Tahiri softly closes the door behind her and then glares at Anakin. She notices that he has picked up one of his puzzle boxes, and is absently fiddling with it. As she watches, her frustration increases, until she finally has to say something. "Anakin! Why did you do that?"
Anakin looks up from the puzzle box he is holding. "Do what?"
"That! What you just said to your mom."
Anakin screws his face up, and thinks for a second. "She had a problem, I solved it. Since we're not dating, it makes the most sense that we stay in a room together."
She growls out a low sound of frustration, and then begins to pace slightly. Finally she stops in front of him once more and looks into his eyes. "You embarrassed me, by announcing to your whole family that we'll be sleeping together."
Realization slowly sinks in, and Anakin quickly looks away from her. "Oops."
"Oops? Is that it? Is that all you can say?"
Anakin looks back at her, and then silently nods his head.
"Gah! Dummy!" Then she storms from the room, leaving Anakin sitting there, trying to figure out just what happened and how exactly he can solve it.
Tahiri storms back down the hallway, and once in the main room of the apartment looks around her. Sighing, she walks over to the balcony and quietly slips out onto it, dropping into one of the chairs set up out there, and turning her attention to the traffic streams in the distance.
She is not entirely certain why she is so frustrated and upset. Anakin spoke the truth; they were the ones who weren't dating. Not that she wanted to date, or at least not anyone besides him.
Tahiri lets out a long sigh, wondering if she will ever get notice by Anakin, when a voice from behind her makes her jump. "Why the sigh? I thought you were supposed to be the chipper one?"
Tahiri looks over her shoulder to see Leia holding two cups. "Oh! Mrs. Solo, I didn't hear you come out here, do I need to go inside?"
Leia smiles and holds out one of the cups to her. "No, I actually came out here to talk to you."
Tahiri hesitantly takes the offered cup, and sniffs it, grinning at the smell of the hot chocolate. Then she looks over as Leia settles into the chair next to her. "So, uhm, what did you want to talk about?"
Leia smiles at her over the cup. "Anakin."
Tahiri frowns. "What about Anakin?"
"What did he do to make you want to come sulk on the balcony?"
Tahiri looks at Leia for a long moment, a frown pulling the edges of her lips downward. She glances once at the doorway to the main room, and sighs again. "I don't know. Everything has been just so odd these past two years or so."
"How so?"
"It's just, it's getting harder and harder to talk to him, and I find myself blushing or embarrassed around him so much these days, and then the little things he does will frustrate me."
Leia smiles over the cup once more. "Anything else?"
"No, yes, I don't know. I just wished I had a mother to talk to about this, I try to talk with Tionne, but since she's not quite human she doesn't quite understand."
"Tell you what Tahiri, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me. Okay?"
Tahiri beams, sets her cup down and jumps out of her seat to hug Leia. "Oh thank you Mrs. Solo!"
Finally, Tahiri sits back down, and continues drinking her hot chocolate. The two sit in a comfortable silence watching the flow of traffic for a while. Finally Tahiri breaks the silence once more. "Do you know what he got me for my last naming day?"
Leia shakes her head. "No."
"A droid brain."
Leia giggles, which in turn sets Tahiri off.
Inside, Jaina walks into the living room, and sees Tahiri and Leia on the balcony talking about something. She frowns at them, at the ease of their relationship. She hears Tenel Ka walk up behind her.
"What bothers you friend Jaina?"
Jaina shakes her head, and continues watching the pair for a moment more before heading into the kitchen. Tenel Ka follows her stare to the balcony, and then walks after her into the kitchen.
"Are you jealous that your mother is spending time with Tahiri?"
Jaina shakes her head. "No!"
"Ah-aha."
Jaina glowers at Tenel Ka. "Okay maybe a little."
Tenel Ka looks again to the balcony, as the two on it start giggling over something. "I think your mother just wishes to get to know her better; I think she has seen something that we have all missed."
Jaina glowers out at the balcony. "What could that be?"
"Love for your brother."
Jaina turns towards Tenel Ka, her mouth opening and shutting, her mind thinking back to the past few days, and how Anakin and Tahiri acted around each other. "I know I tease her about being Anakin's girlfriend, but I...it makes sense." Finally a mischievous smile crosses her face. "I don't think Anakin realizes it."
Tenel Ka raises an eyebrow and calmly looks at Jaina. Jaina turns back to the cupboard looking for some type of snack, and continues thinking out loud. "And I think we will have to change that."