Warning: Drug use, implied sex and non-descript nudity in the following chapter.

AN: Sorry for the slow update and poor quality of this chapter…I was a little uninspired. But it sure is long.

I spent the whole night at the cremation ceremony that went almost until dawn. The Gungans held their own funerals at the swamp. I slept for a few hours afterward, and then quickly helped the townspeople prepare the city for the Festival. They were supposed to have had their New Year festival the week before, but due to the occupation by the Federation Army, they were unable to. Thus, Queen Amidala decided to hold the festival now, adding the joy of a victory celebration to the mix.

I now stand at the base of the steps to the Palace, to the right of the Queen and Governor Sio Bibble. To the Queen's left is Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, and then Captain Panaka. To my right stands Obi, Padawan braid gone, his hands folded in his sleeves like mine are. On the other side of him is Anakin, his hair cut short with the exception of a short braid now falling from his neck. He has his hands folded in front of himself, and his brow is furrowed as he watches everything taking place.

A grand parade is proceeding up the streets of the city toward the palace, largely composed of the Gungans. Their leader, Boss Nass, walks up to the Queen and the Governor, and takes the offered globe of peace, heisting it high up into the air over his head. The gathered crowds cheer; the two great societies have come to an agreement of peace.

I feel rather distanced from the whole thing, probably because of the aftershock of the cremation ceremonies. I've watched friends die many times, but rarely so many. I knew more than half of those burned last night. I knew almost all of those who actually died in battle. Many of those at the ceremony had died in the camps. The part that tugs at my heart the most, however, is their age. Few of the soldiers had seen their eighteenth birthday. Most of them were younger than I. In fact, Jase was probably the oldest there, at twenty two years old.

I suppose I shouldn't be so concerned about their age; Nubians grow rather differently than the rest of us. They are considered adults at age 13. Not only are they as mature as an 18-year-old then, but they are also physically grown. They grow rapidly until they reach 13, and then the aging process slows down incredibly for the next few decades. It shocked me at first, learning that the queen was only 13 at the time I arrived. She was young for a Queen, but she was wiser than most thirty-year-olds I know. Jase often reminded me of the Jedi Masters; he was a sage, despite the fact that he was only twenty two. And now he's gone.

I turn my attention back to the Queen as she speaks. "Our Gungan brethren are invited to join us in our Festival. And without further ado…" The Queen reaches up and removes her headdress, symbolizing that she is no longer assuming the role of Queen. During the Festival, everybody is considered equal, regardless of age or rank. "Let the festivities begin!"

More whoops and cheers go up as the crowd becomes a large mess of people, all laughing, dancing and singing. A band strikes up somewhere, and the smell of cooking food wafts through the air.

The Queen leads Boss Nass into the crowd, and the handmaidens disperse. A group of children walks by, and Anakin looks up at Obi, who laughs.

"Yes, Anakin, you may go play now."

Anakin grins and rushes off.

I look down at my Jedi robes, and twist my mouth. These heavy things are nothing to wear to a festival. I turn to Obi. "I'm going to go change. You might want to get out of these heavy robes, too."

He nods. "Good idea."

We head into the Palace, and then part to our rooms. I return to the room I kept as head of the Queen's security. Since I left Naboo under pretense that I would come back, most of my old clothes are still in the closet. I change into a light dress, much relieved to get the heavy brown fabric off, and let my hair down. I kick my boots out of the way, and glance down at the sandals in the bottom of the closet. Nah.

I walk barefoot to the entrance of the Palace and look outside. The crowds are laughing and dancing, celebrating with gusto. I step out into the warm sunshine and smile at memories of the Festival last year. Several of the guards took it upon themselves to teach me the local songs and dances. I was quite clumsy at them, but I practiced a lot. My legs were exhausted by the end of that day.

I walk out into the streets, and make my way across the main avenue and into the residential districts. There are just as many people in the streets here, and more children. I head towards the Toanq'el house, and stop several feet away as E'Riq emerges from it. He isn't leaning on a crutch anymore; my healing must have helped a lot. He smiles and tilts his head up toward the sun, closing his eyes. I notice the small white flowers braided into his hair. Each family has their own way of dressing up for the Festival, and each family member does that every year. Some have special scarves or shoes, others have jewelry, others yet wear certain make-up. E'Riq's family braids the small white flowers growing in their fields into their hair. I personally like it a lot; it suites the nature of the Festival well.

E'Riq opens his eyes and looks around, his gaze finally coming to rest on me. We simply stand and look at each other for a minute, and then he starts to smile just a little bit. I can feel the corners of my lips moving as his smile grows, and we both start grinning at each other. The grin becomes a laugh, and I tilt by head back to the sun again. This is one of the fest feelings in the universe. Being alive. And better yet: being alive together.

I start walking to him, and he gestures for me to hurry over.

"Come here, I want to give you something."

I follow him to his porch where several members of his family are sitting. I smile and greet them, and they greet me warmly in response. I approach his great-grandmother and pat her slightly-gnarled hand. "How are you doing, today, Ladnal?"

The woman puts her other hand over mine. The flowers almost blend into her white hair, giving her the appearance of wearing a lacey cap. "Wonderful. Simply wonderful." Her eyes twinkle and she looks at E'Riq. "Well go on, ask her."

I look at E'Riq and he blushes slightly.

"Zanni, I was wondering if…well…if we could adopt you for today." He picks up a bowl that was sitting by Ladnal's chair, and holds it for me to see into. It's filled with small, white flowers.

I can't help but grin. "Really?"

He nods. "I just thought it might be nice for you to, you know, fully partake in the festival."

Ladnal's hands clamp down on mine. "Well, is it yes or no?"

I laugh. "Yes, of course! Thank you very much."

She raps my wrist in mock disapproval. "I think the honor should be ours, taking in the great Jedi hero Zanni!"

What? Hero? I look at E'Riq inquisitively, and he nods. "You and Obi-Wan are rather highly regarded around here now, as is little Anakin. I still can't believe that he managed to blow up the droid control ship!"

I had heard something briefly about that, but hadn't given it much thought until now. Anakin single-handedly blew up the ship. Even for a Jedi, that is a pretty impressive feat for a nine-year-old.

Ladnal's voice snaps me back. "Well don't just stand there, let's get these flowers in her hair!"

E'Riq guides me to sit in a chair while he starts to braid in the delicate flowers.

Ladnal clucks her tongue. "You'll be here all day at that rate. Let me help you." She picks up a flower and starts working it in as fast as her arthritic hands will let her, which isn't very fast.

A little girl comes over, and I recognize her as E'Riq's sister. "Riq, can I help?"

"Of course, I can use all the help I can get. Just look at how much hair we've got to cover!"

I soon find myself with three pairs of hands braiding flowers into my hair. I look around at the celebration going on in the streets. Sometimes I really question if the Jedi life is what I want.

-------------------

I come out of my room, having changed into a lighter tunic, and wait near the entrance of the palace for Zanni. One of the handmaidens walks by, having changed as well, and smiles at me.

"If you're waiting for Zanni, I think I saw her walk out into the Festival already."

I thank her and she leaves, joining the crowd outside. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I don't want to be here. I'd much rather be at the Temple, on my meditation pad or working on lightsaber technique. Actually, I don't think I even want to be there. When I picture the walls of the rooms in the Temple, I picture Qui-Gon being there. I spent every day of most of my life with him, and now suddenly…he's gone.

The only connection I have to him now is through the Force, though I don't know how to initiate contact with him. I suppose I'll learn after hours and hours of meditation. Right now I take a deep breath and close my eyes, focusing just on the Force itself, feeling it surging through my veins. I slowly feel a warm sense of well-being, and smile. Qui-Gon's there all right.

I open my eyes again, feeling slightly better, and walk down the temple steps into the crowd. I look around, not quite sure what to do, when I feel a light hand on my shoulder. I turn my head to see the handmaiden Dormé smiling at me.

"You look rather lost, Jedi Kenobi."

I smile back, relieved to have someone I at least kind of know. "Please, just call me Obi-Wan."

"Very well then, Obi-Wan. Would you like someone to guide you through the Festival?"

"I would like that very much."

She nods her head and walks past me. "Very well, follow me."

I obey, and she explains the history of the New Year Festival, and a lot of the various rituals. I notice a group of people all wearing the same violet sashes, and ask her about it.

"Oh, that's one of our oldest traditions. It's quite lovely really. Each family has its own little way of dressing up for the Festival. That family wears purple sashes, and over there you can see some wearing the same jewel bracelets."

I look around and notice a pattern of people wearing identical clothes or jewelry.

She continues, "That tradition has changed a little bit. Over the years, it has been used for marriage proposals."

I blink at her. "For what?"

She giggles a little. "Well, as of late, one way of proposing marriage to someone is to offer the other their family's little get-up. If the other wears it, it's a sign that they accept. It makes sense; it's like accepting someone into your family, which is what marriage is."

I nod. It makes sense. "So what does your family do?"

Dormé brushes her hair back and indicates an elaborate ornament wrapped around the shell of her ear. It appears to be made of gold, and has several gems set in it. Her family is quite wealthy.

"It's beautiful," I compliment.

She nods her head. "Thank you. We make them ourselves." She stops walking and indicates the group of skipping and twirling people in front of her. "This is one of our favorite dances, the Sham-Baat. Would you like me to teach you the steps?"

I'm about to politely decline when something stops me. I don't get many opportunities to do anything…fun…so why not? "Sure," I say tentatively. "Though I must warn you I don't have much of a knack for dancing. Jedi don't do much of it."

She laughs. "That would explain Zanni's clumsiness at it. I remember when we tried to teach her last year. It was quite amusing, though by the end of the day she was starting to get the hang of it."

I laugh at the mental image of Zanni tripping over herself. It's hard to conjure the image of any Jedi tripping over herself but I manage.

Dormé holds out her hands and I take them, and she slowly guides me through the steps. They aren't too complicated, but I seem to have an innate trouble with rhythm, and find myself stepping on her feet on more than one occasion. She doesn't seem to mind, only laughs.

"You're catching on faster than Zanni did, although it does seem that Jedi aren't natural dancers."

I look at the other people dancing and notice them switching partners. Dormé shakes her head.

"I don't think I'm ready to set you free just yet. But yes, this dance involves switching partners quite a…ouch!"

"Sorry!" I say again, carefully pulling my feet away from her.

We work on my footing until the song ends, laughing at my clumsiness. I think I'm getting the hang of it. During the break between songs, she goes over this one step involving a complicated skip-hop with me. Okay, so maybe I'm not getting it. This is the most fun I've had in a long time, though.

I look up at Dormé as the next song starts. "Thank you."

She looks me gently in the eye. "You're welcome. I'm having a lot of fun, are you?"

I laugh for no reason at all. "Yes, I'm having a lot of fun. Thank you for that."

She pulls me along into the steps of the dance again.

I follow her feet for a while, and then find the courage to look up. I suddenly spot, a few feet away, Zanni doing the same as me. She's grinning as she follows E'Riq's feet, and starts laughing as she trips. He laughs too and helps her regain her balance.

Dormé follows my eyes and smiles. "Looks like Zanni has come a long way since last year."

I watch her, and she is indeed far more advanced than I am. She hasn't tripped again. She makes some mistake though and starts laughing again, resting her forehead against E'Riq's shoulder.

I feel my eyes narrow, and immediately identify jealousy making its way into my stomach. I push it back. Jedi. Jedi. There is no emotion. I suddenly remember that dream, when Qui-Gon insisted that I love Zanni. Was that part of the dream or was that actually Qui-Gon?

I turn my attention back to Zanni and E'Riq, and notice they both have small white flowers in their hair. "What's with the flowers?" I ask Dormé.

"I think that's E'Riq's family's way of dressing up for…the Festival." She quickly bites her lip and looks away from them, somewhere over my shoulder.

I frown. What's that supposed to mean? It couldn't be a marriage proposal, could it? No, it couldn't, she's a Jedi. But it must be something.

I watch Zanni some more. Her movements aren't especially graceful, but she doesn't make any more mistakes. She looks up and sees me, and her grin widens.

E'Riq looks over his shoulder and when he spots me, his smile weakens a little. Good. Good? I really shouldn't be thinking like this. This is wrong, for a Jedi at least.

I suddenly realize that Zanni and E'Riq are getting closer…much to E'Riq's apparent dismay. Zanni is pulling them over, and when she arrives, she grins at Dormé.

"You're a good teacher. Obi's coming along very well."

Dormé laughs. "Oh I'm the best, you know."

Zanni chuckles at the remark. "Hey, could we trade for a minute?"

Dormé steps away from me. "Sure. It would be nice to dance with someone who knows what they're doing." She winks at me and take's E'Riq's hand.

Zanni grabs mine and pulls me into the steps again, and I immediately trip over her foot. She laughs. "You'd think that Jedi would be coordinated enough to get this."

I laugh too. "Yes, you would." It feels great to be near her. I immediately forget about E'Riq.

She wraps an arm around my waist and turns so that we're side by side. "Here, I found it easier to learn the steps this way than having to mirror someone's moves."

I nod and put my arm around her wait, very conscious about my hand on her hip. I look down at her feet and laugh when I see that they're bare.

"You've always hated shoes, and I see you haven't changed much."

"Sure haven't." Her arm tightens around my waist as we skip, accidentally bumping into someone. We mutter apologies through giggles and try again. This feels so right, the warmth of her arm around me, the closeness of her body. Her hair waves in front of my face, and I catch the faintest whiff of sunshine.

----------------

Dormé watches Zanni and Obi stumble around together, and looks carefully at E'Riq, who is also watching them. "I told Obi-Wan about the flowers in your hair and what they mean. I didn't mean to, I wasn't thinking."

E'Riq looks at Dormé with a startled expression. "Oh…well that's not bad."

Dormé raises an eyebrow. "I mentioned the marriage tradition, too."

He blanches visibly. "But that's not what I meant! I mean I like her, a lot, but she's a Jedi, and apparently they can't do anything like that."

The corner of Dormé mouth raises a little. "I think we both know Zanni breaks the rules a lot."

E'Riq shakes his head. "No. I mean yes, we do, but this isn't like that! I just wanted to…well…just make her feel more accepted. I didn't mean anything about marriage."

Dormé nods. "I'm sure you didn't. She probably doesn't even know about that, anyway. I just wanted to warn you, though, that it must look awfully suspicious to Obi-Wan."

E'Riq curses under his breath as he looks back at the Jedi.

----------------

The songs ends and a slower tune starts. The gathered people form one big circle; it must be a different dance. I glance over and see Dormé, E'Riq and Zanni joining the circle. Zanni waves me over, but I shake my head. I need to meditate. Now.

The only place I can think of that would be peaceful enough is my room in the temple. I make my way through the crowd back there, and sigh a little when the door closes behind me. I take off my boots and settle in the middle of my bed, relaxing my muscles, evening my breathing, feeling the Force flowing through me.

I let my mind wander to Zanni. I feel her arm around my waist, I hear her laugh, see her sparkling eyes, feel her lips on mine…I go back to that picnic. Why had I kissed her? I really, honestly don't know. Could it really be that I was in love with her? No, it couldn't. I hadn't seen her in nine years. Then again, it feels like that time was never lost. But I don't love her. Not like that. No.

I slowly become aware of another presence through the Force, and smile.

"Hello, Master."

"Hello, Obi-Wan," comes a reply.

I sit silently, absorbing the presence. I just wish that I could see him, touch him. Slowly a pale image flickers in my mind, and I laugh.

"Thanks, Qui-Gon."

The face before me chuckles. "Nothing to touch, I'm afraid. This will have to do."

I smile at him. It feels like he really is there before me.

"Meditating on Zanni, I see. I'm proud to see my Padawan being so responsible. Although I suppose Padawan is an inappropriate word now."

"Yes, I have been knighted. But you may always call me Padawan."

The face smiles sadly. "You could never know how I proud I am of you. Even when Anakin becomes a knight…your pride will not match mine."

There is a comfortable pause before he continues. "So, you are here out of confusion about your feelings for Zanni."

I swallow. "Yes, Master." Could he see everything I was just thinking about?

"Yes, I could, Obi-Wan. I apologize for invading your privacy. I didn't mean to see anything intimate."

Well, at least he knows now. "What should I do?"

"Whatever feels right. If you love her, you can't avoid your feelings."

"I don't love her," I reply, a little too quickly.

"Obi-Wan," his voice is stern now. "I know that I've taught you not to let your emotions control you. I didn't, however, teach you to push them away and ignore them if they present themselves. Hiding from your feelings isn't going to do you much good."

I sigh. "But Master, love is forbidden to the Jedi. You know that."

"Indeed. And I know that many rules in the code are outdated or downright wrong. I suppose you could add this to the long list of things I disagree with the council about."

I had hoped for an easier answer. "But Master, I thought you didn't trust Zanni. Why would you encourage me to love her?"

"I came to terms with Zanni shortly before we landed on Naboo. I was wrong to mistrust her. To be honest, I think I initially didn't like her because I was jealous."

What! "Jealous, Master?"

"She was taking all of my Padawan's attention. I knew you were close to the trials, and had been a little sad about losing you as my apprentice. When she came along, if felt like I was losing you all the faster. But then I saw something in her… something… a bit like me."

I smile. "She does have some of your defiance."

"Yes. I think when I stopped to consider that, I realized that there is nothing untrustworthy about her."

"But Master, you said on Coruscant that you felt something dark about her."

There is a pause. Then, slowly, "I could sense the power of her emotions that she carries, and at first that unsettled me. However, I came to realize that she doesn't let those emotions control her, and that her inner turmoil is quite like mine was years ago. Also, the fact that she and Anakin are very similar gave me even more faith in her, and now in him as well."

"What should I do about her, Master?"

"One thing you must not do is let yourself be controlled by the jealousy you're feeling toward this E'Riq Toanq'el."

"Aren't you concerned about their relationship, though?"

"I trust Zanni," comes the reply.

Last I knew he said she was untrustworthy, and now it seems like he trusts her more than he trusts me. How could she have gained his trust so well? What does he know that I don't?

-----------------

Obi-Wan disappeared during the Aakim dance. He probably went to find Anakin. After the dance, E'Riq, Dormé and I took a break, seeking out a local baker for some of his famed pastries. We now sit on a bench to one side of the dancing, eating the chocolate-filled treats.

E'Riq is staring into space, his brow furrowed into a frown.

"What's wrong?" I ask, squeezing his hand.

He blinks for a moment and then glances at me, smiling. "Nothing." But I can see in his eyes that something's wrong. I don't even need to be a Jedi to tell that.

A young man who I recognize as a cousin of Padmé's stops by us and holds his hand out to Dormé. She finishes the last bite of her pastry, and smiles and takes his hand. They join the dancers once again.

I squint into the the sun, and turn around on the bench so my back is to the brightness. E'Riq looks at me and leans back against the table behind him.

I put my elbows on the same table and look back at him, and smile. He continues to look at me with a serious face. When he speaks, his voice is very soft. "When you left with the Queen…you never expected to come back again…did you?"

My shoulders slump. No, I hadn't. I shake my head, the smile gone from my face.

"And when you leave tomorrow, you really are never coming back again, aren't you?"

I've been avoiding thinking about tomorrow at all. I rub my hands over my face. "I very well might. You never know, there could be another droid army on the horizon just waiting for a taste of Naboo." I give a weak smile to match my weak attempt at humor.

He looks at his feet. "There's no way you could stay here?"

Don't do this E'Riq, please. I lean forward and put my forehead against his shoulder. Don't do this. After a moment I sit up. "E'Riq, I'm a Jedi. I've given my life to the Jedi code. I must go back."

He nods at his feet. "I understand." After a moment, he raises his head. "Could I maybe go with you?"

There's a faint glimmer of hope in his eye that I hate to extinguish. "No, E'Riq. I told you already that the Jedi forbid romantic relationships."

"But they don't have to know about me! I could…hide…or something!" He's turned his whole body toward me now. The hope is stronger in his eye. But there's no way for this to work.

I shake my head again. "E'Riq, there's actually a pretty good reason that such attachments are forbidden." He looks at me skeptically, but I continue, "In a Jedi's life, serving the Force comes first, serving the Republic a close second. If one of us was to form an attachment, fall in love, then suddenly there would be another priority up there with the Force and the Republic. Emotions can be very powerful, and if it came down to having to choose between the Republic and a loved one, the results could be disastrous." It's true. I've decided that if I hadn't run back for E'Riq, Qui-Gon would not have died.

"So I would get in the way," he says evenly.

"No, E'Riq, it's not that." I sigh. "If I had to choose between you and this city, either decision would be terrible. If I chose you, thousands of people would lose their lives. If I chose them, then I would lose something most precious to me."

His eyes soften, and his rigid posture relaxes a little. He looks down and thinks for a few moments, then smiles sadly at me. "You're right. You truly are right. But is there nothing that can be done?"

I cup his cheek with my hand. "We could enjoy the rest of the day."

He brushes his lips softly against mine, and I close my eyes, pressing our mouths together. When I run my tongue along his lips, he opens his mouth. I suddenly don't care that we're out in the open; that anyone could see us, including Obi. This is my last day with him, possibly forever. I find myself holding him tight, and realize that he's holding me just as tight. When the need for air makes us break the kiss, we pull away slowly, neither wanting to let go.

I stand, pulling him to his feet. "Come on, let's dance some more. I'm not tired enough yet."

He grins and leads the way into the group of dancing people, and pretty soon we're laughing again. It feels so good to be here, I'm almost tempted to take him up on his offer to stay.

-------------------

The Festival winds down as the sun sets; children are put to bed, decorations cleaned up, and lights put out. Zanni and E'Riq walk down a side street side-by-side, each with an arm around the other's waist. They stop and look down a street that leads to the Hi'Tan district, and E'Riq starts to grin devilishly.

"Shall we?"

Zanni leans her head on his shoulder. "I don't know, I'm pretty tired."

"You? The great Jedi? Tired from a little bit of dancing?"

Zanni glares at him, and he laughs.

"Okay, okay, a lot of dancing. But the night is still very young. I'm sure we could find something there to keep ya goin."

Zanni raises her head and looks down the street for a long while, before sighing with resignation. "Fine. Let's change though, all right?"

"Of course."

They turn and head for the temple, parting to their quarters to change their clothes. They meet again at the entrance. E'Riq is now dressed all in black, the flowers gone from his hair. Zanni is wearing black leggings as well, but is wearing a rather tight, silver top with only one sleeve. The flowers have been taken from her hair as well.

E'Riq chuckles and indicates the make-up around her eyes. "I see you paid a quick visit to Dormé."

Zanni blushes a little bit, then turns and walks down the steps. "Are you coming or aren't you?"

E'Riq jogs to catch up, and picks a missed flower out of her hair. They walk through the town, often taking alleys in a memorized pattern, until they reach the Hi'Tan district. They walk up to the door of one dark building with no windows, and E'Riq raises his hand to knock.

Zanni grabs his hand and pulls it down. "It's my last chance, let me." She knocks on the door in another memorized pattern, and it opens enough for a large head to fit through.

The grizzled face scrutinizes them before grinning a toothless grin. "Come on in, you two." He opens the door to let them through, and loud music can be heard…no…felt through the other door that leads out of the foyer. "Word's goin' around that this is your last night here, Zanni," the man says.

Zanni smiles sadly at him. "Yes, it is. I have to leave tomorrow morning. Sure gonna miss this place."

Another toothless grin. "It's sure gonna miss you. Now get going and have some fun." He swats at E'Riq. "You too, pretty boy."

Zanni and E'Riq oblige and pass through the door into one of Naboo's largest clubs. Music and lights are blasting and flashing. They make their way to the bar, and the bartender lights up when she sees them. "Haven't seen you around in a while," she says to Zanni. "What'll it be, the usual?"

Zanni nods and the bartender pours her and E'Riq their drinks. Zanni throws hers down and sets the glass back on the bar.

"More?" comes the offer.

Zanni shakes hear head. "I think I need something a little harder tonight."

The bartender nods. "Well you know where to find it."

Zanni makes her way to the end of the bar where a large man is sitting, a young woman on his arm. A few seats past him sit a man and a woman who are his guards. He looks up and sees Zanni approaching him and waves the young woman away. The two guards stand and quickly approach.

Zanni stops and eyes the guards warily. "What's this now? I've been a good customer."

She receives a grunt in reply, and notices that E'Riq has followed her over, and is now standing behind her.

The man looks Zanni up and down. "A good customer you may have been, but you lied, and I don't feel comfortable doing business with you. I'm not dumb enough do business with Jedi."

Zanni lets out an exasperated sigh and crosses her arms. "Listen, I'm not here to bust you. If I wanted to I could have done that a long time ago. I just want to do a little business. But if you'd rather, I could take my money elsewhere…" She starts to walk past him when the man waves to a guard and the guard stops Zanni with the side of her blaster.

Zanni stops, but does nothing else. Several people are watching them now, and E'Riq is getting nervous.

"What do you want to buy?"

"What have you got?"

The man starts to pull something out of his jacket, and Zanni returns to the bar next to him. He stops, half-way, and considers Zanni again.

"I don't trust Jedi. I don't see why I shouldn't kill you right now."

E'Riq looks at the guards' blasters pointed at Zanni's back and steps forward, placing his hand on the bar between Zanni and the man.

"Listen, she's with me, she's legit. No threat."

The man studies E'Riq now. "How do I know I can trust her?"

"I trust her, and you trust me." E'Riq looks at the man, daring him to deny it before continuing. "How about you do business with me. That way if she has anything up her sleeve, I'll be in the middle of it."

The man studies him for a second before signaling the guards to lower their blasters. "All right. What do you want?"

E'Riq nods to what's in the man's hand. "Let's see what you've got."

The man opens the case and E'Riq and Zanni study the contents.

"What about that?" E'Riq asks.

Zanni shakes her head. "It's a mild aphrodisiac, not interested."

E'Riq suggests a few others, all of which Zanni turns down.

"Actually, I had this one in mind."

E'Riq looks at her surprised. "Are you sure?"

Zanni rolls her eyes. "Yes I'm sure. I know it's expensive, but I'll pay you back."

E'Riq watches Zanni as he hands the man a credit chip. "It wasn't the price I was concerned about."

Zanni ignores him and takes the blue power. E'Riq buys something for himself and takes it. Zanni orders another drink from the bartender and dumps the powder into it, turning the liquid a bright orange. "Bottoms up!" She winks at E'Riq.

They move away from the large man and the two guards go back to their seats. E'Riq watches Zanni as the drug slowly takes effect, her eyes glazing over and her skin flushing.

"Zanni…"

Zanni puts her lips by his ear. "Shhh. I'm a Jedi, remember? In a few hours I'll purge this from my system. Just wanted one last buzz before I go back. Don't worry, I won't spend our whole last night stoned out of my mind. Just a few hours." She winks and tugs on E'Riq's hand. "C'mon, I think I'm better at this kind of dancing."

E'Riq smirks. "You sure are."

- - - - -

Zanni and E'Riq creep back into the Temple, being careful not to make any noise. Of course, when E'Riq trips over a rug, they both start giggling, clamping their hands over their mouths to try and stifle the noise.

When they approach E'Riq's room, E'Riq pulls Zanni to the wall, and attacks her mouth in another kiss. He wraps his arms around her waist as she reaches back and hits the control to open the door.

E'Riq pulls away and locks his eyes with Zanni's. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get in trouble for this."

Zanni puts a finger to his lips. "I won't get in trouble if they don't find out." And with that, she pulls him through the door.

------------------

I wake up to find my limbs intertwined with someone else's. A naked and warm someone else's. I look over to the pillow to my right, and frown when I see that it's empty. I crane my neck and look down, and see E'Riq's sleeping head resting against my stomach.

I shift onto my back and he wakes up and blinks at me sleepily, before moving to rest his chin on my hip. I smile and run a hand through his hair, and he smiles back.

He looks at my side and frowns at the mark made by Qui-Gon's lightsaber. "I don't remember this one," he says as he traces the scar.

"That's because I got it while we were taking the Queen to the Senate."

His eyes grow wide. "How? What happened?"

I stretch my arms and yawn. "You know that man who killed Qui-Gon? The guy Obi-Wan killed?"

He nods. "Yeah, you were fighting him when I was shot."

"Yeah, him. Well he met up with him while we were stopped on the planet Tattooine."

E'Riq's eyes widen even more as he looks back at the scar. "Wow. It must have hurt a lot."

"You bet it did," I lie. I mean it probably hurt, but I wasn't really conscious to feel it. Somehow telling him about all of this business with green eyes and trances seems inappropriate. I also let him believe that it was Darth Maul's lightsaber.

He reaches down and kisses the middle of the scar, then one end, and then the other. I smile and pull him up into a kiss, and then flip him over so that I'm on top of him.

----------------

That talk with Qui-Gon really made me feel a lot better. I still don't have my feelings entirely sorted out, but I think I'm well on my way to getting it all figured out. I wake up extra early the morning we're set to leave to prepare. Finding that I have very little to pack, I decide to spend my extra time in the palace gardens. They are quiet beautiful this time of year.

As I walk down the hallway, I stop and duck into a doorway as Zanni comes out of a room. She's rather oddly dressed, wearing black leggings and a tight shirt that no Jedi would ever wear, unless maybe undercover. She's talking to someone in the doorway, and I move to see who it is. E'Riq. A shirtless E'Riq wearing only sleep pants. He strokes her cheek and she leans forward and kisses him. I can't help but wince as he pulls her closer. I can feel the anger welling up in my stomach, and I don't feel much like pushing it down, or releasing it into the Force. I let it sit there, growing stronger and stronger.

Zanni turns away and hurries to her room, E'Riq watching her go with sad eyes. Good. I'm glad he's sad. Qui-Gon wouldn't want me to think that, and I know I'm going to kick myself for thinking it later, but too bad. I'm glad that he's sad.

When E'Riq goes back into his room I continue to the gardens. As I pass Zanni's room, I stop for a moment and think about what just happened, and my mind reels at the implications of it. She's a Jedi. She could be kicked out of the order for what she's done. I shudder and hurry on to the gardens. I need to mediate some more. Now.