"Did you have fun last night?" Padmé asked as she and Satine drank hot ardees together.
"The parade was wonderful. I loved the little acrobats. I think they were my favorite part," said Satine.
"Yes, I love them. Did you do anything after the parade ended?" asked Padmé, taking a long sip of ardees to hide the fact that she was so obviously prying.
"Obi-Wan and I went for a walk," Satine said slowly, frowning a little at Padmé. For her part, Padmé was desperately trying to keep her face neutral.
"Oh, yeah? You two seem like you have been getting along better."
Satine definitely blushed at that.
"Yes, well, it has been good to catch up with an old friend. And we heard a lovely street band called Finnegan or Figrin D'an, something like that," Satine said, a somewhat dreamy expression crossing her face. "What about you? You and Anakin looked like you were heading back to the palace."
"We were, but then he went out for a drink with some of the clones. He was supposed to come by here later actually, but he never showed up." Padmé pouted a bit as she said it.
"He probably just had too much to drink. There was a lot of that going around. We'll probably see him some time after noon with a sore head."
Padme wasn't totally convinced, but she appreciated her friend's attempt to cheer her up. The door to their rooms had been left open and one of the queen's greysors chose that moment to wander in and flop down upon some of the pillows on the floor.
"Well, you seem quite at home," said Satine, petting its soft head.
"Neeyutnee loves them. She has a pack of nearly a dozen. She doesn't really hunt with them, I think she just likes their company."
"I can see why," said Satine with a laugh, as the greysor rolled onto its back so that she could rub its belly. Satine then let out a rather violent sneeze.
"You're not allergic to them, I hope," said Padme.
"No, I think I'm just getting a cold. I woke up this morning with my nose so stuffy that I couldn't smell a thing."
"Oh no, you'll have to take it easier today. All the excitement from the festival and rekindled friendships has probably worn you out. And going swimming yesterday probably didn't help."
"What?" Satine's head snapped up from the greysor.
"Such a lovely little creature," said Padmé innocently, giving it a pat.
"Windu, Windu, sir!"
Mace turned slowly to look at the Gungan who had come jogging through the halls toward him, knocking over two servant droids on the way. The Jedi had on his usual scowl, which may have become more intense upon seeing Jar-Jar Binks. There was something about that high-pitched voice that always set Mace on edge.
"What is it, Representative Binks?"
"Sir, meesa has some berry important news to discussen with yousa."
"Please be brief, Representative, I'm afraid I have a great deal to do this morning."
"Of course, Windu, sir." Binks then said nothing.
"What's the news?" asked Windu, somehow keeping his voice calm. This Gungan could drive even a pacifist like Satine to violence.
"Meesa has been in charge of the Theed Watch for the neighborhood of West Solleu. Issa a big responsibility, but meesa is bombad leader now."
"The news, Binks. What is the news?"
"Weesa caught two suspects last night, berry, berry nasty. Can yousa comen and talken to them-sa?"
"I'm afraid I can't at the moment. Why don't you interview them, Representative, and bring me your findings?"
"Okeeday, Windu. Seelongabye!"
Satine had been right about not seeing Anakin before midday. He must be feeling awful. Padmé had even run into Ahsoka for lunch, but his own padawan had seen no sign of him since the night before. Finally, around about two in the afternoon, Padmé had grown so impatient that she went to the rooms that he shared with the other Jedi.
"Ani, are you in here?" she called, after her knock went unanswered. She opened the door slowly to find Anakin sitting on a couch in the common room, his hands folded together in front of him, and his jaw clenched.
"Ani, are you here alone?" she asked.
"Windu had some sort of thing to get done, Barriss and Luminara are training, and I haven't seen Obi-Wan or Ahsoka." His words came out in a strange, forced manner.
"Is everything okay?" she asked him.
"Fine, just fine," he spat out. "How is everything going with you, Senator?"
"Ani, tell me what's wrong. You're acting so strange."
"I took a shortcut home last night. Through the garden."
He looked at her as if expecting some reaction, but she was nothing but confused and worried about him. There was a long pause as he watched her, almost examining her. Then, he stood and began to angrily pace the room.
"Are you going to make me say it?" he said.
"Say what?"
"I saw you! Palpatine's guard saw you! If you didn't want to be with me, you should have just said so. You didn't wait half an hour for me to leave your side before you were off with some other man."
"Other man? What are you talking about?"
"I saw you with him! In the garden!" Anakin was fully shouting now, not seeming to care if they were overheard.
"I wasn't with anybody!" Padmé shouted back.
"You're a liar! Just get out!" One of the vases on a side table went flying across the room and shattered against a wall. Padmé whirled around and stomped out of the room, her anger and dismay the only thing keeping her from breaking down into tears. She didn't stop until she reached her room where she flung herself down on the bed and did start crying. She felt like a dramatic adolescent, which she had never been, but she couldn't stop herself.
There was a soft knocking at the door and Satine entered. She sat on the bed beside Padmé and started stroking her hair.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"He thinks I cheated on him," she said, the words somewhat muffled by her pillow.
"Anakin? Why in the world would he think that?"
"I don't know. He says he saw me with somebody in the garden last night. How could he trust me so little? I wasn't even there."
"He does seem a bit...hot-headed for a Jedi," said Satine carefully. "You didn't deserve that and I'm sorry you had to go through it."
Padmé sat up in the bed and threw her arms around Satine. It was nice to have a friend like her, several years older and perhaps a bit wiser in these things than Padmé was.
"Do you think you could get me some fruit juice from downstairs?" Padmé asked, running her fingers over her cheeks to get rid of some of the tears.
"Of course, dear," said Satine. She suspected that Padmé wanted some time alone, as well, so she exited the room and closed the door quietly behind her.
As Satine opened the door from the common room to the hallway, she nearly jumped out of her skin to see Obi-Wan standing there, his hand still raised as if about to knock. She laughed at her own startled reaction and greeted him with a smile.
"What brings you here, Obi?" she asked.
"I just wanted to see if you were doing anything this afternoon." He shuffled his feet, almost as if he were nervous.
"Padmé asked for some juice. I think she and Anakin had a big fight. She seemed quite upset."
"So that's what it is. He was acting strange and angry all morning," said Obi-Wan, offering her his arm so they could walk together.
"They'll sort it out, I think. The course of true love never did run smooth, and all that."
"Yes, quite." He paused for a long moment, then said, "If I'm honest and without knowing much about it, I think Padmé is probably in the right."
Satine laughed at that.
"Anakin is a brave soldier. Once you have his loyalty, he'll do anything for you, even the most stupid and reckless things. But he is still so run my his emotions, more than a Jedi should be."
"He is young, and they can't all be as steady as you were," said Satine.
"I seem to remember letting my emotions get the better of me at least once. Perhaps I still do from time to time," he trailed off.
"Can we sit down for a moment?" Obi-Wan asked after awhile, as they passed a padded bench set into an alcove by a window, and Satine nodded. They had initially been headed for the central rooms of palace, where the dining room and ballroom were and most of the guests, but they had somehow wandered off into one of the more remote and narrow hallways. There was no one else around, except for one shiny protocol droid. They waited for her to clear the hallway before they spoke again, and waited for awhile, as protocol droids were not fast walkers. Satine began to look out the window, looking down upon the gardens, and Obi-Wan watched, seeming a bit nervous again.
Hesitantly, he took her hand.
"Satine, I-" he began.
She squeezed his hand back, but said nothing, trying to give him some silent encouragement. She had only seen him this shy once before, on the morning when he had had to leave her and return to his duties as a Jedi. Back then, there had been something he had almost said, but he just couldn't seem to get the words out.
"I love nothing in this galaxy quite so much as you. Is not that strange?" he finally said, looking down at their hands, instead of directly at her.
Satine's heart was beating so hard, she was sure he could hear it.
"As strange a thing as any. I could say that there is nothing in the galaxy that I love as much as you, and it would not be a lie," she said.
He smiled almost bashfully down at their hands and said, "You still love me?"
She brought her free hand up to his cheek, so that he looked her in the eye.
"I've loved you always. I always will," she said.
He was smiling broadly at her then. He kissed her then, a sweet kiss, not quite as passionate as the day before in the fountain, and then kissed her again. She took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and leaned back against his chest.
"I'm so glad they changed the code. Can you imagine what would have happened if they never had?" Satine said.
Obi-Wan chuckled. "I imagine we would have both been quite lonely."
"Drunk and disorderly, debauchery, and slander," said Captain Verges, to himself, reading the report made by his two officers.
"Issa berry bad business. Meesa can help you spake with them-sa. Meesa given real good interview."
Verges' lip seemed to curl with displeasure, but Representative Binks did outrank him, so he politely nodded his head. He led Jar-Jar and down to the cell where the criminals were being held.
"Name?" Verges asked the Pantoran one.
"Bora Chi," the man muttered.
"Writen down Bora Chi," said Jar-Jar to one of the officers down by the cells.
"And you?" asked Verges to the other.
"Rade Con," the second one said with a sigh. They'd figure it out eventually, he thought, and he would rather get this over with.
"Writen down Rade Con," Jar-Jar told the officer. "Are yousa criminals?" Jar-Jar then asked, pointing an accusing finger at the men.
"No, sir, we are not criminals," said Rade.
"Meesa thinks hesa lying," Jar-Jar whispered loudly to Verges.
Verges cleared his throat loudly in annoyance, then flipped open the report.
"It says here that you were being loud and disruptive, that Mr. Chi was so drunk he could barely walk, and that you slandered the name and threatened the reputation of our own Senator Amidala," said Verges.
"Senator Amidala? But shesa is bombad leader."
"That you tricked a young Jedi knight into believing that the Senator was, ahem, stepping out on him with another man."
"And he fell for it beautifully," said Rade.
"But Padmé would never be doen such a thing to Ani. Shesa too good."
"Who was the actual lady you were with?" asked Verges.
"The senator's old body double, Sabé," answered Bora.
"Right, well Representative Binks, we can hold them for a day or so on the drunk and disorderly charge. I am, however, afraid that the rest sounds like nothing more than a cruel prank. I would advise that you return to the palace and inform this Jedi of the deception yourself."
"Okeeday, meesa will maken real fast time to the palace."
Verges shook his head and rubbed his eyes as Binks tripped while running back up the stairs, but then he was out of sight. Verges passed off the report to the other officer, happy to put this matter behind him.