Ki'ara finished stirring in the special ingredient into the brownie mixture and poured it into an oven tray, once it was cooked she cut it into slices and arranged them neatly on a tray. Then she left for the cafeteria, the room was packed, but she spotted the people she was searching for almost straight away and headed in their direction. She balanced the plate carefully on hand as she reached forward to tap Adi Gallia on the shoulder.
"Hi. My Master says that I should do things for other people, so I made some brownies for you." She said. Adi smiled at her and Mace Windu nodded as he took the plate from her.
"Thank you, Padawan. I think that your master is right, and he should be proud of you." He said, most of the council nodded in agreement with him.
"Thank you, master." She said. She turned and joined Anakin Skywalker; her best friend. While Anakin talked, she kept glancing at the councils table. Finally Anakin leaned closer to her.
"What did you do this time?" He asked. Ki'ara jerked, as if Anakin had slapped her.
"Huh? Nothing…I didn't do anything." She stuttered. Anakin smirked.
"Yeah right. You'd better hope that Master Kenobi doesn't catch you this time." He whispered.
"He won't, I mean look at all that food they have, it could be anything they eat." She said without thinking, then groaned as she realised that she had just confirmed the other padawans suspicions. Suddenly Mace leaped to his feet and made a beeline for one of the doors, some of the council members followed him.
"So it begins." She grinned. Then she saw the person who had stopped to talk to the council and the grin faded, as he reached for one of the brownies.
"No! Oh Force, not him, please not him!" She groaned. Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the Chancellor Palpatine took a bite of the brownie. Moments later his aides, were bustling an ill looking chancellor away. Just as Adi, Mace and the rest of the council returned, Plo Koon pointed in her direction. For a moment Ki'ara stood rooted to the spot, and then she whirled and bolted for the door. Anakin right behind her. She looked back at him and smirked.
"For once you're not actually in on the joke. So why are you running away?" She asked. Anakin stopped dead in his tracks, turned and was about to head back to the canteen. He saw the council members bearing down on him and decided against this course of action. Once again he started running after her.
"How do you always manage to do this to me?" He called to her.
"Me! I'm not the one who decided to run even though I wasn't in trouble!" She yelled back.
"Why do we always run when we get into trouble? It just makes us look guiltier." Anakin asked.
"Because it's better than getting caught!" She came to a sudden stop.
"Master! Uh…so are we going on that mission?" She asked in a rush.
"No," Obi Wan said. Ki'ara glanced back over her shoulder.
"What about that trip through Coruscant that you keep promising to take me on, Master?" She asked.
"Now? Alright, let me just…" he spotted the council members coming down the hallway. He sighed loudly and his shoulders slumped.
"What did you do now?"
"Not much, I-" she was cut off as Obi Wan held one hand up.
"I don't want to hear this, do I?" He asked in a resigned tone of voice.
"Umm…probably not, Master." She mumbled. He sighed again and closed his eyes briefly; searching for the inner peace that always seemed to elude him at times like this.
"Master Kenobi," Mace Windu said in greeting.
"Master Windu," Obi Wan's voice was slightly pained.
"It seems your apprentice enjoys playing jokes on the council and the Chancellor." Windu said.
"You got the Chancellor as well, Padawan?" Obi Wan asked Ki'ara numbly.
"Yes, but not on purpose. I didn't know he was going to be there." She muttered.
"Oh, that makes it perfectly alright then," Obi Wan sarcastically. She turned her eyes to the floor.
"Seeing as your apprentice loves baking so much she'll be working in the kitchens for the next two weeks." Mace Windu said and then he turned and left.
"Aww…Master!" She turned pleading eyes on Obi Wan. He glared back at her.
"That isn't going to work, Padawan. You should be grateful that it isn't for longer." He said.
"I know, but…is that supposed to be a punishment for me or for the people who eat what I cook?" She asked. Obi Wan barely stopped himself from laughing.
"Let's just say that I won't be eating in the canteen for the time you're working there, Ki'ara." He said.