Mira felt her shoulders finally drop as the last batch of senators left with a few kind compliments. Olmark had been vital in steering her into groups of important people at the right moment...it was a little surprising that it had gone so easy actually. She shot the elderly man a questioning look only to be answered by a shrug.

Where were these hostile senators who were supposed to pounce her with verbal jabs and insinuations to make her do something stupid? It was a little silly, here she had steeled herself to toughen it out and keep herself from beating someone up...and none came to confront her. Instead she had merely met either already positive senators or neutral ones who mostly seemed curious about her.

With Olmark she had won a few votes, at least Olmark had said so, though she failed to understand how a polite smile and a few friendly words constituted a won vote...but what did she know?

As if sensing her confusion, as well as knowing that it wouldn't look good if Mira continued to stand around looking lost, the senator came up close behind her. "Perhaps we could go enjoy the show?"

"I'm not here to listen to music and watch a bunch of dancers, expensive or not." Mira snorted, eyeing the dance floor before the musicians. There it was all elegant dresses and soft music, waste of time... "I thought a politician like yourself would view that as a missed opportunity to make connections if anything."

The man chuckled. "I was not referring to that show." He pointed at a cluster of people further away, gentle laughter reaching Mira's ears. How had she missed that? She had probably been too stuck in her own thoughts and fears...as well as the annoying and apparently endless stream of platitudes one could exchange with complete strangers.

Shaking her head Mira let Olmark lead her towards the crowd. Well...it wasn't a crowd so much as it was a slightly denser cluster of people who all seemed to be eavesdropping on a conversation...they weren't even bothering to hide it either. Oh force no...

"I'm not contending that I flew a smuggling vessel..." Yep, Atton...why, why Atton!? "Though I must add that it was more crashing then flying involved..." Mira slapped her forehead as a shudder of a chuckle went through the throng of people. "I'm just saying that when a ship is used for legal passenger transport it's not exactly immoral to fly such a ship, no more does a blade become unusable because it was once used for murder."

"A funny analogy...for a jedi." Came the reply, the voice female and cold. Gently pushing herself through the assembled people, who seemed unused to actually being physically pushed aside, Mira manages to get a partial look of the exchange. Atton stood to the left, that slutty looking Zeltron tart at his side...Mira found herself glowering when turning to the senators. Three in numbers and...oh Atton you fool, why not go punch a rancor while you're at it?

Atton didn't seem to be worried about facing the most vocal supporters of the opposition however, or maybe he didn't know? Idiot. Even as she watched the man cocked that lopsided grin of his showing he was enjoying himself far too much for his own good. "Ah, my apologies, how about this? If...say a droid...is used, without its knowledge of course, to transport messages of the clandestine variety...it is not an evil to use it for something else later."

He wasn't insinuating...? Mira bit her lip, if he got punched for this it was his own fault...nope, wasn't going to help him.

Of course the senators didn't attack him, they merely bristled like angry cats. "If you are..." The short woman among them hesitated as she saw Atton's smile grow. What sort of game was he playing? "Never mind, I am more interested about your adventures in Telos, a great battle in the republic restoration project no less..."

"Yes, you're welcome." Atton inspected his nails, not the least fazed.

The man in the group snorted. "We're welcome?"

"Why yes." Atton didn't even look back at them, apparently busy with some miniscule fault with his nails...was he completely unhinged!? Maybe she should go in and help him before he made an ass of himself... "First we stop Czerka and their mercenaries from using the whole credit stream coming from the senate to be spent in weapon smuggling and mining for their own gains instead of actual restoration..."

Was he waiting for dramatic effect? Nothing seemed to be happening in the crowd...why were they just standing there? Mira sighed inwardly, she wasn't made for places like these... "Then the whole sith thing, coming to drain the entire planet of all life, and they get beaten with minimal casualties. Heck, Telos herself was barely touched."

"That's not what the budget says." A woman in grey hair muttered.

Atton chuckled. "Well...you can hardly blame me for a clever administrator seeing a chance to get extra funding due to the oh so horrible devastation...from a fleet exploding off in the distance." He shot the assembled people a knowing look, as if saying you know how those people work. It was horrible really, silly, not based on any facts...and it was working.

Mira found her anger rise as the crowd chuckled. How could this...scoundrel fit in better among these civilised people? At least he was earning them points within the senate...she had to give him that.

"And Peragus?" There was a weary tone in the question.

Atton shrugged. "Hey, can't blame me for that, the investigation said it wasn't my fault...and it was we who found an alternative source of cheap fuel for Telos anyway. I'm a hero." The false bragging and puffed chest...which wasn't at all false if one knew him...got a few laughters from those around. Oh Atton...Mira smiled despite her best efforts.

"Seems you're in quite a few situations." Someone in the crowd noted, apparently amused.

Atton nodded, feigning an exhausted look as the forgotten three senators slowly begun to withdraw into the crowd, faces contorted in anger. "Oh you only know half of it, people just keep asking for trouble with me for the hell of it." The faces got a little redder as the crowd laughed, then disappearing as they retreated away.

Force...what was one supposed to do with that grinning jerk?