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"Charity"
"Anakin! I've been looking all over for you!"
Anakin Skywalker inwardly groaned as he heard his Master's voice. He turned to his right and faced Obi-Wan as the older Jedi came up to him.
"How did you find me, Master?"
"Dex. He said you had one too many Corellian ales and let it slip that you were going to a charity auction. He gave me directions to this building, I followed the posted signs about the auction to this room, and then I sensed you were over here. And from what I smelled when you spoke to me just now, Dex wasn't lying about the drinking either, I see."
Anakin felt his face flush at the disapproval he heard in Obi-Wan's voice. He had been drinking, it was true, but only so he could get his courage up. Tonight's charity auction would be auctioning off dates with some of the Galactic Senators to the highest bidders. Chancellor Palpatine had told Anakin that Senator Amidala would be one of the Senators being bidded on, and since Anakin was not someone who would turn down supporting a good cause, he had left the Temple, gone to Dex's, and then come here.
In fact, from where he was standing at the back of the crowded room of beings attending the auction, he had been staring raptly at Senator Amidala, who had just come onto the stage at the front of the room. He had been about to bid on her when Obi-Wan had found him. Now, he listened with one ear to the auctioneer announcing the lead bids while with the other, he concentrated on Obi-Wan.
"I see that you intend to bid," Kenobi was saying, nodding to the numbered paddle
Anakin held in his hand, "but tell me, Padawan, just where are you getting the credits to support your plan?"
Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and looked expectantly at Anakin for an answer.
"I have some credits saved up, and Senator Palpatine offered to take care of the rest for me. He said it's okay since it's for charity and—"
"Padawan, I am not going to let you use your own or anyone else's credits to have a night of fun when you should be at the Temple readying yourself for our next…mission!"
Obi-Wan punctuated the last word of his sentence by wrestling Anakin's bidding paddle away from him. As he held it out of his apprentice's reach, he was startled to find a spotlight suddenly trained on him, momentarily blinding him.
"And sold, for ten thousand credits to bidder number 519," the announcer said over the speaker system.
In unison, Obi-Wan and Anakin looked up at the number on the paddle. In large black digits, the number 519 was written on it.
The two Jedi quickly snapped their attention back to the auction floor when a figure came out of the crowd to meet them.
"Master Kenobi, this is a surprise. I have you to thank for that contribution to charity? And Anakin, how lovely to see you again." Senator Amidala looked back and forth between Obi-Wan and Anakin, her eyebrows raised as she waited for a response of some kind from either one of them.
Kenobi cleared his throat while Anakin's shoulders slumped in disappointment. He had been hoping to win a date with Padmé, and now, of all people, his Master would be taking her out! Skywalker perked up, however, when he heard Obi-Wan's reply to the former Queen.
"I'm afraid that there has been a misunderstanding, m'lady. If you'll excuse me, perhaps I could talk to the auctioneer and let someone else take you out…"
Padmé cocked her head a little to one side, unable to help feeling offended at Obi-Wan's comment.
"Are you uncomfortable spending time with me, Master Kenobi?" she asked somewhat stiffly.
"No, m'lady, but—"
"Are you ashamed to be seen with me?"
:"Of course not…"
"Then what is the problem?"
"I—" Obi-Wan broke off, at a loss for what to say.
Kenobi had never looked so discomfited to Anakin in his life, and the young man was a little pleased to see it.
"Don't worry, Master," the apprentice smoothly reassured him. "You can take Padmé out tonight. I'll go back to the Temple and tell the Council that we're going to have to postpone our next mission for a day or so...on account of your date."
He grinned at the look Obi-Wan shot him, and Padmé couldn't quite smother the laugh that escaped her.
"That's very gracious of you, Ani. Thank you."
She reached out and gave Anakin's arm a squeeze, making his eyes light up.
"You're welcome. I'd better go talk to Chancellor Palpatine about the matter of the donation too. I'll see you later."
He waved to them both as he disappeared into the crowd, trying not to laugh at the look of helplessness he saw on Obi-Wan's face.
Padmé smiled at the Jedi Knight as well, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.
He looked down at her, a little bewildered.
"Yes, m'lady?"
"Shall we go? I'd like to get something to eat, if you don't mind."
He nodded dumbly, allowing her to go ahead of him on their way out of the room.
They rode the lift down to the ground floor of the skyscraper in silence, Padmé idly looking out the glass walls of the lift at the night lights of Coruscant while Obi-Wan tried to think of something to say to her. As they exited the lift, he finally thought of something. "Where would you like to eat?" he asked as she preceded him out of the building.
"How does a café sound? It's too late to get a full meal anywhere, but I'll settle for some sweetcake and a cup of jawa juice." She glanced at Kenobi, only to find him staring at her. "What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just never imagined Senators eating dessert and drinking jawa juice before."
She smiled. "Well, I've never imagined Jedi Knights doing so either, so I suppose that makes us even. There's a café right around the corner from here," she added.
They turned left and began walking down the street.
Obi-Wan had found himself relaxing with the banter he had exchanged with Padmé, so he decided to continue it. "Just out of curiosity," he began, "what exactly did you think the Jedi lived off of?"
The Senator shrugged her shoulders, the informal gesture surprising him. "Protein bars and gruel?" she offered.
He couldn't help but grin. "You wouldn't be wrong," he admitted, "but we also… supplement our diet with many other kinds of food and drink, including sweetcake and jawa juice."
"That's good to know, Master Kenobi. Tell me, what did you think Senators lived off of?"
His grin faded. "I don't think I should answer that question," he said slowly.
"Why not?" she asked, and then laughed at what she thought was the reason for his reluctance. "If you're worried about the company you're in, I promise I won't take offense."
Despite her reassurance, he still hesitated before replying, wanting to find a balance between venting his dislike for politicians and being tactful in the Senator's company. Finally, he said, "Well, you would probably call them 'campaign contributions,' but I would call them… something else."
Padmé glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, having picked up on his tone.
"You mean bribes," she said.
The brunette shook her head in disbelief.
"Do you really think all politicians are that corrupt, Obi-Wan?"
They rounded the corner.
"You promised you wouldn't be offended," he reminded her.
He held open the door to the café for her, but she refused to go inside and simply stood before him, wanting to continue the argument.
"Answer me," she demanded. "Do you believe that every politician in the Senate is corrupt and selfish?"
He stared at her for a moment, but the hurt and anger he saw in her eyes made him lower his gaze to the ground.
"No," he softly admitted. He added in a louder voice, raising his eyes to meet hers again, "I know there are some politicians who still use their positions to do good. I know there are some politicians who care more about the people's welfare than about their own." He smiled at her, a warm, gentle smile. "Politicians like you, Padmé."
"Then why do you judge all politicians in general as being greedy and immoral?" she grumbled, though her anger was already fading at the smile he gave her.
"I'm too cynical for my own good sometimes, I'm afraid. I apologize. Now, will you please go inside? My arm is getting tired holding open this door for you."
She laughed at that and walked past him inside the café.
Obi-Wan followed her in, and they sat down at a table for two. As they looked over the short menu list of drinks and desserts, Obi-Wan looked up and caught Padmé's eye.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I was just thinking that an argument is not the best way to start a date. Not that this is a date," he added quickly. "It's just…this should be an enjoyable time for us."
Padmé nodded. "I agree," she said civilly, "especially since I'm doing this out of charity."
Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in confusion at her last words. "You mean you are doing this forcharity?"
"Nope." Padmé grinned. "I am doing this out of charity—charity for you. When was the last time, excluding tonight, that you left the Temple?"
"I left there last week—"
"And you weren't on a mission," she further stipulated.
Kenobi now fell silent.
Padmé returned to concentrating on her menu, lowering her face to hide her smile.
She then had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when she heard Obi-Wan mutter to himself, "I need to get out more."
A waiter arrived to take their orders and soon returned with their drinks and desserts.
As Padmé picked up her fork to try her sweetcake, she looked up at Obi-Wan again.
"I'm glad it's just the two of us here," she admitted. "I…feel like each of us often spends time with Anakin, but not with each other. So this is nice."
Obi-Wan took a sip of his jawa juice and nodded.
"It is," he agreed softly.
They spent the next few hours relaxing in each other's company, leisurely eating their dessert and sipping their jawa juice. Sometimes, they chatted; other times, they sat in silence, but always, they enjoyed the new camaraderie that existed between them.