Disclaimer: This story contains strong language and adult situations, discretion is advised. All copyrights go to their respect owners.
Note from the author: English is not my mother tongue, so I apologize in advance if you find some mistakes.
I
Anakin looked at the sunset thought the large window overlooking the Senate District.
Luxurious ships were parked along the street in front of government offices, beautiful citizens of all species came out of expensive restaurants, lines of infinite traffic show themselves as far as the eye could see, everyone was having a good time and showing off their wealth, and if they didn't have it they pretended otherwise, it was very common in this planet city, especially in the senate district, to see people living as high rollers while jacking up the credit cards.
"A million credits view", thought Anakin, and he was almost right, only 900.000 if you're lucky enough to get on the extremely long waiting list and then survive the excruciating vetting process.
He was at one those forcedamm social events, the ones that the Politicians and the elite throw once in a while, so they could pat themselves in the back, get drunk, gossip and play that endless politics game outside the senate offices too.
But by the force, he was tired, tired of the war, tired of politicians, the holo reporters, the fake smiles on the fake faces of fake people, tired of playing, tired of games, tired of himself, tired of that town.
He took a sip of the strong drink he had in his mechanic hand and look at his reflection, he was only in his mid twenties, and yet he felt incredible old, he supposed he had gone thought a lot and seen more than half the galaxy despite his short age.
He was wearing the gala uniform of the Jedi, a black robe in the same style as the regular one but the material was very pretty and expensive, more than was proper for a Jedi and totally useless on the battlefield.
Most Jedis wouldn't even see one uniform like that in all their lives, much less wear one, it certainly was the best that the order could afford.
He took another sip and felt the sudden urged to rip it of that blasted suit and jump butt naked out of the window, he had certainly survived worse odds.
Obi wan came up from behind him, "You're drinking too much lately" said to him.
"You're one to talk, master" Anakin answer back and pointed to the same glass that Obi Wan was holding.
"Yes, but I handle it better than you", Obi Wan said while laughing and having a sip "Come on, stop sulking, most people in the galaxy don't ever get a chance in their lives to enter this building, much less be the honor guest at a party".
"Then maybe we are not two of the lucky ones" answered Anakin.
Obi Wan shot him a stern look "Don't make give you a direct order, Anakin, just go, mingle a little with the guests, make small talk and it'll be over before you know it".
"You mean, go play the poster boy for the order" said Anakin.
"Exactly, people here are growing too complacent, too detached from the front lines, they're starting to forget what we are fighting for out there, the stakes we're facing".
"They're not the only ones" Anakin trough as he gave a silent nod and return to the group.
As he approaches the center of the party he was called by a diverse group of 5 senators, all of them different species, planets, interest and supposedly political positions, and yet while they fought and argued like babies on the senate floor here they were talking with the utmost camaraderie and friendship, calling each other by nicknames and sharing drinks.
"Come here, boy!", said the human one of the group, "Share with us a trilling tale of your latest heroics".
"Who do these assholes think I am? a motherfucking clown? I'm putting my life on the line out there while you sit on your fat ass and do nothing but prolonged the war, you should be on your knees thanking me instead of giving me orders, or better yet, you shouldn't even have the audacity to show your ugly mug around me" though Anakin as he said with a smile "With pleasure gentlemen, I shall now disclose to you a tale so recent that even the holonews haven't caught wind of it!".
As he told them some bantashit tall tale, after all they believe everything he said as they didn't know in the least what was happening in the outer rims, his mind was elsewhere.
He was certain Padmé would drop by at any moment, like she did every time he was in the vicinity, he swore that woman could sniff him out a planet away, even when he took every possible measure to ensure that nobody outside the order take notice of his presence in Coruscant, she always seems to know how and when to reach him.
She obviously was aware of that party and that he and Obi Wan were invited, after all, she lived in the same building, just a few hundred floors above of the host.
In fact, it was strange that she hasn't appear yet, maybe she was string him along, toying with him, delighting in the knowledge that while the proud part of him rejected her, that the chosen one, the hero with no fear, the poster boy for the republic, the golden son of the everlasting Jedi order, the progeny of the force itself wanted nothing to do with her, didn't have time for her and would gladly spend the rest of his life without seeing or thinking about her again, the other part of him, the weak one, the one that was foolishly in love, just wanted to take the nearest turbolift to her apartment, kiss her beautiful feet, declare publicly his undying love for her and beg for any scrap of affection she would see fit to throw his way, beg her to let him stay with her in any capacity she desired so, let her take away and consume everything that he was in exchange for a few precious moments of her attention, and what's more, be grateful for it.
But maybe he was being too intense, the reality was that the host of the meeting, a relative newcomer to politics, was leagues beneath Padmé's station, that's why there were a few hundred miles between this apartment and Padmé's, almost the same distance between this apartment and the hopeless, hungry side of the planet and from where she was standing the difference wasn't much.
She was way up the totem pole, most people probably didn't expect her to show up, so it makes sense that she would arrive fashionably late.
His body was tense, just like it was right before a battle, he felt like a Tatooine sand rat who just walk right into a trap, any moment now the net could snap and left him hanging high, unable to escape, and yet he didn't have the will to just walk right out the door, nobody would keep him from doing so, and he would just have to endure some nagging later on the part of Obi Wan.