Palpatine examined his boys critically. Anakin's nose was in danger of healing crooked, Maul favoring his right arm, a pale jut jarring against the black and red. The two were leaning heavily on each other, Anakin wincing with each breath, and not entirely because of his broken nose. Already, the medroid was moving forward to put the two of them back together. As usual, they were both grinning, exhilarated by the fight.
"Pathetic," Palpatine spoke finally, his harsh disapproval silencing all other sounds in the room. "I'm disappointed in both of you." The two shared a self-recriminating look before looking down. "I trust you will do better next time," he added coldly.
"Yes, Master," they chorused together. He turned away, ostensibly to exit, but really to hide his proud smile. His boys were doing well.