Veesita straightened the knicknacks she had scattered about her desk.

She liked things to be neat. Tidy..

Though lately she was getting the feeling that things were not as neat or tidy as she would have them.

It had been a full two weeks and she had not seen hide nor horn of Lord Sarin.

Not that she expected to, oh no. She was just curious.

Since that night almost a month ago at the art review and business dinner, and since the morning he had stopped by her apartment to deliver her scarf and his beautiful, if not surprising, gift of apology, Veesita had not been able to take her mind off of him.

She felt like a foolish academy girl. Passing notes and whispering when cute boys passed.

In fact it was all very silly.

Veesita opened her palm, the red crystalline pin was resting in it, looking fierce and inviting.

She gazed at it, turning it to catch the light from the windows beside her desk.

Balie watching Veesita from her desk. She knew that look any where, and would be damned if she would be kept in the dark about where exactly her friend acquired a Vengali Mglath original, and from whom it came.

Balie seriously doubted that her friend even knew what it was, but it was apparent that it had been a gift.

Unfortunately, Veesita refused to divulge where she had gotten the expensive pin and insisted that it was nothing special.

The way she was looking at it now was a dead give away though, Balie smirked.

She opened a small compact mirror and checked her make up. She was still loving the gold look and had smeared gold atop each of her eyelids and her long dark lashes were glittering with the tiny bits she had sprinkled on to them that morning.

She had accented her look with blue sapphire earrings surrounded in gold and a necklace that hugged her collar and positively dripped in between her breasts.

Her head tails were tied together behind her shoulders with a blue scarf attached to a gold band that hugged her forehead in a traditional, though never out of date, style.

Balie snapped the compact closed, satisfied that she was the sexiest thing in the city, if not the planet, and turned her gaze again to Veesita.

"Its not going to disappear when you arent looking you know.." Balie called over to Veesita, thought she had been tempted to snatch the sparkling red bauble when she wasn't looking.. but just once.

"What?" Veesita closed her hand around the crystal and pulled it under the desk, looking up at Balie innocently. "Sorry I was just zoning I guess.."

Veesita pulled up the last thing she had been working on and tapped furiously against the screen, editing the immediately visible mistakes, and refusing to look over at Balie to see if she had fallen for her excuse.

The door of the office eased open and two young men entered.

Both Balie and Veesita looked up to greet their visitors.

The man on the left was dressed in a dark brown robe, his attire simple and clean. He had a jovial expression on his rugged, though clean young face.

The man on the right wore a slightly lighter color robe but was generally identical to his partner, though a bit younger perhaps and had the tell tail braid of a padawan falling from behind his ear.

Both had very green eyes and very white teeth.

Balie spoke first, rising from her chair and moving from behind her desk.

"Good afternoon Jedi! It is pleasure to have you in our office." Balie's eyes flashed.

She loved Jedi, especially young ones. She felt that they were a prize she had to fight to win. Their dedication to their masters, the force, and their way of life was just too much for her to turn down. She had wanted to break a Jedi of his celibate ways since she learned of them, and she was determined as ever to do so.

"Senator Palpatine will be available shortly, why don't you two gentlemen have a seat and make yourselves at home.." Balie motioned to the sofa's on either side of the room.

The pair nodded, flashing their bright smiles and thanking Balie as they sat.

Balie quickly joined them and began asking about their training.

The older Jedi answered most of her questions, nodding and generally being polite.

They identified themselves, the older as Malik and the younger as Deacon.

Malik leaned close to Balie as she tugged at his robe coyly, joking about something and 'accidentally' pressing her curvaceous body against him at every opportunity.

Veesita was hardly paying attention at that point. Her mind was half way between Lord Sarin, and the paper she was editing.

"That is a lovely trinket.." A soft voice chimed into Veesita's thoughts and forced her to come to reality.

She looked up, Balie and Malik were still deep in conversation, Balie quite obviously moving in on the Jedi, while he looked a bit uncomfortable though still pleasant, but Deacon was looking directly at her.

"Oh- thank you." Veesita's fingertips brushed the pin she had refastened to her blouse.

The young Jedi stood and walked closer to her. "I'm Deacon.." He stated this. Clearly expecting a response.

"Veesita." She replied averting her eyes back to her work.

Deacon leaned over her table, his hands resting at the edges.

"Having a rough day?" Deacon asked her, his green eyes resting on her face.

Veesita looked up, slightly perturbed.

"I'm sorry?"

"You just look a bit upset, and I'm sensing a lot of turmoil at the moment." Deacon's face was very matter of fact.

Veesita felt taken aback. "Well, I'm just fine thank you." She almost growled at the young man.

The Padawan was not deterred. "I don't know, you seem unhappy about something..I mean, I'm no psychic but uh..." He joked.

Veesita didn't smile.

She didn't like his humor, or his proud demanding appearance.

"Really I'm fine." Veesita turned her gaze to Malik and Balie.

Balie stood and sauntered to the pitcher of water and set of glasses they had set out for just such occassions.

"Balie, I think I'm going to take my lunch." Veesita pushed herself back from her desk and stood, straightening her skirt.

Balie glanced at her and poured three glasses of water.

"No problem, I don't mind entertaining our guests... alone." Balie turned with the tray of glasses in her hand and walked back to the sofa.

Her walk had turned sultry, letting her curves do the talking. Malik did indeed watch her with very attentive eyes.

"Perhaps I should accompany her? For her safety of course." Deacon spoke up, looking at his Master with innocent eyes.

Malik merely nodded, his eyes not leaving Balie as she leaned over to hand him his glass and look up at him with her heavily lashed eyes.

"Of course, there's no need for you to be here for this meeting any way. Go ahead, and be careful." Malik took the glass and smiled at his hostess.

Balie smiled back. Perhaps her days of hunting down a Jedi were over, she thought.

"No! really I don't need protecting, I'm just going to the canteena merely minutes from here really-" Veesita protested looking at her friend with pleading eyes.

Balie waved a manicured hand.

"Nonsense, it would be good for you not to lunch alone any way.. You're always running into trouble, and that canteena is known for ruffians." Balie glared at Veesita. She would clobber her if she didn't take this padawan away so she could pounce on his master.

Deacon looked triumphant and turned to Veesita. "Shall we?" He bowed at the waist and motioned to the door.

Veesita groaned softly, threw the loose corner of her scarf around her shoulder and marched out the door, hardly waiting for the young padawan to follow her out.

The canteena wasn't busy, in fact, there were only three customers there when Veesita and Deacon arrived via transport.

Veesita had refused to entertain small talk while they were being brought to their destination, though Deacon had tried his best, short of using the force to cause her to speak up.

She moved to a small table set against a large window that looked down on the city.

Deacon sat across from her and cleared his throat noisily.

"So... whats good here?" He asked, pressing the button for the holo-menu.

"Well, I guess it depends on your diet." Veesita shifted in her seat to look out the window.

"I prefer the manclara joots and a baked morf muffin. But I suppose its up to you." She caught a glint of her pin in the window and smiled slightly.

"Alright I'll give it a go!" Deacon waved over a droid and placed the order.

"And to drink?" He asked before letting the droid go.

"Bunga Melon Juice.." Veesita set her hands in her lap, examining her long but slightly unkempt nails.

Deacon relayed the order and included a water for himself, then turned his attention to the young Omwali woman across from him.

"So what do you do at the senate?" He asked casually.

"I'm the secondary assistant to Senator Palpatine." Veesita glanced at Deacon, his green eyes were fixed on her.

It made her uncomfortable really. He seemed so intent, and she couldn't shake the feeling of being felt up my his Jedi force using ways.

"Why would the senator need two assistants?" He asked her, thanking the droid as he brought their drinks.

Veesita frowned and flashed her eyes at him. "because he's a very important political figure and cannot afford to have anything go awry." She snapped.

Deacon laughed putting his hands up submissively.

"No insult intended! I was just curious."

She turned her head to the window again, focusing on a small fender bender that seemed to have taken place a few flights down from their position.

Why did he have to join her, she was looking forward to a quiet lunch away from people. Away from distraction, where she could day dream in silence.

The thought made her giggle momentarily.

Deacon's eyes lit up.

"Whats the joke?" He leaned in inquisitively.

"What? oh- nothing I was just thinking.." Veesita shook her head, her hair glistening in the natural light from the window.

"Come on.." Deacon made a pouty face.

She glanced at him. Even though he was annoying he did have a very convincing pouty face, and he truly was a handsome young man.

His face was oval, still carrying hints of his adolescent youth but with the sharp eyes and strong jaw of the man he was becoming.

He kept his face shaven but there was a hint of stubble that gave his olive skin a pleasing shade.

Deacon had dark chestnut brown hair, and it laid floppily across his brow.

His exposed arms and hands, now resting across his chest, were well formed muscular and tan.

Even if he did give her the heeby jeebies, she had to admit, he was handsome.

"I'm just amused at myself.." Veesita began, surprised even at herself. "I am not the type to moon or daydream but lately I've found myself in my own little world." She paused, gauging his reaction and finding it curious and un-offending. "I don't really know what to do with it all I suppose. I feel like I should be more focused on my work. On my adult-ness." She looked down at her nails again. She really must ask Balie how she kept her nails so polished and neat.

"Well, in my experience, one should never lose that sense of wonder.." Deacon cocked his head to the side, his hair shifting slightly.

"I mean, I'm not old by any means but I couldn't imagine a day with out having a day dream. Even though the Jedi way is very 'here and now' I still feel it is essential to a healthy balance." He reached up and brushed his hair away from his forehead, green eyes fixed on Veesita.

Veesita looked at Deacon for the first time. Really looked at him.

He wasn't so bad.. maybe a bit bold, and certainly proud, but he seemed to actually be nice.

"Your lunch." The droid waiter appeared beside them, setting their plates before them. "Will there be anything else?"

Veesita shook her head and Deacon thanked the droid.

She picked up her fork and began to eat, she didn't really have much of an appetite when she started but it seemed that it had returned to her.

"Oh wow, this truly is fantastic!" Deacon gushed as he tried each piece of his meal. "You certainly have good taste."

Veesita smiled "Well I do love food. I swear if I hadn't gone into politics, I would have become a chef."

The meal continued pleasantly, their conversation was light and as they finished Deacon got a call on his transmitter.

The meeting had finished and he needed to get back and join his master.

As the two arrived at the senate building Deacon took Veesita's hand and pressed it to his lips.

"It was a pleasure, thank you for allowing me to join you."

Veesita, blushing, permitted his lips to linger on her hand for a moment and then pulled away.

"Well thank you for coming, it turned out, having a lunch partner isn't so bad.." She turned to move into the building just as Malik opened the door.

He looked a little disheveled but very pleased.

"You're meeting went well I take it?" Deacon called from the transport to his master, his green eyes flashing. Malik just hurried his padawan into the transport and they pulled away from the docking bay.

Veesita cocked her brow and smiled at the departing transport. Perhaps Balie had gotten what she wanted.

She was looking forward to hearing all about it.

Turning, she loosened her scarf from her neck a bit and moved to enter the building.

There, just past the door was a dark figure. The hood was drawn up but a pair of yellow eyes burned from the darkness beneath it.

Lord Sarin! Her heart leapt into her throat

The figure turned and disappeared into the dark hall behind him.

The tint of the door made it impossible to see where he had gone and Veesita rushed into the building hoping to catch the figure.

The hallway was empty.

She ran down the hall, looking into the adjacent offices.

No sign of the Lord anywhere.

Veesita frowned, surely he couldn't have just disappeared..

As she boarded the lift to return to her office a thought entered her mind.

Had Lord Sarin seen Deacon and Veesita exit the transport? Had he seen the handsome insistent young man kiss her hand?

Veesita's head was spinning as she stepped off the lift and walked to her office.