Chapter 7: Homecoming, Part 2

This chapter's mostly about Mirialans, Anakin, and Padme.

By the time Luminara and Barriss had reached the school, music was already making the ground thud underneath their feet.

Nara turned to her cousin, whose eyes were eagerly flitting around, and said, "Take off your cloak."

The girl turned to her, confused. "What?"

"Take it off. If you dance, you won't need it. Just tie it around your waist-" and here she demonstrated by doing it for Barriss herself, then rolled up her sleeves and pulled the pins out of her hair.

"Oh, so that's why you look like that," her cousin realized, referring to Luminara's own rolled-up sleeves and loose hair.

She smiled, then stepped into the area of lights and people, bringing Barriss by the arm gently.

"Nara! Come join us!"

She turned at Taé's voice, waving goodbye to her fellow Mirialan, then went over to the É Society.

"Hello," Padmé Amidala said politely, arm linked with her date, Anakin Skywalker.

Since when did Amidala talk to her?

"Hello," she answered, then turned to the much more interesting sophomore. "Skywalker, have you found any good Coruscanti-sector restaurants lately?"

His eyes lit up and he practically jerked his arm away from Amidala, who started glaring at her. Luminara chose to ignore the scandalized expressions and gasps that came from most of the É Society (including Taé, but really, did she have to care?)

"You have no idea, Nara." At this Amidala's glare grew even more intense. "I went exploring with Ahsoka and my mom during the summer, and we found this little hole-in-the-wall named Dex's Diner-"

"Hey girls. Skywalker."

She decided to also ignore Gree in favor of listening to Anakin babble about Dex's ice cream, but no, he had to grab her attention.

"Hey, Nara."

And then he swept Taé away to dance. The gaggle of girls that had been sticking around Padmé moved to coo over them, dragging a protesting Skywalker in their wake.

So somehow, in the throbs of the song and surrounded by so many people, she managed to feel alone.

OooOooO

Barriss found Ahsoka quickly enough- she was on Lux's arm, smiling and injecting humor into a group of rich kids' conversation.

"Barriss! I'm glad you could make it," Riyo said, beaming at her.

Her date, Echo, randomly chose that time to say, "Don't drink the punch."

Everyone stared at him. "What?" Bonteri asked.

"Fives just spiked it," he answered quietly. "As of right now. So the cups you're holding should be fine."

"I was done anyways, so it doesn't matter," a Rodian said, throwing his plastic cup on the field.

Barriss watched the punch fly all over the artificial turf, mouth opening in shock.

"What are you looking at?" the Rodian hissed at her, annoyed.

"N-Nothing."

"Then dance with me," he commanded, stretching out his hand.

Thankfully, Ahsoka decided to stop him then and there. "Leave Barriss alone!" Eyes blazing, she moved forward and off her date's arm, Riyo quickly following.

It seemed like a millennia before the green-skinned alien backed down under her friends' glares.

"Offee!"

She turned in the direction of the shout, glad for a distraction. Coming towards her was Fives, Echo's twin. He flirted with her way too much, but she liked him well enough.

"Hello," she said, trying not to smile as he winked at Ahsoka, causing Bonteri to regard him like he was some disgusting animal.

"Lookin' gorgeous, Pantora," this was directed at Riyo, who was rolling her eyes at him, and he hooked Barris' arm with his.

In spite of herself, she giggled.

"Look, Mirial," Fives said as he moved away from the group, bringing her along. "A lot of the stuffy Senatorial candidates want to do some waltzes, but that requires instruments. Cody has his cello for some random reason, but we were only able to scrape up a violin for a second part and Obi-Wan's too drunk to do anything-" (here Barriss was sure the cause of his drunkenness was the punch.) "-Do you think you could play?"

That was her element, playing an instrument. "Are you kidding me? Of course!"

But wait, why was her heart swelling up in her chest- not from pride, not from eagerness to play music, but because Cody wanted to play a waltz with her?

"I thought you couldn't play the violin, though," he muttered, confused.

"Doesn't matter," she said, dismissing his concerns. "I played it once, I can play it again."

"Whatever you say."

OooOooO

"No, no, go back!" Padmé exclaimed, laughing as Anakin nearly stepped on her foot again.

"Sorry," he said, smiling brightly as he randomly turned her, completely off beat.

"Oh, Ani." But her tone was lighthearted as the first part of the waltz finally finished, and Cody and Barriss dived into another movement. Instead of the stiff music she would have been expected to waltz to, they were playing a folk song.

And how she loved folk dances.

Apparently Anakin recognized it too, because he immediately stepped back and started moving his feet perfectly.

"I always forget what this one's called," he shouted over the din, barely avoiding a giggling Riyo Chuchi, who was spinning under Echo Fett's upraised arm.

"It's a Zeltronian foursquare," she yelled back, dipping into a quick curtsy before launching into a matching series of steps.

Anakin threw his head back and laughed, but realized what he was doing quickly enough to twirl her around twice, giving her a perfect view of Fives and Ahsoka doing a mismatched salsa to the twangs of the violin.

Padmé was immediately pressed flush against him afterwards, grinning straight up at him as they moved in sync to the left and the right and the front and the back.

Then they switched partners, and suddenly Padmé was the one dancing the salsa with- wait, a drunk Ahsoka?- and then back to the foursquare with a quick-footed Gree Fett- and then she was in Anakin's arms again, flushed and having probably the best time of her life.

The foursquare ended, Barriss practically throwing her instrument down in pure exhaustion, Cody grinning like a madman as he raised his bow triumphantly; Gree with Taé somehow piggybacking on his shoulders; Luminara, who had been frowning, laughing as a drunk Obi-Wan dipped her, almost dropping her; Rabé and Sabé curtsying gallantly to each other; Ahsoka and Fives both clutching a rose they'd produced from somewhere between their teeth; and of course, her and Ani.

"That was amazing!" she screamed, breaking the sudden silence, and everyone laughed.

Thank you so much to my one reviewer for the last chapter :) Could I have some more please?

~jedikhaleesi