Senator and Soldier

Shrine

Fox turned towards her, ever so slightly. "It was my pleasure."

"And how long are you planning on staying here?"

"As long as I'm needed. I overheard Captain Tere mention an increase of Separatist activity in this system and I offered to come along. One of my brothers came with us."

Chairman Papanoida nodded thoughtfully. Riyo glanced at Ion, the Chairman's son. He was watching Fox through narrowed eyes. "I will trust your discretion with the situation then, Commander. If you feel you should stay, you are most welcome." He stood, then. Riyo stood as well and shook his offered hand. "I won't keep you any longer, for now. Welcome home, Senator."

"Thank you," Riyo smiled. She brushed out of the room quickly.

The three of them soon boarded a speeder and were soaring across the city towards her private home. Riyo let out a sigh of relief when they landed. She led the way into her home. True to her word, Mairin already had everything unpacked and situated. There was no sign of her or Jairo, though.

"Senator, you should change," Asha said. She ushered Riyo towards her room.

"Wait here," Riyo called to Fox over her shoulder. He nodded and pulled his helmet off.

Asha closed the door behind them and entered Riyo's closet. She returned shortly with a simple outfit. Riyo began to change quickly. "M'lady, may I speak freely?" Asha asked.

Riyo raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

"I think you spend too much time with the Commander, and Mairin should not be seeing that other clone." Riyo said nothing, waiting for Asha to continue. "It's unseemly. You're a senator and he's just a soldier. He could get into trouble if something happened between the two of you. Both clones could. Oh, that's another thing. They're clones. There are hundreds of millions of them in the galaxy. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want someone who shares the same face as all of those other ones. They're...fake."

Riyo gritted her teeth against the flurry of anger within her chest. "Asha," she said slowly. "I value your opinion and I appreciate you looking out for me. However, I don't appreciate you talking about them that way. Clones are living beings, the same as you and me, regardless of how they were created. They deserve our respect. There may be millions of them out there, but millions of them die everyday too, trying to protect us from the Separatists. Besides, I can't tell Mairin what to do, and I can assure you that I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing happens to Fox or Jairo."

Asha stepped in front of her and began to restyle Riyo's hair. "So you admit it then. Something has happened between you and Commander Fox?" Riyo didn't reply. "You must send him back to Coruscant. End whatever is going on before something happens."

Riyo shook her head. "That isn't going to happen."

"Then best of luck." Asha stepped back and met her gaze. Riyo narrowed her eyes at the strange glimmer in Asha's gaze. The handmaiden ducked out of the room shortly. Riyo heard the main door hiss open and then close again.

Pantora: 20 BBY
Capital City
Commander Fox

Fox stared at the doorway Asha had just breezed through. Her muttered words towards him played in his mind again. Leave her alone before something happens. He shook off his misgivings and moved towards Riyo's room.

She glanced up as he entered. "Are you all right?" He asked.

Riyo nodded. "Asha is worried about me, that's all." She stood abruptly. "Come with me. There's something I have to do." Riyo paused beside the door. "Actually, you need something to blend in more. I don't want people getting suspicious." She ducked into her closet and returned with a set of clothes. "They were my father's. I think they'll fit you."

"Won't they recognize me anyway?" Fox gestured to his face.

Riyo shook her head, ushering him into the closet. She closed the door before answering. Fox began to change quickly. "No one on Pantora has seen a clone except for the Chairman and his family, myself, and my attendants, and a few guards."

Fox stepped out after a second. Riyo glanced him over, then nodded approvingly. She laced her fingers with his and led the way out into a hall. They moved into a  lift and went down several stories.

"Do you know where Mairin and Jairo went?" Fox asked.

"Mairin said something about going to visit her family. She wanted to take him with. She has a few haunts here and there as well."

Fox smirked to himself. "So in other words, I shouldn't expect to see much of Jairo while we're here."

Riyo laughed. "Probably not." The lift stopped and they stepped out. Her expression grew more somber as they walked down the hallway. They reached a large door covered in runes and images of a sort. Riyo pressed her palm against a panel next to the door. It opened with a groan and a soft hiss, as though it hadn't done so in a long time.

The room inside was dark except for a few dim blue lights lining the walls. Riyo approached one wall and flicked the lights on. Fox stared around the room. It was a shrine of sorts. On one wall, there were two windows. Riyo opened the blinds on them as he looked around. In between the windows sat a wide table. Two urns sat on it. Behind the urns were two images, a man and a woman.

"Is this..." he began.

"My parents memorial shrine," Riyo finished. She gestured to the urns and the portraits. "My father was a former senator of Pantora and my mother worked for one of the previous chairmen."

"What happened to them?"

Riyo stared at the urns, her breath uneven. Pain shone in her eyes. Fox approached and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against him. "They were killed when tensions with the Separatists first began. They had been visiting friends on Onderon. When they left, their ship was shot down. Mina Bonteri discovered what happened and sent them home. We never caught who killed them." A tear slipped down her cheek.

He rubbed his hand down her arm soothingly. "I'm sorry."

Riyo drew in a steady breath. "I miss them. Every time I'm home, I stop by here at least once. You can tell how often that actually is, though."

"You have a busy life. I'm sure they'd understand."

Riyo smiled to herself. "Yes, they would." She straightened after a few moments. Fox released her. "Come on. I'll show you around." Fox nodded and let her lead the way back out of the shrine.

He glanced back, once, before the door closed. For a second, he wondered just how many enemies his senator really did have. The thought scared him, just a little.