A/N: Some snippets of the dialogue are taken from the Duchess of Mandalore episode of Clone Wars and of course from Much Ado About Nothing. I have to say, "she has abused me past the endurance of a block," is one of my favorite lines ever.

Satine and Padmé sat together at dinner with Senator Bail Organa and a few other members of the Senate. Satine got on well with most of them, despite having such opposing goals. She chalked it up to Padmé's excellent taste in friends, and knew that there were a great many senators that she would like far less.

"Where is the Chancellor? I don't see him in here," said Bail, looking carefully around the vast dining room. The large space had been filled with three long rectangular tables, each covered in a red and gold table cloth, in order to fit all of the guests.

"He said he felt tired from the journey and took to his rooms. One of his guards said he will eat there and join us later for the dance," said Senator Onaconda Farr. He was a Rodian and had beautiful starry eyes that Satine found very hard to read. Still, Padmé loved him like family, even calling him Uncle Ono.

"He seemed a bit on the gloomy side," said Satine. She had met Palpatine before, but was not overly familiar with him, which she saw as a very good thing.

"Today more than usual," said Padmé.

"He is a serious fellow, though. My wife always says he has a clear head and a slow temper. But, you're right. He did seem a bit dour," said Bail.

"Where is Breha?" asked Padmé.

"She wanted to make it, but one of her dear friends has taken very ill. She decided to stay in the hospital on Alderaan with her."

"Well, I hope her friend is ok. You'll have to tell Breha how much we missed her," said Padmé.

"I will. Are you married, Duchess?" Bail asked.

"I am not," said Satine, and Padmé could almost swear she saw her eyes flick over to the table where Obi-Wan sat. "And I don't think I will be any time soon."

"Well, you've got your pick of fine Jedi knights right now," teased Padmé. "I think Luminara is still single and Master Windu. And who else?"

"Anakin Skywalker," said Satine. And true to her purpose, Padmé blushed a little at the name.

"And Obi-Wan Kenobi, who looks very fine tonight," pressed Padmé, not one to be distracted.

"I'm not sure I like his beard. And I am sure I do not like his role as a general."

"Oh? I think he looks good with a beard. Distinguished."

Satine rolled her eyes, but secretly she couldn't help but to think that the beard simply covered up too much of his face.

"Tell us more about this Festival, so we know what to expect," said Satine, changing the subject in a not too subtle way.

"The celebration usually goes on for three days, or three nights really. Tonight we have the great masquerade dance. Tomorrow is the parade through the square. And finally the last is the official date of the Festival. There will be dances, fireworks, plays, and many such other events all across the city. But the big event come right after the sun sets, when everyone lights a paper lantern and releases it into the sky. It is like nothing you have ever seen, the most beautiful display in galaxy."

"Oh, I can think of one thing more beautiful," came a voice from behind them. Anakin Skywalker had come over from his table as they were talking. Up close, Satine could see the details of his face far more clearly. He had a scar over his right eye and hair that was a little longer and shaggier than most of the Jedi seemed to have. There was a slight mischievous smile across his lips as he looked at Padmé.

"Ani!" said Padmé, standing up to embrace him warmly. "Little Ani, I almost could not believe it was you when I first saw you coming off the ship. You have grown so much."

Satine could see that Anakin was not overly pleased at being called "little Ani," but he seemed to brighten when Padmé placed a hand on his cheek.

"May I join you? I would love to hear about everything you have been doing since I last saw you," said Anakin.

"Here, take my chair," said Satine.

"Are you sure?" asked Padmé.

"Yes, I think I will retire for an hour or two before the dance." Satine gave Padmé a slight wink as she stood. "Besides, I have a good eye. I can see a temple by daylight."

Padmé wasn't sure what that meant. She supposed it was some odd Mandalorian idiom, but before she could think of it further, she was distracted by Anakin's questions about the past decade of her life. She had to admit, it was very good to see him again.

The ballroom of the palace was a splendid sight indeed. On one end was a full orchestra, slightly elevated on a raised dais. There were a few tables around the walls, elegantly draped in blue and gold cloth and with a bouquet of bright flowers on each. Most of the room, however, was taken up by the dance floor, where already couples were twirling in time to the music. Satine and Padmé entered together, fashionably late, but only slightly so. Satine had changed into a blue dress and done away with the headdress, better for dancing without it, although she still had the white flowers woven in her hair.

"This is stunning, Padmé. Is it always like this?"

"Every year it is spectacular, but I think this year more than ever they have strived to make it exceptional."

A serving droid came up with a platter of champagne and they each took a flute. It tasted light and bubbly, though Satine could tell that the sweetness masked a fair amount of alcohol.

"You know, I'm surprised your young man hasn't come to sweep you off to the dance floor," said Satine.

"Ani? He isn't my-," Padmé paused and sighed, then said, "He's over there talking to his padawan."

They looked over to where Anakin, the Togruta girl, and a clone with short blonde hair were standing against one of the walls. The Jedi had left their daily battle attire behind and were dressed simply, but elegantly in brown robes, and the clones wore their navy blue military uniforms. The padawan was frowning and every once in a while she would glance nervously over toward a senator with blue skin and light purple hair, a Pantoran, if Satine wasn't mistaken. Before she could realize what was happening, Padmé was steering Satine around the edge of the dance floor and over to the three of them. On the way, Satine couldn't help herself but to scan the room for a certain other Jedi. However, several of the guests wore masks and she wasn't able to pick him out from the crowd.

"Go on, Snips, just ask her," they heard Anakin say as they got close.

"It's just one dance, Commander," said the clone.

Anakin gave his padawan a gentle push until she began to walk toward the Pantoran senator she had been looking at.

"Fearless on the battlefield. Terrified to talk to a girl," said the clone with a chuckle.

"Aren't we all?" Anakin patted the clone on the shoulder before catching sight of Padmé and Satine.

"Senator Amidala, you look amazing."

"You know, Ani, I don't think you've ever had trouble talking to a girl. At least not to me."

"You're easy to talk to." Anakin seemed so caught up in looking at Padme that he forgot to say anything else, at least until the clone cleared his throat loudly.

"Oh, uh, Senator Amidala, may I present Captain Rex of the 501st Legion," said Anakin, remembering his manners.

"And this is my dear friend, Duchess Satine of Mandalore," said Padmé

"Shall we dance?" said Anakin. Now that the formalities were done with, his mind seemed to jump back to focusing solely on Padmé.

"Of course," said Padmé, taking his arm.

"You're the leader of neutral systems, aren't you?" asked Rex, to which Satine nodded.

"You must not be too fond of clones, then," he said.

"I am against wars and those who cause them. I have nothing against the people who get roped into fighting. May I ask, though, what do you intend to do after the war?"

"I haven't thought about it," said Rex, though she suspected that he was not being completely truthful. "Do you dance, Duchess?"

"I do. And on certain occasions, I even dance well."

They joined the dancers. Satine found that she quite liked this clone. He seemed like he would be a steadfast and loyal sort of friend, and she wondered if the majority were like him. What a horrifying prospect, she thought, to create such fine fellows for the sole purpose of sending them off to their deaths.

The rest of the night seemed to flash by in a series of moments and snippets of overheard conversations for Satine. She danced many times, with clones and senators, and even once with a Jedi, the older Mirialan, Luminara Unduli. And she took plenty of breaks to drink more champagne with Padmé. She overheard Anakin's padawan - Ahsoka she had learned her name to be - telling the younger Mirialan that the Pantoran senator had complimented her dancing. "And she kissed me on the cheek, Barriss!" Ahsoka had said happily. It could be hard to tell the ages of non-human species, but Satine didn't think Ahsoka could be any more than a teenager, a child at war. The thought made her glum, and so she had downed another glass of champagne until she felt better. Satine and Padmé also saw Padmé's old friend and body double, Sabé, who seemed quite busy flirting with one of Palpatine's personal guards. As for the Chancellor, himself, he seemed in much better spirits as he watched the dancers.

As it was getting late in the night, a clone wearing a mask that covered his entire face offered his hand to Satine. She accepted gracefully, only a little unsteady on her feet from the alcohol. Still, the clones were a sturdy bunch and he supported her easily, seeming a little amused by it all. And he was a fine dancer, she had to admit.

"What's your name?" she asked him over the music.

"I'm called Click," he said. His voice seemed a little deeper than the other clones, but the accent was the same. She laughed a little. They chose such funny names for themselves.

"I must say, you're quite fun to dance with. I'm a little surprised. I was told you were quite disdainful," said Click.

"Who told you that?" she asked sharply.

The clone seemed to realize his mistake upon hearing her tone and he tensed slightly in her arms.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything. I'm sorry if I've upset you."

"It must have been Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Who's he?" asked the clone.

"I'm sure you know him. He is quite the general, I hear."

"My unit is led by another Jedi. What is this Kenobi like?"

This clone seemed a bit strange to her, but her head was not as clear as perhaps it should have been. The part that should have restrained the words coming out of her mouth did not seem to be working, either.

"Kenobi? He is a hypocrite. A man of contradictions, who claims he wants peace but then spends his days running hither and yon, wielding his lightsaber with deadly force as if on a crusade. Someone who relies on violence to such an extent can only be called foolhardy, and dangerously foodhardy, at that. He's probably somewhere on this dance floor, trampling the poor feet of whatever partner is unlucky enough to have him."

The clone hesitated, and then said, "I'll be sure to pass that along to him if I ever meet the man."

The music slowed and instead of changing partners, Satine pulled the clone a little closer, his hand on her waist and hers on his shoulder. He was quiet for the rest of the dance and at the end he bowed politely and left her.

Satine looked around the room again, as she had often done between dances, but Obi-Wan was nowhere to be seen. She felt a slight twinge of disappointment, which she tried to quickly force down and out of mind.

Obi-Wan made his way over to where Mace Windu and Luminara were talking with Anakin. The usually stoic Jedi were both actually laughing a bit at something Anakin had said. Obi-Wan took off the mask he wore and dropped it carelessly onto one of the side tables. He looked down at the uniform he had borrowed from a clone, because Jar-Jar Binks had spilled wine all over his ceremonial robes at dinner.

"A hypocrite, a man of contradictions," he muttered angrily to himself.

"Are you alright, Obi-Wan?" Luminara asked. They had been at the temple together as younglings, and Luminara was well aware that although there was little that could upset Obi-Wan, the things that did stayed with him for a long time.

"You are looking rather beat-down," said Mace.

"Was that Satine you were dancing with?" asked Anakin.

"She has abused me past the endurance of a block," Obi-Wan exclaimed, more animated than they usually saw him. Anakin looked down into his empty flute of champagne, thinking about how it was much stronger stuff than they had accounted for.

"She didn't realize it was me and so she said that I - Obi-Wan, I mean - was a crusader, a violent fool, and a bad dancer."

"Well, I thought you looked lovely out there, Master. As graceful as an Alderaanian swan," said Anakin, trying very hard to keep a serious expression on his face.

"Remember, Obi-Wan, to not let such feelings of anger get the better of you. It is the Jedi way to be forgiving," said Mace.

"And I forgive her. I forgive her pernicious words and her scornful sayings and her judgemental looks. Her speech is like a lightsaber, and every word stabs," said Obi-Wan, not sounding very forgiving at all. "I don't suppose there are any missions you could send me on. I could help the Talz prepare for a Separatist invasion, or shore up our defenses on Felucia. I would travel all the way out to Saleucami or sit through twenty hours of a Senate meeting, rather than spend another three minutes with her."

"Stay here, Obi-Wan, and enjoy the Festival," said Mace almost kindly, patting him on the shoulder and walking away from the other Jedi. He found the Duchess Satine sitting at a table and looking rather glum herself. Mace sat next to her.

"I see you have lost the heart of Master Kenobi," he said to her.

"I think so. He gave it to me once and I, in return, gave him mine, a double heart for his single one. We were very young then, and on the run."

"And he had his duty and the code to follow."

"Yes, he is a very honorable man."

"Gracious of you to say so," said Mace. Satine looked down at her hands in her lap. Mace Windu had the extraordinary ability of making an adult feel very much like an admonished child.

"Thank you, Master Windu. I see Padmé and Master Skywalker seem to be doing well, at least." She nodded to the other end of the room where the couple were dancing together for what must have been the twelfth time that night.

"You have a good heart, I think, my lady. Don't be afraid to show it sometimes."

"As do you. I wish our good hearts were more in alignment," she said, standing. "If you'll excuse me, I think I have had enough merriment for the night."

"Snips, Snips, get over here," Anakin hissed at his padawan, who was talking with Barriss Offee as they stuffed their faces with snacks from a serving droid.

"What is is, Master?" she asked.

"Come here," he said urgently.

She smiled a sort of silent apology to Barriss and then walked over to Anakin and Padmé.

"What's going on?" she asked again.

"What do you think about Duchess Satine?"

"What? What do you mean? I don't agree with all her views, but I can respect a strong lady like that. Wait, is she plotting something?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I was just sort of planning something."

"Planning what?" she asked.

Anakin looked around somewhat surreptitiously, and pulled Ahsoka and Padmé farther from the crowds of people. Padmé looked simply amused by all this.

"The goal of the Force is balance, right?" asked Anakin.

"Right?" Ahsoka looked to Padmé for some clue as to what this was about, but Padmé merely smiled at her.

"And when two opposing viewpoints and personalities come together, it could be said that they become more balanced."

"Master, what are you talking about?" Ahsoka snapped.

"Obi-Wan and Satine. They apparently had a bit of history together. All in the past, he said, but after today, I don't think so."

"But they did nothing but argue any time they were together."

"It's all part of it, Ahsoka," said Padmé.

"All part of what?"

"Just listen, I have a whole plan. We just need to get Mace and maybe Sabé and Dormé to help us."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Ahsoka with a sigh.

Palpatine reclined on the comfortable couch of the Naboo suite, the dreadful cheerful music of the orchestra still pounding in his ears. And yet, he did have some reason to be upbeat. Anakin had seemed instantly head-over-heels, as the younglings say, for Padmé Amidala. Palpatine had a feeling that the time was fast approaching to show the boy that women were fickle creatures and that betrayal could come from those closest to you. After all, if Anakin believed that Padmé could betray him, it would not be so hard to believe that Obi-Wan and the Jedi could do the same.

"My lord, if I may," said Bora Chi.

"Speak."

"I spent the dance tonight often on the arm of a lovely young lady named Sabé. She was once a handmaiden and bodyguard for Senator Amidala. It was even said that when Amidala was queen, the two looked so much alike that Sabé would play decoy for Amidala. And I must admit, even now, they are like twin sisters."

"That is extremely interesting. And this Sabé, liked you, did she?"

"Yes, my lord. I can be quite a charming fellow. And I bet I can arrange that Sabé and I are together in a certain tactical location at some late hour, perhaps tomorrow night."

"Then I shall ensure that our young friend, Anakin, is there to see the spectacle."

"He will have none of his precious Padmé after that," said Rade Con.