Ahsoka looked around at her group as they walked towards the center of the sector. Granger was gone, which didn't bother Ahsoka, but so were Nox and Tyme. Everyone else was there.

"Did Nox already leave?" she asked, and Wheeler nodded. "What about Tyme?"

Jackson waved a hand. "Doesn't like social stuff. He's fine, don't worry."

Again, Ahsoka didn't understand why they thought Tyme was so introverted. She decided to drop it, but she didn't forget.

"Is anyone going to tell me where we're going? You said we were eating, but not where."

"Nuh uh," Luce said, sneaking up behind her and covering her eyes. "No spoiling the surprise. Does anyone have a blindfold?"

"Who carries a blindfold?" Jake asked, but Leslie pulled out a scarf and handed it to Luce. He tied it over Ahsoka's eyes, rendering her blind. Not that it mattered to someone like her.

Thyla groaned. "She has to see in order to walk, you guys."

Ahsoka grinned and faced Thyla. "Says who?" She turned around backward and started walking, facing the others. She used the Force to watch around her, and successfully stepped onto a curb on the side of the street.

Journey whistled, and Jackson gave her a round of applause. Jake scowled and muttered "show off," but Ahsoka got the message across. Blindfolded or not, she was perfectly fine.

"So if we're heading to the middle of the sector," Ahsoka started, turning back to face forwards, "is this place on a different level, or just in the thick of the buildings?"

Rya answered. "It's up a few levels, also in the thick of the buildings. We try to go as a group about once a month, and sometimes, the others come with."

Ahsoka remembered a conversation from lunch a few days ago. "Is this the 'Ribsy's' restaurant you were talking about the other day?"

The others groaned, and Ahsoka knew she got it right. Leslie walked over and pulled the scarf off, with Ahsoka grinning just a little bit.

Luce jabbed her in the ribs. "We can't pull anything on you. Stop reading our minds."

"I'm not reading your minds, trust me. You would probably be able to tell if I was."

Jake decided to take that as a challenge. "Okay, if you're not reading our minds, then I should be able to surprise you." He walked mysteriously beside her, then kicked at her legs.

Ahsoka jumped and kicked his back, but she landed her hit. "Okay, that had nothing to do with your mind. You just aren't fast enough, and your body language gave you away."

Wheeler laughed and shoved Jake. "Tough luck, hotshot."

"Yeah, don't challenge the Jedi," Luce teased, and Jake flushed red as everyone laughed.

Well, everyone except Ahsoka. "Not a Jedi," she reminded them, but none of them listened.

They finally made it to the elevators, but they had to wait for the same reason that Ahsoka tried to avoid them: they were extremely crowded. It was also Friday, and everyone seemed to have gotten off of work early. Ahsoka would have preferred to hitch a ride on a ship going up in the shaft or to use the Chasm, but this was their plan so she just went with it. Once they got on the elevator, a family of four joined them and rode up. The Gauges and Gear staff got off first, though, and the family went further up. Unfortunately, there was a gang waiting to go with them, so Ahsoka was glad that they had gotten off. She felt bad for the kids.

This level, 27-5, was a lot busier than 22 or 23. There were small casinos, bars, and entertainment buildings, kind of like on the surface.

Wheeler nudged her while they were walking down the street. "This place is kind of like a cheaper version of the surface. There are almost no residents here, except for the owners. Normal civilians don't live within a kilometer of this area."

She nodded, asking, "Is it a vacation spot, or just a weekend destination?"

The Pantorian thought before answering. "Weekend, mostly. No one chooses to vacation down here."

Ribsy's was a ways away from the hustle and bustle of the sector's center, but it was clearly a busy place all the same. Ahsoka could smell it from a street away, and a giant neon sign clearly marked the building. People were walking in large groups, some of them up to twenty or more. Ahsoka's workgroup suddenly seemed a lot smaller.

Thyla spoke up from the back. "The owners of this place are super nice, and they know us pretty well. If it's your first time, you get one meal and a drink free."

"Can they do that?" Ahsoka asked, and Jackson grinned.

"This place gets enough steady business that they can cover newcomers every once in a while," he explained. "Everyone down here knows Ribsy's. It's the best barbecue in the Lower Levels, Tano."

"It certainly smells like it," she agreed, and they laughed as they pushed their way through the doors. The others made a beeline for a table near the back on the second floor and pulled Ahsoka with them. She barely had time to take the restaurant i.

It had three levels of tables, with the kitchen in the center of all three. It seemed like a less formal version of some of the saloons Ahsoka had been in, trying to track down criminals. She thought Rex and the guys would like it.

They all slid into the booth, and within seconds a waiter walked up to the table. Instead of asking for their order, they started chatting up the others. Ahsoka realized that if they came here every month, as they had said, then they would probably know the staff pretty well. This particular waiter was a Twi'lek, like Rya. His skin was a dull yellow, though. He greeted all of the staff with a smile, but to Rya, he spoke in his native language. Ahsoka watched at the two exchanged conversation, and thought that Rya seemed extremely...well, Ahsoka had no idea, but she was acting differently.

"Long time no see, Rya," the waiter said in Twi'leki, whose name tag said Vam. "Are the humans treating you well?"

She nodded and smiled sweetly. "They're fine, Vam," she assured him and pointed to Ahsoka. "She's new, but she has been to Ryloth! She knows about us."

Ahsoka waved, showing that she was tracking with the conversation. "It's nice to meet you. I just started working with Rya on Monday."

He gave her a mischievous smile. "Good to know that someone else is looking after her. I don't like aliens being pushed around by humans."

Rya blushed furiously, and Ahsoka smiled, to distract the male. "I think she is looking after me, actually. How long have you known them?"

"Long enough, but Rya? About a year." Vam switched to Basic. "What will it be for everyone?"

Ahsoka hadn't even thought about it yet. She grabbed a menu and started looking frantically for something to order. By the time the rest of the circle had ordered, she still hadn't figured out what to get.

"Your first meal is free," Vam reminded her, and she looked up at him. "Whatever you want, plus a drink."

"Any recommendations?" she asked him, giving up on the menu.

He thought for a second. "Do you have anything against meat?" Ahsoka shook her head. "Try the special, then. It's a type of burger this week."

"Thank you," she told him, and Rya echoed her.

"Thanks, Vam!" she called out as he walked away, and he winked over his shoulder as he took the order to the kitchen.

Ahsoka stared pointedly at Rya, who was still fixed on Vam. When she finally turned towards the table, Ahsoka called her out. "What was that?"

Everyone laughed, save for Rya, and even Ahsoka had to admit that she looked a little silly. Rya's cheeks went from their regular blue to a little pinker, and she looked down at the table.

Luce spoke up. "She's had a crush on him ever since she laid eyes on him. The poor guy flirts with every Twi'lek girl he sees, so he has no idea."

Rya smacked Luce. "Shut up! He'll hear you!"

Wheeler laughed. "He's already to the kitchens! There's no way he could hear us," she assured her.

Ahsoka watched the group banter. Normally, discussions about relationships and crushes were banned from her life, but it seemed like a pretty open topic to civilians. It made sense, but Ahsoka was still a little new to it. The only real couple she had been exposed to was Anakin and Padmé, and she had no idea if it was even official or if they had even talked about it before. Add that to the list of questions she had.

Jackson cleared his throat. "So, are we playing Truth or Dare?"

The group sat up in their seats, and Ahsoka observed, interested. She hadn't ever played, but it sounded simple so she tried to figure it out without asking.

"I'll start," Wheeler offered, and she turned to Jake. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Jake responded, and Wheeler grabbed a packet of shredded cheese from the condiments container in the center of the table.

"I dare you to chug this whole packet."

Ahsoka probably could have done it easily, since it couldn't be worse than grounded rations, but the group seemed repulsed by the idea, even Jake.

Journey, who was sitting next to Ahsoka, leaned over. "He hates cheese," he explained.

She nodded. "What happens if he doesn't do it?"

"He has to clean the bathrooms tomorrow at work."

Jake took the packet grudgingly and ripped it open. Everyone else, except Ahsoka, who was trying not to giggle, cheered him on as he dumped the contents into his mouth and swallowed. He nearly gagged, but stopped the reflex and blinked, trying to stomach the cheese.

Vam came back with waters for everyone, and Jake motioned for his glass without opening his mouth. He began drinking desperately, trying to wash the taste out of his mouth. When he was satisfied, he shook his head. "Disgusting. Okay, Luce, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

Jake thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the worst you've ever gotten hurt on a repair job?"

"Ooh, I know this one," Journey gloated, and Luce glared at him.

"It was the time I screwed with the hyperdrive, five years ago."

Half of the group laughed, presumedly the half that had been there.

Ahsoka inquired, "What happened?"

Luce, who was normally very cocky, lowered his head. "Frand was working on something on the inside, and I accidentally bumped it on my way past."

Wheeler snorted. "'Accidentally'."

"It was!" He protested. "How was I suppose to know it was going to blow up in my face?"

Ahsoka laughed. "Was it the third fuse?"

"I don't know! I just know that one second, I walk carrying a box of bulbs, and the next, I was flying backward and coughing on smoke!"

"That sounds like the third fuse," Ahsoka decided, and she remembered when Fives had done nearly the same thing. "I wish I had seen that happen."

Leslie giggled. "We still have the recordings on the computer program. He's tried to delete it, but we've hidden it so he'll never be able to."

"Okay, moving on," Luce demanded, and everyone chuckled. "Tano, Truth or Dare?"

Ahsoka didn't quite trust him on Dare, so she answered, "Truth."

"Who was your closest friend when you were a Jedi?"

Ahsoka propped her chin in her hand as she thought. Anakin, probably, but she didn't want to violate the Code on his behalf, even though they had no idea who it was. She probably shouldn't say any Jedi, if she thought about it. The next closest friend?

"Rex. He was the captain in our Legion."

"Captain?" Jackson asked. "Like a clone?"

"Yeah," Ahsoka clarified. "I saw him almost every time I went on a mission."

"I thought clones only had numbers," Jake said, looking confused. "Don't they have both numbers?"

"Well yes, but they make up names for themselves."

"But how do you tell them apart?" Thyla asked. "Don't they all look the same?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Not when you get to know them. Trust me, if you spent three years with them, you could tell them apart as well."

"And that's why we never will," Luce jokes, and the others laughed. Ahsoka felt a wave of regret for never saying goodbye to them, and not for the first time. She pushed it away though, wanting to enjoy the people she was with now.

"Wheeler, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Bad idea!" Jake warned. "Who knows what her idea of a dare is!"

Ahsoka looked around, trying to find something as amusing as Jake's dare. "I dare you to...walk one lap around the restaurant, blindfolded."

The group jeered, and Leslie pulled out her scarf again. Wheeler resigned to the dare and let Leslie tie the scarf around her face. She set off to the right, and the whole group watched as she bumped into no less than 2 sections of railing, 5 chairs, 1 kissing couple, and a very confused and startled waiter who nearly dropped the dishes they were carrying. By the time she got back, the rest of the group was dying laughing, and Wheeler was glaring at Ahsoka. "I'm gonna get you back for that, Tano," she threatened, but no one could take her seriously with ketchup smothered all over her shirt.