"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond. 'aaaa' - regular dreams

AN: I hope you all like this week's interlude. I did have a little trouble starting it, but once I saw this picture on DeviantART of Barriss and Ahsoka sitting in a booth at Dex's drinking milkshakes, I came up with this idea.

I also had a little inspiration from this fanfic titled A Girl's Day Out at Dex's by Balin Lord of Moria.

I loved the first three episodes of the Bad Batch that have already aired and can't wait for the rest of the season!

Thank you princesselsaamidala22 and my guest reviewer for your reviews. I love reading them.

On with the story!

Interlude: A Day Off

A few days after her trip to Raxus with Padmé, Rosella, who had been given the day off from her classes and training, was heading back to the apartment that she shared with Anakin after an early morning spar with Ahsoka when her wrist communicator beeped, signalling that she had an incoming transmission. Raising her left arm, she reached over and answered the flashing device. "Padawan Ngaire speaking," she said.

"Hi Rosella," a familiar Mirialan voice said.

"Barriss!" The teenager happily responded, glad to be hearing from her friend. It had been more than a few months since their small chat in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. After everything that had happened with the factory on Geonosis and the worms aboard the medical frigate, the two girls had slowly become friends and while they hadn't gotten to hang out as much as they would have liked to, they would usually say hi to one another in the cafeteria or even as they passed each other in the halls of the Temple. "How have you been?"

"I'm good," she replied, her voice crackling a little as it was filtered through the tiny comlink that was attached to the glove that the teenage padawan was wearing. "Are you busy right now?"

"No," Rosella answered, letting a tiny sliver of curiosity fill her voice.

"Well, Master Luminara has given me the rest of the afternoon off, so I was wondering if you would like to accompany me somewhere outside of the Temple for lunch," Barriss told her. "I'm on my way back right now."

"Sure. I have just the place in mind," Rosella said. "Let me freshen up and change and I'll meet you down in the foyer by the entrance to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, alright?"

"Ok," Barriss responded. "I'll see you soon."

Then her comlink beeped, indicating that the connection had been cut. Knowing that she didn't have much time, Rosella swiftly headed to one of the lifts at the end of the hall. Reaching towards the panel on the right, she pressed one of the buttons and waited. Once it arrived, she got in and took it down to the floor that her family lived on. After getting off, she walked to the apartment and entered the code into the panel beside the door. Once the screen flashed green, it slid open.

As the fifteen-year-old entered the room and let the door slide shut behind her, she called out to her father to let him know where she was going. When he didn't answer, she almost called his name again before remembering that he and Obi-Wan, along with all the other Knights and Masters who currently held a position in the GAR, had been summoned to one of the war rooms for an important strategy meeting. Knowing that he most likely didn't want to be disturbed, she decided to leave a note, telling him where she was going.

Quickly making her way to her room, she grabbed the spare holocomunicator that was laying on her desk and composed her message. Once she was finished, she saved it, then left the device on her bedside table as she removed her sabers, placed them on the wooden surface and turned around. Grabbing her bathrobe off the hook beside her door, she headed to the fresher and showered, making sure to properly bathe before getting out, drying off and putting on her bathrobe before heading back to her room.

After changing into a clean outfit and making sure that both of her lightsabers were attached to her belt, the teenager picked up the small device that had her pre-recorded message on it and left her room. Stopping long enough to place the holocomunicator on the island, she turned around and hurried out of the room.

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Once Rosella arrived at the aforementioned meeting place, she didn't have to wait long before spotting the dark blue cape that her friend wore. "Hey!" She enthusiastically exclaimed, reaching out to hug Barriss when the older Padawan stopped in front of her. Smiling as she felt the gesture being returned, she pulled away and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Barriss nodded, so they quickly made their way through the large crowd of Jedi who were heading to the cafeteria and left the Great Hall. Once the girls got outside, they walked down the steps and hailed an air taxi.

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When they arrived in CoCo Town, Rosella told the driver, who was a Bothan, that he could park beside the diner that was sandwiched between two other buildings. Sensing that the man seemed to be a little nervous about dropping them off in such a sketchy area, she quickly reassured him that they were capable to taking care of themselves. After a few minutes, the yellow vehicle that bore a black and white checkered stripe across the side landed in the only available space that was left.

As soon as the girls exited the craft, Rosella told Barriss to go wait for her near the building while she paid for their trip. Nodding at her, the Mirialan did as instructed. Once their fee had been paid, the younger Jedi took a step back and watched as the air taxi lifted off and flew away. Then she turned around and walked towards her friend, who was looking at the building while waiting near the entrance.

"Is this the place that you had in mind?" Barriss asked skeptically.

Rosella grinned as she turned to face the older girl. "Yup! You are going to love the food they have here, even if it is a little unhealthy," she said. "Plus, the owner is an old friend of Master Kenobi's."

Barriss smiled. "As long as it's not too greasy, then I don't think Master Luminara will mind if I take a break from eating the food that is served at the Temple," she responded. "Besides, I was getting a little tired of just eating those plain-tasting ration cubes whenever we're on missions." Glancing at the entrance, she gestured for the younger girl to go ahead.

Even though Rosella was trying to hold back her laughter, she couldn't help it. Letting a series of giggles escape from her mouth, she headed up to the door. As it slid open, she walked inside, with the older padawan following behind her.

Since it was their first time coming to the place, both girls looked around. On their right were four bar stools that were sitting in front of a long table, allowing the customers to glance outside as they ate their food. Next to them was a single booth. Over to their left was another bar stool, followed by three more booths and another single bar stool at the other end. Directly ahead of them was a long bar with a bunch of stools in front of it.

Along with the smell of freshly made food that permeated the air, there was the usual crowd of people that tended to frequent places like Dex's. Some of the beings were aliens while others were human.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Anakin Skywalker's Padawan!" A deep voice called out from the kitchen window.

Rosella turned and saw Dex looking at her with a smile on his face. "Hey, Dex!" She cheerfully responded.

"Who is the lovely looking young lady with you?" he asked.

"This is my friend and fellow Padawan, Barriss Offee," she replied, gesturing to the Mirialan who was standing beside her.

"Hello, Dex," Barriss said in a polite tone of voice. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he responded. Then he nodded at the empty booth that was near the entrance. "Go ahead and take a seat. One of my waitresses will be with you shortly."

They both nodded and headed over to the booth.

As soon as they were settled in their seats, Barriss looked at her friend and said, "So, how have you been?"

"I…" the teenager trailed off as she fell silent. Glancing down at the table, she thought about her most recent adventure. Since she wasn't all that comfortable revealing the details of what she had done to the older girl, she decided not to say anything. Anakin hadn't punished her for her dangerous and careless actions and she desperately wanted to keep it that way. Shifting her gaze upwards, she saw that Barriss was still waiting for her answer. "I've been… ok, I guess."

Just as Barriss opened her mouth to say something, she was interrupted by one of the waitresses who had come up to their table. "Hello and welcome to Dex's," she said. "My name is Hermione and I will be your server today." Reaching into her apron, she took out a small datapad and a writing stylus. "Can I start you ladies with something to drink? Maybe a cup of Jawa Juice?"

"No thank you," Rosella said, as an apologetic smile appeared on her face. "I'm a Jedi minor, meaning I can't drink alcohol. Can I have a small blue milkshake please?"

"I'll take one too," Barriss told her.

Hermione nodded as she finished writing down their drink order. "Two milkshakes, coming right up," she said. Flashing the girls a quick smile, she turned and walked away, heading back around the bar. When she reached the kitchen window, she relayed the order to Dex.

"Really? That's all you have to say?" Barriss asked, continuing their earlier conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Rosella asked.

"You're the infamous Padawan of Anakin Skywalker," the Mirialan responded. "Your exploits are known all throughout the galaxy. Even some of the younglings and Initiates at the Temple are talking about you and your Master. Your life has got to be one of the coolest ones around."

The fifteen-year-old smiled a little. "I will admit that my life is pretty cool," she said. "But it's not all sunshine and rainbows like some of those news reporters make it out to be. I mean, everyone, including some of my teachers, expects me to be perfect just because of who my Master is. But I'm not. We all make mistakes."

As both girls fell silent, Hermione came up to their table with two small glasses, plus a couple of menus, on a tray. Placing the serving platter on the table, she grabbed a glass and placed in front of each teenager. "Here are your milkshakes," she said. Grabbing both menus, she handed one to Rosella and the second one to Barriss. "Dex will be out to take your order in a few minutes." Then she walked away to continue serving the other customers.

Barriss watched her leave. Then she took a sip of her milkshake before setting the glass aside as she opened her menu. "Have you noticed that ever since this war began, many people in the Republic have begun to look at the Jedi the same way that most of the Separatists and a few of the Senators do?" she asked, changing their topic of conversation. "I've started to wonder why since everyone else seems to think we're the good guys."

"So have I," Rosella responded, setting her glass to the side as she opened her menu and began to look at it. "Maybe they're like that because of what they see on the news and read online."

"Maybe," Barriss said in response. "The HoloNet newscasters, and sometimes, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself, often talk about a mistaken belief that the Jedi were the ones who started this war, and that we aren't doing our very best to protect the citizens of the Republic. They're making it seem like we want more power. The reason I find it strange is because my own Master, along with Masters Yoda and Qui-Gon have always told me that the Jedi must do what's in the Galaxy's best interests, not our own."

"Master Kenobi has told me that too," Rosella said. Thinking back to what Barriss had said about the HoloNet newscasters, another thought came to her mind. "Now, I want to know where those reporters are getting their information from. I mean, it's not like they can just go anywhere they want in the galaxy."

"Well, I've heard that the Chancellor is partially responsible for some of the information," Barriss said, her eyes wandering over the names of some of the food items that were served in the diner. "But I'm not sure whether that's true."

"I hope not," Rosella responded. "I know that every Senator who is a member of the Republic has access to the reports that we file at the end of every mission. But it's not like those reporters can just waltz right into the Senate and ask the ones that they come across for the details. They don't have the right clearance for something like that."

"I've also heard that a few members of the Council are beginning to grow suspicious of the amount of power that Palpatine has gained," Barriss told her. "They're wondering if he'll even return it to the Senate once we bring the war to an end."

Rosella took a sip of her milkshake. "Enough of the war talk," she said. "It's a splendid day outside. Let's enjoy the time that we get to spend together before we have to go back out there."

Just then Dex came up to their table. "Now then," he said, pulling out a small datapad, "what are you both in the mood for?"

Once the girls had placed their orders, the Besalisk smiled at both of them and headed back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came back out with two items in each of his upper hands. Making his way over to their table, he placed a large plate that contained a Shawda club sandwich and a side of protato wedges in front of Rosella and a medium sized plate that contained a Nuna sausage patty with a side of wedges in front of Barriss. Then he said, "Enjoy your meals girls and don't forget to pay up front when you're finished."

"We will," Rosella responded and smiled as she watched him turn and head back to the kitchen. Then she looked at Barriss and lifted her glass. "I propose a toast. To good food and even better company."

Barriss echoed her words and bumped glasses with the younger girl.

Sharing a quick smile with each other, they began to dig into their meals.

As soon as their plates were empty, Rosella called for Dex. When he came out of the kitchen and saw that they had finished eating, he came over, gathered up their dirty plates, as well as their empty glasses and headed back so he could begin cleaning up.

Once Rosella had gone up to the front and paid for their meal, she and Barriss left the diner and caught a taxi back to the Temple.

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When they arrived, they bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways. While Barriss headed off to rest, Rosella went back to the apartment. As soon as she stepped through the door, a small smile appeared on her face as she saw that Anakin was back from his meeting. Her smile grew as she saw Qui-Gon sitting next to him.

"Hi Dad, Grandpa," she said, greeting them both before stopping to take off her boots.

Both men looked away from the podrace that they had been watching and smiled as they saw her. "Hi sweetheart," Anakin said, as Qui-Gon chose to give her a simple nod instead of a verbal greeting before turning back to the screen. "Did you have fun with Barriss?"

"Yup," she responded as she turned to the right and placed them on the mat before straightening up. "I'm going to go wash up."

"Alright," Anakin said.

Once Rosella was finished in the refresher, she made sure to turn off the light before leaving the room. Then she headed to her own room, grabbed a single datapad as well as a writing stylus and headed back out to the main area. Grabbing a seat at the dining room table, she turned it on.

Just as she was about to start translating the Huttese words that were on the screen into Basic, which was her homework assignment for her Galactic Language class, she heard Anakin cheer. Tearing her eyes away from the brightly lit device in front of her, she saw that the race was almost over. Choosing to focus on her assignment rather than the screen in the living area, she looked down at the first word and got to work.

A few hours later, she was finished with her assignment. Feeling satisfied with her work, she called Anakin over and had him check it. Once he told her that it was all correct, she smiled and got up to hug him. After he let go of her, she turned around, picked up her datapad and saved her work. Since the assignment wasn't due for a couple of days, she grabbed the writing stylus before heading back to her room and placing both items on her desk.

Later that evening, after having dinner with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka in the older Jedi's apartment, Rosella was in her room, getting ready for bed. As she climbed beneath the covers and turned out the light, she hoped that her next adventure out in the galaxy was going to be a tale worth telling.