"Wait! Wait, wait, wait—"
"It's okay," Ahsoka said, offering her hand to the senator. "You're doing fine."
Padmé smiled sheepishly at Ahsoka. "I must look silly," she said, nodding to some of the children on the other side of the lake. "Even they're able to get on."
"If my mission of the day is to make sure you ice-skate better than a toddler, then I will gladly take up that task," Ahsoka said seriously. Padmé let out a small laugh, and Ahsoka tugged again. "Can we go now?"
"Yes," Padmé said, standing up. "But careful—"
"Of course," Ahsoka replied, and the two slid down the ice. Ahsoka felt Padmé's grip tighten, but then, after another moment, the senator sighed in relief. Ahsoka cast an amused side-glance at her, and, catching it, Padmé smiled again.
"Just say it," she said. "I promise I won't be offended."
Ahsoka grinned. "I wasn't going to say anything offensive," she said. "But I am a little surprised why the senator of a literal lake planet would never have gone ice-skating before."
"Naboo's warm all year round," Padmé replied. "The waters never freeze over." Her grip tightened on Ahsoka's hand as they just barely picked up the pace. "And I've never truly had reason to ice-skate until now."
"Until now," Ahsoka agreed. She guided them closer to the center of the ice. "But look—you're doing fine." She let go of Padmé's hand, and she half-expected the senator to shout after her, but then again, Padmé was, as Ahsoka more surely knew, a quick learner.
Padmé inhaled sharply, but then she was skating towards the center. Her arms were extended just slightly, and she still mostly looked uncomfortable, but—she turned around and smiled nervously at Ahsoka. "How's my form, Master Tano?"
Ahsoka laughed at the title. "You're doing perfectly," she replied. She skated next to Padmé. "Just keep your head up. If you keep looking down, it'll throw you off-balance."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ahsoka grinned again. She spun around on her skates so that she'd just be a little way from Padmé. After a few seconds of watching Padmé skate successfully, Ahsoka asked, "Do you think we could speed up a little now?"
"Are you trying to compete?" Padmé asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Of course not," Ahsoka said nonchalantly. "But…" She tapped Padmé's arm and dove. "You're it!"
"There's only two of us!"
"And you're it!"
Ahsoka heard Padmé say something—but then she called, "Remember what I said about being a quick learner!"
And the two sped off.
A/N: as always, reviews/follows/favorites are greatly appreciated!