out of here."
                          
Ahsoka swore under her breath. Trust had never come easily to her, and if relying on Ventress was the wrong call, she was never going to forgive herself.
                          
She gave Lux a once-over. He was a little pale, and his hands were shaking. "Are you okay?" she asked. 
                          
"A little banged up, but I'm fine. I'm a terrible liar, so it didn't take them long to figure out I was stalling. I'm sorry."
                          
"It's okay, Lux. These things happen sometimes." 
                          
She surveyed her surroundings. The room was relatively small, and the lights were dim. Unlike the other prison cells she'd seen, there was a metal door on the other side of the ray shield. There was a vent on the other side of the room, but she wasn't sure it was big enough for Lux to fit through. Her restraints were electric rather than metal, so she couldn't pick the lock. 
                          
That didn't leave many escape options left. 
                          
"So what's the plan?" Lux asked. "What do you usually do when something like this happens?"
                          
"Well, every situation is different. There's no one solution, Lux."
                          
Though her master's overbearing and protective nature felt unnecessary and uncalled for when she was younger, it did mean that she didn't often need to escape prison. She wasn't savvy enough to talk her way out like Master Kenobi, and she wasn't strong enough to force her way out like Anakin. In a situation like this, there was really only one option. 
                          
"We wait."
                          
He crossed his arms and began pacing in front of her. "Years of Jedi training and that's the best you come up with?"
                          
"Yeah, it is. Ventress will be here soon to get us out of this."
                          
"How can you trust her?" He scoffed. "She was a Separatist and a danger to the galaxy! People don't change that much."
                          
She smiled. "You did." 
                          
"I–" he stopped and turned to face her. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly. It wasn't often that she left him utterly speechless, and it never failed to make her smile. 
                          
He took a few steps forward and kissed her cheek. "Well, if patience is the plan, I can think of a few things to do while we wait."
                          
He slowly pressed his lips to hers, but this time, it was a more passionate than playful gesture. Regardless of the way her insides melted when he kissed her like that, she couldn't help but giggle. 
                          
"Lux, we are not doing this here!" she said between kisses. It was one thing to be affectionate when they were in private in his office or her quarters, but in prison? She was sure not even Anakin had gone that far.